Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but remote instruction has been a bitch. I was busier stuck in my room than I was driving to campus. But at long last, spring semester has come to an end. Now that I have more free time, I hope to work more on my stories.
Starting with this one. Or, I should say, ending with this one. That's right. We are right on the cusp of finishing this fanfiction.
Big thanks to Rian Moeru for co-writing the second half of this chapter!
Destroy.
Destroy Silas.
The thought dominated Jack's mind as darkness flooded over his mind like a tidal wave. It drowned out all logic, all rationale, all reasoning. There was only the raging bloodlust filling his veins. No… it was much more than that.
He became aware that he was holding a woman in his arms. She was warm against him, even though her skin was a ghostly pale. Blood flowed from a deep wound from her abdomen, coating her clothes and staining his own. He curled his lips in disgust at the sticky, organic substance that covered his skin. He promptly deposited her on the ground. He scanned his surroundings, only to become more confused.
Where was he? What happened? Broken fragments of memories filtered through the purple haze. There was a fight, over something…
Who were these people? A man lay against the wall, head slumped in unconsciousness. Did… he do that? The other two were keeping their distance, eying him with fear. The small one looked close to tears.
"Jack, please," the trembling boy sobbed.
Jack…? His name. That was his name. How did the sniveling whelp know it? He realized none of those before him were Silas.
The bastard was gone. He had fled, Jack remembered. After he had stolen from him. ...But what? Oh, it didn't matter. Jack could still feel the pain, seeping through the darkness. Silas had hurt him. No, tortured him.
And Silas would pay.
He would be destroyed.
He would not escape his fate.
With that, Jack slowly rose to his feet. There was no weakness in his limbs. No trembles racking his body. No fatigue weighing him down. There was only searing rage.
Silas had fled, but where… There! A corridor, leading away from the room. Is that where he went, like an insect slipping away into a crack? It must be!
With an animalistic growl, Jack gave chase. There was a shout following him, but he ignored it. At a breakneck speed, he sprinted down long, barren halls. He pivoted around sharp turns without slowing down, only skidding slightly from the momentum. Occasionally the walls trembled, along with deep booms and metallic roars. Each thunder-like sound was accompanied with pain, echoing in Jack's mind and mixing with his own.
There was another. His bonded. Megatron.
The warlord's fury bled through their blood-bond, but it wasn't directed at Jack. It was something else, something so grotesque that it filled Megatron with disgust and anger. And it was causing him pain.
But soon Jack would end it. All the suffering, all the pain, he would end it!
Silas was close. Jack could feel it.
The chase finally brought him to a broad room filled with odd contraptions. Rows and rows of metal pillars filled the space, each covered in wires and controls. Computer servers, he realized. But there was no hum of machinery. Only silence greeted Jack as he slowly, cautiously, stepped between the cold, lifeless columns. He only found a massive console, covered in buttons and switches that he couldn't begin to make sense of. A tainted, wide window took up the wall above it, giving him a view of another large room.
It looked like a massive hall, but it was completely barren save for empty pipes rising from the floor and equipment rusting in the corner. It only took Jack a moment to realize he was in some sort of control room. But for what? Some sort of reactor? The floor of the grand hall was covered in freshly laid tile, likely trying to seal away the deadly contents underneath. But Jack doubted Silas had any interest in that. Where did the insect scurry off to?
With a frustrated snarl, the teen turned to continue the hunt, only for a shadow to move in the corner of his eye. Something glinted in the darkness, rushing towards him. Jack didn't have time to react.
He wailed in agony when a serrated blade buried into his hand, cutting through muscle and bone and all. The tip of the blade protruded out the other side to lodge into the control panel, effecting pinning the limb. The boy tried to force himself free, but the muscles of the hand refused to obey him, effectively severed. With a strangled gasp, Jack glanced up at his assaulter, only to meet lifeless, stoney eyes.
"You're like a damned rash," Silas seethed.
He then sent a punch into the army brat's temple. Followed by a blow to the stomach. Jack could only gasp for air as it was ripped out of his lungs, doubling over as he held his midsection. A vice grip appeared on his throat, squeezing his trachea shut. The army brat could only let out a wheeze as the back of his head was slammed against the hard metal. Then a punch was sent until his skull. Then another. And another. Each blow sent stars flying across Jack's vision. Pain erupted behind his eyes.
No, it couldn't end like this! He had not endured so much, suffered for so long, only to die in the shadow of a monster!
In a blink of an eye, Jack raised his free hand, intercepting Silas's next punch. He effortlessly batted the arm aside, sending a vicious hook into his assaulter's jaw. Silas's head swiveled around with a grunt, sending him reeling back and loosening his grip on his prisoner.
Not hesitating a moment further, Jack seized the handle of the blade, ripping it free. It felt little more than a pinch. Jack slashed the blade across Silas's cheek, reminiscent of his own scar. Seeing the crimson line appear across the man's pale skin filled Jack with sick satisfaction.
Not letting up on his assault, the army brat twisted and sent a roundhouse kick into Silas's midsection. Despite being heavily armored, the force was great enough to send the fully-grown man into the opposing server. Not giving Silas the chance to recover, Jack lunged forward, raising the dagger to plunge it in the vermin's throat. Only for an iron grip to appear on his wrist.
His arm was twisted—the wrong way. Jack hissed in pain and the knife clattered to the floor. Silas then took hold of his shoulder and dragged him into the adjacent machine, effectively switching places. The teen didn't allow it to remain that way. With a determined growl, Jack spun, correcting his bent arm and instead wrenching Silas's behind his back, provoking a pained snarl from the man. The army brat raised his leg to send it into the back of his captive's knee, but Silas was faster.
Turning slightly to reach Jack behind him, he sent an elbow into the teen's chin. Jack recoiled with a cry, unknowingly releasing his prisoner. It gave Silas the chance to spin around and lunge towards Jack, raising a fist to bring it back down on the boy. But Jack easily deflected the insect's attack, grasping the scruff of the man's armor.
By now, heat was coursing through his veins felt like fire, fueling each movement with impossible strength and agility. Jack lifted Silas off the floor with a single arm, all the while he tilted towards the floor to fall onto his back. Using his own momentum, the boy planted his heel into the insect's gut and sent him up and over. Silas grunted as he crashed into the tiled floor head over heels.
Jack rolled over onto his stomach, panting and covered in sweat, but adrenaline and dark energon still racing through his veins. Silas was trying to untangle his twisted limbs, letting out a moan as he reoriented himself. Jack's heart skipped with anticipation. Now was his chance!
Noticing a flash of silver beside him, the army brat reached out and snatched the discarded knife. He climbed to his feet, at the same time Silas stood upright. Only to be greeted with Jack's fist. He sent one punch after another in rapid succession, sending his opponent back with each blow.
Each strike was fueled by rage and anger. At the world. At MECH. At Silas.
How long had Jack suffered? How long had Silas tormented him? Memories emerged from the haze filling his mind, filling his ears with the ghostly sound of his own scream. The MECH leader had beaten him, electrocuted him, cut him, drowned him, buried him. Silas had hurt his friends and assaulted his family. He had tried to kill everyone Jack loved. He tried to kill him.
Silas murdered his mother.
No more.
Silas had taken too much. Jack would not let him rob anyone ever again.
With a savage scream, Jack punched the wretched human with all his might. There was a sickening crunch as the bones of the insect's cheek shattered. Silas could only let out a strangled wail as he crumbled to the ground, the back of his head colliding against the floor. Jack pounced like a ferocious predator.
He ground his knee into Silas's chest and placed all his weight behind it, effectively pinning the vermin to the ground. The teenager pulled his lips back in a snarl. The darkness in his heart was like a roaring bear now, violent and hungry and demanding for blood. It was eager to sink its claws into flesh and sow the seeds of destruction. The knife appeared in Jack's hand—cold and solid against his palm. At long last, he would be free of Silas.
Jack brought the blade down.
Only for Silas's hands to wrap around his wrist, stopping its descent just an inch away from his jugular. Instantly the army brat pushed against him, trying to force the dagger into his skin, but the MECH leader's hold was unrelenting. Then sharp pain came from Jack's arm as Silas tightened his grip, his bones threatening to crack underneath the strain. He let out a gasp and tried to pry himself free, only for his trapped limb to stay in place.
W-what? What was happening? How could this insect overpower him?
With eyes widened in disbelief, Jack glanced down at his would-be prey.
Only to be met with a dark, purple gaze.
The fight was starting to get cumbersome.
Megatron would beat the wretched thing to the ground, only for it to climb back to its pedes. Every. Single. Time.
It was littered in dents and cuts and covered in its own oil and energon, yet it never let up its relentless attacks. Megatron was running out of vital areas to target. Each one had no effect. Did it even have a spark? Yet there had to be an engine, something to drive it forward.
Megatron would have an easier time finding it, if the thing didn't fight so weird. It would raise its fists in front of its faceplates and balanced on spread legs—a battle stance the former Champion has never seen before. He tried to take advantage of the exposed torso to drive his blade through the middle, but the robot wouldn't allow it.
Before Megatron could react, one of the fists would strike, colliding with his helm and sending him stumbling back. Sometimes the thing was able to land quite a few blows before the Decepticon could escape.
Yet it didn't fight with the same fluid skill or the grace of Optimus Prime. In fact, it didn't fight like a Cybertronian at all. Eventually Megatron realized. It fought like a human. It made the whole ordeal more aggravating.
With a yell, the Decepticon leader sent his blade towards his opponent in a wide arc, aiming to sever the abomination's helm from its body. Only the thing ducked and lunged forward. Rather than another volley of punches, it wrapped its arms around Megatron's torso in a crushing grip. It forced the titan back—right into a towering building.
Megatron grunted as a shower of debris rained on both of them, the steel and concrete painfully digging into his hide. Why did humans make their buildings so fragile? At least, it wasn't the power plant itself this time. Still, destroying half a city, even a cold and desolate one, was hardly discrete. He needed to end this squabble, and soon.
Taking a gamble, the ex-gladiator tilted to the side, falling to the ground and dragging his opponent down with him. Unfortunately the thing fell right on top of him. While Megatron's processor was still recalibrating, the robot didn't hesitate. Placing its weight on his chest and straddling his torso, it delivered a series of punches towards his helm. The Decepticon could only raise his arms in defense, having irons fists slam into silver bracers with deafening bangs. His entire frame racked with each strike, sending pain radiating down his spinal strut.
Eventually Megatron gritted his fangs. His veins suddenly became hot and a violet film covered his vision. The dark energon within his spark stirred. Thirsting for blood.
As quick as an organic snake, he lashed out with his claws, seizing the thing's helm in a crushing grip. With abnormal strength, even by Cybertronian standards, Megatron hurled the abomination away. It crashed onto the ground with a terrible noise and skidded to a halt. Like all the times before, the thing was still only for a moment for it slowly began to rise with a metallic groan.
Megatron let out one of his own as he rolled onto his front. Bracing his weight on his servos, he pushed himself to his pedes, reaching his full height at the same time as the thing. Its arms transformed again, this time into an exact replica of the Prime's blade. Accepting the silent challenge, Megatron raised his sword once again.
He dug his heels into the earth, standing his ground as the thing charged. Its twin blades met his broad sword with an audio-piercing screech, sending sparks flying into the air. Megatron twisted his weapon, batting away his opponent's. The copy then swiveled, driving its short-sword towards his spark chamber. Acting quickly, the warmonger kicked the thing's chest, sending it soaring through the air.
It managed to catch itself on its pedes this time, landing with such force that it cracked the very earth beneath it. Megatron braced for another assault, only to blink when suddenly the thing spun on its heel and sprinted away from him. It then latched onto the side of the nuclear plant, clambering up the wall like a clumsy, primitive primate. The Decepticon leader only raised an optic ridge at the spectacle.
So it wanted to change tactics, eh? Very well. Megatron would play along, as long as he could finish this tedious battle and return to his Jack. He moved forward to give chase, only for something to agitate the darkness within him.
Megatron paused. It wasn't from Jack. It… it felt a pull on the blood-bond. Like something was latching on it. Or… trying to tear it apart, as the echoes of the human's mind became distorted, like radio interference. Almost like there was a… parasite.
Just what was happening?
Jack stared down at Silas's violet eyes, identical to his own. How—
The thought was interrupted when the boy felt a tug on the blood-bond. But it wasn't from Megatron. His blood turned to ice.
No, it was impossible.
Silas couldn't have—
Jack couldn't even finish his thought as the MECH leader began to push the knife away from him. Jack instinctively fought back, to bury the blade in his nemesis's throat, but Silas met it with equal strength. A wide, nasty sneer spread across the madman's lips.
That was the last thing Jack saw before pain exploded across his skull as Silas sent a powerful punch to his temple. It forced the teenager to roll off of his captive, knife clattering to the floor. Jack could only groan as splitting agony pulsed behind his eyes. He took hold of the server next to him, using it as leverage to pull himself to his feet. He only made it halfway up before a heeled boot collided into his skull. The army brat let out a wail as his head ricocheted off solid metal and crumpled back to the ground. He blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the stars clouding his vision, but he didn't have that luxury.
Suddenly a cold, gloved hand took hold of the back of his neck. The world violently panned and Jack's stomach lurched as Silas effortlessly tossed him away. The boy didn't get the chance to work up a scream before he slammed into the opposite wall. He swore a sharp crack as the back of his head struck the concrete wall.
For just a moment, Jack was suspended, glued to the wall like a freakish art decoration. When gravity took hold, he slid to the floor with a pained groan. He instinctively curled into a pitiful ball, gripping his abused back and grinding his teeth together. Not even the heat of his veins could dull the sheer agony.
With squinted eyes, Jack looked up at his opponent. Only to find Silas fully recovered and on his feet. He stood tall and his brightly glowing eyes made him even more intimidating. But the MECH leader wasn't looking at Jack.
"So this is the power of dark energon…" Silas sighed. He stared at his hand as he clenched it into a fist, as if he was trying to prove if it really was his own body. He must have been pleased with his observation, as his lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Magnificent…"
While Silas seemed to be savoring the moment, Jack's mind was still reeling. Dark energon. Silas had dark energon. But how was that possible! Only Lord Megatron had—
Jack's raging heart stopped as broken memories flooded over him. No, he was wrong. Megatron wasn't the only one that possessed dark energon. The Decepticon leader had given a shard to Jack. As a gift. As a token of possession. That was until Silas found it. .
The MECH leader had explained he used it on Jack, to call the boy's bluff, to see how it really affected his body. What if… Silas had taken some for himself?
"There's enough for one dosage… maybe two."
Jack's trembling worsened, but it wasn't from the pain. It was hardly a discomfort when a surge of scorching heat traveled across his body. Unbridled fury consumed him.
Silas stole it! The insect did not deserve to wield the power of the Chaos Bringer! He was a tainted creature. Nothing more than a worm! A parasite!
The darkness within Jack raged. That ancient presence screamed. He would destroy!
The pain melted it away, but even then, Jack was slow to straighten to his full height. It was an odd sensation. His body felt light, but the air around him was heavy, like it was saturated with energy and weighing him down. The purple haze that covered his vision skewed his own focus was Silas. The man seemed to be annoyed and fascinated at the same time.
"So that's why it's so hard to kill you. The dark energon heals you almost instantaneously," he realized. Then his expression darkened to a murderous glare. "Then I'll just have to beat you until you stay down."
"I'd like to see you try," Jack growled. He didn't even notice his voice had become deep and distorted.
With a monstrous roar, he charged forward, the world streaked by as he cleared the distance between him and the parasite. In a blink of eye, Jack rammed into him with the force of a freight train. Only Silas did not move.
An iron grip seized Jack's shoulders, effortlessly halting his attack. There was a flash of a wicked, triumphant smirk. The teenager couldn't even work up a frustrated growl when arms wrapped around his torso, using his own momentum to send him up into the air. Jack could only let out a grunt of protest as he rolled over Silas's shoulders like a bag of potatoes. He fell to the ground in a helpless heap, hissing as his neck was bent at an awkward angle.
Not letting the pain hinder him, Jack untangled his twisted limbs and tried to climb to his feet. Only to see a dark heel. The army brat rolled away, just as Silas stomped the floor where his head once occupied. Jack rose to a crouch, raising an arm to block another kick from his opponent. His teeth ground together from the jarring impact, but he managed to stay upright and shove the attack away.
Before Silas could regain his balance, Jack lunged forwards, wrapping his arms around the man's thick torso and ramming his entire body into him. The MECH leader tried to ground his heels in, but he had no leverage against Jack's attack. He tackled Silas into the control console with such force that the metal crunched underneath their combined weight. Trapped in their own momentum, they went tumbling over. Crashing into the glass window with a horrible noise.
It shattered instantly.
Jack felt the cruel grip of gravity wrap around him, pulling him down and down. His stomach jumped to his throat in an uncomfortable sensation and the air roared in his ears. It seemed to last for an eternity, but even then, the ground came all too soon.
At least Silas took most of the impact. It still didn't make the landing any less pleasant. Jack wheezed as all the air was knocked out of his lungs. He rolled off the parasite's body, only to move onto broken glass. Jack didn't care as it dug into his skin, settling flat on his back with a groan. He gasped like a fish out of water, trying to refill his empty lungs. But he didn't have that luxury.
Suddenly, a pair of cold hands wrapped around his throat and squeezed. With a gag, Jack's hands automatically flew to latch onto Silas's wrists, just as the MECH leader planted his heavy weight on the teen's chest. Silas's violet gaze was filled with dark murder.
"It's over, Darby," the MECH leader hissed. "After today, there will be nothing left of you and your little friends."
"That's what you think," Jack croaked.
He could not die. Not now. Not when he was so close! He would not let this parasite be the end of him!
The army brat sent a powerful punch into Silas's face. Although the parasite's head snapped to the side, he managed to keep his hold on his prisoner. Jack's lungs screamed for air. Dark spots filled his vision.
Acting quickly, he raised his leg and hooked it around Silas's shoulder. It was an awkward position, especially with the large man on top of him, but he managed to ground his heel into Silas's throat. The pitiful insect choked helplessly, instantly reeling back. His grip loosened, and that was all Jack needed. With as much strength he could muster, he ripped the hands off his throat, automatically taking a desperate heave. Silas moved to pounce back on him, but Jack was faster.
He sent his other heel into the parasite's face, sending him to the floor in retaliation. Finally free, the teenager scrambled to his feet. Just as the ceiling groaned above them. Squinting, Jack glanced up at the concrete walls that quivered around them, just enough for dust to dislodge from the ceiling. There was an enraged bellow, followed by the clangs of metal on metal. The boy could feel a dull ache reverberating across the blood-bond, along with echoes of fury and disdain.
But it was so quiet. Why?!
As if in answer, Megatron's presence was smothered by another, this one screaming with resentment and bloodlust. That same scream sounded in Jack's ears as Silas charged at him.
The teenager managed to duck just before the MECH leader's punch collided into his skull. Only for a leg to slam into the inside of Jack's knee. Automatically his leg went out from under him, but before the army brat could correct himself, a knee was sent into his gut. He gasped as wind was knocked out of him a second time, defenseless as Silas readjusted his grip on the boy's arm. The madman twisted to stand behind him, bringing Jack's limb along with him. The army brat let out a shout as his arm was twisted at an odd angle.
Yet the only response to his pain was sick satisfaction, rolling across the blood-bond in waves. Disgusted, Jack quickly built up a barrier over his mind and retreated into his own psyche.
"Get out of my head," the teenager hissed, instinctively wiggling to escape his captor's hold, but Silas managed to keep him in place. There was a dark chuckle by his ear.
"I think I will win, today, Jack," Silas purred, casually blocking the boy's elbow and wrenching the arm behind his back. "With dark energon in my veins, I possess the same strength, the same speed, and the same power as you. The only difference between you and I? I have years of combat experience. You are nothing more than a child."
A great groan echoed across the chamber, but Jack wasn't sure if it was the ceiling or the beasts battling above. He could feel it. The echoes of pain from the cuts and dented metal of his bonded, the fury behind each attack in retaliation. Fury towards the thing, manifested by the insects of MECH. There was no doubt Lord Megatron would win. What could a parasite do against the Champion of Kaon?
Megatron had slayed countless opponents. He had won against beasts, gladiators, and a Prime. He led an army in a great war. He had fought for eons.
Jack had seen it. He had seen it all, when the Decepticon leader shared his memories. Megatron's blood ran through him. The Blood of Unicron.
"I am not a child," Jack growled. "I am gladiator!"
With all his might, the teenager sent an elbow into his captor, right underneath the armor. Silas wheezed as the air was knocked out of him, his grip weakening. It allowed Jack to take a step forward, while wiggling out of the parasite's hold. Before Silas could recover, he twisted around, landing a solid kick to the man's groin. The parasite instantly howled with pain, only to be cut off with Jack spun again, sending another brutal kick to his chin. The man went skidding across the floor.
Silas came to a stop by an assortment of pipes rising from the floor, covered in dirt and rust. Jack wasn't sure of their purpose, but the MECH leader didn't seem to care, either. Climbing to his feet, he grasped at one of the tubes. With only so much as a grunt, Silas snapped the metal pipe in half, resulting in a sharp, broken edge.
Jack glowered at the makeshift weapon as Silas approached. He only had half a second to brace before the insect charged at him, slashing the pipe at his midsection. Jack jumped back to avoid the jagged end of the metal rod. Silas chased after him, swinging the pipe with deadly force. Jack dodged each attack, moving away until there was several feet between him and his opponent.
Finally Silas grew frustrated. With a savage snarl, the man threw the sharp end of the weapon towards the teenager. It cut through the air at an impossible speed, straight for Jack's head. Any lowly human would have been killed. Not Jack.
With unnatural reflexes, he leaned to the side and raised a hand—snatching the sharp object out of the air with ease.
Silas's eyes widened while Jack only smirked. This parasite knew nothing of the power of a god.
Not giving his opponent the chance to respond, Jack leaped forward, closing the distance between them in a blink of an eye. Driving the sharpened end of the rod through Silas's abdomen.
"Nngh!" the insect groaned at the weapon pierced his Kelvar armor and dug into his flesh.
Large hands wrapped around the cold metal, trying to pry it out, but Jack would not allow it. He twisted the pipe, further tearing into muscle and provoking a ragged scream. Seized with pain, Silas could not keep his balance as Jack effectively shoved him back into the closest wall. As the back of his skull collided against the solid concrete, Silas began to convulse. He coughed up crimson blood, splattering across Jack's cheek.
The teen didn't even flinch. The darkness within him with purred with pleasure, hungrily flexing its claws. He would make Silas suffer for everything he did to him. All the pain, all the agony—he would return it tenfold.
"You little…"
Silas's violet eyes glared murderously at Jack. Blood stained his gritted teeth, dripping down his chin. His gloved hands were covered in the crimson substance as it spilled from his wound. The same wound the bastard had given his mother.
Broken images flashed across Jack's. The woman. His mother. Covered in her own blood. Because of Silas!
Another tremor rocked the walls around them, eliciting a strained moan of pain from Silas as his wound was further aggravated. Cracks were beginning to form in the ceiling, stretching down to the walls around them. A mighty roar sounded across the chamber and Jack thought he could feel sadistic glee echoing over the blood-bond.
Megatron. He was—
Suddenly his thoughts were shattered when pain erupted from his cheek and white flashed over his vision. It was enough to knock him back. Jack rapidly blinked, trying to reorient his senses, only to be greeted with the sight of Silas pulling at the pipe in his torso. The rod slowly slid from his body, revealing metal coated in crimson blood.
It would have been a nauseating sight, if Jack wasn't cursing his own impudence. If the sharpened end of the rod didn't reappear in Silas's grip.
"Enough of this bullshit," Silas snarled, a crazed look in his tainted eyes.
It was then another clap of thunder rumbled. Webs of cracks widened to gaping gashes along the walls. The ceiling suddenly sunk, ripping iron rails free and sending metal and concrete raining down. Jack tried to avoid the shower of debris, but there was too much.
He let out a wail as a chunk of concrete struck his head, splitting open the skin of his forehead. He instinctively clapped a hand over the wound, trying to stifle the bleeding and keep the red liquid from spilling into his eyes. He looked up just in time to see Silas charging at him, the spear angled towards his heart.
Jack instinctively raised an arm to defend himself, all the while twisting out of the way. He shoved the rod away from him, but Silas anticipated the attack. He snatched Jack's arm, pinning it to the Silas's side, forcing the teenager to double over in an awkward position. Allowing the MECH leader to send a solid knee into Jack's gut.
The boy gasped as all the air fled from his lungs. Before he could recover, Silas sent the blunt end of the pipe against his head. The agony in Jack's skull increased threefold and he could only crumble to the ground at the force of the assault. Jack could barely raise his head high enough to stare at the blurry figure above him.
"Look at you. No father. No mother. Not even Megatron could want someone as pathetic as you. You're all alone. You will die alone," he sneered down at Jack. He raised the rod over his head, holding it like it was a spear as he tilted the pointed end towards the army brat. "Do say hello to your mother for me."
Suddenly there was a terrible crack. The ceiling sunk even further. More debris fell around them. Gashes across the wall turned into crevices. Suddenly there was a bellow of victory, one that Jack had heard before.
Megatron.
Jack could feel him, over their blood-bond. The warlord's presence was so horribly muted, blocked by the parasite. But the human could still hear the triumph, the righteousness, the hatred.
No one could defeat Lord Megatron.
No one could take away what was his.
No one could break their bond of blood.
Jack clawed at the parasite clinging onto their mental link, ripping its hold apart. He wasn't even aware when Silas suddenly winced, a hand wrapping around his head in pain. The army brat violently shoved the intrusive presence away. Instantly Megatron's dominating presence washed over him. Dark and possessive and powerful.
Suddenly there was the sound of clanging metal as Silas let go of the metal tube. He let out a desperate wheeze as he clutched his head with both hands. He stumbled away, completely forgetting Jack's presence as the pain overwhelmed him. Silas was muttering incoherently—Jack could only make out quiet demands of what was happening to him.
Meanwhile, the army brat slowly climbed to his feet. His own pain had dulled to a mere ache. His entire body was scorching hot, powered by the dark energon inside him. Powered by another's spark.
"You're wrong, Silas. I'm not alone. You are."
The ceiling caved in.
Great slabs of concrete and sheets of metal came crashing down. Along with a gigantic, metal body. It was the last thing that Silas ever saw, even as he let out screams of denial.
"No, no, noo-"
The MECH leader vanished from sight as he was consumed from an avalanche of debris with horrible, booming sounds of crumbling metal, concrete, and glass. The force of the impact sent Jack stumbling, the shockwave slapping him in the face. A plume of dust filled the air, making his eyes water as he could only stare at the sight before him.
In a matter of seconds, a mountain of rubble had formed, nearly taking up the entire hall. On top of it all was the broken, battered chassis of Nemesis Prime. Burying its own creator alive.
Silas.
The one who had tormented Jack for so long.
He was dead.