Notes at the bottom, you know the drill by now.
Chapter 3: The Talk
After June made her little entrance, the four decided it was best to close the garage and avoid prying eyes. Luna and Arcee were still in robot mode and sat on the ground while Mark and Jack pulled up a table and three chairs. Somehow they had the feeling this will a long talk. At least now Mark knew who Sadie was.
"So, uhhh... " Mark began while rubbing his eyes "You two know each other? "
"We met way back on Velocitron. " Luna answered and noticed Mark rubbing his eyes. A compartment on her left arm opened and she handed him the box with his glasses "You forgot this earlier. "
"Thanks Luna. " Mark took the box and went on to replace his contacts with his glasses.
"Luna, huh? " Arcee said with a smirk "You two that close already? "
"We've known each other for well over a year, so yeah. " Luna replied and watched Arcee's brow-plate rise slightly "You want to introduce us to your friend? "
"This is Jack, but you already know that. " Arcee said and motioned to Jack who was still processing things. Luna extended her index digit to the boy.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Moonracer. Or Luna, whichever you preffer. " Jack took hold of the mentioned digit and the two shook hands so to say.
"Um, Jack. Nice to meet you too. " Jack looked to his cousin who was done putting on his glasses "Mark, this is Arcee. " the femme decided to copy Luna and extended her own digit in greeting.
"Hi. " she said simply as Mark shook hands with her.
"Nice to meet you. Say, do they call you RC for short? " his little quip didn't amuse the femme "Wow, tough crowd. Anyway, now that the awkwardness is mostly gone, how long have you two known eachother? "
"A few weeks or so. School has just started. " Jack explained and Mark nodded.
"Guess I'm late to that party. " Mark said and scratched his cheek "Soooo, are there more of you here? I'm assuming there are since you were talking to someone and Ratchet isn't really a human name. "
"Hatchet is here? " Luna's head turned to Arcee and Jack had to snicker at the nickname.
"You know him too? " Mark asked and crossed his arms "Looks like I'm the odd one out here... "
"He was with Optimus when they arrived on Velocitron. He's a grumpy old bot but his spark's in the right place. " Luna explained before crossing her own arms "Doesn't really like us Wreckers though. "
"You're a Wrecker? " Jack asked in surprise.
"What's so surprising? " Luna countered with a frown.
"Well, it's just... " Jack looked for the right words "Wreckers are usually- "
"Big, tough and bulky? I got that a lot ever since I joined their ranks. " Luna puffed in annoyance "Trust me, I'm a Wrecker. "
"Easy there Moonracer, he didn't mean anything by it. " Arcee defended her partner and shot Luna an angry glare.
"I'm sorry Moonracer. " Jack apologized and Luna sighed.
"No, I'm sorry. It's just, everyone I've met thinks of me as this fragile little femme and it's driving me peanuts! "
"It's nuts, Luna. " Mark corrected but it was lost on the light blue femme.
"I know right? " she threw her arms up, almost smashing them into the ceiling "And I'm the best sharpshooter in the galaxy! " Luna added rather proudly.
"Ummm, not to sound rude or anything- " Jack began a bit timidly "-but isn't that kinda' easy with the targeting systems Cybertronians have? " he was ready for another outburst from Luna but was met with a simple answer.
"I don't have them. " Luna's answer caught him by surprise "On Velocitron all that mattered was speed and so we were born with no internal weapons at all, therefore, no targeting systems. "
"Then how do you aim those guns? " Jack looked at her holstered pistols, a little intimidated by their size, not even wanting to imagine what one bullet could do to a human. They were a dark gray in color and reminded Jack of the gun RoboCop carries, however, the design was more streamlined. The handle was slightly curved and he could see the magazine showing a little. The barrel was long and the bullet hole looked like a rounded triangle.
"The old fashioned way. " Luna pulled out one of her guns, spinned it around before holstering it again.
"I will not have guns out in my home! " June made her presence known with an angry shout directed at the light blue femme.
"Sorry, Mrs. Darby. " Luna said timidly and looked at the floor "It won't happen again. " Arcee was surprised her fellow Autobot backed down like that. There has to be more to this but she'll leave the subject for now.
"It better not. " June placed three mugs of coffee on the table before sitting down herself "So, you mind explaining? "
"Aunt June, this is Moonracer. " Mark motioned to Luna who waved shyly "Luna, this is my aunt June. " Luna extended her digit to a confused June but the woman accepted the gesture. June then looked to Mark.
"Why do you call her Luna? "
"I don't know. "Mark scratched the back of his head "Our Moon is called Luna in some languages and one day it just came out and it stuck. " he answered sheepishly.
"Well then, Moonracer, it's nice to meet you. " June said with a smile and Luna brightened up a little.
"You can call me Luna if you want. " the femme said returning the smile.
"Seems like Luna is your thing. " June answered while looking between Mark and said femme "Does your mother know about her? " the question seemed to make Luna flinch a little but only Arcee noticed.
"No! Are you kidding? She'd freak out! " Mark said in a bit of a panic "Please don't tell her! "
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with us. " Jack joined in "Right, mom? "
"I mean, she is your mother- "
"Aunt June, if you have any love for your nephew you will NOT tell my mom! " Mark was practically begging at this point.
"We're a government secret June. " Arcee joined in as well "Wouldn't want to cause Fowler trouble, would you now? "
"Did you even call her to say you arrived safely? " June's question made Mark's eyes widen.
"Oh shit! " before June could scold him for his language, Mark was out the door calling his mom.
"Just like his dad. " June shook her head with amusement "That man would have forgotten his head if it weren't attached to his body. "
"Tell me about it. " Luna joined in "Sometimes I feel like his personal assistant. "
"Speaking of, how did you two meet? " June looked at the femme and awaited an answer.
"It's kind of a funny story, actually. " Luna chuckled to herself "He wanted to cut me apart. "
"WHAT? " all three almost jumped from their places.
"It's not what you think! " Luna quickly waved her servos to calm them "His sixteenth birthday was coming up and he convinced his mom to let him buy a car. Now meanwhile I just landed on Earth and hid in the local junkyard, going into power saving mode. "
"I'll explain later. " Arcee said to the confused Jack and June.
"According to Mark, it was either me or a beat up old Dodge. Keep in mind I didn't look my best either. " she looked over various scratch marks, little dents and dirt here and there "I still don't look my best but that's beside the point. " she waved her hand and continued "Mark picked me, saying something about a gut feeling. " Luna smiled at the memory "He took me to his home and once he lit his blow torch to start his restauration project, my alarms went off and I went into robot mode right on the spot. " one could only imagine his surprise when that happened "After the inital shock, things calmed down and we got to talking. I told him all about my kind and the Civil War, he told me to stay hidden until we find more Autobots since humans weren't really ready for alien contact. One thing lead to another and we've been friends ever since. " everyone nodded in understanding, seeing the story a little funny now. Just then Mark walked in.
"My mom says hi. " Jack and June nodded in thanks and the two femmes remained still since Charlie didn't know about Luna and Arcee "What'd I miss? "
"Luna was just telling us how you two met. " Arcee aswered "It's quite the story. "
"Tell me you didn't tell the part where I peed myself? " he askedand got his answer when Jack, June and Arcee began laughing "Guess not... " Mark's cheeks went red from embarrasement and he sat down. But his woe's were soon to end as Arcee grinned wickedly at Jack.
"Go on Jack. " Jack's smile vanished instantly "Tell them how we met, don't leave anything out. " this got the attention of everyone else.
"Now that I think about it, you never told me that story. " June said in amusement "Why is that? "
"Not important. " Jack answered quickly, his cheeks getting a little red. Arcee saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike and mess with her partner a little.
"Not important? Jack, you told me you love me. " Arcee said in mock hurt "Do I mean that little to you? "
"YOU WHAT? " Mark almost fell from his chair, June sat there with a dumbfounded expression and Luna was snickering to herself.
"It's not funny! " Jack said a little angrier than he wanted.
"You have NO idea how funny it is! " Mark had tears in his eyes. Honestly, at this point, June had to keep from laughing herself so to not embarrass her son more.
"Jack, honey, what happened? " June, to her credit, was trying really hard not to laugh. She suspected there was a funny story behind it anyway.
"Yes, honey. "Arcee said with a smirk "Tell them. " all eyes and optics were on the raven-haired boy. Said boy took a deep breath and decided to get this over with.
"Fine! I just finished my shift at KO Burger, went outside and saw her parked there. I thought she looked nice and it kinda slipped out, okay? " he crossed his arms, cheeks red as a tomato.
"I remember a girl being there. " Arcee pushed on "Sierra, was it? " Jack really hoped the ground beneath would open up and swallow him. Mark quickly connected the dots.
"You didn't... "
"I said the bike was mine... " Jack said quietly, shrinking in his seat "And got on... " Mark and Luna were laughing again, Arcee and June held back but it was obvious "Then two Decepticons arrived, Arcee drove off with me still sitting there and that's how this whole thing started. " Jack finished, the laughter gone once they heard the rest of the story.
"You were attacked? " June went helicopter-mom "Why didn't you say anything? "
"What was I supposed to say? Giant robots from space chased me through town? " Jack asked agitated.
"Watch your tone young man. " June interrupted "You could have said something. "
"It's in the past now, so... " Jack shrugged his shoulders and to his relief, the story was over.
"So, aunt June, how'd you get mixed up in all this? There a fun story behind that too? " seeing the three tense up gave Mark his answer "Apparently not. What happened? "
"Airachnid. " Arcee growled out the name. Luna heard about her and immediately knew it wasn't good that psycho femme was here.
"Who's that? " Mark looked to Luna who didn't respond.
"A deranged psychopath who wants nothing more than to see me suffer. " Arcee responded with anger "She thought it would be a good idea to get to Jack and I by kidnapping June. "
"You were kidnapped? " Mark looked horrified.
"That was a day I'll never forget. " June said somberly "But it was also the day I met the girl my son was spending so much time with. " she smiled at the femme "And I have to say I was not disappointed. "
"Thanks June, that means a lot. " Arcee returned the smile.
"Wow... " Mark was surprised by this revelation "Can you imagine Nightracer and Barricade kindnapping my mom? "
"Knowing Charlie, she'd tear them a new one. " June laughed, knowing her sister-in-law was, for lack of a better word, a badass.
"Wait, Barricade's here? " Arcee sounded alarmed by this.
"Unfortunately, yes. " Luna answered "Don't know if you had the displeasure of meeting Nightracer, but just like Airachnid did with you, they decided to make my life a living Pit. "
"Who's Barricade? " Jack asked.
"A Decepticon enforcer. Very skilled and very strong. " Arcee beagn explaining "If he's here then we got trouble. "
"And Nightracer? " June asked.
"A Decepticon sniper. " Luna began explaining "She's also from Velocitron and has always been my rival up until the war started. Nightracer always challenged me to race her but she lost everytime. " she said with a little swagger in her voice "Guess she decided to beat me in other things once she found out I joined the Autobots. "
"She went for the wrong side then. " Arcee commented.
"I think she wanted to really shove it in my face. " Luna continued thoughtfully "Nightracer was convinced the Decepticons would win the war and saw that as an opportunity to show me she was superior after all. "
"Sounds a bit extreme. " June added her own opinion.
"Are humans so different? " all eyes turned to Mark "Just look at the news broadcasts. I'm surprised Earth hasn't ended up like Cybertron already. "
"That's kinda' dark don't you think? " Jack asked.
"Think about it JD. " Mark began explaining "As far back as we know: war, executions, deception, treason, petty disputes, the dark ages, two world wars, nuclear weapons, terrorists, Justin Bieber. " he had to stop for breath "All I'm saying is, the world can't take much more and knowing what we know- " he said pointing to Arcee and Luna "-if word gets out to the public, what do you think's gonna' happen? " Jack didn't respond "Chaos. The realization that we are not alone in the universe is not something the world can handle right now. And them being giant robots from space will only add fuel to the fire. People still freak out when a new roomba comes out thanks to Terminator. "
"I see your point. " Jack then argued back "But what if this turns out good? You know, makes us more humble? Accept that we are not the center of the universe? Perhaps it'll even unite the world against the Decepticons. "
"Or against all Cybertronians. " Mark added.
"We don't know that. " Jack countered.
"Let me ask you this. " Mark leaned forward "About one-third of the world's population believes some all-powerful God made us, in his image no less. " Jack realised where he was going with this as Mark looked at the two femmes "Then who made them? " everyone was quiet in thought though the answer was known "See where I'm going with this? And it's not just religion, it's everything else too. Politics: we make the rules. Science: let's play dissect the bot'. Military: give us your weapons. Have you learned nothing from movies? " Jack snorted at his argument "Laugh all you want but movies say what we all think but never say or do. "
"Why are you so negative? " June felt as if he was in some way attacking her son.
"I'm trying to be realistic. " Mark rubbed his temples "Look what we did to the natives of these lands back in the good ol' days. Or any other less developed societies for that matter. They were practically wiped out, enslaved, or if lucky, integrated in our societies. Imagine an advanced alien species of 20 foot tall robots making an appearance. They wouldn't be seen as allies but as a possible threat. And we deal with threats by throwing bombs at them. " Jack was about to respond but June cut in.
"Okay, that's enough! " she decided to put an end to the discussion "We were having a nice talk and now this happened. "
"Downside of living in the Big Apple I suppose. " Mark said nonchalantly "Makes you see things certain ways. "
"Well you're in Jasper now so no more of that doomsday talk, okay? " June said sternly.
"Yes, aunt June. " Mark replied with a smile and decided to drop the subject. For now...
"I liked you better when you made sex jokes. " Jack commented with a smile of his own.
"Oh I got those by the dozen, don't you worry. " he said waving his hand dismissively.
"Umm, June? " Luna asked carefully to get the woman's attention.
"Yes Moonracer? "
"I know it's kinda' late but could Mark and I go for a drive? " June raised a questioning brow "My servos are killing me, I've been driving for hours and could really use a walk. "
"Can we go too? " Jack asked his mother.
"I don't know... " June was a little hesistant since it was way past curfew.
"Some bonding time for your two favorite boys. " Mark added in a sing-song. All eyes were now on June.
"Well... It is Sunday tomorrow and no school- " she was enveloped in a crushing hug by Mark and Jack.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! " June smiled at the two boys and Arcee and Luna were already in vehicle form ready to go.
"I want you back in one hour! " she said to Arcee as the boys went to their respective partners, Jack pressing the button to open the garage doors.
"Two. " Arcee countered, engine revving already.
"One and a half. Take it or leave it. " June said with a glare and jumped a little when Luna ignited her engine.
"We'll take it! " Mark said through the open window. Both femmes backed-out of the garage.
"BE SAFE! " June really hope she wouldn't get noise complaints from the neighbors.
"ALWAYS AM! " Jack yelled back as he followed fater Mark and Luna. June just shook her head and chuckled.
"Boys... " She looked at the three coffee mugs on the table "Why did I even bother making coffee? "
Outside of Jasper...
The deserts of Nevada. Nothing but sand and open fields as far as the eye can see. A few mountains and rocks her and there but that didn't ruin anything for Luna.
"Ooooh yeah, that's the spot. " she said happily while stretching her servos every way she possibly could "I like driving but I really needed this. " her servos cracked and popped, relieving the pent up pressure. The two humans were several feet away to give the femmes some space.
"You earned it Luna. " Mark said with a smile and pulled out a small plastic cup with a lid on it with pills inside. Luna saw him holding the cup and a compartment on her right arm opened. She pulled out a bottle of the liquid Mark was drinking earlier in the day and handed it to him "Thanks. " he said taking the bottle.
"That's a lot of pills. " Arcee said while remembering what Jack told her about Mark's condition.
"There's a lot wrong with me. " he popped the lid and gulped the pills in one go, quickly following with the drink "Ew... "
"How often do you need to take them? " Jack asked as Mark put away the little cup.
"Three times a day. " Mark answered simply and took another drink, grimacing again "Hey Luna? Can I ask you something? " the femme stopped her stretches and walked closer to the boys.
"You know you can ask me anything. " she responded with a smile.
"There's a question that's bugged me ever since I met you. " Mark sounded a little uncomfortable "And now that I've met Arcee, I just have to ask. " Luna crouched to have a better look at him. It was already dark and the only light they had was from the Moon and the stars shining above them "Where does it all go? " this question confused the others.
"Where does what go? " Luna had no idea what he was talking about.
"When you change forms, where do the extra parts go? " now she understood.
"Are you calling me fat, Mark? " she asked, a smirk forming on her metallic lips.
"NO! No, no, no! You're not fat, I never said that! Actually, you look really good! Not that I Iook but- " Mark stopped once he heard Luna snickering "Well played. "
"Thanks. " Luna then rose to her full height, 18 feet of Cybertronian femme, standing right in front of him.
"It's just, I always found it odd since there is no way all of that- " he gestured to all of Luna "-could fit into a 69' Corvette. And seeing Arcee it makes even less sense to me. " said femme only rolled her eyes in response. It was strange how a 15 foot tall Cybetronian amazon warrior could squeeze herself down to an Aprillia RSV 1000.
"Do you know what a T-Cog is? " Luna asked.
"You might have mentioned it a few times. " Mark addmited but couldn't really remember what it actually was.
"Simply put, in human terms, it's an organ that allows us to change forms. " Luna began explaining "All T-Cogs were modeled after the one owned by Amalgamous Prime, the first shifter. " both Mark and Jack were following intesively "The exact details are unknown, since the topic is pretty much unexplored, but the T-Cog can access something called Sub-Space. "
"A pocket dimension where all the extra parts go. " Arcee added with quotation marks.
"So basically you can be a Smart? " Mark asked and Luna shook her head.
"Not exactly. The vehicle form we choose must be somewhat close in size and mass to our bipedal forms. " then she realized something "And why would I want to transform into a Smart? "
"Can't you modify it? " now it was Jack's turn for a question "It would make things easier. "
"Like Moonracer said, it's unexplored territory, and honestly, I don't think anyone bothered with it. " Arcee said shrugging her shoulders "Perhaps fearing it would do more harm than good, they left it alone. "
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it. " Luna finished and hoped Mark was satisfied with the answer.
"Thanks for explaining. I was just curious. " Mark replied with a smile.
"So, what do you say about a race? " Arcee asked Luna and the latter almost jumped from joy.
"What do you think? Yes! " Luna transformed to vehicle mode and revved the engine so loud it was probably heard all the way to Jasper. If anything can get a Velocitronian hyped it's the mention of a race. The whole planet was basically a giant race track.
"Eager as ever I see. " Arcee smirked and transformed as well "C'mon partner, I have a long overdue score to settle. " Jack grinned ear to ear and ran to Arcee and got on the seat.
"Just out of curiosity, how fast can you go Arcee? " Mark asked while slowly approaching Luna's open driver-side door, ready to go.
"182 is our current record. " Jack announced proudly.
"Then I'm out. " Mark closed Luna's door and her engine quieted down significantly.
"What? Why? " Jack wondered from his seat.
"If Arcee can go 182, Luna will have to step it up to at least 185 and I tend to puke my guts out before 180. " Mark took a few steps back "You three go have fun. "
"I'm not leaving you out here alone! " Luna said in protest and transformed.
"Did you forget that conversation we had on the ride to Jasper? " he really did feel bad for all the things she had to skip because of him.
"And it seems you forgot what I told you. " Luna crouched down to be at eye-level "We do things together. "
"We don't have to do this right now. " Arcee said from where she was now standing in her bipedal form "You'll be in school on Monday. "
"I won't tell Vince you chickened out again. " Jack winked at his cousin who snorted.
"Whaterver you say, lover boy. " Mark's got the exact reaction he expected as Jack's face reddened and the boy found the ground to be very interesting. Luna gave Mark a comforting smile.
"Let's just take a walk. That's what we came here for in the first place, right? " Luna rose up and began walking in a random direction "C'mon! Time's a' wastin'! " Arcee decided to follow and the two femmes began talking about days past. Mark and Jack looked at each other and decided to follow, commenting on who would actually win betwen Arcee and Luna. The two femmes knew the answer already but why not just enjoy a good race between friends.
"So... " Mark said to Jack "You told her you love her and got on top. " Jack face-palmed "You sure work fast JD. "
Sometime later at Jack's house...
The four returned home just in time as their extended curfew expired. Closing the garage doors the boys bid the femmes good night and left to their room.
"Hey, I almost forgot to ask. " Luna began and Arcee's side-mirror turned slightly towards Luna "Who else is here? "
"It's me, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Optimus. "
"Bulkhead's here? " Luna said excitedly "I haven't played lobbed in ages! "
"That's who you're excited to see? " Arcee asked in surprise.
"Well, our great leader is nice too but Bulkhead is a good friend. " Luna said sheepishly.
"Just try not to make a mess. " Arcee sighed and continued "Ratchet gets really mad when Bulk and Wheeljack break something. "
"Jackie's here too? " now that was a welcome surprise "The gang's back together! "
"He comes to visit from time to time. " Arcee explained "We can call him, tell him you're here. " then added with a chuckle "Three Wreckers would drive Ratchet insane. "
"One day, we'll get that grump to lob with us. " Luna announced with determination, making Arcee chuckle. Now that would truly be a day to remember.
Meanwhile inside the house...
Jack and Mark just left the garage and were ready to go to bed. But as soon as they did, June called them from the kitchen. The duo entered the kitchen and saw June putting away some dirty dishes.
"Mark. " said teen stood to attention and saluted, making Jack snicker. June smiled and rolled her eyes in the process "I wanted to talk to you about something. "
"Yes, Luna is registered with the DMV. No need to worry. " Jack looked at him in confusion "Fun story, tell you another time. "
"That's good to hear Mark. " June said with a chuckled "But that's not it. Look, I know you're a guest here but we're still tight with money right now- "
"You want me to get a job. " Mark said flatly.
"Yes. I was going to ask Jack if he could help you find a job at KO Burger. "
"No. No way. " he replied adamantly making June give him a look. You know, the look "It's not that I don't want to work, and I've been meaning to ask around, but I will not give out bilogical waste to people. It would be a waste of my talents. " he finished with a smug grin.
"Really? " June asked with a raised brow "And what would those talents be? "
"I'm a mechanic. "
"You're in high-school. " Jack countered to which Mark simply waved him off.
"Details. "
"Well then, Mr. Mechanic, are you any good? " June asked while crossing her arms.
"The best. Mom taught me everything she knows. " he answered proudly, puffing out his chest a little.
"Well, I could ask Raf to talk to his dad about giving you some work. He's got the only shop in town. " Jack suggested and June nodded in approval.
"You two can ask him tomorrow at the Autobot base. " June seemed to be satisfied with the situation.
"We're going to the base? " Mark asked a little confused.
"Well, yeah. It's Sunday, what else are we supposed to do? " Jack said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I dunno'. Laze around? "Mark really wanted to meet the other Autobots but truth be told, he felt like he was going to sleep through Sunday, that's how tired he was.
"Go to the base, have fun. " June reassured them "And I promise I won't bother you and Arcee tomorrow so you can hang out, okay? " she said to her son who smiled.
"You're not bothering us mom. " Jack reassured her.
"Oh please Jack, I know I can get a bit- "
"Apache Helicopter Mom? " Mark joined in making Jack snort and his aunt rolling her eyes.
"But it's because I care and I don't want anything to happen to you. " June finished and patted Jack's cheek and then looked at Mark "Same goes for you young man. As long as you're here, you follow the same rules as Jack does. "
"Yes ma'am! " Mark saluted.
"Alright, now, off to bed! " une clapped her hands and the two boys bid June goodnight. Ascending the stairs they reached Jack's room and went inside. June has already put a bedsheet, pillow and a light cover on the matress.
"You take the bed, I'll take the floor. " Jack went toward the improvised bedding but Mark grabbed his shoulder.
"The floor is mine. " Mark said sternly.
"You're the guest, I take the floor. " Jack countered, crossing his arms.
"I'm the guest, I get to pick. " Mark tried to look intimidating. It's not very effective...
"And this is my room, I make the rules. " Jack stood his ground.
"Don't make me call your mom! " Mark raised his voice.
"Don't make me call yours! " Jack followed.
"I'm serious JD! " Mark closed the distance.
"So am I, Stainer! " Jack stepped forward.
"Low blow, lover boy! " forheads almost touching.
"BED! NOW! " June yelled from the kitchen, lights were out, pyjamas were on, Jack was in the bed, Mark on the floor and all was quiet. After about ten seconds the boys began snickering and laughter followed soon.
"You almost had me there. " Mark said quietly.
"Nah, you're pretty stubborn. " Jack replied quietly as well. They were supposed to be sleeping.
"True, true... " Mark crossed his arms behind his head "You know, this turned out pretty good actually. "
"The sleeping arrangements? " Jack asked, propping himself on his elbow to better see Mark below. Well, as best as you could in the dark.
"That too, and honestly, I preffer harder matresses. But no, I mean the Cybertronian situation. " Jack nodded in understanding "Now we can hang out together and I wouldn't have to sneak out or lie about where I'm going. "
"Been there. " Jack said, remembering all the excuses he had to make to his mom "Oh, If anyone asks where you disappear to, you're going to your Science Fiction Club. Highly exclusive. "
"You don't say? " Mark chuckled "Duly noted. My excuses were always the same: parts hunting. "
"You're really a good mechanic? " Jack asked and could her Mark mutter in confirmation "It usually takes people years to learn that stuff. "
"I've had a lot of time on my hands. " Mark answered nonchalantly.
"Uh, sorry. " Jack felt bad about reminding him about his illness to which he spent a lot of time in the hospital.
"JD, please don't walk on eggshells around me. " Mark sighed in frustration "Yes, I'm sick and it sucks but I won't break if someone mentiones it. I know which things to watch out for and take care of myself so just pretend I'm dandy and all will be well. "
"If you say so. "
"I do. And I'm the older cousin so what I say, goes. " Jack could barely see Mark smiling through the darkness.
"Then I won't tell anyone at the base you're sick. " Jack offered and Mark nodded.
"And I'll relay the message to Luna and Arcee. "
"You two are really close, aren't you? " Jack asked and Mark hummed in thought.
"Yeah, I guess we are. " he said thoughtfully "She's my best friend, don't know what I'd do without her. "
"I kinda feel the same about Arcee. " the raven-haired teen replied "If it weren't for her I'd still be this shy and awkward teen dressed like an 80's grunge band memeber. "
"You're still dressed like that. " Mark said and it made Jack chuckle.
"It's funny how things changed. " Jack said thoughtfully "I remember you quite differently and here you are, all puberty and tall. "
"Don't forget charming. "
"Debatable. "
"I suppose it is an accquiered taste. "
"But, like you said- " Jack laid back on his bed "-things turned out pretty good. "
"Just need to live through high school. " he could almost feel Jack wince "I meant figuratively. "
"Right, I knew that. " Jack said, obviously busted.
"Sure you did. " Mark then yawned loudly "Well I'm done for the day. See you in the morning. Night. "
"Good night Mark. " Jack turned his back to Mark and went to sleep. Not even five seconds passed and Jack heard some rustling below his bed "There's no porn under there. "
"I was just checking for monsters. "
"Sure you did. " Jack went to sleep that night with a smile on his face. The future will be good.
A/N
Chapter 3 is out, yaaay!
Took some liberties with the lore history and I am not ashamed. Nightracer is not an OC but I took some liberties with her character as well. We all know Barricade though...
Went a little grim there with Mark but that's to show his view on the world. He's not really thrilled about humanity as a whole.
If anyone's wondering, if Mark and Luna had voice actors I'd choose Stephen Amell and Gal Gadot. Stephen's voice fits the characterof Mark and Gal did an amazing job voicing Shank in Wreck It Ralph 2. Hmmm... Shank as Luna's holoform? Thoughts?
Another thing, the story will be set in 2010, when the show started airing, and due to some plot reasons.
Special shout-out to Arcturus-Lightbringer! You know what you did! :)
I tried describing Luna's weapons a little but here's the actual reference I'm using. The image link is actually dead but google images for "futuristic pistol" and it should be the first one. It has M-13 MANTA written on the barrel.
Aaaaand I think that's it. Favorite and follow if you like this story and leave your thoughts in the reviews.
See ya' next time!