Chapter Four
May 9th, 2010
Jasper, Nevada
The Darby Residence
"Okay, that should be everything," Jack told himself. He looked around the now empty garage he had tidied up. Coulson was somewhere else in town coordinating the few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that had stayed behind. Being back inside the house only strengthened the steely grip on his nerves.
Arcee had dropped him off before driving off to check the town. His initial reaction was surprise when she just left. Honestly, a part of him wasn't surprised by this. Arcee had a habit of doing things on her own in her own way, even grieving, but this was for a different reason.
He had told her the night before they left what usually happened to orphans. How he would get a social worker to be his legal guardian and then be sent to a foster home, but since he was a ward to S.H.I.E.L.D. now that June was deceased, he would be sent to Washington, D.C. for rehabilitation. She did not take the news easily.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time. It almost a quarter to eleven. He had enough time to prepare Sierra to meet the Autobots but first, he had to take care of a few things.
"Hello?" Ratchet's tired voice had picked up.
"Uh, h-hey, Ratchet. I need a bridge," Jack stuttered. Even after being around the Bots for almost three months, talking to one of them made him feel nervous.
"Of…of course, Jackson. Just give me a klick."
"Okay. Thank you." Jack awkwardly hung up just as a familiar vortex appeared just inches in front of him. Gulping, he pulled the concealed wagon through the vortex and into the Autobot base. A quick look around showed that the others had been around when he called. His focus was drawn away when Optimus approached him.
"Jackson—"
"I know what you're going to say, but please don't." Jack absently scratched at his healing hand. It still hurt, but not as much as it used to. "It's not your fault for what happened. It's Airachnid's and MECH's." And mine, he silently added. "I just wish…"
Optimus must have sensed that silent add-on, because he said, "Jackson, you mustn't blame yourself for your mother's passing. It was our responsibility to keep both of you safe, to which we have failed."
"Jack, where is Arcee?" Ratchet said.
"Around town." After contemplating on whether to continue that conversation, Jack said, "I was wondering if I could keep a couple of things here until I can figure out what to do with them. It's temporary, but I promise I will have it out of here. Just…don't freak out."
Optimus watched carefully with some minor curiosity as Jack pulled the wagon up towards the stairs. He placed down the handle and pulled off the cover. Ratchet gasped as Bulkhead squeaked. Bumblebee froze up in his spot.
Optimus, however, found his curiosity piqued even more as he studied what Jack had brought over. Among the books and folders tied up in bundles, tied down by rope were fifteen small glass containers. Inside each of them were tiny critters the size of the average human's palm. They had eight spindly legs and two large round eyes with a smaller one on each side. Genetically bred, they were the greatest secret June had kept.
"What in the name of Primus are those things?" Ratchet braced himself against the monitor console.
Jack opened up one of the cases from the top, and all fifteen spiders stopped their activity. He reached inside and pulled out one of the jumping spiders: a black male with little red spots on its legs and abdomen.
"Relax, Ratchet. These spiders aren't created to tear into metal. They're designed to eat pests like flies and other critters that get caught in their webs."
"S-still! We cannot keep something like those here. Optimus, surely you don't agree to this, do you?"
Bumblebee slowly creeped up towards Jack. The yellow Autobot squatted down to get a closer look at the spider. He made a comment as he carefully reached out, stroking it with a digit. One could have sworn that the spider purred and chirped happily.
Optimus carefully studied the tiny critters in Jack's possession. Sure, there was some resemblance to scraplets. But upon further inspection, they didn't seem to mind the sudden sight of the Autobots.
"Please, Optimus. These are one of the secrets that Mom has kept from S.H.I.E.L.D. or anyone else. They were designed to act as pest control. The only person who knows is Arcee and Phil. I promise you that I will find a safe place for them." The spider, who acted to sense Jack's distress, snuggled into his hand and chirped.
"W-what if they get hungry?" Bulkhead asked nervously.
"I'll just have to find small insects for them," Jack shrugged. It didn't look like he filled the Wrecker's confidence, but he knew Bulkhead would object so long as Miko never saw them.
"Well, I suppose that I have been outvoted," Ratchet said. "Just make sure they are fed and inside their containment cells."
Before Jack could speak, the proximity sensors went off to let everyone know that Fowler was arriving. The spider panicked and accidentally bit Jack's hand in response to the alarms. He yelped in pain and surprise.
"Jackson! Are you all right?" Ratchet rushed over to him as Jack placed the spider in its case.
"Yeah, he just got scared and bit me," Jack said, but Ratchet was already in doctor mode.
"Over to the medical bay now." He proceeded to mutter beneath his vents about being right as Jack dragged his feet over to the corner.
"They're not even harmful to humans," Jack grumbled as the sensors went silent.
"I don't care," Ratchet said. "If what you said is true, then these are clearly not your typical spiders. Who knows what she was doing to them."
Jack glared up at him. He did not like the tone Ratchet was using when he said that.
Seeing the anger in Jack's eyes, Optimus said, "At least let Ratchet inspect the bite in case its venom has been advanced. I trust you in the description of your mother, but perhaps even she would not have had an idea of what they are capable besides what she had observed."
"Okay," Jack sighed. He hopped up on the table and sat there with a pout.
As Ratchet finished up, Fowler was just entering the room. Jack was surprised to find him walking in a little slower than normal, favoring one side over the other.
"Oh, Jack. Thank my lucky stars and stripes. I was hoping to get to talk to you before the funeral." He glanced at the Autobots sideways and added, "Um, how about we go somewhere a little more private?"
Jack looked up at Ratchet. When the medic said nothing, he jumped down from the slab. They walked into the elevator and Jack noticed the worried looks the others gave him. The ride up was awkward and uncomfortable for him, but Fowler didn't seem to mind. They walked out into the warm Nevada afternoon air, and Jack could see the outline of Jasper up in the distance.
Fowler's face wilted as he stared into the horizon. "I've arranged your mother's wake in three days if that's okay with you. The funeral will be the day after. Is there anything else you want to be done? Your mother was cryptic in her will."
Jack smiled lightly. That sounded like her. "Can we keep the wake as small as possible? I don't think I can handle the whole town being there and offering condolences." He paused and ran his fingertips through his hair. "Also, I haven't asked them yet, but I want the Autobots to be there. You know, at the burial."
"I can do that. The bots would have to be in disguise, but it shouldn't be a problem." The sadness appeared to deepen in his eyes. "I really am sorry that things had to be this way, Jack."
Doubt had no room in Jack's mind. He could only nod in response, and a lump formed in his throat.
"I've been talking to the Autobots about what's going to happen to you," Fowler added. "If I can talk nice to my superiors, they will be granted custody of you."
Jack jerked like he had pushed him, but he didn't react right away. He glanced up at him with wide, blue eyes. Fowler was surprised to find terror and another emotion he couldn't quite put a name to.
He smiled, a peace offering. "They were all pretty upset about you having to leave. But you know them better than I do. Hopefully this can make up for your mother's death."
Jack clutched his hands tightly. Optimus had to have heard that from where they were, but he wouldn't reveal that part of himself. Not to Fowler or anyone else. Would he have believed him if he told the older man the whole story? He didn't do well with surprises, but life was full of them, and this would be no different.
He was obviously waiting for him to speak, but no words came to him. He would have to give an earnest response, to be just as cryptic as he had been when he moved out there. But he had no idea what he would do or how he would judge anymore.
"I'm sorry," he finally said. "I have to think about this first." Then he added with a smirk, "But you'll have to tell the Bots that they'll have to fight with S.H.I.E.L.D." He snorted at Fowler's dumbstruck face.
Half an hour later, Jack stopped by at KO's Burgers. He had asked Ratchet to bridge him there after his conversation with Fowler came to a close. With his mother now gone, there would be no point working at the restaurant anymore.
He opened up the doors, the smell of grease hitting him hard. Moving past the registers and giving a nod to his fellow co-workers, Jack headed to the manager's office, knocking before letting himself in. He had apologized for not calling in and for not giving in his two weeks' notice. He said simply that something urgent had come up, leaving him unable to work. His manager startled and stunned him with a sympathetic response.
"It's okay, Jack. You've been a great employee and if you ever need a good recommendation, feel free to put me down for any future applications you fill out. And hey, I'm sorry about your mother."
The stunned teenager looked like a gaping fish before he managed to stutter a thank you to his former boss and then stumbling out of the office, feeling off-balanced. How had his boss known that his mom had died? Oh, the obituaries, he realized as he saw a customer read a magazine.
He looked around the restaurant and spotted Vince sitting on the far side of the room, nibbling away at the sandwich he had. The two hadn't confronted each other since the race. Before it had felt like it had been decades. Jack would never admit it to anyone, but they used to be best friends. They got bullied together, but they pulled through it together. Until an incident that occurred four years prior. Then their relationship got rocky, and Jack was forced to cut off all ties with him. That had been why Vince bullied a lot of people that he had hated so much.
He walked over to the table and set his bag down that he'd ordered. Vince jerked his head up in surprise as Jack seated himself. The bully only glared at him and looked back down.
"So, Mr. Bridges, huh?" Jack attempted to joke.
Vince poked at his food with his fork.
"Right." He jabbed at his food before saying, "I heard about what's going on with your cousin."
Vince snorted. "He had it coming."
"What?"
Vince shrugged. "What can I say? He was a total douche bag."
Jack sat there staring at him. Then he looked down at his food, which remained untouched. He set down his fork and pushed it closer to Vince. The latter gave him an odd look.
"You can have it. You need it more than I do."
Vince glared at him. "Why do you care? We're not friends anymore, so quit acting like it."
"I do care, Vince! You look like you've barely eaten anything since that one night."
Vince looked back down. "I've been a little strapped on cash lately. I'd work, but I can't seem to find a job who'd accept a freak like me."
"You are not a freak," Jack argued softly.
"No, just rude!"
Both boys looked up and saw Miko standing next to them. Jack groaned before saying, "Seriously, Miko? It's okay, so just go join Raf or whoever you came here with."
Miko didn't budge. Instead, she said to Vince, "Why do you gotta act so rude and tough all the time? It only makes you look stupid."
"But that ponytail/pigtail combo doesn't?" Vince pointed at her hair. "Or those clothes that you wear?"
Miko narrowed her eyes at him. "Your wardrobe doesn't scream rock star, either."
"Miko, just get out of here," Jack told her.
"Yeah. Go back to the weird group where you belong to," said Vince.
"Call me a weirdo one more time," Miko said. "Or you can fight me."
Both boys looked up at her. Some of the students at nearby tables glanced up as well.
"What?" Vince asked.
"You heard me! If you're as tough as you claim you are, then fight me right after school at the old granary by the tracks. I bet you can't beat my ass!"
On instinct, Jack's left hand cupped the knuckles on his right hand. The entire room suddenly changed before him. The light had turned to darkness, and Miko looked bigger and scarier. Everything disappeared, all but Vince, who appeared smaller and terrified. Blood and flesh and dirt flashed in his mind.
He felt an unusual pressure around his waist, the weight beneath him had vanished, and everything felt weightless. His feet kicked out from beneath him, and he nearly struggled out of the grasp of the one who had him.
By the time he had come back to his senses, he found himself outside. The Nevada heat felt hotter than it had before. Frantic echoes rang in his ears as he sight became clearer. He was sitting in the alleyway, his back against the wall of KO's Burgers. Coulson was holding him by his shoulders.
"Jack, talk to me. Jack, are you okay?" he was asking him.
Jack's breathing was rattling in his throat. Raf was standing nearby, tears in his eyes as Miko frantically told someone what was happening. Jack shook his head and sat up straighter. "What…?"
"Jack, listen to me," Coulson spoke, this time more softly. "You're back in Jasper right now. You're not in trouble, but you did look like you were zoned out. Like you just had a flashback or re-experiencing a traumatic event. By the way some of the others had described it, it was a bad one. You hadn't had one in a long time, have you?"
He was right. God, he was absolutely right. Jack ran his hands through his hair, breathing in and out.
"Dude, what just happened?" Miko exclaimed. "You looked like you were ready to pass out." She was standing over them now. Coulson glared up at her, like that was the stupidest thing she could ever say.
Raf waddled up and held up a cup. As Jack took it, he asked, "Do you remember what happened?"
Jack shook his head. "I think I remember Miko and Vince almost getting into a fight."
Coulson glared at Miko again. "Why?"
The girl cringed. "Uh…"
"They said that you zoned out, like you were about to have a seizure. Everyone thought you would faint, but he showed up from outside and dragged you out here," Raf said. He hoped his answering would defuse the matter before it exploded.
Jack ran a hand through his hair again. "It's not worth it," he said. "It's not worth it." He looked at Raf. "I'm so sorry that you guys had to see that."
"It's okay. I had an uncle who saw action in the Gulf War. He sometimes had those episodes himself."
Jack squeezed his eyes and shook his head. God, he messed up. Since his mom's death, he really messed up. He thought for sure he could just get over everything, but not even he was immune to trauma. He had to break this cycle now before he got into bigger trouble.
"Jack, what happened to your hand?" Raf gasped suddenly. His hands flew up to his mouth as he realized how insensitive it sounded.
"Um, which one?" Jack said. He realized what he had said and winced. Too late.
"What do you mean which hand?" Coulson glared at him. "Let me see the other one."
"Dang it," Jack said to himself.
"Hand. Now." Coulson flipped his own and wiggled his fingers to indicate that he was serious. Jack held out his left hand to reveal the bite. Frowning, he asked, "Is this a spider bite?"
Miko froze. "Sp-spider?"
"Well," Jack started, but that earned his answer being cut off.
"How recent?"
"I don't know. About an hour ago, maybe?"
"What? That long ago? This looks like a big spider bit you, and those are a pain in the ass! I'm taking you down to the hospital and get this looked at. Who knows how infected it could be."
"Phil, I'm fine. Besides, I already had it looked at. Three times," Jack grumbled that last part to himself. "And the spider wasn't that poisonous, but I promise that if I don't feel that good, I'll go to the hospital."
"Well, I'm taking you there to get some antibiotics," Coulson said. He pulled Jack to his feet. "If you start to feel sick, let me know immediately, or I'll have my foot so far up your ass that I'll be watching Hancock while you try to get my shoe out."
"Um, isn't that a little extreme?" Raf said.
"I've met your family, and you thought that what he said was extreme?" Miko said.
Coulson led him to the sidewalk before a black SUV stopped by. Fowler had been inside, and he had seen some of the action that happened. Jack seemed sheepish as Coulson stopped, giving the government a look.
"Mr. Coulson? I'm Special Agent Fowler."
"Yeah, I heard a little bit about you."
Fowler cleared this throat. "Yeah. Well, I guess now it's time that you knew the truth."
"You mean your little science fiction club?" Coulson raised an eyebrow at him.
"Um, Agent Fowler?" Raf spoke up. "I'm sure that whatever you're about to say to him won't convince him about the other night."
"Yeah, I'm with him on that one," Miko agreed.
"Cant say the same about those thugs," Coulson grumbled.
"Let me guess: without a trace?" Fowler already had a feeling that MECH had left nothing behind to track them down.
"Unfortunately," Coulson said. "Too bad, because I would have loved to have given this guy a piece of my mind."
Jack quirked a corner of his mouth before he heard the familiar roar of an engine. Arcee pulled up behind Fowler, her hologram activated.
"Jack, ready to head back to…?" She stopped as soon as she saw the group.
Fowler looked between her and the others before sighing, "Do we have to?"
"Agent Fowler, nothing is going to stop him from wanting to meet the others after this," Jack said.
"He's got that right," Coulson said.
Jack looked at him and his heart sank. He remembered the night he had brought Arcee home, when his mom had made him promise to take her out for a spin. "Hey, after we're done, can I offer you a ride?"
The ride to the mesa that evening had been quick and quiet, with Coulson not having much to say. Jack was simply waiting for the reaction he would have.
Coulson had to do more checks at the sight. Had to help make it look like Airachnid's existence wasn't there. The sight alone left him disgusted. Because it was Sunday, Miko and Raf wouldn't be at the base, so they spent the remaining free hours they had with Jack. There was no sign of Sierra yet, and quite honestly, he wasn't sure how much time he would have with her.
They neared the mesa, and the secret entrance slowly opened up, allowing them entrance. They drove down the tunnel, the engine echoing off of the walls. They finally drove into the main room of the hanger, and Arcee slowly came to a stop.
Coulson craned his neck up in wonder at the large metallic creatures before him. Bulkhead and Bumblebee were standing by some crates, and they turned to look at the new arrival. Ratchet turned from his console as well, examining this infamous man that Fowler had informed them about.
Loud heavy footsteps filled the room, and Coulson found himself at a loss as he took in the massive form of Optimus Prime.
Jack took off his helmet and gestured at the Autobots. "Phil, meet my science fiction club."
The four Bots stood before him, and Coulson did the only thing that came to mind: he gave a slight wave.