Chapter Nine: For Your Eyes Only

Arcee looked at Jack and was surprised to see he looked ill. The teen's usually vibrant complexion stood out as ashen against her optics as Arcee looked at him. Something in her Spark broke as she studied him for a moment. Then, the two-wheeler knelt by her charge and shivered. "What happened to him?"

June walked up to them. "Sierra played havoc with his Spark." The mother explained. "Ratchet and I managed to stabilize him, but his Spark is dangerously out of sync."

Arcee looked down at the raven-haired teen again and gently touched his face with her digits. The look in her optics said she was close to crying.

"Hey, cee." The young man whispered, his voice incredibly weak.

"Easy, Partner." Arcee said as her voice cracked. "Don't speak." The blue femme turned back and spoke to Ratchet and June. "Can you give us some privacy, please?"

Ratchet reluctantly nodded as did June. "We will be not far away if you need us." Ratchet said gently as he put a servo on her shoulder and left the room with Jack's mother.

With the medbay now to themselves, Arcee vented. "Jack, I don't know what I feel when I'm with you." Arcee admitted. "All any of us bots have known for so long is war."

Jack nodded. "Yet, you did have lives before war." He said with a soft smile. "You and Tailgate were police officers."

Arcee blinked. "How do you…?" Arcee trailed off when she noticed an ugly fresh purplish black bruise on Jack's leg and winced when she ran a servo over her own injury in the same spot on her frame. "Jack, do you know what's happening to you?"

Jack shook his head. "Mom says I'm Bonded to you." Jack said nervously. "I don't exactly know what that means though because she also said there are different types of Bonds."

Arcee looked at Jack in confusion. She was almost sure they were the closest of friends. "You share my wounds and my pain but also my happiness, too." Arcee explained. "It happens to extremely close Cybertronian friends."

Jack didn't look too convinced. "Are you sure that's all this is, just a deep friendship?" Jack paused for a moment to let Arcee ponder the question. "When you got hit on that mission to stop the invading army of Terrorcons…" He looked into her optics. "My chest felt like fire. I didn't understand it then, and the idea I could be linked to you scared me. I wanted to be normal, to put what Silas did behind me and burn those horrible memories to the ground, never to let them rise again." He shivered and growled. "Then, Airachnid happened, and everything changed."

The twisted femme has a habit of doing that. Arcee lamented bitterly but let Jack continue, aware he needed this catharsis more than she needed to dwell on the past.

"I realized you were trying to chase away demons of your own." Jack laughed at the irony of the situation. "Primus did help me and you. He just didn't do it directly like I thought he would."

Arcee raised an optic ridge. "What do you mean?"

Jack shook his head. "During the procedure, I met a Bot named Jazz. He said Primus would help me."

Arcee nodded as she unconsciously noticed the color returning to Jack's face as they talked. "Jack," she said softly. "What do you want now?" It wasn't a question born of aggravation but one of curiosity.

Jack looked away from Arcee and noticeably blushed. "You'll think I'm crazy."

Arcee managed a comforting smile. "I'm a twenty-seven foot tall alien living robot and a veteran of planet-wide civil war. How could you know what I think about you?"

Jack seemed startled by her almost flirting tone. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Jack admonished before he took a deep breath. "I want to Sparkbond with you. You're the only person on this planet who can hope to understand who I am and what I've gone through." He explained. "I don't know what the future may hold for us or if you'll even accept, but I'm tired of forcing myself to be something I'm not."

"Jack, you're Human." Arcee told him with pain in her optics. "Your life will barely last a vorn if you're lucky." The femme brushed his cheek gently. "Don't waste it on me."

Somehow, Jack knew a vorn or Cybertronian year was roughly equivalent to eighty Earth years and felt his ire rise at Arcee's suggestion. "'Wasting my life'? Until I met you, I was wasting my life at a job I hated to help Mom. School, work, home, and repeat; that was my life. True, I didn't mind the normalcy and even embraced it after my horrid experience with Silas, but when I met you and the Bots, my life changed for the better." Jack shook his head and smiled with a chuckle in his next words. "Miko was right."

Arcee raised an optic ridge. "What?"

"The day I left the Autobots, Miko and Bulkhead came to my house, and she tried to talk me out of leaving." Jack sighed. "She said I wasn't normal, and that I was meant for more than flipping burgers all my life and taking crap from 'asshats like Vince.'" Jack noticed Arcee's optics widened slightly. "Those were her words, not mine."

Arcee vented and shook her helm with a small smile. "Miko was the first to see who you really are."

Jack nodded. "Weird, I know." Jack looked up at his partner. "Arcee, if I now have a Spark, which I do, chances are I'm also going to have a lifespan more in line with Cybertronians than Humans."

Arcee looked at him. "Jack, I…"

Miko chimed in from across the room. (Jack had no idea how the Asian girl could hear their conversation.) "Arcee, we all know you hate Sierra's guts! It was obvious when you brought her to Base with Jack! Just kiss already!"

"Slag, Miko! Mind your own fragging business!" Arcee growled at the annoyingly observant girl before she turned her full attention back to Jack with a vent. "She's right again." Arcee muttered. "I've know in my Spark since we faced Airachnid the first time." Arcee shook her helm. "Me, a hardcore kick aft warrior, melted into putty by a Human? Cliff would laugh his aft off at that." Her face grew pained for a moment. "I didn't know how to handle my feelings, so I took it out on missions and used troopers as an outlet." Arcee looked at Jack. "I was and still am a little scared of this."

Jack smiled softly at her. "We'll take things slow then." Then, he leaned up and kissed her. The metal of her mouth wasn't cold like Jack expected but warm and comfortable as he pressed his lips to her face. Jack then felt his Spark jump and let out a quiet gasp before it started humming normally again and seemed to restore to normal function.

"PRIME!"

The moment shattered like glass as Jack and Arcee looked over at the freight elevator from the medbay. Part of Jack wanted to leave the berth and punch Fowler, but a look from Arcee who looked like she wanted to do something similar calmed the teen down.

Optimus walked up from the berthing section of the base and seemed annoyed as he spoke to the agent. "What do you require, Agent Fowler?"

Fowler looked up at the big Bossbot and sighed. "I hate my job sometimes, Prime."

This caught the leader of the Autobots off guard. The blue and red titan instantly had a note of concern in his voice when he spoke again. "What seems to be troubling you, Agent Fowler?"

Fowler shook his head. "The brass at the Pentagon read my report about MECH attacking June and revealing the existence of Cybertronians to her."

"Fowler," a low growl came from the medbay as Arcee glared at the man. "If you told them about Jack…"

Optimus held up a servo and spoke patiently. "Arcee, I would never allow Jackson to come to any harm under the guise of good will toward our Human allies."

Arcee terminated the threat simmering in her processor but continued to walk over to her CO and the liaison. All optics and Fowler's eyes turned to the sound of feet hitting the floor before Jack slowly made it over to the four huddled in a small group.

"Jack," Ratchet said with worried look. "You shouldn't be doing anything too stressful right now."

"I'm fine, Ratchet." He smiled at the medbot. "Arcee and I fixed my problem."

Ratchet tried not to blush as he nodded in understanding and returned to his workstation. If anything happens to him, June will have my helm, and Arcee will take me offline if I'm still among the living when June is done.

"What is it, Agent Fowler?" Jack asked as he met the agent with his optics.

Fowler looked like he'd seen a ghost. "It will take time to get used to that." He turned back to the Bots. "Top Brass wants to meet with Jack to assess his threat capabilities."

June glared at Fowler who stared, stunned to see her perched calmly on Prime's shoulder with Autobot blue eyes laser focused on him. "My son is not a threat to anyone except 'cons and anyone who messes with his family!"

"Jack needs to come with me to prove that to my superiors." Fowler said calmly. "They only want to see what he can do."

"…so they can replicate me and have an army of super-soldiers." Jack glared at Fowler. "I am only doing demonstrations." He said angrily. "The moment they pull out needles, we're going back here."

Fowler stood dumbfounded as Jack lashed into him. Then, the agent caught something. "We?"

Arcee frowned at Fowler and transformed as Jack took his place on the two-wheeler's seat. "It's a package deal, dough boy."

"Mrs. Darby, you can't-"

June shook her head. "Right now, I trust Optimus and Arcee more than I do you." June looked over at Optimus, who nodded. "Arcee goes with him, or Jack stays here. That's final!"

Over a private comm, Prime added, "You have permission to defend yourselves if you are engaged." The Prime's optics narrowed into a dangerously dark look. "Their lives are forfeit if they harm my Sparkmate's son."

"Understood, sir."

On the other side, Fowler almost puked. "Damn, remind me not to eat before I go through that again."

Jack shrugged. "You get used to it."

He looked around the room and smiled softly when he noticed the roof above their heads had enough room for Arcee to transform if needed. The room seemed packed with military and politicians, but one face at the head of the table surprised Jack.

"Hello, Mr. President."

The man nodded. "Agent Fowler tells me you're very special."

Frag! Jack thought. This routine? "Can I be frank with everyone here, sir?"

The man in charge shrugged. "Speak your mind, son."

Arcee flinched. You don't have any idea what you just did, Human.

Jack sighed. "I'm not your kid, and I'm not some ten year old who accidentally found his Dad's gun." Jack leaned forward, put his hands on the table, and felt his optics brighten as his anger rose somewhat. "So, cut the scrap out." As quickly as the anger came, it ebbed off. He smiled and looked at Arcee. Then, his face grew dark. "Arcee and I have been in situations that would leave most of the people in this room wetting themselves and crying for Mommy."

Arcee transformed and looked at Jack as she gently placed a servo on his shoulder. Calm down, Smooth Operator. The femme thought soothingly, unsure if Jack would hear her.

Thanks. Jack responded unconsciously before he continued. "I have no illusions about the truth of this meeting."

A five-star general two seats down on the left of the president spoke up. "What would those be?"

"You intent to copy me and make me the template for weapons." Jack said candidly. "I think my sire and my mother would take issue with that."

Many confused and slightly miffed looks circulated around the table at the unusual use of the word.

Finally, the president spoke, "Sire? You see the Prime as your king?"

"My Cybertronian step-father…" Jack said with irritation he felt Ratchet would empathize with as he spoke. Leave it to the ignorant to assume a threat when there is none. Jack could see Fowler sweating bullets and muttering in shock to himself about June out of the corner of his optic.

Arcee imitated clearing her throat. "Aren't you forgetting someone?"

"Not to mention, my Sparkmate…" Jack smiled up at Arcee. "Trust me. You don't want to piss her off."

Another round of confused expressions went around the room. While the confusion prevailed, Jack saw a look in Arcee's optics. Kill the blaster subroutines, Arcee. Jack said as he tried to calm her. They haven't been introduced to Cybertronian culture.

Arcee vented and looked Jack before she turned her gaze to the Humans gathered in the room. "It would be improper in my people's eyes to explain the term in full to you, but I can say this: A Sparkmate is one half a union between two individuals similar to your customs of betrothal and marriage."

That caused an uproar.

"You're married to this…thing?!"

"Mister President, this calls into question the boy's loyalty to the Human race."

"What the Hell are thinking, son?!"

The muscles around Jack's left optic twitched. "ENOUGH!" The techo-organic growled as his right fist slammed into the steel table and dented it impressively.

Everyone froze and stared at Jack in shock and a bit of fear.

"Now that I have your attention," Jack said as he looked at each of the men with a burning glare. "Arcee and I will continue to be allies of Earth, but there must be a mutual understanding between us. "Go after my family," Jack said coolly. "You'll wish you hadn't."

The general from earlier looked at Jack in shock and anger. "Is that a threat?"

Jack shook his head. "No, sir. That's a promise."

Arcee smiled at Jack. "Let's get you back, Partner." Arcee said, purposefully ignoring everyone except Jack and acknowledging Fowler. "June's probably worried."

Jack nodded and said, "This meeting is over."

Then, he turned and went through the bridge back to Base after Arcee called Ratchet followed closely by Fowler until the president called him back.

"Agent Fowler…"

Jack didn't hear anymore of the conversation as the bridge closed behind him and Arcee. He didn't really care to either. He felt relief roll through his body and sighed when he met his Mom's eyes. I hate politics.

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