General Bryce's glare was piercing, but the looming pressure to fix their assumptions was a weight stronger than conforming to his bosses' whims. He was here to protect and straighten out the Autobot and US relationship. Furthermore, this current situation never once crossed his mind or made the list of possibilities. A copycat Prime. Just why? Creating such petty trust problems was not viable in Fowler's book. All it led to was this sham of a meeting, a camera in his face far too close for comfort, and the ability to scare the star-spangled short off the General and scrawny private by Prime's arrival.

Years of training kept his face stern as he went through a general report, all of the knowledge previously listed in his countless written notices sent to this very man. The meeting was redundant and only pushed to make him feel his age.

If they needed to hear from his mouth that the gentle giant would rather offline than harm a bee, he would grin and bear it.

He faltered when the General brought up the 'interns.' He purposely was vague in those details, June was the only one with a full report available, and he planned to keep it that way. He could imagine the storm of problems if the knowledge that his interns were nothing more than citizens that Prime had wanted to keep under his protection. Sometimes, when the whisky was intense and the nights were silent at home, Bill would wonder if that was a wise choice. However, now he remembers how this group has changed many things and brought about countless good for the world. Unicron was just one of those numerous events.

He would allow it if it took three children to save a planet. It was just another decision made to leave guilt later for him.

Once the meeting ended, Fowler leaned on the wall outside the building. His bones ached; from age or the slight breeze, he was not sure. Squinting up, he caught the sun's light reflecting off a familiar red and blue metal frame.

Bill could remember the first time he met the leader of the Autobots. It was to be just another job; it had been another job till recently.

It had been a few traffic tickets and Energon raids to cover up. Now, Bill knew the fear these metal giants could bring. They knew the damage they could cause and have to their very own planet. There was no stopping them with the primitive technology they possessed, and didn't that make him want to hit something, preferably the bucket-headed leader of a maniac group.

He would end up squished before he got a hit in, his fist clenched, thinking of the possibility.

His shoulders drooped, a smile crossing his face.

"No normal death for me."

Normal had left his life the second he signed the NDA all those years ago.

"Kablam!" Miko shouted. Her fist mining a dramatic punch in the air in front of her. The movement was like her, filled with energy and wild without direction. She was jumping in place, mimicking a boxer's bounce taking potshots at her invisible enemy. Of course, it included her version of sound effects to emphasize her story.

"And then, they all ran away like rusted pansies!" Miko shouted, breathing heavily from her flailing.

Raf was watching with large eyes behind his glasses. The interest in the tale had distracted him from his pile of homework. Homework that Miko was meant to be doing.

Jack nodded his head along to show he understood. Though the demonstration only complicated the story more than anything. Leaning back into the couch, Jack wondered how long they would stay there.

Generally, after school, the groups headed straight to the Outpost. Today was different. The Autobots told Miko and Raf they were doing repairs in certain areas, so it was best to come tomorrow. Jack could have stayed, he technically lived on base now, but Jack's mom had convinced him to stay the night.

That led to Miko hearing through Bulkhead about his newfound freedom, freedom in the form of a new identity. Thus, he was now entertaining his friends.

It was not such a problem for Jack. He loved hanging out with Miko and Raf. Before he met them, he hardly had friends; the moving affected much of his life. Jack was stuck. He was him but not. Now he was unsure if he could be the same friend they knew. That was the scary thought. Would the team still accept Crossroads, or was the invitation-only open to Jackson? Another thing to deal with later. Hopefully much later.

"You know you guys still need to finish." Jack pointed out. He was smirking as he chewed his crackling gum. The disgruntled glare Jack received from both teens was gratifying. The next hour was filled with furious scribbling, Miko, and calming tapping, Raf's foot hitting the floor as he finished at a steady pace. Jack allowed the image to comfort him. If he had a pencil in hand, neither of his friends would comment despite having nothing to do.

And just like regular times, Miko screeched and threw up her arms, flopping over on the table.

"I can't take it!" She pouted into the papers she was previously trying her best to demolish. "We have been doing this foreverrrrrrr."

"It's only been an hour.": Raf calmly stated, ignoring her whining. Jack nodded; his internal clock was more precise than the kitchen.

"An hour too long; I finished enough for today. Half this stuff isn't even due till next Friday!"

"If you get it done now, you don't have to worry about it next week." Jack pointed out.

"Oh, you have no right to talk!" An accusing finger violently pointed at him, "Mister 'I don't need to do homework since I finished school'" Jack cringed at that. He was technically old enough to be in college but only based on his new ID.

"It's still good advice." He muttered, lips pursed together.

"Well, I do things my way, and my way is saying we go out." She flopped back on the armchair she took up. "It's too nice a day to waste it doing homework," Miko said, shivering at the mere thought of doing more work.

"And what would we do? Go to eat something; I can't exactly do that. Street race, we all know how that ended that last time." Jack waved his hand towards the front door, a smirk covering his face. "It's Jasper, not much we can do here. We both know that." He crossed his arms, body tense.

"You're just being a chicken; I bet you haven't been outside in town once since you got your Id." Her jeer stung. It was true. Jack had not gone to town or any town since Fowler's visit. Neither the bots, who didn't think of him ever rejoining human society, nor his mom pushed him. That was another reason he was tense around his friends, they would try, and he wasn't sure how to say 'No.'

Noticing Jack's tense body, Miko turned smug.

"See, I knew it." Raf's head turned up at that shout, and worry flashed across his face, but he stayed quiet. "This is so typical of you. Something great happened to you, and you're just hiding. It's just like when we met the bots. You were willing to leave after the first scare." Miko scoffed, voice raising through her speech.

Gritting his teeth, Jack felt rage. Miko didn't understand anything. He had his whole life change. Not just once but several times in just as many years.

"Miko..." Raf's voice was quiet, a gentle warning the girl didn't take.

"I don't get you. You are so cool when you just go out and face everything. I have seen it so many times. All those times, I understood what Ratchet meant. You are like Optimus, but there is one major difference between you." She was heaving breaths now, standing with only the coffee table between them. Her eyes glistened in the light, her face so determined it reminded him of all the times they did something crazy. "You," she pointed at him once more. "Are hiding. I don't know who you are. We were meant to be friends, but we hardly see you anymore. I get it, your some millions of years old bot, but you're still our friend. We are still here, your death may have been real, but you are here. "Miko slammed her foot on the floor, and the sound reverberated around the room.

"You are still on Earth. You're still Jack." Miko sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. The sight was petrifying. He couldn't remember when Miko cried; she was as tough as Bulkhead's plating.

Looking between the crying teen and Raf's hanging head, Jack could see this was his fault.

"We are still friends, right?" Raf hesitantly asked, his eyes locking with Jack's. Jack could only nod. They were his friends.

"Good." Miko laughed waterily, "Cuz, you're buying our ice cream. I am testing the budget Fowler gave yah." Jack chuckled at that, mirth replacing the emotional mood.

"Sure, it's the least I can do for being such a fragger of a friend." Standing, he reached a hand down to Raf, who was still seated on the floor on his right. "What do you say, Raf, up to eating a big enough share of ice cream for me?" The smile he received was watery but no less exuberant than Miko's shout of 'Yes" in the background.

In record time, they were all standing at the door of the house. His two friends dragged him out of his safety, yelling and laughing as they journeyed down the street.

Looking around, his core pulsed with joy. Nothing in Jasper had changed, but he saw everything for the first time.

The mountain of ice cream before him was something Raf should have expected from Miko. On the way here, she managed to snatch Jack's wallet, read as Jack relented out of guilt, and the result was horrifying.

Even if Jack could eat, which he definitely couldn't now, they wouldn't have been able to scratch the supreme sundae the Japanese girl ordered. Jack must have had similar thoughts but a shit-eating grin instead of the appropriate horror.

"Dig up, you two; it's not like I can help you." Raf wanted his computer so he could mess with Jack's holo forms signal right then. He was helping Miko with her next prank just for that comment.

"Isn't it beautiful? I have never seen this much ice cream in my life." Miko sighed dreamily. Raf could have sworn he caught drool at the corner of her gaping mouth.

"We're going to need more people." He commented around a large spoonful of mint chocolate chip with unhealthy sprinkles. The taste was terrific, the best in town, they knew. Their group tried all the ice cream options, thanks to that being the only thing to do in Jasper. That and hanging out with aliens, but they weren't advertising that.

"yhor righnt." Mikos tried to speak, but her words were muffled by the spoon hanging out of her mouth. She had already demolished half of the uber chocolate part and was moving to the adjacent strawberry and vanilla. He wasn't even going to think about how she could eat that fast without choking; it was just another mystery of Miko.

"Huh?" Jack questioned, looking at her in horrified curiosity as she didn't seem to slow.

Finally, she seemed to take a breath, pausing her filled spoon before her mouth.

"We need more people, have to see how far Mr. Stick-in-the-mud-secret-agent gave yah to spend." Her head pivoted as she looked around the outdoor seating they were at. The area was filled to the brim with teens and families, all seating areas filled.

"So you're just trying to piss Fowler off; I knew this was a mistake." Jack grimaced, covering his face. Miko and Raf laughed at his pain. He knew if Miko got her way, they would go shopping and truly test how much Fowler gave Jack. The only thing keeping that scenario from happening was their need for shop options. A small town with small possibilities. No malls for miles.

Jack's pain was enough to distract them from the approaching group of familiar teens.

"Cool jacket; I like the symbol."

They were all frozen. Raf looked up, shocked to see Sierra and her friends next to Jack. She was leaning over so Jack could see her.

"Ummm" Jack mumbled; he was frozen. Raf watched as he seemed to shrink into himself, something impressive since he was way taller now.

"Hi?" Raf wanted to facepalm. Jack was the most functional anti-social person he had ever met. Miko snorted next to him and started to hack and cough violently. Under all the coughing, he could hear the peels of laughter threatening to be heard. This caught the hovering girl's attention as she looked from Miko to Raf, a flash of emotion crossing her face once she processed who else was at the table. She hesitated before nodding her head to them.

"Miko, Raf, how are you doing?" The sympathy had died down in the past weeks, but her concern remained genuine.

"Better," Raf said, smiling as he took a bit of the chocolate Miko was trying to hog. Sierra smiled back.

"Good." She hummed back. She shuffled for a bit before turning to Miko. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind our group sitting with you." Lifting her hand, she gestured to the full tables. "We couldn't find a table." She said, eyeing the empty seats at their large round table. They had plenty of room, but the question was if Miko would mind 'miss popular' sitting with them. Raf didn't mind but could see how Jack stiffened across from him.

Jack and Raf turned to Miko. She was eyeing the girls behind Sierra with a critical eye before smiling an evil smile.

"Actually, you came at the perfect time. Tyler here," She emphasized Jack's new name, pointing her spoon at Jack's shocked form. "...was just treating us to an all-you-can-eat ice cream, and we could use help milking him dry. Of course, it's on him." Miko snickered evilly. "After All, he's such a gentleman." Her sarcastic tone was as sickly sweet as the melting desert Raf was stuffing his face with to keep from breaking his poker face.

Jack, seeming to finally accept he wasn't getting out of both spending money till Miko was satisfied, and seeing his classmates again, nodded his head along with Miko's remark.

"You might as well join. I feel like Miko might just ask the store to pay for everyone's ice cream for the whole day with my card if you don't, so you would be saving me money in the long run." Raf watched as Jack gave a defeated smile to the group of teens, gesturing to the empty seats and stack of spoons they were given. Sierra chucked at him, sitting next to Jack while her friends started on the ice cream.

"Then I guess you're lucky we showed up; I'm Sierra, by the way. I don't think we met before." Raf cringed. They had met before; however, that statement explained how they had lost their friend. Raf watched Jack's eyes glow slightly with hurt before he masked it under a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm new. Living with my... sister. She recently lost someone close to her." Raf looked as Sierra seemed to connect the dots, mouth slightly opening at the confession. It was a look Raf would remember for a while.

Ratchets mumbled under his vent about countless things; many meaningless annoyances distracted him from the worry gripping his spark. It squeezed hard when Agent Fowler called for medical support. His readings showed they were all alive, even within the ranges of average health, so what had happened? What type of stasis beam did Megatron manage to find? And the biggest question is, why could they even return to the Outpost? Megatron, in any form, would have at least taken them or tried to destroy the rest while ending Optimus, but he didn't.

Something was very wrong.

The confusing event even made him listen to Jack's suggestion. What hurt could it do to discover why the Nemesis didn't even cloak itself? The call was both confusing and informative. Megatron was surprisingly idiotic sometimes; how that mechs processor worked baffled him. Why would any sane being... Ratchet paused his thought. Megatron wasn't sane, cunning, and power he had seen; however, his sanity was something that kept slipping away with each cycle.

Dragging in servo over his face plates, a loud screech of metal seemed to catch the group of humans and Jack.

"But Jack's not human. Will he even be able to go on the ship undetected?" Raf questioned, looking from Ratchet to Jack, who was at a loss for all he seemed to know about Cybertronian devices. Curse Unicron to the pits for agreeing to allow them to undertake this mission. Something was going to go wrong. It always did.

"Jack should be fine. The ship will probably take even longer to notice him. I built his Holoprojector from a relic's remains so advanced that no scan could tell the difference without knowing what to find. Jack would be the one to send out of all of you if safety is your concern." Ratchet stated, pulling up his data for the ship coordinates. If this were the only way, he would do his best to make this mission successful.

The bridge opened, and he turned to watch Fowler, followed by Miko and Raf, who rushed down the stairs. Jack seemed preoccupied, a hand pressed to his chest, face furrowed in thought.

"Jack?" Ratchet questioned, worried about filing him. Was something wrong with the projector, was his frame affecting him? Before he could turn and check on the file, he had motoring Jackson's frame, the mechling in question spoke.

"I think I need to talk to Optimus." The statement was made hesitantly, "After everything's done, though." His eyes glowed a swirling blue gold, the color even more intriguing with the slight glow his chest seemed to be pulsing under his closed palm. Ratchet could only nod, side-eyeing his old friend who was still statues.

"I think that conversation has been a long time coming for both of you. Now go; we must get this done before something worse happens." Ratchet snips, pointing to the group waiting for Jack.

"You just jinxed us. Thanks a lot, Ratchet." Jack shouted over his shoulder, turning to go.

"puff, oh please, there is no such thing."

"Just keep saying that; you will be a believer." Ratchet huffed at his ridiculous answer, a bunch of ridiculousness, nothing more. But he kept his optics on their disappearing figures as they entered the bridge.

"Stay safe." He asked, the base filled with his frozen allies. After all, he couldn't show Miko of all individuals; he had a spark. The girl would never let him forget it.

Raf had to question himself again why he kept volunteering for this work. He discovered he would rather be at the base relatively fast, but watching his courageous friends continuously help and protect spurred his choice.

His petrifying fear of the Decepticons was eased only by the current situation. With how much electricity the ship seemed to shock through him, Fowler was unconscious, presumably for a while. He was grateful he voiced the need for backup; Raf would hate to think of what would have happened if they had let the lone agent go alone. Power was in numbers, and considering their enemy was the colossal warship, the task was daunting. Now they came upon the one Con he dreaded the most, Megatron. The last time he saw him this close was in the Outpost when the warlord went through their bridge.

Phantom electricity arched through his body, causing his body to uncontrollably jerk from memory. He didn't recall anything after the shot hit; he wouldn't try to.

Once Unicron was forced into dormancy again, Raf was in a daze as Mrs. Darby returned him home. He felt distant, changed in a manner he has yet to uncover how.

All he knows is he never wanted to be helpless and vulnerable again. He would pull his weight and show the Autobots he could help. Anyway, possible, he thought, hands clenching as he watched Jack climb along the motionless Con.

Optimus looked in disbelief at the screen, coordinates glowing back at him.

The four coordinates may now have been the whole collection of the Iacon Database. However, this leveled the playing fields more than in cycles.

What was not pleasing was learning of the harm the children and Jackson could have been inflicte3d to. Agent Fowler was knocked out, being tended to by Jackson at the click.

Ratchet was working furiously to gain information about each relic's location. Primus must have been looking favorably on them, for only one of the artifacts landed in a highly populated area.

Optimus walked forward, and the medic took notice and shifted to gaze into his optics. His old friends' face plates were the same, carefully guarded mask he perfected well before their acquaintance.

"You did ably, old friend. Yet, I would have preferred our human allies not have been forced to face danger in such a way." Optimus's remorse once more that he failed to protect.

His spark pulsed in distress, but an intense wave of peace endeavored to mask his negative feeling. Shifting sharply on his large pedes, the Prime scrutinized Jackson, who was shooing Miko away from the concussed agent. The projection was diligently ignoring his gaze. His tense frame flickered and blurred along the edges. This was Jackson's only true tell now.

Wearyness and confusion replaced the clumsy attempt to calm Optimus's pain. Prime felt his spark warm at Jackson's care despite his discomfort with the action.

Optimus had once conversed with June about Jack's father. Now he knows she wasn't recounting his birth father, but that didn't alter his reaction. Mr. Darby left them. When Jack was barely ten, freaked out by something his supposed son had no control over, he abandoned them. June lost her husband, who she believed loved her and Jack, but that bond was shattered fatefully with a single glow.

June said she was thankful for him and the other bots. They provided her son with support in new ways he hadn't felt since becoming an adult at the age of ten.

Now Optimus saw he was in a similar situation as the mother; he ought to thank her for the opportunity she gave him to meet Jackson. He and the children had provided them something his force needed; a family.

Author note- First, thank everyone who has been reading my story. This is the first story I ever posted. No one is more surprised than me with how long it's been, and I still have plans for season 3 and beyond.

Well, I won't keep rambling; no one really reads the notes (I hardly do). Have a great day, you all.

Fun Fact- Did you know the brain named itself?