A/N: Okay, any lines in full italics will be Bumblebee. Also, a few of my reviewers asked some very good questions. First: why do I say that Jack and the others live in Alamo, NV when the show calls it Jasper? The simple answer is this: for the most part, I don't like to use fictional places when real ones would work just as well. Sometimes I keep the fictional cities, but it is rare. Besides, if you take a look at Alamo, NV, you'll see it is very similar to Jasper, near some military bases (including one very famous/infamous base,) and has a population just barely over 1,000-a very quiet town, and perfect for my future plans for this story. Second, someone asked me about the threat of hacks. Well, thanks to fellow Transformers author Karmic Acumen, I have an answer but the explanation will come in for Sick Mind along with the explanation of the cortical psychic patch. Third, another reviewer noticed that it seems as though it's all thanks to Carly that the Bey-verse 'Bots lost at Chicago. Well, to that I say yes and no. Yes in that it was her intervention with Megatron that saved Optimus from Sentinel. No in that Wheelie and Brains maneuver with the Con ship took out some Autobots, including Bumblebee, helping lead to their ultimate failure. Also, there was a slight change in Darkness Rising Part 2 concerning who Fowler works for, one that makes this one of the few stories that are technically crossovers and keeps the Transformers in their proper universe.
More Than Meets the Eye
Chapter IV: Con Jobs
May 19, 2012-Autobot Outpost Omega One, NV
For once, Jack actually had to get a ride with Bumblebee and Raf in order to get to base. When they arrived Jack immediately asked what was going on. Arcee responded with "Tag team, Jack. It's my turn for exploration duty."
She didn't sound too thrilled at the idea, so Jack thought up an idea. "Exploration, huh? That doesn't sound too bad. Could I come along?"
"Arctic exploration duty."
Jack's eyebrows rose in shock. "Arctic? Never mind, New York's winters were bad enough."
"Yeah, right," Miko said in annoyance. "Like you've been anywhere outside Alamo."
Jack just laughed at the Japanese girl. "Miko, you have no idea what I know or have been through." Just then, right after Optimus and Arcee went through the groundbridge, the controls sparked almost dangerously. Curious, Jack went over to watch Ratchet at work.
Ratchet immediately called the other two 'Bots to him, which Bulkhead immediately protested. "I need some heavy lifting, the groundbridge is down."
"What about Arcee and Optimus? Did it happen while they were in transport?" Jack had to agree with Bumblebee's worries there. Oh, he wasn't worried that something had happened during transport, the spark-bond told him that much, but he was worried about whether they could bring them back.
Ratchet agreed with Jack that the duo had made it to the Arctic, and he was also worried about bringing them back and immediately had Bee and Bulk get to work. Once a panel had been pulled out of the floor, Ratchet checked on the circuit boards and said "We most definitely have a problem."
"Hey, Ratchet, why does the circuit board look like something has been eating it?" Jack asked.
"I have no idea, Jack." Then the lights flickered twice. "Might be a problem with the main grid. Hopefully it isn't a substation malfunction."
Just then, Jack spotted something come into the main room from one of the corridors. "Hey, why didn't you guys say you had pets?"
"Because we don't Ja-AHH!" Ratchet cried out (in fear?) when he spotted the tiny metal being that was almost all head and eyes. Immediately all the 'Bots activated their cannons and aimed them at the creature.
The other kids ran in front of the creature, while Jack simply wanted an explanation. "What's going on? What is it?"
"Scraplet! SCRAPLET!" Bulkhead nearly shrieked in fear.
"What's a scraplet?" Raf asked, picking it up.
"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron," Ratchet explained.
Miko scoffed at that, simply because the scraplet was only about the size of a cat. "Miko, how big are our vermin compared to us? By definition, a vermin is a small but dangerous creature. Or do I need to mention spiders?" Jack teased, knowing of the girl's severe case of arachnophobia. Bulkhead quickly agreed with Jack, but the duo remained unconvinced, until the scraplet caught sight of the 'Bots.
That's when the vermin's true nature was revealed. As soon as it laid eyes on the Autobots, it went into what Jack could only describe as a feeding frenzy as it's mouth opened up to reveal at least six rows of sharp, vibrating teeth and ran towards the 'Bots. It managed to dodge the three shots that Bulkhead and Bee got off and then started eating Bumblebee's leg! Well, Jack couldn't allow that, so he pulled out the Glock pistol he had bought a month earlier and shot it through it's eyes, instantly killing it. There was a moment of silence before Raf finally spoke up. "I don't know what's more shocking, what happened with the scraplet, or Jack."
"Let's start with Jack. Since when do human mechlings carry weapons?"
As soon as Ratchet translated, Jack explained. "Well, I decided after the misadventure on the Nemesis that I should probably start carrying something to defend myself with, something that wouldn't attract too much attention." Ratchet was quick to scoff, as usual, but Jack shut that down quickly. "It's not about the weapon, it's how you use it, Ratchet. So long as I aim at the right spot, say for example an optic, a basic human weapon could do a lot of damage. Now, would that be the only scraplet, or are there more?"
"No, when it comes to scraplets, there's never just one. And I fear I know how they got in," Ratchet said. And with that, he went straight for the former ice cube. When they found it, it was clear what had happened, and what it was. "It's a trap, a scraplet trap," Ratchet explained. "Most likely sent into space eons ago, only to wind up in the arctic where the temperature kept them in stasis."
"Until you guys discovered it and thawed it," Raf realized. Then he gulped at a revelation he had. "How many are we talking about?"
"50,938," Jack rattled off. Once again everyone stared at him in shock. "Bulkhead's about 23 feet tall, right? And given the fact that he's about half the size of the trap, it's easy to figure out the volume of the trap, about 50,939 cubic feet. Considering an individual scraplet can't be more than one cubic foot, that's 50,939 scraplets, minus the one that I already shot." They still stared at him, so he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "I'm really good with math."
"Jack is probably right. The power malfunctions and the groundbridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well under way," Ratchet agreed. They returned to the central control room where Ratchet tried calling Optimus and Arcee, but "The scraplets have gotten into the comm systems! If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base to a scrapheap!"
"I say we bug out of here and let them keep it!" Bulkhead immediately suggested, with Bumblebee quickly agreeing.
"We can't," Jack said immediately. "Not with Optimus and Arcee stranded in the Arctic. Optimus said that conditions were too harsh right now even for you, so unless we beat the scraplets and repair the groundbridge, we lose them both."
Miko was shocked to hear her big, tough guardian so enthusiastic about running, which lead to Bulkhead telling the kids exactly what a swarm of scraplets could do to a bot (something Jack could have lived his life without knowing.) And this time, it was Raf who came up with the idea that saved them. "You got to let us help, we're not made of metal so the scraplets won't hurt us."
"Typically I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality," Ratchet thought aloud. "But it would appear to provide an advantage, under these extremes."
"Alright, then we pair off, one 'Bot, one human. Bee, Raf, Miko and Bulk will go hunting, while you repair the bridge and comms and I watch your back," Jack quickly decided. Miko looked excited, but Bee and Bulkhead could only whimper at the idea of actually looking for the scraplets.
After the pairs went off, and Ratchet started the repairs, the medic decided to ask a question that had been bothering him for a month. "Jack, do you remember how we discovered Megatron was working with Dark Energon?"
"Yeah, you found some on Arcee after Cliffjumper's life signal showed up again. Why'd you ask?"
"Well, you had a reaction to the Dark Energon, one that Miko and Rafael did not exhibit. I was wondering if you know why that is."
Jack groaned. So, this was the first time he'd have to either lie or deflect to protect his secret until this proper moment Primus mentioned. But why did it have to be the Hatchet? Wait, there was a third option for what he could say. "It's a long story, Ratchet, and definitely not one for right now. Maybe when we have some uninterrupted time I'll explain, but definitely not now. How's it going over there?"
"I decided to focus on the groundbridge, as bringing Optimus and Arcee home is our top priority. I've repaired the damaged conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but it still isn't receiving power!"
"Okay, calm down Hatchet. What else could be causing the problems?" Jack said, slipping on the old nickname for the medic. But before Ratchet could answer, Jack heard the tell-tale clicking sound of scraplets moving. He quickly turned towards the source and discovered dozens of the pests clustered around an air vent. Jack immediately started shooting them, but it only brought their attention to Ratchet, where they immediately displayed an ability he hadn't known they had. "They fly?! You never said they could fly!" Jack yelled at the medic before the scraplets started devouring him.
Unfortunately, Jack knew that there was no way he could destroy all of the scraplets without risking them trying to eat him and decided to find another way to destroy them. Ratchet quickly came through by suggesting "The fire extinguisher!" Jack immediately understood the idea and turned it on the scraplets. He quickly cleared Ratchet's body of them before tossing it into the air and shooting it, taking out the scraplets still in the air, just as Bulkhead and Bumblebee returned.
While the trio of youths made certain the scraplets were permanently offline, Jack was making a quick count of the scraplets. "5,000, that's not enough, not nearly enough."
"Hardly, these were just scouts," Ratchet agreed.
"Meaning the other 45,000 know you're here, and if they get here before we can repair the groundbridge, then not only will they eat you guys, but Optimus and Arcee will freeze to death. So, how do we repair the groundbridge?" Jack asked.
"What good will that do?" Bulkhead demanded. "If we bring Optimus and Arcee back, the scraplets will just eat them as well as us!"
"Unless we send the scraplets to the arctic first," Raf suggested. "They would freeze a lot sooner than you guys would, and we'd be able to bring the others home. We'd just need bait to get the scraplets to go through the bridge."
Ratchet was quick to agree. "Given the body mass of the scraplets, sub-zero temperatures should freeze them on contact. So think Ratchet, think! If the groundbridge is still down, there must be a breach in the Energon fuel line!"
The trio were quickly given instructions on where to find the line and how to fix it and followed the line to the breach, which oddly enough had not been caused by the scraplets. Jack quickly welded much of the metal sheet they'd brought along to fix the breach, but ran out of fuel before he could finish. Looking at the welding torch, Jack discovered that somehow, a scraplet had taken a bite out of it. "Now what do we do?" Raf asked.
"You guys go on and tell Ratchet to be ready with the bridge, I'll take care of this," Jack answered. Reluctantly, the others left for the control room, while Jack quickly transformed one of his fingers into a blowtorch and finished the job while keeping a close watch on the scraplets. Just as he finished, the remaining 45,000 scraplets took off and flew towards the command center, with Jack hot on their heels. Jack though was much slower than the scraplets, and by the time he arrived, the bridge was open, and Bulkhead was going through it, with the scraplets right behind.
A few hours later, Optimus and Arcee had been completely defrosted, and the recoveries from the scraplet attacks were going well. When Optimus complimented Ratchet on his work, Jack heard something he thought he'd never hear. "It wasn't all my doing. We're just fortunate that this infestation happened on a Saturday."
Just then, Miko started screaming. Raf immediately pulled out a crowbar and asked if she'd seen a scraplet. But no, Miko asked about a very human problem: a spider. Everyone turned to watch as she ran away, with Bulkhead asking "Did she just scream like a little girl?"
Jack just laughed at that. "Technically speaking, she is a little girl, besides, who are you to ask that? I heard that you have a very femmish scream yourself." Bulkhead blushed at that (or rather, did a very good impression of blushing,) leading everyone but Optimus to start laughing at the large 'Bot.
While the others were all laughing at his comment, Jack slipped away to his workroom. Ever since the interruption by Agent Fowler, Jack had been unable to continue to regenerate the Cube, and since he apparently did not have the connection to the Primes that Sam had, he had no idea why he couldn't continue the work. As it was, Jack had one idea left: perhaps if he could discover his spark-song, it would help him continue work on the Allspark. For the spark did not have a regular beat like a human heart. No, it pulsed to a tune of music, each one as unique as a fingerprint, but one couldn't hear their spark-song, or any others immediately, they had to search for it, much as Jack would. However, after discovering their own spark-song, they could then hear every spark-song in range of their hearing. So, he sat down and started meditating, hoping it would work. Luckily for him, a mere half an hour later, he opened his eyes in shock. Not only did he find his spark-song, he knew that song! "Huh, E for Extinction. I guess that makes sense," Jack decided. He then went back to the Cube, (what little there was of it,) and tried to channel the Cube energy into it, and for the first time in weeks, he succeeded.
May 26, 2012-Autobot Outpost Omega One
A week after the infestation, the Bots received a message from an old friend and comrade-in-arms of Bulkhead's named Wheeljack. Apparently, the two had been close friends when they were members of the special-ops team known as the Wreckers, a team that Sam had been all too familiar with after Sentinel's betrayal. That particular group of Wreckers had been nothing but a pain in the ass to deal with, especially after Chicago, but apparently they were nothing like this universe's Wreckers. Sam's Wreckers had been engineers, while these Wreckers were the best of the best, ones that, to quote Bulkhead, "don't call for back-up, they call for clean-up." Wheeljack in particular was one of the most dangerous, being an inventor and an expert with explosives. Jack had to keep himself from snapping his fingers in realization: Sam had known Wheeljack, sort of. Sam's Wheeljack had also been a front-lines soldier and inventor, but after a bad accident that nearly killed him, he was rebuilt and chose to become the eccentric inventor Que-the first Autobot casualty in the hell known as Chicago. As such, Jack was only somewhat looking forward to meeting the Autobot.
Miko actually had the gall to suggest Wheeljack find another human, until Jack reminded her about Fowler's reaction to the three of them being there. Speaking of Fowler, he was a complete mystery to Jack. He had mentioned working for the Triskelion, but when he searched the Web for it, all he found was a pair of government groups called the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division and the Sentient World Observation and Response Division. Oddly enough, he couldn't find much out about either group, except that the first had been founded around the end of World War II, (and possibly connected to the Strategic Science Reserve,) and there was almost nothing connected to the second organization. As a result, Jack had turned to Raf and asked him to see what he could find out about the groups, though so far he hadn't had any luck.
Just then, an alarm sounded, warning the 'Bots that Wheeljack was being attacked by the 'Cons, and Bulkhead, Bee and Arcee went through the bridge to help him. A few minutes later, they returned with Wheeljack, but instantly Jack was suspicious of him. Due to how close Bulk had said they were, Jack had expected his spark song to be something similar to Bulk's own Navras, instead it was something radically different: Agent of Chaos, then his suspicions were raised again when Optimus asked about his journeys, he was extremely vague. His suspicions were raised yet again an hour later when, during a game called lobbing, Wheeljack 'attempted' to catch their ball in such a way that it ended up bouncing off his fingers into the ceiling and passing right by the groundbridge controls. Wheeljack apologized, then started asking questions about the bridge. "Built this bridge from scratch, huh?"
"I did," Ratchet replied.
"That's quite a feat of engineering."
"Yes, it is."
"Somethin' . . . wrong with it?" There was something about the way he asked that that made Jack watch him even more closely, and reach for the boom stick he had made the previous afternoon.
"I didn't care for the way it sounded this last jump. I put it in shut-down," Ratchet replied to the question.
"What if you need to use it?" 'Wheeljack' continued.
"Ooh, I can't interrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage."
"So, uhh, how long will the defrag take?"
"A few hours, if we're lucky. Maybe longer."
A few lobs passed before Miko demanded to hear a war story, during which 'Wheeljack' was almost as silent as Soundwave. When Bulkhead noticed the same thing, 'Wheeljack' claimed he needed to get out of the base, something he seemed far too eager to do, until he suggested Miko take him on a tour. Arcee noticed something was off about Bulk so she asked if he was alright. "Yeah, just . . . outta sorts I guess." Arcee immediately guessed that he was jealous of Wheeljack. "C'mon!" Bulk denied. "Something . . . something's not right about Wheeljack."
"Bulkhead, really? He's traveled galaxies. You haven't seen him for centuries. He could just be rocketlagged or . . . well, Bot's do change, you know?"
"Not Jackie," Bulkhead insisted.
"I have to side with Bulk on this," Jack added.
"Really?" Ratchet asked in contempt. "And what would you know about how Wheeljack is supposed to act?"
"Not a thing, but isn't it just a little odd that he seemed desperate to get out of the base? Since he got here, he's asked a lot of questions about the groundbridge, asked to go up top, and volunteered to go out on patrol. Then there's the fact that he is nearly silent about the Wrecker's missions. Every veteran I know loves to tell stories of the battles they were in," Jack countered. Ratchet just dismissed Jack's worries, while Arcee had to admit that he had some good points. They were still debating when 'Wheeljack' and Miko returned. "Hey, what are you guys . . . talking about?" he asked.
Bulk then set a trap for him. "I was telling the guys all about you and me, at the Battle of Darkmount Pass."
"That's . . . a heck of a story."
"Yep. Tell it," Bulk demanded.
Miko tried to calm her guardian down as did Arcee, but Bulk insisted until Wheeljack relented. "Fine! You want to live in the past, Bulkhead?" Jack quickly pulled Miko away from 'Wheeljack' while he told the story. "The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and the smelting pit. The 'Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy, left 'em for scrap, then I made us a way out by using their backsides as stepping stones across the molten metal. Isn't that how it happened?" he asked smugly.
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened," Bulkhead replied, seeming at ease. 'Wheeljack' relaxed at that, until Bulkhead continued. "Except for one little thing: I wasn't there." Everyone but Jack looked at Bulk and Wheeljack in shock. "I'd already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn't know that if all you did was look up Wheeljack's public service record!" Bulk explained, constantly moving closer to the fake.
"Bulkhead, what does that have to do with-" Miko asked just before Wheeljack tried to grab her. The fake was only frustrated because Jack knocked her out of the way, only to be grabbed himself. Then, taking Jack with him, he ran to the groundbridge controls and threatened "Stay back, or I'll squeeze him into pulp."
Arcee growled at him. "Let him go, Con, or I swear on the Allspark that you will regret it!"
"Like I could possibly scared of what a little femme could do!" 'Wheeljack' said in his natural voice.
"Bad call, but then, so was grabbing me," Jack said, before pulling out his gun and shooting the fake in his knuckles. 'Wheeljack' cried out in pain, while Jack climbed up his arm, pulled out the boom stick and shoved it down behind his back plate before jumping onto the groundbridge controls.
Just as he landed, the console beeped and the fake grinned. "Perfect! Now, let's get this party started!" Then he opened the groundbridge, to only he knew what.
But Makeshift's relief was short-lived, as an identical bot came through the bridge, hitting Makeshift in the back with his peds. The real Wheeljack straightened out before telling Jack "I'd shut that hole before the stink comes through."
Jack grinned, considering the fact that he was already looking to defend the base, this had to be the real thing. Of course, the fact that he also had a spark song from The Matrix: Revolutions certainly helped him decide that. (Wheeljack's was Neodammerung to Bulk's Navras.) "Sure thing, Wheeljack, but I'd suggest getting rid of him soon, or we'll have a big mess to clean up, one I'd rather leave to the 'Cons."
"I'll only need two minutes alone with ugly," Wheeljack replied. Immediately, the doubles pulled out their katanas and started circling each other, before they attacked the other in unison. Raf and Miko quickly lost track of who was who, but Jack had no such trouble, due to the fact that his boom stick was still in Makeshift's back. Fortunately the fight didn't last long, as Wheeljack quickly disarmed Makeshift and knocked him on the ground. Then he turned to Jack and insisted "Kid, pull the switch. It's time to take out the trash."
Jack grinned as he followed the order, and within seconds of the bridge being opened, Bulkhead lobbed Makeshift through the bridge. "Perfect, we had about thirty seconds before the bomb blew."
Everyone turned to look at Jack in shock. "What kind of bomb, kid?"
"Oh, I'm not sure, actually. My dad used to bring his work home with him, and I messed with it a little. I'd been hoping for a chance to test it, but I guess the observation of the test will simply have to wait."
"What did your father do?" Arcee asked.
"Oh, he was a weapons designer for Justin Hammer Sr, the former head of Hammer Industries. At least he was, until Hammer Sr died and Jr took over. Justin the Younger brought his own men in, and people like my dad were relegated to desk jobs. That killed him about ten years ago," Jack explained. And all of that was true, except for the fact that Jeff Darby never brought his work home, or at least, not the actual devices. "Oh, and five, four, three, two, one, and your double is no more," Jack finished, having just checked his watch.
May 26, 2012-Nemesis
Soundwave had to admit, some of Starscream's plans were inspirational, and this was one of them. Makeshift was one of the rarest kind of Cybertronians, a Shifter, one who could make themselves look like anyone of approximately the same size as him. The only problem with the plan was that which had happened: they chose the wrong 'Bot to replace, and as such, Wheeljack had escaped, but hopefully Makeshift had at least retrieved the requisite information. Fortunately Starscream had the same priority. "Please tell me you at least learned the location of their base!" he demanded.
"Indeed, Lord Starscream, it is in a hidden bunker, just outside of-" but that was as far as he got before . . . something exploded, completely destroying his head and spark chamber before igniting the grenade that hung on Wheeljack's right side. Fortunately for Soundwave, he was far enough away that he managed to escape the blast, as did Starscream. Too bad, Starscream might have won the war right then, before Megatron even woke up, if it weren't for that bomb.
May 30, 2012-Autobot Outpost Omega One
Wheeljack decided not to stay, despite Optimus and Bulk trying their best to convince him. But before he left, he said that he counted Jack and Miko as honorary members of the Wreckers, and left Bulkhead under Miko's protection, (once Bulk refused his offer to go with Wheeljack,) something that both Jack and Raf had to hold back their laughter about until they were on their way home.
That was three days ago. Now Agent Fowler had called them for help transporting a new Stark-tech reactor (called a DYNGS, short for Dynamic Nuclear Generating System,) after some 'Cons shot him down. Thinking quickly, Optimus decided that the best way to transport the DYNGS was in his trailer. A few hours into the road trip, Fowler reported that the one responsible for shooting him down was following them, as well as a few ground troops. "What?" Ratchet asked in shock. "I'm not picking up anything. They must be utilizing a cloaking technology."
"Maybe, or maybe it's not the 'Cons," Jack suggested. "We're far from a peaceful race, you know, and all kinds of terrorist and mercenary groups exist out there. One of them even tried taking over the world 70 years ago."
Just then, Optimus reported "Our assailants are not Decepticons, they are human."
Ratchet, Miko and Raf repeated the word in shock while Jack just grinned and said "Told you so."
"No one likes to hear 'I told you so,' Jack," Miko countered. "Besides, humans taking on our 'Bots? They're road kill!" And sure enough, Optimus and Bee each took out one of the enemy vehicles.
Then, over the comm came an unfamiliar voice. "I hope you take better care of the DYNGS than you do your captives."
"Special Agent Fowler here. Identify yourself!"
"I am Silas. But of greater consequence to you, we are MECH. Fair warning to you, we will be helping ourselves to your device, even if it means inflicting casualties."
"Is that so? Tell me, Si, what's the market price for a DYNGS these days?"
"Please, Agent Fowler, anything Stark makes is valuable. But what makes you think we intend to sell it? There's a war brewing, between the new world order, and the newest. The winner will be the side with the most innovative technology, and that means Stark, even if he doesn't make your traditional weapons anymore." Jack and Raf grinned at each other at that. After they had become friends, they discovered that they were both big fans of Iron Man, and were some of the few people who actually supported the billionaire when he decided to stop making weapons after his escape from the Ten Rings.
"So Si, you think MECH has all the most radical tech?" Fowler asked smugly. Not a minute after he asked, Arcee burst out of Optimus' trailer, hitting one of the MECH vehicles, causing it to flip before another vehicle hit it, flipping onto its' roof before the gas tank exploded. That's my girl, Jack thought in pride.
Five minutes later, they started Phase Two, something that Jack thought needed to be updated due to their pursuers. How could Silas not realize that they had moved the DYNGS to the train when his men were following the 'Bots? However, Ratchet overruled his objections and they continued as planned. Then, just as they left the tunnel, Ratchet called out "Optimus, you have company!" With the arrival of the Decepticons, their deception involving the DYNGS quickly fell apart, and they were forced to transform in order to defend themselves and Fowler, leaving MECH free to take the DYNGS.
"We can't let MECH grab the DYNGS," Jack insisted. "We need to think of something quick . . . wait, what if we bridge onto the train? They have to get on the train if they want it, and we just might be able to stop them."
"Absolutely not! That would be suicide, you would be taking on trained mercenaries!" Ratchet insisted.
Miko immediately countered him with "Hello, United States of Meltdown? Lives are at stake?"
"Yes, yours! You not only want me to bridge you into a confined space, but one travelling at 90 miles per hour? I can't even count the number of ways that can go wrong. Mass displacement trauma, twisted limbs, metal burn." The trio stared at Ratchet at that last one, even Jack. Yes, he may have metal in his body, but it was inside him, not on the outside. Ratchet realized why they were staring at him and corrected himself. "Well, maybe not the last one. Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix groundbridge coordinates on something moving at that speed."
"Would it help if we had access to the train's coordinates?" Raf asked, coming to the rescue once again.
"Well-" Ratchet started.
May 30, 2012-Union Pacific train-Idaho
Jack decided Ratchet was right to be concerned when he arrived through the bridge with Miko. Even with the coordinates, they still ended up landing on their asses instead of walking out as was usual. As soon as he stood up, he opened his phone and called the base. "Okay, good news is we're in. The bad news is we've got a downed guard, and the DYNGS is making some noise. I think you'll need to come over too, Raf, just in case," he reported.
"On my way, Jack," Raf answered, and within a minute he was inside the car, while Jack had opened up the box with the DYNGS inside. Raf immediately went to work, until Jack realized that MECH was landing their helicopter on top of the train. He quickly switched to his laptop before announcing "Okay, in about twenty seconds, we're going to hit a switch track. Brace yourselves, it's going to be a hard left at these speeds." Sure enough, it was a hard left, but it had it's consequences, as not long after, Raf's computer got fried, clearly the result of MECH counter-hacking Raf. "Damn those bastards!" Raf yelled. Jack and Miko looked at him in shock. Raf felt their stares and as he turned to go back to work on the DYNGS he replied "What? I may be twelve, but I am also a sophomore in high school, and the rest of the class doesn't watch their language around me."
Then, just as Raf finished fixing the DYNGS, the MECH soldiers finished cutting through the roof, three of them looking down on the trio of kids. Miko immediately went for the axe that was conveniently hanging on one side of the car, while Jack pulled out his Glock and Raf grabbed the fire extinguisher from the same wall the axe had been on. The MECH troops radioed Silas and asked "There are three civilian youths on the train. What do we do with them?" Jack didn't hear the answer, but he didn't need to as the soldier repeated the reply. "You heard him, no witnesses."
Jack widened his eyes in shock at the inhumanity of the order, until the MECH soldiers raised their weapons to shoot. They were too slow however, as Jack quickly got six shots off, instantly killing two of the soldiers, while the third scrambled back, but not before he noticed something glimmer on the mans' uniform. He'd have to study that later, right now, Silas was attempting to escape, and he couldn't let that happen, so he took aim at MECH's chopper and emptied his clip into it, with no visible effect. However, it must have shaken Silas up some, as the MECH chopper simply flew off to the south, leaving the train and the DYNGS in peace. At the next station, Jack and Miko got out and were quickly bridged home, along with the 'Bots.
May 30, 2012-Darby home, Alamo, NV
If there was one thing that Jack would never give up about being part Cybertronian, even if he could, it was the computer mind. Thanks to it, he could review any memory as quickly as he could find the file and open it, just as he was doing right now. He was certain he'd seen a symbol on the uniform of that MECH agent that he'd shot, and that symbol might help in some way. He opened the file, and slowly started playing the memory until he spotted it again. Jack quickly zoomed in and cleaned up the image until . . . "No! No, it can't be! They were destroyed almost 70 years ago! It can't be-"
May 31, 2012-Secret MECH Base, Nevada
"We failed to acquired the DYNGS, but we did learn several important pieces of information. First, your agents in SWORD were telling the truth, the Transformers are real. We may have a chance to create weapons as powerful as the Tesseract weapons from World War II by studying them. Second, I believe we found a possible recruit," 'Silas' reported.
"Explain," his superior demanded.
One of the MECH soldiers stepped forward with a holographic generator. "When we were ordered to eliminate all witnesses, this young man, no older than 20, shot and killed my partners in cold blood before attempting to shoot down Silas. We know he has connections to Fowler, and thus to SWORD and SHIELD, giving you yet another agent on the inside."
The baron gave a grin. "Very well, but you cannot be the one to turn him, Colonel Bishop, I doubt that he could possibly trust you after today. We will have to look to our other agents to recruit him. Well done, Colonel."
Then, as one, the MECH agents raised their arms in salute and yelled "Hail, Hydra!"
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker grinned and returned the salute. "Hail, Hydra."
A/N: So, I hope that was a good shock to you. Just to be clear, this will be taking place in the MCU, a mere one month before Iron Man 2, and the MECH base is the one featured in Nemesis Prime. Also, a big thank-you to Hivedragon for giving me a plot to introduce Blackout to Team Prime!