"… If that is the case you might as well use your drill to finish me. I guarantee you will never have a better opportunity than right now."
Jack's eyes dart around; his heart flutters painfully in his chest.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Megatron demands. "Think of the glory! Seize the day!" He pauses and then adds. "Optimus would."
A strange calm settles over Jack.
"No. He wouldn't," He says with utter confidence. "Not like this."
Optimus would never strike a downed and defenseless opponent. After eons of war the mech was still a paragon of honor and nobility.
Jack's hand clenches around the controls of the drill. The blades began spinning. Megatron's optics widen.
"But I'm not Optimus."
With the push of a lever the drill rams forward. Megatron has no time to even cry out before it makes contact with his face. And Jack…
Jack is too scared to look away -Too certain that this is a trap: that if he blinks Megatron will break out and kill him, before hunting down his friends to offline them as well- so he sees the moment the point of the drill makes contact with the warlord's faceplate. He sees the way the metal twists and deforms. He watches with a feeling of calm detached horror as the sharp edges of the drill blend Megatron's frantic red optics with the workings of his head like some kind of messed up smoothie.
The drill makes it through the deceptacon and about ten feet into the rocks behind him before Jack shuts it off. Corrupt purple energon drips off of its blades. He waits, expecting Megatron to leap out of the pile at any moment to reveal that this had been all part of his plan.
He doesn't.
The only noise in the cavern is the idling of the drill and Jack's harsh breathing.
No… that's not quite right…
There's a distant banging. It sounds like metal.
Jack tries to rouse himself. His hands are shaking and his eyes won't leave the glowing purple mess before him.
The clanging continues.
He grits his teeth. His friends need him. He closes his eyes and blindly turns the drill away from Megatron.
The two vehicle shaped bots slide to a stop outside the mine. Their passengers disembark and they transform. Dust drifts off their dented forms as they stare back at the entrance through narrowed optics.
"We could finish them here and now," Arcee suggests.
Bulhead punches his fist into his open servo.
"Shame we didn't bring grenades," He says.
The two equally dusty and dented humans walk up beside them.
Jack looks up at the Autobots.
"Would Optimus finish them?" He asks.
He hopes they don't notice the waver in his voice… Or perhaps he wants them to notice? He isn't sure.
There's a pause before Arcee answers.
"No, he probably wouldn't," She says in a resigned voice. "Not like this."
Not when they were helpess and unable to fight back.
Jack sees Miko watching him out of the corner of his eye. She must have noticed the dark energon on the drill. There's no way she hasn't realized that…
"But Optimus wouldn't rescue them either… right?" She asks.
…Or perhaps she didn't.
Her voice lacks its usual energy.
No one answers her question.
Bulkhead turns away from the mine.
"Let's go home," He says.
Arcee casts another hard look at the dark opening before sighing and following him.
They transform and the humans go to their respective guardians. Miko jumps into Bulkhead with an almost palatable sense of relief radiating off her but Jack hesitates.
"You all right, Jack?" Arcee asks.
The human flinches, fingers curling. He opens his mouth and pauses. He closes it and then shuts his eyes and draws in a slow shaky breath. He holds it for a second and then lets it out.
When he opens his eyes again, Arcee's front tire is turned in such a way that her headlights are facing him. She's concerned, he realizes.
For her sake he forces a weak smile.
"Yeah," He murmurs, sliding into her saddle so she can't look at him. "I'm just a little bit shaken."
She makes a sound of understanding.
The groundbridge flickers into existence and they enter.
Just before they're completely inside there's a low rumble as the mine finishes settling.
Authors Notes:
This is going to be short. Just another chapter or so to deal with Jack coming to terms with what he did and the Autobots learning the truth.
Jack is very much in shock and denial at this point.
Also, yes, that rumble at the end was the mine caving in on Starscream. I guess that means Soundwave is now in charge?