Jasper, 3rd POV
June sighed tiredly as she entered the house. It had been a long day, so she was glad to finally be home and see her son...
Speaking of which, where was Jack? He always came down when she arrived at home.
"Jack? Honey, are you up there?" She called up the stairs as she removed her jacket.
No reply.
June felt worry begin to settle in the pit of her stomach and she went up the stairs, peering into Jack's room.
"Honey? Are you awake?"
She slowlt stepped into the room, looking around. Then she saw it.
A note. Perched precariously on the desk.
She felt sudden dread and her heart jumped into her throat as she lifted the note, unfolding it and looking over the words.
She collapsed to her knees, tears begining to stream down her cheeks and hand covering her mouth to surpress her sobs.
"N-no...Jack...!"
Later, ?, 3rd POV
Jack shifted slightly, journal settled on his knees and pencil in hand. He was writing, looking up only now and then when he heard a loud snore come from Agent Fowler, who slept in the front seat.
Jack sighed as he finished his newest journal entry. He shoved it into his backpack, and pulled the blanket over himself, deciding to lay down.
Jack opted to try and sort out how exactly this 'Project Cyber-Jump' worked.
So, they'd take a person who was able to syncronize with a piece of the alien tech, which granted them a unique ability. That much Jack understood. So once he was implanted with the tech, he'd have a unique 'power' of sorts that no other had?
Jack sighed again, curling up and finding comfort in the warmth from the blanket. He then quickly dozed off.
He only awoke again later when a sudden bump jolted him into conciousness.
He sat up with a gasp, looking around.
"Woah! Easy there, kid."
The youth looked at the front seat and saw Fowler. He then realized that they were driving again and relaxed.
"Sorry for the rude awakening, but you were sleepin' so well before, thought you deserved the rest."
Jack smiled slightly as he adjusted the hood of his jacket and buckled himself in.
"Thanks, I guess I did need some sleep."
Taking a moment to fully wake up, the teen stretched and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His shoulder gave a muffled pop, making him flinch. He then leaned forward against the passenger side seat that was in front of him.
"So how far are we?"
Fowler glanced over for a moment.
"Four more hours 'till we get there. You hungry, Jack?"
"Not really, no." The ebony haired male replied, stretching his arms upwards again.
He looked out the window at the landscape. He was unsure of where they were, there weren't any signs or anything, just a few random gas stations.
"Agent Fowler?"
"Hm?"
Jack hesitated for a moment, then gathered his courage again.
"There's other people who are part of the project, right? They live at the mansion?"
"That's right."
"Is there anyone my age there?"
The man smiled slightly.
"Surprisingly, no. The youngest is six, the oldest is twenty-eight, not including Liam, he's older than I am."
"You said you're a friend of Liam?"
"You bet Uncle Sam's beard! Liam and I go way back. Don't worry, you'll love 'im! He can be immature at times, but knows when he has to be serious."
Jack smiled nodding.
Elsewhere, 3rd POV
"What? Are you serious Liam? It's already hellish here!"
"Please lower your voice, Allen."
Around eight people were crowded in a study, seven of them surrounding a large desk where the eigth, the oldest, sat.
One of the group, a male of about twenty-one, was leaning against the desk, arguing with the man.
A woman of about the same age moved forward.
"I hate to say this, but I agree with Allen. While the mansion has more then enough room, things already get very hecktic, very fast."
The man, Liam, leaned back in his seat.
"I understad that, Blaine, but this young man already shows exceptional talent and bravery. We're lucky that he accepted our offer."
"What's his name?" Another, a six year old girl asked.
Liam smiled.
"I am glad you asked, Tori. Here's his file, Fowler made it himself."
The man named Allen took the folder, opening it and crouching down so the slightly shorter ones of the group could see it as well.
The paper had informaiton, but no supplied picture yet.
'Jackson Lander Darby.
Age: 16 1/2
D.O.B 12/1/1995
Jackson 'Jack' Darby has been involved in the war between the two factions of the alien race known as 'Cybertronians', sided with the 'Autobots', for the past eight months. He has shown exceptional bravery and skills of leadership against the 'Decepticons' and has also proven his ability for quick thinking in though situations.'
He flipped to the next page, recognizing Liam's lazy scrawl.
'Syncro rate with Cybernetic piece: 98%
Cybernetic: #002'
"Cybernetic...#002...? But that...wasn't it determined that it wasn't compatable with any human?" The woman, Blaine asked, looking up increduously at Liam.
The man smiled.
"True. As with the other pieces of tech we uncovered, it gave us a clue to it's holder. Such as Allen's, which gave the clue of 'the one with the strength of a thousand warriors'. #002 gave us the clue that its holder would be 'the one who can change tides'. While we may not understand it, it seems that this 'Jack' is the one who can do such."
"'The one who can change tides'? That makes...no sense."
"You're tellin' me."
Liam chuckled, standing.
"Let's go, we need to make sure everything is ready for his arrival. Will called and said they were four hours away."
Later, 3rd POV
"Alright, here we are." Fowler said, glancing in the mirror to look at Jack.
The raven youth nodded, smiling slightly, though it was evident he was nervous.
"Relax, Jack. They'll like you, so don't give yourself a heart attack."
Jack laughed lightly as he grabbed his backpack, checking to make sure everything was in it before zipping it shut and slinging it over his shoulder.
He opened the door, stepping out and looking around.
"Woah..."
A large mansion towered over them, but it wasn't foreboding, strangely enough. It was grey brick, just as it's walls were that protected the building and supported a slightly rusted gate.
"Will! It's good to see you!"
Jack jumped slightly, looking back at the doubled front doors. Now a group of people stood there.
The speaker was a man of about fifty-five, with salt and pepper hair that was brushed back and a goatee. Dressed in a plain suit.
Behind him were seven people.
The eldest was a male, with brown hair that was tied back and soft green eyes.
The next eldest people were in fact a male and a female. The male had silver-blonde hair and hard brown eyes that held anger. The woman had long, wavy, mahogany hair and kind, sky blue eyes.
Next was pair of male twins. Both had dark blonde hair and mischevious, light green eyes.
Then the second youngest was another male, with light brown hair and caramal eyes.
Then the yougest, the only one younger than Jack, was a girl that had short, fire red hair and bright blue eyes.
"Hey Liam, how are you doin'?" Fowler replied to the man, shaking his hand and having a 'manly hug' with him.
Liam turned to look at the raven teen, who had all but forgoten to remove the hood that hid him.
"And you must be Jack. It's nice to meet you." He said, smiling kindly and offering a hand.
"Uh, hi."
Fowler and Liam both chuckled slightly at his hesitance.
"Jack, your hood." Agent Fowler reminded, corssing his arms.
"Oh! Yeah, sorry." Jack said, reaching up and pulling the hood off. The teen then clasped Liam's hand, shaking it.
Another chuckle escaped Liam and he nodded.
"I'm glad to meet you. It's been a long time since we found one so special as you. Tori was the last." He said, gesturing to the little red haired girl.
Jack smiled slightly as the others of the group moved forward.
Liam loked over at them before moving to Jack's side.
"Why don't you all introduce yourselves?"
The group hesitated, but then the eldest female spoke up.
"I'm Blaine. My cybernetic allows me to control others with my voice. Don't worry though, it only works on those with weaker minds, I couldn't control you even if I tried."
That was when Jack noticed the silver metal and wires that weaved into her collar bone, hidden mostly beneath her shirt.
Then the man, the eldest (excluding Liam) nodded to Jack, smiling softly. The onyx haired teen saw the young man's cybernetics, soft grey metal with silver wires and a glowing yellow light across the side of his neck.
"I am Adam. My cybernetics allow me to go through solid objects."
Next, one of the two twins stepped forward, grinning.
"I'm Matt, and this is my bro, Luke! His cybernetics let him make illusions, and I've got super speed!"
Jack blinked, slightly surprised at the hyperness of the slightly older teen, but smiled anyway, nodding. Jack also took note of the metal and wires that weaved in Matt's calf (easily seen thanks to the fact he wore shorts) and the wires and two, small green lights that melded into Luke's wrist.
Next, the male with caramal eyes who looked to be only a month or two younger than the twins, moved forward. His cybernetics were easily seen, for the metal, wires and a small yellow light peeked out from his hairline and down the right side of his forehead.
"I'm Seth. My implants allow me to copy any sentinent being's movements."
Jack nodded in greeting, then looked up as the eldest male stepped right up to him, not even a foot away from the raven teen. Jack immediately saw the dark colored metal and wires in his upper right arm.
He crossed his arms, inspecting Jack for a moment, frowning.
"Name's Allen, my tech gives me super strength. Just make sure not to get too comfy here, I'm sure you'll wash out within a week."
Jack remained calm, and simply raised a brow.
"Just make sure you get use to me, because I plan to go all the way through with this."
Allen's eyes widend slightly. No one had ever talked that way to him. Luke suddenly laughed.
"Geez Allen, looks like you ain't scarin' him away!"
"Shut up, idiot!" Allen growled as he stepped back into the group, glaring at Jack who simply gave an unimpressed look.
Suddenly, the little girl with fire red hair jumped forward, smiling brightly up at Jack.
The raven teen returned the smile, crouching down to be level with her.
"I'm Tori! I can do cool stuff!" Jack chuckled slightly, ruffling the girl's firey locks.
"That's great, I hope you'll show me later."
"Tori can manipulate water." Blaine supplied, smiling at the touching sight. It was also surprising, since it took Tori awhile to warm up to most people, but it seemed Jack was an exception.
The raven teen nodded in thanks to Blaine, then looked back at Tori. The six year old's cybernetics were made of a light colored metal and wires, and had to, light blue lights, and melded into the back of her left hand.
"So you're name's Jack?" The girl asked, head tilting curiously.
"That's right."
The little femme stared at him, inspecting him for a moment, then smiled again and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to Jack's.
"I like you! You're my new friend!"
Jack felt his heart warm, and he stood, holding Tori securely in his arms. He then turned, now much more at ease and smiled at everyone.
"Well, I'm Jack, but you all probably know that. But...Thank you...For giving me this chance. I'll try my best not to dissapoint all of you."
Liam smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you won't dissapoint anyone. Why don't we all go inside? We can all sit down and maybe have something to eat."
"That sounds pretty darn good right now, I've been drivin' for ages." Fowler said, following the group as they headed into the mansion.
Tori sqwirmed out of Jack's grip, grabbing the ebony haired males hand and tugging him into the building.
It was even larger inside than it first seemed. Large staircases led to different wings, and doors littered the walls.
Jack allowed Tori to pull him through a set of swinging doors, and they ended up in a large dining room, a kitchen at it's right end.
"Jack? You come sit next to me?"
The raven male smiled down at Tori and nodded.
"Of course. Where should we sit?"
The little girl thought about it, long and hard, for a good long thirty seconds. Finally, she went over and sat in a seat at the middle of the right side of the table, then she patted the seat next to her.
Grinning, Jack pulled out the chair and sat down.
"So you two, how was your trip? Did you have any troubles?"
Jack remained quiet, simply letting Tori play with his fingers while Fowler answered.
"Nah, no troubles at all. Jack here was asleep most of the drive, actually."
"Ah, I see. Sounds much like the twins, they slept most of their way here as well."
Tori laughed as Jack wiggled his fingers, freeing them before tickling the little girl.
"So, Jack. Are you excited about getting your Cybernetics implanted in you in a couple days?" Liam asked, attempting to include the raven youth in the conversation.
Blue-grey eyes flashed and Jack gave a shy smile.
"I'm not so much excited as I am nervous." He replied.
Liam nodded.
"Yes, I understand why. Don't worry, everyone here was nervous before they got the implants. So, are there any questions you have? I'm more than willing to answer them."
Jack pursed his lips in thought for a moment.
"I was told that the training will take one and a half or two years. After that, am I really allowed to go back home?"
Liam nodded.
"Yes, the others perfer to stay here, but if, after the training, you decide to go back to Jasper, you can. Depending on where the cybernetics choose to be implanted, we can find a way to disguise them if needed."
"The cybernetics...Choose where they sre going to be implanted?" Jack asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
Liam nodded.
"Have you noticed the cybernetics the others have? What do they have in common?"
"They each have a light of some sort, small bulbs of different colors." Jack answered immediately, though he flushed, ducking his head afterwards. He'd always had a good sense of perception, and he had always been teased because of it when he was younger, so he always tried to keep things to himself.
But Liam laughed good naturedly.
"Yes, you are correct! It usually takes people awhile to notice that. Anyway, we take the cybernetic piece and wave it over every inch of the person. The light flashes when it comes to rest above the area where it must be implanted. I know it sounds strange, doesn't it?"
"Mm, no. Agent Fowler told me that it was alien tech, and frankly, nothing surprises me much anymore." Jack replied, a smile tuging at his lips.
Liam laughed full throatedly, and the kind, warm sound made Jack feel considerably safer.
"Yes, well, after walking right into the middle of an alien war, I can only imagine how hard it is to surprise you." The man said, smiling.
Jack glanced around. Everyone was smiling except for Allen, who glared at him. The raven teen met the older male's gaze squarely and everything fell silent as the two stared at eachother.
Finally, Allen scoffed and stood quickly, his chair legs squeeking as they jerked against the floor.
"I'm goin' to train." He muttered before leaving the room.
Jack looked back at Liam as the man sighed.
"Please forgive Allen. It's been a long time since we've had anyone new that agreed to be part of this. So many people have rejected becoming a part of Project Cyber-Jump, it's made him...Bitter towards people."
Jack shrugged as Tori began to play with his fingers again.
"I understand, it's fine. I would be a bit off-put too if so many people said no without much consideration."
"I see." Liam said, crossing his legs, elbows propped on the arm rests and hands folded.
"Then why did you choose to accept? You have a mother and friends, but you gave all that up to be a part of this project."
"Yeah, I was wondering that as well." Blaine added, leaning forward slightly.
Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, looking down as he shrugged.
"I...Well..."
Luke suddenly spoke up.
"Aww, c'mon you guys! Look at poor Jack, he's nearly sleeping right where he's sitting! Can't you ask all the hard stuff later?"
"Yeah! And he's probably starvin' half to death too!" Matt added, grinning imishly just as his twin was.
Tori stood up on her chair, clambering onto Jack's lap from there. She then nestled in, resting her head on the teens shoulder. She yawned, tiny hands clasping at Jack's shirt.
The raven male chuckled.
"I guess I'm not the only one who's tired." He commented, allowing the little girl to doze.
"I've never seen Tori take to someone so quickly." Adam commented. Jack grinned.
"Don't I feel special."
Everyone laughed.
"Well, I have to be going. You gonna be alright Jack?"
The ebony haired youth looked up at Fowler in surprise, metally slapping himself.
'Of course he isn't staying, idiot. He's got work to do!'
Jack thought to himself.
He nodded.
"Yeah, Agent Fowler. Nothing to worry about."
The agent nodded.
"Alright then, see you around. Bye everyone."
Everyone gave their own farewells and as soon as the doors closed again, Liam spoke.
"Matt, Luke, why don't you show Jack his room, it's at the end of the same hall as yours."
The two twins perked up.
"Yeah! Sure!"
Blaine smiled at Jack as she walked over.
"I'll take Tori off your hands."
Jack looked down, realizing the little six year old was, indeed, asleep.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks." He muttered, handing the girl over to the young woman.
Blaine smiled again, nodding.
"No problem. and welcome to the team."
"What she said." Seth murmured, inclining his head while Adam simply waved.
"Y-yeah. Thanks..."
Matt and Luke dragged Jack out of the room, hands waving in towards different doors, each giving a vague explination as to what was behind each door and entryway.
A couple staircases and a headache later, the three males were standing in front of a door.
"And this is your room! Me an' Matt share one right down the hallway. Don't worry, we aren't gonna be pranking you. You're too cool to prank! Anyway, if you need anything, just come ask us!" Luke stated. Matt nodded in agreement before adding.
"And if you want to decorate your room, just make a list of stuff. The main medics and scientists for the project go shopping in town regularly!"
Jack smiled shyly, nodding.
"Got it, thanks guys. I...I guess I'll see you both in the morning."
"Yup! Sleep well Jack! Oh, and welcome to Cyber-Jump!" Matt replied, grabbing his twins hand and dragging him off.
Jack laughed slightly, then entered his new room.
It was simple. White walls and a wood floor, a bed pushed to the back of the left wall, a dresser to the right side of the back wall, a closet in the middle of the right wall, a desk pressed against the left side of the wall that held the door. A large window was at the center of the back wall, showing the setting sun.
Simple, but...nice.
Jack set his backpack on the desk chair, then flopped down on his bed. It was so soft and warm, and Jack was quickly able to fall asleep.