Ch. 19

As Jack looked at Arcee, he couldn't help but speak. "Arcee…" This obviously didn't go unnoticed as the entire team looked right at him. Arcee seemed fearfully shocked as she didn't realize just who was talking to her, but she seemed dangerously curious as to how this bot knew her so she got right up to Jack's face with her blade inches from his neck.

"How do you know me?"Jack never got to answer as a jolt of electricity began to run through him. "AAAAAARGH!" The team looked to see more of the M.E.C.H forces behind Jack shooting him with shock rounds. Optimus decided to get the team out of danger as he called for a ground bridge. "Ratchet, we need a ground bridge now!"

As soon as the words left the Prime's mouth, a green vortex opened up behind them. "Autobots, retreat!" The team began to move when Arcee looked back to see Jack still on the ground. 'He may know where they've taken Jack.' And with that, Arcee began to blast at the soldiers behind Jackknife and in the process drag him to the ground bridge.

As soon as they passed through the bridge into the base, Ratchet shut it down and rushed over to bring the clearly wounded guest to one of the medical berths. This whole time, Jack was trying to find his bearings as his vision had gone hazy after being hit with the shock rounds. He looked around to see that he was now surrounded by the entire team of Autobots, including Miko and Rafael.

"So, how exactly do you know who I am?" The voice Jack heard made his head snap in the direction he heard it from. It was Arcee, but Jack was unsure how he should explain this so he made his own decision. 'Primus let them understand…' "If you want answers, take a look at what's on this…" With that, he gave Arcee the data disk.

Arcee turned the disk over in her fingers before handing it to Ratchet. "Wait…" Everyone suddenly snapped their attention back to Jack as he looked at Rafael. "Raf, there are things on that disk you're better off not seeing; could you wait outside for my sake?" Arcee was about to speak up saying that this stranger had no business asking anything of anyone here.

But Rafael stood from his chair as he spoke. "It's okay; I'll wait outside for a bit, I need some fresh air anyways." With that, the young one walked out of the med bay and Ratchet hit the play button. They watched as the video began to play and they saw Jack strapped to a table surrounded by doctors in white coats.

A doctor spoke up in a flat tone that was devoid of any emotions. "Beginning the first stage of Project Jackknife." With that, the table Jack was strapped to be reclined back and the team watched as another doctor came over to Jack with a syringe in hand and injected its contents into Jack's arm. With that, a group of doctors began to wheel Jack out of the room.

The view of the video then swapped to a large room as they saw Jack being strapped down as a nurse began to draw lines on Jack's body. She looked at Jack with a conflicted face that didn't go unnoticed by the team as she spoke. "Should he really be awake for this? We could have him fully sedated in no time at all."

The team listened as they heard no response to the nurse who in turn walked away. They then saw the needles begin to activate and lower slowly as they got closer and closer to Jack's body. When the needles dug into Jack's body, Jack saw the effect it had on the entire team. Bulkhead placed a comforting hand on Miko's shoulder at the fact that she was looking down with tears streaming down her face.

Wheeljack was grinding his teeth with a tight jaw and rage in his eyes. Bumblebee was leaning against a wall with wide eyes as he saw what had happened to Jack. Optimus and Ratchet were both looking at the screen with a look of sadness in their eyes. But when Jack saw Arcee, he had to force himself to stay sitting and not go over to her until he was sure they all knew who he really was.

Arcee had a hand over her mouth and energon tears flowed freely down her face plates. She could see the pain in Jack's eyes in the video as the needles burrowed into skin and bone. When the needles came out of Jack's body she seemed like she was about to break down, even further, when she saw the traces of energon seeping out of Jack's body.

As Jack was moved through the room, the team watched as he was connected to the machine that would force his transformation. Jack suddenly stood and walked a short distance away and turned away from the screen. He knew he wouldn't be able to restrain his emotions any further when the machine began the transformation and he didn't want the team to see him as a weakling.

Jack sat there for a few moments as he heard the doctors speak up before he heard the all too familiar hum of that evil machine activating. He was about to turn around and tell Ratchet to stop the video when he heard a scream that would make a human's blood curdle. He suddenly leaned against the wall as the memory of the pain flooded back into Jack's now mechanical mind and he suddenly felt very weak.

'How could I let myself be taken like that…?' When Jack screamed out in agony, the effect hit everyone. Optimus looked at the screen with wide eyes and clenched fists. Ratchet actually slammed his fists down onto one of the empty medical berths and looked down with his eyes clenched shut. Bulkhead, Miko and Bumblebee could do nothing but look on with wide eyes and slack jaws.

Wheeljack was actually the same way only his eyes were now full of a silent and fierce rage that had his hands shaking. Arcee was effected worst of all as she fell to her knee's and watched as Jack's body began to transform into that of a cybertronian. In fact, as it began to completely change, the eyes of the team began to widen even more as they realized what and who Jack was changing into.

Jack felt like he was about to faint as he heard the silence take over in the room when he suddenly heard his voice in the video. "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it's gonna hurt me." With that, the video came to an end and the screen went black once again. Jack didn't turn around, he couldn't… he just stood there with his back to the team and his head hung and his eyes closed.

Jack suddenly felt a hand on his back. One that he was all too familiar with; Arcee had stood from her spot on the floor and had walked over to Jack as she placed a hand on his back, he suddenly spoke up in a low voice. "Now you know…" Arcee heard this and she suddenly forced Jack to turn around and practically wrapped herself around him as he fell to his knees.

"It doesn't matter Jack…" Jack could do nothing but look down over Arcee's shoulder as she held him in her arms. "Jack, you have nothing to be ashamed of; you couldn't have known what would've happened when you left here." When Jack heard Optimus speak, it was as if he had heard his own father talking to him.

Jack looked up to see the Prime kneeling down beside him and Arcee as well as the rest of the team standing behind Optimus. "What's important is that you're safe Jack, you are home." And with that last word, Jack couldn't handle it anymore, the stress of the day's events finally caught up to Jack and he passed out in Arcee's arms.

Wow... the craziness of life and how things happen afterwards. But, it all worked out in the end right? :) Anywho, i'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Read and review my fellow fanfiction lovers. Until next time. Peace out.