Jack had never considered himself a particularly outgoing person.
Not that he was anti-social by any means, but for pretty much all of his teenage life, he'd been content to sit by himself at school and hang out alone at home while his mom was at work. Which was a lot.
Spending time at the Autobot base had forced him out of his shell a little, but that hardly made him a "party animal" as Miko would say.
In other words, being a quiet single child in a small boring town had done nothing to prepare him for a few days confined to the firehouse with the Burns siblings and the four Cybertronians living just downstairs.
The place was neither small, quiet nor boring. Siblings bickered often, mostly Kade and Dani. Voices carried through both ends of the fireman's pole. Phones rang with emergency calls day and night.
Even during the occasional emergency that needed the whole team, Cody's voice could be faintly heard from the command center upstairs.
Jack huddled on the living room couch, checking his contacts for the thousandth time. He seemed to be healing nicely, to his relief. His muscles had regained enough strength for him to use the fireman pole to get to the garage and bunker. Plus his mental fog and headache had cleared.
Footsteps approached from above. Jack sighed and braced himself, pulling his blanket over his head. All of this constant action was giving him a new kind of headache.
"Kade, what on Earth is that?" Dani said as she came down the stairs, unnecessarily loudly. Was this what all homes with siblings were like?
Kade groaned. "Just let me eat."
Dani scoffed. "Someone spit in it, grumpy?"
Kade glared at her over his...whatever it was. "You try putting up with Heatwave for a day, and see how you handle it! I don't know what's gotten into that tin can. It's like his first week on Earth all over again but worse!"
Jack looked away, a knot forming in his stomach. Chief Burns had decided not to tell the rest of his family about the cause of the argument in the Sigma, but it hadn't been forgotten, especially not by Heatwave.
"Maybe he's finally gotten tired of putting up with you." Dani shot back at Kade. "What did you do this time?"
"Nothing!" Kade slammed his food onto his plate with a squishy sound. "You saw him during the mission yesterday! He's been like that for days now!"
Dani paused at that.
Jack sat in silence, staring down at his lap. All of the Burnses had come home and gone straight to bed with barely a word, so he'd missed that story. But he had heard Kade's other complaints, along with Blades's. Constantly.
Apparently Heatwave had been volunteering himself and Kade for patrol and missions every chance he got, and pushed himself and everyone else to the point it was ridiculous.
The rest of his time was spent hammering away at his punching log, as if it was the one who had accused him and his team of being weak.
Graham appeared next, sniffing. "What's that smell?" He stopped when he saw Kade's food. "Oh. Never mind. I'm not sure I want to know."
Kade glared at him, picked it back up and took another huge bite.
Jack turned back to his phone, doing his best to tune out the background noise. His own unanswered texts stared back at him. No response from Arcee. Or anyone else. No word at all from home.
"Still nothing?"
Jack started as Chief Burns approached. He hadn't even heard him come down. "Nope. I mean...yes. That there's nothing, that is. I've texted everyone I have numbers for, but..."
Chief Burns nodded with a sigh. "I tried the Sigma again, but it didn't go through. Looks like we'll have to wait for Optimus to contact us."
More waiting.
Jack snapped his phone closed, resisting the urge to throw it across the room. He couldn't afford another one.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I know it hasn't been easy being cooped up here away from home for so long." Chief Burns said.
"Another surge probably took down the communication systems. But I should at least be able to call Mom. Or Raf, or Miko." Jack glared down at his phone. "Our cellphones only need to use the comm systems when we're inside the base. Someone has to have gone home at some point, but no one's answering."
Chief Burns held out a hand for his phone, which Jack handed over. He flipped it open, pressing a few buttons. "I can't see any problems. Service looks fine." He handed it back. "Have you tried the home phone?" He gestured across the room to the red device on the wall.
"That's a phone?" The words sounded stupid coming out, but in Griffin Rock, it was hard to know for sure what anything was by looking at it. Even the popcorn bags were different here.
"Yep. Try calling again."
Jack hesitated, then got up and crossed the room to it, passing by Kade and Dani, who both turned to watch.
At least the phone had a keypad. That, at least, was straightforward. He took it off its holder and typed in his mom's number.
A few beeps followed, and a faint crackle of static. But no answer.
He tried again. "C'mon, pick up." He whispered. He desperately needed to hear her voice. But again, nothing. He scowled at the phone and tried Raf, then Miko.
Nothing.
He sighed and put the phone back. Maybe they were all back at base and had been this whole time, for some reason. But his gut told him otherwise. Something was wrong.
He turned to Chief Burns, who had been watching from behind. "Can we try the Sigma again?"
"Well...sure. But if the Autobots' communications are damaged, it won't make a difference."
"And the Sigma is the only thing we have that can patch in to their comms." Dani added.
Jack looked away, swallowing his frustration.
"I'm sorry." Chief Burns said again. "We'll just have to sit tight for now."
Jack paused, remembering something.
"Wait. What about that box thing...the Beacon Box?"
The police chief looked skeptical. "That hasn't worked so well. Mostly just creates static and flashes. I wouldn't count on it."
"Yeah, but...can it be fixed?" Jack stammered. "At least enough to send a message? Or let them send us a message?"
Chief Burns shrugged helplessly. "Our lead scientist says it's meant to strengthen the connection between the Sigma's and the Autobots' communication systems. That's all I know about it."
"That could work. Right?"
Chief Burns put a hand on his shoulder. "It wouldn't hurt to ask him. We have some clean up and safety inspections to do, but we might run into him at some point. I can take the Beacon Box and and see if he'll take a look at it."
"Ugh, Kade! You are such a child sometimes!" And so the bickering continued.
"I know you are, but what am I?"
"Kade!"
"That's enough." Chief Burns cut in firmly, with a glare at the two over his shoulder. Dani and Kade immediately fell silent, but continued to glare at each other.
Jack felt the corner of his mouth quirk up. Optimus had the same effect on the Autobots. The thought made him more homesick.
Chief Burns turned back to Jack as if it never happened. "I'm sure the Autobots will be fine. They probably face worse threats all the time."
That was true. Jack forced himself to nod. But he couldn't shake that bad feeling, even with a plan. Satisfied, Chief Burns turned to leave. "Everyone get ready. We've gotta head to the Hall of Inspiration first."
"I'd like to come with you." Jack blurted out before he could think, surprising both Chief Burns and himself.
"To talk to him. I-If that's okay." He amended, at the police chief's look.
"You're still recovering. I don't think running around town will help with that."
"I'm feeling better." Jack insisted. "I've been doing pretty much nothing but rest the past few days."
Chief Burns looked unconvinced. But as he opened his mouth, something in Jack's face made him stop.
"I just...I need to-" Do what, exactly? Come up with the answer that magically fixed everything? Like you did back at the ambush? He shied away from those memories. He'd been stupid that day, acting like some kind of hero. That perfectly disqualified him from getting involved again.
Yet he couldn't stand the thought of sitting back and doing nothing. He needed to know what was going on, even if he couldn't help.
Chief Burns was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. "Have Dani check you over first. If anything happens, stay on the sidelines. You still need to take it easy."
Jack nodded eagerly. "I will."
"You can ride with Kade and Heatwave."
Something in Jack's stomach dropped. "Oh."
Chief Burns read his mind. "Heatwave isn't mad at you, Jack."
Kade snorted, earning several glares and a shove from Graham. "What? He's mad at someone!"
"He's not mad." Chief Burns said sternly. "He just wants to do the best he can for his team. We all do."
"Right." Kade took another huge bite out of his...sandwich? He ignored the brown liquid dripping down his hands, giving Jack a look as if daring him to say anything about it.
Well, this was going to be a long, interesting day.
Jack fought the urge to squirm in his seat.
Kade and Heatwave had been at it from the moment they left the firehouse, fighting over who got to drive.
Unbelievable. Who argued with a bot about who got to drive them in their own vehicle mode?
Kade jerked the wheel, sending them into a sharp turn.
"Hey!" Heatwave retorted. He swerved back so hard Jack was thrown into the door, hitting his elbow.
A thump came from behind. Jack winced and glanced over his shoulder. The Beacon Box sat in the seat behind him, by Heatwave's insistence. By some miracle, the thing was still intact.
"Watch it!" Kade snapped back.
"Hands off! I'm driving!"
A lurching stop at a hovering traffic light threw Jack forward, almost smacking his face on the dashboard. Neither of the culprits seemed to notice.
"Hey, watch it!" Kade said again. He smacked the steering wheel.
Jack sighed, running a hand down his face. Maybe he should have stayed at the firehouse after all. "Just let Heatwave drive."
Both of them looked at him as if he'd said something crazy.
Jack cleared his throat. "It's Heatwave's vehicle form. So...he should probably drive."
Heatwave smirked, turning back to Kade. "He's right."
Kade glared at him. "Yes, but there are people around, in case you hadn't noticed." He gripped the steering wheel tighter. "We've gotta keep up appearances. If you remember, that's exactly what you told Blades yesterday!"
"Would you rather walk the rest of the way?"
"Oh, can it!" The firefighter slumped back, folding his arms like a child.
The rest of the ride was spent in awkward silence, watching the scenery. Across the street, a girl walked a robot dog. A guy wearing some kind of jetpack flew overhead. A woman on what looked like a hoverbike passed by. Jack had quickly learned to stop asking questions when it came to Griffin Rock.
Heatwave grunted as he maneuvered around a few large cracks in the ground. Jack eyed him through the side of his eye. Was he upset that Chief Burns had asked him to drive Jack?
Hard to tell. He had one of those gruff faces that made him seem like he was constantly scowling. Either way, best to watch his words.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached their destination.
The Hall of Inspiration looked exactly like the kind of place you'd expect to find advanced technology. He couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the unusual shape. Or all the windows.
He opened the door and slid down to the sidewalk. Blades landed nearby, followed by Chase and Boulder.
Heatwave transformed to bot mode.
Jack froze. "Whoa, there are people around!" He glanced across the street to where a few people were walking. A bright red robot would be hard to miss, even in a strange place like this.
Kade barked a laugh and slung an arm around Jack's shoulders. "Things are different here, kid. In Griffin Rock, people are used to weird high tech things."
Part of Jack bristled at being called "kid". But he closed his mouth on any protests. He'd probably said too much already. Again.
Kade was the one smirking now. "Yep! Here, Heatwave is just another normal, mindless, obedient machine."
Heatwave growled softly, but didn't respond.
Jack ducked away from Kade, biting back a cutting remark. He couldn't imagine talking about any of the Autobots like that.
"See, watch this. Robot! Bring the doohickey, and follow me!" Kade strutted up the stairs towards the door.
Heatwave sighed and reached into his cab to pull out the Beacon Box. "As you command." He said in the most robotic, monotone voice Jack had ever heard.
Nearby, Chase, Boulder and Blades transformed, just as a couple passed by. The couple barely spared the three Bots a glance as they followed Heatwave and Kade.
Jack shook himself out of his stupor and jogged to catch up. He tried to picture Arcee acting like a robot, and scoffed. He didn't have nearly enough imagination.
Cool air hit him as he entered a large open room. Displays lined the walls, featuring a number of gadgets and devices. For a moment, Jack forgot everything else and turned circles, taking everything in.
It was like something out of an old sci-fi movie.
As he approached one of the displays, a man in a brown suit popped into existence, making him jump. "Welcome!"
Jack stared. The guy was see-through. "Is that a..."
He stepped closer, resting his hands on the rails. "Holograms have been invented?"
Blades pushed past Chase and Heatwave, prompting an annoyed grunt from the latter. "Oh yeah, we have plenty of those! They're not the weirdest things in Griffin Rock."
Jack couldn't resist reaching his hand through the hologram. It passed through as if through light. "Whoa."
The hologram didn't react. Not that he expected it to."Be sure to visit the gift shop!" It said cheerfully and faded out of sight.
"Whoa." Jack breathed, in awe. "This is...wow."
"They lose a little bit of their coolness after they're used as fake ghosts." Blades said in a deadpan tone.
"Huh?"
Chief Burns called over before he could elaborate, "Okay, team! Let's get this done! Boulder, Graham, you start your inspection. The rest of us..." He continued giving instructions as he walked away.
With that, the Bots and Burnses scattered, leaving Jack on his own.
Well, until they found the lead scientist, there wasn't much he could do. So he spent the next half an hour looking through the displays.
Apparently hoverboards, shrink rays and jetpacks had also been invented. He also passed a piece of metal the plaque said had once belonged to a time machine, but he wasn't sure he bought that one. He'd had his suspension of disbelief stretched enough already.
He took out his phone anyway. Raf and Miko would have his head if he came home without any pictures.
Ten minutes later, a door burst open.
A man in a lab coat rushed out, followed by a girl roughly Cody's age. His daughter, maybe.
"Ah, Chief! Your timing couldn't be more perfect!" He said, looking concerned.
Chief Burns gave him his full attention. "What's wrong, Doc?"
"That's Doc Greene." Jack jumped and turned to Blades. He hadn't even heard the bot approach. "He builds stuff like this all the time. And that's Frankie."
So this was the scientist who had invented the Beacon Box. And hopefully could fix it. After whatever this was.
Doc Greene thumbed over his shoulder. "Something has gone missing in the BLF section. I believe I have reason to suspect it's been stolen."
"'BLF' means Best Left Forgotten." Blades cut in again, to Jack. "That's where they put the junky stuff that doesn't work well."
"This device could be dangerous if it's used in the wrong place." The girl, Frankie said. "Dangerous enough that it was scheduled to be sent to the Island of Misfit Tech."
"Yes. We would have sent it there earlier, but...yesterday happened first." Doc Greene said.
Jack glanced at Blades for an explanation. Blades shuddered. "Trust me, you do not want to know."
Heatwave pushed forward."We'll find it, Doc. We'll search every inch of the town. Rescue Bots, roll to the-"
"Hold on, Heatwave." Chief Burns cut in. "First we should check the security cameras."
"Good thinking, Chief." Doc Greene led the way to another door marked SECURITY. "Though I have my suspicions already."
Jack awkwardly trailed behind the rest of the group as they followed Doc Greene. He stopped outside the door, uncertain. He wasn't really a part of this. Was he even allowed to go in, or should he wait out here?
Red appeared in the corner of his eye. Knockout followed right behind him, almost close enough to grab him... He yelped and stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall.
Heatwave bolted upright, instantly alert.
Heatwave. It was Heatwave, not Knockout.
The two stared at each other with wide eyes. "Whoa, Heatwave, are you usually this jumpy?" Blades broke in.
Heatwave huffed and looked away, crouching back down to watch through the door. "Just focus on the mission!"
Someone shushed him from the room, and everyone fell silent.
Jack kept a steadying hand on the wall, willing his heart to stop pounding. There were no Cons' here. He'd escaped. He was safe. His brain just needed to catch up.
"Jack?" Boulder said, looking concerned.
He tried to look casual, while wishing a pit would open and swallow him up. "I'm fine. Just got startled."
"Sorry." Heatwave mumbled without looking at him. Was he upset at being embarrassed? Nice going, Jack.
He awkwardly turned back to the door, but they'd already missed most of the conversation. "...how they got in without triggering the alarm." Doc Greene was saying. "This is right in the middle of yesterday's...escapade."
"Though it looks like it wasn't easy for them." Dani said with a smile. "It's comforting to know that even Evan and Myles can't handle a spider or two."
"At least not car-sized ones." Graham muttered.
Blades shuddered. "Don't remind me."
Jack gave him a look and craned his head to get a glimpse of the screen, but the Burnses crowded in further, blocking his view. There was no way he had heard that right.
"They could be anywhere in town by now." Chief Burns said.
Doc Greene sighed. "That's what I was afraid of. Plenty of time for them to add a few tweaks to the device."
Everyone turned around to leave the security room. "We'll split up and search the town. Sooner or later-" Chief Burns cut off as he reached Jack, as if he'd forgotten he was there.
Doc Greene noticed him for the first time. "Oh. Who is this?"
"This is Jack. He's with us for the time being."
"He's with Optimus." Blades added helpfully.
"Actually, he's part of the reason we're here." Chief Burns said. "After we get this mess sorted out, we were hoping you could try to fix the Beacon Box again. Right now, it might be the only way for him to call home."
Doc Greene glanced thoughtfully at the Beacon Box, as Heatwave put it down. "Well, I can try. I admit this one has been difficult to make compatible with Cybertronian technology, even with Boulder's help. My first prototype fried just about every bit of tech in the Lab, even Trex and Dither! It had to be sent to the-"
He stopped, looking at Jack. "Somewhere it couldn't do any more harm."
Chief Burns nodded and led the way towards the entrance. "We can worry about that later."
Jack trailed behind the group, feeling foolish. Why had he insisted on coming? There wasn't anything he could do here, in this strange place.
As they went outside and down the stairs, he began to feel lightheaded. Time machines. Ghost holograms. Shrink rays. BLF sections. How hard had he hit his head again?
As he walked, each step felt lighter than the last. Wait... He stopped as he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Nearby, a trash can floated a couple of feet off the ground. Was he hallucinating now?
"Hey, look!" Dani said.
It took Jack a moment to realize she was looking at something else. A gardening glove drifted lazily past. He watched it with a detached fascination, along with everyone else.
One by one, more random things floated past. A pen. A shoe. A bike. Nearby, a parked car slowly rose into the air.
"Oh dear. This was what I was afraid of." Doc Greene said.
"The device we're looking for?" Chief Burns said.
Doc Greene nodded. "A prototype for a device meant to help astronauts accustom themselves to zero gravity while on Earth. But it kept turning itself on and making a mess of things. It appears to already be in use, and affecting the whole town!"
Jack felt so light now he was practically weightless. He looked down as his feet left the ground. Surprised voices surrounded him as the others gradually followed suit.
"Grab something, quick!" Graham yelled.
All of them instinctively thrashed, clawing at the air for control, but it made no difference.
The Bots followed soon after, though more slowly. Chase immediately grabbed Chief Burns and Dani before they could drift away.
Graham caught hold of a street light. "Quick, the townsfolk!"
Boulder tried to swim in the air. "I can't control where I go!"
Heatwave reached for Kade and Jack, but both of them had already drifted too far.
Stunned, Jack looked around as cars and random objects floated around in a cloud. What was happening!?
He looked down at the ground a good ten feet below. That, at least, couldn't be a hallucination.
Scrap!