"When will you be home daddy?" A young 5 year old Jack Darby asked.

With a smile Roger Darby held up the phone to his ear as he stood within the phone booth. He was close to 6 feet tall with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was 1000 miles from Nevada taking care of business with a friend. If everything went well they'd be able to move out of Jasper and to a better town.

"Any day now. Could you please put your mother on the phone?" Roger asked him.

There was silence for a moment. Looking around he sighed as he looked to his car at the pump being filled up by an employee.

"Roger is something wrong?" June asked almost nervously.

"No just wondering how you're doing?" Roger inquired.

He heard a bus in the back ground move past. It was closing around 7:30 PM and he wanted to make the hotel by about 9.

"We're good really. Jack's just being his usual self" June casually replied.

Smiling Roger leaned up against the side.

"Lucky me then" Roger sarcastically remarked. "Say I should be back in a few days. I love you" He added warmly.

June smiled and looked to Jack who was playing with some toy cars. He looked so innocent.

"I love you too honey" She said with a smile.

After that the two hung up and Roger began to his car. Unbeknownst to him he was being watched by an external source.

(11 years later)

If it's one thing Jack never talked about it was his father. It was 10 years ago he had disappeared completely. Some believe he ran off whilst others thought he was dead. However there was no body and the car was found abandoned less than 20 miles from the hotel. Roger had only been 23 years old as was June when Jack was only 5. The main thing that struck him has odd was how out of character it was for Roger to runoff. Usually his stubbornness would see him through anything including marriage. He had just finished up his shift and was waiting on Arcee who was late. Even though ratchet offered a ground bridge Jack politely declined. Arcee in a way filled the gap his father's absence created.

The Nevada sun hung high in the air as he clung to Arcee as they entered autobot hq. It was an old missile silo converted into a base. The irony wasn't lost on him. Once a house for a weapon which could destroy humanity now granted the sanctuary to It's saviors. Miko noticed the two enter and she quickly ran over.

"You guys aren't going to believe this" She said energetically.

She was always in a enigma to him, she wasn't burden by much weight of reality in a sense. Where she kept that energy was beyond him.

"Another con problem?" Jack asked as he began walking to the human area.

"Nope it's a bot and he's he's asking about you and your mom" She said following him.

Arcee in toe with the humans found that odd.

"Miko if this is one of your jokes I swear..." Arcee began only for Optimus to say something.

"She is not Arcee, it is the truth" He said practically cutting her off.

Jack looked to the prime and then to the profile image on screen. There wasn't much on it. There wasn't even a picture.

"Why me?" He asked hoping to at least get an answer.

"How old are you now jack?" A familiar voice sounded form the comm but he couldn't put his mind to it right away.

Optimus urged Jack on. Ratchet was trying to do a voice recognition check But nothing seem to be working.

"16 and who's asking?" Jack replied with confusion.

There was a human whistle on the other end or the closest mimic to one and a small laugh.

"11 years! Oh my God I'm so sorry" The Voice returned despairingly.

Jack begin to grow an image in his head. Old memories begins to bubble and stir in his mind. No it can't be, Jack thought in disbelief. He's not an autobot!. The image of his father formed in the back of his mind the young man who had been missing from his life for so long.

"Dad is that you?" Jack pressed hoping it to be true.

"The one and only kiddo" Roger chuckled as his coordinates flashed on the screen. "Alright Prime come take a look" He added before cutting the communication.

Optimus looked to Jack to see the shocked and joyous expression on the boys face. None of this is making sense. How did his father end up an autobot?.

"Jack are you certain it's him?" Optimus inquired.

Jack nodded.

"I'm dead certain on it. 11 years jesus it's been that long" Jack replied shocked at how long it was.

Optimus nodded as Ratchet began Preparing the ground bridge. Arcee being her sceptical self voiced her concerns.

"This could be just another con trick. Jack think about it. That's an autobot life reading are you certain it's him?" She voiced.

Jack looked up to her and nodded.

"I'm pretty certain about it. It's only been 11 years after all" he replied putting extra emphasis on the last words.

Arcee begrudgingly sided with her partner on this one. With bulkhead and Bee on patrol it would just be Prime and Arcee on this one.

Roger looked over the pod he had exited from. He was only 15 feet now and made from a living metal. It was so strange. He was probably never gonna get used to it. At least he finally made it home after 10 years. Of course he had changed drastically but he finally made it. Would June understand?. Roger mused accepting their marriage was most likely done and over. From behind a green portal opened most definitely the ground bridge and he looked to see the two stepping through. A femme who looked like a motorcycle and a mech Who resembled a semi truck. Doing a 180 to face them he saluted.

"Wrecker lieutenant Roger Darby sir!" He said no nonsense.

Optimus gave the at ease gesture and Roger relaxed. RC was surprised at the size of him. He was 2 feet shorter than her and had a red and back paint job. He was also skinny on top of it all. Optimus was surprised by his appearance as well. But he was doubly surprised by the fact he was a wrecker.

"So you're his father...would you care to explain?" Optimus asked and Roger only nodded.

(11 years ago)

Sitting within the small jar he looked at his own shoes. They were a bit dirty and it was the only dirt of home. Bringing his head up he looked around once more. Shockwave work from his corner of the lab as Roger gazed to the tubes hooked into the top of the jar. The seal was pressure tight and was The only thing keeping him alive. Two minutes outside and he'd be dead.

Shockwave was a almost psychotic man who's cruelty knew no bounds. Having lockdown hired to bring back a human specimen from an unknown world he found out about from records almost brought out some emotion. He was a man of science and curiosity. This creature would be the test subject for a great experiment. Experiment Megatron would be most pleased if he were to return. Unfortunately that may not be the case. Shockwave can only tolerate startscream as he was constantly breathing down his neck.

"June I'm so sorry" The human said grasping a photograph.

Shockwave finishing the adapter for the patch he looked over the long cable from every angle. He cannot afford failure on this one. Even if one connection broke his entire mind could be lost to nothing.

"Just a few more hours and you'll see what I've been working on for you" Shockwave said as the human remained silent.

Roger looked at the photo once more. June and he on their wedding day. How beautiful a day it had been. Now he was in this mess. Slumping shoulders he cried.

(Present day)

"It was shortly after the experiment Ultra Magnus perform the raid on the lab. He found me and with the help from the logs I explained everything. I owe him my life" Roger went on as he looked to both Prime and Arcee.

His expression echoed the traumatic experience of having one's mind ripped from the body and placed into another. His right hand shook as he explain to some more.

"After I left Cybertron to join you I ended up getting delayed in a number of times. Most of them were battlegroups trying to go to earth. I couldn't just ignore it even if I wanted to I had to stop each one of them...even if I arrived far too late" He ended thanking god he did arrive in time.

Arcee's scepticism wore down as his story checked with the rumours she had heard back on cybertron. A wrecker mostly to himself and wanted nothing more than to go back home. She hadn't believed them for obvious reasons but now she was staring him in the face. she had always assumed Jack's father had run out with another woman, but in reality infidelity never crossed his mind.

"That's good enough Roger. Welcome home" Optimus said warmly.

After grabbing some items from the pod mostly survival gear and energon The three made their way back into the base.

Jack never expected to see what he saw. Another two wheeler but this one was his father reborn from a sick experiment. Optimus had left his comm open and everyone heard the story including the recently arrived bulkhead and bumblebee. Even Miko was silent.

Rogers eyes fell onto Jack and he sheepishly smiled. Jack was stunned and how different he looked.

"You've grown" Roger said struggling for words.

"So have you" Jack reply struggling the same.

There is an underlying tension in the room. Both father and son remained silent for what felt like 30 minutes as they examined one another from a distance. then Rogers gates fixed on bulkhead.

"It's good to see you again. I wish I was in a better mood" Roger said.

Bulkhead agreed.

"That's all right man just take the time ya need" The large green wrecker replied sympathetically.

"So which one of you been watching over my boy?" Roger inquired as Arcee stepped forward. "Thank you Arcee, I tried to keep an old enemy of yours away from here but unfortunately she slipped away" Roger said admitting some defeat.

That explains why her ship came down into a crash rather than landing normally. He also wasn't gonna like what he was going to hear about what happened months ago with June. Nearly died by the hands of the creature Roger could not kill.

Roger was now getting a physical from ratchet. Jack was on the phone with his mother who is with Fowler on a date. Jack spoke quietly as he relayed the information to her.

"He's alive!, and a what!?"