Chapter Eleven

June 12th, 2010

Washington, DC

S.H.I.E.L.D. Warehouse

The entire group grew quiet as Stark flashed them a grin. Jack reluctantly looked over to the others and inwardly cringed at the various degrees of shock and disbelief on their faces.

"I usually get that reaction," Stark said. "But not from giant robots."

Optimus turned to the sudden presence of Stark and Rhodes. "What is your business here? This is not a gathering to which you have been invited to."

"Didn't you ever hear the saying: what Tony Stark wants, he gets?" Stark said, peering over his sunglasses at them without blinking.

Jack frowned at the older man. Did Stark know anything about the Autobots before today? Had he been spying on them for some time? He honestly hoped not. Otherwise, this was going to be messy.

"Just hand me over the boy and I'll leave you all be," Stark confirmed their fears. When none of them said a word, Stark took a step towards Jack. Instinctively, the Autobots took protective stances around him. However, Stark didn't seem to be affected by their hostility.

"Hey, the kid," Stark said, his tone serious.

"We're protecting him," Bulkhead snarled.

"Really? You could have fooled me."

"Excuse me? Can I interrupt for a second?"

Everyone whirled around in surprise as Banner approached them.

"I was wondering when we would meet," he said as they shook hands.

"I was asking myself the same thing," Tony replied excitedly. He cleared his throat and continued casually, "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks?" Bruce replied awkwardly.

Optimus looked over suspiciously towards the trees before asking, "Did anyone else follow you out here?" His hunch was confirmed by how hard Banner winced.

"Um, actually…" He turned around and jerked his head towards Stark. There was a rustle and crack of twigs in the darkness, and four other forms took shape.

"All of you? Really?" Arcee said.

"Like I was gonna sit at base when Jack called for you guys," Miko scoffed shamelessly while Raf looked rather sorry. She yelped as Tiger shoved her to the side and stomped over to Jack. She reached out and shoved Jack to the ground.

"Hey!" Jack sat up and glared at her. "What the hell?"

"That's for taking off and getting yourself into danger," Tiger spat at him. She watched as he opened his mouth, but decided to take it.

Thor had rushed over and picked Jack up by the waist. The teenager cried in surprise as he was lifted up.

"This is the mighty warrior that fought those villains. You are much rather thin for someone of such fighting finesse."

"What?" Arcee looked at Jack.

"Don't know." Jack pried himself away from Thor and dusted himself off. He honestly had no idea how to react to that. He had been caught by surprise at that as the other kids ran over to him.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Miko suddenly asked. "You look like you've been through Hacksaw Ridge and back!"

"I, uh, I had a run-in with the wrong crowd," Jack mumbled, shifting nervously in his spot. It wasn't a lie, but he wasn't ready to share the truth with them.

"Cool! Gangster style!" Miko exclaimed before fishing out her phone and aiming it at Jack for a picture. Rhodes had rushed over and brought his hand in front of it just as the flash went off. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Don't you know bad timing when you see it?" Rhodes scolded her.

"Maybe now isn't the best time, Miko," Bulkhead agreed.

Raf carefully approached his older friend and looked up at him. "Um, hi. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Raf. Just been really busy lately, that's all." Jack placed a placating hand on Raf's shoulder to prove he was okay. That was enough invitation for Raf to have before he threw his arms around Jack in a hug.

"Group hug!" Miko said, wrapping her arms around both of them. Jack almost laughed at the gesture, glad that they were all still friends.

"Hey, um, where's Sierra?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh, she got a job for the summer…" Miko trailed off with a frown, and Jack thought that something was up.

"So, what are they doing here?" Raf looked at the other two men.

"I just want to talk to him," Stark said, but he got a look from Rhodes.

"Come on, Tony. You've got to do better than that."

Bumblebee warbled a series of beeps, gesturing towards his left.

"I agree with Bumblebee on this. While I would like to discuss more on this man's interest in Jack's being, I do not want to risk the men being gone by the time we arrive there." Optimus turned to Jack and asked, "Jackson, will you show us the way?"

"Sure, let me grab something and put this away," Jack said. He picked up his bag and walked into the warehouse.

"Well, we better be going then." Rhodes grabbed Stark by the arm.

"What? But Rhodey—"

"Do not Rhodey me," Rhodes warned him as he dragged his friend behind him.

"Fine. Then I'll just tell Pepper that it was actually you behind the Times Square Fiasco last month."

"That was you?!" Banner exclaimed.

Rhodes glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"No? Try me."

Optimus frowned at the humans and Tiger. "While we are investigating this, you are to remain here. Am I understood?"

Miko was ready to protest when Raf leaned towards her. "We can have Thor carry you back."

The girl's eyes widened, and her posture straightened. "Um, sure boss."

Schultz and Davis cruised around the ward, keeping their eyes on the streets and above for any sign of Spider-Man. Davis was wailing about the sudden interest Toomes had over the kid and how it made no sense. Schultz just sat in his seat, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Davis only glared at him and pouted the rest of the ride. But when they were on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge that he decided to use a pair of binoculars to search for target. He could not have picked a better time to as he suddenly jostled in his seat. "Herman, pull over! Pull over!"

His sudden outburst caused Schultz to nearly crash into the bridge. "What?"

Davis shoved the binoculars into his hands and pointed out his window. "Look over there and tell me what you see."

Schultz rolled his eyes, but did as he said. However, he was nearly dumbstruck at what it was that Davis saw. Sure enough, there was the kid Toomes wanted them to track down, right by the warehouses that S.H.I.E.L.D. used. But that wasn't what got their attention. It was who was with him that changed everything they saw as impossible. If he thought enhanced alien tech was out of the world, the metallic giants that were with him made them rethink everything they believed.

"Uh, you wanna call the boss or should I?" Davis asked.

"I think I'll handle this one," Schultz said as they followed the convoy. "Hey, boss? You're not gonna believe what we're seeing here."

"This doesn't make sense," Arcee said as she paced around. "How did a group of humans, let alone MECH of all people, get their hands on Cybertronian technology? It's one thing to ambush us when we least expect it, but it's another when you have the batteries that could be lethal to organic matter."

"It could be because they were launched off of Cybertron with the rest of the relics," Optimus deduced. "During which Iacon was being overran by Decepticon forces." He added with a frown, "But then they should have had an Iacon homing beacon on them as well. I wonder why they do not."

Bumblebee buzzed, to which Optimus answered, "Class-A Decepticon weapons were confiscated during the war, among other important relics, and sealed away within the Hall of Records in Iacon," Optimus explained. "Unfortunately, Megatron had made it his main target when we were at our most nadir. Thus the reason they were jettisoned off of our world — to keep them out of Decepticon hands."

"Thanks to wonder boy, this one's going into our vaults," Bulkhead stated happily.

Arcee snorted. "Wonder boy? I think we'll need a better description for Jack."

Stark didn't say anything for once. Optimus's words reminded him of his captivity among the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. His own visitation there forced him to leave behind his own equipment for them to make weapons, even with the aid of Stane. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought of it.

"In other words, some of these relics are on our world as well?" Rhodes surmised.

A troubled look creased Optimus's face. "You have every right to ask that. But I'm afraid that I do not remember much on my time in Iacon's archivist center," he replied. "Nor do I know where each of them could have landed onto."

"I take it that you can't just activate the beacons without alerting the Decepticons," Banner frowned, having been given a crash course of the war during his stay.

"Not when Megatron has an army at his disposal and a warship to command," Optimus confirmed. "Which is why they are—" He stopped suddenly as he turned to the entryway.

"Ready to go?" Jack asked as he exited the hanger. He wore a fresh pair of pants with his signature sneakers, and a pale gray shirt. He clutched a blue jacket in his right hand.

"Dude, can you pick a shirt that's less tight?" Stark said.

"Huh?" Miko looked up at Jack and noticed what he was saying. The shirt showed off the contours of his chest, and without the long sleeves he proved to have substance, more than just bone but muscle.

"Oh, come on, Tony," Rhodes said.

"Why would he? We wear shirts like that on Asgard," Thor said. "But we have tunics and not this stuff."

"Last time I checked, this is Earth," Arcee said.

Bumblebee's optics flickered a neon white for a moment. He turned around towards the trees that were left unscathed. He thought for sure none of the others had heard, so he decided to see what it was that made the noise.

"Bee?" Raf called after him. He rushed after him, not wanting to let his best friend out of his sight. Ever since the incident when Megatron had taken possession over Bumblebee after using the cortical psychic patch link, he was afraid of whenever the yellow Autobot moved without an explanation, fearing that some part might have still been in control. Even when Ratchet had given the all clear, there was no telling about anything anymore.

"Approach with caution," Optimus ordered quietly. They drew out their weapons and slowly made it for the trees. Banner and Tiger pulled the kids back, while Thor looked like he was ready to fight. Rhodes creased his brow in worry as Stark held his breath. The objective shouldn't be to shoot, to avoid drawing attention, but they would have to if the being was hostile.

It was not long before Jack's senses triggered itself again, nullifying all the sounds around him. Banner noticed this as he saw the look in his eyes. "Jack?"

Tiger looked to him, seeing the distant look. She heard Thor ask, "Jack, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Jack whispered as he walked forward. Miko tried to go after him, but Tiger yanked her back. She watched worriedly as Jack followed the Autobots closer to the brush.

That was when something shot out from them. Bumblebee gave out a surprise shout as Toomes zipped past him. The noise caused the others to turn around as he shot towards them. It was so sudden that Jack didn't have time to react. Toomes grabbed him around his waist and carried him off.

"Jack!" Arcee screamed. She quickly transformed and took off after them, not caring to activate her hologram.

"Arcee. Arcee!" Optimus called after her. He barely had to time react when Bumblebee transformed, pursuing after them. "Bumblebee!"

"…Um, what now?" Bulkhead asked nervously.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Miko said excitedly.

"You are all going back to base," Optimus said to them. He looked at Rhodes and Stark, saying, "Although you two we have much still to discuss about."

Miko opened her mouth, ready to protest, but Optimus said, "This is not a democracy, Miko. This is a direct order. Do not make me have Thor carry you back to base."

Miko was shocked and afraid, but she begrudgingly complied.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by an enormous bird perched high in the trees. It had followed Toomes to the island and watched as the events there unfolded. By the time Bumblebee had taken off, it sent the live feed to its master before taking off.

Arcee tore up the walkway that led to Theodore Roosevelt Island before taking the ramp up to the bridge. Bumblebee was not too far behind her when his scanners picked up a signal. Arcee had to have caught it when she cursed. He told her to go ahead before he went to investigate.

He accelerated down the pathway towards the signal. Upon arrival he slowed down and made a right turn towards the Potomac River's shoreline. That was when he spotted a shape on the beach. He transformed and walked towards it, noticing a blinking light that died as he arrived.

It had been a trap, but he had realized it too late. Something slammed into his back and shocked him. He screamed as it overloaded his systems, causing him to power down.

From his hiding spot Schultz had a successful grin. He emerged from the trees with Davis and the rest of the crew behind him. They gathered around to take in their prize.

"Okay, who wants to call in for a tow truck?" Vale said.

Meanwhile, Toomes flew until he got to the Arlington National Cemetery. Jack grunted as the older man threw him down to the ground.

"Hey, you know it's disrespectful to desecrate a graveyard, right?" he said. He pushed himself to sit up, but a switchblade was pointed at his face. He froze. "Wait, I didn't even bring S.H.I.E.L.D. into this!"

"And that's one of the two things I'm thankful about tonight," Toomes started, his voice terrifyingly calm. "To answer your question earlier, your buddy Silas never mentioned the giant robots to me. Or that you're in league with Stark."

"Silas isn't my buddy, and I've never met Stark until tonight," Jack retorted.

"Hmm. So, Fury doesn't know he's here then. It'll make this easier. I've got a few secrets of my own, same as you."

"Like your wife? I'm assuming you have children as well. Let me guess: you're doing all of this for them, right? Doing whatever it takes to keep a roof over their heads? Keep them safe and happy?" However, as soon as those words left his lips, Jack wondered if he was being too bold.

Toomes waved the switchblade at him. "Nothing to me is more important than my family. And I know how much family means to you, so I'm going to give you once chance. You ready? You are going to go home, forget any of this ever happened. Don't you interfere with my business, and don't you ever come anywhere near my crew again. Because if you do, I will kill you and your friends if they get involved. That's what I'll do to protect my family and crew. Do you understand?"

Jack looked at the blade aimed at his face. Having to hear an ultimatum like that just angered him. However, he had been given it once despite how stupid it was. Yet this time, he was gambling with the lives of his friends and family. He had no choice but to begrudgingly accept.

"Good. Then we've come to an understanding." Toomes activated his turbines and took off.

Jack angrily screamed in frustration. He hated himself now for what he had done. Before he would have been too frightened to say anything. Now he was more pissed off for allowing Toomes to get away. He was thankfully pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the roar of Arcee's engines. He looked up to see the cobalt Autobot drive up to him.

"Jack! Thank the Allspark. I thought that man…I thought…" She looked around for any signs of Toomes. "Where—"

"He's gone," Jack growled. He climbed to his feet, hardly looking into Arcee's optics. They barely could interact further when Optimus and Bulkhead showed up.

"Jackson! Are you alright?" Optimus asked. He stopped short when he noticed Jack's face was a shade of magenta.

"Guys? Where's Bumblebee?" Bulkhead wondered.

"A signal went off, so he went to investigate it," Arcee glumly answered.

Jack slowly raised his head up. "He what? Now?"

Optimus stared at him. From his tone he felt suspicious and afraid of something else. It suddenly dawned on the Autobot commander, and he quickly patched a call through their link.

"Bumblebee, come in. Bumblebee!" All that followed was static, confirming their worst fear of the night. "Oh, no…"

Toomes regrouped with his men further down the Georgetown Channel, to where it intersected with the Potomac River. In an old building, he stared down at the biggest score they ever had.

He stood on the catwalk that gave him the perfect view of the activity down below. He ordered the yellow-and-black robot to be opened up as soon as they got him out of the trailer. The sight was fascinating to behold. When they had opened up the robot's chest, they were met with a pulsing blue sphere that reminded him of a nucleus. Vale deduced it as equivalent to a heart, although they were surprised when further examination showed that it had a structure similar to a DNA strand. Wires and cables surrounded it, a glowing pale blue orb the size of a basketball, pulsing with light and energy. The entire crew was warned not to touch it in fear of radiation and having it extinguished.

"So, what are you planning to do with it?" Vale asked his boss.

"Not sure, but now we have a lot of possibilities ahead of us," Toomes answered with confidence.

"Yeah, but what if Spider-Man and his crew come find us when they realize he's gone?"

"Why would he? I got him to swear to stop messing with us again."

"I don't think kidnapping a buddy of his will make him keep his word."

"Relax. Once we learn how he works, we'll let him go. We'll just have to catch one of those drones out there."

Vale frowned. "Drones?"

The technician that had been working on Hilliard's suit carefully poked at the wiring along Bumblebee's exposed cables by his neck. "This looks like the muscle mass of a living organism."

"Precisely what it is, human."

All of the occupants whipped around at the sudden, rasping voice. The voice belonged to Megatron of all people, as he ducked into the hanger with Soundwave and a grumpy Knock Out behind him.

"So, this is where the magic happens," the Decepticon warlord mused. "How quaint."

All of the crewmen had aimed their weapons at him. However, Megatron didn't seem affected by them. The doctor didn't either, occupied in attending to Hilliard.

"Is this really how you treat a guest in your own home? I would have expected better from what my spies have informed."

None of them moved. Either out of fear or to keep their guard up if he tried anything. Megatron rolled his optics.

"Please. If I had wanted to exterminate you all, I would have done it already. Besides, I believe you have a variety of things that belong to our race."

Toomes didn't say a word, and neither did his crew. Megatron wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused. For such small, fragile creatures, these men had guts.

"Oh, come now. I only wish to speak with you. You should find as an honor. How often would you find someone who wish for an audience with someone beneath you?"

"Well, don't I feel honored," Toomes said dryly. "What exactly do you want? An alliance?"

"Normally I wouldn't recommend it. I, after all, am a commander like you on a mighty warship. But you seem to have a better grasp on our technology than the average human. It would seem we have much more in common than even I believe."

Knock Out had been bored from the entire time, wondering why Megatron even considered taking him along for the ride. He lazily looked around the room. However, he nearly felt his own spark give out when his optics landed on the table.

"Hey-hey-hey-hey!" he caught the man's attention. "Be careful where you poke. Cybertronian biology may not be like yours, but each part is as delicate as your bones and organs."

Mason held up his hands. "My bad."

Toomes glared at Megatron. "What is there that we can gain from it?"

"Inside knowledge."

Toomes said nothing, but he held up a fist. Megatron smirked as his crew stood down. They did, however, kept their guard up.

"A wise decision." He looked down at the table. "Funny how life works out in the end."

"You know him?"

"An old acquaintance of the past. One who I had the pleasure of ripping his voice-box out of for stubborn pride." Then he added with a smirk, "Which reminds me — there's something else he has that I believe will leave a more permanent reminder."

"How long will it take for you to locate him, Ratchet?"

"It depends. If these men are like MECH, then they no doubt could be disrupting Bumblebee's signal or else I would have found him already."

Optimus glanced down to his left. Jack was pacing around the tombstones, a determined look plastered on his face. He could see the slight trembles of his shoulders.

"Inform me when you find his signature," Optimus told Ratchet before cutting him off.

Bulkhead looked at Optimus. "So, what do we now?"

Optimus sighed through his vents. He approached Jack, but he didn't look up at him. "Jackson, what happened? Do you know who that man is?"

Jack didn't say anything, not even bothering to lift his head up. His optic ridges furrowed down into a frown. He was about to speak, but Arcee had beaten him to it.

"Jack," she said, gently, but his gaze didn't shift. "Jack, what happened? I thought we were in the clear. You were right there and then you were gone, and we thought for sure he would—"

"He just took me by surprise is all," Jack replied. "I, um, might have had a bit of a problem with him beforehand, but that was once and—"

"Jackson? Did something happen before you called us?" Optimus asked.

Jack wince. He wasn't sure what made him ask that, but he admitted, "Yes." He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, something happened. I may have gotten on that guy's bad side tonight, and that's why he took off like that with me."

"Why?" Arcee asked.

"I tried to get away from them tonight, but then one of those guys…he was…"

"Jackson?" Optimus spoke.

"I…I punched him. I punched him until…I think I gave him a concussion or worse…"

Optimus closed his optics, knowing fully well where it was going. He could hear Arcee gasp and Bulkhead mutter something. When he opened them, he noticed Jack's arms were suddenly wrapped around him. He studied the boy before saying, "We will get Bumblebee back, Jackson."

Arcee's frequency line picked up the trill of an incoming call. She suspected it to come from base, assumptions had cost them greatly in the past. "Hello?"

"I've received a heavily encrypted message, but I can't decipher who it's from," Ratchet informed her.

"Did the message say anything?" Arcee asked.

"It's the coordinates to Bumblebee's location. It also says that…he'll need medical attention."

Jack scowled before saying, "Then let's go get him back." He made his way down the path, but Optimus placed a foot in front of him.

"Jackson, the only place you are going tonight is home," the Autobot leader said sternly.

"You expect him to go back after what happened tonight?" Arcee argued. Bulkhead muttered her name, but she ignored it.

"Exactly the reason why. You know as well as the rest of us that we cannot interfere in human affairs without breaking covert. And I do not wish to see you," he said to Jack, "having to put yourself in harm's way just because you feel obligated to. Any hostile sentiments you are harboring right now—"

"Is that what you're thinking? That I'm hostile right now? Do you really see that in all of your…?" Jack glared up at him. He looked away.

"Um, would it help if we called and let you know he's fine?" Bulkhead suggested.

Jack frowned, but he didn't argue. Optimus sighed softly. He pressed a digit to his audial piece before speaking to Ratchet. "How far is Bumblebee from our location?"

"Given the size of the district, I would say close to the Maryland border, northwest."

"But that can be anywhere," Jack said.

"Would they have placed him in an underpopulated area?" Optimus asked him.

"Rock Creek Park."

"His signature reads near the Rock Creek," Ratchet confirmed.

Optimus thanked him, and then he turned to the pair. "Head over there and see how serious Bumblebee's injuries are. I will take Jackson back to Coulson's place." He looked at Arcee, but he didn't hold any sternness in them. Arcee only answered with a scowl and lowering her helm.

"Wait…the hideout…" Jack remembered.

"They have likely cleared out by now," Optimus said. "But we will have to worry about that for another time. Your safety and the wellbeing of Bumblebee are more important right now than a few relics." He said this with some trepidation for the boy's state of mind. There was still much that needed to be addressed.

After a moment of silence, Jack looked up at Arcee, who gave a slight nod, and the child hesitantly approached Optimus. All three transformed before Arcee and Bulkhead took off to Bumblebee's location. Jack got into Optimus's cab without being prompted, and they left for home.