CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX | SURGICAL PROCEDURE
"Scars are simply modern battle wounds. Sometimes the enemy happens to be inside us."
~ Andrew Grey
• • •
It was mesmerizing to watch Ratchet's hands work, the rhythmic movements calming as he kept Predaking's spark alive and pumping, the organ contained so that its outer orbital shards did not interact with Jack's vulnerable spark. The medic spliced their energon veins together and eased the strain on the rusted structure, quickly going to work to delicately carve out the sickness that was killing Jack.
"Optimus," Ratchet spoke as he worked, no longer bothered by background noise or even his own intrusive thoughts. "Arcee may not be a suitable donor to Jack, due to the . . . size difference of their sparks. Jack needs a shard that can be fitted directly into the core, as that is where the damage is. Would you be willing to donate?"
Megatron raised an optic ridge. "Would it not be more logical, doctor," he said, "to have the original donor restore what had been lost?"
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet snapped at him, daring to pause in his work to glare at the tyrant. "You would just use your link to corrupt Jack as you did before! You are the last person I would ever ask to assist in the revitalization of Jack's spark, and Starscream is on the very same list!"
Optimus glanced at Megatron suspiciously. While he could not say that he was surprised by Megatron's initial spark donation to Jack Darby, it bothered him to see the Decepticon suggest he do it again. Yet at the same time . . .
The splitting of a spark that was combined with the Matrix of Leadership was unprecedented. It could have consequences none of them could anticipate; would Jack also receive the wisdom of the Primes? Would the Matrix even allow for the splitting of a host's spark, or perhaps even become damaged if such a thing occurred?
Ratchet was looking at his friend expectantly, waiting for an answer.
Optimus took a deep ventilation. "Because I possess the Matrix of Leadership, we cannot be for certain that Jack will not only accept my donation, but also not experience side effects from acquiring a spark shard imbued with the power of the Matrix."
"'No' would have been a perfectly acceptable answer," Ratchet grumbled.
June looked genuinely devastated, but she did not dare speak out against Optimus' decision. It was his to make, and she had to respect that. But that left only a few other viable options -
"Arcee, if you are reconsidering your initial refusal, I need to hear it now," Ratchet glanced at her. The femme began to look severely uncomfortable. Her optics flickered over to Megatron, and her faceplates hardened into a determined look. If it was between her and that monster, she would choose herself any day.
"We . . . can try," she said, stepping forward. "But like you said, I may not provide what he needs -"
"That is your excuse, not mine," Ratchet reminded her, "regardless, it is your decision as to whether or not you wish to donate your spark to Jack; just make up your mind sometime today."
Arcee took a deep vent, clenching and unclenching her servos. Just the thought of going through with the procedure made her frame shudder.
Once again, Megatron inserted himself into the scene, taking several steps until he was almost right next to Jack, stopped only by Optimus' servo and warning optics.
"You heard the medic, femme," he told her sharply. "Sometime today."
"You're only worried because you'll lose your second shot at the title of Prime if he dies," Arcee snapped viciously, brushing past him rudely. "You did what you were told to do. Get away from my partner."
Megatron opened his mouth to say something, but remained quiet when Ratchet instead pulled Arcee's attention to focus on the procedure. The Decepticon's faceplates were twisted in scarred amusement; to see the normally steely Arcee afraid of something like this was comical.
Ratchet continued to slowly carve out the rust, taking his time. Jack remained steady as Predaking's spark kept him alive, the mech's ventilations smooth and even. June sat there with bated breath for what felt like hours, worried sick for her son's safety.
As the last of the rust was being removed Ratchet paused, bristling ever so slightly as his optics twisted and focused on his work.
"Old friend, is something the matter?" Optimus asked, concerned.
"I -" Ratchet stopped, the Cybertronians in the room able to sense that something was wrong. June, by either maternal instinct or her ability to read situations, figured out the same thing. The medic was worried.
Optimus glanced at Jack, his own spark seizing when a pulse rippled from the surface of the spark, skipping across the hole and a zap of electricity making the boy's body convulse ever so slightly. June shot to her feet as the spark monitor began behaving erratically, Ratchet practically throwing his tools to the side.
"Somebody get June out of here!" He roared, thrusting his tray of appliances out of the way and activating the energon bonds to restrain his patient. "Arcee, I need your spark shard, now!"
The femme jerked forward, terrified as she watched her partner begin going into complete spark collapsure. She moved to open her spark chamber, freezing when June's screams pierced her ears.
"What is wrong with Jack?! What happened to him?" June wailed.
"Nurse Darby, please," Optimus' voice filtered in after, inappropriately calm, "if Jack's spark dies, the level of radiation it releases could be incredibly toxic. For your safety I need you to come with me."
"Arcee!" Ratchet snarled.
I can't do this. I can't do this. The chaos rooted her in place, her processor flashing back to Tailgate, Cliffjumper. I can't lose another partner again. Not like this. Not Jack.
She willed her chamber to open, but it did not budge. Her frame was too scared, too caught up in the past. What if he died? Remained permanently altered - what the humans called a vegetable? Every partner she ever had, and ever loved, died just as she began to form a strong, genuine attachment to them. This would be the same thing all over again, though now Jack would leave a mourning mother -
"Out of my way." A brute force shoved her to the side, Ratchet interjecting between the approaching presence and his patient.
"Megatron, you stay away from him or Allspark help me -"
"The runt is useless, doctor," Megatron snarled back, gesturing to a glassy Arcee. "We do not act, he dies."
"You have not asked for consent! He doesn't want your shard back, not after how well the last time went." Ratchet snapped back, his frame chilled when a massive servo gripped his shoulder plate, hard.
"Then Jackson will have to forgive me for saving his life."
The tyrant threw Ratchet across the room - which was not very far, but it put some distance between them regardless - and approached the seizing experiment. He regarded Jack's pathetic state for only a moment before his sharp digits slipped into his own chest, the plating almost fluid-like as it moved out of his way. He thought he heard Optimus bellow his name, but the mech had already plucked a second shard from the orbital pieces, ignoring the pinch and the feeling of its weakening charge.
Heavy footsteps sounded from behind him, the Decepticon only hesitating to wait for Jack's fluctuations to stop momentarily before he shoved the piece into the gaping hole.
The former human screamed, his vocalizers glitching in utter agony as fire raced across his energon lines. On cue Megatron crumpled to the ground next to the medical berth, several loud Cybertronian curses leaving his glossa. Ratchet skid to a stop at the display, having only seen Megatron in such a vulnerable state a few rare times, optics wide and staring at the shuddering back of the Decepticon warlord.
Arcee was still frozen, now in more shock than ever, her anxiety at an all-time high. She felt a range of emotions - several of them in the self-loathing category - while observing the display, Optimus Prime standing with June Darby, their mouths agape.
Jack's spark stabilized as his screaming ceased, leaving him venting heavily and his optics fluttering open ever so slightly. He was still clearly on the Cybertronian equivalent of painkillers, his optics dimmed and shuttering again as he fell back under.
Megatron clutched his closed chesplates, venting heavily. Somehow he had forgotten just how much it hurt, and he could feel his spark pulsating and twisting rapidly within his chassis. Rarely did a Cybertronian lose two spark shards, and he could feel why. It took some time for the orbitals to re-enter a homeostatic state to compensate for the loss, but once it did he could physically feel the armor around his frame relax.
There was a long, drawn out silence, filled only with the steady beep, beep, of Jack's monitor. The warlord heard the sound of quiet shuffling, only partially surprised when Ratchet circled around to the other side of the berth to monitor Jack instead of running him through with a sword. Arcee still stood, her frame shaking as she realized the consequences of her hesitation.
"You . . ." she seethed, her plating bristling when Megatron returned to his full height.
"I did what needed to be done," he interrupted, giving her a hard glare. "You were refusing to move, to act. Jack would have died had it not been for my interference; you should be thanking me."
"We'll see about that," Ratchet muttered as he scanned Jack one last time before closing his chestplates, and taking the mech off of stasis. "This was not what Jack, nor June, agreed to, Megatron."
The warlord flicked his wrist in a dismissive gesture. "They will learn to cope." He replied coldly.
"Let me see him," June gripped Optimus' thumb. "Let me see Jack."
Megatron moved out of the way for the hulking Prime to fit, the two passing and nearly brushing against one another, silently exchanging a We will talk about this later. The Decepticon's pale blue optics flickered to the human in Optimus' servo, and the pair locked gazes for the briefest of moments before looking away. Her expression had been ambiguous.
June did not know what to think, only that her son was safe and in the hands of good people - mostly good people. It was not hard to imagine that Megatron saved the boy not out of the kindness of his spark, but to later use it as leverage should he find himself in a tight spot. Even with Primus' ultimatum: change your spark or be cursed to Unicron forever, Megatron showed little sign of an attitude switch. But perhaps this was a step in the correct direction.
Sliding out of Optimus' palm June gently approached her son, her hand delicately touching the cool metal of his cheek. "Jack?"
The boy did not stir, Ratchet taking another scan before settling his gaze on the worried mother.
"Jack will need to take some time to recover, but I have faith that he will soon come online," he assured her. "This procedure took an unexpected turn that his body will need to adjust to; but the frame is young, as is Jack. He should awaken with limited side effects."
Taking a long, drawn out breath, June nodded slowly. "Thank you, Ratchet," she whispered, leaning against her son with tearful eyes.
Arcee stood off to the side, angry at her hesitation, and Megatron's interference. If she had not frozen, been so caught up in the past, Jack would no longer be linked to that monster. Worst case scenarios filtered through her processor - Primus or not, Megatron had his own agenda, and if it involved twisting Jack then she would stop such a plan before it could start. The warlord's impassiveness to the current situation also made her energon sizzle. He acted nonchalant, perhaps even apathetic, now that the procedure was over with. Granted, she did not expect him to be weeping or jumping for joy, but . . . something was better than his current blank slate.
Optimus Prime gestured for his old friend - and long time enemy - to step out of the room with him, Megatron following quietly and leaving Arcee, Ratchet, and June alone with Jack. The medic was detaching and preparing to destroy the Predacon's spark, knowing it was only preventing him from reaching the Allspark, and to do so was a mercy.
Arcee gently collected June as Jack began to stir, not wanting the mech to accidentally injure his mother in his confusion. There was a long, drawn-out moment of silence before a hiss announced Jack's complete onlining.
And then he opened his optics to blinding white light.
• • •
"Megatron, you must understand that due to your interference with the surgery, I can only believe that you have an alternative agenda."
"I do have an agenda, Prime, and it is to receive the title I so well deserved on Cybertron," Megatron hissed in return, gazing at Optimus with his sharp, intelligent optics. "If it means delivering another piece of my spark to the experiment, then so be it. His so-called partner hesitated, and his life would have ended - and I am sure Primus is chosy with whom he resurrects."
"His name is Jack, and you will refer to him as such," the Autobot leader corrected sharply. "And I am certain Arcee had her reasons, as do we all. Your pining for Prime lead you to destroy our home world, and I am reluctant to believe that you will stop at Cybertron once you are given the power of the Primes."
Megatron looked away. "While it is true that I destroyed our world, it was not just for the title of Prime - and you would be a hypocrite to place all responsibility on me. Orion Pax was just as desperate to change Cybertron, but naturally it was he who was given the title of Prime by the Council. Or have you forgotten your own history?"
"I am well aware, Megatron," Optimus stated coldly, "understand that we could have mended Cybertron together. But anger and vengeance clouded your vision, and you declared yourself to be a Decepticon, a follower of The Fallen and beseecher of Unicron."
"And that will be no more," his former friend declared. "For Primus has given me a second chance, one I will not cast away so idly. Naturally, forming an alliance with you will do my spark much pain, but I believe you very well know that I will do anything to acheive my goals. Even destroy a planet."
"Two, planets," The Prime corrected him once again.
Megatron merely gave him a toothy grin. "I wouldn't count Earth. It is still very much intact."
"Yet you attempted to annihilate it many times in the past."
"If only to rule it," Megatron flicked his clawed servo. "There was nothing left on Cybertron, save for the rubble and few Insecticon scouts I stationed there. I hardly considered it a victory. However, with the Omega Lock, we may now restore Cybertron to its former glory, and call back those who have otherwise been lost to the stars."
"Together," Optimus added slowly, almost seeming to test the warlord.
"Why do you think I said we, Prime?"