AN: To be honest, I wasn't expecting that much of a response to the first chapter. Thanks to all four reviewers, and all those who put this story on favorites or alert!
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Neither me nor brave kid owns Transformers Prime, Beast Wars, Beast Wars II, or Beast Wars Neo.
"Hurry up, Mik. I have to go to work!" Shirako yelled.
Miko smirked, pretty sure that her brother didn't have a job. But he did have a fast car, with an engine probably tuned explicitly for speed. It was a safe bet he went racing whenever he could. "I'm coming. I just lost my cell phone!" There was no way she'd ever admit she forgot her way around the house. Everything had been moved around. Familiar landmarks now served as implements to take her in the wrong direction.
"It's on the charger, Mik."
Miko found the right corner. "Right," she said, slightly frustrated. She grabbed it off the cord, quickly checking the battery. Seventy-five percent. That would have to do for now.
"Why do you want to go to the park anyway?" Shirako asked as they headed to his car and got in.
"I'm meeting up with my friends Jack and Raf." Why should she lie about that? Not like he could use against her.
"Can't decide on just one boyfriend?" Dead. Wrong.
Miko felt her face grow hot. For a moment, she was at a loss for a comeback. "Raf's twelve!" she objected. "And Jack and I are just friends. We met at school."
"Sure, Mik, whatever you say, little sis."
"I'm not that much younger than you!" Miko desperately hoped she was right.
"Okay, I guess you have a point. After all, I am only two years older."
All of a sudden, the car stopped. "We're here," Shirako announced.
"See you!" Miko called as she unbuckled and got out. Her brother drove her nuts!
"I might be able to pick you up when you're done," Shirako called as he pulled away
Miko nearly balked at the thought of spending another second, let alone another agonizingly long car ride with Shirako. "I'll walk, thank you very much."
Jack was waiting for her at the bike trail. "Have you seen Raf?" he asked.
"Nope," the Japanese girl answered absently. Then she remembered what she had discovered yesterday afternoon. "I hope he gets here fast. I figured out something that is really important."
"Sorry I'm late," Rafael puffed, running up the sidewalk towards them, "Pilar and Juan wanted to come with me. I had to argue with them for a while."
"Glad I'm not the only one with an annoying sibling," Miko growled.
"Actually, they're always like that." Raf pulled his laptop out of his backpack. "I ran search last night to find out some things. Turns out Agent Fowler is an Army Ranger stationed overseas and there have been no reports of driverless vehicles in Jasper… or anywhere, for that matter."
Miko huffed in impatience. "I'll tell you why things are so different here! Do you two remember when we got zapped through the GroundBridge and ended up in that Shadowzone with Zombie Skyquake?"
Jack narrowed his eyes. "You mean the time when me and Raf followed you out into a battle field and into that dimension? Yeah, I don't think I could forget that so easily."
"Geez, didn't know you were still that mad about it," Miko muttered. "Anyway, I think we're in another of those alternate dimension thingies."
"Parallel universe?" Raf suggested.
"Yeah, that," Miko said. "That explains why my family lives here and why I have a supremely annoying older brother. This means that I was born here!"
"And why my mom is a vet," Jack added.
"A vet?" Miko interjected. "Green Beret or Special Forces?"
"Not a veteran, Miko," Jack sighed, mildly irked. "A veterinarian."
"That would be feasible," Raf mused about the earlier topic. He appeared to be doing some calculations in his head. "The 'bots were defending a relay station. It's possible an array was damaged and sent out a signal that disrupted the GroundBridge when you opened it, Miko."
"Is anything different with your folks, Raf?" Miko asked.
"Only that they're now health food nuts and are obsessed with exercising."
"Well, now we know how we got here," Jack said, taking control. "All we need to do now is figure out how to get back, or at least contact the 'bots."
"But what about fitting in here without giving anything away?" Raf asked.
"We'll just have to figure that out along the way. We could be stuck here awhile," Jack answered evenly, but it was clear that even he was daunted by the thought.
Miko sighed. "I checked the calendar before I came here. We only have two weeks of school left. After that, we can spend the rest of our time figuring out how to get back home."
"Well, for now, Miko, this is home," Jack said.
"Jack! Do you have work today?" June yelled from the kitchen.
The raven-haired teenager had been in the middle of studying when his mom asked the question. "No, why?"
"I want you to come with me on business!"
"Business to where, exactly?"
June laughed, as though the question were absurd. "Tim asked me to check up on his horses. You do remember Mr. Whitefeather, don't you? He used to tell you stories when you were little."
"Well, I'm not a kid anymore." Jack deliberately avoided saying that one: he didn't remember in the slightest a Tim Whitefeather, and two: the idea of having someone tell him stories was ludicrous.
"I was being nice, Jack. You're coming because you don't have work today and because Tim asked if you were coming," June said, appearing from around the corner.
Jack sighed. He hated it when his mom got like that. "Where does he live again?"
"Just outside of town, a little ways into the desert."
Getting into the car five minutes later, Jack realized how much he took his guardian for granted when it came to quick escapes.
Just in case his mom hadn't met the 'bots yet, he decided he wasn't going to mention them unless she brought it up.
Once they got going, Jack recognized the now-familiar route from so many trips to and from base with Arcee, and, on occasion, Bumblebee or Bulkhead if his guardian wasn't available.
"Jack, you seem distracted. Is everything alright?" June asked worriedly, wondering if she had been too harsh earlier.
"No, Mom. I'm fine," Jack lied. "With finals coming up next week, everyone is a bit stressed."
"If anything happens, just let me know. Okay?"
"Okay," Jack answered. He knew that no matter what happened, he couldn't tell her what was bothering him. When she first found out, she hadn't taken it too well. Who knew how she would react in this parallel universe? If they were even in one.
"I'm serious, Jack. If something's bothering you, you can tell me."
"I'm fine. Just worried about my grades is all."
June looked doubtful, but did not press. If he wanted to talk about it, he would tell her sooner or later.
When they arrived, they were greeted by a Native American man with a cheery grin and friendly eyes.
"I'm glad you were able to get here so quickly, Mrs. Darby. And I see you were able to bring Jack along as well," he said.
"Tim, how many times must I ask you to call me June?" The vet got out of the car and grabbed her bag.
"At least once more, Mrs. Darby, as always," Tim replied, his smile stretching.
Jack got out of the car as well, assisting his mom in locating some equipment.
Tim Whitefeather led them to a stable, where there were four horses. "Here they are, Mrs. Darby – ahem, June."
The black mare whinnied as June neared.
"Easy, girl. She's just gonna check you over," Tim said soothingly. "Now, Jack, while your mother works, I think I might have something to show you."
Jack sighed and followed the old man away from the stables.
Tim picked up a large brown and white feather and handed it to Jack. "There, proof," he said, as if there were no need for explanation.
"It's a hawk feather. Lots of them nest in this area," Jack replied, not seeing the point.
"Jack, you of all people should know it's a falcon feather," Tim said, his voice irritated. "See how narrow it is compared to the length? Its proof the legends are true. Since when do falcons of this color nest in this area? And get that big?"
"Legend?" Jack was beginning to think Tim Whitefeather was just a crazy old fool.
"The spirits," Tim hissed. "This is a feather from the Falcon Spirit. He guards the skies while the white lion guards the land."
"Lions don't live in America," Jack argued.
"It's not an actual lion," Tim countered. "It's a spirit."
"And how did it get here?" the raven-haired teen asked, exasperated.
"They," said Tim. "They got here when a huge fallen star crashed into Earth long ago. Powerful spirits were contained inside it, and when the fallen star split on impact, the spirits were released. They chose the forms of creatures that live across the globe, except they are much, much bigger. One chose to use the form of a white lion with a golden mane. Another is a brown falcon. The spirits respect all life, and when it is threatened, they will appear. You asked me for proof when I first told you the story, and I have found it – the feather."
Jack shook his head. He didn't believe a word of what the old man said, but he knew that he, Raf, and Miko would have to come out here and check things out. Just to see if they could get into the base.
In a long-time first, Miko arrived last. She had walked all the way out into the desert to meet up with the boys.
"Why didn't you just ask your brother for a ride?" Raf asked, confused.
Miko shuddered. "I would rather spend the rest of my life in base with Ratchet than spend twenty minutes in a car with Shirako." She sounded deathly serious.
Jack rolled his eyes. "We're pretty close to the base; it shouldn't take us that long to find it."
"Even at night?" Miko asked cheekily.
"Even at night," Jack confirmed, not in the least bit amused.
They walked around, hoping a huge mesa would reflect at least a little light for them to find it by. Unfortunately, they had no such luck.
Raf pushed his glasses back up when they started to slip down his nose. "It really would have helped if one of us had brought a flashlight."
Miko and Jack murmured their agreement.
Suddenly, a large shape appeared over the crest of a dune. It looked distinctly cat-like. There was something eerily familiar about the way its yellow eyes glared at them, a silver sheen playing about their edges.
Jack took a deep breath as the shape stepped into the light. "No way," he breathed.
The shape was illimuminated by the shaft of moonlight, revealing a white pelt, golden mane, and fierce yellow eyes. It was a lion.
Its eyes narrowed as it looked over the three human children. What it did next surprised even them.
"You have wandered far from your realm, little humans," the lion said softly. "You all are lucky Galvatron did not find you before we did."
AN: It's not my best work. I hope you found the ending satisfying.
There is a Pirates of the Caribbean reference hidden somewhere in this chapter. See if you can find it.