Old Nightmare

by KorovaMilkBar

When Jack left the Autobots after his misadventure aboard the Nemesis, what was the real reason behind it? He said he couldn't handle the day to day with them, but Arcee suspects that it's something more. Jack and June are harboring secrets about their pasts, and soon it comes back to haunt them.

36. Chapter 36

Jack's stomach pain was beginning to worry him, but at the moment, he had a much bigger concern. Arcee was in bad shape. She had stayed in her bipedal form as they walked through the base. Her alt form may have reduced the strain on her injuries and kept her off her damaged pede, but it also used up more of her energon, which she had lost quite a bit of in her battle with...

Jack inhaled sharply through his nose and averted his gaze. It was done. There was no need to dwell on that any further, at least, not until they were all out of danger.

Back to the matter at hand, Arcee was hurt very badly and was in no shape to fight anymore battles. He leg injury caused her to limp and move slower than she normally would. Her speed was her biggest advantage against her enemies and without it, she was fighting handicapped. That was to say nothing of her other injuries, all of which were still leaking energon. Jack didn't think that she would bleed out anytime soon, but if a fight came their way, she'd be unable to defend herself, which also meant she'd be unable to protect them.

"Arcee, stop." Jack said suddenly.

Arcee did just that as the party followed suit. She looked behind her to Jack, which seemed like it took some effort just to do that.

"What is it, Jack?" She asked.

"Where are we going? What's the plan?"

Arcee took a moment to answer back, looking uncertain of things herself.

"The plan is that I find somewhere safe for all of you where the other B.O.W.s can't find you..."

There was a hesitance to finish her sentence.

"And then?" Jack asked.

"And then I'm heading back to 'Bee and Jill."

Jack and others reacted appropriately.

"Arcee, you can't." Jack said.

"No." Rafael said at the same time.

"That's a really bad idea, Arcee." Miko followed up.

"We don't have a lot of options, guys." Arcee reasoned.

"Arcee, look at yourself." June replied. "You can't go back there with your injuries. The Nemesis will break you apart if you try to fight it in your condition."

"Mom's right." Jack followed. "The Tyrant that beat the scrap out of Bulkhead couldn't have been as strong or as advanced as the Nemesis and he was at full health. You don't stand a chance against it, 'Cee."

"I'm not going back there to fight it, Jack. I'm just going to scope the area out and try and meet back up with Jill and Bumblebee. If they took it out already, then I can bring them back here to protect you four while we all think of another plan to get out of here."

"And if they haven't beaten it yet?" June asked.

Arcee looked uncertain once again.

"I don't know what, then." She answered. "The only option would be to go back to the main hangar and try and meet up with Optimus."

Jill looked over to where she had left her team and the remaining B.S.A.A., still hearing the distant sounds of gunfire.

"But it seems like they're still fighting it out with Umbrella and we still don't know who or what came through the gate. It may be even less safe than here. We can't just wait out here in the open for another B.O.W. to run into us. I need to find someone to look after you guys because right now, I'm useless."

Jack knew that Arcee was making a lot of sense out of a very difficult and risky decision. But he had just lost his father not twenty minutes ago. The idea of Arcee going out there and not coming back was very real to him and it was something he didn't even want to think about.

"And what if the Nemesis sees you?" Jack hesitantly asked, not looking at Arcee. "What then, huh?"

Jack was able to look up at Arcee and she understood what he was feeling. She could see it in his face, the fear of losing her, just as she feared when he'd hit his lowest. But it wasn't just Jack. June, Miko, and Rafael were all afraid, not just for themselves, but for her. She wasn't partners with them, but they cared for her all the same, just as she did...But the fact was there was no other choice.

"I'll be careful, Jack...I won't get caught." She tried to assure them.

But they were not convinced.

"Don't go, Arcee." Raf pleaded.

"We can all hide out together." Miko said. "We can lock ourselves down tight and just wait for the 'Bots to wipe the floor with Umbrella. You don't have to go out there."

This was making things much, much harder.

"I'm sorry, Miko, but I do." She replied.

"Arcee." June pushed herself forward.

Even the strong willed single mother that Arcee had come to greatly admire was silently begging her not to leave them. She wasn't just asking for the sake of her son, either. She truly didn't want to lose Arcee anymore than Jack did.

Arcee didn't know what to do. She was afraid to leave them alone with no protection and she just couldn't bring herself to leave them behind to worry. She took one look at Jack and remembered the promise that Miko and Raf kept bringing up, the one that they all stick together. Even though it was between the three of them, June had become a part of that promise and now, Arcee felt she had become a part of it as well.

Unfortunately, fate was going to make a decision for her.

They all heard the sounds of something crashing near-by and turned their heads to the direction it was coming from. Arcee positioned herself in front of the group of humans, hoping she could stop whatever was coming their way.

"All of you, stay behind me." She ordered.

"We should run." Raf said.

"We should hide." Miko countered.

"Arcee." Jack started. "If it's the Nemesis, you can't fight it."

"I have to try, Jack." Arcee said, not without a noticeable lack of confidence.

And the group gathered behind Arcee and waited for what was coming. They heard another crash very close by, but heard the sounds of a speeding car following behind it. Soon enough, they saw a black and yellow Camaro coming for them and immediately recognized who it was.

"'Bee!" Rafael said.

But as the Scout drove towards them, the Nemesis came running from a top a building and jumped down to where Bumblebee was headed. It swung its arm over its head and Bumblebee had to swerve out the way to avoid its mass of tentacles.

"What the frag?!" Miko yelled.

"Oh, no." June said grimly.

She and Jack saw that the Nemesis had mutated into a stronger form, which meant that it was even more powerful than the G-Mutation. Bumblebee came to a sideways stop just in front of Arcee and transformed.

"'Cee!" He said when he saw her condition.

Then he noticed the kids and June.

"Are you guys, alright?!" He asked.

"We're fine, Bumblebee." Raf answered. "But look."

Raf pointed back to the Nemesis, who was standing motionless and staring at the six of them. Bumblebee took a defensive stance in front of all of them, while Arcee kept her arm blades shifted, should she need them. She couldn't afford to use her blaster.

"'Bee, I'm no use to anyone right now." Arcee said. "Whatever you're gonna do, I can't help you."

"What happened?" Bumblebee asked.

"Too much...But whatever happens next, you have to protect them now."

Miko peaked out from behind Arcee's leg.

"Why's it just standing there?" She asked.

Indeed, the Nemesis had not moved once since he attacked Bumblebee.

"Scrap, is he mutating again?!" Bumblebee questioned.

"How did he mutate the first time?!" Rafael followed.

Arcee then noticed who he was staring at.

"'Bee, get them out of here!" Arcee ordered. "It's after Jack."

And that was what was happening. Now that it had an eye on Jack, the Nemesis was remembering its original perimeters and letting go the remnants that cause it to ignore them. It took a single step forward, but then stopped suddenly once more. Once again, it remained motionless. Arcee used this time to do what was necessary.

"Transform, Bumblebee, now."

Bumblebee didn't waste time and took his alt once more. He honked his horn to signal the humans who didn't understand him to get in. Rafael jumped in the front seat while Jack and Miko helped June into the back, leaving her wheelchair behind. Once June was in with Jack, Miko got in the passenger seat and Bumblebee took off. Nemesis came out of its sudden stop and went to chase after them.

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When Russell saw through the first person feed of the Nemesis that Jack was within range and that its original protocols were taking priority, he used this time to alter them. The G-Mutation was no longer able to capture Jackson and even if the Nemesis was able to take down the Autobots and Jill Valentine, there would be no guarantee that Jackson wouldn't slip away again. So, he changed the perimeters of its mission. It wasn't going to deprive Jackson of his protection, he was going to surrender himself to Umbrella.

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Arcee took her stance in the path of the Nemesis as Bumblebee drove off with the others. The Nemesis whipped its tentacles against the ground and ran with the intention to go through her. Arcee knew she couldn't stop it, she just hoped that Bumblebee could keep the kids safe. She also hoped that however hard the Nemesis ran through her, she'd survive. Jack wouldn't be able to handle her getting offlined, not after losing his father again.

But Arcee was in luck. Wheeljack came in at full speed from around the corner. He transformed behind the Nemesis with Jill and her grenade launcher in his palm. He tossed the veteran B.O.W. specialist in a somersault over the Nemesis and she landed in front of Arcee. with six rounds ready, Jill fired each one in quick succession, pushing the B.O.W. back as she moved forward. When the smoke cleared from her final round, it roared aggressively at her, ready to strike back. The smiling agent then dove out of the way as the Nemesis was hit in the back from three energon blast. The last one causing it to stumble forward at Arcee. She quickly worked up the strength to kick the thing back to Wheeljack who grabbed it out of the air and threw it into the metal wall of a nearby hangar. The Nemesis dented the wall and fell to the ground.

Wheeljack armed and aimed his blasters, but the Nemesis looked back to Arcee and Jill, at least, that's what they thought. It got up quickly and moved out of the way of Wheeljack's blast. It made its path towards Jill and threw out its tentacles, wrapping themselves around her tightly. With one swift motion, the Nemesis yanked her off the ground and threw her behind it at Wheeljack.

"Jill!" Arcee cried.

Wheeljack sprinted forward to catch her and managed to do just that, though she had taken a rough landing in his metal servos. The Nemesis used the distraction to run past Arcee and follow the path Bumblebee had taken.

"You okay, Jill?" Wheeljack asked.

"I'm good." She groaned. "You really should think about padded gloves."

"Wheeljack!" He heard Arcee call.

Wheeljack looked to the femme.

"Its going after Bumblebee!"

Wheeljack transformed with Jill in the driver's seat and went after the Nemesis, leaving the weakened Arcee alone. The femme let herself catch her breath. She needed energon and a good patch job, but she could hold out until the fighting was done, so long as she didn't do any fighting herself. She knew she should've just waited for the others to return, but she was too worried about Jack to just stay put. She managed to stand up and walk as best she could towards the action. If all else failed, she'd use up what little energon she had to get Jack out of there.

The Nemesis hopped the rooftops until it caught sight of Bumblebee. It followed after him from the rooftops and the scout could clearly see it chasing them.

"Bumblebee?" Miko said nervously when she saw it.

Bumblebee spoke in his usual manner, but Miko didn't understand him.

"He says don't worry." Rafael translated. "He's not gonna let it hurt us."

Miko, however, looked very uncertain, as did Jack and June. After seeing what the G-Mutation had done to Arcee, they were afraid to see what this thing would do to Bumblebee, who was not as good a fighter.

The Nemesis jumped down from the rooftops and onto the oncoming path of Bumblebee. The scout stopped and saw that it was preparing to meet it head on. 'Bee then adjusted his rear view mirrors suddenly and began revving his engine.

"'Bee?" Raf asked. "What are you about to do?"

Seat belts came down on all of his passengers.

"Hang on tight, guys."

Bumblebee kicked it into high gear and went for it at top speed. But he then suddenly hit the breaks and broke out into a drift, going around the Nemesis until his was right behind him. The Nemesis, kept his focus of the yellow Camaro, not seeing the white and green race car coming up behind him. When it heard its engine, it was met with another explosive round in the face before it saw Jill hanging out of the driver's window.

The Nemesis growled and ran for Wheeljack instead. Jill fired more rounds, but it began to dodge them, even as the distance was growing shorter. The Nemesis then jumped into the air, seemingly going over the race car. But Jill didn't noticed that as it passed over them, its tentacles were dragging behind it. She only realized this when they wrapped around her and pulled her from Wheeljack's front seat.

"Jill!" He yelled.

The Nemesis landed, dragging the bound Jill with him. Wheeljack transformed and perhaps from seeing him save Jill before, The Nemesis once again threw her at Wheeljack. This time, much harder. Wheeljack caught her, but her landing was far rougher than before. Jill grunted in pain and when Wheeljack looked at her in his servos, he saw that she was clutching her shoulder. Too focused on his current partner, the Wrecker didn't see the Nemesis go for his face, not until he felt the mass of tentacles lash against it and knock him down in pain.

Without wasting time, the Nemesis went back for Bumblebee. The scout began driving in reverse, busting a quick u-turn to drive properly. But the Nemesis took advantage of this and jumped onto the hood of the alt. Bumblebee gunned it hard, but the Nemesis wouldn't budge. It pulled itself closer to the front and smashed the windshield. Bumblebee attempted to shake it off by swerving from side to side. It managed to throw the Nemesis off, but not completely. It held on with one hand on the roof as it hung from the driver's side. The Nemesis then grabbed the driver door and yanked it off, causing great pain to Bumblebee. It blindly threw its tentacles into the alt, but Bumblebee swerved into the wall of the building in an attempt to scrape the Nemesis off of him. When he pulled away, the Nemesis let go of his roof and fell behind him, though, it also pulled its back door off with it. Bumblebee quickly drove away from it and transformed. He held a defensive stance, deciding that he was going to have to fight it a little to slow it down before he could get the kids to safety. Bumblebee looked behind him to see if his passengers were okay. But to his shock, only Miko and Jack were there. In a panic, Bumblebee looked back to the path he had just taken and saw where the Nemesis had let go.

The Nemesis stood up, seemingly unharmed. Wrapped tightly in its tentacles were June and Rafael. Bumblebee's optics widened and Miko gasped in shock. Jack just stood there with panic in his eyes. Its tentacles had went in through the driver's side, where Raf was sitting, and busted through the window behind it, where June was.

Wheeljack pulled up with Jill in his alt and transformed to see what was happening. He bared his teeth in anger, but ultimately, held himself back to not put the two humans in danger. Even with the pain Jill was in, having just popped her dislocated shoulder back in place, she too was both angry and frightened for June and Rafael's safety. Arcee had managed to make her way there as well. Her reaction was a little more of the same as Jill. Her best friend's mother and the youngest member of the humans were held captive by the B.O.W. and there was nothing any of them could do.

All of them waited in silence, both for the Nemesis to do something while brainstorming what one of them could do. But any action taken against the Nemesis would put June and Raf in harms way. The silence was thick and maddening. No one was even demanding the two be let go, as if the Nemesis would understand them anyway. Miko gripped Jackson's shoulders tightly from behind while the teen kept himself from losing his cool again. Bumblebee was no better than Jack. It was his little brother in the monster's clutches and of course, he didn't want June to get hurt either. The silence became too much for them. Finally, Wheeljack broke it.

"Hey!" Wheeljack shouted. "Hey, big boy! I'm talkin' to you!"

The Nemesis didn't even acknowledge him.

"Look at me, you freak!" He shouted again. "We're the ones you want, right?! Let them go!"

But the Nemesis ignored everything Wheeljack was shouting at him. It continued to look onward to Bumblebee, Miko, and Jack. It didn't avert its eye in the slightest. Wheeljack continued to shout at it, but the Nemesis kept its focus. That's when Jack realized that among the three of them, it still had him in its sight, above the rest. This one was just like his father. It was after him, only stopping to kill whoever stood in its way. Arcee could see the understanding look in her partner's eye, and had she the strength to raise her voice, she would have shouted at him not do what he was about to do.

The teen gulped down his own nervousness and took a deep breath. He touched one of Miko's hands and lightly squeezed it, getting her to look at him.

"Jack?" She question.

"It's okay, Miko...I'm gonna try something."

"What..." Miko questioned further.

Jack took one step forward and Miko went straight for him arm.

"Jack." She quickly as she grabbed him.

"It's alright." He replied. "I know what I'm doing."

He pulled his arm away and didn't let her grab him again in a panic.

"Jack-Jack." She whispered in that same panic to stop him.

Bumblebee looked down by his side and saw Jack walking past. He quickly went to grab him, but the Nemesis growled once he moved on Jack, stopping Bumblebee from making another move. Jack quickly stopped to face the Nemesis, holding his hands up in caution. Jill saw what was going on and stepped forward.

"Jack, no." She cried.

"Don't worry, it's not what you think." He said.

Jack really didn't know what he was doing, but when the Nemesis growled to keep Bumblebee from grabbing him, it confirmed his suspicions. Jack took a few steps forward and then stopped when he was just out of Bumblebee's reach, but far enough from the Nemesis'. Jack stared on at the B.O.W., seeing both his mother and Rafael staring back at them with terrified eyes. He focused back on the Nemesis, trying to learn what its intentions were.

"You're after me, aren't you?" He asked the beast.

The Nemesis didn't respond to the question at all. It just stared at Jack as if it was waiting for something. There wasn't a sound to be heard in the immediate area. The tension was so thick, it felt like it was smothering all of them. As if the Nemesis was growing tired of doing nothing, it finally responded. It tightened its grip around its two captives, making them groan in pain.

"Stop!" Jack panicked to say. "Stop, please."

The Nemesis did just that. It took another step forward and Jack took one back. It then motioned its head towards him, as if to point him out.

"Me." Jack stated. "You want me. I get it."

Then, the Nemesis motioned towards Bumblebee and Miko. Jack looked behind him and realized who it was referring to.

"What about them?" Jack asked. "I'm the one Wesker sent you after. Why do you want them?"

The Nemesis then look over its shoulder to Wheeljack, then Arcee, then Jill.

"Stars."

Jack took a moment to make sense of that.

"Jill?" He asked.

The Nemesis growled again.

"Wheeljack, Arcee? I don't...I don't understand. What do you want from us?"

Then the Nemesis made one final motion with its head towards an open path between two hangars. Jack looked down the pathway and thought about what it meant. Then it came to him.

"Follow you." He didn't ask, but stated.

The Nemesis lowly growled again.

"Where?" Jack asked.

The Nemesis responded by applying pressure to June and Rafael again. Jack responded quickly.

"Okay. Okay." He said. "I'll follow you. We'll follow you."

The Autobots, Miko, and Jill all looked to him in worry. Jack looked back at them with an uncertain look.

"We don't have a choice, guys." Jack said. "We have to do what it wants."

"That's your plan, Jack?" Miko asked incredulously. "Giving up?"

"Miko, it has Raf and my Mom." Jack responded as he looked over his shoulder. "It'll kill them if we don't. We're suppose to stick together, right?"

"Yeah, but..."

As much as she hated to admit it, they had no other options. The ball was in the Nemesis' court and it was the one in control. Jack faced the Nemesis again.

"We'll do what you want...But let them go."

The Nemesis opened its mouth and let out a threatening snarl. It then turned towards the pathway it had chosen and slung June and Rafael over its shoulder. It walked into the pathway before turning to Jack and applied to slightest bit of tightness to its hostages. It was telling Jack to get moving. Jack took one more deep, deep breath and looked to the others.

"C'mon, guys...One of us will think of something."

But as Jack was the first to follow behind the Nemesis, the others looked unsure of anything. Bumblebee was a nano-click away from having his own panic attack and Arcee had gone through a dozen different scenarios of her trying to save Rafael and June, none of which ended well. Jill was as terrified as she could be as she watched all of this happening, not knowing what Jack was thinking right now. Wheeljack bit his glossa and kept himself from being reckless. As long as the Nemesis had June and Rafael slung to its back, there was no way to attack him. Miko's heart skipped a beat with every step she took. The possibility that this could be the end for one of them, for all of them, was too real for her. This was not how she envisioned her zombie apocalypse when she was bored in class. How she wished for that boring life back.

"Supirittsu." She nervously whispered to herself, never taking her eyes off of her friends. "Kore o gaido shite kudasai."

She managed to look down and away from them, if only to hide her frightened tears.

"Onegaishimasu." She choked out quietly. "Korera no akuma kara mamotte kudasai."

As the group walked further to wherever the Nemesis was taking them, Jack took a look at the sky to try and see what direction they were going. He saw smoke and it was now that he had heard the same sounds of gunfire.

'So that's it.' He thought.

It was taking them to where Umbrella had come crashing through, looking for him. If it was forcing them to follow instead of just taking Jack away from the base, that could only have met one thing.

'He's waiting for me...It's taking me to Wesker.'

Now it was Jack praying to whoever was listening. If he was right, he was about to come face to face with the man who had replaced Airachnid in his nightmares, who's shadow still loomed over him. Arcee looked closely at his back when she heard Jack sharply inhale suddenly. She saw fear in his posture. If only she hadn't gotten injured so badly. She could've ended this right here and Jack would never have to be afraid again. But now, this monster was probably taking them to the one who has been tormenting her partner and there was nothing she could do.

All of this was almost to enough for Jack to ignore how bad his stomach was hurting right now.

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Russell was quite pleased with himself. Rewriting the Nemesis' protocols to use Jackson Darby's friends to force him back to Wesker had worked better than expected. So long as it had the boy's mother and the youngest child in its grasp, none of the three Autobots nor Jill would try to interfere. The Tyrants would deal with the four of them. Hopefully, they and Wesker would be finished by the time they got to the hangar. Speaking of which...

By the point, Wesker had finished toying with the B.S.A.A. Many of them had already fallen to him and his T-Virus strength, but Chris and his more trusted comrades had managed to stay out of his grasp. But he could see that they were all running out of strength, especially Chris, with his injuries. The only one who was still fighting strong was Leon Kennedy. Wesker decided to focus on him, for now.

Meanwhile, Optimus and Bulkhead were barely able to fight against the mutated Tyrants. Bulkhead had managed to destroy one more, but in that time, the one that was attacking Ratchet was seconds away from off-lining him. Bulkhead was forced to step in front of him to hold the Tyrant off. The Wrecker was already beaten and cut up from the fighting. He didn't know if he had it in him to handle two more.

Optimus was able to keep himself from taking too much damage from these beasts, but his size against theirs coupled with their increased speed made it much more difficult to inflict damage himself. One of the Tyrants ran in front of Optimus and crouched down. The other came up behind it and springboarded itself straight at him. The Prime managed the swing his servo and slap it backwards, but the other came up right behind it and dig its claw far too close to his spark. Optimus pulled it out and tossed it away and managed to move out of the way of the previous one attempting to strike at his pede on the ground. But that put his back to the first one and it took full advantage.

"Argh." Optimus Prime growled.

The Tyrant had jumped on his back drove its claw into him. Optimus reached over his shoulder and pulled it from him, throwing it just as he did the first one. It landed by its companion and Optimus shifted his blasters. As he fired on the two Tyrants, the pair zig-zagged away from him, avoid his blasts easily. These monsters were capable of attack formations and careful coordination, making them far more dangerous than any of the other B.O.W.s Optimus had faced. The pair ran back to him, who shifted his wrist blade out. Close combat was the only way to stop they speedsters. He prepared himself when they both jumped at him again.

Wesker had delivered a very hard air kick into Leon's chest, sending him into the grill of one of the trucks. The agent timed his next strike well enough that when Wesker sped towards him, it connected to his jaw as he was right in front of him. The Captain was caught by surprise from the strike and Leon didn't let it go to waste. He delivered a chained combo of several hooks and hay-makers, all of which pushed Wesker back. But of course, he could only let Leon get away with so much. When Leon went to punch him again, he caught his fist with his bare hand.

"That's enough of that, Agent Kennedy."

Wesker squeezed Leon's fist, painfully bringing him to his knees. Wesker put his other arm under Leon's and threw the agent over his shoulder. When he hit the concrete, Rebecca was right in front of him with her Beretta aimed at Wesker. She fired four bullets into him, jerking him back with each one. He looked back at her with mild annoyance.

"I still wonder how a weakling like you managed to survive the mansion, Officer Chambers."

Rebecca fired several more shots at him, but he began moving between the bullets. He was getting closer and closer, mere seconds away from getting his hands on Rebecca, who grew more panicked with each missed shot. But before he could reach out and grab her, Leon moved quick enough to drive his knife into Wesker's stomach. It stopped Wesker, but nothing more.

"I've had enough of you, Kennedy."

Wesker then grabbed Kennedy by the chest, digging his fingers through his clothes and into his flesh. The Agent grunted in pain as he felt Wesker's grip tighten, ready to rip a chunk of his chest out. The Captain went further and twisted his hand, causing the flesh to tear away. Leon was then lifted into the air, swung over Wesker's head, and slammed onto the ground behind him. Rebecca ran up behind Wesker and pointed her gun right at his head. He turned around and grabbed her arm, twisting it to force her palm upward and and then jerking it in the same directing, straining her arm and wrist with almost enough force to break it. He then pulled his own Beretta and fired to rounds into her waist, which was thankfully protected by her vest. But the force was enough to put her on her knees and Wesker went for her head.

Before the trigger was pulled, several rounds of two different calibers riddled Wesker and forced him away from Rebecca and Leon. He could barely register Barry and Helena standing side by side as they pushed him back. But their guns went dry and by this point, Wesker was livid. He sped towards the two and pulled them off their feet by their necks. He lifted them high and slammed them both on their backs, still applying pressure to heir throats. The blood vessels in their eyes were about to break when the entire hangar came to a halt at the sound of a monstrous roar. Everyone looked to the source of the sound. By the corridor that lead to the makeshift quarters stood the Nemesis.

Wesker was so confused by this that he released his two opponents. Helena and Barry didn't hesitate to recover and get away from him. The Captain looked over his shoulder to Russell, who was sitting in the vehicle with a smile on his face. Clearly, he had something up his sleeve.

The Autobots and the B.S.A.A. all got back on their feet once the fighting stopped. Optimus looked closely and could see the Nemesis was not alone. The B.O.W. then put its tentacled hand in front of him, revealing its two captives, June and Rafael. Optimus felt his spark jump when he saw them and for the first time since he became a Prime, he panicked, albeit quietly. Everyone at base stood there with nothing to say. It seemed like all breaths were being held. Rebecca looked horrified beyond belief when she saw Rafael in the Nemesis' clutches.

The Nemesis kept its prizes on display for a moment longer before moving to the side to allow the true prize to enter the area, Jackson Darby.

Something went through Optimus that he had never felt before, a crippling fear he was unfamiliar with. It wasn't as if he had never known fear, either before or after he became Prime, but this was far beyond anything he'd experienced. Just seeing Jackson being led around by the B.O.W., the fear so visible on face, Optimus was paralyzed with it. Jackson appeared as if he didn't want to look up. In truth, he didn't for multiple reasons.

Jack didn't want to see the carnage before him. Even with his eye to the ground, he could still smell the blood. From out in the corridor, he had heard the mayhem, along with several blood curdling screams of agony that reminded him of the night outside of the the hospital. Jack was also too afraid to look and see who was still standing and who had been killed. Was it Chris or Rebecca, Leon or Helena, Barry, Sheva, Josh, Piers, the Director? Was it too much to hope that they had all managed to survive this encounter? He didn't want to know, to be proven wrong. Watching Fowler die was still a haunting image in his head. Seeing someone else he had come to care about lying in a pool of blood with their insides ripped out would be enough to break him. But above all else, far more than anything, he was afraid to look and see...

"Jackson Darby."

He shut his eye and his head was assaulted with the memory of their last encounter. His breath shook almost violently. His heart was like a jackhammer. He felt like he was about to pass out.

"Look at me, boy."

Jackson heard him and he knew that disobeying him even in the slightest would bring consequences, but the fear wouldn't allow him to move.

"Ungh...Ah." A feminine voice sounded

Jack's eye shot open and he looked to his mother. The Nemesis was tightening a single tentacle that went around her torso. Without thinking, Jack did what Wesker demanded and immediately regretted it.

He stood there, stoically, observing Jack from across the room, the same way he did when had first awoken in that dark room. The setting was absolutely different, but Jack felt like he was back in that room, only this time, he knew what was coming.

Arcee, Jill, Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and Miko all stood close by behind Jack, but none of them could do anything. Wheeljack stayed closer to Miko, but kept his hate filled optics on the man on the other side of the room. Somehow, he knew that this was Wesker. Bumblebee also glared at the head of Umbrella, nervously shifting back to Rafael to make sure he was okay. Arcee and Jill both held back urges to lunge at him, knowing the lives that were at stake. Not to mention that they were also afraid for Jack, who they knew was on the brink of a breakdown. Said teen was at a point where he wasn't sure if the sweat building was from his own fear or his stomach pain. As it was, the pain was enough that he was holding his arm across his midsection.

"At long last." Wesker began. "We meet again."

Jack was silent.

"You look unhappy to see me. I suppose forgiving me for your eye is out of the question."

Jack inhaled sharply at the mention of it. Wesker was amused by the reaction, but then, he became stern once more.

"Do you remember what I said to you before you were taken?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but he could make a single word come out.

"I asked you a question."

Jack could only nod.

"Use your words!" He said harshly.

"Yes." Jack managed suddenly.

"What did I say? Repeat it to me."

Jack looked away again, shifting his eye to the ground, but not lowering his head.

"You said, I was your property." Jack said timidly.

Wesker wasn't satisfied with that answer.

"That wasn't all, was it?"

"No."

"What else did I say?"

"That if I tried to escape...You'd torture my mother."

Optimus clenched his fists, struggling to think of a way to end this.

"I said that if you behaved yourself, I would grant your mother a quick death. Isn't that right?"

"Yes."

"And yet, here you are, hiding behind the B.S.A.A. and your Autobots. You didn't take my threat seriously."

"Wesker."

"Sir! You will refer to me as Sir, boy."

"Sir, my family has nothing to so with this. I'm the one you want."

Arcee, June, Jill, and Optimus looked to Jackson in fear of what he might've meant by that.

"You shouldn't have left." Wesker said.

"I...I didn't." Jack replied.

Wesker thought for a moment.

"No...I suppose not. It wasn't your choice to be taken by Bumblebee."

Bumblebee spoke up, but wasn't understood.

"Jack, what are you doing?" He nervously asked.

"But then again." Wesker continued. "It was your choice to keep running when I came for you. That was not a smart move on your part. Did you think that they could protect you? Look around you. Your Autobots are on their knees and your former S.T.A.R.S. officers are no better off. You have no one left that can stop me."

It was all becoming real to Jack. He knew that Wesker was right. He felt like he wanted to throw up. This couldn't be happening right now. Was he really going to end up back in Wesker's hands?

"There is only one thing you can do to make this easier on yourself and you know what that is."

And he did. Even as he remembered his eye being cut out so vividly, that he could almost feel the pain in his empty socket in that moment, he knew he had no other choice. If he had any chance of sparing his mother or his friends, he was going to have to break his promise.

"Sir?" He said very weakly.

"What is it?"

"If..." The words were needles in his throat. "If I go with you...Will you let them go?"

Optimus mouth opened but spoke nothing, Arcee's optics were lit with horror, and June...

"Jackson..." She managed to cry. "Don't."

"Jack, you promised!" Miko cried as well.

"I'm sorry, guys."

Jack's eye was filled with tears. He didn't want to do this. The mere thought of it pained in his chest.

"Jack, don't do this." He heard Arcee's voice cry to him.

He couldn't bear to look at her, at any of them. One look and he would lose the strength to sacrifice himself.

"Jackson." Arcee pleaded. "Please, partner, I'm begging you. Don't go with him."

He shut his eyes. This hurt...a lot, and it was for no greater good. In the grand scheme of things, going with Wesker was going to have consequences. But he couldn't bare to see his family be killed or worse.

"Jackson."

That was the one voice he couldn't take, Optimus'. If anyone could talk him out of this, it was him.

"You cannot go with Wesker...If you do, you will condemn all of humanity."

"He'll kill you all if I don't." Jack replied back.

"We cannot lose you...I cannot lose you."

Why? Why did he have to say that? Why now, after he had just lost his father? It made Jack want to stay with Optimus...And it made him afraid of watching him die even more.

"Optimus...I..."

"I hate to ruin this tender moment." Wesker interrupted. "But I'm going to kill them anyway."

Jack turned his eye Wesker.

"What?"

"You're in no position to barter with me, boy. You have nothing to bargain with. Either you surrender yourself or we will take you by force and I will make them suffer more than I already intend to."

"Wesker, please."

"Quit your groveling!" Wesker snapped. "You made your choice when you ran from us in Nevada. You've force my hand. Your Autobots and agents will die, because whether if you surrender yourself or not, I won't give them the chance to interfere again. And as for your mother and your two friends there..."

Miko instinctively got behind Wheeljack.

"They're coming with us."

And now, Jack was terrified to his soul.

"What! You can't..."

"I can and will! You've brought this upon them, Jackson."

Wheeljack shifted his blaster and was ready to blow Wesker away, but the Nemesis squeezed his tentacles again and Wheeljack was forced to stand down. He felt Miko trembling behind his leg. He couldn't let them take her.

"Why?...Why do you want them?" Jack asked.

"Because you cannot be trusted, boy. Even without your so-called guardians to protect you, I can tell that you will not be cooperative. So, I'm going to have to keep them as leverage. You will submit yourself to Umbrella and undergo every experiment without resistance. You so much as flash a hostile glare at me or my men, it will be them who suffer. Do what we say when we say it and they will remain unharmed. If you try to escape, refuse any procedure, or attempt to take your own life..."

Wesker flashed a terribly evil smirk.

"'I have no mouth and I must scream.'"

And so, Jack was backed into a corner. He couldn't save the people who protected him and his friend's lives were in his hands. There was nothing he could do except what Wesker wanted.

Then, the pain struck again. This time, it went beyond his stomach. Bolts of pain struck from where it started and went all the went through his torso. It even went up to his head, feeling it most in his eye socket. The pain was enough that Jack clutched his midsection with both arms and fell to his knees. He could feel the sweat raining down on the...dead agent he had stumbled over to? Out of nowhere, Jack felt the vomit rise in his throat and soon, the burning bile began pouring out of his mouth uncontrollably.

Wesker looked on in confusion, not knowing what was going on. The Autobots, the agents, the children, and June were worried...But there were bigger problems than Jack's nervous sickness. Wesker was going to take the civilians and the rest of them would die.

Jack heaved the last of his stomach contents onto the agent's corpse, gasping for air as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Are you quite finished, boy? This is terribly embarrassing." Wesker smugly asked.

Jack suddenly rose with a gun in his hand. He had taken it from the dead agent while he was vomiting. He pointed it at Wesker, but the Captain merely looked bored with him.

"What are you doing, Jackson?" He asked incredulously. "What can you possibly hope to accomplish with that?"

Jack took a few more breaths to gain his strength back and then...he put the gun to his head. Arcee went cold when she saw that, some very recent fears returning to her. Wesker, however, had a different view of things.

"Hm." Wesker said. "That's very bold of you, boy."

"Now here's what's gonna happen." Jack began. "The 'Bots, my mother, my friends, and every agent in this facility are gonna open the ground bridge and they're gonna leave. Once they're all safely out of here and it's just us, I'll put the gun down and then I'm yours."

Wesker was a little impressed by this.

"You've really hit your bottom haven't you, to attempt something like this. If I refuse?"

"Then I blow my damn brains out and you get nothing."

Wesker could see it in the boy's eye. This wasn't a bluff. However, it was poorly conceived as well. Wesker let just enough time to pass for Jack to become anxious and then he made his move. Jack wasn't aware of Wesker's abilities, nor was he prepared for them. He rushed Jack with incredible speed, enough that he couldn't even register what was happening before he could pull the trigger. Suddenly, he felt his hand get twisted with the gun pointed away from him. Once the gun fell from his his hands, Wesker grabbed the back of his neck and forced him to the ground hard, still holding his arm outward and twisting it painfully. Jack struggled to get loose, aggressively grunting for his efforts. But Wesker's strength was too great.

"That was a pitiful attempt to turn the tables on me, boy." Wesker said.

"Go to hell!" Jack shouted.

"It's funny how you all seem to think that shouting something like that affects me or the situation you're in. Really, it's just a pointless act."

Jack tried again to force himself back up, but Wesker didn't even have to try hard and hold him down.

"Even now, you resist me. My boy, you need to know that there are consequences for your actions, all of them. For this little attempt you made at an ultimatum, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson. Your mother and your friends are going to endure a lot of pain because of what you just did."

"Don't touch them!" Jack yelled!

Wesker responded by pressing his face against the concrete. Arcee went to attack Wesker, but she stopped when she remembered June and Raf.

"You keep failing to understand that you're not in control. You do not give orders to me. For that and for threatening to kill yourself...I'm going to remove an eye from each of them."

"Wesker!" Jack yelled as he tried to force himself up, only for Wesker to slam him back down.

"Starting with the little one."

"I'll kill you, I swear!"

"And just for that, I will leave your two lovely ladies there alone with some my more 'depraved' loyalists. And trust me, the missing eyes will not dissuade them at all."

Jack growled through his teeth. Wesker was just flaunting now, testing him to see him react. Though, he didn't doubt that he would hold true to every one of his threats.

"Keep this up, boy, and I will make their entire time with Umbrella unbearable and that will be before I resort to infection."

With that final threat, Jack stopped himself and was forced to calm down.

"Do we understand each other?"

Jack was helpless now and he had no choice. He nodded to answer Wesker, but was pushed further into the concrete. He could feel his skin scraping.

"Your words, Jackson." Wesker said in aggravation.

"Yes, I understand, Sir." He said.

"I'm going to let you up now. Behave and I will allow you to be taken through the bridge before I begin executing everyone here. Misbehave, I will make you watch me kill them slowly and I will start with Jill Valentine."

Wesker released Jackson, who was now thoroughly broken. Even as he was let free, he didn't get up. He lied there on the ground, praying for a miracle. But there nothing left to hope for. Once he got on his feet, he and his friends belonged to Umbrella. Once they were taken away, the Autobots, the B.S.A.A., Jill, Arcee, and Optimus were all gonna die. He was about to lose everything, even himself.

"On your feet, Jackson." Wesker ordered.

Curiously enough, to Wesker anyway, Jackson did not obey. This of course, angered him.

"I don't have to tell you that I don't need all three of them. I can make do with only two."

Again, Jack did not respond. Wesker was confused, because this was very odd behavior, given the situation. Nonetheless, Wesker responded as he saw fit. He grabbed Jack by the neck and pulled him up.

"Are you testing me, boy?!"

But he saw Jack's face and could see that something was wrong. He was now breathing very hard.

"It...It hurts." Jack said.

"What hurts?"

Jack was gasping now.

"Ev-...Everything."

Before Wesker could say anything, a tear of blood was falling from behind Jack's eye patch. Wesker quickly pulled it away and was shocked to see that there was underneath it. There was something moving inside of his eye socket.

"Please...Make it stop." Jack pleaded.

Jack then began to look ill and Wesker let go of his head. He fell back to the ground and began to violently vomit blood. Wesker backed away in absolute shock, something he hadn't felt in his life.

"Jack!" Arcee cried as she witnessed what was happening.

June looked on in the purest fear she had ever known. She had no idea what was happening, all she knew was that her son was in pain. Jill, Optimus, the children, and the rest all looked on in the same shock as Wesker. None knew what was going on, but they all feared the worst. The only one not in a state of shock or horror was Russell, who smiled knowingly.

Jack must've purged half his weight in his own blood and by the time he had finally stopped, his skin looked unnaturally pale. He remained on his hands and knees in a pool of his own blood, gasping and dry heaving from his painful ordeal. But it wasn't over yet.

Jack suddenly began loudly groan through his teeth. Soon, his groans became howls. Then, he began writing on the floor in his blood, as his body began contorting and shifting around. Wesker, while still in a state of shock, knew what was happening. He looked over to Russell, who had finally exited the safety of his vehicle, and saw that he was aware of what was happening. Wesker didn't know how or when the G-Mutation managed to implant the boy with the embryo, but he watched in anticipation. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Wesker!" He heard Jill call out. "What have you done?!"

Wesker looked to her and then back to the writhing Jackson.

"We will soon find out." He replied.

Jack's muscles began tightening, looking as if they would rip apart any moment. Soon enough, they did, and the flesh that was exposed looked as if it was moving on its own inside of him. But every tear closed itself back up within seconds, only for another to open up.

In the grasp of the Nemesis' tentacles, June and Rafael buried their faces into each other, unable to watch Jackson endure this. Wheeljack knelt down and put his servo in front of Miko. The young girl was an emotional wreck by this point and held on to Wheeljack tightly. She was losing her friend right in front her.

Jill tried to keep herself from looking away, praying that it wouldn't end up the way it was going to. But Jackson's screams intensified when his body began tearing itself apart and she couldn't stand it anymore. Chris grabbed her and pulled her into his chest. She embraced him tightly as she shielded her vision.

"I'm sorry, Jack." She sobbed.

Arcee's digits were dug into the concrete and she dared not lift her helm. She just couldn't take it. Tailgate, Cliffjumper, now Jack and in the most horrifying of ways, she was losing another partner. But she could still hear him. His screams filled her audio receptors and struck her right in the spark.

Optimus was the only one who would look. It pained him to see it, but for his failure to prevent this, he felt he deserved it. How could he have let this happen? How could he have failed two people he had come to love so dearly. He knew that what was happening to Jack was killing June at the same time. The Prime steeled himself as he prepared to do the unthinkable. He shifted his blaster out. Whatever Jack was about to become, he needed to end it. He needed to free him.

Wesker moved around Jack until he stood across from him, but he made sure to leave a good distance between them. Jack's mutation was not as easy as his own was. Then again, he had changed in death. Still, it seemed like the G-Virus wasn't sure if it was going to mutate Jack or evolve him as the T-Virus did for himself. From violent nature of this particular change, it seemed like the virus would kill Jack before either could happen.

Just as the tears began overlapping each other and Jack's body was more meat than skin, he looked up at Wesker as if his life had flashed before him. Wesker could see something forming in the socket of his eye, but he couldn't tell was it was. His torn flesh closed up and Jack fell flat on the floor.

Once the screaming had stopped, everyone who had looked away turned back to Jackson. June and Rafael were the first. Jack was lying motionless and pale on the ground, no sign of life in him. June choked on her cries and rested her head back on Rafael. Her son was gone.

Wesker watched closely, beginning to fear the same thing. He looked to Russell, who was as uncertain as he.

"Russell?"

"I don't know, Sir. I don't know what went wro-"

A sudden gasp of air caught everyone's attention, followed by coughs and more gasps. Jack began to move and slowly worked himself back on his feet. Once again, shocked was shared by everyone present in the hangar.

Jack stood up, but he didn't stand straight. He head was still down and he hadn't regained his strength. He caught his breath and finally raised his head to look in front of him. Wesker removed his glassed to get a better look and he could see it quite clearly.

Jack's right eye had regenerated, except it was no longer blue. It was now emerald green and in the darkness of the hangar, glowing dimly. Jack finally conveyed an emotion, one of surprise and confusion. He held his two hands in front of him, looking at both in a very confused manner.

When he opened his eyes, he could see the difference, in that he could see whole again. Jack held his hands in front of him and realized he once again had two points of vision, meaning, he had both his eyes. Then he noticed how sickly he appeared. His skin was almost white. Not albino white, but much more pale than he naturally was. Jack was becoming scared again. He knew something was wrong with him. He didn't know what had just happened to him. All he new is that his pain was gone, but he felt wrong.

"Jack?"

Jack turned around and saw his mother. She was still bounded to Rafael. The both of them had been crying through his ordeal and were still frightened beyond belief. But in their eyes was the slightest hope, tempered with fear.

"Mom?"

"Jack." June gasped.

Jack then looked at the Nemesis and he felt something pulsing inside of him. He didn't know what it was, but he felt an instinctual urge building in his core. He really wanted to get that thing away from his mother and the more he looked it, the stronger the urge became.

"Russell." Wesker said. "I want to test him."

Russell nodded and input several commands into his console and all four of the remaining Tyrants turned their attention to Jack. He didn't notice this.

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Russell hesitantly questioned.

"I'm not...But this is the only way to know." Wesker replied.

Russell input a single command and one of the Tyrants acted. It jumped out and landed behind Jack. He turned around to face it, but not fast enough to avoid it. Before he could react in any way, the Tyrant's went through him.

"Jack!" June screeched.

Jack looked down as he realized what had just happened. He saw the claw still in him and stood their in horror as his blood flowed out of his wound. Jack was so shocked, that he didn't even realized that he felt no pain. He managed to look the emotionless monster in the face...and something clicked on. Wesker saw his green eye suddenly glowing brighter.

Jack grabbed the beast's wrist and in one motion, twist the claw right off of its arm. The Tyrant pulled back as Jack pulled the claw from his body. Wesker looked on in awe as Jack's wounds began to heal instantly. He threw the claw to the floor and stared at the Tyrant, his expression totally blank.

Another Tyrant charged up behind him, but as he got closer, Jack's eye's widened suddenly. He jumped up, passing over the charging Tyrant completely, and landed behind him. It turned around only for Jackson to suddenly run up and drive his fist into its chest and out the back of it. Jack ran his other hand in right next to it and proceeded the rip the beast in half. Blood splashed all over Jack, but he seemed not to notice or care.

No one could believe what was happening. Jack had just managed to kill something that the Autobots could barely hold their own against. A third Tyrant attempted to run Jack through from his side, but Jack turned and stopped his claw mere inches from his face. The Tyrant tried to push through Jack's grip, but only managed to slide him back as he held onto the claw. Just as before, he twisted it to the side and ripped it off. He then spun it around and drove it back through the Tyrant, putting it on its knees. Jack walked up to it and with no effort or strain, ripped its head off its body. The Tyrant fell to the floor, lifeless.

Jack failed to sense the fourth one and was slashed to the ground. When the Tyrant went to strike him while down, Jack rolled out of the way and recovered. The wound from the first attack had healed also. The Tyrant began swiping at him, but Jack had no problem moving out of the way. All of this was seen by the more than impressed Wesker.

The Tyrant struck again, but Jack grabbed hold of its claw and tossed him over his shoulder like a rag doll. He slammed his foot down on its arm, rendering it useless, and went to crush its head the same way. The first Tyrant ran him through from behind and lifted him off the ground. It raised Jack high into the air, high enough for everyone in the hangar to see. The Autobots, B.S.A.A., Jack's mother and friends, even Wesker and Russell all feared the worst. When Jack's arm fell limp, they all believed that he had actually died this time.

But he wasn't dead. Jack clenched his fist and his new muscles tightened. His dead eyes came back to life and his regenerated eye glowed even brighter than before. He raised his right arm, and to everyone's shock, an onyx black, organic spike protruded from his elbow, the same length of his forearm. He then stuck the Tyrant's claw and pierced straight through it. The spike thinned and widened, turning it into a blade of sorts and Jack sliced through the claw, allowing him to fall to the ground. He landed on his feet and pulled the claw from him as the Tyrant backed away. Still in his trance like state, he receded blade back into his elbow, only to suddenly grow an equal length talon from atop his wrist. With unusual speed, he ran at the Tyrant and impaled it through the chest. From beneath the white coat, Jack could see it's pulsing heart still and the Tyrant went limp. Jack removed his talon and drew it back into his body, not giving any attention to his audience. It was clear now that Jackson was no longer human.

The remaining Tyrant stood back up and realigned it broken arm. It stared Jack down just as he slowly turned to face it. It ran up to him and swung it's right claw. Jack, calm as ever, drew another black blade from his arm, very much like Arcee's melee weapon. He held it up by his head and the Tyrants claw was sliced off when it came into contact. It swung its other claw, but the blade became a spike again and he moved it so the claw became impaled on that as well.

The Tyrant was held in place and Jack spun around and elbowed the Tyrant in its stomach, piercing through another spike from his left elbow. He withdrew both his defenses back into his arms and turned to face the injured Tyrant. He balled his fist and punched the B.O.W. hard enough to almost push through its back. The blow sent it flying, but before it touched the ground, it was caught by an organic, vine-like tentacle, the same color as Jack's spikes and blades. It went all the way back to its source, Jack's open palm. Thin strands lined down from his fingers and formed a single thick vine that snapped forward and latched itself onto the Tyrant's chest. Jack jerked his arm back, pulling the Tyrant in full force with it. He met the Tyrant head on with a powerful hay-maker to the face, punching right through its head. The body hit the ground, but skidded a good feet feet before stopping.

The tentacle retreated back into Jack's hand and his muscles untensed. His eye dimmed, though it still glowed, and he seemed to release himself from his trance. When he regained his senses, he found himself standing among the corpses of four B.O.W.s. He looked around in confusion, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"What just happened?" He asked.

Wesker looked intrigued by this. Jack was getting nervous again and looked to allies for answers, but was only meant with stares of dumbfounded shock...and fear.

"What's going on?" He nervously asked them.

Wesker whispered something to Russell who began inputting commands into his console. Jack was still waiting for answers, but no one seemed willing to talk. All they could do was stare.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

He then heard the sound of someone clapping slowly. He turned around and saw Wesker, pleased with what he had just witnessed.

"Remarkable, Jackson. Truly remarkable."

He looked at his hands and saw that they were not only covered in blood, but also the same substance that came from the Tyrants. It hit him then and there.

"I did this?" He asked.

"I didn't know what to expect of you upon infection, but this...This is more beyond what I imagined."

"Infection?...You..."

He began touching his face in terror, feeling under his newly regenerated eye.

"What did you do to me? How did you..."

Jack then realized what happened.

"Dad."

"Your father had implanted the G-Embryo into you and your body has successfully bonded with it."

The words were horror to his ears. He stood there in a state of shock.

"You've evolved, Jackson. You are the next stage of humanity." Wesker said.

"Oh, God." He said to himself.

"Jackson, listen to me very closely."

"Why did you do this to me?"

"You're far superior than you were before."

"You infected me."

"But you're not in control yet."

"You made me a monster."

"You react on instinct."

"You made me like them."

"You sense danger and you attack."

"Why did you do this me?!"

"Jackson...You are perfect, but in a state of defense, you're little more than an animal. You need to learn to control your new form."

"Change me back."

"There is no going back. Evolution does not move backwards."

Jackson took it all in and fell to his knees. He was too shocked to even cry.

"Come with us, Jackson."

Jackson looked back up at Wesker. He then heard his mother and Raf gasping suddenly and turned to them. The Nemesis had let them go and stepped away from them.

"Come with us and I will spare everyone." Wesker said in an almost friendly tone. "All we want is you. Umbrella will help you control your instincts and channel your power. You're what we've been trying to achieve, Jackson and now that we have, we have no reason to harm your family. Come with us and we will leave them be. You have my word."

My word...Those two words...Those two words filled Jack with intense anger. His word was what's been hunting him this whole time. It was his word that took his father's life. It turned him into a monster and now, he had become a monster himself, all because of Wesker's word. His word, his promise to leave his family alone, it was a lie. He knew what Wesker was going to do and he had to stop it once and for all.

All Jack saw next was a green light.

Jack's nails became black claws and he set his sights on Wesker. The Captain's face hardened and he motioned for Russell to step aside. Russell was changing the protocols on the Nemesis again, but he didn't input them.

Wesker took his stance readied himself for Jack's attack. He needed to subdue him without killing him, which wouldn't be easy. There was still no telling of how strong he really was. Wesker had to gamble that his skill would overshadow Jackson's strength.

Jack sprinted towards him with his claws ready to strike. Was he was close enough, he went on the attack, but Wesker was too fast. As he had with so many bullets, Wesker flashed out of the way of Jack's slashes. The G-Virus had given him strength but not speed, at least, not like his. Wesker managed to catch Jackson's right wrist with his left and strike his face with his own right. In his dazed state, Jack was left open and was punched in his stomach, sending him skidding back on his feet. When he stopped, Jack stared at Wesker blankly, as if analyzing him. Wesker used the moment to speed his way and knock him out.

Wesker's fist was an inch from Jack's face when he disappeared and reappeared, crouched down below Wesker. He didn't even have time to counter when Jack rose with an uppercut to the torso that lifted him off his feet. Before he realized what happened, three talons tore out of his back and retreated as quickly as they appeared. Jack let Wesker fall to the floor, now injured and near dead.

The green light from just a second ago disappeared and Jack was standing over an injured Wesker with blood all over his fist. He realized what he had just done. In a state of fear, once again, he backed away. He really had become a B.O.W. and was having moments where he attacked without thinking. With this realization, he turned back to his family and understood what this meant.

They all looked to him, unsure if it was really him. He could see the fear in their eyes, but also the hope, but also the hesitance. They wanted to help him, but they were afraid of him. Only his mother stepped forward.

"Jack?"

Jack then made the hardest decision he ever had to make. He couldn't control his actions. If he lost control around them...

Images of his nightmare before he woke up back in Omega One flashed in his mind, the nightmare of him killing and eating his mother.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"Jack...Sweetie, please don't." She pleaded, knowing what he was going to do.

"I love you." He said as his final words.

"Jack..."

With that, Jack ran as fast as he could to the nearest and clearest exit, which was a window high up on the far wall.

"Jack!" His mother called to him.

He held the sound of her voice. He knew it'd be the last time he would ever hear it. He trusted this new power he had and when he was under the window, he jumped with all his might. To his shock, he made it to the window and went right through it. When he landed on the other side of it, he ran faster than he ever had in his life. Much faster than he ever thought possible.

Arcee watched as her partner disappeared and looked back to the cause of it all. Wesker was being helped up by his loyal hand. He was weak, but he wasn't dead. In pure anger, Arcee shifted her blaster was ready to blow the pair of them straight to Unicron or Lucifer, whichever was worse.

But then, her blaster was swatted right up and her blast went through the ceiling. She looked down and saw the Nemesis standing defensively. It roared at the group and then began whipping its tentacles at whoever had the bearings to try and blast it or Wesker. It held them off until Wesker and Russell were safely in one of the vehicles. It then leaped onto the vehicle and rode with them away from the hangar. No one had to strength to go after them.

As they sped back towards the front gate, Russell glanced at the bleeding Wesker and saw that the T-Virus was already healing him, though, at a far slower rate than Jackson. Wesker, however, seemed amused by the whole thing.

"Sir." Russell spoke. "Air transport is waiting for us. We need to get back to base. You need to heal."

Wesker merely chuckled through his pain.

"Did you see it, Russell? Did you see what he's become?"

"I did, Captain...It worked."

Wesker was breathing heavily, but he was smiling.

"He adapted to my speed, Russell. He moved like I did."

Russell drove past, through, and over anything that got in his way as he rammed through he front gate again.

"It's just like his blood...It adapted to the vaccine to combat the virus...Now his body adapts the same way. He's perfect...We need to find him." Wesker continued.

"We will, Sir. The boy is ours."

"Jackson Darby." Wesker corrected suddenly. "He withstood mutation and evolved. He killed four Tyrants. He's earned his name back."

Wesker passed out from the pain, but they had already managed to make it to their air transport. Once Captain Wesker was back on his feet, the hunt was back on. But now, Jackson was on the run. It'd be much harder to find him this time.

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Jack jumped the gate and ran through the desert. He had no real destination in mind. He just needed to get as far away from his mother as possible. He needed to get as far away from people as possible. He needed time to think and figure out what he was going to do. Nothing was going to be same ever again. He was no longer human. He was a bio-organic weapon now, just like his father was.

On the horizon, Jack could see a squad of men coming his way. Figuring them for B.S.A.A. agents, Jack stopped dead in his tracks and was about to run in another direction. He needed to get away from them before he could hurt them. But they got close enough for him to see that they weren't with the B.S.A.A. They were with Umbrella.

And then, he saw the green light again.

He stood there as they got close, staring blankly at them while they approached with their weapons drawn. They surrounded him, but they didn't open fire. They were aware that he was of high value, but they didn't know what had happened to him. They would soon find out.

From both arms, three talons were drawn, one above his forearm, two on the sides below. Sounds of gunfire could be heard in the desert, followed by the sounds of flesh being torn and screams of pain. Jackson walked away, caked in human blood, his instincts still in control. Behind him, he had left a mess of limbs and corpses. One agent was left clinging to life, but he was disemboweled and missing an arm. Before he could go into shock, he reached for the handgun on his vest and put it to his head. He would die before he allowed himself to become infected. His last thoughts before he pulled the trigger was wondering what kind of monster Wesker had created.

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Everyone stood in the hangar as the reality hung above them. For June, it had hit her the hardest. Her cries filled the hangar as Jill held her tightly, trying to keep her from losing it altogether, as if she wasn't on the verge of it herself.

Rebecca held Miko and Rafael close. They too were crying, though not as much as June. Still, there friend was gone. He had broken his promise and ran away. He wasn't even Jack anymore. Arcee stood away from everyone. She couldn't cry, but she wanted to. She didn't want to fall apart in front of June, but right now, she desperately wanted to see Jack again. But she may never see him again...and the thought was tearing her up inside.

Optimus watched as June descended into an emotional breakdown. He had failed them yet again, this time, far worse than before. He couldn't stand to see June this way, but there was nothing he could do. How could he possibly comfort her? Jackson was gone, both physically and as they knew him. He felt a servo on his shoulder.

"Optimus." He heard Ratchet say.

Optimus shrugged his shoulder away and looked down.

"I failed again, Ratchet."

"No, Optimus. This isn't..."

"It is...I failed...I let the down once again."

June was so far gone, she didn't even have the strength to stand. She fell to her knees and Jill fell with her, not wanting to let her go.

"Jack...My Jack...What have they done?...What have they done?"

June eventually stopped crying, but only because she had become too exhausted to stay conscious. Jill stayed with her the entire night. But Arcee and Optimus couldn't be in the same room as her. Their guilt wouldn't allow it. So they sat outside the hangar as everyone else tried to figure the next course of action.

"Sir..." Arcee weakly began. "What do we do now?"

But Optimus didn't have an answer.

"I do not know, Arcee. I am as lost you are."

"So is he...He's alone out there. He's probably scared...He needs us."

"I know...But I am...afraid of what we might find when we find him."

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Miles away from the base, in a lush forest, Jackson was still running. He was far from any danger, but he had not regained any control. Finally, he came to a stop, but his eye was still glowing. He looked around and tried to find any sign of life.

He heard a snarl behind him and turned to see an unhappy felis. It roared at him aggressively, warning him to vacant her territory. Jack didn't heed her warning, but challenged her by drawing a spike from under his wrist. He had used a lot of energy to escape Umbrella and now he needed to feed.

He went to sleep with a full stomach that night. By the time he woke up tomorrow, he would be at full strength. Of course, he wouldn't remember anything that happened after he jumped through the window. He was in for a very harsh awakening. He was on his own now. His instincts got him this far, but he himself had no idea what he was doing, or what was to happen next.

Everything was different, now. In once day, Jack's world had completely changed. And if Umbrella was allowed to have their way, the whole world was going to change as well.

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And thus, the final act has begun.
Let's talk about Jack's new form. As Wesker said, his body is now adaptable. There were a lot of ideas floating around here and there, many from you in the comments. I knew that Jack was going to have strength and speed similar to Wesker's, but with the G-Virus being different from the T-Virus, I wanted him to be different than Wesker as well. One thing I didn't want was to turn Jack into a mutant or an inhuman by giving him a comic book superpower. Some of you suggested Tokyo Ghoul and Prototype. I was only vaguely familiar with either, but I got the gist of what they could do. Jackson, responds to danger. When something threatens him, his body reacts and fights back, changing when it has to. Basically, Jack can control his mutations. He's not like Darwin from X-Men who can adapt to any situation by growing gills or hardening his flesh. He figures out how to fight back in the moment and changes to help him do that. I'll go deeper into it in the next chapter. But now, Jack is alone and on the run with Umbrella still after him. But he now has to run from them and the Autobots as well as stay away from humanity. And of course, poor June is at her absolute lowest and the rest of the team isn't doing any better. The next chapter is gonna be a pretty heavy one, so brace yourselves.
So, this was the final part of the trilogy chapters and now I need to get back to my regular rotation. A shard of glass and The sad man readers have been waiting patiently and I need to get back to work on those. So stick around for a bit and I will be beck with chapter 37. Still can't believe I've written so many of these. So, I hope to see you all next time. One love.
On an unrelated note, I am enjoying the hell out of The Defenders. But damn, only one episode left and I want more, dammit! Well, here's waiting for The Punisher.