I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!
To Panther-Strife, there will defiantly be feelings between Jack and Slipstream, but this is going to be a Jack x Arcee. I based Thundercracker a little bit off of Armada Starscream. They share the same honor code and that same steadfast loyalty, even if the only loyalty Thundercracker has shown so far was only for his Trine.
Now, your orders are to read this chapter and review or else I will be forced to eliminate you.
~Energon is Thicker than Blood~
Chapter 2: Captured
Jack Darby honestly didn't know how his life had suddenly gotten so… unbelievable.
Only two days ago he had lamented about how boring and normal life was in Jasper to his Mom while on the phone. Five minutes later he was kidnapped by an alien robot motorcycle and shot at by more alien robots. He was again taken by the alien robot motorcycle, named Arcee, along with two other kids that he barely knew, to a secret alien base yesterday.
He had met the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, who pretty much told him point blank that they had stumbled upon a war that was older than humanity. He and the other two kids, Raf and Miko, would probably now be targeted by the evil Decepticons because of their new "association" with the Autobots.
Jack now had Arcee as his guardian, who seemed more inclined to push him off onto someone else, if her ditching him to go out and scout with Bumblebee was anything to go by.
Truthfully, Jack had mixed feelings about his whole situation. On the one hand, knowing that he was one of the few humans who was on a first name basis with robot aliens was pretty amazing. On the other hand, he now knew that there was also a group of evil aliens who had ravaged his planet and could care less for the lives of humanity, and that left him feeling pretty terrified.
Now he was crouching behind Bulkhead with Raf and Miko as they tried to stay hidden from the Autobot liaison, Agent Fowler. Bulkhead tried shifting his stance to hide them better, but only made the situation worse. His moving pulled against the cord connected to Miko's guitar which was now making very loud noises.
"Since when are you bots electric?" Fowler asked and Jack shot a worried glance to Miko and Raf. Bulkhead didn't seem to be able to think of a plausible excuse for an answer and Jack heard Fowler move towards the stairs. Thinking quick, Jack turned to Miko and Raf.
"Stay here, got it?" He whispered and they both nodded their heads before Jack walked out from behind Bulkhead's foot with Miko's guitar. "Hey, how's it going?" Jack said as he waved casually toward Fowler.
Though he sounded calm, Jack felt anything but. He didn't know what was going to happen now, but he'd seen enough movies to know that he would be taken into Fowler's custody. Subtly, he shot a glance up toward Bulkhead who shifted his stance again to hide Miko and Raf better. The bot sent Jack a nod as thanks for at least protecting the other two and they both turned their attention back to Fowler.
"Contact with a civilian. Team Prime has really gone off book this time. Wait let me guess, you're running a daycare center." Fowler said sarcastically and Bulkhead once again struggled to come up with a response.
"I'm an intern…" Jack said with vigor before he realized how ridiculous he sounded, but he had to try. "It's for extra credit in Auto shop."
"Okay kid, let's move. I'm taking you under federal custody. It's for your own protection." Fowler said as he moved down the stairs. Jack quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs, hoping to stop Fowler's advancement so that he wouldn't see Miko and Raf. Jack saw Bulkhead was about to protest and was in the process of raising the foot that Miko and Raf were hiding behind.
"I'll be okay Bulkhead." Jack said as he quickly shook his head no and walked up the stairs towards Fowler, making sure that the man's attention was focused solely on him. Bulkhead quickly lowered his foot before Fowler could notice the other kids and tried again.
"We're protecting him." Bulkhead growled defensively. Fowler laid a firm hand on Jack's shoulder and directed him towards the elevator.
"Not anymore, and you can be sure that my superiors will hear about this breach in protocol." Fowler said before the elevator doors closed with Jack standing beside him.
Bulkhead turned to look down at the kids and sighed. Optimus was going to have his aft for this.
Jack sighed as he got into the helicopter seat beside Agent Fowler. He looked around the cockpit and felt a bit nervous. He'd never flown before and knowing that this ride no doubt led to a government base did not ease his nerves. Fowler got into the pilot's seat and turned to Jack as the helicopter's engine started up.
"What's your name kid?" He called as the sound of the spinning blades overhead grew louder.
"Jack." He shouted back, not knowing whether he should give his full name or not. Fowler simply nodded and pulled the helicopter up into the sky.
Instantly, a wave of nausea hit Jack and he groaned as he realized that he was suffering from air sickness. He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing as he heard Fowler use the radio.
"Sir, Agent Fowler. We have a situation. I'm in route from the Autobot base with a civilian. I'll brief you in person." Fowler said before he turned off the radio. He shot a glance at Jack and saw that the kid looked ready to hurl.
~Energon is Thicker than Blood~
Starscream focused on the data screens in front of him as he thought about the best way to locate the Autobots. He bit back a growl as his left servo ran over some of the new dents Megatron had given him since his return. He had hoped that the treacherousness of space would have been too much for the Decepticon overlord. Alas, it seemed Primus had not granted his wish.
Useless deity.
Still, he supposed that there were some things to be gained from Megatron's return. The discovery of Dark Energon could prove useful to him in the future and it was so kind of Megatron to offer himself as a lab rat. Now he could observe what affects Dark Energon had on a Cybertronian before he used it on himself.
An image of Cliffjumper being brought back from the dead flashed across his processors and he tried to stifle a shudder.
Starscream was by no means an innocent Mech. He had seen and done things that would make even the most hardened Cybertronian soldier purge his tanks. Having seen that… thing resurrected had been a very haunting experience. The whole scenario had deeply unsettled his Spark. Starscream was brought out of his thoughts as Soundwave began playing a live channel he picked up concerning the Autobots.
"-Agent Fowler. We have a situation. I'm in route from the Autobot base with a civilian. I'll brief you in person."
"Autobot base, eh? Humans, always the weak link. Fetch me this Fowler, so that he may brief us instead. As well as the civilian, I suspect it to be the same one that the Autobot Arcee was reported to have been seen with." Starscream said as he turned to Soundwave.
He watched as Soundwave activated the program Laserbeak and saw the drone fly off to complete its' mission.
~Energon is Thicker than Blood~
Jack's focus on his breathing was suddenly interrupted by an alarm from somewhere on the control panel.
"Hey big bird, I'm flying here." He heard Fowler say and he opened his eyes just in time to see another aircraft appear in front of them. "What in Uncle Sam's beard?" Fowler said as he leaned forward to get a better look at the approaching plane. Jack stared at the devious looking aircraft as it charged towards them with fear and alarm.
"It's a Decepticon!" He shouted as it flew so close Fowler had to make a sharp turn to avoid getting hit.
"Oomph! First the freeways aren't safe, now air travel?" Fowler said incredulously and Jack shot the man a disbelieving look. Now was definitely not the time to be making jokes. Jack looked behind them just in time to see the Decepticon pull up and brush against the tail of the helicopter throwing them slightly off course again.
Jack looked forward to see that they were heading straight towards a mountain of stone and that they weren't slowing down. "Wall! WALL!" He shouted as he grabbed his seat for dear life. Fowler pulled back on the controls and they shot straight up into the air.
"Easy Jack, I know what I'm doing. This ain't my first rodeo kid." Fowler said calmly as they reached the top of the cliff and flew forward while hovering only a few feet above the ground. They kept going straight until Jack felt the helicopter suddenly drop down on the other side of the cliff and saw the Decepticon fly past them overhead.
Fowler quickly brought the copter up behind the Decepticon and Jack did his best not to throw up. "You want to dance Con? I'll lead!" Fowler shouted with a smirk as shot at the Decepticon. As Fowler chased after the Decepticon and continued to open fire on it, Jack saw that the bullets were causing little to no damage.
The Decepticon suddenly shot up and Jack watched in horror as it came down and cut off the tail to the copter with its' wings. Warnings went off throughout the cockpit as they started to spin out of control, telling Jack what he already knew. They were going down.
"Never an Autobot around when you actually need one." Fowler growled as he tried to regain control of the aircraft and sounded only mildly distressed. "Kid, there's an emergency eject button under your seat."
"I don't think I'll get the chance to use it!" Jack answered as he saw the Decepticon lunge towards them with tentacle like arms. Jack's eyes caught Fowlers hand move towards a flashing red button just as the Decepticon caught the helicopter, jerking them forward painfully.
A tentacle smashed through the windshield and covered Jack in cuts from the glass. As Fowler fought off the tentacle Jack reached over and pressed the red button the man had been reaching for earlier and prayed that it would alert the Autobots about their situation. Jack shouted in alarm as he felt the claws of the Decepticon wrap around his left bicep and was pulled out of the helicopter along with Agent Fowler.
Jack and Fowler watched as the helicopter crashed into the ground below and they both looked at each other as they fidgeted uncomfortably in the Decepticons' grip. Being dangled in the air with only an arm acting as the anchor from being effected by gravity was painful. Jack felt as if his arm was being pulled out of his socket with every new twist and turn the Decepticon made.
"I should have stayed with Bulkhead." Jack muttered to himself, though he didn't really mean it.
If he hadn't done what he did, Miko and Raf could be with him right now instead. He looked at the massive alien ship that the Decepticon was flying to and realized with dread that he and Fowler were being taken to the Decepticon stronghold. And today had started off so cool with that awesome ride Arcee had given him.
Once they entered the ship, Jack and Fowler were brought towards a large Decepticon who didn't seem to have a face. The Decepticon that had been holding them dropped them into the awaiting hands of a Vehicon and transformed to attach its' self into the chest of the faceless Decepticon. Without a word the faceless Decepticon walked out of Jack's sight and the Vehicon holding them took them down a large and foreboding hallway.
Jack shot a nervous glance at Agent Fowler, who was trapped in the other hand of the Vehicon and tried not to think about what was going to happen next. It didn't take a lot of commonsense to know that he was either going to be interrogated or used as leverage against the Autobots, most likely both. He could only hope that they were rescued before anything worse happened like getting killed.
Jack and Fowler were brought into a dark room that seemed to have only one light that shined down into the middle of the room leaving the rest of it covered in shadows. Chains hung down from the ceiling and Jack shivered as he saw them swaying slightly. Jack was dropped onto the ground next to Fowler and he looked up to see a new Decepticon standing in front of them.
He sucked in his breath as the light only illuminated parts of the Decepticon in front of him and something in Jack stirred at the sight of him. He was tall, taller than any Decepticon he'd seen so far and he had wings.
Seeker
The word had risen from deep within his mind, but Jack knew that it was what this Decepticon was called. Strange that he didn't know how he knew that though? He didn't remember the Autobots telling him much about the Decepticons bedsides their goals and their leader, so how did he know that word?
"Welcome, Agent Fowler, and you too boy. Tell me, are you the same human who was seen with the Autobot Arcee?" The Decepticon said with a voice that ran a chill up his spine.
Jack was of course terrified of this giant, but there was also something more to it. He just couldn't place his finger on the feeling. He pushed himself off of the floor and into a crouching position in case he had to make a run for it, before he answered the Decepticon.
"I am." He answered simply, seeing no point in giving out his name and he doubted that the Decepticon cared to know it anyways.
"You treat all your guests this nice?" Fowler said as he pulled himself off the floor and brushed off some shattered glass from his shoulders, hoping to take away the Decepticon's attention away from Jack. He knew it was fault that the boy was in such a dire situation, "federal custody, for your own protection" he'd said and Fowler meant it. The boy was his responsibility and he'd be damned if he let something happen to Jack.
Jack startled when he heard the Decepticon chuckle, not only because it scared him, but because he suddenly felt like he heard that laugh before.
"Any friend of the Autobots…" The Decepticon Seeker trialed off as he turned towards them.
Jack stared at the con with fear and poorly timed curiosity. He was mostly silver with `red and blue highlights throughout his armor. The Decepticon somehow looked familiar to Jack, but he knew he'd never seen something so alien before two days ago. Jack was brought out of his musings by Fowler's reply.
"Autobot? That one of them coin operated wash my own car places?" Fowler said with a shrug and a smile. Jack sighed in relief, knowing that Fowler wasn't about to betray the Autobots anytime soon. He also finally understood why Fowler made jokes at inappropriate times. It was a defensive mechanism to cover up his worries or fears.
Jack looked back up at the Decepticon and found that he wasn't amused and had already caught onto what Fowler was trying to do.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be hmm? Apparently no one has told you I have no appreciation for human humor. Well since you don't want to talk, perhaps our young friend will be more accommodating? Lock up Agent Fowler and make the boy… comfortable." The Decepticon said as he disappeared into the shadows. A Vehicon appeared from behind Agent Fowler and took him out of the room.
"Jack!" Fowler shouted as he saw another Decepticon advance upon the kid as the doors closed behind him. Jack stared up at the Decepticon as it clenched its' fists and moved toward him. He heard Fowler scream his name before the man was taken away.
The Decepticon lunged for him and Jack jumped just in time to avoid being caught. He ran towards the Decepticons' feet and found several wires that lay hidden behind the Vehicons' armor.
Without thinking, Jack drove his hand in between the joints of the Decepticons' ankle and pulled out a handful of wires with all his might. Sparks flew from the wires and a few burnt Jack's hand, but the way the Decepticon screamed made the whole thing worth it.
"It tore out my pede circuits!" The Vehicon shouted in disbelief as he crashed into the ground and moved to examine his foot.
Another Vehicon had grabbed Jack as he tried to run away again and with a free hand, Jack tore out the wires in the Vehicons' wrist. Jack let out a small yell as he fell from the Vehicons' now non-responding hand and hit the ground hard. He shouted in pain as he landed on his feet before he collapsed onto the ground. He had little doubt that he just sprained both his ankles if the pain they were radiating was anything to go by.
He was once again grabbed by a Vehicon, though this one had made sure that both of Jack's arms were secured in his grip and was brought over to the chains. Though Jack was defiantly hurting, he continued to struggle and put up a fight. He didn't know where this side of him came from.
He was usually a bigger wimp than this, but even though he was clearly outmatched, something inside of him had awoken. He needed to fight, like he was born to do it or something. The Vehicon moved away from him once he was securely chained in place, hovering over twenty feet above the ground.
He struggled against the chains that kept him in place knowing that it was useless, but feeling like he had to try. The other Vehicons had moved to stand in a triangle around him and the doors opened up to reveal the Seeker Decepticon from before. The Decepticons' eyes swept over the Vehicons and he spotted the sparks that came from the wounds Jack had given them.
"I leave you to guard a human and yet you fools can't even get that right. All of you get out of my sight." He growled before he moved to stand in front of Jack.
"Yes, Commander Starscream." Jack heard the Vehicons say before they marched out of the room.
Starscream.
Jack had no idea why, but that name seemed to echo in his skull. A wave of protectiveness like he'd never felt before flooded through him and it terrified Jack. Why was he experiencing these things all of a sudden? He hadn't felt anything like this when he'd been with the Autobots and Jack had a pretty good guess about who was causing these unusual feelings.
Starscream.
"Now boy, I have one simple request that will save your family the pain of grieving." Starscream said as he circled around Jack. He could feel the vibrations that echoed from Starscream's movement through the chains holding him in place. Suddenly Jack felt Starscream touch his chin and he was hit by an onslaught of images that swarmed before his eyes.
…He was standing over a panel and looking at a data screen as Starscream told him about the latest Energon raids… He was sharing an Energon cube with Starscream as they talked about the newest Femme recruits… He dodged the punch Starscream threw at him as he corrected him on his form… He stood beside Starscream as he received the mark of a Decepticon…
"-is the Autobot base?" Starscream asked as pulled away his servo and Jack from the odd visions he just had.
'What the hell was that?' Jack mentally asked himself. He was panting heavily and shaking slightly from the disturbing experience he'd just had.
Blearily, Jack looked up at Starscream and saw that the Seeker was still waiting for him to answer his question. Obviously the Decepticon had no idea what he'd just seen and Jack fully intended to keep it that way.
"Even if I knew where the base was, I wouldn't tell a grunt like you!" Jack said with a fierceness he never knew he could muster.
"Grunt? I make the decisions here. I am in charge! Bring the prod." Starscream growled as he moved to address the Vehicon guarding the door. Jack swung slightly in the wake of Starscream's movement and sarcastically congratulated himself on angering his captor.
Starscream and Jack only had to stare at each other for a few moments before the Vehicon entered the room and gave the prod to Starscream.
"I'll ask nicely one last time, the Autobot base?" Starscream inquired as he stood in front of Jack. Jack looked up at him and felt another wave of protectiveness come over him again. He sighed in confusion and acceptance before he spoke.
"Sorry, can't tell you that Starscream." Jack said as he looked down at the floor and ignored the feeling of rightness he got when he said the Decepticons' name. Starscream raised the prod that glowed with a dark blue energy before jabbing it into Jack's chest.
"Aaaahhhhh!" Jack screamed as he felt pain flood throughout his body as well as new images that appeared before his eyes.
…He raised an Energon cube in honor of his fallen friend, Mirage, whom he'd killed earlier that day… He was staring down impassively at the Autobot who begged for mercy before delivering the finishing blow… He ignored the cries the civilians made as he flew over their burning homes and left them to die… He was apologizing to Primus as he proceeded to kill Autobots in front of the god…
"-I imagined. Energon and the human nervous system do not mix." Starscream said with a smirk as he pulled the prod away from Jack.
Jack's breath came out heavy and his body continued to twitch because of the aftereffects from the surge generated by the prod. The pain from his cuts and injured ankles increased and his arms felt like they were about to be ripped from his torso, yet Jack didn't pay any attention to his numerous wounds.
He was crying and not because of the pain, but because of all the horrible things he had just seen. Had he really done all of those terrible things? It seemed impossible, but he couldn't hide the fact that it honestly felt like he had. Those visions, he realized, felt more like memories than anything else.
Suddenly an odd sense of peace and content for the horrible things he'd done settled over him. It wouldn't last long, but he only had to hang on until help arrived. He stared up at Starscream as he felt the tears start to stop.
"Do your worst." He growled with a strength he'd only just discovered he possessed.
~Energon is Thicker than Blood~
First off, Jack went with Agent Fowler to stop the man from finding out about Miko and Raf. Better he think that there was only one human instead of three.
Starscream knows about Jack because a Vehicon had reported that Arcee had picked up a human in episode one. Starscream chose Jack to interrogate because he thought that a child would have a weaker resolve than Fowler, not because he sensed something in Jack.
Jack got visions of good things when he made contact with Starscream and visions of bad things from the Energon for a reason. As you can see his meeting Starscream and seeing those visions has already begun to change Jack a little.
Eventually the visions will become longer and make more sense to Jack, but for right now, he'll just muddle his way through.
~Hexalys~