This is not really important, but on my profile, I posted up a poll for you guys to do while I write this story.

That aside, this is probably the last chapter that will remain true to the show until later. I still intend to integrate the last episodes of the first season with a major twist. So have fun reading this chapter.

Chapter Six

May 19th, 2010

Hibbing, Minnesota

Hull–Rust–Mahoning Open Pit Iron Mine

"We're supposed to be at a rock concert!" Miko whined. "But all I see is rock!" Jack sighed from the rock he was sitting on, while Miko paced impatiently to his left. Queenie had glared up at her from her perch. "If she keeps this up, there will be a rock concert," Sierra said to Jack.

Miko had won a pair of tickets from a radio station a couple days ago, and she had invited both of them along. While Jack knew he wasn't her first choice, he appreciated her attempt to cheer him up all the same. He never had been a fan of metal rock, but he hadn't been able to say no when she'd ask him to tag along. Mainly because he wanted to spend some quality time with his friends before he left.

"Relax, Miko. The show doesn't start for another two hours," he told her.

Miko's features darkened as she turned to him. "Do you know how long I've waited to see Slash Monkey?" she said.

"Let me think," Jack started, but she never gave him time.

"Forever! And it's their only U.S. date!" she shouted.

"We can always have you transported to the next one," Sierra supplied.

Jack grinned. "Now that's a headliner: Miko Nakadai, causing chaos across the world, one city at a time."

"Shut. Up," Miko grounded out as Bulkhead came out of the mine with Arcee in tow.

"By all appearances, the mine's been stripped," Arcee had just said.

Bulkhead was glaring at the device in his hands. "But I'm getting a signal! It's faint, but it's definitely energon."

"It doesn't make sense," Arcee muttered. "This operation's been abandoned for four, maybe five years. And Decepticons never leave an energon trail behind."

"Um, guys?" Sierra said suddenly.

Both Autobots looked down at her. She pointed towards the cave. Miko had run off inside of it.

"She went in. Unbelievable," Arcee sighed.

"Really?" Jack asked as he stood up. "Have you met her?"

Bulkhead groaned as he went after his charge. "Miko, get back here!"

They watched him go until they could barely see him. Jack turned to Arcee and hinted out, "You know, it would be kind of interesting to see the inside. You know, if it were…"

"Safe?" Arcee said. "A stripped mine is structurally unstable."

"I promise to step lightly," Jack told her as he held his hands up.

"Please, Arcee? We'll be super good and we'll leave the minute danger comes around," Sierra pleaded.

"Just…don't tell Phil," Arcee finally said.

Jack smiled and pumped his fist as they followed Arcee inside. Queenie could only purr at the childlike display before following through.

"This place is awesome," Jack breathed as he looked up at the glittering pillars of stone.

"Careful," Arcee scolded. "This is like a landmine. One false move and you'd have limbs flying everywhere."

"Since when do caves become landmines?" Jack smirked.

Sierra climbed up onto a boulder. She began to survey the room before declaring, "This place looks like something you would hold an underground concert in. Hello?" she called out. The place echoed in response. "See? What have I told you?"

"Arcee…some…" Bulkhead's voice cut through the caverns. "—cee?"

"Bulkhead?" Arcee pressed a digit against her receptors. "Bulkhead, do you read me?" She waited for a reply, but she only got static. "Scrap. The mineral composition down here is causing too much interference."

Jack shrugged. "Guess that means we find them the old fashion way."

Arcee huffed through her vents before they walked on. Jack just smiled before they followed her through the tunnels. They continued to walk in silence before the back of Jack's head started to tug at his senses. He stopped. He hadn't felt that since the Polarity Gauntlet fiasco.

"Jack?" Sierra's voice was barely audible through the sensation.

Arcee looked down to him. She noticed the odd state that he was in. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Jack said. Absently, he continued forward, proceeding with more caution as Queenie scampered off after him. Sierra looked up at Arcee with worry before they followed after him. It was not long before he heard something. It echoed through the tunnel and as they moved closer, Jack could make out a voice.

"You have ceased to be of use to me, Starscream," a gravelly voice growled. "So, you shall simply cease to be!"

Jack's head whipped to his left at an opening. That voice sounded eerily familiar. There was a giant silver Cybertronian standing over a kneeling silver one, the cannon mounted on his right forearm humming and aimed at him. He was stunned to see that he was taller than Optimus by a head.

Starscream, still cowering at his commander's feet, had spotted the group first. Megatron followed his gaze, his face a twisted testament to annoyance and vengeance. He began to shoot at them, and Jack quickly moved Sierra out of the way on instinct. Arcee quickly scooped all three of them into her arms, carrying them out of the line fire, where she set them down behind a thick stone pillar.

"Stay down!" she told them.

Megatron continued to assault their only means of safety. They thought for one moment that he wouldn't stop until the shots ceased.

"Starscream! You dare abandon me?" Megatron roared.

Arcee took her chance and moved from their cover to fire at Megatron's back. He turned around and resumed to shoot again. With exact precision, she was able to get him to shoot upwards, his blasts striking at the ceiling overhead.

Suddenly, the cavern started to shake and rumble violently. Arcee stumbled, looking for the pair, who had to move to avoid being crushed. One of the thicker boulders cracked from the ceiling and fell onto Megatron. Cracks formed in the ground, snaking towards the ones left standing. Before they could do anything, the ground beneath Arcee gave in.

"Arcee!" Jack cried out, but a clawed hand grabbed his wrist. Queenie had only time to shield herself over him just as the earth swallowed them whole.

Bulkhead had found Miko deep in a cavernous room, where she was shouting to test out the confinement for an imaginary concert. That had been when his scanners picked up something. Much to his chagrin, there proved to be enough mineral composition to limit communications. He decided to take a sample and began to pound at the walls with his wrecking ball.

Unfortunately, during his task, the whole chamber started to shake violently. Rock structures broke from the ceiling and toppled down. He had to cease his task to protect Miko from the falling stones that would threaten to crush her. It did not last long, but Miko was coughing and covered with dirt.

"Did I do that?" Bulkhead asked her.

"Don't think so," Miko coughed.

"You okay?"

"Naturally. What about you?" She turned around and saw her guardian holding the large load of rock over his head.

"Peachy."

"Whoa."

"Don't worry, Miko, I got it under control."

"What do you think caused the cave-in?"

"Who knows? I just hope the others are safe. Because we can defiantly use an assist."

"Just hold your ground, Bulk. I'll get us out of here." Miko walked over to the pile and began to move them to the side. Bulkhead couldn't help but admire how determined she was. She would make a great Wrecker. He knew that Seaspray would love her, but he was more worried for the girl's safety. He couldn't hold the ceiling up forever, and if that time came when his arms gave out, Miko would be crushed.

Jack barely registered what happened as he regained consciousness. Coughing, he tried to breathe despite the dust in the air. He blinked blearily as Queenie's silhouette came into focus, instantly reminding him where he was and what the situation was.

"Queenie? Are you okay?"

He heard her groan, "I guess now's a bad time to tell you to stop calling me that, huh?"

He watched as she stood up, pushing away the rubble that had threatened to bury them alive. He carefully looked them both over and saw that they were covered in dirt and dust. However, while Queenie was covered in mild cuts, he found that he was absolutely fine. There wasn't a single bruise or scratch on him. He was shocked to see that a cut on his arm was slowly starting to heal itself.

Queenie, however, paid little attention to their condition. She was looking around them. "Did you see where they fell?"

Jack quickly jumped to his feet and cupped his hands together. "Arcee? Sierra!" There was no response, but a few unstable rocks did fall somewhere. "Oh, scrap. I hope they're okay."

"We're not going to find any of them by just standing here." Queenie began to walk forward. Jack cursed to himself as he followed her. He continued to call for Arcee and the others as they climbed over the rocks. But when Queenie looked to Jack, she noticed that he had stopped feet behind her. "What's wrong?"

"I…I…" Jack didn't know what to say. He looked rather confused and spooked. Finally, he pointed out at his left. "Can you see what's over there?"

Queenie followed his finger. Frowning, she said, "It's just a large boulder. Why?"

The look on his face was enough of an answer for her. She almost shrugged it off. Some humans were more capable than others were. There were mutants and inhumans that existed in the world. Maybe Jack was starting to develop some enhanced capabilities himself, triggered by the loss of his only living relative. She knew better, though, to believe such things.

Jack couldn't understand what was going on. There was no source of light, so it left the entire cave pitch black, but he could take in his surroundings without fail, including the worn state of his clothes. He shouldn't be able to do this, right?

"How about we talk about this later?" she suggested. "My top priority is to keep you safe until you are of age." She grasped his shoulder and guided him down the path. "Let's go before we find any unsavory people."

Arcee's optics flickered online as she came to. She sluggishly supported herself up and tried to sit up, but she had little movement. She had to use her shoulder padding to force the stones off of her person.

"Arcee?"

"Oh, scrap," she cursed to herself. Sierra was close by her, shivering and covered in dust. "What just happened?"

"Cave-in," Arcee said. She reached up and tapped against her helm. "Bulkhead? Bulkhead, come in! Do you copy?"

Sierra carefully climbed over the rubble to find out how much more damage had been done. She remembered seeing Jack and Queenie being okay, but she had no idea what happened to them before everything went black.

She had her fair share of near-death experiences and such, but this was not one of the ways she wanted to die. She should have done some more research before volunteering to tag along, but if any of the other kids thought of this as fun on a daily basis, then maybe she was becoming insane.

"Can't get a hold of them," Arcee cursed in frustration. "We're on our own here."

"But where did Jack do?" Sierra wondered.

"I don't know! I just…" Arcee growled to herself. "I just don't know."

Sierra stepped down from her spot, but withdrew her foot upon seeing some pebbles tumble down the pile. She had no intentions to try and risk breaking a bone in her body, but it was dark inside the cave and it was chilly. It was probably nighttime outside for all she knew. They'd be low on energy and oxygen soon if they didn't move, but from experience, Sierra knew that Arcee needed to be given direction to look for a miracle in their current situation.

"Well, guess we better start somewhere," she said. "Do you want to take point or should I?"

Arcee's optics snapped to her, but she didn't bark at the girl. Sierra was just surprised to find that she was just staring at her.

Sierra spread her arms out, as if to say "What?" Arcee looked away and started to walk down into a random direction. The girl quickly and carefully slid down the pile and tagged along after her wordlessly.

Maybe hanging out with Arcee wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Hulk hate trees!"

Hulk glared daggers at the tree trunk that rested yards away from him. For some reason the piece of wood was in his way, so he ripped the dead trunk out of the ground and tossed it away. No particular reason, just because.

He was only in control because of Puny Banner. Ever since his fight with the Abomination, the man had practiced in trying to gain control over the Big Guy. Whatever. The puny weakling that had to cage him could stick it where the sun didn't shine. But he was better than the trees. They were always in his way when he felt the need to run.

Just as he was about to leave, a noise caught his attention. He moved through the trees until he came to a clearing. A pile of rocks was set by a small cliffside. Before he could do anything, he watched as they parted to allow a large, metallic creature climb out, producing a sputtering cough. Stumbling into the open air, the creature threw his head back and cackled.

"Predictable, master? Is that what you called me? Well, look who has hit rock bottom now," he jeered, leaning forwards a little as he brought up a clawed hand to his head. "Oh, what was that? I'm sorry. I can't hear you beneath all of that rubble! Farewell, Lord Megatron. May you rust in peace!"

Hulk's curiosity was piqued. He had never seen a creature like this one before. He inched closer just as it stopped suddenly.

"But you have survived far worse. If you managed to free yourself, you would blame me for your setback. And there is nowhere that I could possibly escape your wrath." He staggered back as another thought came to him. "Or worse yet, your mindless followers will come looking for you and take credit for your rescue. Credit that could rightfully be mine! Ugh, blast you, Megatron!"

Hulk rolled his eyes at the melodrama. This had to be one of the most dramatic things he had ever seen. The giant went back through the rubble, grumbling under his breath. Wait, could metallic giants breathe air? Now he was curious to know as he started for the entryway.

By the time night had fallen, Jack and Queenie had managed to climb over another pile of the rubble. Jack had been calling out for the others during those last few hours, with Queenie keeping track of where they were going. She only could hope that they hadn't been going around in a circle.

After a while, Jack lost his nerve and said, "So, if you're name isn't really Queenie, what is it?"

She did not answer right away. "White Tiger."

"Oh. Well, um, I guess that makes some sense given your coat. But at the same time…"

"Because I've spent nine years as a house cat?" She smirked at him.

"Uh, yeah."

"Understandable."

After a while he spoke again. "So, you knew my parents?"

"Just your father."

"How?"

"Through S.H.I.E.L.D. The organization found me, and your father gave me a free way out in exchange to playing bodyguard. He had to cut a deal with Fury in order for that to happen. I guess you know the truth of your dad now."

"Ah, yeah. How can you tell?"

"Firstly, the argument you and June got into that night. Secondly, the way you reacted when I told you of my purpose in Jasper."

"Right." He scratched the back of his neck. "Um, what do you know? I mean, how my parents met and what led to me being, you know?"

Tiger's face fell. "It's more like a saga, but one I'm sure you'll have a better time believing if you heard it from Phil."

Jack didn't say anything after that. He just climbed over another slope before she found something. "Wait. What is that?"

He looked up at the crude shape was pointing at. He smiled as he recognized what they were: three drill-like machines obviously of Cybertronian origin. Only of them remained unscathed and upright.

"Well, that could come in handy," Jack said.

Tiger walked up along it and banged a hand against the hull. Nothing happened. She shrugged and jumped up onto it before helping Jack up. They looked over the controls panels and stared blankly at them.

"You wouldn't happen to know Cybertronian, would you?" Tiger asked.

"Um, not really," Jack said. His finger hovered over each button. He closed his eyes, praying that he found the right one, and pressed down one. Both of them smiled in victory as the machine hummed to life. Jack pushed the lever forward and they felt the drill activate. "Let's roll out."

Tiger looked at him and quirked a brow. "Really?"

"Hey, I don't see you coming up with any quips of your own."

Tiger only rolled her eyes in response. Silence lingered over them as they guided the drill through the darkness. But every now and then, Jack stole a glance at the feline person besides him. With the way her face was scrunched up, she looked to be avoiding him now. Finally, he asked, "Why exactly did he tell you to watch out over me?"

Tiger blinked and she glanced at him. She turned away and said with a grimace, "I have no idea why he requested it at from me of all people. All that I know is that he needed someone with you and your mother in case anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D., whether it be Nick Fury or Mitchell Carson, decided to use you as leverage against her."

She ran a hand over the drill's manual controls. "Watching you grow up, all of the stories that were fabricated made me want to reveal myself to you when you were younger and tell you the truth. You were such a sweet child. But you started to make friends and enemies, moving on and going on through life like any normal kid would. So, what was the point?

"Besides," she added to conclude everything she needed to tell him, "It was nice to watch you grow into the young man that you are now. I only revealed myself now because I owe it to you. To both of your parents."

She turned away, her face ridden with guilt. Jack swallowed, but whatever saliva was in his throat seemed to burn it. He could only look ahead and contemplate the words she said.

A moment later the drill hit a barrier of rock. There seemed to be something underneath there. A few seconds later, a clean clear hole defaced the barrier. Jack smiled as he pulled the drill back and to the side, eager to see his friends. When the dust settled, the smile melted off his face. Because, the face they saw in the rocks was none other than Megatron's.

"I suppose helping those less fortunate would be completely out of the question?" he asked the boy.

Jack's blue eyes glinted uncertainly as he backed up slowly.

"If that is the case," he continued, "you might as well use your drill to finish me. I guarantee that you will never have a better opportunity than right now."

Jack looked appalled at the idea of killing him though there was a hesitance in rejecting the idea completely. He looked at Tiger, but she was glaring vehemently at the Decepticon warlord. As if she was seeing right through him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Think of the glory, seize the day. Optimus would," Megatron said.

"No, he wouldn't. Not like this," Jack said. He moved over to the controls.

"Oh, and you would know so much about him, wouldn't you?" Megatron scoffed.

"Enough to know that he isn't an opportunist like you are," Tiger spat at him. She pressed down on a button, and the drill backed away.

"I will be sure to share the details of our little conversation with Optimus — the day I rip out his spark!"

Jack had left Megatron behind him not even half an hour ago, and yet he couldn't shake off what the Decepticon had said. Should he have just finished him off, right then and there? He didn't think he could have, even if he wanted to. If it had been Airachnid in there instead of Megatron…

"Are you okay?" Tiger asked him after a while.

Jack shook his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

"The better you are, the better I'll be."

A loud boom rattled the drill, jolting him out of his thoughts. He slapped a hand over a button. "What was that?"

Tiger hushed him. She climbed over the top to take a better look at what lay ahead of them.

"That's it, Autobot!" an almost high-pitched voice screeched. "I will…"

"You'll what?" a familiar, deeper voice snapped. "You'll make me bring down the ceiling on top of all of us?!"

"That sounds like Bulkhead," Jack said.

"Run, Miko!" Bulkhead yelled.

"Jack, put it in full speed," Tiger ordered.

"Hold on," Jack growled. He did as he was told and let it charge through the walls. The drill bit into the chamber behind the wall, catching Starscream in the side. Jack moved over to the side of the machine and looked worriedly at Bulkhead, noticing he was holding a large boulder over him.

"Jack, get Miko out of here now!" Bulkhead shouted.

Jack jumped down and held out his hand. He could see just how exhausted and worn she looked. Dirt covered her from head to toe. He couldn't tell if she had cuts or bruises yet, but he would find out once they got back to the base.

"Miko, come on!" Jack shouted to her.

Miko looked painfully between him and her guardian.

"Go, Miko!" Bulkhead shouted, and for a second Jack thought she would run for the Autobot. He saw the tear tracks on her cheeks as she turned towards him and grabbed his hand. He greatly sympathized with her on leaving a close friend behind.

"We can't leave Bulkhead!" Miko cried as she was safe on top of the drill.

"I'm sorry," Tiger said as she backed the drill out. "There is not much to be done."

Arcee had maybe less than minutes to find the entrance and get Sierra outside for fresh air. The teenage girl was starting to show signs that she was sleep deprived and exhausted. Yet somehow, even when she played a hand on Arcee's leg for support, she managed to keep up with her.

Truth be told, Arcee wasn't that particularly fond of the girl at first. When she first saw Sierra was outside of the restaurant that Jack had worked at, but the first few instances was only when the Autobot warrior ever had noticed her.

Jack had talked about her the first few weeks after the race before Airachnid made her presence on Earth. It was like Sierra was the only thing he ever talked about. Why would he want a girl like her when there were others like Miko? She was already dating that other kid, so she was left completely clueless — but that was her own fault for not trying to talk to him about it.

But she had seen a side to Sierra that she hadn't seen before. Her sudden protectiveness over a situation she shouldn't have been a part of loomed over her, casting a shadow of doubt. Maybe the girl had a thing for guys with slick vehicles — unless Vince was an excuse to get over Jack.

Sighing, Arcee picked up Sierra and held her close, but she didn't recoil. She only clung onto the femme, her grip like iron. If Arcee had known any better, she would have thought that she was about to ask her what she was doing.

Seconds later, Sierra lifted her head up. "Hey, do you hear that?"

The rasp in her voice spooked Arcee more than her sudden words. But she stopped as she heard a noise from somewhere in the mines. She barely had time to react when she recognized it as drilling.

"Come on," Arcee hissed. Holding Sierra tightly, she pulled out her blaster from her right hand. The former held her breath as Arcee hid behind a serrated wall. If it was Megatron or Starscream, she knew her first priority to was to keep Sierra safe. She would not screw this up again.

"What are we going to do with Bulkhead? Arcee will save him, won't she?"

Arcee straightened up a little bit. Even Sierra's head jerked up at the familiar voice of Miko's.

"We just need to find a way out of here before Megatron digs himself free," Jack's voice followed

"Megatron's down here, too?" Miko began to panic.

Arcee quickly put away her blaster. Primus, the other children were safe! But where was Bulkhead? Was he alone, facing Megatron or Starscream? That had to be the reason behind Miko's growing hysteria.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Arcee stepped out from her hiding spot and rushed for the voices.

Tiger brought the drill to a halt. Jack looked up and saw a troubled look on her face. "What?"

"I thought I heard something."

Jack tensed in his spot. Nervously, he peeked past the drill to see what caught her attention. Noticing, Tiger jumped from her spot and pulled both teens closer to her. She raised her pawlike hand, shocking Miko and Jack as claws shot up from her fingertips. She slowly leaned out to see who was coming their way, in sync with the teens. A dark figure appeared in their sights, stomping down the path.

"Who is it?" Miko whispered.

"I don't know," Jack responded quietly.

Tiger crept closer towards the front, watching as the silhouette drew closer until it became visible. Whatever it was that even Jack had in mind, whatever he was willing to protect Miko from, this was not what he expected to run into: a hulking green mass of muscle that stood at eight feet in height. Even the thing looked just as confused as they did.

"…Uh, you two are seeing what I'm seeing, right?" Tiger said.

Jack didn't answer. He had no idea what to make of the creature in front of him. It reminded him too much of the Green Giant brand, but he had a feeling this wasn't close to the friendly looking mascot. He never even noticed Miko inching closer to get a better look. That was, until her hand slipped as a wave of nausea hit her hard. He shouted at her name as she toppled to the side.

"Hulk get!" The behemoth had surged forward and caught her in his thick arms. Jack almost panicked, believing at first that he would crush her. Tiger sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness," she said. "Can we have her back now?"

"Kitty lady no hurt her?" Hulk grunted.

"I promise," Tiger said.

The behemoth considered her words before nodding and carefully passing Miko back to Jack. The boy swallowed, realizing his fingertips were inches away. Miko was safe in his own arms as he set the trembling girl back on the drill. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy," Miko gasped. None of them had noticed the sudden change until they heard a groan. They looked down and watched as it started to turn into a regular man before leaning against the drill.

"Whoa! I got you," Jack said as he slid down the drill. He reached up to support the man, who was pale with messy dark curls and pants that were a little big for him. He looked up nervously, not knowing what to do.

"You stay there and don't move so much," Tiger told Miko. She jumped down and looped an arm around the man. "We've got you, sir. Just hang on tight."

With support, they were able to get the man on top of the drill. He looked like he was just coming out of a trance. "What happened?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

Tiger wiped the sweat off his forehead with her sleeve. "We were hoping you would tell us."

"Um, what was the last thing you remembered?" Jack asked.

The man rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "The last thing I remembered was being in a cabin and…Oh, now I remember."

Something crunched against the rock. They looked up and found a shape of a Cybertronian coming towards them cautiously. Jack could barely tell who it was. He relaxed as the person came into view.

"Arcee!"

"Thank Primus you're all okay," Arcee said. Her attention was caught by the man in their company and Tiger's true form as she passed Sierra down to them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked Sierra.

"Just a little tired, that's all," Sierra panted.

"Bulkhead's trapped with Starscream! Can you save him?" Miko begged in desperation.

Arcee pulled out her gun and headed for the chamber they left. "Wait here until I get back," she ordered sternly.

The man's mouth had dropped open at the sight of her. The catlike woman was surprising enough, but this certainly took the cake! But he said nothing. He waited with them until the Autobot pair came back, and they started to find their way for the entrance.

The sun was rising from the east when they emerged from the mine. Miko was relieved to breath in fresh air after having spent so long trapped in a cavernous room. Jack was just glad to feel the sunlight on his face.

"We could have finished them," Arcee offered. "Right here and now…"

"Shame we didn't bring any grenades," Bulkhead muttered.

Miko sat down, breathing in the air, trying to get in as much oxygen as she could. The man seemed to be trying to help her but seeing him made Jack tremble all over again. He had noticed that they all looked to be in tough shape, but he had yet to exhaust himself as well.

Jack looked away, brushing his fingers through his hair. It still unnerved him how he was able to see in the dark, the cave having no source of light. It shouldn't have been possible. Oh lord, there really was something wrong with him. There was no point in denying any of it anymore.

He got hungry, eating more than usual in the past few days. Not because he wasn't eating much, but it felt like his appetite had increased. Sleep had come easily, and he always woke up feeling refreshed. That wasn't a quirk, but even after a day of so much activity he never felt exhausted when he awakened. He'd been able to convince himself that these things were caused by grief and shock. But now he was able to heal from any injury quickly, even after a ceiling of rocks had fallen on top of him and Tiger! He was able to sense when danger was coming, could see in the dark, and the burn on his hand was gone.

"Would Optimus have finished them?" Sierra asked, catching Jack's attention.

Both were silent.

"No," Arcee finally said. "He probably wouldn't. Not like this."

"But Optimus wouldn't rescue them either, right?" Miko added.

No one knew how to answer that.

"Let's go home," Bulkhead said, tiredly.

It was a short of a mess where Jack sat. He was seated next to Banner, who was carefully stitching a tear in Tiger's ear. Miko had been given some oxygen before both girls had left for home under strict orders to spend the remainder of the day resting.

Coulson almost had a heart attack twice. Not just because of Jack being stuck in a mine for an entire night with two Decepticons, but the fact that Doctor Banner was among them when they had returned. Ratchet had to make sure he was seated before he went off on it all.

The Autobot leader was informed of what happened during their mission and both Arcee and Bulkhead were in stasis at the moment, having suffered minor damages. However, they had gone too long without either energon or rest and had strained their systems. Miko herself had arrived and left the base in an exhausted state. The only one who wasn't really injured was Jack.

"You okay?" Banner asked Jack. "You look like you've witnessed a murder."

Jack winced, but he quickly waved him off. "I'm fine. I'm just…" He looked distracted, his eyes glazed over now, and his gaze roved over the room. He looked lost and zoned out. Sensing his discomfort, Tiger encouraged him to explain what was bugging him. Jack looked embarrassed as everyone stared at him. Normally Ratchet would launch into a frantic shout of him not saying anything sooner. Instead, he requested a blood sample to be drawn out of him.

Jack hung his head. It was a sign that he would comply, whether he would have been okay with it or not. So it took little time for him to be placed on the gurney by the eager and rather concerned Ratchet. Optimus took this opportunity to approach their latest guest.

"Thank you for helping our friends and allies," he said to Banner.

Banner looked embarrassed as he scratched his neck. "Well, thank you for the extra pair of clothes. And the food. And the sleep. And for not having the yellow guy shoot at me."

Tiger snickered, but she clutched her ribcage and grimaced.

Ratchet moved about through the bay as soon as he was done. The teenager was trying to avoid making eye contact with any of the others in the room. He just absently swung his legs over the gurney. Now was a good time to approach their oldest charge.

Optimus moved towards the sick bay and sat down besides the gurney. Jack was surprised at the sudden action, but he regained his nervous posture. Something obviously was bothering him.

"You have no need to be worried nor concerned for the incident, Jackson. I am only glad that you are unharmed and all of you are alive and safe. Were it had not been for you or Tiger, Miko and Bulkhead would have been left at Starscream's mercy."

"Optimus," Jack prevented him from going further. "Right before we found Bulkhead and Miko, we…" He broke off, his eyes focused on the floor. "We had a run-in with Megatron."

Ratchet gasped and stared at them. Tiger bowed her head in response. Optimus only felt his spark pulse with fear. He never wanted the children to come face-to-face with Megatron, let alone even know of him. To know of Jack's encounter with the Decepticon warlord was more disconcerting than Optimus had thought possible.

"He was just stuck there, buried under all of the rock, unable to move…" He trailed off. He didn't need to finish to know what was exchanged between them.

Optimus released a sigh as he gently pressed the tips of his digits to Jack's back, making the teenager look up at him. Jack's concerns were evident as he looked into his optics.

"Megatron is a master at manipulations when it comes to words, Jack. On Cybertron, he could twist one's beliefs and ideals with only a few sentences, and he was able to turn one against another. The fact you two were able to hold your grounds against him is quite an accomplishment."

Jack's bright blue eyes stared at him. He was actually surprised at how much Optimus was saying he was proud of him.

"But you need not to worry of what it was that Megatron may have told you. I would never end his life, nor any other if I find them in a similar position. There is a difference between killing on the battlefield and taking the opportunity. You have made the right choice."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Optimus. I guess I needed this talk."

Banner looked at Tiger. "Who's Megatron?"

Tiger sighed. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Ratchet?"

The Autobot medical officer turned from his place in the med bay, and his optics met that of Optimus. He noticed the troubled look in his optics. "Can't sleep after the previous events, can you?" Ratchet asked him.

The ridges above Optimus's optics drooped into a frown and glanced towards the area that was set up for the humans staying over. "What Jackson had said troubled me," he murmured.

"You have already had that conversation with him," Ratchet grumbled as he turned away. "I'm sure he'll be fine come morning."

"I was more concerned about his sudden abilities."

Ratchet paused. "I don't like what he had said either. From what I know of the human on this planet, they are categorized in three classes: mundanes, mutants, and inhumans. I do not see Jack as being any of the latter two since he does not have any of the markers."

Optimus looked away, having the confirmation of what troubled him. "What he has reported did not sound like the ravings of a man who has been deprived of air and sunlight after a period of time – he seemed in perfectly good condition physically and mentally. Therefore, I trust his accounts of the events." He lowered his optics. "And so I fear the worst."

Ratchet clenched his jaw. "Then the answer must be staring at us in the face," he said softly. "The results are what I fear most of all, because I have yet to know how he can suddenly do anything a spider can."

"Could Airachnid or MECH have something to do with it then?" Optimus inquired.

"No. He said that it occurred long after. I suspect something had to have happen long after."

Optimus then took notice of Ratchet's latest project. He frowned upon seeing the tests that were being run. "Is something wrong with him then?"

Ratchet looked at the screen. His frown was heavy with concern and uneasiness. "I'm not sure. I was more curious about that burn he had from Airachnid's acid. I've learned enough of human biology from Rafael that human wounds do not heal that quickly, Optimus."

Optimus frowned at this. "How fast does an injury heal?"

"Well, it depends on the type of injury in question. Broken legs and arms are cased for six weeks, and minimal cuts from paper don't take that long. At least, that is what I've heard from the children. Who knows how long that spider bite…" Ratchet trailed off, and he slowly turned towards the display. All fifteen spiders were too busy going on about their activity, oblivious to what the medic was thinking.

"Jack said that June had genetically bred them, right?" Ratchet said.

"I am not sure what she could have done to them, but we must keep an eye on Jackson in case anything else happens to him. I fear there may be more to him now than what he even knows."