AN: Took a little vacation to let the rockets cool and let ideas pool. Here's the next installment, enjoy!
Chapter 11
To Speak of Past Events
It was 8:30 Sunday morning when Jack finally came to.
He woke up bleary eyed and still felt he could sleep for a hundred years, if it weren't for a clamoring headache. What did he do yesterday to earn such a head popper? Wait. It came back to him slowly as he was having trouble focusing. The kidnapping, Megatron, the battle, the Nemesis, it all came back and Jack got an apprehensive feeling. Was he still on the Nemesis as the Decepticon leader's pet? Or...
Jack opened his eyes to the familiar silo and relief flooded him.
He was back in the Autobot base, he was home. The teen couldn't hold the tired smile in if he tried, it was good to be back. He turned his head and saw a peculiar sight. His mother lay asleep on the couch and around her on the floor in sleeping bags were Miko, and Raf. Jack blinked, what were they doing here and what time was it? Shouldn't his mom be at work?
Jack sat up carefully so as not to jar his aching skull. He touched his fingers to his head and was happy to find it free of Megatron's mind control band. The young man gazed around the space that had been carved out of the plateau. Arcee was curled on a berth next to the inner corridor, still in recharge, Bulkhead was sat against a wall not far from her, also asleep and snoring loudly. Bumblebee was leaning into his side equally out of it, Ratchet was no where to be seen, and Optimus was at the base's controls. The only one awake.
"Optimus?"
The tall mech turned at his hoarse call and his optics softened. He padded over quietly and spoke, his voice lowered to not wake the others.
"I am glad to see you up, Jack. How do you feel?" He asked, looking the teen over.
"Like I've been steamrolled." The boy said with a weary grin wincing as he held his head.
"A side effect from removing the Impulse Disruptor. Ratchet said your processor would probably ache for a while." The Prime stated calmly.
"Oh, so that's what it was called." Jack looked down speaking the last part more to himself as he suddenly remembered the things he did as Megatron's slave.
"Optimus, I...I'm sorry." He stared at his hands guiltily, "I let you guys down."
"No apology is necessary, Jackson Darby." The Autobot leader gazed at him compassionately, "What matters is that you are safe now."
"But I lied to you all, I should've told you from the start about my powers." Grey eyes stared into blue optics earnestly.
"No, I understand you needed to keep your secret for protection and I will not blame you for Megatron's crimes. You should not either, Jack." Optimus imparted wisely.
A silence fell as the teen thought about it, the red and blue mech waited patiently.
"I know you're right, Optimus," Jack sighed, "But I can't help feeling guilty. If I didn't have these abilities this never would have happened. I wish I didn't."
"Power is as much a burden as leadership. There is no question, that sometimes, something will go very wrong or mistakes will happen. The loss of good comrades, or being forced to fight one's friends." The Prime began.
The boy gazed at the Autobot leader, at his leader, listening.
"There comes a time, when our responsibilities call us forth to carry burdens we don't want, or wish we could give to someone else. I have come to realize, however, that these burdens are given to us, because we are the only ones who can carry them. Just as I am tasked with the leadership of this team, a position I would not wish upon anyone indefinitely." He finished solemnly.
Jack sat in contemplation, feeling his heart lighten the more he thought. His circumstances, the past events of Saturday, none of these things were things he would want others to experience. He wouldn't want Miko to be forced to hurt Bulkhead, or Raf to keep psionic powers a secret from his family, he never wanted anyone put in that kind of situation. The teen knew that this was what Optimus must feel like, the willingness to shoulder any trial for the sake of others. So, Jack resolved, that he too would gladly carry any burden, if that's what it took. He looked up at the tall mech.
"Thanks, Optimus." He said.
The Prime gave him a small smile of understanding and nodded his head the two sharing in the morning's silence. The moment was interrupted by Miko rolling over and sitting up with a yawn.
"Morning, Optimus, Jack." She said sleepily, then rolled over again to catch a few more Zs.
The two stared at her in amusement and Jack counted down in his head.
3...2...1...
"Jack!" Miko sat up with a screech.
Her shout woke the others making them grumble and causing the teen and Prime to wince. Paying no mind to any of this, the excited girl rushed over and tackled him with a hug.
"Ah, Miko, easy!" Jack cried.
She released him and then punched him in the arm and yelled, "You jerk! Why didn't you tell us you had superpowers? Do you have any idea how awesome that is?"
She grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. By this time the others had woken up and were gathering around while looking on with bewilderment.
"I think you should let him go, Miko, before he barfs all over you." Raf warned, as he watched the scene comically. If Jack were a cartoon, he would've had dizzy swirls in his eyes by now.
"Oh, sorry." Miko said sheepishly as she released him.
"It's okay, just don't do that again." Jack groaned as he held his head and his mother came over.
"Here," She said handing him a couple ibuprofen and a glass of water. She hugged him close once he finished.
"Oh, Jack, are you alright?" His mother asked him.
"I'm okay, mom." He assured her, returning the hug and the two just held onto each other for a moment.
"Shouldn't you be at work, though?" Jack asked as they drew away.
"I called and told them there was an emergency." She stated simply.
"Why did you never tell me you were practicing your abilities?" It was her turn to demand.
"I, uh, didn't think you wanted to be reminded about what happened, I'm sorry." The teen looked down guiltily.
"Next time," June said taking her son's face in her hands, "Next time you go out to practice your kinesis, please don't hide it from me."
Jack stared into his mother's eyes and nodded swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.
"I will, and I'll take Arcee with me." He promised.
"You most certainly will, or I'll ground your butt from here until you graduate, buster." June smirked at him.
"I second that." Arcee stated as she drew close.
Jack swung himself off the gurney and walked over to her. The femme held out a servo, which he grasped, his hand being enveloped gently in her grip.
"Hey." He said simply.
"Hey." She returned.
Something passed between them, an unspoken admission that things were alright and would continue to get better. The psionic teen turned to the others.
"You guys all okay?" Jack asked worriedly as he surveyed his partner and the rest of the Autobots for any lasting damage he may have caused.
"Yeah, you didn't do much, most of it's from the cons, just a few dents and whatnot we'll be fine." Bulkhead reassured him when Bumblebee whirred.
"Bee wants to know if you will be." Raf translated.
Everyone held their breath as Jack looked from one to the other his gaze rested on Optimus before he turned back to the yellow scout.
"You know, I think I will be just fine." He said with a small smile and the tension left the room completely as the young Autobot gave a happy sounding tweet.
"Alright now spill! How'd you get to the Nemesis? What're the Decepticons really like? You got any dirt we can blackmail them with? Well? Spill!" Miko pressed excitedly for info.
Jack backed up at the Japanese teen's rapid fire questions unable to get a sentence in as she spoke all in one breath.
"Woah, woah, Miko calm down! Actually, what are you doing here?" He quickly changed the subject.
Just because he said he'd be fine didn't mean he wanted to talk about the experience right away, it was just way too fast at the moment.
"And I thought Raf was sick, too.?" The young man wondered perplexed.
"Oh, Fowler gave our families one of his spiels and brought us to base, so we wouldn't be kidnapped by Decepticons." Rafael said, shrugging nonchalantly while Miko snorted, "And it was just a stomachache, with all the worry and excitement, I got over it."
"Ha! You should have seen him and Ratchet work like a pair of super geniuses!" The Japanese girl crowed enthusiastically, "They were like, 'if we calibrate this' and 'if we add that' it was awesome! They were so fast!"
Jack was impressed as he listened and soon, with spirited interruptions from the audience, the whole story was explained. It always surprised him how much he and his friends impacted the war. All the small stuff, and his own trip to Cybertron, had really added up to make a difference in the eons old conflict. Now, his friends had even managed to save him from a horrid fate and he wondered how he could repay them for it.
The telling of the happenings at base began to wind down, with everyone paying rapt attention.
"So after Ratchet fixed Optimus, he took you to his lab and brought out this huge medical device, called a De-melder. It had all these wires connecting it to a machine and it made a humming noise when he held it over you. That's when that ring fell off your head and then Arcee took and blasted it to scrap." Miko finished pounding her fist into her palm for emphasis.
"That's great." Jack glanced at his partner gratefully then asked, "Say, where is Ratchet, anyway?"
"He stayed up most of the night on watch so I took over for him early this morning." Optimus said, "I believe he is still recharging."
A beeping at the consul drew his attention and he turned tapping at a few keys.
"What is it, Optimus?" Arcee asked on alert.
"It had better not be cons again!" Bulkhead growled.
"No, agent Fowler is returning." The Autobot leader told them and they relaxed again.
A moment later a black nondescript car rolled into the base and the dark man stepped out with a couple bags of breakfast sandwiches.
"I got food, who wants some?" The government man said jovially while waving a paper sack around.
"Fowler, oh man, you are my favorite agent right now, I'm starving!" Jack exclaimed peering over the railing at the older male.
"Hey Jack, good to see you're looking better this morning." He handed the hungry teen a bag when he reached him and clapped him on the back.
"For having gone through so much in one day, you sure bounce back fast." Fowler said amicably, passing around the rest of the hot food.
"I had some good advice." Jack replied, digging into an egg and sausage biscuit whilst the Autobots joined their human charges with some energon cubes.
The agent glanced at the Prime knowingly, "Good advice is good medicine, my mother used to say."
Smiles were exchanged between everyone, as they laughed and enjoyed each other's company unwinding from the tensions that had gripped them all before. Jack was working on his third biscuit, while Bulkhead and Fowler had somehow gotten into a contest over who had the funniest stories. The green Autobot was just relating a prank he and his fellow wreckers once pulled, on a group of Eradicons, while buzzed up on some high grade, when Ratchet wearily walked in.
"I hope that isn't about the time you and your buddies pretended to be Decepticon officers and made those soldiers act out Monitor Pythagoras's 'Iacon Fairy' sketch." The medic said with exasperation.
The kids giggled and tried not to choke on their food while the adults raised their eyebrows in amusement.
"Don't you mean Monty Python's 'Military Fairy' sketch?" Fowler asked bemused, causing Bulkhead to look at him incredulously.
"You mean you have one here, too?" He wondered bewildered.
"Oh, Primus, no. I could never stand those skits on Cybertron. I don't need to hear it again, Earthling style." Ratchet moaned in irritation as Arcee handed him some energon.
"You seem extra cranky today." She stated pleasantly as he took the cube.
"Recharge cycle was a little rough, I'll be fine." The red and white bot replied curtly and looked at Jack.
"How's your head feeling?" He spoke with his doctor voice.
The teen polished off the last of his breakfast before addressing the medic.
"It hurt a bit earlier but it's fine now." He said honestly.
"You haven't tried using your psionic abilities today, have you?" Ratchet inquired, while scanning the young man carefully for signs of residual pain.
"No, not with a headache." Jack winced, "I did that once when I was practicing, not a good idea."
"I'd imagine so." The medic hummed distractedly.
"The activity in your mind seems to have calmed from the strain it was put under, but I'd wait two hours before you try anything, and nothing strenuous." He ordered.
"Aw, I wanted to see you blow something up!" Miko pouted.
"Nobody is blowing up anything! The last thing I need is something else to break around here." Ratchet sniffed indignantly.
"And from now on, Jack, I don't want you to use your kinesis powers without supervision." June jumped in with, sternly.
"But mom-" Jack started.
"No buts, I know I can't keep you from practicing, so consider this as consequences for not telling me before about what you were doing out in the desert." His mother had that look on her face so the teen just sighed but didn't argue.
"So, how did you become psionic, anyway?" Raf wondered curiously and everyone trained their ears and audios towards Jack.
"Er, mom you didn't tell them?" The boy nervously asked his mother.
"Only what I knew. You know I don't know how you got them, you never wanted to talk about it." June told her son.
"Oh."
The young man shifted, suddenly feeling restless, realizing he would have to explain, but would they believe him?
"Well, son? What happened in those mountains?" Fowler questioned.
"Okay," The dark haired teen took a breath wondering where to start, "You know that I was hiking with my dad right?"
When they nodded Jack began his story.
*Flashback*
Young seven year old Jack and his father had just finished picking up their campsite. They were in the Yosemite National Forest for a week long hike through the back trails of the woods, just the two of them. The young boy was excited to spend time with his father and they were already three days into the trip, seeing as much as they could, and he'd learned so much.
"Right. You have all your gear now? We won't be coming back if you left something." Jack's father addressed his son.
The child carefully went over his checklist of gear that he had made himself, with a little help from his mother, before nodding vigorously.
"Yep! I didn't forget anything." Jack said proudly.
"Your swiss knife?" His father pressed.
"Front jacket pocket with the flint." The boy patted the spot.
"Camera?"
"Fanny pack with extra batteries." He tapped the small satchel on his belt in confirmation.
"Flashlight?"
"Same place as the camera."
"A change of underwear?"
"Dad!" Jack cried indignantly causing the elder man to crack up.
"Kidding, just kidding!" His father held up his hands while laughing, "You're sure you have it all, though?"
"Yes!" The seven year old rolled his eyes.
"Okay then, recite the safety rules, for me." The elder male requested.
"Always check where you step and sit for scorpions, snakes, and other stuff." The boy began, "Don't go anywhere without telling you and always keep each other in sight. Use flashlights and whistles. Drink lots of water. Stay on the trail and use a map. Watch for bad weather. Never look a bear in the eye or go near its cubs. Don't stick your hand into something if you don't know what's inside."
Jack's father winced, "Alright, you can stop there, son."
"You started it." The child stated impishly, trying to keep from giggling, as his dad tugged a glove up higher on his hand over the scratches, from a squirrel he'd disturbed, while grabbing some wild nuts.
"If you don't get moving, we'll never see the end of this trail before you finish joking." The man said ruefully, "I swear you're just like your mother."
Jack stuck his tongue out at him and the two chuckled then headed out. They spent the day talking, the older male taught the younger about all the different things they saw such as the massive sequoia trees, the rivers, animals and all other wonders to see. They passed by the most beautiful scenery; Tall snow capped mountains, forested valleys, and roaring waterfalls.
The two were having such a good time that before they knew it the morning had passed by and it was 2:30 PM. Jack and his father stopped on a mountain side to eat. They had a cliff to their backs and its side continued to slope down in front of them below the trail, too steep to walk down safely, but not a sheer drop like other areas. In front of them was the most amazing view that young Jack had ever laid eyes on.
"Just look at that sight, son." His father said to him with wonder, "As if the whole world laid at your feet and this mountain were your castle. Just amazing."
"Will it ever get old?" The boy asked equally marveling at the scene.
"No, never does. Things that humbling don't ever do. It's why I love coming up here."
The two sat in contented silence feasting on their trail mix and some jerky, the real meal would come later.
"I'm proud of you, Jack. You're really handling this trip well." The seven year old's father looked at his son with inward pride, his boy was growing up so fast!
"Thanks, dad." Jack felt his own emotions well up.
For what more needed to be said?
"Well, shall we get back to it?" The man inquired as he stood up.
The younger male nodded getting to his feet and dusting himself off. The two walked fifty yards along the path as it wound around when it suddenly narrowed.
"Careful here, it looks a bit rough ahead. Use your hiking poles when you step." His elder warned.
They traveled fine for twenty yards when the unthinkable happened.
Jack was three feet behind his father as the trail began sloping upward. It was a bit muddy, from moisture in the higher elevation, so the child dug his stick in, to gain purchase, and heave himself forward. The pole broke just as he lifted his other foot and rod to step. The sudden weight caused the boy to slip and, with a yelp, fall backwards, then he rolled until he tumbled over the trail, and continued sliding down the slope.
"Jack!" He heard his father scream, but the boy was too busy yelling himself while he slid on his back unable to stop himself. With a final scream, he fell into an opening in the mountain that he couldn't see from the trail and landed hard on the ground, blacking out. He groaned as he came to a moment later.
The child sat up dizzily and looked around. The sun's light was just shining into the place enough for him to see. The crack he'd fallen through wasn't very wide but it opened up into a good sized cavern tall enough for a person to fit a garbage truck inside and it appeared to branch off into the gloom. Jack got his flashlight out and shined it about curiously.
The cave lit up dimly with thousands of tiny crystals reflecting the light from the thin beam and in spite of himself Jack was awed. The cavern grew more massive the further from the entrance it went with tunnels stretching long and out of sight. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere in fantastic formations. Near the back, from where he could see, was what appeared to be strange symbols scratched on the wall.
Jack got to his feet carefully and looked up at the crevice he entered through. He knew he should stay in one place, if he wanted someone to find him, and his dad should've called for help by now on his emergency radio, but he really wanted to check out those carvings. So the boy set his backpack down, in a spot where a person would see it, and cautiously made his way over to the furthest wall. He would still be in the same room, and it wasn't going to take him very long, he was just looking!
The boy approached the wall his flashlight darting over the symbols. They were odd, all straight lines and barely curving, they started at a man's height and stretched over that by ten more feet with gaps in between them. Jack gazed up at the weird writings.
'Definitely not Native American.' He thought and got out his camera to snap a picture.
A flash and click later, Jack stored his small camera back in its case and turned about to go back by his pack and wait, when something caught in the beam of his light. He trained the ray fully upon it. Nestled beside a pillar, not five feet from him, was a human skeleton. It was all ragged clothed, jaw hanging open, and looked like it was reaching for him.
The sight so startled him, that Jack jumped back into the wall behind him. Something flashed, there was a loud whir, and the boy knew no more until he awoke in a hospital five days later.
*End Flashback*
"...and you all know the rest after that." Jack finished.
His audience sat in silence as his story sank in.
"That's it?" Miko sounded disappointed, "A flash and a whir, and boom, you get superpowers?"
"That's what happened. You were expecting a radioactive spider bite?" The young man raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well no, that's why it's Spiderman's shtick, but I was hoping it would be a bit more exciting than a 'flash and a whir'." The Japanese girl stated sarcastically while making quotation signs in the air.
"Not everything has to be exciting, Miko." Jack rolled his eyes at the other teen.
"Do you remember anything else?" Fowler asked having at some point gotten out a small notepad to record a few details.
"It's been a while, so it's all a little fuzzy, I think the wall, the writing was scratched on, may have had a different color." The boy squinted his eyes as though that would help him see the memory more clearly.
"Hm, these symbols have you ever seen them since?" Ratchet inquired thoughtfully.
The teen hesitated thinking hard.
"I don't think so." Jack said unsure.
"It's really hard to remember for some reason." He didn't see the medic exchanging glances with Optimus.
"Well, what about that photo you took?" Bulkhead reminded him.
"I, uh, lost it when we moved." The boy apologetically stated then his face lit up, "But I did draw them in my notebook."
"And, what notebook is this?" Ratchet pressed and the teen blinked.
"I, er, kept notes on my progress when I first discovered my abilities. It...was with me when I went to practice yesterday." Jack looked over at Arcee.
"I didn't find a notebook. All that was there was your backpack and a lot of burnt metal." His partner told him.
The group stared around at each other knowingly.
"Uh, oh." Bulkhead voiced what everyone was thinking.
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Great." He breathed.
"If Megatron has it this means bad news." Arcee stated seriously.
Bumblebee blipped and whistled.
"He asked if it was brown with a snap on the cover." Raf translated the yellow scout's speech.
"You've seen it?" Jack stood up his face alight with hope.
Raf listened as his partner made more electronic whirs, "He said that Starscream may have run off with it when he flew away."
There was a beat, then...
"Scrap, that's even worse!" Ratchet exclaimed.
"Great, just what we need! A con in high heels wandering around with who knows what kind of information." Fowler threw up his hands exasperated, "I'm getting too old for this!"
"So Starscream has Jack's notebook, but how do we know Megatron hasn't already read it?" Raf asked apprehensively.
"Oh, don't jinx us, Raf!" Miko cried.
"So, what's the plan, Optimus?" Arcee deferred to the tall mech and suddenly everyone's attention turned to the Autobot leader.
"Ratchet, what are the odds of Starscream or the Decepticons locating these symbols?" The Prime questioned his SIC.
"My guess? As they don't know the planet too well, that would depend on how much Jack described in his notebook, and how determined they are to find it. Megatron has the manpower and more resources to search the area, but Starscream would take longer and require energon." The medic stated.
"Yeah, but the slagger's already got a head start!" Bulkhead pointed out.
"I only mentioned Yosemite and the general area, but not the exact coordinates or trail name." Jack spoke up.
"We may have time to catch up with him then." Arcee interjected.
"Yosemite is a pretty big place, a popular visitor hiking spot, lots of ground to cover and folks to hide from." Fowler jumped in informatively, "I may not be able to get you bots the cover you need if you go in."
"We cannot risk the chance of one of the Decepticons finding that cavern, for whatever lies within, it could be turned against both our peoples." Optimus said.
"Then We'll go!" Miko declared indicating herself and the other kids.
"No!" June cried.
"Mom-" Jack started.
"No, Jack!" June cut him off sternly.
"You just went through an ordeal and need rest. Miko, your supposed to be grounded young lady, and Raf, you just got over a stomachache you can't go hiking in the mountains or you'll get sick again!" She told each of the kids.
"I would listen to her, it would be best if you all remained here, especially you Jack. If there's a chance of Decepticon activity they won't hesitate to recapture you for their leader." Arcee added.
"But I'm the only one who knows where that cavern is," The young man pushed.
"Besides, I want to know what it was that gave me these powers." He tried to persuade.
"Jack..." His mother began.
"Please mom, I need to do this." He pleaded stopping her from her lecture.
"But you don't! You're not risking yourself for the entire planet, this isn't like last time!" June argued.
"Sure, the planet may not be in danger, but this time it's personal! I can't just sit by and let the cons get their hands on something that could turn other people into what I am! I'm going!" Jack loudly declared.
"And I am your mother, as such you are staying here, mister!" The Darby matriarch cried heatedly.
"No, mom, I'm sorry, but I have to go." Her son was firm.
"No you don't!"
By this point, everyone else was observing the drama like a tennis match, which was just starting to turn awkward.
"Yes I do! Don't you want to know what ruined our lives? What turned me into a freak and made dad leave?" Jack yelled.
"You are not a freak! You are my son, and I don't want you to disappear like he did!" A stunned pause followed her emotional admission.
Very awkward.
"Is that what this is about?"
Silence...
"Jack, I'm sorry." June sighed.
"We both are." The teen stated feeling hurt.
That's when their audience decided to discretely backpedal out of sight leaving mother and son to work out their problems.
"You know, I thought moving to Jasper would help us start over, to forget the past." June began sadly, "I didn't imagine we'd ever discuss it like this."
"Mom I," Jack ran his hand through his hair, "I know it hurt when he left but it wasn't your fault-"
"Don't, Jack, don't you dare think for one second it was yours." His mother curtailed his sentence.
"Then you see why I need this? I need to understand, mom, to know how it happened so I don't have to blame myself!" The young man strongly declared.
June stared at her son and shook her head.
"When did you grow to be so mature?" She wondered.
Jack smiled sadly at her.
"Someone has to be. It's an insane asylum around here otherwise." He joked and his mother chuckled.
"You're not helping by ruining the moment." She looked at him wearily feeling much older than she appeared.
"I really have to do this, mom." The dark haired teen said.
June sighed heavily, "I know."
"So, I can go?" Jack asked to be certain as he felt the anticipation build up.
"Yes. BUT, I want you to promise me that if any of the Decepticons show up you won't fight them unless you have to. No charging in to save the day, understood?" His mother demanded.
"I swear to you I won't draw unnecessary attention to myself. I'll stick to the mission and nothing else." He held up three fingers in a sign, "Scout's honor."
"Good enough." June rolled her eyes and embraced her son.
"Uh, is it safe to come in now?" Bulkhead poked his head around the wall of the corridor.
The two Darbys broke apart and stared up at the green mech a little embarrassed. Jack looked at his mother sheepishly and shrugged.
"Yeah, uh, you can have your command base back, now."
"Finally, a fine time you two picked to have a human melodrama!" Ratchet snarked as he passed them on his way to the mainframe, the others filing in after him.
"We good to go partner?" Arcee asked.
"You bet!" The teen pumped his fist excitedly.
"Aw man, there you go again! Why is it you get all the action?" Miko demanded jealously, Jack just rubbed his head awkwardly.
"There's going to be a chance of bad weather, so be careful out there." Raf informed, while looking up from his computer at a climate site for the park.
"Thanks, I'll keep my eyes open." The older boy said gratefully.
"So what's our game plan, Prime? You going with us?" Fowler questioned causing Jack to glance at him in surprise.
"Woah, us? As in you're coming with?" He blinked.
"Yeah, you guys will need all the help you can get." The agent stated.
"Um, aren't you over dressed for a wilderness romp." The teen surveyed the office suit the darker man was wearing.
"Already taken care of. You could use a change of gear yourself."
The agent strode over to his car and opened the trunk. He pulled out two light backpacks, side satchels, mountain climate wear, ropes, and harnesses for climbing, along with a pair of radio headsets, as the others gaped.
"I had this stuff sent for yesterday, after your mother told us your experience happened in the mountains. I figured it'd be a good idea to be prepared." The man stated smugly.
"Er, right." Jack couldn't think of anything else to say to that.
"Perks of the job, kid." The man shrugged.
"If we're all finished with the delays I'd like to see this trip underway sometime today!" Ratchet piped with further irritation.
Optimus nodded and turned to the dark haired teen.
"Can you recall as exact a location as possible?" The young man was thoughtful.
"Panorama Trail, we were on the Panorama at the time, but I don't know precisely where." He said.
Ratchet punched in some information and soon had results.
"Most scenic trail in Yosemite approximately eight miles long." The medic guffawed, "We'll have the place searched in no time!"
"Huh, yeah, this'll be easy!" Bulkhead clunked his cannons together.
"I wouldn't be so sure. It's a lot of off road country." Raf said studying the map closely.
"All the more reason for Bulkhead to go! Right Bulk?" Miko shouted up to her favorite Autobot wrecker.
"Better not." Fowler interrupted, "That's primarily a hiking trail, park managers would be all over someone for bringing in even off road vehicles, and it's popular, there's a good chance of more people being on the path."
"Agent Fowler is correct. Without precise coordinates we cannot risk traveling out in the open even in vehicular mode." The Prime pensively told them.
"But they shouldn't go alone, right?" June was concerned.
"Optimus, let one of us go with them at the very least." Arcee tried as well.
"We do not know how remote the location will be and the risk of being seen by other humans has always been of concern. We do not want to drag any other innocent lives into our war." The leader was firm on his position.
Neither the femme or Jack's mother liked the idea of letting their charge go off on a dangerous mission without protection. The others weren't so enthusiastic either.
"Hey look at it this way, to anyone watching we'll be just a couple of regular guys on the trail, we'll blend right in." Fowler persuaded.
"You will be careful." June said.
The agent placed his hand on the teen's shoulder, "Mrs. Darby, you have my word that I'll keep an eye on your son."
"We'll be alright, mom." Jack re-enforced and his mother nodded.
Arcee kneeled down in front of them.
"The minute you get into trouble call us, I'll come running." She said fiercely.
"Definitely."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Alright, if you two would go get ready, I'll fire up the bridge when you get back." Ratchet told them.
It didn't take long for Jack and Fowler to change into some mountain friendly clothing in the bathroom. They got their gear suited up, having everything they might need for the short trip and, slinging their packs onto their shoulders, headed back to the ground bridge. The two stood in front of the gate as it opened and the agent looked at the young man beside him.
"Looks like it's just you and me, kid." The dark man stated, "You ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be." The teen replied.
"Good answer."
They turned back to their friends behind them as Optimus stepped forward.
"You both know your protocols?"
"Yeah, we go in, locate the site, and call you for con smashing." The older male confirmed tapping his headset.
"Jack, special agent Fowler," The Prime looked from one to the other, "I wish you both the best of luck."
The two men nodded, waved, then turned and walked through the gate. Their friends watched, having only one thought in their minds.
'God speed, and Primus go with them.'
Somewhere near Yosemite in an underground base...
A man with blond hair and a scar on his face stood before a large bank of computer monitors. Around him, men in masks and uniforms went about their business, carrying weapons or datapads, while others stood guard or awaited orders. The room they gathered in was dim, there were hints of other people working at stations with various displays, most seemed to be mechanical specs of some kind.
A notice appeared on the monitor suddenly and the soldier manning it brought up the results.
"Sir, we're receiving readings of Cybertronian activity in the park, it's one of their gateways." The unidentified man glanced at his leader.
"Get a lock on those coordinates and send out the alert to move out." Commander Silas ordered.
"I won't let this opportunity slip through M.E.C.H.'s fingers."
AN: I have never been to Yosemite in any capacity. So, any information that is inaccurate in this chapter, or how many after it that the park is mentioned, I apologize and humbly request you all to blame my ignorance. Also I decided to leave the naming of Jack's father up to the reader's imaginations. Thank you.
Sayla