When Jack awoke, it was by the hand shaking his shoulder. He stiffened in surprise, but Ratchet only huffed. "What's going on? Did something happen?"
"What? No, you missed your energon ration." Ratchet said, and held out a cube to Jack. "Ultra Magnus thought it best to leave you be, but he's not your doctor, now is he?"
Jack snorted as he sat up against the wall, cube in hand. He cracked open a corner, and he pondered over the medic's words. So last night...had actually happened? Did the other mech think he just needed the extra rest? Probably might have helped, but energon gave Jack the boost he needed. "I didn't think you were my doctor anymore."
"You won't be saying that when you're in need of a fix-up." Ratchet retorted.
Jack shook his head, and drank down the rest of the energon. He decided to let Ratchet do...whatever it was he did now, and made his way down the hall. No one else was really around, but Jack nodded to the odd person he came across. They seemed, well, less enthused about it, but nodded back all the same.
Unsurprisingly, the only one who seemed to be full of energy was Miko. He found her in the mess hall, almost inhaling her breakfast. "You'd better slow down or you're gonna get sick."
Miko wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Don't be a stick in the mud, I know what I'm doing." she grinned. "Besides, Shoulder Pads is finally going to start my training today. I'm now officially a Wrecker!"
"I don't think that's how it works." Jack replied, but inwardly he was bemused. Did this mean the other mech took his advice? "Wait, did you sleep over? Do your host parents even know you're here?"
Miko groaned, but some things never changed. "Of course they know I'm here." she rolled her eyes. "So do my regular parents, but it's not like they can tell me what to do here."
Jack narrowed his optics. "If you keep this up, your parents are probably going to put their foot down and get you sent back to Japan."
"I'd like to see them try! I'm sixteen and I'll be seventeen in a few months." Miko retorted.
Jack was struck by the realization that his eighteenth birthday was long gone. Was he really nineteen already? Jack rubbed his brow. No, he didn't need to dwell on yet another thing that was screwed up in his life. "Don't think they won't try." he warned her, but Miko waved him.
"Stop being a downer. Wait, I know, why don't you come to training? Maybe it'll help with that stick up your-"
"Miko!" Jack snapped, glowering down at her. Her words did make him think though, because if he learned how to fight better, then wouldn't it meant he'd be able to protect himself more? True, it was unlikely that Miko would ever fight a Cybertronian, but it was better to be prepared. Jack also couldn't help agree. "Alright, I'll go."
"Yes! Now change back to wolf form so I can ride on your back."
Jack rolled his optics. "Yeah, that's not happening."
Miko crossed her arms. "Come on, I've done it with Cinder and she's taller than you."
"You did what?" Jack asked sharply. No doubt it was once the 'patience testing incidents' that Ultra Magnus talked about.
"Never mind, come on."
Jack wasn't going to let it slip away as easily as Miko thought, but he decided to bring it up later. Maybe in front of his mother so Miko would have some parental figure scolding her. It wasn't like Cinder would hurt her, but the shark was taller than Jack and he didn't want to think of the fall.
Miko led him down the hall to the back of the base, where she pressed on the button to raise the metal garage door. She rolled her eyes when she caught Jack's expression. "Yes, Shoulder Pads is teaching me outside. For some reason he thinks I'd cause damage to the base. Wonder who told him that."
"Probably figured it out on his own." Jack said dryly. When the sheet lifted completely, his optics widened. Maybe it the tail end of a conversation, but beside Ultra Magnus was Grimwing holding a stack of data pads. The red and blue mech held himself even more stiffly than usual, but the other Predacon seemed equally serious.
Grimwing caught Jack's optics first, and gave him a brief smile before hurrying in past them. Blackbeak squawked from his perch on the Predacon's back as his wings ruffled.
The red and blue mech narrowed his optics. "Jack, what are you doing here?"
"Miko asked if I wanted to train, and I thought it best to learn to defend myself." Jack replied. He noticed how the mech's considerable shoulders tensed. "Is that a problem?"
Miko answered for him. "Come on, Shoulder Pads. Just let Jack train. Hey, he can be my sparring partner!"
"It's Commander to you." Ultra Magnus said sternly. "Although, it does have merit that Jack learns to fight." He vented heavily. "Very well, but don't think this breach of authority will be tolerated again."
"You're in for some disappointment." Jack said, and Miko stomped at his pede. It did little more than emit a clink and she cursed under her breath.
"Duly noted." Ultra Magnus said, and turned when a jeep pulled up some ten feet away. A man climbed out, wearing army ranger pants and a T-shirt, the overcoat tied around his waist. His cropped, blond hair was windswept and ruffled. "Miko, this is Major Lennox. He will be assisting me with your training."
Miko's jaw dropped, and Jack bit back a grin. "What?" she ripped the backpack from her shoulder and pulled out the Apex Armor. "How is he supposed to stand up to this? I thought I would be fighting Cybertronians, not other humans."
"Given you have no formal training, beginning with something basic will be a start." The red and blue mech said calmly.
Lennox snorted. "Gee, thanks for that. Glad to know all my military training is just the basics to you." He grinned when the mech frowned at him. "Sir."
Miko snickered, and Jack shook his head. Figured the most serious mech on the base would find someone with a sense of humor. "Alright, for a human he's not that bad."
"Anyway," Ultra Magnus said forcefully, "you and Jack will report each day for training during the mornings. I'm told this is the best time on this planet for it, and sessions will be outside to avoid...damages, to the base. Jack, will these interfere with either your appointments with Dr. Keen or Ratchet?"
Jack blinked, and he furrowed his optic ridges. Damages? Did the other mech intend to let Miko use the Apex Armor eventually? "No. Dr. Keen only sees me every week now, and it's in the afternoon. Ratchet just kind of...checks on me whenever he wants, and I don't think this will change that."
Perhaps it was the utterly disorganized image presented that caused Ultra Magnus to grimace, but he nodded anyway. "That is all for now, let us begin."
Jack really didn't know what to think of training until a few days later. It wasn't hard, but it was...repetitive. Miko's loud complaining after the fifth day only solidified it. It must have chaffed at her to do laps and barely land a hit on Lennox each morning, but Jack admired the vigor renewed each time. Jack's training was different, more focused on maintaining proper positions for the upper hand in a fight. Given his only real fights were fueled by instinct and fear, the structure at least helped him focus.
Today, Miko sat cross-legged on the ground while Lennox hefted a training dummy out of his jeep. "Look, I know I can't hit you, but I'm not so bad to need a dummy."
Lennox shook his head. "I spoke with Ultra Magnus and Agent Fowler; they agreed that you should know more than just evasive maneuvers. I'm going to show you where to strike on this dummy to incapacitate or...more."
Miko perked up. "You mean like kicking someone in the nuts?"
Lennox flushed, but the red and blue mech only got that confused look on his faceplate when hearing and unfamiliar phrase. "Like that." The blond grounded out.
"What are-"
"You don't want to know." Jack swiftly interrupted Ultra Magnus' question, then hurried to ask, "Am I going to be doing more of the same or something different, sir?"
"Different." The other mech said curtly. His frame stiffened again. "Though first, I assume you understand that the best first strike would be to use your howl, correct?" Jack nodded. "In this case, we'll be working on if you are unable to perform it."
Jack blinked slowly. "Are you saying...you're going to spar with me? Is that-I mean, you really want to? Maybe Cinder or Grimwing or Ratchet could help?"
"Grimwing is busy, Cindersaur is helping the humans move their equipment, and Ratchet declined." Ultra Magnus explained.
"Wait, you mean I get to watch a mecha battle?" Miko asked excitedly.
Lennox glowered at her. "You'll be battling the dummy. Better not let me catch you slacking off, Nakadai."
Jack snorted as Miko grumbled. "We aren't sparring here, right?"
"No, we're moving further out so not to...cause damages." The mech said.
Jack nodded and followed after the mech. It was a short trip, but they were far enough from the base that the biggest building was a speck in the distance. Probably wouldn't stop the ground from shaking though. "Hope no one thinks an earthquake is going to happen."
The other mech didn't respond, but Jack really wasn't expecting him too. Ultra Magnus only narrowed his optics at Jack, before he nodded tersely. "I am going to strike you, and I expect you to use your training to fight back. Am I understood?"
"I take it you're not going to make this easy?" Jack asked, and the mech shook his head, expression stern as though it were a ridiculous notion. Maybe it was. "Fine."
It was barely out before the fist shot out. Jack yelped as his cheek stung and he stumbled back. Ultra Magnus wasn't as tall, but his reach made up for it. Jack's optics cycled wide, before his gaze narrowed as he touched his cheek and energon coated his digits. Oh, it was so on. Jack grounded his denta together, and fought off the instinct to howl. That couldn't always be his first move. Becoming predictable was not a good thing.
Which was why when Jack raised his right hand, and the other mech lifted mirrored it to block-Jack brought his knee up into the mech's stomach and backed off. Ultra Magnus grunted, and raised his narrowed optics to meet Jack's grin. The mech's optics cycled, and something shifted in his gaze.
Ultra Magnus moved faster than Jack anticipated, and he gasped as his leg was kicked out from under him. Jack didn't fall before pain exploded in his jaw when the other mech slammed his helm into Jack's chin. An elbow jammed into his stomach, and the world tilted as he landed flat on his back.
Jack groaned, optic ridges furrowed tightly. Is the world supposed to be spinning? He focused on the mech standing over him, whose frame was tense and optics bright. Perhaps the most unnerving thing was how blank his expression was despite his vents filtering loudly.
Optics narrowing, Jack growled. It was feral. His claws latched onto the mech's leg, and the metal screeched as he pulled, jerking Ultra Magnus off his pedes. The ground shook when the bot landed on his back, and Jack's next strike was blocked by the hook. The wolf Predacon hissed when the claw slashed down his arm.
Ducking, Jack's claws scrapped the mech's shoulder pad as he jabbed his elbow into the mech's neck. Ultra Magnus' jaw clenched as he squeezed one of Jack's arm tight to dislodge him. Jack shrieked as the hook slashed into his shoulder and his elbow was directed to the ground beside his throat.
"What the hell is going on!"
Jack's optics widened, and the look was reflected back in the other mech's gaze when reality slammed back into them, all wildness and instinct and panic vanishing. Jack scrambled back, wincing as he grabbed his shoulder. Energon filled the air, and not all it was his. The deep cuts and scrapes the size of his claws were riddled into Ultra Magnus' plates.
The wolf Predacon glanced down, where both Lennox and Miko were staring at them. The man looked both uneasy and constipated while Miko's jaw was dropped. "Huh?" Jack finally managed to rasp out.
"Dude, I thought this was just a spar? Why were you two trying to kill each other?!" Miko demanded.
Jack's optics widened, but he flinched when the other mech stood abruptly. He favored one leg, but held himself taught as his stony expression. "This session is over. Dismissed." He didn't run, but his pace was brisk as he left the group.
Miko stared at him, then glared up at Jack. "What happened?"
"He...told me not to hold back." Jack said, his voice still faint. "I...I don't know what came over me." he was about to rub his forehead, but stopped when he noticed the energon on his servo again. A chill ran down his plating. It was more than just his own now. Please, please don't let this mess everything up. Jack clenched his fist before he got to his pedes. "I have to go too."
Jack didn't stick around long enough to hear Miko yelling after him, and he hurried back into the base. Any human he came across promptly turned the other way, and he didn't need a mirror to know he was a mess. Jack hoped Ratchet could fix him up before his mother saw him.
Everything hurt, his face most of all. Jack winced, pain radiating from his jaw. Did Ultra Magnus have a harder helm than most? Jack's fins twitched, and he vented slowly. Jack noticed that his right arm held the shoulder and arm slashes. At least it's symmetrical, Jack thought with grim humour. Too bad it hurt to even smile.
Jack's helm fins twitched again when he drew close to the medbay. It was hard to hear the words, but it was not hard to hear Ratchet's furious shouting. He grimaced as he got closer and the words formed into something coherent.
"-be so stupid! What made you think this was a good idea? Now look at you. You've just got done recovering from the last throttling a Predacon gave you!" Jack was just at the door when Ratchet's next yell caught him off guard. "And you, get in here and let me see the damage."
Jack's fins pressed flat against his head as he scuttled into the medbay. Ratchet's optics were blazing along with his scowling expression. Jack's optics flickered over to the red and blue mech, whose scratches and cuts were welded over. "How'd you know I was outside?"
"Since this idiot came storming in, I figured it wouldn't be long before you followed after." Ratchet snorted. He grumbled something derogatory under his breath, and set his torch aside. "Get out, Magnus, and don't let me catch you and Jack doing something this stupid again!"
Ultra Magnus' jaw clenched, but he surprisingly didn't say anything. He only nodded curtly and marched out of the room without another glance at Jack. Jack's spark plummeted into his not-stomach, and it was likely the disappointment of their brief spark-to-spark going up in flames.
"Let's see the damage, Jack." Ratchet said, and the wolf Predacon climbed onto the berth. The medic likely unleashed all his fury out on the other mech, as he did little more than scowl and glare at Jack's injuries.
It didn't mean Ratchet still wasn't angry, but Jack couldn't just let things stew. "I know this looks bad, but we both just got...carried away."
"Carried away?" Ratchet repeated, his tone derisive. "Pulling joints and scraping filaments because of training is one thing, but if you two weren't any more injured I'd whack you both for one more!" he snapped. Jack winced, but his shoulder was held still as Ratchet seared the metal sheet over his cut. "And here I though you two were the most level-headed, but apparently that honor goes to Raf-and he's not even here!"
Jack grimaced, his fins pressed tighter against his helm. "Okay, okay, this looks really bad. I just...I don't know what happened; one thing led to another and it felt like it wasn't just a spar anymore." It was...worrying, just how easily he'd slipped into that mindset of fight, fight, fight.
"Not surprising, given neither of you are in the mindset to think clearly." Ratchet said.
Jack frowned. Sure, he was still reeling from the 'adjustment' his CNA got from the stabilized Synth-En...his frown deepened. Or was it because he'd killed Skystalker? He didn't think Ratchet regretted the Predacon's death, but that Jack had to do it? He stopped himself from asking-that was going to be awkward no matter how he put it.
"You're done, now get out. I expected this recklessness from Miko, not you."
Jack dropped off the berth, and hurried out the room. His aches and pains still hurt, but the medic's disappointment stung more.