Rian: Poor kids...but onward with plot and angst! I love writing this story *-*
Misgel: Same. :D Next few chapters are going to be interesting... ;)
The darkness was never-ending. He felt the deep cold impede into his skin, sinking to his bones. He couldn't breathe, as the weight of the inky blackness dragged him down and down, into the never-ending abyss.
Where wicked optics awaited him.
Jack onlined his optics with a yelp. He felt his cooling fans were already clicking on, desperately trying to cool his overheating frame. What... what was that? The youngling shut his optics.
It was a dream. It was just a bad dream.
He ex-vented hot air from his intake, watching mist rise. He looked down at his body, to see metal plating. He... he was still a Transformer. But something was... wrong. What- what happened to him? Where was he?
Jack slowly, carefully, rose into a sitting position. He recognized the soft material of a berth beneath him, but he instantly recognized it wasn't his berth. This one was twice as broad and twice as warm. It large enough to even give extra room for someone like Megatron.
His spark froze. Suddenly he remembered. The warlord pinning him down, laughing, doing something to him.
He remembered a vile taste, his insides burning as the dark energon flowed down his throat.
Jack clutched at his throat, optics widening. Had that really happened—
No, no, no. It couldn't be— It would have killed him.
Dark energon was the lifeblood of Unicron. As the essence of the Chaos Bringer, it was corrosive, destroying everything it touched.
It wasn't real. It wasn't real.
He hadn't realized his fans had cranked up to full speed and he was venting rapidly, even though he did not need to breathe.
No... No! Jack's frame shuddered, clutching his helm. He was poisoned!
He tried to escape the darkness that clouded his processor—to shift his thoughts to something else. Jack desperately tried to reach out, to grab onto something to ground him to reality. Suddenly, a stronger, powerful presence brushed against his thoughts. He couldn't recoil—there was nowhere to go. Instead, he let the foreign essence embrace him, stamping down his distress.
"It is alright, little one."
Jack jerked, looking up to see that Megatron had entered the room, completely oblivious to his entry while he had been wallowing in his despair. The human-turned-Cybertronian recoiled, back pressing against the wall behind him. It was then he looked out beyond the large berth to see a poorly furnished room, but the space was wider than most quarters he had been in. It was then he realized, the dark energon in his veins going cold.
He was in Megatron's chambers.
"W-what am I doing in here?" he stammered out, shooting up as Megatron grinned down at him.
"I assumed you wanted somewhere more comfortable to recharge," Megatron replied, but seemed rather amused. "In addition, I preferred to monitor you in case you began to show... effects."
He spoke in a low, pleased purr, as if satisfied with himself in every way. Not registering at all this was the last place Jack wanted to be. With Unicron's blood, Megatron's blood in him!
Jack moved to launch himself off the berth, trying to escape. Of course, his captor easily caught him like he was a rambunctious toddler. He pulled and tugged as hard as he could, but he couldn't budge an inch against Megatron's strength.
"Now, now," he chided, lowering to be face to face with the mech, "Is that any way to treat the mech that saved you?"
"Saved me?!" Jack gasped. "You kidnapped, tortured, and starved me!" The mutant didn't realize his optics were getting brighter and brighter and his voice was getting higher and higher with each word. "You lied to me! You said the Autobots were dead!"
"Would it have made a difference?" Megatron countered, not at all bothered by his outburst.
He snarled, feral with his fangs. "They're alive. I know they're alive!"
His captor merely chuckled. "Not for long. You saw the beast yourself. You really think your 'friends' even stand a chance against it?"
"They will."
"You will learn the hard way then, once my pet brings me their lifeless husks," Megatron stated, but Jack merely scowled at him. He refused to accept that his friends would ever fall.
"The Autobots are stronger than that. They'll win."
Jack flinched when suddenly a clawed servo cupped his cheek, a single talon tracing the delicate metal.
"I highly doubt it. And even if they somehow manage to survive, they have no way of reaching this fortress. My fusion cannons will eliminate any invading force and I have an army to heed my orders. No one is coming for you. You are mine now."
Jack opened his mouth to retort, to refuse, but the words died on his glossa as that presence returned. He felt a pull at his spark. He winced when suddenly there were talons splayed across his chest, right over his pulsing spark.
"You feel it, don't you?" Megatron purred in a menacing hiss. "Unicron's power in your spark?"
"I don't want it," Jack snarled, jerking away from the servo. "I don't what you think it'll do, but I'm not going to let it change me—"
"Oh, but it has."
Claws teased the sensitive metal of his sharp wings. Jack instinctively flattened them against his back, away from the tyrant's touch. Suddenly the presence pulled harder. Towards Megatron.
The sterling silver's optics flashed a wicked violet.
Jack's spark tightened in his chest, burning hotly, almost as if in response to the intensity of those purple optics. From the depths he could hear a singular command: to come forward, closer to Megatron. When he did not follow the command immediately, it ached like a persistent itch, beginning to slam against the walls of his mind.
Jack gritted his denta, trying to ignore it. But any thought he had was stamped down, silenced.
And against his very will he took a step forward, then another, until he was almost pressed against Megatron's chest. He shuddered in relief, the pressure blessedly easing up as he followed the unspoken command.
"Good boy..." Megatron purred lowly, optics blinking crimson.
"What... what did you do to me?" Jack whined, barely audible, trying to prevent his plating from shaking but failed miserably.
"We carry Unicron's blood within us. We are one now."
"But I'm not—I'm still me!" Jack tried to proclaim, but stilled when Megatron grasped him.
"Jackson Darby is dead," the warlord hissed. "You are no longer a human—that pitiful life is gone now. You are one of us now. And you will be a Decepticon."
"I won't!" Jack shouted, snarling at the mech and bearing his fangs.
"And eventually you will see it my way—one way or the other," Megatron purred, reaching out and laying his talons across a wing, stroking.
Jack shuddered at the sensitive sensation and it took as his willpower not to bite the titan's servo off. He knew Megatron only wanted a reaction. Finally the warlord released his wing, and the mech immediately flattened them once again.
"Now come," his captor ordered, not waiting for a response. "There is much work to do."
"And how am I supposed to help with that?" he snapped irritably. "I don't know anything about the ship."
Megatron only paused to glance over his shoulder. "You misunderstand. You will not be working upon the ship."
With that, the Decepticon leader lumbered out of the room, fully expecting his reluctant prisoner to follow him. Jack raised an optic ridge, confused, but realized he didn't have a choice. If that pull in his spark was in any indication.
Ex-venting, Jack trailed after Megatron, even jogging a few paces to catch up to him. The youngling stayed as close to the warlord as possible without invading his personal space, one optic on his captor and the other on his surroundings. Drones patrolled the corridors, either in pairs or entire squadrons of Seekers. They ignored the former human's existence as they bowed in the presence of their lord, not daring to stand taller or even meet his gaze. Megatron acted like they didn't exist, continuing on. When he passed, Jack felt their gazes shift to him. It made his plating rattle, those opticless glares boring into him, and he found himself inching closer to the silver titan than he meant to.
Finally, they came to a broad room. Jack blinked to find it completely barren—no equipment, no furnishing, no Decepticons. Only a single, glaring light illuminated the floor. Since there was nothing to observe, the mech heard the door locking behind him. Instantly his spark flared with panic, all too familiar with that horrible sound. He whirled around, expecting to be alone, only to blink in surprise that Megatron was still there.
He glared, suspicious what the warlord was up to. The Decepticon leader's gaze raked up and down Jack's tiny frame, like a mechanic given a totaled car and expected to fix it.
"Engage your weapons, boy."
"Weapons?" Jack tried, stiffening at the sight of the sword unsheathing from Megatron's arm. "I don't have any weapons!"
The former human remembered the lecture Arcee had given him once—that most Cybertronians weren't created with weapons. Weapons were the same to them as they were to humans—objects that could be put away at any time. The only difference, was that Transformers were able to attach the weapons, integrating them as part of their body. However, Jack was quite sure he lacked any defensive systems. He prayed Megatron would understand. He couldn't be that delusional, could he?
"Then you are no use to me."
Jack screamed as the sword fell, narrowly avoiding being split in half as he stumbled backwards.
"W-wait, g-give me a minute!" the youngling cried.
"I already did."
The sword came again, and Jack ducked just in time from being decapitated. He dodged attack after attack, jumping away and skirting around Megatron as the warlord chased after him. More than once, the tip of the blade came too close and the mutant heard the horrible sound of metal slicing metal. Jack didn't fight back—he couldn't. Megatron was too fast and too strong to get anywhere close. The Decepticon wasn't trying to strike him—he was trying to kill him.
"And here I thought I gave you enough time to adjust," the tyrant mocked him as Jack once again lunged away from a wide arc. "Perhaps Miko will have better luck?"
"Leave her alone!"
His protest turned into a squawk as the tip of the great sword came too close to his optics.
Then his arm felt like it was burning, holding up against an incredible strain. He saw the tip of Megatron's sword, wondering why it hadn't cut his head off yet—
"Engage your weapons, now," Megatron ordered in a low, dangerous growl, leaving no room for refusal.
Jack gasped, his spark pulsing rapidly in his chassis. The warlord was going to destroy him if he didn't obey. He offlined his optics, trying to concentrate. He felt that strain in his arm, that felt like a pulled muscle. An itch filled his entire body, all the way to his processor. How was he supposed to do this? He didn't even how to transform! How could he possibly know how to engage—
Suddenly there was an angry, impatient roar above him. Jack onlined his optics, only to see Megatron raising his deadly sword above his head. With a terrified yelp, the human-turned-Cybertronian raised his arms above his head, in a desperate, futile attempt to defend himself. The sword came down—
Only to meet twin blades.
His arms shook violently at the force of the blow, trembling as Megatron continued to press down on the blades. A smirk had overtaken the scowl.
"Excellent."
Jack's optics widened, staring at the shiny, silvery swords that had ejected from his arms. They had unsheathed from underneath the plating of his wrist, right above his servo, like Megatron's. They were only half as long, meaning Jack would have to get close to do damage. Very close.
He was so transfixed on the newfound weapons, he didn't notice Megatron's free servo curl into a fist. Until it slammed into his chassis, right underneath the armor that protected his spark chamber. Jack wheezed as he was sent into the wall with a horrible slam. He barely managed to catch himself, servo cradling the stricken area.
"Never let yourself become distracted in battle," Megatron chided.
Jack only groaned, agony coursing from the damaged area.
"G...got it..." he whimpered as he struggled to get back up, the ex-gladiator bearing down on him.
After spending so long running away from his captor, the mech's first instinct was to duck when he saw the sword coming for him. He dived under its arc, landing in a crouch behind Megatron. He grinded his denta and raised one of his dual blades. He locked onto a gap of Megatron's armor, and lunged, only to meet the ex-gladiator's sword.
"You will have to be faster," the titan instructed, easily batting the smaller blade away.
Jack panted, catching himself vague Megatron continued his assault. The former human grunted as he blocked another blow from the warlord. Unable to parry it, he moved out of the way, but the Champion would not allow him to escape.
The ex-gladiator swiped his sword in a wide arc, that Jack ducked under, but the same trick would not work twice. As he tried to dive out of the way, sharp claws seized his throat. He gasped as he was plucked into the air with a single servo, his pedes dangling above the ground. Instinctively the mech clawed at Megatron's wrist, leaving grooves, but the warlord didn't even flinch. He desperately sent kicks at his captor, but the titan's limb was too long, having him only strike air.
"Always be aware of your opponents leverages," Megatron growled, tossing him.
Jack grunted as he landed in a tangle of limbs. He skidded across the ground, sparks flying. The human-turned-Cybertronian groaned as he forced himself to all fours. If Megatron considered this training, then he was a horrible teacher.
He sent assault after assault, not letting up even once. When Jack desperately avoided him, he was chided. When a blow was delivered, he was chided. And in the rare occurrence the former human blocked an attack or even rarer, landed a hit, again, he was chided. Nothing seemed to please the Champion.
"Why even bother?" Jack snapped, not bothering moving as Megatron stomped towards him. "I'll never be as good as you."
"Of course not," the warlord scoffed.
"Then why are you 'training' me?!"
If it was even called training at this point. Jack wouldn't put it past the tyrant that this was merely an opportunity for him to beat the poor youngling.
"If you will serve for us, you will fight for us. And you will learn how to do so."
"You consider this 'learning'?!"
"Yes." At Jack's scowl, Megatron added, "War is not taught. You adjust, you adapt. You get better. You should consider it an honor, that I am wasting my time training you, as you know as much as a sparkling."
The human-turned-Cybertronian merely pouted, but reluctantly rose to his pedes, raising his swords to brace for another attack than anything.
"Now, what's wrong with your stance?" Megatron demanded to know, staring down at his feet.
"Um..."
Jack glanced down at his pedes, confused. Megatron hadn't bothered with that approach—
Without warning, pain exploded across his helm. He cried as his neck snapped back without his permission and he was sent flying across the room. He slammed into a wall, moaning. Jack should have known that was a trap.
"Ugh...cheap shot..." he groaned, grabbing at his face.
"Never take your sight away from the enemy," Megatron scolded. "You expect them to be fair."
Hearing the titan's heavy steps nearing, Jack groaned as he forced himself to his pedes, using the wall for support.
"W-whatever you say, Megatron," he forced out through gritted denta. Megatron paused in front of him, glowering down at him.
"Lord," the Decepticon leader corrected.
"...Sir."
It was the only title of respect Jack could manage. Megatron was not his master, and certainly not his lord. The dictator scoffed in disdain, obviously not pleased, but took it as it was. The former human braced, expecting the ex-gladiator to continue the 'match'. Instead, he almost fell to his knees with a sob of relief when the Champion unsheathed his sword.
"We're done for today," he announced. However, any sense of hope Jack felt was dashed when he added, "Come. Shockwave is expecting us."
"...Why?" he asked cautiously, following behind Megatron, the hold on his mind preventing him from straying too far.
"It's time you learn some of our history."
It was his only response as the pair traveled to the scientist's laboratory. Sure enough, the dark room seemed untouched from the last time Jack had been there. Megatron's top lieutenants were even present, too, all of them wearing varying degrees of boredom and a respectable distance from the one-optic mech. Including a familiar figure.
"Miko!" Jack called out, feeling a spark of hope at the sight of her, but it quickly faded when she didn't respond in kind.
Something was wrong. The girl's head bowed like a dog with dim optics and a frown. Her winglets were almost pressed to her back as she stood in the shadow of Shockwave, but seemed to stay out of the mech's reach.
The former Japanese girl only made a strange, whimper-like sound as she glanced up. Only when she caught sight of her friend, her optics spiraled and she quickly wrapped an arm around her abdomen, as if she was hiding something. She looked back down, still quiet.
Miko was never quiet.
Jack only stared in shock. Why was she— Then the mech realized, locking his burning gaze on Shockwave. The scientist was oblivious to his audience as he was tapping away at a console, the screen filled with an image of a familiar reptile.
"What did you do to her?!" Jack demanded heatedly, storming towards him.
"Shackwave has been performing necessary procedures to ascertain the state of Miko and observe to her... ability," Starscream stated, looking uncomfortable at being near the femme.
…What? Procedures? Ability?
"Miko, what is he talking about?" Jack asked, trying to get his friend to talk to him.
The femme kept her vow of silence, not looking at him. It was almost like she was... The mech's spark stopped. Was... she traumatized? What the hell had Shockwave done to her?! Starscream spoke before he could redirect his attention at the twisted monster.
"It appears the femme is a warper," the Seeker stated.
"What's that?"
The flyer made a scoff-like noise. "Do you know anything?"
Jack opened his mouth to retort, but a soft murmur stopped him.
"It means I can... teleport," Miko said in a barely audible whisper, but still did not move from her spot. She looked up, but her optics were still dim and dilated.
"Not at the moment," Shockwave spoke up, his deep voice startling Jack. "I was able to create a device that blocks its activation."
Jack's optics locked on a wicked-looking device attached to Miko's wrist. It looked like it was digging into her mesh. It may have be attached to her arm, but the former human instantly realized what it was. His gaze looked on the nonchalant scientist, and rage filled his frame. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged towards the Decepticon.
"You miserable piece of—"
His insult was cut off with a gasp as talons seized the back of his neck. Megatron tugged him back, sending Jack stumbling back to the dictator's side.
"Enough," Megatron growled as Jack went to argue some more, "This is not what we are here for. Get on with it, Shockwave."
"The Predacon has returned from its mission," the scientist replied promptly, finally stepping away from the screen to face the Decepticon leader. Jack's tanks rolled. Did that mean- "However, I have noticed it possesses wounds that could not have been caused by the Autobots' current weapon capability."
Megatron's lips curled. "Reinforcements?"
"Most likely."
Jack's spark thrummed. Autobot reinforcements? Help had come? Maybe, maybe the very thing they needed to turn the tide of the war had come. Maybe the Autobots could save Miko and him.
"A pity your 'ultimate hunter' wasn't able to finish the job," Starscream hissed venomously, glaring at Shockwave. The scientist seemed oblivious.
"All the more reason we must build on the tactical advantage we have managed to secure," Megatron proclaimed.
"If I may make a suggestion, Master? I believe the human 'Internet' would be a good place to start," Starscream said, Jack glaring at him. "They do capture photos of us from time to time after all—whose to say it's not the same for the Autobots?"
The flyer's wings were erect and his chest swelled in pride, as if he came up with an ingenious idea. No one seemed impressed, and Seeker was shot down by Shockwave's monotone drawl.
"I believe I have a more efficient solution," he announced.
Starscream scowled. "Which would be?"
"Knock Out, did you retrieve the sample I require?"
"One Predacon talon coming right up," the medic proclaimed victoriously, strutting forward.
All optics locked on the object in the Aston Martin's servo. Sure enough, it was a curled, sharp object, like a talon, but far too large to be a native species. It wasn't even organic, anyway. The material was made of a hardened, grayed protoform, covered in sedimentary rock.
"A Predacon bone?" Starscream gasped, optics wide and bright. "On Earth?"
"They are not the remains of Predacons, Starscream," Megatron corrected as Shockwave took the fossil and set it on a scanning table. "But, rather, the remains of Predacon clones."
"Clones? You can clone yourself?" Jack asked, startled by the revelation. That was something for the movies, not real life!
"An impossible feat for your primitive technology," Shockwave commented, "but not outside the bounds of science."
Jack scowled, but couldn't retort when Megatron added, "For you see, our recent Autobot hunter wasn't the first bestial supersoldier Shockwave had ever attempted to breed from prehistoric matter. During for the War of Cybertron, I sanctioned the dispatch of a small army of these Predacon clones to Earth to unleash the beasts on unwitting Autobot forces stationed here. Once they accomplished their mission, the surviving Predacons held sentinel on this very world."
Jack was finding it harder and harder to believe each word. How... how long ago could have this happened? It certainly had to millions of years, before the human race existed. Perhaps before most life existed. There was no evidence, no records of any giant savage monsters in human history. Someone would have noticed that. Instead, it was like Predacons never existed—
The mech froze when he glanced up at Shockwave, who was meddling with his station again. Instead of scans of his precious dragon, where images of vicious-looking monsters. Familiar monsters.
"But... those are metal versions of creatures from our mythology," he gasped.
"It would seem that the native species have documented the Predacons in their myths and legends, until the living memory of them faded from history," said Shockwave, scanning through the database.
"Yet another link between Earth and Cybertron," Megatron commented. "They were to await for my arrival, but of course, our reunion was much delayed. It would seem we lost the beasts to the ravages of time."
"But not their endo-matter," Shockwave assured, scanning the talon. Suddenly a diagram of a triple-helix spiraled on the screen. "From which I am logically able to extract their very CNA."
"Another scavenger hunt?" Starscream scoffed. "How logical would it really be to locate all of the dusty remains of your former pets?"
Shockwave's single optics flared dangerously as he glanced at the second-in-command. "You are not suggesting that I would send my creations to a distant planet without first having them microchipped?"
"You... uh... you actually did?" Starscream stammered, seeming disturbed by the idea and irritated by Shockwave's continued ingenuity at the same time.
"That means you can track them anywhere?" Jack asked. "Then why haven't they already been found?"
"Because only I know how to activate their trackers," Shockwave answered. Sure enough, there was almost two dozen of blips on the screen, scattered all over the world. "It appears the closest one is located in the center of this continent."
The screen zoomed in on one. Although there were no lines or markers, Jack knew enough geography to recognize the location.
"Western Texas," he identified, noticing it was near the border. "There are a lot of oil fields there."
"You know the terrain?" Shockwave asked him, his optic narrowing in on him.
Jack's plating clamped down on his protofom, not liking the terrifying mech focused on him.
"I know of it," he corrected. It was common knowledge that Texas was known for its oil, but he forgotten that the Decepticons cared little for human activities.
"You will accompany Shockwave, then," Megatron decided.
This time Jack flinched. "B-but I never been there before!"
In truth, he rather be anywhere but alone with the sadistic scientist. He even take another beating from Megatron.
"You will provide support to Shockwave should he require it." Megatron ignored his protests, optics focused on the blips.
"What about the femme?" Knock Out asked, tilting her head in her direction, who had not moved from Shockwave's side.
"The subject is recovering," the scientist retorted, ignoring the flinch it caused. "She will not be combat ready for at least another solar cycle."
"Then Starscream will supervise her until you return," Megatron announced.
"Me?" Starscream squawked, "But my Lord, surely anyone else would be a better choice—!"
He was cut off by a harsh growl. "That is final, Starscream."
"...Yes, Lord Megatron," he sighed, almost like a little whimpering puppy, wings drooping.
Miko winced during the exchange, shifting her gaze from Starscream to Shockwave before settling on Jack. His spark ached how longing it looked, like she wanted to run over and hug him. However, noticing the Decepticons surrounding them, and Megatron's massive bulk blocking her, she wisely stayed put.
"So it seems we're going to have changes around here," Knock Out drawled.
"Which reminds me," Megatron mused. "While Starscream will remain in charge of military operations, Shockwave will head all scientific endeavors."
"So... we both be reporting directly to you," Starscream surmised, gesturing between himself and the one-optic mech.
"Precisely."
With that, Megatron turned and left, Knock Out and Soundwave trailing behind him. Jack almost jumped out of his new skin when there was a touch on his arm. He flattened his wings as Shockwave looked over him, but didn't resist as the scientist ushered him out. Leaving Miko and Starscream alone, the Seeker's wings flat on his back and face twisted in a savage snarl.
"Perfectly logical," he spat, brilliant optics glaring at Shockwave's back.