Author's Note: Happy belated New Year! Sorry I've been gone so long! I've had a lot of real life issues going on and had a very severe case of writers block.

Alright so it seems that it's a tie. Half of you said you want a June/Ratchet pairing and the rest of you said June/Optimus. I think at this point in time I'm just going to leave their relationships as simply professional although I can totally see why it would appear logical for a June/Ratchet relationship simply because they are both in the medical field and it can be commonplace for a patient to fall for their doctor. Personally, the only relationship I can imagine between June and Ratchet would be familial simply because Ratchet is more of a 'grandfatherly' type given his advanced age.

STORY NOTE: I have decided that M.E.C.H. will not exist in this story since there is so much going on already. I hate them anyway. Therefore they get no spotlight! XD

Chapter 6

An entire month went by without any further incident, but for June it felt more like an agonizing eternity. She'd followed Doctor Raymond's orders regarding her recovery to the letter, despite the fact his constant mothering irritated her beyond measure. Once she was cleared for active duty again and the cast finally came off her leg, she immediately returned to work although she did continue a secondary assignment which was to naturally, investigate the details concerning the accident she and her partner had been in. The young woman met Roger down in the basement of the hospital where all of the files and records were kept for patients that had been in and out of the hospital for the past ten years.

They came to discover that there were no records indicating that there had been any other patients besides the two of them, who had received medical care the day of the crash. So they expanded their search and stumbled upon a frightening conclusion after interviewing the employees of Jasper's only tow truck company and collision repair shops.

"I'm telling you June, my friend checked and re-checked the police databases for Jasper and Dane county next door. There were no patients admitted to either hospital. Dr. Raymond and Peterson's crew also confirmed it."

"That's not possible!"

"You're right, it's not. It's like we got hit by a phantom. There was no debris apart from our own ambulance."

"How the hell could someone have T-boned us going nearly 45 miles an hour and not have a totaled car?! The other driver should in all reality be freaking DEAD if not mortally wounded from a collision like that!"

"I'm sorry June, but I'm afraid this is a case that will have to remain unsolved. We have no more leads."

The normally headstrong and determined woman hated to admit it, but Roger was right.

"Alright…but I still think we should keep an eye out for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary. Anything that might warrant another investigation," June spoke grimly with severity in her eyes.

Roger readily agreed and the two of them left the case alone, soon resuming their usual duties. It took discipline and a great deal of effort on her part, but before long the young woman pushed the memory of the accident to the back of her mind. There was no sense in allowing her thoughts to distract her from her work. She would be damned if a patient died due to her careless negligence.

What June Darby, paramedic of the brand new 117 ambulance, didn't know…was that the accident, was only just the beginning.

-Three Weeks Previously-

Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Arcee convened in secret with Jack Darby and Agent Fowler via their holoforms, within the confines of none other than Jack's garage. June Darby was still hospitalized but was currently being guarded by Bumblebee. Bulkhead and Smokescreen kept the other children safe in the meantime. The leader of the Autobots dispensed with any pleasantries and began their council without delay.

"We've gathered intel regarding the accident. June Darby and her partner Roger must not be made aware of this under any circumstances. A Decepticon was responsible for what occurred the night of the crash…" Optimus began grimly.

The others nodded their heads silently, their facial expressions neutral. It came of no surprise to any of them.

"...the accident was not intentional."

The two humans present in the room shared equally stunned expressions at the newfound revelation.

"The Decepticon that hit June Darby's ambulance had been fleeing from Starscream. No doubt the con was on Megatron's termination list for failing a mission."

"What mission?" Jack questioned with a raised brow, unknowingly asking the same question that Agent Fowler was thinking.

"We are uncertain at this time. All we know is that Megatron has been searching for something."

"Well it must have been extremely important if Megatron went through all of the trouble to order the hit on his own soldier…" Arcee mentioned thoughtfully.

"Wow. Megatron does not take failure well…" Jack mumbled wryly.

"So the con was running…and June's ambulance became a roadblock…" Agent Fowler animatedly gestured.

"Obviously the con was in a big enough hurry that he didn't take the time to avoid the collision," Ratchet growled with deep loathing.

"Wouldn't that Decepticon have sustained some form of damage after hitting my mom's ambulance at that speed?" Jack frowned deeply.

"No. Cybertronians have far denser alloys than your Earth vehicles," Optimus softly explained when his eyes met the boy's questioning ones.

"Did Starscream succeed in terminating the con he was chasing?" Agent Fowler asked the small assembly with a raised brow.

"Indeed he did. The con sealed his own fate when he chose to ram June Darby's ambulance. The collision slowed the vehicon enough that Starscream was able to catch him approximately seven minutes later," Ratchet confirmed with a grunt.

"I have a feeling that the fleeing con would have been caught whether he hit June's ambulance or not," Optimus serenely spoke as his eyes swept over those gathered in Jack's garage.

"Bumblebee followed the Decepticon's trail as far south as Dane County's wildlife preserve, just forty-seven miles from the assassination point. After a thorough scouting mission of the area, Bumblebee reported traces of a Cybertonium element but was unable to locate the source. Whatever the Decepticon had been sent to find…was never retrieved—hence his failure and subsequent death. It's safe to assume that it was taken by an unknown party," Arcee announced as she placed both hands on her hips.

"So…the con was sent to find an unknown object, someone else picked it up before he arrived, Megatron found out, ordered the hit on said con, Starscream chased him, the con on the run crashed into June, and was subsequently terminated by Megatron's second in command a short time later. Am I missing anything?" Agent Fowler questioned with a stern look as he scribbled notes on a clipboard. He was most likely preparing a report for General Bryce.

"Nope. I think that pretty much covers it," Arcee smiled in response.

"I suggest you find that stolen artifact as soon as possible. God forbid it turns out to be some kind of alien weapon. There is only so much that I can withhold from my superiors at the pentagon, Prime. I'm taking a serious risk by taking the heat if this whole mystery goes south," Agent Fowler's face grew stern as he turned a penetrating gaze on the leader of the Autobots.

"I understand Agent Fowler. You have my thanks. We will keep you informed once we have a lead," Optimus gave the government liaison a partial nod in acknowledgment.

Everyone began to part ways as their short council ended. Agent Fowler was the first to hit the road, soon followed by Ratchet. The good doc had to return to June Darby's bedside to oversee the remainder of her recovery. Optimus and Arcee shared a glance before turning their full attention on the teenage boy.

"Jack, Optimus is going to guard you for a while," Arcee gave him an apologetic look. Jack and Arcee had been hanging out more often, now that Jack had the house all to himself. They originally wanted to watch action-movie marathons. Jack even began to teach the femme how to play card and board games. He was a little disappointed that their plans would now have to be postponed but the teenager knew that his primary guardian would make it up to him eventually.

"Bumblebee is my top scout and Arcee my best tracker. I need them out in the field until we have a good lead," Optimus spoke softly as he gave Jack a sympathetic pat on the back. The Autobot leader knew how much Arcee deeply cherished her human friend.

"I understand," Jack smiled at his two guardians. He knew well enough that the Autobots all had their own individual and rather unique skill sets that made each one of them an invaluable asset to team Prime. Besides, it had been a while since he'd last spent any time with Optimus. The 16-year-old watched Arcee drive away and then turned his head to look up at Optimus's holoform. The Autobot leader appeared to be lost in thought. He soon turned to look at Jack and with a small smile, he gently placed a fatherly hand on Jack's shoulder and began to guide the boy out of the garage but not before the youth had retrieved his backpack.

"I believe you require sustenance, Jack."

The boy halted mid stride and whirled around on Optimus with wide eyes, causing the elder to bump into him. Jack was thankful they weren't in a densely populated part of town. It was time to educate his guardian, seeing as how the Autobot leader rarely interacted with humans beyond the boundaries of the Autobot base.

"Woah! Optimus. You can't go walking around in public using vocabulary like that!"

The confused look on Prime's face was priceless.

"Have I used the term incorrectly?"

"Well, no. It's just that…most humans use words like that in literature and not in everyday speech. Trust me Optimus, you will attract unwanted attention if you talk that way. People will get suspicious and suspicion always leads to paranoia and eventual conspiracy theories…which mostly revolve around aliens," the boy gave him a pointed look.

"Very well. What is the correct terminology?"

"Food…its' called food. And you are right, it's dinner time," the boy began to grin with amusement as his guardian's facial expression changed into one of bewilderment.

"Dinner. Is that a secondary translation for 'food'?"

Jack's eyes widened unable to contain his shock.

"Seriously Optimus…you don't know what dinner is?"

His guardian remained silent as he gave him an even stare devoid of emotion. His lack of response both verbal and facial answered his question.

"Oh boy…how best to explain this…"

Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. The teen supposed that Optimus up until this point had been far too busy dealing with all of the leadership duties that were demanded of him to take any significant time to learn more about the complexities of human culture and their customs.

"Well humans usually eat three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They revolve around a certain time of day. Breakfast is usually in the morning, lunch is around mid-day, and dinner is in the evening. Food types vary according to each meal…"

Optimus began to innocently raise one hand into the air and opened his mouth, no doubt ready to assault Jack with a slew of questions. Jack beat him to it. He had a feeling he knew what the Autobot leader was going to ask him.

"NO! The snacks you see Raf and Miko eating are not meals!"

Optimus lowered his hand and raised a brow.

"I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"Snacks are just various food types that can be eaten at any time during the day, usually between meals. Most snacks aren't listed in the 'healthy' category like regular meals are. Humans call that junk food. Food that we don't need but that we just enjoy eating."

"Why consume 'junk food' if you already have three meals scheduled for the day?"

Jack scratched his head in thought.

"I guess…sometimes if we don't have time for a meal we just eat a snack. It sort of…keeps the hunger at bay until we actually eat another meal."

Jack internally cheered when he saw that Optimus was satisfied with the answer.

"Then I think it is high time you had your dinner," Optimus smiled as he walked Jack out to his vehicle form. After his holoform climbed into the driver's seat, Prime started the engine and drove downtown once Jack was safely secured via restraining harness.

No…it was a seatbelt. Prime had to silently correct himself.

They pulled into the parking lot of a local diner. They both went inside. Orion Paxton and Jack appeared to all that beheld them as father and son. Thanks to the three children, the Autobots were becoming far more adept at blending in when it came to public outings.

Their human disguises gradually…well…transformed over time, at least when it came to fashion. Optimus no longer appeared as the "cowboy" trucker he had when Jack first encountered him. His holoform now wore blue jeans and a white, long sleeved t-shirt with an American flag emblazoned on the front. The red and blue colors popped out amidst the white background quite nicely. The Autobot leader, now devoid of a hat, chose to wear white, brand named running shoes with a blue logo instead.

Once the duo were seated, Jack was all too eager to grab the menu being handed to him by the hostess. He thanked her and then began to browse. Optimus picked up his menu and pretended to be interested. Prime knew he had to stay in character. A few minutes later, Jack was ready to order. The waitress returned with a small notepad and a pen. She smiled at them both and then proceeded to take their orders.

"Hello, my name is Judy and I will be serving you today. Can I start you off with any drinks or appetizers?"

"I would like to have a cola, cheeseburger, and fries with a side of ranch."

She scribbled Jack's order down and then turned a smiling face to meet Orion's indecisive one. He smiled kindly at her and placed the menu down.

"I would appreciate a glass of ice water please. I'm afraid I will not be ordering food at this time."

Judy nodded, still smiling.

"I'll have your drinks right out!"

After she collected their menus and went to serve other tables, Jack looked at Optimus with a smile of his own.

"Thank you for bringing me here Opt—Orion," Jack quickly corrected himself.

"There is no need to thank me Jack. As your guardian it is my responsibility to oversee your welfare."

Jack fiddled with the paper wrapper that had once been concealing his straw. He glanced up at Optimus with worry.

"Is my mom going to be okay?"

"Yes. Dr. Ray is the most experienced medical officer I've ever seen. Her injuries though substantial, were not deemed as life threatening."

"When can I go visit her?"

"Once her doctor gives us permission."

Optimus pretended to drink his water. When he was sure that no one was looking, he carefully poured a small amount into the plant vase on the window sill beside their table. This did not escape Jack's notice.

"You can't drink water?" Jack asked in a low voice so as not to be overheard.

"No, I cannot. My holoform, despite its human appearance, does not function as a real human. It's merely a disguise."

"Okay, fair enough."

A few minutes later, Jack's food arrived. He began eating but stopped for a moment when he noticed that Optimus had been staring at him the entire time.

"What?" the teenager questioned around a mouthful of fries.

"How much food can a human youth such as yourself consume during the course of one meal?"

Jack swallowed before answering him.

"It all depends. Me…I can eat maybe twice as much as what I'm having now but I won't. I guess it's because I'm still growing."

Jack continued eating and tried to ignore Optimus's constant interest in him. He supposed that if he were an alien visiting another planet, he too would be curious about that species' eating methods too. Still…Optimus was starting to make him feel kind of awkward. Three minutes passed and that was when Jack decided enough was enough.

"Okay, stop! Why are you watching me? Haven't you seen a human eat before?" he whispered with a hiss so as not to be overheard.

"I apologize. I find your personal eating habits to be quite fascinating…but I will honor your request."

Optimus turned his attention away from the boy and resumed his mission of stealthily pouring water out of his glass into the plant vase after pretending to drink it. Jack soon finished his dinner and returned Judy's smile when she came back to collect his plate. She asked Orion if he wanted a refill but he of course politely declined. After paying for Jack's meal, the two returned outside and headed for Optimus's vehicle mode.

As they left the restaurant, a white pickup truck with brand new tires began to follow them. Optimus, ever vigilant, recognized their pursuer and headed out of town. It didn't take long for Jack to catch on and questioned his guardian.

"Why is that truck following us?"

Jack leaned forward to get a better look through one of Optimus's side-view mirrors but the Prime was already one step ahead of him. He folded both mirrors inward, completely obscuring the truck from the youngling's view. The Autobot leader felt it would be best that the boy remain oblivious. His efforts to conceal the truth were in vain. Jack Darby was a very intelligent young man. He put two-and-two together.

"Demetri. He's following us, isn't he?"

When Optimus refused to acknowledge his question, the teen looked out of the window to see that they had already left Jasper city limits far behind them. Dane County loomed into view. The town there was three times the size of Jasper. Obviously, Prime was going to try to lose their determined pursuer in the heart of the town. In lieu of their current problem, the Autobot leader did something rather uncharacteristic that would hopefully put the boy at ease. He tuned in to a hard rock station.

"Optimus…why did you—"

"A chase scene requires an invigorating musical compilation, does it not?"

Jack turned his head to look at Prime's holoform who was still 'driving' his vehicle mode with surprise evident on his young, facial features.

"Yeah, but usually only in movies. Musical themes are used to enhance the hero's successful escape…"

"Indeed…and escape we shall. Hence the music."

After driving through obscure alleyways, side streets, and main avenues, Optimus in the long run finally lost the villain who had been chasing them. He began a return trip to Jasper when his com-line alerted him to an incoming message from Arcee.

"Optimus, we believe we may have found traces of the relic that the Decepticons were after. Bumblebee and I already scouted the area and found nothing and yet there seems to be a beacon according to our scanners. It's not far from your location. What are your orders?"

"The area you scouted, have you deemed it safe?"

"Affirmative. We swept the place and it was clean. The only thing we found were traces of those ionized Cybertonium particles. We thought you might want to look into it."

"Please transmit the coordinates where you located the beacon. I want Smokescreen and Bulkhead on standby in the event I require backup. I will keep Jack with me for now. Demetri Darby attempted to follow us today, most likely in an attempt to locate the boy's home."

"Understood. Transmitting the coordinates now, Optimus."

"Thank you Arcee."

Prime was mildly surprised when the coordinates received, pin-pointed the specified area within the confines of Dane County's wildlife preserve. He immediately did a U-turn and began driving the other way.

"Optimus…I know it's really none of my business…but don't you think finding traces of that relic was, i don't know... a little too easy?"

"I have considered the possibility. If the Decepticons did not retrieve it, it stands to reason that they were either unable to locate it, or have devised a brilliant scheme in which to bait us."

"If the Decepticons were using it as a trap…why didn't they attack Arcee and Bumblebee when they were searching for it?"

"Perhaps Arcee and Bumblebee were not the intended targets."

Jack's eyes widened considerably.

"Are you saying that the trap could be meant for Ratchet, Bulkhead, Smokescreen, or you?"

"Given the data we already have…it is unclear. We must be vigilant and proceed with caution."

"Optimus, shouldn't you wait for backup?"

"I have the others on stand-by should I require their assistance. They are after all, only a ground-bridge away," Prime's holoform smiled.

"Why are you taking me with you? You can easily ground-bridge me back to base...or you could just drop me off at Jasper County Hospital. Ratchet is there, he could guard me."

"I feel sending you back to base to be unnecessary if Arcee's report is accurate. Besides, with Demetri Darby currently hunting you, I deem it far safer for you to remain with me. If he were to discover the location of your residence or that of your mother's position at the hospital, it would only be a matter of time until he learned the location of our base…and of our existence."

They drove the rest of the way in companionable silence. Once they neared the site, Optimus stopped and scanned the area. Roughly forty minutes had gone by during their trip to the Dane County Wildlife Preserve. The leader of the Autobots allowed Jack to hop out after he deemed the area to be safe. Once the boy was a safe distance away, the towering leader of the Autobots transformed and stood tall. Fortunately the dense forest concealed them from any prying eyes. His optics immediately searched for any clues that might hint as to where the mystery relic could have gone.

Suddenly without any warning, a large branch snapped. Optimus looked down at Jack with a small frown. The boy looked up at him with clear astonishment.

"Uhh...Optimus, that wasn't me…"

Slowly, the ground began to shake, indicating massive footfalls nearing their position. The owner of those footstepst soon entered the small clearing. Prime growled as his battle mask slid into place. He narrowed his azure optics as he spoke to his young charge in his customary, majestic sounding voice.

"Jack, get behind me," Optimus sternly ordered.

The leader of the Autobots got into a defensive stance as his arm blades extended from his forearms. Jack peered around his guardian's large foot and felt icy cold fear running through his veins when his horrified eyes beheld the newcomer.

"Optimus! I've been expecting you!"

The leader of the Autobots only had to growl out one word. A name that Jack would always remember, that came with a terrifying face he would never forget.

"MEGATRON..."

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note: okay, so for some reason the fan fiction website won't allow me to respond to reviews. I had a reviewer ask me which universe I am basing my characters upon, or at least Optimus. I'm basing them from the Prime TV show but his arm blades are the ones from the Bay movies. Grr…I hate that man. He killed EVERYONE in those movies!

Also, if any of you have written and posted stories on this website beware of story pirates! I had a friend who was searching for one of my stories on my other account and she stumbled across a completely different website sort of similar to fanfiction and this other author STOLE one of my stories from this website, posted it as their own but altered it in ways that already have my dead, future-self, rolling in my grave. O_O I don't know HOW this person did it, just warning you guys that there are story pirates out there!