Chapter Twelve
June 13th, 2010
Jasper, Nevada
Autobot Outpost Omega One
Jack sprinted through the vortex and into the familiar surroundings of the Autobots' base. He slowed to a halt not far from the archway to where he would soon step into the command center.
What was he thinking, running through the ground bridge just like that? He honestly had no idea why he did, but seeing the central room of the Autobot base almost made him choke up on tears.
Before he could make his presence known to the others, something collided into his back. He and the person went flying forward, slamming onto the floor and into the open. The pressure from someone's arm dug into his back.
"What in the name of Primus is going on — who is this?!"
Jack's eyes snapped up. He looked in the face of Ratchet, who seemed to have an expression mixed with confusion, annoyance, and horror.
"…Hi," he heard Stark's voice.
Jack's head swiveled around and saw the older man looking up at Ratchet. "Seriously?"
"What's going on?" Banner asked as he appeared at the bottom of the steps. His eyes landed on the pair, and he was not amused. "Really, Stark?"
Miko and Raf were by his side as well. However, upon seeing Jack, Raf rushed up to him. A look of worry was on his face, and Jack could see tears forming in his eyes. He pushed Stark off of him as Raf crashed into his arms.
"Jack, is Bee okay? Where is he? We heard what happened and—"
"Raf, it's okay now. We've got Bumblebee's location, so we're going to get him back," Jack calmed him down. He held the younger boy close to him, trying to ease his fears.
"So, does this mean everyone here knows his secret now?" Miko whispered to Banner.
A war cry broke out, which was followed by a squawk from Stark. Tiger had switched forms and tackled Stark to the ground.
"Dog pile!" Miko cheered. She made to run for it, but Raf had to tackle her himself.
It was a scene Optimus and the others had walked in on as they came through the swirling bridge: Banner and Thor helping Stark to his feet, Jack holding a struggling Tiger, and Raf wrestling Miko to the ground.
"Yep. Surprises, surprises," Barton mumbled.
"Enough!" Optimus's voice boomed echoed in the room over the din. The others fell silent at his command, and their commander sighed in relief. "Thank you. Ratchet, are the coordinates still applicable since you've called?"
Ratchet shook himself out of his stupor to say, "Erm, yes. Nothing has changed since I informed you."
"Then let's go get him," Bulkhead spoke as he slammed a fist into his palm.
"Easy, Bulkhead," Optimus told him as Ratchet punched in the coordinates. He and Bulkhead went through just as soon as the course was changed. Rhodes then glared at Stark.
"The moment we get cell service, you're calling Pepper," he said to him.
"Love what you guys did here." Jack looked up as Barton walked past Ratchet, looking around the room. "It looks like an underground command station in the sci-fi movies. Suits you guys well—"
Jack whirled around. The bridge had shut down, but everyone else had made it through. Everyone. Well, he was going to have a field day after all.
"Looks kinda outdated," Janet pointed out.
"Janet," Hank sighed.
"What? These guys are advance and they have to work with human computers."
"Yeah." Coulson turned and looked up at Ratchet. "Sorry about the surprise guests. Coming back here wasn't part of the agenda tonight. I mean, we would have just phoned ahead."
Ratchet had been taken back by the apology that it took him moments to finally say, "Well, that's for sure. But what are you all even doing here? Don't tell me the government finally backed down so quickly." Here everyone glared at Jack, but he looked away unashamed.
"Not yet," Coulson answered.
Ratchet turned back to the screen. "Figures."
A high squeak filled the following silence. Hank was gawking at Banner from where he stood. It only made him look away bashfully.
"Oh, my gosh," Janet gasped. "It's you! You're the guy who wrote that huge essay on robotics and something about how Alan Turing could have made a huge difference in technology if the government wasn't a bunch of—" She was cut off when Hank clapped a hand over his mouth.
"You actually read that?" Banner frowned. "I thought it was forgotten like a majority of my other papers."
"How did you manage to end up in the company of these guys? Especially near this place?" Natasha questioned.
Hank groaned. Natasha was pretty straight-to-the-point when it came to dealing with the people on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s list of interesting people. Having learned of Bruce's condition, this wasn't the approach that should have been taking. What Bruce said next surprised him at how calmly he answered.
"I, uh, was just trying to get used to the Other Guy, I guess. Trying to learn from it, control it. I guess I got carried away this time. And here I am now. Although, I can't say that's the strangest thing I've seen all week." He gave the room a quick glance before looking away.
"I've read about what happened to you," Hank recalled the accident. "That much gamma radiation should have killed you."
Bruce winced.
"But frankly, I hardly am surprised by anything these days," Hank added.
"Dude, it's the people from Jack's funeral," Miko whispered to Raf.
"I notice that," Raf replied as he readjusted his glasses.
Barton frowned as he looked at Thor. "So, who is this guy?"
Thor's eyes landed on him now. Jack had to pinch the bridge of his nose now.
"I am Thor, son of Odin," he directly answered. He ignored the looks he got from Raf and Miko.
"Thor?" Romanoff repeated.
"As in the Norse god of thunder?" Janet inserted.
Thor's eyes lit up. "So you have heard of me?"
Normally Ratchet would dismiss such a claim, even after what he had seen the proof of him not being an Earth native in Iceland. But the former scientist and researcher inside of him was naturally curious about the Nordic culture and the significance Thor held. So while the conversation went on, he turned to the monitors to look him up.
"Seriously, what is your name?" Janet said.
Miko and Raf frantically waved their arms, but it was too late. Thor started to make his way towards her, but Banner held his arm.
"Thor, just calm down now," he said.
"But they do not believe me? Why don't they? Would they if I had my hammer and summoned lightning with it?"
"Wait a minute." Hank took a step forward. "That energy signature from a couple weeks ago — was that you?"
"What energy signature?" Thor was confused.
Ratchet sighed. "When you came down onto Earth, it created a cosmic energy flux unlike anything that even I have never seen. That very same thing was what left the mark that was branded into the ground."
Oh, so that's what all of that was, Romanoff and Barton both thought.
"Were you the one behind all of those crop circles?" Rhodes had no idea why he asked that, but given all of the information Stark had downloaded he couldn't help it.
"Really? We both know there's no such thing as aliens," Stark scoffed.
Arcee frowned at him. Not by being called an alien, but that he showed his doubts about other forms of life existing. "And what are we? The cast of The Golden Girls?"
"You guys are really aliens?"
"They're highly intelligent robots who are more aware than you think. What, you think we've reached the age where we can do that?" Rhodes sighed.
"Why don't you find them that interesting then and not Jack?" Coulson glared at Stark.
"Well, you know that snooping and dying puts everything into a different perspective."
Dying? Jack looked at Rhodes, but he only shook his head.
"Besides, I got bored and I wanted to work along some of the most leading technicians and scientists of our day, not wanting to leave a bad legacy behind."
Tiger rested an elbow on one of Jack's shoulders. "Yeah, but it's not enough to explain you," she whispered at him.
"Oh, come on, Stark."
"What? You've claimed to have known everything, but you didn't know that robotic organisms from another world live on this planet, or that Banner has been with them for who knows how long, and then the fact that we have another person who may be from another world with more than we know of."
"It's not really all unicorns and rainbows as you put it," Thor uttered.
"It's not explaining why Jack is of all trades," Barton said.
"Look here, biscuit blocker," Stark pointed at him. "You've all upped me one, so I figured I should do the same to you all. I'm a man of free will, and I will do what I want and how I want to. Not letting Fury make me a soldier to join his fife or whatever you want to call it. Besides, who's to say he won't do the same to the kid?"
"I'm actually still more curious about this guy," Hank gestured at Thor. "Let's say you are who you claim you are. Not saying you're lying, but in this time and age we don't know. What was it that brought you to our world?"
Thor glanced away, looking quite sheepish. Everyone waited for him to say something before he admitted, "I was banished here by my father. I am now mortal without my hammer or strength."
Jack raised a brow. "What were you banished for?"
"For starting a war."
Ratchet huffed out, "Of course."
"Ratchet, we have secured Bumblebee," Optimus spoke through the link. "We are ready for a bridge."
Ratchet sighed. "Please, let it not be serious."
"Doc, he's fine," Bulkhead told him. "But he's got a problem transforming."
Ratchet and Arcee shared a look. Everyone watched as Ratchet set the coordinates in and reactivated the ground bridge. Bulkhead came in first, followed by Bumblebee with Optimus taking up the rear. Seeing the smaller one made Janet squeal.
"Oh, my gosh! I have a giant robotic doppelganger!"
Bulkhead screamed when he heard her voice. Bumblebee ducked behind the former Wrecker to avoid their prying eyes.
"Yes, we are aware of them," Ratchet half sighed, half growled. "Bumblebee, come over here now."
Bulkhead carefully pushed Bumblebee towards the medical bay area, not taking his eyes off of Janet.
"Easy now," Ratchet said as they set Bumblebee onto the examining table. "Do you remember what happened?"
Bumblebee shook his head. He laid down on the table so Ratchet could examine him.
"Why does he sound like a drunk Furby toy?" Barton asked Coulson.
"I may have been here for a while, but not even I know the answer. And a Furby toy? Really?"
"You can fix him, can't you?" Raf asked.
"For all we know, those men could have hit his — what on Earth?" Ratchet said. He went over an area over Bumblebee and gasped, "By the Allspark!"
"What?" Banner said.
"They took his t-cog!" Ratchet exclaimed.
Bumblebee let out a shriek, but for some reason Thor was laughing. This earned glares from the Autobots alike.
"I'm…I'm sorry. But it's such a really funny word," the Asgardian wheezed.
"What are you, twelve?" Romanoff said.
"A t-cog…Don't you mean a t-bone?" Barton asked.
"A t-cog is what allows us to scan vehicular forms and transform," Optimus answered.
"Like a scanner installed in a printer?" Hank said.
"Precisely."
"Tech nerd," Miko said.
Raf looked at her. "You're standing in a room full of them."
Ratchet paused in the examination, noticing something on Bumblebee. It was a small circular device. Ratchet reached over and plucked it off of him.
"Um, what's that?" Raf adjusted his glasses.
Ratchet looked at the others when it started to blink a pale blue light. Everyone stared at it in horror before it made a hissing sound. In a matter of seconds, it projected a small hologram.
"Greetings, Autobots," the hologram spoke.
"Megatron?" Bulkhead was incredulous.
Raf took a step back. The memory of Megatron possessing Bumblebee was still fresh, and it startled him. Seeing the distraught state he was in, Miko and Jack stood protectively before him as if the image would enlarge itself and attack.
"If you are watching this, then I take it that you are already aware of your scout's disability now. Consider this a lesson to you all who dare humiliate me again. If you are watching this, Optimus, I can only wish to see the look on your face right now."
The projection vanished, and the device burnt itself up. The Autobots were looking at it with various expressions.
"What was that?" Barton asked slowly.
"That is bad news," Coulson responded
"I don't get it." Hank came over to stand by the table. "I thought the people who did this were the ones who got your friend. How did that guy manage to get a hold of him?"
Thor frowned. He wasn't quite the type to listen and process information, but this situation obviously didn't seem like a natural one.
"Who's to say this Megatron person did it alone?" When all eyes were on him, he explained, "Your friend was knocked out and taken somewhere else during your time over there."
"You're saying that they crossed paths?" Romanoff surmised.
"And with all they know and did with all of that stuff, who says that it didn't catch his attention?"
"Are you suggesting that Megatron had forged an alliance with random people?" Ratchet caught up to what Thor was thinking, though he found the thought laughable. "I highly doubt he would entertain such an idea."
"Why not? It worked with us," Jack pointed out.
"Most of the time," Arcee deadpanned.
"I must admit that the very thought of Megatron forming an alliance to humans is very unlikely. But if their knowledge on Cybertronian biology and technology is innovatory enough to gain his attention, then there is a chance he would if he is running out of options," Optimus said.
Bumblebee began to panic. He jumped up from the table mumbling away in hurried noises when Optimus stopped him.
"Bumblebee, please. You are not best equipped to handle this."
Bumblebee turned to him and clutched his head. He continued to spill out the noises as he frantically ranted away.
"That's not true. I understand myself what it's like to lose a vital part myself. We all have. But that's what taught me the value of putting one's faith into the ones who you can trust to raise you up."
Jack whirled around in shock. It had been Hank who said that, not Raf. He was not the only one who was surprised at him. The Autobots, his friends, Thor, Banner, and Coulson were staring at him in the same astonished confusion.
"What did I say?" Hank asked as in the same manner Miko would.
"You just answered Bumblebee," Raf pointed out.
"Oh, you guys can't?"
"Well, I can," Raf admitted. "But I don't know how myself."
"I can understand what he's saying too, but only through one ear," Janet shrugged.
Bumblebee knelt down in front of them, asking if they could truly understand him. From his position, Jack couldn't help smiling. He wasn't sure how, but there had been an upside to this somehow.
"Well…" Hank angled his head and tapped at his right ear. A small device similar to an earpiece was wedged in his ear. Bumblebee's optics widened in awe. "This allows Janet and I to communicate and control ants through specified frequencies. I guessed it picked up your lingo somehow."
"Don't get cocky with it. We'll get it eventually," Coulson said.
"Oh, shut up. I had to fry the last agent that got a hold of it before you could."
The fact Hank and Janet could interpret what Bumblebee said brightened the scout's mood, if only by a fraction. Hoping to use that moment as an example, Optimus tipped the young Autobot's helm towards him.
"Do you see, Bumblebee? If you allow us to, we will hold you up if you place your faith in us. We vow to do everything in our power to make you whole again."
"And if we don't, we'll just make you another one of these doohickeys," Miko added.
The Autobots looked down at her, until Bumblebee's optics narrowed in anger.
"Uh-oh," Arcee and Bulkhead said concurrently.
"What? What did I say?" Miko wondered.
"Miko, a t-cog is not just some scrapyard finding. It is a vital organ such as a heart or brain," Ratchet explained.
"I didn't know," Miko shrugged.
Rhodes opened his mouth again, but Coulson slapped a hand over it.
"Okay. I say none of us transform until we get Bee's t-cog back," Bulkhead declared.
"Your spark's in the right place, but I don't think it's the time to limit ourselves," Arcee replied.
"Not with Megatron potentially seeking out doomsday devices," Optimus said. "And not while, as I fear, with these men using Bumblebee's t-cog for their own purposes. I'm sorry, Bumblebee. But until we can retrieve your t-cog, you are to remain here."
Bumblebee looked up until his optics met Optimus' gaze. He finally nodded slowly and let his door wings sag.
"It's okay, Bee. I can take Raf home tomorrow," Bulkhead said to Bumblebee.
"I won't mind," Raf said with a shrug.
"Tomorrow?" Jack frowned.
"Yeah. We were going to have a slumber party before you called us, and we were going to wait until Sierra got off of work." Miko frowned as she looked at her phone. "Which should have been about now."