Grief does funny things to people who let it show.
Can you imagine what it does to people who try their damndest to keep it hidden?
-0-0-0-0-0-
Wheeljack finally showed up at the Wreckers' meeting place in the Rocky Mountains, and Miko and Bulkhead gave him a warm welcome. Then, Miko looked around and noticed that something was missing. Or rather, someone.
"Hey, where's our favorite armor-wearing artist with the light-sabers and the crazy hair?" The Japanese exchange-student asked, grinning. "She hangin' around and waiting to make a dramatic entrance?" Silence fell as Wheeljack's expression changed, becoming grief-stricken, and he closed his optics and hung his helm.
"... 'Jackie?" Bulkhead asked quietly, his optics widening. "Where is she?" There was no reply from the white Wrecker. "... No." Miko's eyes filled with tears.
"... No!" She protested, stepping forward. "It can't be true! She can't be gone! Where is she, Wheeljack?!" The sorrowful Autobot rogue didn't respond, and Miko's eyes narrowed. "Where is she?!"
"'Screamer couldn't get any info out of us." Wheeljack admitted quietly, and Bulkhead and Miko blinked. "He tortured us both for solar-cycles, even giving me the cortical psychic-patch... We didn't crack. She didn't crack." He gave a weak grin. "Strong as any Wrecker, that stupid little girl..."
"What happened?" Bulkhead asked, and Wheeljack went silent again. Then, he sighed and looked up.
"Megatron ordered our execution, and 'Screamed had a claw to Jenna's stomach. But she was ready for it, and she threw two paint-bombs." He told them, frowning. "One blinded 'Screamer, the other shut down my stasis cuffs. I cut her loose and got ready to run, but she moved her arm from her stomach, and..." Miko covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a cry. "I couldn't do anything. She was just... Gone."
"... We have to make them pay." Bulkhead turned and glared in the direction of Darkmount, his fists clenchinh. "For Jenna. For our fellow Wrecker..." He could tell Wheeljack was one mention of his partner away from breaking down, but he had to try and comfort my best friend. "'Jackie... She's in a better place, now."
"No, she isn't!" Wheeljack looked up, glaring as he stepped forward. "She's dead, Bulkhead! She's dead, and it's my fault!"
"'Jackie-"
"Don't try to tell me it isn't! I brought that girl with me, convinced her that she could be as strong as one of us! I didn't listen to you or to everyone else who tried to warn me, who said 'she'll break easy'! I expected too much from her, and she expected too much from herself because of that! It's because of me that she died, curled up on the floor of a Decepticon fortress and bleeding out while I could only watch! She was my partner, my friend - and I killed her!"
"... You know, if she heard you say that, she'd probably stab you in the leg." Miko spoke up, and Wheeljack blinked before looking over at the girl. Her eyes were still filled with tears, but she glared at him. "Jenna wasn't weak, Wheeljack. She was strong, stronger than me and stronger than any human I've ever met... It could have been you, laying down on the floor and dying in there while she watched. But she would never have let that happen, and she was strong enough to make sure that it didn't." She raised an eyebrow. "So, did you kill her or did she save you?"
"I..." Wheeljack blinked, then he looked down. Miko slowly walked over at put a hand on his ped, frowning.
"She was your partner, Wheeljack. You meant as much to her as she meant to you... Did she know ahead of time that you were on death-row?"
"Yeah."
"Then, you have to understand what she did." Miko gave a small smile. "Wouldn't you have done it for her?" Wheeljack remained silent for a long moment, then sighed and nodded.
"Yeah. I would have... And of course she'd beat me to the punch." He gave a weak smirk, then a small chuckle. "I taught the girl how to be like me. Never expected she'd pick up on everything and learn how to predict me. She knew I would do anything to get her out... Little glitch was just too damn good at this whole 'partners' gig. Way better than I ever was..." Wheeljack looked up at the sky, smiling. "Jenna Darby. Told me once that her name meant 'Heaven' and she made life Hell. Had her explain those words to me, once... I hope she ended up in the place upstairs. Guess I'll find out eventually, she said she would drop ridiculous things on me from her perch in the clouds time to time."
"... Of course she did." Miko snickered softy. "That's Jenna Darby, for you. I can see it now, her flapping around with angel-wings as she keeps an eye on us and shouting curses every time we screw up like she's watching a football-game." She calmed down and slowly smiled, letting the image seal itself in her brain. "Yeah... Wherever she is, I think she's going to be just fine. And she's gonna watch over us... Nothing in the universe would be able to stop her from doing that."
/\
Within a small cave, a red-haired girl armored in orange and cream helped a figure armored in turquoise and black to her feet. The figure in blue's armor suddenly disengaged, leaving her in black pants, black boots, and a teal long-sleeved shirt with a u-neck, and she nearly fell over. The figure in orange quickly caught her, her glowing-blue optics wide.
"Hey, hey! Come on, it's okay! It's okay!" She helped the girl on blue sit down, her expression filled with concern. "I didn't realize... You're still really weak. You can't rush yourself."
"I..." The other girl closed her eyes, her whole body shaking. "Oh, God... I feel so strange..."
"Take it easy." The redheaded girl pleaded quietly. "You were nearly dead, but I fixed you... Your body needs to come to terms with the unlocked mods."
"I... Thanks..." The second figure looked up, her wide eyes glowing blue as well. They were optics, same as the redhead girl's. "My name is Jenna Darby. Primus told me that you were here when I was-... How did you find me?" The redheaded girl grinned lightly at her companion.
"My father's tech picked up the blast. I came all the way from Detroit, and I arrived just in time to see you get pitched off of that tower... This is the first time that I've met another techno-organic."
"Huh?" Jenna asked, confused. Then, she blinked in surprise. "Oh, right. Well, this is the first time I've heard of techno-organics, so... Is there a waiver I should sign to join the club?"
"Hmm. I like you." The girl in orange smiled lightly. "I can see why the Autobots chose you as one of their human companions."
"Uh, they didn't. I sorta stumbled upon them... You know the Autobots?"
"I did, once." The girl in orange admitted, shrugging. "I was there when they first arrived on Earth, in Detroit. I was just a little kid, but when they emerged from stasis in their ship, I hid them in one of my father's old factories. It was just Optimus, Ratchet, 'Bee, and Bulkhead back then, along with an Autobot called Prowl. They ended up saving my city from the 'Cons several times, becoming my best friends... They helped me through a lot of rough times, especially when I learned I was techno-organic. Then, Prowl was killed, and the Autobots were taken into custody by the US Government and sent here. They didn't tell the government about me for my safety, so I couldn't go with them. I've been searching for them ever since."
"... Well, now we have Arcee, some rookie called Smokescreen, and Wheeljack: my partner... Who thinks I'm dead." Jenna face-palmed, groaning quietly. "Brilliant, just brilliant..."
"I'd let you call, but it's too risky." The redhead told Jenna, frowning. "Plus, I doubt that there is a signal down here. And you don't seem to have your phone with you." Jenna blinked, then sighed and shook her head.
"It's just as well. I wouldn't know what to say."
"... Okay, let's do some mod checks." The redhead decided, trying to cheer her new companion up as best she could. "First, let's activate your armor. Imagine it on your body."
"Um... Okay." The brunette agreed, then she closed her optics. There was a blue flash and a digital sound, and she was suddenly dressed in her old armor. However, now there was a circle of blue energy surrounded by a silver ring at the center of her chest - and it had been present on her both in her unarmed form and this form. Her helmet appeared shortly after her armor did, and the redhead nodded as she saw her her companion's optics glowed through the thin visor.
"Good. Now, you can remove the helmet and just wear your armor." She advised, raising her index-finger as she spoke. "Give it a try." Jenna blinked, then closed her optics. Her helmet vanished in a blue flash, and her wild brown hair fell to her shoulders and no further. "Good. Look at your hands and focus."
"Okay..." Jenna obeyed, and her hands split into sections, revealing energy blasters buried in her palms. Her optics widened, then she slowly grinned. "That is so badass..."
"Good. Now, your feet." The orange-wearing techno-organic instructed. Jenna stood up and looked down, and black rockets emerged from her ankles, her boot soles becoming smooth and glowing teal. "Yes! Now, your arms." Glowing teal curved blades erupted from her arms, and Jenna stared at them in awe.
"... Cool!" She exclaimed, grinning, and she looked down at her belt to see her light-weapons and bomb in place and ready. Primus must have restored them to her... "Okay, this is awesome as Hell."
"Anything on your back?" The first girl asked, and Jenna blinked. Then, the other teen focused, and a panel in her shoulders split apart and opened. Massive, dragon-like wings spread open behind her - the appendages armored in turquoise with black fabric-like material forming the wings -, and she examined then with wide optics.
"Whoa..." Jenna looked back at the other techno-organic, stunned. "I can't believe how cool this is! You have the same sort of mods in you?" The first girl nodded in reply.
"Yep." She replied, and Jenna grinned excitedly. "The only thing is, my flight-mod isn't built into me. My dad made this jetpack for me." The girl held a device up. "Now, I know you're still learning, but that's going to have to wait a bit. The Autobots are going to need our help." Jenna blinked, looking at the device. "This tracker from back in my good ol' days is showing six unshielded Autobots life-signals, but there could be more that are shielded. We should head towards one of these locations so that we can regroup with our allies ASAP." Jenna blinked, then took the tracker and looked down at it.
"These two signals are at the Harbinger, a downed 'Con ship." She explained, pointing and frowning. "It'll make a good rendezvous point. However, these two signals-" She pointed, her optics narrowing. "Are at the universally agreed-upon Wrecker meet-up point. That's Bulkhead and 'Jackie for sure."
"So, that just leaves the question." The orange techno-organic placed her hands on her hips. "Are you ready to face Wheeljack?" Jenna remained silent for a long moment as she gazed down at the tracker.
"... The look on his face, when I fell." She spoke quietly. "I had never seen him like that. So sad, so angry, so confused, so scared, so... So broken." She looked up at the orange-wearing girl, frowning. "He's my best friend... I can't leave him like that."
"Two Wreckers together, there will probably be a scuffle." The redhead advised, and Jenna blinked. "There will most-likely be 'Cons. Given recent events, are you ready to face them?"
"... Let's do this." Jenna decided, engaging her helmet. "I don't know about you, but it would be my genuine pleasure to kick some 'Con tailpipe, right now. They kinda murdered me, after all." The orange-wearing girl activated her jetpack, and Jenna slowly spread her wings before giving them a mighty flap and shooting into the air, out of the mouth of the cave. Jenna let out a small shout of surprise, the other techno-organic quickly using her jetpack to catch up, then Jenna pinned her arms to her sides and looked forward, slowly managing to steady herself as she flew forward. "Okay... I'm okay..."
"Are you?" The other techno-organic asked, and Jenna looked at her. "... So, your partner's Wheeljack? The Wheeljack?"
"Uh... I assume that there's only the one? I mean, unless Wheeljack is Cybertron's version of John-"
"I'm just going to assume it's the one I'm thinking of. Bulkhead used to talk about him."
"Yep, that's the one." Jenna grinned, then found herself veering to the left and quickly moved her wings to right herself. "I, uh- I went on a trip with him into space for a few months, then we travelled across the continent - and we're really close. I just hope that he doesn't freak when he sees me..."
"It'll be fine." The orange-wearing techno-organic assured. "Everyone SERIOUSLY freaked when I got my upgrades. I used to look like an eight year-old."
"Uh... I'm still seventeen, right?"
"You're good. We look the same age, actually."
"Good, good... So, what's that key you used on me?"
"It's sort of an instant tech-repairer. The Matrix of Leadership gave it to me when I first met the 'Bots, and if they were ever hurt, I could repair them in a snap. It got drained when I got my upgrades - but before they left, I secretly recharged it. It's been kinda unstoppable ever since."
"Wicked." Jenna grinned behind her mask, then she blinked. "God, I sound like Miko." She shook her head and looked back at the other girl. "Wait, if you upgraded a few years back, why are you still looking like you're-?"
"Jenna, I... I'm sorry." The girl in orange spoke, and the girl in blue blinked. "Cybertronians live for millions of years, so upgraded techno-organics don't age like people. You're going to be seventeen for a long, long time."
Jenna suddenly flew down and landed on a mesa, letting her helmet vanish. Her glowing-blue optics were wide as she looked around, taking deep and shaky breaths as the other girl landed behind her. The redhead let her helmet vanished and blinked, then she frowned as she approached the brunette.
"I..."
"Jenna." Sari placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a weak grin. "You don't have to breathe, anymore. Your body-"
"Just stop it, okay?!" Jenna asked, looking at the redhead with tears in her optics. "You're from Detroit, the machine-capital of the world! Finding out that you're a robot was probably the coolest thing that ever happened to you! I'm from goddamn podunk Jasper, Nevada! People here still have flip-phones, damnit! How am I supposed to explain this to my mom, or my brother, or Agent Fowler, or my two human friends, or even the Autobots?! Hey, guys! You all thought I was dead, but it turns out that I'm not - I'm just a FUCKING IMMORTAL ROBOT WHO WILL HAVE TO WATCH Y'ALL WITHER AND AGE AND DIE! COOL, RIGHT?!"
"Jenna." THe techno-organic in orange frowned, her optics narrowing. "You're not human, you never were human. You were going to learn what you were eventually, so it was better that it was now than later - after you'd gotten married, had kids, and watched everyone wither while you stayed in place-"
"Wait, hold up." Jenna raised her hands, her optics narrowed. "I can have human-kids, still?"
"Ratchet always said that techno-organic can 'have kids' from either species."
"Either-? Oh, fuck." Jenna raised her hands to the sides of her head, her optics darting around. She never, NEVER swore like this - but this was her breaking-point. BEYOND her breaking-point! This was a shattering-point! "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! That's it! I'm moving to Alaska and living in a shack in the woods until Armageddon!"
"Calm down!" The redhead pleaded, then she sighed and rolled her optics. "Look, we're both in the same boat. I have a human dad, and a Captain Fanzone, and... But look at the bright side, okay?" Jenna looked up. "You're strong, Jenna. Incredibly strong, strong enough to fight 'Cons and win." Jenna's optics widened. "You're going to live just as long as an Autobot. You and I, we are going to be exactly what they need to win this war... So buck up, take a deep breath..." She gave a light smirk. "And show me that famous Wrecker spirit."
"I..." Jenna still seemed shaken, but she shook out of it. "I just realized... I never caught your name."
"Oh, right!" The other girl smiled kindly. "My name is Sari, Sari Sumdac."
/\
Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Miko destroyed Starscream's armada, then went to blow up a Decepticon mining operation to signal the other Autobots.
"Guys..." Miko began, slightly worried as they looked at the mine from a distance. "You know I'm all for blowin' the scrap outta stuff, but what does flattening a Decepticon mine have to do with getting the band back together and taking down Megatron?"
"Simple." Wheeljack replied, looking down at the girl. "When we light up this place, the blast'll be big and unmistakable."
"Any Autobot within five-hundred klicks will see the sky glowin' with Energon." Bulkhead continued, noticing that his old friend was shifting his left rotator-cup uncomfortably. Maybe he missed the tiny, almost-unnoticeable weight that should have been there, and its absence - her absence - was getting to him more and more by the minute. "And come runnin'."
"Then, bring the rain." Miko smirked deviously. They had rigged the mine to explode at the press of a button, and they were getting ready to blast it to the Pit, but then Miko pointed, her eyes wide. "Company!" A dark figure flew towards the mine.
"Megatron?" Wheeljack asked, his optics narrowing. Bulkhead shook his helm.
"Nah... Bigger." He admitted, then watched as the creature spun and silhouetted against the moon. "I don't remember seeing that move in Bucket-Head's repertoire." The monster blew fire at the three, and Bulkhead grabbed Miko, he and Wheeljack barely dodging the flames.
"A dragon?!" Miko asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Where'd the 'Cons get a dragon?!"
"What's a dragon?!" Wheeljack and Bulkhead asked, exchanging glances. Miko pointed at the creature.
"Giant, flying, fire-breathing lizard!"
The creature swooped in and fired another flame blast, and the Wreckers dodged, Bulkhead transforming and trying to remove Miko from harm's way. Wheeljack faced the creature, firing at it, but the dragon swung its tail and knocked him into a boulder, boring down on him like a mountain... Then, it was just there.
At first, it looked like a second, smaller dragon had arrived - the massive wings coming out of the creature's back assisted in the illusion. But as everyone looked closed, the figure's body was distinctly human-shaped - a human in blue and black armor, specifically -, and a pair of blue optics glowed from behind a black visor as the figure raised their hands, which segmented and separated to reveal blasters in their palms. The dragon stopped short, confused, and Wheeljack blinked in surprise as the figure's wings collapsed into their back.
"I never thought I'd get to fight a dragon. This'll be fun..." The figure spoke, their voice robotic but distinctly female, then they looked back over their shoulder at Wheeljack. "You hurt?"
"Uh..?" Wheeljack raised an optic-brow. The figure rolled their optics, looking back at the dragon.
"Well, you're fine." The figure commented dryly. "Guess it's dragon-fighting time. This can go one of two ways, lizard: Goblet of Fire-slash-Desolation of Smaug or How to Train Your Dragon. You pick." The creature snarled, and she gave a small shrug. "Option one it is. That's a shame, I kinda liked the idea of mimicking that kickass dragon-training movie. Oh, well - A for effort."
"Look, little... Thing!" Wheeljack's optics narrowed. "You fight that thing, you're scrap!"
"Look who's talking, rust-for-brains!" The figure scoffed lightly. "You tried to one-v-one this bitch!" The dragon apparently didn't like being called a bitch, as it lunged at the girl. "Move!" Wheeljack and the figure dodged, letting the dragon slam into the boulder, and the figure in blue chuckled as she turned to look at the creature. "Oh, this is fun!" The figure stood up and began firing at the beast with her hand-blasters, laughing. "So cool..!"
"Whoa!" A figure in orange landed next to where Miko and Bulkhead were standing and watching the scene. "She's really getting into this!" Bulkhead blinked, then looked back at the figure.
"... Sari?" Bulkhead asked, his optics widening in disbelief. The techno-organic disengaged her helmet.
"Well... Someone has a type." Sari gestured to Miko, grinning and raising an eyebrow. "Pigtails?"
"Who's that?" Miko asked, her eyes wide. Sari crossed her arms and sighed.
"You never even told her about me, Bulk? I am wounded!" She teased, then she held a hand out for Miko. "Sari Sumdac. I used to be Bulkhead's partner back in Detroit, and I'm what's called a techno-organic - like my friend over there."
"Well, ugly?" The other techno-organic asked as the dragon snarled at her. "You gonna actually fight me, or just stand there and let me wreck you all day?" The dragon charged the girl, and she whipped out glowing wrist blades like Sari's except longer and thinner, starting to fight the monster.
"The frag..?" Wheeljack asked, his optics wide, and Bulkhead ran over and grubbed his rotator-cup to try and shake him out of his daze. "What is that?"
"A techno-organic." Bulkhead explained as Sari and Miko ran over. "Team Prime's fought alongside one of them before, but I always thought there was just the one." Sari grinned, crossing her arms.
"Nope! My dad thinks that there actually are a lot of us around the world, but only two of us are aware of our abilities. Me - the one and only Sari Sumdac - and... Her."
The techno-organic in blue backflipped to avoid a strike, landing in a superhero-crouch before pushing off of the ground and darting at the dragon, yelling as she stabbed her blades forward. The beast went to move aside, but the figure in blue managed to stab it in the front right shoulder. As the creature thrashed and snarled in pain, the blue techno-organic deactivated her blades and fell back into a crouch on the ground, her blue optics narrowed.
When the beast had regained its bearings, it opened its mouth to spew fire on the techno-organic, but she raised her right hand and allowed it to segment into an energy-blaster, a blue orb of energy forming and launching into the dragon's mouth before combusting. The dragon stumbled back, then looked up and growled at the girl.
"I know those moves from somewhere..." Wheeljack murmured, then everyone blinked as the dragon suddenly lashed out with its tail and sent the techno-organic flying. She struck a rock and fell to the ground in a heap, forcing herself up and onto her hands and knees, and Wheeljack saw her place a hand on her stomach.
...
"Sorry, 'Jackie. Just wasn't fast enough, this time."
...
"I..." Wheeljack completely lost his bearings as he gazed at the figure. Between the color-scheme and the injury...
Seeming to sense that he was off of his game, the dragon looked at him and moved to attack, but the blue techno-organic suddenly spread her massive wings and flew over, both of her feet slamming into its snout and sending its head sharply to the side. Its attention back on her, the dragon snarled, and the armored figure looked back, placing her hand over her stomach again as her optics narrowed.
"Heh... Not on my watch, Mushu."
"Stop!" Sari warned, her optics widening. "You're not strong enough for this, yet! You'll get yourself killed!"
"I'm fine!" The figure in blue snapped. "Just get these guys out of here! I'll distract it!"
"But-!"
"GO!" The blue techno-organic shouted, throwing her hands down to her sides. Her hands split to reveal energy-blasters, and the figure in blue began firing on the beast, backing up as it stalked towards her, clearly annoyed. "Aye, Smauggy! That's a good lizard!"
"... You need to move." Sari looked back at Bulkhead, glaring. "You and Wheeljack need to take your friend and go." Wheeljack blinked, then frowned.
"Since when did you know my name, Short-stack?" He asked, and Sari blinked. Then, she looked away.
"A friend of yours told me." She replied, then she engaged her helmet and flew over, grabbing the figure in blue and barely managing to pull her out of the way in time to avoid getting snapped up by the dragon. "I told you, you idiot!"
"I'm fine!" The blue figure insisted, her optics narrowing. The two landed and faced the dragon, and the figure in blue collapsed her wings back into her back, dropping down onto one knee and using a fist to keep herself from toppling over.
"No, you're not!" Sari insisted, then she looked up at the dragon. "Oh, geez..." Sari summoned two thick, curved energy-blades from her wrists and gripped their handles, glaring. "Go find your fellow techno-organic, I said. It'll be fun, I said. She totally won't be a freakin' nutcase, I said!"
"Watch it, Red!" The techno-organic in blue shouted, looking up. Bulkhead looked at Wheeljack, frowning.
"We can't just leave 'em." He insisted, then he blinked as Wheeljack's optics narrowed. "'Jackie-"
"We're not leaving anyone." The white Wrecker announced coldly, then he drew a grenade from his side and threw it, letting it roll under the dragon's body. "Hey, ugly!" The grenade exploded, but it only seemed to agitate the dragon and draw its attention back to him. "Aw, scrap!"
"We're going to need more firepower!" Bulkhead protested, and Wheeljack looked back at him. Then, the white Wrecker smirked.
"Good thing that I know just where to find some!"
"Look out!" The techno-organic in blue exclaimed, and the white Wrecker blinked before looking back as the dragon lunged at him, only to be stopped short. "Agh..!" Wheeljack looked around the snarly creature, stunned, to see the figure in blue holding its tail and actually restraining it - though she was straining.
"Whoa!"
"Got any ideas?!"
"Get him into the mine!" Wheeljack shouted, his optics narrowing. The figure in blue nodded, and she released the creature and started running with Wheeljack towards the mine, the dragon on their tails as they disappeared into it.
"Damn." Miko commented, and Bulkhead poked her arm. "What?"
"No swearing."
"He hasn't given you that rule, yet?" Sari asked, and Miko blinked. "You must be new." A few tense moments later, Wheeljack drove out of the mines in his vehicle mode, the techno-organic flying next to him with the use of her wings. Transforming, Wheeljack skidded to a stop next to his allies and Sari, the techno-organic in blue landing on the ground in front of him, and Wheeljack grabbed the detonator, smirking lightly at the mines.
"And the walls came tumblin' down." He announced, almost-excited. The mine exploded in a blue inferno, and Miko cheered.
"Yes! Snuff the tragic dragon!" She exclaimed, then the beast emerged and shrieked at the group. "We're toast." The techno-organic in blue appeared to get ready to fight again, then her stance faltered slightly as she took a step back.
"You need to stop." Sari warned, grabbing her shoulder as her optics narrowed. "Push yourself any further, and you could seriously hurt yourself. You need more practice before you can engage in a full-length battle." The techno-organic in blue looked back, her blue optics narrowing behind her visor.
"But, I-"
Two blue blasts struck the metal dragon as it took off to attack, and a massive dark-blue Cybertronian ship flew overhead before flying close to the ground and lowering its ramp, seeming to invite the group inside.
"One of ours?" Bulkhesd asked, a little skeptical. Wheeljack looked back at him, his optics narrowed.
"Does it matter?!"
The group ran towards the ship and hopped onto the ramp, the ramp raising just in time for the quintet of runners to barely avoid getting fried. They kept their weapons raised, only lowering their guard upon seeing...
"Hey." Jack Darby greeted, smilling and waving. Arcee rested a servo on her hip, giving a light smirk.
"Jack!" Miko exclaimed happily as Bulkhead set her down. Bulkhesd smiled brightly at his comrade.
"Arcee!" He greeted, and he hugged her as Miko hugged Jack. While Arcee was used to such things, Jack evidently wasn't.
"Miko!" Jack exclaimed, choking lightly. "Can't breathe..." Miko pulled away and punched him.
"Weakling."
"Thanks for the save." Wheeljack grinned, then his mournful frown returned. The battle now over, he remembered what he lost. What would be missing from this reunion...
"Thank the Commander." Arcee pointed to the pilot of the ship. Th massive mech looked back, giving a small nod.
"Soldiers."
"... You?" Wheeljack asked, annoyed. As if things couldn't get any worse...
"Ultra Magnus?" Bulkead asked, shocked. "It's an honor!"
"It's an honor, sir." Ultra Magnus corrected him. The techno-organic in blue crossed her arms.
"Oh, yeah. This is gonna be fun..."
"You said it, kid." Wheeljack said without thinking, then he blinked before looking down. "... Guess blowin' that mine made us pretty easy to spot." Arcee looked back at him.
"Ultra Magnus already had a bead on your signals, and ours. Care to tell us what exactly's nipping at our tailpipes?"
"We think it's a robot-dragon." Miko announced, placing her hands on her hips. Jack blinked, looking at the image on the screen.
"Or a Cybertronian-reptile."
"Predacon." The techno-organic in blue said without a beat, then blinked. "Uh, Sari..?"
"Careful." Sari warned, placing a hand on the figure's shoulder. "You've got a lot of unconscious Cybertronian knowledge, a failsafe in case Cybertron was destroyed in the war. We were meant to save the species, even just little remnants of it combined with another species... Now that your processor is functioning properly, you've got a lot more information in your head. Don't hurt yourself."
"Unconcious knowledge? Really?"
"Yeah. We're like walking libraries, but you have to keep it all in check or you can get overwhelmed." Sari explained as Ultra Magnus began evading the dragon. "Me, personally? I started off being able to hack things, then I was suddenly capable of scanning technology to find where it was broken and how to fix it, then I was able to- whoa!" Sari grabbed the other girl's shoulder as the ship rocked.
"Brace yourselves!" Ultra Magnus warned, his optics narrowing. The figure in blue blinked, then looked over at Sari.
"You've got your shit together! How do we deal with a Predacon?!"
"Predacons are extinct!"
"APPARENTLY NOT, SARI!"
"It's right on top of us!" Jack shouted, and Bulkhead suddenly scoooed the humans up to keep them safe as Ultra Magnus' flying got more aggressive. The figure in blue grabbed a human-sized handle on the wall, and Sari grabbed onto her.
"Can't lie... This is kinda awesome!" The blue techno-organic laughed. "Extinct Cybertronian dragon, new guy with a spaceship, a badass fight and a wicked chase?! Oh, it's Christmas!" Ultra Magnus managed to get the group away from the Predacon, and when the adrenaline died down, Jack sighed and looked around the ship.
"Thank God... Jenna, where are you hiding, now?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips. "Come out where I can see you, you little troublemaker, or I swear to God you're dead." Bulkhead and Miko cringed as Wheeljack's expression filled with remorse, and the white Wrecker looked down.
"Jack, I... I-!"
"Jack!" A figure in blue and black ran over and hugged Jack, closing her eyes as he blinked in surprise. Then, Jack smiled and hugged her back, sighing in relief.
"Heh. Hey, sis." He greeted as Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Miko stared in disbelief. "Where've you been? I expected you to be front and center during this whole thing."
"Jack, I..." Jenna hugged a little tighter, clenching her eyes shut. Jack blinked, then frowned.
"You okay, Snow Queen?" He asked, pulling away and grabbing her upper-arms. "And did you cut your hair?" Jenna hung her head, her eyes still closed. "Jenna, look at me. What's going on, what happened to your hair, and what are you wearing?" Jenna wore black pants, black boots, and a teal long-sleeved shirt with a u-neck. Shining at the center of her chest was a blue light surrounded by a silver ring, and Jack's confusion grew as he saw it. "What is that thing..?"
"... I'm sorry, Jack." Jenna whispered, then she opened her eyes and looked up at him. At first, Jack thought that she was wearing contacts that made her eyes bright blue, but then he realized that she had no pupils and that something about her was seriously off. Her body seemed more rigid than normal, and her eyes weren't just bright-blue - they were glowing.
"Jenna?" Jack asked, confused. All eyes widened as blue pixels appeared in the air around her and her green hoodie suddenly formed over the rest of her clothes.
"... Kid?" Wheeljack asked, stunned. Jenna blinked, then gave a small smile as she looked up at him and nodded.
"Hey, 'Jackie... We have a lot to talk about."
-0-0-0-0-0-
After that day, every time I looked at my mom or Jack or someone human, I heard ticking in my head.
Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. A countdown to the end of life.
But I didn't need it for them.
If anything, they needed it for me.
...
...
...
I rewrote the last section of this chapter four times.
The first time, Jenna just came out and told Wheeljack that it was her. The second time, Jenna waited until she was on the ship and transformed on the ship while all eyes/optics were on her. The third time, things happened just as they did - except Jenna was excited about everything and she just up and told Jack "Hey, I'm a robot". Finally, I decided along the path I've been trying to follow - my character had to react like a real person would in this situation.
Jenna was scared, she was nervous, she didn't know how to come out and tell everyone what had happened. However, she still wanted to protect Wheeljack, and when Wheeljack was about to tell Jack what he thought was the truth, Jenna panicked and just revealed herself to spare Jack what pain she could.
I know I'm not perfect with this story. I'm trying to improve upon something that already exists as a story that overlaps over something that already exists, and to be quite frank, just saying that sentence proves that the situation is a clusterfuck of complications (pardon the language). But I just wanted to see if I could improve upon the story that made me love writing again after I hated it for a while, and I honestly think that I'm doing it justice. I don't know if people agree with me, but hey: I'm happy with it, and that has to count for something.
I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!