Autobot Base, 3rd POV

Everyone stood in the main room of the silo, waiting for Ratchet to come tell them if Jack would be alright.

June Darby, too, stood in the room. She had her arms wrapped around herself, and her eyes were down cast, tears welling in them.

In the medbay, Ratchet was looking at the medical monitor, glancing at the navy and white mech now and then in concern. He couldn't understand this. Jack's systems were all fine, no virus' or nanobots, his wounds from the fight weren't severe enough to cause his state.

His stress levels were off the chart, and his vents were working over time to cool his overheating systems. He was in a total panic that blocked everything else out.

He was trapped in a world all his own.

In a terrible, terrible world.

Ratchet sighed as he rested his gaze on Jack, who shook with terror, and who's hands gripped the edge of the berth in a death grip.

"Just hold on, Jack. Fight through it." The medic muttered, voice surprisingly gentle.

Jack's POV

Blood and shadows.

They swirled around me like a tornado, I couldn't escape.

I heard my dad's voice whisper harsh words, and his cruel laughter.

I collapsed to my knee's, covering my audio receptors, trying to keep the words out of my head, but my attempts were in vain as the words only grew louder.

"You're a murderer, Jack. No matter what species you are..."

"They'd never accept you if you told them the truth..."

"They'd kill you...!"

"NO! THEY WOULDN'T DO THAT!" I screamed, my eyes burned as tears of energon continued to stream down my face.

"They'd PUT YOU DOWN LIKE THE MONSTER YOU ARE!" My father's voice screamed in return, he laughed darkly as I shook my head and trashed around, clawing at my audio receptors.

"No...I-I DIDN'T M-MEAN T-T-TO!" I sobbed out, head turned to the blood splattered sky.

3rd POV

Everyone looked up as Ratchet entered the room, looking exhausted as he moved over to the 'bots and June. Everyone listened eagerly, hoping Jack was alright.

"Jack will not off-line, that I know for sure. Whatever is happening to him is mental, it has nothing to do with the injuries he sustained from his battle with Megatron. Could you hear any of their conversation when they were fighting?"

"No, we were to busy trying to break through the wall of 'cons." Arcee replied as she looked down, expresion drowned in guilt and sorrow. Ratchet sighed.

"It seems that his state is a side effect from the device Megatron used. He will return to normal, given time. At the moment, all we can do is wait." Ratchet explained, watching everyone as their features contorted with different emotions.

A sudden mumbling came from the medbay, and everyone rushed to see what was happening (Miko gently lifting and bringing June).

Jack was laying on the berth, tears leaking from his closed optics. He mumbled words to soft and jumbled for anyone to understand, except one. June knew what he was saying.

She heard it over the years many times, when Jack was asleep. She turned to the femme that held her.

"Miko, please, could you set me down next to him? I know how to handle this."

The black and pink femme nodded, setting the raven haired woman down next to her son-turned-mech.

"Can you truely help him, Ms. Darby?"

The nurse looked up, nodding in reply to Optimus.

"The muttering, the way he's trying to move away from something in his mind...It's happend to him for years...Almost everytime he sleeps. I know what to do, how to help him." June said, meeting Optimus' optics with a confident gaze. She then moved to stand next to Jack's head.

She reached forward, gently caressing his warm, metal cheek.

"Hey...Jack...come on sweetie, It's all in your head...Wake up, remember what you've told me? You've got people you want to protect...so come back and do that...you want to protect me, don't you...?"

Jack's POV

I stopped thrashing, my optics snapping wide open as I heard my mom's voice.

"You want to protect me, don't you...?"

That was right! I had people to protect, I'd told mom that ever since I was little. I had no time to talk with kids, I'd told her, I had people to protect after all!

This was a dream! Another horrifying, twisted dream. I found my strength and voice again, then screamed out.

"I'm not a monster! I'm not a murderer! I'm a PROTECTOR!"

The blood and darkness vanished, the sky was no longer stained red, and my father's voice died just as quickly.

I then woke up.

3rd POV

Everyone jumped when Jack sat up, stark strait. Miko barely caught June as the woman stumbled back, nearly falling off the berth.

Jack was breathing heavily, but no longer cried. His optics were no longer dim with fear and sadness as they had been when last they were open, but bright with the unusual strength they always held.

He looked around wildly for a moment, but then realized with relief that he was back at base. Everyone was watching him with concern, but Jack smiled at them reassuringly.

"Jack, how do you feel?" Arcee asked, moving forward to rest a hand on Jack's shoulder. The teen shrugged.

"I...I feel alright. What happend?"

Arcee, remembering how Jack had gone and fought Megatron alone, punched Jack, hard, on the arm. He yelped, nearly falling backwards off the berth before regaining his balance.

"You fraging fought Megatron, you scrap-headed-!"

"Arcee." Optimus cut her off, voice stern as he nodded at Raf, reminding the blue femme that the young 'bot was better off not hearing the language she wished to use.

Optimus then looked at Jack, who was looking around the room, and shifting to the side slightly as to not squash June.

"Jack, why did you fight Megatron alone? You could have been severely injured." Optimus asked as Jack's silver optics flashed up to look at him.

"Because it was me that he was after, there was no way to avoid it. He wasn't going to off-line me, didn't you see?" Jack explained, watching as the everyone (June and Ratchet excluded) thought over the earlier events. Miko was the first to speak.

"He didn't use any guns or anything, he was trying to get that weird lookin' thing on ya. What was that, anyway?"

Jack shrugged.

"Can't tell you."

"What?" Everyone asked with shock, and in a few cases, anger. The navy and white mech swung his legs off the berth, gently stroking the fragment of black and red mask on the corner of his faceplates.

"What happend between Megatron and I in that fight is a personal matter, sorry."

"A personal matter?" Bulk yelled incredulously, making almost everyone jump.

"We don't keep secrets from you, but you decide that you can keep everything locked up tight?" Bulkhead stepped forward and glared as he continued.

"Optimus has trusted you with key to Vector Sigma and the rest fo us have trusted you with the very knowledge of our existance and here you are, basicly saying that you-"

"Bulk." He ignored Arcee.

"Don't-"

'Bee chirped, but he too was ignored.

"Fraging-"

"Bulkhead." Ratchet's warning went unheeded.

"Trust us!"

Everything was silent, and the tension was palpable. Jack's head was tilted downward, and his optics were shut.

He then looked up at Bulk with an emotion that was cold as ice. Jack stood slowly, and Bulk stepped back slightly.

"Everyone has a right to decide who they confide in. I've chosen to confide in no one, this is my problem, and mine alone. You all have more important things to worry about, especially when it comes to finding energon, since there's more need for it than ever." Jack then turned, going to the medbay entrance. He paused for a moment, then turned slightly, giving everyone a bright smile.

"I promise, I'll tell you. But now just isn't the time. I'd sugest that while Megatron has his focus on me, you should use the distraction to get energon before them. 'Night everyone."

Everyone watched him with shock as he left.