Prism 10

A Transformers Prime Fanfiction

Arc

"He shrunk?" the broad shouldered ginger stared at Jackson Darby skeptically, dark hazel eyes flashing with barely suppressed amusement.

"Looks like it," a deep voice rolled over both the humans from about two stories higher. A dull grey mech leaned casually against the glaringly orange wall of the vessel and smirked down at the two humans. "So I take it Preceptor's little experiment didn't work out quite as planned Your Highness?"

"No it, wait what?" Jack asked squinting up at the Seeker in confusion.

The oddly colored mech snorted and shook his helm.

"Apparently it messed with his brain as well. Come on Vince, let's get to the commissary. You need to eat up. Training's at oh-eight hundred hours."

"You bet TC. Seriously, wipe that blank look off your face, it's not becoming for someone with a name like Megatronus."

Jack stared in astonishment after the pair as they somehow managed to swagger in step down the Cybertronian sized hall. No small feat considering their size differences. A rumble in the human's midsection drew his attention and he hurried after them.

Megatron had been pounced on by Soundwave, who was exactly the same as Jack remembered him from their few meetings in his world, and swept off to some confab with his officers. The Warlord had briskly set the human on the floor with an order to go eat and then wait in their quarters. Not wanting to draw the attention of the unfamiliar mechs who his brain still couldn't help but identify as Cons, Jack had wandered the halls for a bit looking for a computer terminal. That was when he had bumped into Vince.

The sandy haired human had been striding down an intersecting corridor glaring at a human sized data pad when they collided. Jack wouldn't have recognized his schoolmate at all if not for his voice. Quite simply the school bully he had known was a completely different person. In this reality Vince stood several inches taller than Jack and had a well muscled frame to match his height. He wore a grey flight suit with the seams and pockets done in rusty-orange, a counterpart to the Seeker's coloring Jack realized. The other youth's hands were large and hardened, covered in the small scars and marks that only came from a lifetime of hard physical labor.

"Wait!" the raven haired youth called out. "I'll come with you."

Vince glanced back at him in surprise and then up at his companion. The Seeker shrugged and stopped walking to wait for the smaller human to catch up.

"Why aren't you in with the officer's meeting anyway?" the ginger asked curiously as they started again.

"I needed to eat," Jack explained catching his breath and unsure of how much of his story he should spread around, "hungry."

"Don't they just usually bring you something into the meeting?"

"I guess," Jack replied hesitantly.

"Probably thought His Highness needed some down time after whatever Preceptor put him through," the Seeker rumbled a taunting note in his voice.

Vince frowned at Jack and gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"Seriously Jack, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," the other insisted. "Why?"

"Well usually you and Thundercracker would be going for each other's throats by now."

"I just don't feel like it," Jack muttered.

Megatron had not ordered him to keep quiet about the switch, in fact the Warlord had been rather vague on how they were going to handle his interactions with the rest of this universe, but some instinct kept the youth from giving out the details. Vince however seemed satisfied with his answer and continued down the corridor. The redhead however kept glancing at Jack curiously and with growing annoyance. Jack shifted uncomfortably under the hazel eyes and finally stopped.

"What?" the raven haired youth demanded.

"Seriously? Did the experiment fry your internal comm. that bad?" Vince demanded.

"What?" Jack repeated, more than a bit confused.

"You are right my Found. I am not even getting a coherent ping back from his nanites. Only a vague wideband broadcast," the Seeker rumbled from above, kneeling down to examine Jack. "I would suggest that you see Ratchet about this soon."

"You seriously didn't notice that your comm. was down?" Vince asked skeptically.

Jack filed away the thought that here he had an entire communications system in his head apparently for later consideration and merely grinned.

"Well I thought it would come back on its own. I'll see Ratchet after I eat."

"You will see me now," a gruff voice ordered suddenly causing all three beings to jump.

"Oh come on Hatchet, let the kid refuel," Thundercracker grumbled.

"You will fetch him a meal from the commissary," the medic snapped snatching up Jack without preamble. "I need to analyze whatever trouble he is having with his nanites."

"Hey! We are the elite warriors of the Alliance; not common waiters."

"I will be discussing sensitive information with Young Megatronus and do not wish our conversation disturbed by anymech less than elite," the Medic growled as he turned and stormed down the hall. "I will also require your elite," and Jack heard mild sarcasm in the tone, "services after I am done with him."

Leaving the two to get the food Ratchet walked briskly towards his goal.

"What's this about an internal comm.?" Jack demanded as soon as they were out of range.

"In this reality you have possessed internal circuitry allowing you to communicate with Megatron, or any mech for that matter, over Cybertronian frequencies."

"Megatron had circuitry implanted in my head?" the human demanded in shock.

Ratchet gave him a sharp look before answering.

"Indeed, not a crudely as you are no doubt imagining I wager. It is much the same as the system which I assume your Optimus Prime had installed in you."

"But I don't have any Cybertronian circuits," the youth protested as they swung into a massive room that could only be the medical bay and Ratchet deposited him on the counter.

Wordlessly the red and white mech scooped up a tool and lightly touched it to the side of Jack's neck. A brief flush of tingling ran across the human's skin and he blinked in understanding.

"Oh, the nanobots, but they aren't really a comm. unit."

"Perhaps not," the medic replied with a grunt as he angled a scanning device to inspect the raven haired youth. "Nevertheless they behave the same way as the system which acts as a communication port in your alternate when stressed. I am disturbed that I did not note the difference when I completed your earlier scan."

"Their defense mechanism is to retreat inside my cells right?" Jack asked. "It must be hard to locate and scan them when they're surrounded by all those carbon bonds."

"Indeed, but the scanners I designed are more than capable of detecting even subtle genetic shifts. They would have spotted the divergence had I directed them to. No, this error can only be attributed to my own complacency. I was expecting to see nanites and I saw nanites."

A small smirk threatened to break Jack's composure as he listened to the medic sigh on about his supposed failure. The youth turned his attention to studying the medical bay. There were several Cybertronian sized berths taking up most of the space and a cluster of human medical beds in one corner. All of the equipment was carefully labeled in English and Cybertronian. The walls were a soothing blue-grey and the indirect lighting glowed brightly from bands in the ceiling. A tall door led into another room on the far side of the medbay. Jack was jerked out of his contemplations when Ratchet briskly grabbed his head and pressed something icy cold to his neck.