It would be a cold day in hell, as the humans say before Ratchet thought he would admit he was wrong. This was that day. His desperation clouded his usually stellar judgment. He managed to also hurt his old friend in the process. Even with Optimus accepting the apology for his harsh outburst, he knew the words he said pierced his spark.

The sad fact is deep down Ratchet knew Optimus could have destroyed Megatron before. He could have stopped the warlord's rampage before it escalated. It may not have halted the war, but it may have changed their current situation. Optimus didn't take his chances because he still had hope. Hope that an old friend will come to his senses. The time of redemption has long since passed, Megatron has done too much to be forgiven by the medic.

One of the few upsides to his stunt with the Synthetic Energon was the new supply of Energon they acquired. Enough to last them comfortably, but at a cost. His servos caressed the dent part of his chassis. He wouldn't be optimal for some time, leaving them with an injured medic.

Thankfully he wasn't the only support the Autobots had now. When Rafael had told Miko and Jack about his stunt, Ratchet expected... He wasn't sure what to expect. Humans were just as complicated as his species. That didn't even include whatever Jack happened to be. Though he had theories.

Miko had flat-out laughed. It was disrespectful and inconsiderate to him. She should have shown some concern, but he soon understood why not even a click later. Miko was laughing because she was shocked that the notorious medic could make mistakes just like them. He wasn't perfect. Once she explained he still felt miffed. Knowing Miko, she would bring this incident up to make her point. After her laughter died down she did show concern once they were alone. That was the first time he realized Miko doesn't like being vulnerable.

Young Rafael had shown immediate concern and offered to help around the base while he recovered. The prospect of Raf helping was too good to refuse. Having another who understands their technology, though still learning, eased his wary circuits.

Jack was shocked. He offered concern and to help out Raf where he could, but Ratchet knew the boy held back. Spending time with the almost adult, he learned to read him well. Just like Ratchet predicted, Jack waited similarly to Miko for his alone time. That time came a week later.

The normal occupants of the outpost were either on mission or patrol. Miko and Raf were with Bulkhead going off-roading. Everything was quiet. With him almost at optimal health, Ratchet was able to return to work. That was how Jack had found him, hunched over a new sample of Synthetic Energon.

He could feel the gaze of the young being. Ratchet made a point to ignore him. That didn't last long since Jack started speaking.

"You know, it's relieving to think that even a bot older than human civilization can make mistakes." The comment hit close to home for the medic. He let it slide, ignoring the speaker.

"Ratchet... You may not be out on the field but you are still needed. The bots need you... I need you." Hearing that confession causes Ratchet to acknowledge Jack.

Jack's blue eyes were no more. The normal faded blue was filled with optics. A unique combination of blue and gold, an uncommon combination Ratchet only seen on a few bots.

The sight didn't surprise the medic, he has seen them before. He still remembered the first day when Jack attempted to hide them with sunglasses. He had looked truly absurd with his optic glowing past the darkened frames. They learned that like his other abilities, they were linked with emotions and the amount of Energon. With better control and more gum, he was able to keep his eyes as eyes. Jack still took the precaution of carrying for those glasses though.

Ratchet smiled at the worried face those optics belonged to. Not long ago he and Optimus had an identical conversation. 'They are so similar' he thought, sadness and regret flooding his systems.

"I know Jackson, I know." He said softly, looking away from the small figure. Turning his back to Jack, he continued work. "Plus, if I am not functioning then who's going to keep everything running. Bulkhead? The big lug nut would do more harm than good." He scoffed at the idea.

"Yeah, he totally would." Jack's laughter lightens the serious mood.

"Now since I have you here, how about an early check-up. After all, from the look of you, your Energon dose might need to increase once more." Ratchet allowed a smile to spread at the groan from behind him.

"You know it's not necessary, I can just wear glasses forever, nothing suspicious about that. So no need for a check-up... plus I don't want to take anymore Energon, you guys need it more than me after all." Jack was sputtering out excuses as fast as he could speak. Being an experienced medic, Ratchet knew these symptoms well. They were the symptoms of a patient about to make a break for it.

Spinning around, Ratchet's servos caught the reluctant teen.

"Oh, please. You can somehow look Megatron in the optics, but can't deal with a simple blood test and scan? Raf would squirm less than you." Ratchet groused to the squirming child before setting him down to gather supplies.

"No offense, but you can be scarier than my mom sometimes when it comes to health. That is the truly terrifying thing." Jack mumbling wouldn't have been picked up by humans, but Ratchet heard clearly.

This wasn't the first time that the wrench-wielding medic had heard similar words. Wasn't going to be the last time a patient complained. Ratchet took the complaints as a fact he did his job right. If they had room to complain their spark was still pulsing.


Jack's life wasn't getting easier. Thankfully nothing crazy has occurred after Ratchet's injury. The base had been relatively peaceful and the school was looking up for the three human allies. Life should have been peachy if you weren't Jack.

Looking at his reflection in his bathroom mirror, one word came to mind; night light.

His whole body that wasn't covered with clothing was glowing a soft light Energon blue. A pleasant hue for a night light but not for human skin.

Thinking of the situation that caused this he could only hang his head. He was in this state from a dream. More of a nightmare. Being buried alive does leave some trauma one would normally expect.

He had woken up feeling suffocated, red optics still glaring in the recesses of his mind. He was brought into wakefulness by the glowing. The soft light caught his attention fast.

Now he stood in the bathroom attempting to calm while chewing Ratchet's latest Energon gum. He had to double the dose so the taste had increased in flavor. The gum crackled with sweetness and energy, his body slowly absorbing the nutrients.

His glowing gradually subsided. Skin returning to pale human hue. He watched the gleam of blue-gold optics fade. The dark blue, nondescript eyes greeted him. Letting out a sigh, he shuffled out of the bathroom and to his room.

Noticing the time, he groaned. 'I just spent over an hour trying to get under control, this isn't going to get any better, is it?' Said question was left unanswered, surrounded by uncertainty. Hanging his head he slipped back under the covers.

Jack was frightened.

He wasn't sure what was happening, Ratchet had theories but not enough information to give him hope. By this time Jack was considering asking Optimus. He needed to understand why this was happening now and not throughout his life. He was supposed to be normal. He thought he was before he was ten, that day changed everything.

Pushing his fear away, he had to trust Ratchet. The medic said he was close and needed to confront a source to be positive. Jack knew that source was his mom. The only being who could know Jack's truth. Taking a deep breath he made a promise. He would wait, wait till his mom was ready.

Slowly drifting back to sleep, his head full of wishes and questions yet to be answered.

What he didn't know was those truths would be revealed soon, but not by his mom.