OOOOH Boy! This is a long chapter by my standards so bare with it. Also, the scene where Jack was turned into a cybertronian has come under some questioning. I just wanted to relieve any worries of stealing thunder from other authors. I no do that crap; I actually tried to make the process as a whole somewhat similar to the operation that happened to Logan in X-Men Origins Wolverine where he was injected with that Adamantium. I had to rewrite a bit to make it not to obvious but that's where I got the idea. And as far as the little scene with what Jack saw Arcee doing... well, if i'm being honest... that one came out of my teenage hormone driven mind. Yeah, weird I know but what can you do about it? Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter. ONWARD!
Ch. 21
Jack pulled the data chip out of the side of his head and gave it to Ratchet who in turn inserted it into the main console in the control room. Miko was standing on one of the catwalks overhead while Rafael was on Bumblebee's shoulder; Arcee was standing beside Jack as he was leaning against a nearby wall.
Optimus was watching the monitor quite intently as the image came on. At first everyone seemed as confused as Jack had felt when he entered the dream. But it was when the second person in the dream spoke up that every bot in the room froze. "Alpha Trion…by the Allspark…" Optimus' voice was one of pure shock at seeing his former teacher.
"Hold on a second, pause the video." Ratchet hit a button pausing the image where it stood as Jack suddenly pushed off the wall and walked over to Optimus. "Who exactly was Alpha Trion? I get that he was Optimus' teacher, but something tells me he had a huge impact before the war." Jack had expected Optimus to speak but was surprised to hear Ratchet speak first.
"Alpha Trion was the high overseer of the great Iacon Archives, and one of the first leaders of the Cybertronian race; and he was one of the wisest of all our kind." Jack was floored at the realization that Alpha Trion was one of, if not, the wisest of all cybertronians. 'That explains how he knew so much about Unicron and Primus.'
With that, Jack gave a nod to Ratchet who continued the video and everyone's attention was back on the video. Jack suddenly felt a small feeling on the side of his leg; he looked down to see his mother standing there with a concerned look on her face. 'She never changes when it comes to family.' Jack thought with a smile as he knelt down and placed a hand on the ground as he allowed his mom to stand in his palm. As Jack stood up, his vision went back to the subject at hand.
Jack began to walk beside the old bot as he went wide eyed at the realization that he was walking beside a bot that taught Optimus himself. "You were Optimus' master?" Alpha Trion then looked down at Jack with a warm smile as they reached a balcony. "I was 'master' to no one my young friend, but I was a teacher of sorts to Optimus; and as you are now a Cybertronian, I felt that you deserved to see this."
As Jack followed the eyes of the Prime outwards from the balcony, he couldn't suppress the gasp that emitted from his mouth. Below the balcony, Jack could see a city with glowing rivers and skyscrapers reaching high into the sky. There were Cybertronians of all types walking through the streets with smiles on their faces.
At that point, the Autobots and even the other humans in the room collectively gasped at the site before them. Jack smiled at the vision of the planet that he had seen when he looked over to see something he never thought he would see, both Optimus and Ratchet had energon tears flowing down their face plates as they spoke in unison with Jack on the video.
"Cybertron…" With that, Jack went over and paused the video so that the team could see the image of their home in its golden days just a while longer. As Jack stood by Arcee, he felt her grip his unoccupied hand as tears began to fall from her eyes as well. Jack looked down at his lover and smiled at her as she looked into his eyes.
"I forgot how beautiful Cybertron was…" Jack suddenly remembered that Cybertron was no longer the great planet it once was. 'It's a dead world now…' The thought found its way into Jack's mind, but he didn't want Arcee to feel any more pain than what she already was and so decided to speak something he held true to his spark.
"There's only one other thing that I've seen that's as beautiful as what I saw in that dream, and I'm looking at her right now…" With those words, the floodgates opened and Arcee gripped Jack's hand even tighter as the tears came out even heavier and her eye's bored right into Jack. Jack didn't need her to say the words he could see in her eyes, and so he merely nodded understandingly before he went back over to the video and continued it.
Jack didn't realize the smile that came to his face; Alpha Trion looked out at the city below as he spoke to the now newborn Cybertronian. "Yes Jack, this is the great city of Iacon; I felt that you should know what it was like before the war." Jack looked up at the ancient cybertronian with wonder in his eyes as he realized that this vision was Jack's gift from the older bot.
"Thank you, I didn't think I'd ever see something this…Primus I can't even describe this…" At that point, Jack was taken out of his awe when Alpha Trion spoke once more. "There is another matter that I have brought you here to discuss, one that you will play a central role in Jack." Jack then looked up at Alpha Trion with a serious face as the ancient Autobot continued.
"Earth is in greater danger than one can truly realize; has Optimus told you the story of the first two Cybertronians?" Jack was suddenly very attentive as to where this was going to lead as he shook his head. "The first two of our kind were actually brothers, they were known as Primus and Unicron…"
Jack focused on Alpha Trion's words as he still had a love for learning history. "Unicron was the darker of the two brothers and wanted nothing more to destroy any and all who opposed him, and so when Primus stood in his way of destroying other sentient beings, Unicron fought Primus without remorse. However, Primus gave birth from his own spark thirteen warriors, the thirteen original Primes; and with their aid, they put Unicron into stasis."
Jack was in a state of awe at the knowledge he was learning, but he couldn't resist the question that was in his mind. "So what happened to them after that?" Alpha Trion looked at Jack and spoke up once again. "For Primus, he used what was left of his power to give birth to our race, and his spirit left to become one with the Allspark and his body became the very core of Cybertron; but Unicron drifted, out into the vastness of space until he was caught in the orbit of a great star."
Jack began to wonder what exactly happened to Unicron when Alpha Trion spoke up with a grim voice. "As Unicrons' body orbited the star, his body began to attract matter from the universe, while his physical body began to reform into a more sedentary form. That form… was Earth's very core…"
At that moment, every Autobot and human in the room went wide eyed at the realization that they were all in very real danger. Arcee was frozen in shock as she suddenly felt Jack grip her hand just a little tighter than what he was before. Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Miko simultaneously said "Scrap," and Optimus now looked at the screen with what any soldier knew as 'the thousand yard stare.'
Jack suddenly went wide eyed. "Your' telling me that Earth is actually Unicron in a permanent stasis lock!?" At Jack's question, the old Autobot looked at Jack with a serious face. "Not a permanent stasis lock; he can still be awakened, by a planetary alignment." Jack suddenly realized that everything he loved was in danger.
"What am I supposed to do, there has to be a way to stop Unicron from coming back on line!" Alpha Trion looked at Jack with a thoughtful face as he spoke up once again. "I am unsure of how you will stop Unicron; all I know is that you will play a part in this turn of events. It is the will of Primus Jack, but do not be fearful; for it is within you to succeed and to bring others back together when they forget who they truly are."
As the screen went black, everyone in the room suddenly turned to Jack who had a nervous look on his face. "So…what do we do?" Jack's question was on the mind of everyone in the room when a beep sounded from the central console. Ratchet walked over to where the beep had originated and pressed a few buttons before the main screen lit up and Ratchet spoke.
"We've got a large energon reading." Jack heard this and spoke up with a serious tone realizing that there were other worries that needed to be dealt with for the Autobots. "How big are we talking here Ratchet?" Arcee looked at Jack with a sudden smile on her face as Ratchet answered the young Autobot.
"Large enough to make a difference in our current stores." As these words reached Optimus' audio receptors, he snapped into motion as he once again focused on what was at hand. "Ratchet; prepare a ground bridge." Jack felt his face fall as he figured Ratchet would want Jack to stay at the base being that he was still new to being a Cybertronian.
As the team walked through the bridge Jack walked over to stand beside Ratchet and the central console. "Optimus, we'll keep the comm. line open in case you need anything." "Understood, we will contact you if you need anything. Prime out." With that, Jack watched the monitor as he watched the team's signatures move into the canyon.
Jack stood there for about five minutes when there was a sudden series of beeps that came from the monitor. As Jack hit the buttons on the console a large group of signatures appeared on the monitor. "Decepticons…" Ratchet came over with a serious face. "Jack, what's going on?" Jack turned to the old medic with an agitated face that showed Jack's anger at the arrival of the enemy troops. "There's a scrap ton of Decepticons heading towards the energon signature."
In the canyon with the team
As Arcee walked by Bumblebee, she couldn't help but feel as if something big was about to happen. "Optimus, you know that feeling I get when scrap is about to hit the fan blades? I'm getting that feeling right now." Optimus looked at his lieutenant when, as if on cue, Jack's voice split through the communications line.
"Optimus, this is Jack; you've got a big fragging group of Decepticons en route and they are hauling some serious aft!" As the words left Jack's mouth the entire team primed their weapons as they suddenly saw the first wave of Cons heading right for them. In the front of the group were three Decepticons that were only sent by Megatron when he felt it was necessary.
"Well well, looks like we've found ourselves a fight." Knockout, the Decepticon medic primed his blasters as a much larger bot reformed his hand into a large war hammer. "Hah, if it ain't Bulkhead; I didn't think I'd see your' sorry hide here." As Bulkhead saw the bot who spoke, he felt a surge of disgust run through his frame.
"Breakdown!" But it was the final bot that caught the attention of Optimus and Arcee. "Airachnid!" Arcee was now a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off as the sadistic spider bot now smirked back at her. "It's good to see you Arcee; do tell me how dear, sweet Jack is doing." As the sadistic femme spoke to Arcee, the blue femme finally snapped as the entire team opened fire on the Decepticons while taking cover behind the boulders that dotted the floor of the canyon.
As the Autobots fired at the Vehicons, the battle turned slightly in their favor as the Decepticons swapped over to melee weapons and charged. "I'd love to stay and chat boys, but I wouldn't want to steal your' glory. I'll go find that energon we were looking for." As Airachnid transformed and flew through the canyon, Arcee was now livid as she gave chase to her hated enemy. "Arcee!" Optimus knew that Arcee was walking into an inevitable trap set by Airachnid, but the blue femme didn't hear Optimus as she gave chase. "You won't get away this time!"
Meanwhile at the base
Jack was watching Arcee's signature like a hawk a small distance behind Ratchet. "Arcee's broke off from the group; she's going after the Decepticon." Jack suddenly saw at the corner of the monitor another group of Decepticon signatures heading right for Arcee and the lone Decepticon. 'There's only one Decepticon who Arcee would chase like that without thinking of anything else.'
"It's Airachnid; Arcee's trying to settle the score." As the group of Decepticons reached Arcee, the blue femme's signature began to flash as it decreased by an amount that put Ratchet on edge. "She's wounded, Optimus; Arcee is in trouble, she's about—" Ratchet suddenly heard the ground bridge activate and turned in time to see Jack run through the vortex like there was a scraplet on his heels. "Jack what are you doing!?"
Back in the canyon
Arcee was on the ground as Airachnid watched her lesser troops surround the Autobot lieutenant. 'Jack…' As Arcee knew she couldn't fend off the entire group in her condition she closed her eyes as she waited for her inevitable death. Just as the group began to raise their weapons, a ground bridge opened in the air above the group; effectively getting Airachnid's attention.
"Who in the name of…" Her words were interrupted as a bot she had never seen before fell from the vortex right at the group of Vehicons surrounding Arcee. "RRAAAAAAAAAGH!" As the lone bot landed on two unfortunate Vehicons, a face shield much like the one used by Optimus appeared and the bot charged at the Decepticons with a savage war cry.
Arcee saw the bot run by and couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Jack?" The bot in question was running at the Decepticons when he suddenly activated a large blade from his left arm that glowed with a red edge to the steel. As this was happening, Airachnid was wide eyed and slack jawed as she saw the Autobot she now knew as the same human she had failed to kill and had nearly been off lined by.
"How is he a Cybertronian, he was a human!" However, Airachnid seemed to be admiring the bot as she watched him slaughter the bots around Arcee without mercy. "He's got skills…" Jack was in a full on rage as he cut the head off of one Decepticon that fell onto the pile that was growing at his feet.
As he downed another bot, he heard a faint sound from behind him. As he quickly turned around with his blade up, he caught three spider-like legs that were flying right at his head. "Hello Airachnid…" The spider bot looked into Jack's eyes as she suddenly felt a smirk grow over her face plates as they separated and began to circle one another.
"Well well, it's good to see you again Jack; heh, you've changed a lot since we last met." As Jack stood in front of Arcee's prone form while keeping his eyes on the spider bot in front of him. He remembered how the last time he had met the crazed femme; she had nearly ended his life. "Yeah, last time we met wasn't very good for either of us was it?"
Jack had a slightly playful tone in his voice that caught the attention of both femmes. 'Jack, what the frag are you doing? Don't screw around with her!' "You hit right on the mark with that comment my dear, but can you blame me for going after you? And now you're even more of a looker than before."
Normally Jack would have blushed at such a comment, but Jack knew that he couldn't let his guard down with Airachnid right in front of him. "Your' not half bad looking yourself spider, but I'm happy being with Arcee so I don't see anything happening between me and you anytime soon; sorry." Arcee couldn't help but go slack jawed at what Jack just said.
'He just squashed her little pipe dream like the but she is!' Airachnid, however, was livid after that little comment as she ran at Jack with an enraged war cry. Jack activated a large almost circular shield on his right arm as he ran at the crazed bot. Airachnid was grunting and growling with every strike she put forward.
'That insolent little bastard has no idea what he's just gotten himself into!' Jack watched Airachnid's face with each attack as he read the look on her face and he suddenly realized one emotion he was all too familiar with: pain; not because of physical injury, but by emotional misery. Misery caused by loneliness.
Jack could see that she was getting out of control and so with a parry of her bladed legs, he pressed in close to her body and wrapped his arms entirely around her. 'Airachnid had not expected this at all and struggled until she felt her feet leave the ground as she saw the world spin around her before she felt herself slam against the ground.
She tried to get up only to find her vision was clouded and her limbs felt like they were chained. As her vision cleared she felt a blade lying on her neck and saw Jack looking down at her with a neutral face. 'Primus if I didn't know better, I would think he was a prime…' Jack suddenly spoke up in a low tone that sent a chill through Airachnid's frame.
"I'm not gonna kill you Airachnid, because I'm not like Megatron…and I know what it's like to feel alone." These words obviously hit a key with the downed spider bot as she looked into Jack's eyes with a far off look in her eyes. "You can hide behind this whole merciless killer thing all you want Airachnid… but I'm not gonna give up on you."
Those words suddenly froze both Airachnid and Arcee in their individual places as Jack continued. "You make yourself look vicious because you're trying to escape fear you once felt in the past, the fear of being weak and helpless. You say you work alone and act like you don't need anyone because you've had to fend for yourself without help from anyone for so long. So you can turn away all you want, but I'm not gonna stop trying to help you heal… I'll keep holding my hand out until you feel you can trust me enough to take it."
As Jack said those words, he retracted his sword and began to walk over to Arcee. Airachnid was beyond confused at what had just happened. 'How could he know...?' Airachnid suddenly realized that she could find the strength to once again move and stood up to look at Jack as he walked away. As her mind told her to run at him and rip his spark out as she watched the life leave his eyes, her spark was telling her to let him in; to let him help her. 'What am I supposed to do?' With that, Airachnid transformed and flew off into the distance as Jack walked over to Arcee as the rest of the team came into view.
Back at Base
Ratchet shut down the ground bridge as he looked at the team as they walked into the base. "Well, what happened out there?" As Ratchet looked at the team, Wheeljack spoke up in an impressed tone. "Heh, we only saw a messy aftermath when we got there; but from what Arcee told us, Jack here was a one bot army!"
At those words, the attention of the group converged onto Jack only to find that he was walking towards the wash room and was not looking back at the group. "Jack, what's the matter; are you injured?" Jack paused at Ratchets words before walking onwards towards the wash room, leaving a very confused group of Autobots in the control center. Jack, however, didn't answer as he continued to walk.
Meanwhile, at Fort Bragg:
Michael was sitting in his office when he heard his phone ring. 'Who the fuck is it now…' Michael picked up the phone and froze when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. "Sergeant Major, this is Agent Fowler again; we found Jack. He's… changed quite a bit, but he's alive and well." Michael froze as he smiled and spoke up in an even tone, despite his happiness that his friend was safe.
"I knew Jack couldn't stay off grid for very long; thanks for the good news Fowler." With that, Michael hung up his phone and smiled before he left his office and walked down to the mess hall. As he sat down with a glass of scotch in his hand, a Gunnery Sergeant sat down across from him with a smile.
"Good afternoon Sergeant Major; good day so far?" Michael looked up at the Marine and saw the name 'Simmons' sewed onto his name tag. "Any day in the Corps is a good day Simmons." With that, Simmons laughed before he spoke up. "Sergeant Major, could I ask you something real quick?" With that, Michael looked at the Sergeant before him; he put down his scotch and nodded at the Sergeant.
"Thank you sir; well there's this name that's been going around in the barracks recently. The name is Jackson Darby; he's some bird in the Army from what I hear; I was wondering if you might tell me anything about him?" With that, Michael smirked and spoke up in an even tone. "Where to start? Jack and I grew up together; we were in the same ROTC battalion back in Nevada. We would always try to outdo each other in the cadet challenge and it led to a strong friendship. Later on, he became the Battalion Commander and I became the Command Sergeant Major, but we wanted different things; he went into the Army and became a Colonel in the Rangers while I joined the Corps."
Michael took a sip of his scotch while Simmons sat there listening intently. "Sounds like you two were pretty damn close huh Sergeant Major?" Michael smiled before he put down his glass and spoke again. "You could say that, me and Jack both grew up with military parents and we wound up becoming as close as family."
With that, Simmons smirked before speaking up. "Well, thank you for indulging my curiosity Sergeant Major; I better get back to my work. Have a good day sir." With that Simmons walked away at a brisk pace and rounded a corner as Michael continued to sip at his scotch. "Got him sir, he's definitely connected to HMH1; and he apparently went to the same school."
With that, Simmons waited for a minute as he listened to his orders. "Understood sir, pulling back to regroup with scout team Alpha; Simmons out." With that, Simmons snuck out of the Fort as Michael went to his office. As the Sergeant Major sat down at his desk, he picked up his phone and began to dial as he heard a voice answer him. "This is Sergeant Major Grymm; get me Agent William Fowler."
Oh my... I wonder what's in store for my OC? I'll get the next chapter up soon so you can find out. :)