Chapter 13
The next morning, Jack woke up to the feeling of someone touching him. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking a couple times to adjust to the light and saw Arcee lying inches in front of him, running her hand through his hair.
"Good morning" she said happily.
It was a good morning and Jack was glad the night had finally ended. When he set up his mind barrier, he actually started to dream when he fell asleep; his first dream in weeks. Although, after seeing the aftermath of Agent 000's 'heroic action', he couldn't get the picture out of his head and was basically stuck in a nightmare all night.
Jack groaned and forced a smile, leaning over and giving her a kiss to the lips, then to the nose. She giggled in response to his lips touching her nose and smiled, locking eyes with him. Arcee noticed that there was something different about his eyes today but just couldn't put a finger on it.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
Jack was lost inside of her beautiful blue eyes and shook his head, returning to reality. "Why wouldn't I be? I have the most people girl in the universe right here in my arms."
Arcee rolled her eyes and gave him a kiss before getting out of bed and heading for the door. Once Jack was alone, he sighed and rubbed his eyes.
Look kid, we need to talk. Came Agent 000's voice.
The anger and hatred returned to Jack as soon as he heard the killer in his head.
No we don't, you're a monster and should burn in hell after what happened yesterday.
Ok, yes, maybe I am a monster but think about what we did yesterday.
First, it's what you did. Second, all you did was brutally murder six people. End of discussion. Jack was getting seriously pissed off at the man sharing his body.
Hold on, you're not thinking of the bright side. We stopped those criminals from robbing the bank. Do you know how much money they would have gone off with if we hadn't intervened? Not only that but they were armed. What if they decided to rob houses next? There might have been a lot more than six deaths yesterday.
Jack groaned but thought for a moment before he responded. Technically, Agent 000 was right. Maybe if they hadn't stopped them, the criminals would have done a lot more than rob a bank. But killing them was still inexcusable and was downright a crime itself.
Ok, if you still aren't on my side, think of it as self-defense. They had their guns pointed at me and if I didn't do anything, we both would have been killed. This is the same situation as when you fought that bully at school. He would have beaten you up, so you beat him up first. They would have killed me, so I killed them first.
Why are you telling me this? Are you feeling sympathetic now that you realized you just ended the lives of six people?
Kid, I told you that I've changed. When you saw me kill those men and woman a month ago, that was because that was all I've been taught to do. I'm different now and while I still do kill, I don't kill the innocent.
Uh, can we just drop this whole thing? I'm tired of talking about this and honestly, I don't want to think about what happened last night.
Alright then.
Jack groaned and got out of bed, happy to know that the situation would never be brought up again. He got his clothes and started to get ready for the day.
...
"Breaking news: A crime scene was found this morning right in front of the Jasper Bank of America. Reports indicate a fight had occurred last night leaving six individuals killed. Local police has blocked off the area and has now begun investigating the scene."
Jack practically spat out the orange juice he was drinking when he heard the news anchor speak. Everyone else in the kitchen didn't notice, instead going to the living room to see what the anchor was talking about.
"We are bringing you live footage of the crime scene. Be warned that there will be gruesome and disturbing images. Please turn away if you do not wish to see any of it."
The camera changed views to a helicopter flying above the bank. The image was blurry as it zoomed in on the investigation. Once the camera was stabilized, the image started to get a better picture of the scene.
The entire household winced in disgust as images of body parts were shown lying across the sidewalk. Blood stained the streets and police officials were busy taking samples off of the ground. The entire scene was just how Agent 000 had left it and even though Jack had gotten a front row seats, seeing the aftermath again made his stomach turn.
The camera switched back to the anchor where she looked as if she was about to barf.
"That was live footage of a recent crime that happened right outside of the Jasper Bank of America. We have new information regarding the event that took place last night. Bank surveillance cameras were able to film six individuals approaching the bank before the cameras were destroyed. Police officers have confirmed that the six individuals that have died were in fact the ones approaching the bank earlier that night. The criminals were identified as the Blood Lizards; a gang that has been charged for countless murder, theft and rape allegations. This gang is known as one of America's top 10 most dangerous groups and it seems like the remaining members were killed last night in a fight. The question remains: who was the killer and should he be seen as a hero, or a vigilante. More news on the situation later."
Jack quickly turned the TV off when she finished and turned to the people in the household.
"That was disgusting" Bumblebee exclaimed, rubbing his eyes with his hands as if to wipe the memory away.
"I must agree Bumblebee, that was the most disturbing human crime that I have ever seen." Ratchet added, looking just as shocked as the young scout.
"We should be glad that none of us were outside when that happened." June said, trying to calm down the situation. As a nurse, she had to deal with many injuries that many people would rather not see, so she knew how to handle things such as that. However, the amount of blood and the fact that there were no 'intact' human bodies disturbed her and made her feel weak in the stomach. "Why don't we just finish breakfast and continue with our morning?"
"Thanks June but I think I've lost my appetite after seeing that" Bulkhead said, grabbing his stomach. The Autobots nodded in agreement.
"Um, I need to get some fresh air" Jack said, walking towards the door.
Once he was outside, he took a deep breath; inhaling a great amount of oxygen then letting it all out.
That was unexpected, came Agent 000's voice.
You're telling me. That was a lot more disgusting then I remember.
You and I both kid.
So, thinking that maybe brutally killing people isn't the way to go?
Maybe... although, our recent events have definitely gone into consideration.
Jack actually smiled, happy that he might finally be getting through to the agent.
Good. If I have to watch guts spill one more time, I'm going to lose it.
Noted. Now you should probably get back inside kid, the others are giving you a strange look and you don't want them to think you had anything to do with it.
Jack took one more deep breath before walking back in.
It was going to be a rough day for them all.
...
"Prime! Have you heard about-"
"We know man, stop bringing it up."
The Autobots, humans, and Agent Fowler were sitting around the command center working on their own things. Raf and Bumblebee were playing some video games, Optimus and Ratchet were busy fixing the Genetic Exchanger, and the rest of them were working on a science projects they were assigned before the weekend.
Agent Fowler had just come out of the lift and the group knew exactly what he was about to say before his mouth even opened. They really didn't want to think about what they had seen on television and luckily, Wheeljack managed to get the agent to stop talking.
"Well alright then. How has humanity been treating you soldier?" Agent Fowler asked.
"I've gotten used to it" Wheeljack answered, writing something down on his report.
The agent nodded, knowing he should probably let the guy finish his work. He walked down the stairs that connected the platform to the ground and saw the Autobot leader working hard.
"How is it coming Prime?"
Optimus looked up from the pieces of metal in front of him and saw Agent Fowler approaching. The Prime's eyes were glowing blue and the sudden light startled the agent. "Do not worry Agent Fowler, my eyes only glow when I am connected with the Wisdom of the Primes. It is necessary for me to access the information needed to fix the Genetic Exchanger."
Agent Fowler nodded in understanding as Optimus continued. "Ratchet and I have been working on our broken artifact for quite some time now. I believe we will have it fully repaired in four months, although, I am not certain. The technology used inside the artifact does not match with our current Cybertronian technology and for that reason; we have found it difficult to proceed."
"So you're saying your tech is too high tech? Why not use some of Earth's less advanced tech to help you out?" The agent asked.
"That's preposterous!" Ratchet exclaimed, lifting his welding mask so he can talk clearly. "Mixing the technology from two different planets is extremely difficult, especially if we are dealing with a Cybertronian artifact. If we were to use Earth technology, we may risk extending the repair time to possibly over a year!"
"Wow alright, I'm sorry I asked. Keep up the good work, in the meantime Uncle Sam's army can fend off the 'cons for now." Agent Fowler stated.
"We should not underestimate Megatron, Agent Fowler. While he is not as unpredictable as Starscream, he is still very dangerous when it comes to battle strategies. The Decepticons may not be active currently but I fear that they have a reason for their quietness." Optimus said.
Suddenly, as if on cue, an alarm form the computer monitor started to blink red and everybody formed around the console. Ratchet quickly disabled the alarm and started to type in some commands.
"Optimus, you may be right. Our scanners are picking up over three dozen Decepticons signals. It may be just an energon scouting mission but I highly doubt that. Megatron rarely sends out a squadron of this many Decepticons." Ratchet said, looking a little worried.
"Agent Fowler, prepare the drones for recon. We may need to groundbridge them to their location if we plan on getting there on time. Ratchet, continue to monitor any other Decepticon signals. If this truly is an attack, we must evacuate any civilians at risk." Optimus ordered.
Agent Fowler immediately began making some phone calls and moments later, the four drones appeared form the groundbridge.
"I got a strike team ready for dispatch Prime, just give me the signal." The agent said.
"Awesome! We get to see another explosion!" Miko exclaimed, earning a glare from Ratchet but a laugh from the two wreckers.
"Optimus, I have their coordinates, bridging the drones in now." The medic said, typing in a couple commands.
The swirling green vortex opened up and the four drones flew in, ready to capture anything. The group at Omega One base looked closely at the four cameras displayed on the screen and as the drones flew closer, they started to get a better view of what the Decepticons were up to.
It appeared to be a mining site but completely over ground. There was no cave or mine nearby; there was only Vehicon miners busy digging into the Earth's core. Just like Ratchet had said, there were almost three dozen Decepticons, all of whom were mining except two in particular. The first one was a blue and gold mech with a square jaw. He had a jet like stature but was no push-over when it comes to force. He also seemed to be the one in charge of the whole operation and was clearly watching over the miners work.
"Look it's Dreadwing" Wheeljack said with a little bit of disgust. He still wanted revenge for what he did to Seaspray, and sooner or later, he was going to get it.
The other Decepticon next to him was colored black and purple. She had multiple extra limbs that shot out from her body that gave her her signature spider-like look. As soon as Arcee saw her, she immediately felt the anger boil inside of her.
"Airachnid" she growled through gritted teeth. Arcee had a history with the spider-like Decepticon that ranged from the death of her first partner, to her threatening the safety of Jack and his mom. Airachnid was her most hated enemy and the former two-wheeler would do anything to make her pay for what she's done.
Jack saw that his girlfriend was starting to get deep into thought and quickly put an arm around her waist and brought her closer. Instantly the rage inside of her cooled down as she felt the warmth from his body against hers.
"Optimus, what are they doing mining the surface? There doesn't look like any energon is around." Jack pointed out.
Optimus put Jack's words into consideration as he looked at the picture the drones were sending. Suddenly it dawned on him and his eyes widened slightly. "Just as I feared, the Decepticons are not mining for energon, but rather for another artifact. Megatron must have been trying to decode the Iacon database files to gain access to the hidden artifacts scattered across Earth."
"Alright then, let's just send in a strike team to blast those 'cons sky high" Agent Fowler suggested but it was waved off.
"Agent Fowler, we cannot send in a strike team in this situation. The artifact is encased in a hardened Cybertronian container that is impenetrable to any weapon Earth possesses. Also, I believe that it was no coincidence that Megatron sent in a squadron of Decepticons all with the ability to fly. If we send in your strike team, surely they would be chased and shot down. There is too much of a risk, tell your military to stand down." Optimus commanded.
"But Optimus, are we just going to let the 'cons walk away with a relic?" Bulkhead asked.
"I'm afraid that we must Bulkhead. We do not posses any means of stopping the Decepticons from retrieving the artifact and I will not risk the lives of our human allies." Optimus answered sadly.
The former Autobots and humans watched the screen as the Vehicon miners dug uncovered a container-like object. Dreadwing and Airachnid quickly came over as they inspected it of any damages. Once they were satisfied, Dreadwing slowly turned the lid open, throwing it to the side. The Decepticon commander looked inside the container and smirked as he took it out. It was a blue disc with gray alien designs on the front. It looked like a shield but it was much to small to serve that purpose.
"The Spark Extractor" Ratchet gasped.
"The Spark whatawhat?" Miko asked.
The medic groaned at the girl's terrible humor. "The Spark Extractor, a device of Decepticon origin used to remove the sparks off any Cybertronian."
"Woah, what was something that was made by Decepticons doing in the Iacon Hall of Records?" Bulkhead asked.
"The class A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war, were sealed within the vault bellow Iacon" Optimus answered. "It stands to reason that in anticipation to Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off world, to keep them far from Decepticon reach."
"And now, Megatron's got the Spark Extractor back." Arcee said, putting two and two together.
"That is correct." Optimus said.
"Autobots, I believe the balance of power has now shifted in Decepticon favor."
...
"Lord Megatron, I present to you, the Spark Extractor."
Dreadwing knelt down while handing his master the artifact, showing signs of respect and authority.
"Very well done Dreadwing, you have served me well. The Spark Extractor is of Decepticon origin and now, it will be used to serve its purpose, to destroy the Autobots."
"Lord Megatron, we did not encounter any signs of retaliation of Autobot, nor human. Should this be considered a problem?" Dreadwing asked. He was expecting an attack earlier but didn't get one, and now he was curious.
"Hmm, surely the Autobots would have picked up the Iacon homing beacon attached to the artifact. "Megatron thought out loud. "Perhaps they are planning an attack on the ship. Do not worry about the Autobots Dreadwing, for now station guards at every post around the ship. If Optimus is planning on attacking, we will be ready for him."
"Yes my liege" Dreadwing said, bowing before he left.
Megatron looked out the window of his grand Nemesis.
"What are you up to Optimus?"
...
