Jack, Miko, and Rafael were still in the room they were trapped in, oblivious to what was going on in the world outside. They were deep in discussion about what to do.
"We need to find a way out of of here." Jack said. He started to head for the door, but Miko spoke up.
"Hey, Jack, I really doubt that he would leave the door unlocked. And besides, how would we leave this place? There was a lot of robots. Did you see that one, with the awesome white thingy circling it?"
"Yes Miko, I did." Jack replied, exasperated. How could she still be so upbeat while in captivity?
Jack looked over to Raf, who was quieter than normal. He was sitting the bed in the corner of the room, lost in thought. Jack felt a little guilty, having forgotten all about him. Hoping to save some face and look thoughtful, he addressed Rafael.
"Hey, Raf, any ideas on what to do?" Raf looked up, startled because he forgot the others were even there. He looked down, unsure what to say. After a moment, he spoke quietly.
"I don't know... I think I would like like to stay here. Maybe he isn't as bad as he seems?" Raf looked up, hope written plainly on his face. Jack and Miko looked at each other in worry. Jack took a step toward Raf, a hand outstretched in a pleading fashion.
"Raf, you didn't hear what he did to the Vehicons in as much detail as we did. That monster slaughtered them, not leaving a single one alive. He has done so much bad. How could you even consider helping him?"
"Jack," Raf said, begging with his eyes and voice. "You don't know what happened. Spectre, he... He told me about everything that Zane did, when he didn't think anyone was watching. He seems to actually care about... all of us, really."
"Rafael," Jack started, serious now. "What did this 'Spectre' say to you?"
"Well, maybe I should start at the beginning. I was at the house the government lent us. Or at least, what I believed to be the government..."
XxXxXxXx
(Rafael's POV)
I was at home, on my laptop, the same one I've had for so long. My room was larger than it once was, though still small. It was in the attic, after all. I even had a small circular window to the outside. The room didn't have much, just a bed and a dresser with some clothes. We lost everything back when Jasper was destroyed.
Anyway, I was in the government's satellites, trying to find the Nemesis, when I got an email from Bumblebee. He said I was needed back at base, and asked if they could send a groundbridge to my coordinates. I sent back I was at home and someone might come in.
So he offered to drive up to the house and take me to where the groundbridge wouldn't be seen.. I agreed, and sent him coordinates that were far enough from the town that he wouldn't be seen. I closed my laptop, and grabbed it, then ran down the stairs to where my siblings were messing around and causing trouble.
I managed to get out, no one tried to stop me. They didn't even notice me.
XxXxXxXx
"They never do." Raf choked out, a lone tear falling from his eye. Jack ran forward and embraced Raf, never seeing this side from him before.
"What do you mean?" Jack questioned. Raf waved the question away.
"D-doesn't matter. Anyway, I left the house and closed the door..."
XxXxXxXx
I ran across the yard, just in time for Bumblebee to reach the road in front of my house and throw open his passenger door instead of the driver door. I didn't think much of it, as we had to do that whenever we didn't want anyone to see us.
"Hey, Bee, why do you need me? What's wrong?"
"Well, you'll see." A deep, computer voice spoke out, like a male version of Siri. I nodded, until I realized that Bumblebee has never spoken English. I looked forward, to see a strange figure dressed in what appeared to be some sort of metal/cloth combination of armor. He was sitting in the seat in front of me, so I was unable to see anything but the sides of him.
"Who are you?" I had asked, some of my fear leaking into my voice. I was scared, who was this person and why did he want me? Did he do something to Bumblebee? He looked in the mirror at me, back the road, before looking once more at the mirror, not quite seeming to understand what he saw.
"Slag, kid, how old are you?" The man asked, some worry leaking into his own voice. Looking back on it, he kinda reminds me of a trucker. Yeah, strange, I know. But, that is exactly what he seemed like. A nice trucker, I suppose. Anyway, he turned around so I could see his face. Or head, I guess, since he was wearing a golden frame on his head with a blue, rounded, mirror-like material over his face.
"Twelve and a quarter, I'll have you know." I said stubbornly, you know how I don't like people to know how young I am. He just chuckled and started to apparently speak to the car.
"Hey, Stinger, I think you can turn back to normal now. And as a favor for me, will you please drive back to base? I need to speak with Rafael for a while."
"What am I, a chauffeur?" The car, Stinger, asked in place of a reply. They were both silent for a tense moment, before Stinger spat out a "Fine" and then did something strange.
The car shifted, I don't know how else to put it. It's almost like the whole thing prickled, and just changed. I don't know how it happened. It just started changing it's interior. The screen in the middle of the console disappeared, and the seats were now a leather instead of fabric. I could see through the windshield that the paint was now a dark red. The person in front of me took off his seatbelt, and climbed into the seat beside me. I had almost screamed, before guessing that the car was a Transformer. I couldn't dwell on that, however, as the man took off his mask. Underneath the mask, helmet, whatever it was, the man was a robot.
I know, I know, but that's the truth. After everything else that we've seen here, are you surprised? To get back on track, the robot's face was strange. It was extremely similar to a person's. He had pure white eyes that glowed, almost exactly like Bumblebee's. There was also a red paint job, with blue highlights. I think that I could even see some of his inner workings through the sides of his mouth, which was strange.
"I'm Spectre, one of the Exo's that have been tasked with finding and retrieving you and your friends. This grouchy car here is Stinger." The car, Stinger, growled out a "Hey". It was kinda scary, I wasn't sure how Stinger would react. Spectre turned back to me and must have seen the look on my face, because he looked sorry.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Listen, kid, there's no reason to be afraid. I don't want to hurt you, and none of us are planning to hurt you. Aren't you going to break your laptop like that?"
I looked down, and realized I was holding onto like it was my only lifeline. I thought for a minute, before deciding that perhaps Spectre was trustworthy. I set down my laptop on the seat between us, wanting to use it to maintain some distance between the two of us.
"So, where are you bringing me?" I asked, feeling my confidence raise a bit. He just smiled, as strange as that seems. Spectre then shook his head slightly while he answered.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that. However, I can guarantee your safety. My boss, Zane, has taken an interest in your friends and especially you. He will ensure your safety, even if he must do it at the cost of his life. You see, he is quite mad about what the Autobots and Decepticons have done bringing you humans into their war.
You have no idea how much he rants about it. He's been helping you all, in the shadows, just to help however he could. You think the government just gave you that house?" I only stared at him, mouth wide open. Was he suggesting...? Spectre laughed, a loud, but normal, sound; though perhaps slightly artificial. Not fake, just artificial.
"Yeah, I know. He's taking a liking to you, ya know. To be honest, it makes me think of a mother bear with her cubs. I understand if you don't want his protection, but he feels he has to offer it. He has been protecting your families so much. You think the Autobots have made sure your families were hidden? He, Zane has done that. You three leave a large digital footprint, and only Zane has kept this entire thing hidden. Zane was saddened when he realized that Airachnid kidnapped Jack's mother long before he could do anything about it.
He's also been making sure that no financial troubles happen. He has been hacking the banks and companies to make sure you three don't lose any power or your housing. I guess what I'm trying to say is to try to understand where Zane is coming from. He just wants to help. Give him a chance, and let him show his true nature. He won't at first, but if you earn his respect and trust, he will be the best friend you could ever have. Just... Listen
I won't be able to do much for you in the base, but I'll do what I can. Listen to Zane's rules and you'll be safe under his wings. Stinger, teleport us and make sure to tell me about what happens when I'm not around to help. Raf, good luck."
XxXxXxXx
"I know how it sounds," Raf said, sounding a little upset. "But it just felt... like he honestly believed that. I don't know how to describe it. Can we give them a chance? Please?" Raf was pleading, with puppy eyes. The two didn't stand a chance.
"Please Jack?" Miko asked him, giving in almost immediately. Jack sighed and nodded. Not a moment later, a voice spoke out from the wardrobes.
"Zane told me to tell you to open the wardrobes when you made your choice, he didn't tell the whole truth about the wardrobes as they have a different function. Authorization code Primus Killer."
The wardrobes beeped, and opened. Inside each, there was what could only be described as an exoskeleton. They were suits that seemed to be the exact size and shape of the three kids. They all were black, except for what appeared to be a purple spark in the middle of each chest. The doors closed not a moment after, however, preventing the kids from being able to do anything about them.
"So, do you like them? Zane made them just for you."
Miko and Jack stood there, mouths agape, but Raf just smiled a little. The voice continued to speak.
"Wait... oh. It would appear that Zane put directly into my coding a subroutine to introduce myself as early in a conversation as possible. I am Omicron, the AI put in charge of the base and Nemesis. If you need anything, say my name. Let's see... Wow. You wouldn't believe what Zane has left for me to tell you. He gave me a list longer than the Nile. I bet I can shorten it... Okay.
So, every few hours, the Exo Vector... Never mind, he refuses to cooperate. The Exo Spectre will come in and drop off some food. On second thought, if you need anything, ask him, not me. Farewell, and may we never need to speak again."
Everyone was silent for a few awkward seconds before Miko recovered and, as her usually spastic self, spoke in a loud and excited voice.
"So, what do we do now?"
XxXxXxXx
"You're joking!" Zane yelled out, throwing his hands into the air. Unicron chuckled and said "NO."
"But how am I going to get there?! The environment isn't exactly human friendly either... What the frag happened?! How could you let that happen?"
"WELL, YOU SEE ZANE, I WAS TRYING TO CONSOLIDATE MY POWER. I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO DO IT. I DIDN'T EXPECT THE METEOR, HOWEVER. IT SENT EVERYTHING HURTLING OFF INTO SPACE. SINCE I WAS RATHER LARGE AT THE TIME, AND STILL HAD SOME POWER LEFT, I WAS ABLE TO KEEP IT NEARBY."
"Not very helpful up there, is it?" Zane asked, trying to stay calm. However, he was starting to question his working with this deity. It could get rather scatterbrained, seriously, Zane expected better.
"I'M SORRY, YOUR MAJESTY. I PROMISE TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME." The sarcasm was dripping from Unicron's voice. Zane thought it better to not reply, and so Unicron continued.
"AFTER A FEW BILLION YEARS, GIVE OR TAKE 3.94 MILLION YEARS, THE MASS ATTRACTED DUST AND OTHER PARTICLES. NOW, IT HAS IT'S OWN SPECIAL PLACE IN LIFE. OF COURSE, THERE IS THE OTHER ONE I MENTIONED, IF YOU WANT TO GET THAT ONE INSTEAD.
"I don't know." For once, Zane was at a loss of what to do. His whole faction, plus the kids he kidnapped if they joined, depended on his decision making skills. Both options required the Nemesis, and the second wouldn't take much longer once the modifications to the Nemesis were done.
"YOU BETTER DECIDE QUICKLY. YOU HAVE A LOT GOING ON AT ONCE: YOU'RE FIGHTING WITH THE CYBERTRONIANS, TRYING TO KEEP AN ALLIANCE WITH PREDAKING AND AND HIS PREDACONS, SOUNDWAVE, AND THE HUMAN YOUNG."
"Yes, yes, I know full well what I have to worry about. But to get the Dark Energon... I don't want to ruin this planet's way of life." Zane sighed and rubbed his face. This was giving him far more stress than he expected. He never would have thought that so many obstacles could exist for just a single goal.
"Primus, all I want is to save the Bots and Cons. Why does the Universe have to conspire against me so? Just once, let something go my way." Zane despaired at the thought.
"YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT, I BELIEVE. THANKS TO YOUR ASSISTANCE IN REVIVING ME, I WILL BE ABLE KEEP THE GRAVITY IN THIS SOLAR SYSTEM STABLE FOR A LONG TIME. THE LOSS OF THE INSIDES OF THE MOON OR PLUTO WILL NOT BE FELT TILL HUMANITY HAS LONG BEEN DEAD."
"Thanks." Zane sighed, feeling a weight lift off of his shoulders.
"You have no idea how relieved I am. But now I need to figure out how to mine all of the Dark Energon in those planetoids." He shook his head, starting to feel the beginnings of a headache. He left the room in a purple flash, deciding to come back when Soundwave onlined. Right now it was time to check on the kids. He could only hope that this one plan would work without any kinks.