Jack slipped in a puddle of mud and nearly went sprawling out on his stomach. The rain had increased to huge, pounding drops that turned the grass around him into muddy goo. Jagged bolts of lightning flashed overhead, and in the background Jack could hear the steady sound of metal against metal and, occasionally, Arcee's hearty shouts and Optimus' frazzled cries.

He was stumbling over his own two feet, hands reaching out blindly, trying to find a handhold. The dim light and the water smashing against his skin was disorienting, causing him to cry out in anger when his feet wouldn't land where he wanted them or rain washed into his eyes.

"Mom?" He choked out, rounding the corner of the warehouse. The lights were better here, the lamps hanging overhead casting an orange glow on the side door and the area around it.

Jack felt a chill, and it wasn't just from the rain. Despite the metal clanging in the background, everything seemed eerily still.

And then, impact.

Jack's head bashed painfully against the ground and he saw stars, as well as the silhouette of a human outlined by the light. She held something in her hand. Something glinting and for a moment Jack really, really hoped that it wasn't…

"Mom?"

His mother didn't seem to recognize him. Jack watched in horror as she reveled at the weapon in her hand, as if seeing it for the first time. She pointed the sharp blade towards Jack and grinned.

"No, no, no," He replied in turn. "I'm not fighting my mother. I will not fight my–"

He barely had time to throw himself to the side as she lunged, the knife sweeping towards his face. Jack landed hard and rolled, tiny rocks biting into his knees and ankles and elbows. Out of instinct, he lashed out with a kick to her stomach.

She whimpered.

"Sorry!" He cried, struggling to his feet. "I'm sorry. Snap out of it, Mom! Look at me. Look at me!"

"He said that I had to bring you back," She glanced up at the sky, milky white eyes indifferent to the rain. Her hair clung to her face in tendrils and from this angle Jack could see her tired eyes, see the bruises forming against her skin. They hadn't been inflicted by him. Jack knew all too well who had.

A growl rumbled through his throat and his eyes narrowed towards the door. His mother followed his gaze and stepped in front of it defensively.

"You're here to hurt him," Her lips twisted into a savage snarl. "Why are you trying to hurt him? He only wants us to be a family again," Her voice dropped to a soft coo. "C'mon, sweetheart. Don't you want to be a family?"

Jack shook his head. "No. Not like this," he stepped forward. "Mom, please, let me through."

"You will listen to me!"

The knife flashed. She was fast, faster than he had expected. But she faltered halfway and a part of Jack knew that she was still fighting, still trying to regain control.

Jack shoved her away, the knife passing inches from his nose. Crying out, he made a mad dash towards the door.

Hands gripped his shoulder and, his mind in a frenzy of debate whether or not to do it, he spun and smashed his fist against the side of his mother's head.

The knife almost slipped from her grip but she maintained her composure and growled like an animal.

"Did you just hit your mother?"

Jack's mouth opened and closed, because really, there was no way to respond to that.

"Let me go see dad."

"He told me that you would try and stop him," She waved the knife for emphasis. "I have to make sure that you can't."

"You won't hurt me."

"I have to," Her shoulder slouched. She looked awful, white eyes staring pleadingly into Jack's own, water dripping from her skin and clothes and hair and the edge of the curved knife. She stepped forward, stumbling a little, disoriented. Jack stood his ground and watched, about to make a beeline for the door.

He barely got there.

She tackled him once more and pinned him to the ground. Jack gripped her wrist and twisted, but she held onto the knife. Her grip was firm. Fingers closed around Jack's throat and began to squeeze, the knife hovering inches over his eye.

"I can't kill you," She hissed. "But my orders were to break you. How about an eye, son? An eye for an eye," A chuckled. "You only need one…"

The tip of the knife touched his eyelid.

Jack screamed.

His sudden outburst caused his mother to flinch, the knife stopping before it could dig past the thin layer of skin. She shuddered, and then blinked rapidly.

Her eyes. Jack could see hints of brown peeking through the blank whiteness.

He tried to scramble away but she held him in a death grip. Jack's fingers fumbled with his mother's, trying to dislodge the appendages from around his neck.

"Mom…"

"Jack?"

She blinked again. Stared down at him in recognition.

The knife had yet to clatter from her hands; the whiteness was coming back, washing over her brilliant brown orbs.

"Fight it, Mom! Don't let it get to you! Please!"

His mother looked torn between following orders or buckling under the pressure of not stabbing her son and overtaking the force that controlled her. Jack watched in horror as she bit her lip and raised the knife above her head.

Her eyes were closed. She didn't want to look.

"Don't do it…" Jack pleaded. "Please don't…"

She brought the knife down.

Jack flinched, expecting the contact, expecting the cold tip to slide in and carve out one of his most valuable assets. But he didn't feel the pain, didn't feel the sudden cold contact.

Instead he got to watch as his mother drove the knife into her very own gut.


Penny bashed her fist against Miko's head.

Bumblebee warbled something incomprehensible. He was shaking Bulkhead, trying to get him up off the ground and looking back and forth between the task at hand, at Miko, who had Penny in a headlock and was trying to force her away from the launcher.

A boom. More lightning.

"It's the machine inside you," Miko ground out, fingers digging into Penny's hair. "I think…I think it's somehow attracting…"

A tree behind Bumblebee exploded in a shower of white hot sparks and the noise, the awful noise, was like a million guns all firing at the same time. Penny and Miko were both blown back from the concussive force and Miko felt something crack in her leg, a bone, maybe, as she landed in the muddy dirt.

She screamed.

Penny didn't let up. She was on Miko in a second, hooking a fist into the other girls nose. The contact was unexpected and Miko whimpered, and then kicked Penny away.

"Bulkhead! Bumblebee!"

Bulkhead still wasn't moving.

Bumblebee was pulling him away, and then scrambling towards the two girls. The hair on the back of Miko's neck stood on end and she barely had enough time to scream, "Bee! Wat–"

An explosion. Hot, wet dirt erupted towards the dark sky and Bumblebee was blasted back, landing on his side and skidding into the forest. The noise was so loud that for several seconds, everything around Miko was a dull buzz.

"Crap!"

Penny took the opportunity to slam her knee into her ribs and then punch her in the face.

Miko was usually a passive girl. She had never imagined that she would be battling her best friend in the middle of a lightning storm. This was what Cybertronians did. Not humans.

"Penny," Miko tried to stem the flow of blood as it dripped from her nose and lips. "Stop…"

"I will never, ever stop."

"You have to!"

Penny stalked forward on trembling legs, her sundress muddy and hanging from her shoulders. One eyes was already swelling shut and in the pouring rain she looked like some sort of avenging demon, walking, talking, coming to drag Miko down with her.

"I don't want to hurt you, Penny."

"Hurt me?" Penny barked a laugh. Then, she giggled as if the notion of pain amused her somehow. "Master said that nobody will ever be able to hurt me ever again. All the bullies, all the abuse, it all ends…you should crave the luxury of ignorance, Miko. The less you know about yourself, the more content you can be."

She extended a hand.

"I care about you, Miko. You're like a sister – no, you are my sister. Sisters should be together…right?"

Mud clinging to her hair and face, Miko stifled a sudden sob and shook her head. "I can't," She heaved. "I can't."

Penny glanced at the launcher, and then faltered.

Miko threw herself upwards and the girls went tumbling back towards the edge of the clearing, snarling, throwing punches that made bruising connections.

Miko suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her stand. She made a final move, leaping like a gymnast and slamming both feet into Penny's chest, sending her stumbling backwards several yards. As soon as she landed she was off, racing in the other direction and screaming and crying because she knew what came next.

The blast of lightning threw her forward several feet and she landed face down in the mud, and then rolled, legs thrashing around as she kicked away.

Flames licked at the grass, but were doused by the rain. Penny's body was nowhere to be seen though there were chunks of something, something blackened, like a burnt steak, scattered in the mud. The largest piece was limbed and twitching madly.

It fell still.

Miko heard Bumblebee's haggard, approaching steps. She saw Bulkhead's optics flicker online. She saw little torn pieces of Penny's sundress fluttering around, burning away.

She bowed her head and wept.