Ohhhhh, this one took forever!
Here's the new chapter! Hot off the press! :)
Starts in Jack's POV
I don't own Transformers Prime, all rights to Hasbro. I only own my OCs.
Chapter 13
Guilt
Jack POV
The blue, black and silver mech stood in front of me. Again.
"You know," I growled, "We've got to stop meeting like this."
He knelt down, his soft blue optics shining.
"I don't know what you mean," he responded, with my voice.
I held my head.
"Stop it!" I hissed, "Look, I'm not you and you're definitely not me! I don't even want to see you!"
The mech's face, my face, looked down at me.
"That's like going up to a mirror and telling your reflection you don't want to see it any longer," he said, "Face it, Jack, I'm as much a part of you as your reflection is."
"YOU'RE NOT ME!" I yelled.
"I'm what you are," he responded.
How is he so calm!?
"I'm not a 'Bot," I said, "I'm human,"
He closed his optics and straightened up.
"If that is how you see it," he finally said.
"Just leave me alone," I moaned, "I want to get back to a normal life!"
"The moment you met the Autobots, your life, our life, was through being normal…" the mech said.
"Stop it!" I cried again, "How can you be me? You don't even look like me!"
He laughed.
"You've hung out with the Autobots for how many months now?" he asked, smiling, "Surely, you'd remember that looks can be deceiving,"
"Oh yeah?" I asked, glaring at him, "I'm looking at you right now and the only thing I can see that resembles me is your face and your voice. Because you've taken them on to freak me out!"
"Explain to me how that's possible?" he replied.
I gave a frustrated sigh.
And then I remembered…it was just a dream.
And I'm going to wake up…right…now.
"Jack don't!" the mech yelled, "Please! You're in danger! The Chaos Lord is awakening! And he's coming after Optimus! And then you!"
I stopped.
"Why?" I asked.
"Optimus is a Prime," the mech stated.
"Yeah, but I'm no Prime," I retorted.
"Not yet," the mech said, "We are not one yet."
What?
"JACK!" another voice snapped.
My eyes flashed open.
Miko glared at me.
"You fell asleep again?" she demanded, "Raf just hacked onto that conspiracy site!"
"Really?" I said, stretching.
"Doy!" she sighed, turning to the computer screen, "Well, whatcha think?"
I looked at the computer screen as Raf scrolled through the pictures.
"Pass…" I said, looking at the first picture.
Second picture.
"Uh, uh," I said.
Third picture
"Kid in a costume," I sighed.
Geeze, this is getting annoying.
Fourth picture
"Balloon," I said, dully.
Fifth picture
"Nope!" I announced.
Sixth picture…
"Oh, hold!" I said.
It was 'Bee.
"The camera sure loves 'Bee," I sighed.
"What can you do?" Miko asked, grinning, "When you're a superstar…you're paparazzi bait!"
Dusk turned to her brother.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" she growled, "Use your holoform!"
"Waaait," Ratchet said from his computers, "Is that Bumblebee?"
"On a conspiracy website…" Raf said, shyly, "Where users post evidence of close encounters…but we have it under control, Ratchet!"
He messed around on the laptop.
"We just scrub…" he said, "And replace 'Bee with…"
A animated cat appeared on the screen.
"Mars cat says: 'Take me to your feeder'," the cat said.
"HA!" Ratchet laughed.
Wait, hold on a second…
Did the mad doctor…laugh?!
"Ratchet actually laughed?" Miko asked, confirming my suspicion.
"Oh Lord save me!" Dusk wailed melodramatically, "The world is ending!"
And she broke down into long laughs.
I looked around at the other 'Bots. All of them were stifling laughs…except one.
Optimus stood by himself by the computers, looking at the screens. I felt kinda bad that he was alone.
"Um, Optimus," I said, "You want to see something funny?"
"No," he replied, not even turning his gaze.
We all looked embarrassedly at each other.
"Don't take it personally," Arcee said, "Primes are built that way."
"Not all of us!" Dusk snapped.
"You're still young," she replied.
"You mean I'll lose my sense of humor?!" Dusk cried, dramatically, "Quelle Horreur!"
"Never seen Optimus laugh, cry or lose his cool," Bulkhead added.
"You didn't know him four almost five years ago!" Dusk said, "Don't know what happened…but he used to be different."
"While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check," Ratchet said, "I've known him far longer than any of you have. And he was different before he was made a Prime,"
"Optimus wasn't always a Prime?" Raf asked.
Dusk shook her head, "None of us are. There is a pre-Prime state that all Primes have. Primes are made, not born."
"Dusk is right," Ratchet said, "On Cybertron, one isn't born into greatness, rather one must earn it. Cybres, where Dusk is from, has a strange system for their Primes, or Ivorras as they call them."
"I'll have to explain it later, Ratchet," Dusk sighed, "I know it better than you do and I'm too tired to tell anything right now."
"So…" Miko cut in, changing the subject, "different how? We talkin' Party Animal?"
Dusk snorted, rolling her eyes.
"No, no," Ratchet corrected, "Optimus was more like…"
He looked at the three of us.
"Jack," he concluded.
Shock slammed into me like a ton of bricks.
Me? Like Optimus? Pre-Prime?! That sounded eerily like what that mech told me…
"What?" I stuttered, trying to hide my fear, "I'm nothing like…"
"Prime!" Fowler shouted over the video screen.
Thank you Agent Fowler.
"Those tech heists my department's been tracking…we figured it was MECH on account of their stealth tactics," Fowler said, "Until moments ago when a security feed at the Pennington Epps particle accelerator captured this."
A picture flashed up on the screen. And I immediately recognized the figure in it.
"Soundwave," I said softly.
"Slenderbot?" Amber piped up from the floor.
"The Witch King," Dusk said, nodding.
I shook my head, where did they get these crazy ideas?
"Raf can swap that out for you with a funny cat…" Miko offered.
"The Con without a face made off with a cutting edge phase conductor," Fowler said, "here's a punch list of everything else we've confirmed stolen to date"
The list popped up on screen.
"Plasma injector, neutron shield, tessaract? There's only one thing missing if they are intending to build a Spacebridge…an ample power source," Ratchet said.
Spacebridge? Like the one the 'Cons made for their zombie apocalypse?
The same one we blew up?
"They could be scouting for one…" Dusk reasoned, "We probably should be as well…so we can beat them to it."
"I'll contact you if i have any more leads," Fowler said as he shut off the feed.
"Well…" I said, checking my phone's clock, "It's late, we'd better get home."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
June POV
I looked up from the dishes as Jack walked in, helmet under his arm.
"Hey, honey," I said, smiling as I wiped my hands off.
"Hi Mom," he said, with much less enthusiasm than I liked.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked.
He sat down at the table.
"Nothing,"
"Jack…" I warned.
He sighed.
"Mom…do I remind you of Optimus?" he asked.
I frowned.
"What?" I asked, "Why would you ask?"
"Ratchet said."
"Well…" I said, looking him over, "You're not thirty feet tall, metal, or can transform into a vehicle,"
Although, one day I think you will…
"Mom," he groaned, "He meant behavioral wise!"
I sat down across from him. He did remind me of his father in both looks and behavior. His sad blue eyes that seemed to hold you, those same eyes that would sparkle when someone they loved was near, his even temperament, his courage, his determination, and his heart.
I looked at him again.
And nodded slightly.
I couldn't read the expression on his face. It looked like a mix of honor, shock, joy and…
Fear.
"There a reason why?" I asked.
"No reason," he said, getting up and heading towards his room, "Just thought I'd ask another's opinion."
I sighed as he shut the door.
"You're telling me to tell him…aren't you?" I asked the air, "But…I can't. No, not yet…"
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Jack POV
I stared up at the ceiling, watching my fan circle around and around as I thought about today. Ratchet's comparison kinda shocked me and Mom confirming it…
What was going on?
I felt my eyes droop and I was no longer in my room.
I was standing in the desert again, I looked down, just to make sure the mech didn't make an appearance as me again.
I gave a sigh of relief, human. Completely, 100% human. Thank God.
I saw 'Bee race down the road as something shot at him from above. I looked up and saw the strange, alien jet alt mode of Megatron.
One of Megatron's shots slammed into 'Bee, causing him to spin around. A questioning chirp came from his direction and he carefully transformed. There was something in his servo.
I peered up and gave a cry of shock.
In 'Bee's servo, limp and still…
Was Raf.
The scene changed into the Med Bay and I saw everyone crowding against a berth…Raf's little form lay on top of it.
The heart monitor beeped in time with his struggling heartbeat. I came up to the berth, watching in horror as the monitor suddenly flatlined.
"Raf!" I shouted, "Wake up! Please wake up!"
The shrill long beep of the monitor hurt my ears I covered them, trying not to scream as the pitch heightened, resembling the tone MECH used in that communicator.
Suddenly, Raf's eyes opened, but they weren't the soft, dark brown that I knew…
It was the cold, evil violet of dark energon.
The ringing shrieked in my ears and a deep, cold, dark, evil voice rang through Raf's mouth.
"I awaken,"
I backed away.
"Son of the Prime," the voice hissed, as Raf's body sat up and looked right at me.
I froze. I couldn't move. What was that thing? Why did it call me that? I'm no Prime!
I felt that electric buzz run through me, and I suddenly towered over the rest of the 'Bots. I looked down at my now metallic body.
"Primeling," the voice hissed as Raf disappeared, leaving that monster named Unicron in his place, "Prepare to die!"
And he leaped at me.
And I woke screaming.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
June POV
"No!" a male voice cried in Cybertronian, "No! Not Raf! Leave him alone! What is that thing? Why is it calling me that? I'M NO PRIME!"
Jack.
Oh, Primus.
I ran into his room watching in terror as his form flickered multiple times, as if he was having trouble deciding who he was.
"No!" he screamed, "No!"
"Jack!" I cried running over and putting my hands on his shoulders, "Wake up!"
He gave a loud, piercing scream and shot up, optic-like eyes flaring bright. He looked at me and shook in terror.
"M-mom…" he whimpered, tears filling his eyes.
I held him close, rocking him back and forth as his shoulders heaved with sobs.
"It was just a dream," I crooned, rubbing his back, "It's all gone now, you're safe…nothing's wrong now…"
He kept crying.
Whatever that nightmare was…it must have really got him. I've never seen him this upset.
"It's ok," I whispered softly in my native tongue, "I've got you now,"
"I know," he choked back in the same dialect, "I know,"
We sat there rocking back and forth until the sun came up.
I was tired…
But my son was more important.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Jack POV
Mom helped me get ready for the weekend I was going to spend at base.
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked.
"I'll be fine,"
"You weren't 'fine' last night," she pointed out.
I shuddered.
"That was a one-time thing," I said, "Won't happen again."
I still couldn't get that image of those glowing violet eyes out of my head.
Mom didn't look convinced.
"I'll be fine," I said, giving her a hug, "Don't worry, I'll be fine,"
"Famous last words,"
I rolled my eyes and she gave a small laugh.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"You just…reminded me of your father for that instant," she said, "You've got his eyes you know,"
I had Dad's eyes? Whoa. And here I thought I got nothing from him.
"His eyes?" I asked, "What else?"
She shook her head.
"You look so much like him…it's uncanny," she said, "The only thing I can pin as different is your voice. His was so low, it was more of a rumble at times. Yours, it's not as low, but there's times where it does. Like when you're really, really angry."
I felt warm inside…I had more of my dad in me than I thought!
My phone rang and I picked it up…
Miko.
"What are you doing!" she yelled through the phone, "You're making us all wait!"
"I'll be there in a few minutes," I sighed, "Just saying goodbye,"
"Well, tell helicopter mom to let her son go already!" she whined.
"He's coming, Miko," Mom said.
"Uh…um…hi, Mrs. Darby…" Miko stuttered, "Jack, just get over here already!"
"Fine, fine," I said, hanging up, "Well…"
She locked me in a tight embrace.
"You call me if you get hit with a nightmare, ok?"
"Mom, I'm seventeen, not five," I sighed.
She glared at me.
"Alright," I said, "I will."
…..
I sat on the couch watching Ben and Amber take each other on in the racing game, it was entertaining to see their competitiveness. They were worse than Miko and I. Jostling elbows, blinding the other with their hand, biting said hand to see again and to get ahead…
"Geeze, you guys are ruthless!" I said.
"You should see them do Call of Duty," Dusk said, sitting next to me, "Scary…"
"I'll bet," I said.
"Figure out my riddle yet?" she asked smugly.
"A watch?" I asked.
She let out a loud bark of laughter.
"Not even close," she chuckled.
"Dang," I muttered, it had taken me two days to think of that one, "So…where's everyone else?"
"Well, Dr. Williams is at work, the rest of the 'Bots are out smashing 'Cons…without me of course, and Raf, well, 'Bee took him racing," Dusk said, stretching, "Ratchet told him to drop him off…but…that was a while ago…Hey Ratch?"
He turned to her.
"Shouldn't 'Bee have…"
"Ratchet!" Optimus growled, "Bridge us back…NOW!"
"Must have an Autobot down…" Ratchet said, starting up the Groundbridge.
Ben and Amber stopped their game and looked up.
Two figures came slowly through the 'Bridge.
Arcee and 'Bee.
My guardian cradled something in her servos…
My heart clenched when I saw what it was.
Or rather…who.
"Raf…" I started.
"No!" Miko shouted.
"What happened!?" Ratchet demanded.
"Megatron," Arcee growled.
Oh, God. My nightmare…
It was coming true.
"Quickly!" Ratchet ordered, "Into my laboratory!"
They hooked Raf's little body up to a heart monitor, 'Bee looked like he was fighting tears, I stood by Raf's side.
I don't care what happened in my nightmare, I'm staying by his side.
"Rafael is not responding," Ratchet growled, "We must run diagnostics on his assemblage…vitals…statistics…Agh! My tools! They're all wrong!"
He threw them clanging into the other side of the base."
'Bee gave a despairing wail, his servos clenching.
"We need to call my mom," I said, pulling at my cell phone.
"Your mother might be a nurse but does she know anything about the effects of energon on the human body!?" Ratchet yelled.
I gripped my phone so hard I thought it'd break. Now I'm mad.
"Do you know anything about the human body!" I snarled.
His optics widened for a second before he looked away.
I thought so.
"Hello?"
I turned back to my phone.
"MOM!" I nearly yelled, "It's urgent!"
And I heard Ratchet say something that chilled my blood.
"And the weak will perish," he whispered, "Be strong Rafael,"
Just hold on until Mom gets here.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
June POV
The phone rang incessantly as soon as I got into the door. I picked up the phone.
"Hello?" I asked.
"MOM!" Jack nearly screamed, "It's urgent!"
"What happened?" I asked.
"Raf…Megatron…he…oh Mom help please!"
I gripped the phone so hard that it nearly broke.
"Ratchet's sending a 'Bridge."
"I'll be in the car…" I growled.
If anything happens to that boy I'll offline the warlord with my bare hands!
True to his word, Ratchet opened the Groundbridge in front of the car. I started it up and stomped on the gas pedal, shooting through the Bridge and into the base. I threw open the door right as Jack ran over, eyes shining with worry.
"Mom," he breathed, "Thank…"
"Grab my bag," I said, cutting him off as I stormed over to the hospital bed where little Rafael lay.
I began to check Raf's pulse right as Ratchet finished scanning the boy.
"Measuring the extent of the absorption should determine the proper extent of treatment…" he started.
I grit my teeth, and glared up at him.
"If I don't get this boy stabilized NOW," I snarled, "He will not be leaving this table alive! Do you understand me!"
Ratchet looked like I had smacked him across the faceplates. Jack came over with my bag right as poor 'Bee lost it.
"I'll kill him!" the scout shrieked, slamming his fist into one of the support beams, making us all jump.
My sister shoved him to the wall.
"'Bee, listen," she snapped, "You don't think I know how it feels to watch a partner…harmed…? Revenge won't help Raf right now, you need to keep your emotions in check."
'Bee lifted his helm and gazed mournfully at his charge.
"My fault," he whispered, putting his hand on his helm, "It's Sam all over again,"
"'Bee," Dusk whispered, gently in Cybertronian, "It's not like Sam, he left you. Not the other way around. I told you he was a jerk, and he showed his true colors after the Chicago Battle. Sam's gone, Raf's here, and he needs you."
There was no reply.
I continued checking Raf over. This wasn't good. Not good at all. I gritted my teeth.
The Groundbridge opened and Bulkhead came through.
"Jack," I said, trying not to lose it, "Help me get Raf to the car, he's going to the emergency room."
"Nurse Darby," Ratchet said, "Your doctors won't be able to comprehend what's afflicting him, not without a decade of study."
I frowned, glaring at him. June wasn't here right now. Oh no, Elita One was present now. And my son's friend was in grave danger.
"I don't have time to argue," I growled darkly as Jack and I wheeled Raf to the car.
"The effects of an energon blast on an Autobot can be devastating enough…but this is a human," Ratchet said scanning for any energon readings, "I'm not getting any readings…how could I have not seen this. Rafael's been infected with dark energon…"
The blood of Unicron? But…but how?
"If dark energon is devouring Raf from the inside out, we must expel it, and fast the only possible way I know," Ratchet said, grabbing a vial, "I need energon!"
"Wait," I said, "You said energon was devastating to humans,"
"Under normal circumstances quite," Ratchet said, "but I am relying on the dark matter currently invading Rafael's body to meet it, head on."
Jack gave a light wince, holding a hand to his head.
I gave him a questioning look and he shook his head.
"I volunteer," Bumblebee whispered, "It's my fault he's like this."
He held out his arm and Ratchet took the sample.
Suddenly, Raf's monitor began to flatline. Jack's eyes flashed in terror as he backed away. The outline of his body blurred softly before clearing.
"I need him over here!" Ratchet yelled, pointing at a large decontamination chamber, "NOW!"
We wheeled Raf over into the chamber and ran back out as quickly as possible, watching with bated breath at the boy in the chamber.
The chamber glowed with a holy blue white light. Everyone shielded their faces as the glow became blinding.
Suddenly, the glow cut off and the door opened.
I ran inside, checking Raf's pulse.
"Pulse rate…is stabilizing," I said, relieved as the boys warm brown eyes opened.
"'Bee?" Raf asked weakly.
"Raf," he whirred softly.
Miko embraced the little boy, Jack came and stood next to me. I put my hand on his back, feeling the warm, strong pulse of his spark.
I looked up at Ratchet.
"Optimus," he said, "We did it,"
There was no answer.
"Optimus?" Ratchet asked again.
"Where is he?" Dusk asked, "Bulkhead…where is my dad?"
"He stayed on the Nemisis…to deal with Megatron once and for all," the Wrecker said, softly.
"Bulkhead…" Arcee growled, "You let Optimus face Megatron alone!?"
"I didn't have a choice," he protested.
That sounds like him.
"It might be a trap…" Ratchet said, the idea dawning on him, "We need to get a fix on his location!"
If I opened the bond between us…I'd be able to sense where he is…
But I'd put Jack and I at risk of exposure.
"I'm locked onto Optimus' signal," Ratchet said.
Scratch that idea.
"…Wait…" Ratchet started, optics widening, "How is this possible?"
There was a bright blue signal on the screen, Optimus, but he was surrounded by a lot of violet…
If that was what I think it was…
"What?" my sister asked, "What is it?"
"WE NEED TO GET OPTIMUS OUT OF THERE NOW!" Ratchet screeched.
I...have one sadistic, sick twisted mind when it comes to nightmares. I shuddered when I read it. Sad thing is...I had one similar to it once...Didn't want to go back to sleep. At all.
Remember, I'm still taking guesses at Dusk's riddle. :)
SPOILER FOR TF PRIME SEASON 3 Episode! I finally got to see the new Prime episode today. I spotted one Bayverse reference "Bring the Rain" (Miko, I love you even more now) and the "What's a dragon?" XD. Almost as good as the Unicorn-Unicron mix up. OH, I've got so many plans for that episode...I'm so excited!
Credit goes to Fan Fiction Viewer for the part where Jack discusses the comparison of him and Orion Pax to his mom.
Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please R&R! :)
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.