Chapter 1

Out in the Desert

It was just before sunrise, and all through the town, not a creature was stirring, not even a-Bleeeep I spoke too soon.

Jack groaned as he rolled over and shut off his alarm.

Why had he set it again? It was a Saturday, there was no school, and he was off work too. Oh right, he and Arcee were planning on spending the day hanging out, riding through the desert, and seeing a few of the nicer spots around Jasper. Still, he rolled back over, not yet ready to greet the day, as the sun continued to peak over the mountains. The peaceful morning didn't last as his cellphone broke the silence. Sighing, Jack shifted until he could stretch over to reach it, on his bedside table, getting tangled in his sheets, and almost falling out of bed, in the process.

Fumbling with it a moment he opened it and answered, "Hello?"

"Morning Jack." Came Arcee's voice. It was cheerful today, Jack could tell, and also full of amusement.

"Sleep well?" Jack rolled his eyes out of fondness and annoyance as he replied, "You did that on purpose."

Arcee laughed, "I thought you'd like to get an early start on our desert explorations, but if you want to be lazy and stay in all day I can just-"

"No, no I'm up!" Jack interrupted getting out of bed and looking for some clean clothes to wear. "I'll meet you in the garage in a bit."

"Alright, I'll be there soon." She assured him.

"How was the mission last night?" He asked.

The Autobots had discovered another of the Decepticon's energon mines, after the kids went home, so Optimus called everyone in to destroy it. Jack had wanted to go with, but his mother, June, was home early and put her foot down.

"Successful." Arcee said and began telling him all about it.

Jack listened as he got ready and had some breakfast. He hmmed and gasped in all the right places internally wishing he had been there to help. He knew the Autobots would never take him on such a mission and he'd be stuck at the base, more or less twiddling his thumbs, but he still wished he could do more to help them. Well, technically he could, but he wasn't about to let either faction find out about that, and besides, he'd promised his mother he wouldn't bring any attention to it.

"That's great, Arcee," He told her when she'd finished, "And I'm glad no one was hurt, but it sounds like it was too easy." he finished in concern.

"Sometimes it's like that. A mission comes along you think should be difficult but isn't. And it wasn't a very big mine so don't worry too much." She replied, "It was just one of those days."

"Been studying your Earth adages, I see" Jack stated around a mouthful of toast.

"Hmph, I'll have you know that-" A beeping from her comm. interrupted the rest she was about to say.

"Hold on, it's the base." Arcee was silent as she listened while Jack waited tense. Was it the Decepticons? What were they up to? Finally Arcee came back on.

"Jack?" She sounded disappointed.

"I'm here, what's wrong?" He asked expecting bad news.

"Trouble, the Decepticons are causing a stir." She replied

"Is it bad, should I come with?" Jack wondered.

"No, Optimus thinks it's a small retaliation for last night. He's going after them with Bumblebee, I'm supposed to fill in for him and patrol, which means I'll have to-"

"Cancel our plans." Jack finished.

"Yeah." Now she sounded resentful and Jack didn't blame her, he felt the same. He also felt bad for Arcee he couldn't imagine that she and the other Autobots had very much down time, before they came to Earth, so times spent relaxing were taken advantage of as much as possible.

"So rain check, then? Tomorrow?" He asked hopeful.

"Sure. I'm sorry about this Jack."

"It's not your fault, it's the Decepticons." He stated with conviction. Arcee chuckled a little, "Next time I see them I'll be sure to give them a schedule so they can time their plans to give us free days accordingly."

Jack smiled and laughed a bit at her joke feeling heartened by her thoughtfulness, "Thanks, Arcee, I'll see you later."

"Alright, Jack, and try to have some fun today, don't let the Decepticons spoil it." She advised.

The two said goodbye, and Jack closed his phone and cleaned up his breakfast remains. He looked around wondering what he could do today. It was still early, most of the town wasn't up yet, and there wasn't much of it that would occupy him for long. His mother was at work by now and he wasn't really interested in the TV either. He tried calling his friends to find out what they were up to.

He called Miko first, and sat at the table waiting for her to pick up, finally he heard a hello as someone answered.

"Hello, Miko? Oh, sorry Mrs. Willis. I'm Jack, Miko's friend. I was wondering if she'd like-grounded? Oh, okay, thanks anyway, sorry for bothering you. Goodbye."

Then he tried Raf, surely with Bumblebee away he'd want someone to hang out with. Raf answered the phone but he didn't sound too good.

"Hey, Raf, did you want to do something today? You're sick? Are you okay? Oh, I see. Yeah, sure hope you get better soon. Okay, bye"

Great, the Autobots were busy and his friends were otherwise out of commission. What was he going to do all day, sunbake? Jack looked at the clock, it was only 7:30, he turned his head to look out the window, to see the mountains, and grinned at a sudden idea. He went out to the garage and checked his bicycle, making sure it was in working order, then went and grabbed his backpack. He emptied it of schoolbooks and stuffed it with a few things; a cooler with sandwiches and water, a few cans from the recycle bin, and an old notebook with extra pens. Seeing he had everything, he rushed out to his bike, opened the garage door, and sped off down the street, not realizing he left his phone sitting on the table.

Megatron was not pleased, he was less than not pleased, he was furious. That was nothing new, but his soldiers still cowered expecting him to turn his wrath on them at any second.

"Why? Why do the Autobots continue to elude me?" He raged. Knockout was stupid enough to open his mouth.

"Well, Lord Megatron, perhaps they've gone and taken a vacation somewhere." He said. Megatron looked at the mech his red optics smoldering. The two Vehicons behind him wisely backed away as, in the next moment, Knockout hit the wall of the command deck after being punched by his leader, who roared with seething fury.

"Imbecile!" Megatron shouted, "Only last night the Autobots attacked one of our energon mines, or did you conveniently forget about your little sojourn this morning, that cost me some of my soldiers? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" He glared at the sports car who gulped and tried to save face.

"M-my Lord, I had intended to draw out the Autobots so that you could have the pleasure of seeing to their destruction after their capture." Knockout tried convincing him.

"Would it not have been better then, to have informed me of your idea, before you carried it out, behind my back, and with MY Decepticons?" Their leader hissed, "Who is in charge of this army, Knockout?"

"You are, sir." Knockout gulped again as Megatron loomed above him.

"Then see to it that next time you remember it." Megatron growled

"Yes, sir." he said, and vented in relief, as Megatron turned around and walked a few feet to the control board.

"And Knockout?"

Said mech tensed before inquiring, "Yes, Lord Megatron?"

"I will not tolerate insubordination under my command. So the next time you attempt to subvert my authority," He turned his head so his red optics could stare menacingly at the medic, "I will personally see to your dismemberment." He finished, turning to look at the computer again.

Knockout felt a shiver go through his frame, and vowed not to make that mistake again, for Megatron could be unpredictable at times, but if he made a threat he made sure to keep it. He observed the goings on, on the command deck, and noted the absence of one con in particular.

"Where is Soundwave, my lord?" He carefully asked.

"I sent him on a scouting mission while you were busy entertaining the Autobots." Megatron replied surprising the sports car behind him.

"To what purpose, if I may ask?"

"To my purpose, Knockout!" Megatron snapped, "If I decide you need to know then you will be informed, but not before. Now get out of my sight!"

Knockout decided then it would be safer hiding in the ship's lab for a while, while the silver mech cooled down.

After he left, Megatron continued watching the display, which showed a live video feed from Soundwave, as he observed the landscape, searching for something of use that would aid his leader in the ongoing war. Not knowing he would find something, a discovery that would both shock the Decepticon leader and please him to no end.

Tire breaks squealed as Jack reached his destination. He was in one of the canyons several miles outside of Jasper. The sun was steadily moving across the sky, but had not yet reached its peak, as Jack stood his bike on its break close to one of the walls. He took a water out of his bag for a drink before moving off on foot. He soon came to a crack in the cliff, that only a human could fit through, and walked down it a ways, before it opened up into a wide area.

Jack had discovered this place a while back, when he was looking for a place to practice, he had gotten caught up in his exploration, when he found it. A hidden oasis. It was shaped like a bowl with the cliffs enclosing it all around, but the sides had been weathered out, providing some shady places to relax. Some water gushed out of one wall, traveled to the other side, and out of sight, and there was grass, even a few flowers growing.

The young man smiled as he looked around at it. It had been a while since he'd come here, his old target stands, made from piled stones, were still there just as he'd left them. The little patch of garden he had cultivated was clear, but had withered some, he'd see to that after he got in some target practice. He set his bag down, in a nice shady spot he knew would stay like that for most of the day, and got out the old cans and notebook.

The cans he stood on the rock piles, some had more than one stacked on top of each other, others were set in rows in a zigzag pattern, but he left some extra cans scattered on the ground in front of him. He stepped back to survey his work, and set his notebook beside him on a table like rock, before beginning.

Jack stood before the targets and closed his eyes, using the breathing exercises he was taught to calm his mind, before opening his eyes, and focusing on a can that lay to his right. It wobbled a little, until it suddenly leaped, aiming for a stack of cans. It knocked the top can off making Jack frown.

"Aim's a little off." He said to himself, "But then, I haven't used them like this in a while."

Yes, Jack had not used his abilities so outwardly in a long while. It was a secret he kept from everyone, his mother knew, but even she didn't know the extent they had grown. If people found out that Jack was psionic, not just telekinetic, they would think he was some sort of freak. He didn't tell anyone, not even the Autobots, whom he trusted more than normal humans, he knew if he did the Decepticons would find out somehow. So he kept his mouth shut and made extra effort not to do anything strange around them.

However, on occasion, when he went with them on some of their missions, he was able to use his powers in small ways. Such as the time scraplets had overrun the base, he had used his cryokinesis to freeze more of the little piranhas, while the fire foam cloud obscured him from view. Or the time Silas had kidnapped him, he'd used his telekinesis to snatch his radio, little things like that. The one time he had to openly use his powers, he was on Cybertron trying to help Optimus, who had forgotten he was the Autobot leader. Some scraplets thought to try chomping on the metal parts of his astronaut suit, when he shocked them away with his electrokinesis. He'd wanted to use them, on the ones trying to eat Vector Sigma, but didn't want to cause any further damage at the same time.

Really, it was a wonder that, with Cybertronian scanners as advanced as they were, he hadn't been caught. Yet. Jack knew if you had a secret to keep eventually it would get out, it's how he lost his father, something he didn't like to talk about.

Jack kept up his practice, moving from telekinetic to pyrokinetic, adjusting his control, and improving his aim, all while making notations in his notebook on his progress. Flames seemed to flow out of his palms as though they weren't hands, but dragons breathing fire. The more he focused the thinner the stream became, making the fire burn hotter, when it struck a can causing it to melt.

He moved through his different kinesis abilities unaware of his silent audience.

From Soundwave's live feed, Megatron observed, as the human used powers he'd never seen before on his makeshift targets. How was this possible? Humans were weak pathetic creatures that he could easily squash between two fingers. Yet this one, was not only producing elements from seemingly nowhere, but controlling them with a fair amount of skill.

"Soundwave, identify that human." Megatron commanded. He didn't wait long, before an image came up, of the Autobots three human pets, and the one male with dark hair was highlighted. Megatron's optics widened with astonishment.

"It's that boy!" He exclaimed then grinned darkly, "Is this then the reason Optimus chose you? Did he know?" He pondered. Megatron chuckled deeply as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Soundwave I want that human alive bring him before me unharmed!" Megatron ordered. As the spy moved into position to snatch the teen, Megatron commented to himself, "Whatever your strange powers I will have them for myself. Even if I have to open you up to discover all your secrets."

He laughed insanely knowing the creature was doomed.