Jack awakened, feeling like his heart was about to burst from his chest. Jolting up frantically, he desperately grabbed for the nearest object in reach off his nightstand. He held up the Swiss army knife now in his grasp, twisting his body as he scrutinized the room. Ready to defend himself the best he could from whatever leaped from the darkness.
Nothing happened.
No purple optics suddenly appear from the shadows to lunge at him. The roof of his home wasn't being torn off by metal giants, and he wasn't trapped in a cave with red optics full of hate watching him from every direction.
The room stood still, the silence broken by the thumping of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Jack knows that he's safe, that it was only a dream again, but he can't bring himself to put the knife back down or focus enough to control his breathing.
A soft glow from underneath his shirt grounded him. He slowly lowered the weapon and sat still, focusing on the key as it continued to pulse softly. His breathing and heartbeat began lowering back to normal levels and in sync with the glow.
His mom's advice had helped curb the intensity and occurrence of the nightmares, but there are always weaknesses in someone's defenses.
Reassured, Jack sat back against the headboard and closed his eyes as his breathing softened. His heart felt clenched and his stomach was twisting. He wasn't sure if these feelings were the result of his stress or just more signs that his body was beginning to fail.
He opened his eyes to look at his alarm clock. Just past four in the morning. His mom would be up soon to get ready for work and school wasn't until eight. He wouldn't be getting any more rest today after that dream.
Jack slipped the covers off and stepped out of bed, pulling on his shoes. He opened his door and cringed when the door creaked loudly. He stood still and listened, patiently waiting for any signs that the noise awoke his mom. When he didn't hear the sounds of shuffling feet or bed sheets moving, he stepped lightly as he moved across the hall and entered the kitchen. He reached the backdoor and prayed this one would be quieter. He didn't want to explain to Arcee why he'd woken up so early and why he was going outside.
The door thankfully, opened without a noise; exposing him to the crisp, chill Nevada nighttime air. He stepped outside, carefully shutting the door, and took a seat on one of the patio chairs. He gazed up at the night sky, filled with an endless ocean of stars. In a small town like his, light pollution was almost non-existent, providing him with an uninterrupted view of the universe.
Looking at the stars allowed him to think and evaluate his troubles. He remembered how Arcee almost always sat atop the base after sunset, always in silence. It seemed Arcee and he shared their feelings about the stars.
In the middle of a chaotic and dark universe, they filled it with light. They were something that always amazed him. These intense balls of plasma were created out of nothing but hydrogen, helium, and gravity. An unfathomable distance away, they burned brightly. The light traveled years just to reach his little planet, and enter his eyes for his brain to process into an image. There was an untold beauty in something as simple as small points of light.
Although, not even stars last forever.
Arcee was not in a deep stasis. Technically, she didn't need to go into stasis to begin with. Cybertronians didn't need sleep like humans, they simply shut down major energy-consuming functions to preserve power.
However, Arcee preferred to keep a few systems online, too paranoid to not be aware of her surroundings. As a soldier and his guardian, she hardly ever let her guard down. She needed to be alert and ready to move at a moment's notice.
Just on the other side of the door, the noise of shuffling in the kitchen immediately put her on alert. She relaxed when she recognized the sound of the footsteps belonging to her charge. Then immediately wondered what he was doing up so much earlier than usual.
He couldn't have gotten that much sleep if he was stumbling around, trying much too hard to be quiet. Ratchet had made it clear that developing humans needed a minimum of eight hours of sleep to function optimally. He'd repeatedly reminded her, despite her recent concerns about Jack's new napping habits, that some humans simply required more sleep than others.
She could hear as the backdoor opened and shut quickly. Presumably, Jack had stepped outside to be alone with his thoughts. Something had been bothering Jack. Something else other than the nightmares he'd told her about.
Perhaps the weight of being chosen to safeguard the key was all it was. It was a daunting task and an enormous responsibility.
If that was the case, Jack should've approached and spoken to her about the burden. She was the team's Second-in-Command, technically first in Optimus' absence. But more importantly, she was his friend. He could talk to her about his issues, even if they were just about school and girls. He'd been a listening ear for her long enough to know that keeping your problems to yourself didn't help anyone.
If he didn't want to talk, then she couldn't force him to open up to her. But she couldn't just sit back and watch as the situation continued to worsen and spiral out of control. As his friend, it was her job to worry about him.
Jack clenched his teeth together, suppressing a yawn from escaping. He'd almost fallen asleep in class again. He'd never been one to take a nap after school, but every day was now a struggle to not take one during school.
"Ratchet's test yesterday didn't go so well." Said Raf sullenly as the three of them reached their table in the corner of the cafeteria. "The plan of extending the space bridge's rage is out of the picture now. We really need to find that Decepticon space bridge soon."
Raf and Miko continued to converse while Jack frowned slightly at the appearance of his tray. School lunch was hardly appetizing, but even less when he could barely stomach most other food. He swallowed a spoonful of what he assumed were mashed potatoes as he drowned out the ongoing conversation happening in front of him.
No matter how much sleep he got, it was never enough. His eyelids became heavy and it was a struggle to keep his eyes focused on the food in front of him.
"What do you think, Jack?"
Jack blinked. "Huh?"
Miko rolled her eyes as she repeated the question. "What do you think? How can we help the big guys find the space bridge?"
"Uh, I don't know?"
Miko groaned loudly as Raf looked over Jack. He looked tired again. Which was weird since he slept a lot outside of school. The bags under his eyes almost looked larger but Raf honestly couldn't tell. His tray was barely touched, and judging on the past few weeks, it would remain that way for the rest of the period. That couldn't have been good for Jack's health, he needed to eat something.
"Jack, are you doing okay?" The young boy asked, eyes filled with concern and face etched with worry.
Jack felt a wave of guilt wash over him as Raf waited for his answer. The last thing he wanted right now was his friends worrying about him. He put on a fake smile as he tried to reassure him.
"I'm alright Raf, no need to worry about me. Nothing some more sleep and edible food won't fix." He lightly jested.
Jack did his best to keep his focus on his friends' discussion and his smile wide for the rest of the lunch period. They didn't need to worry about him.
Jack heaved a final time, despising the feeling of tasting his lunch all over again. His head spun and he felt like collapsing before he quickly steadied himself against the stall wall and sucked in deep breaths. Any hope of actually eating food today had literally been flushed down the toilet.
The stomach acid and instant mashed potatoes left a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd never wanted a toothbrush and some toothpaste this bad before in his life. He rested, waiting for his breathing to become more steady and for his stomach to settle down.
Slowly, his nausea faded as the minutes passed. Jack shakily stood up and exited the stall, toward the sinks. He settled on rinsing his mouth with the tap water and splashed it on his face, doing his best to clean himself up and hoping to at least look like he had things under control.
Jack looked up, into the mirror and at last, saw how others had been viewing him and just how worn down he looked. The bags under his eyes made him look as if he'd been pulling all-nighters for a week. His hair was a mess right now and he wasn't sure but his skin might've been paler than it was before. Was it just the lighting in the bathroom or did he need to spend some more time in the Sun?
The shrill of the school bell startled Jack momentarily. He could hear the sound of doors slamming open, and a flock of students filing out of their last classes, excited to take on the weekend. It was time to go back out there and put on a smile.
He reached for the door, fingers grazing the handle when his stomach violently lurched. He rushed back into the stall, dropping to his knees as his body continued to purge his stomach.
He returned to see an empty classroom, and his teacher shuffling papers into a bag; who sarcastically welcomed him back to class before wishing him a good weekend. Not before reminding him about the work assigned over the weekend of course, in addition to a paper that was due the following week. It looked like Miko had already left the class without him. He hurriedly grabbed his book bag and left the room.
Swiftly moving through the halls, Jack pushed through the front doors, searching for familiar faces and vehicles. He spotted them standing next to Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee; on the far end of the small parking lot, away from the mass of students leaving school. Waiting for him to arrive so they could go to the base. Raf noticed him and waved, Jack returning the gesture.
He walked toward his friends, doing his best to mask the displeasure he still felt in his gut. He'd barely uttered a greeting to Arcee before Miko's enthusiastic personality started bombarding him.
"Dude, what took you so long in that bathroom? We're ready to go! Did ya see Sierra in the halls or something?" Miko teased.
Jack rolled his eyes at the comment."No, Miko. Just had to get something from my locker on my way here."
"But I didn't see you?" Raf questioned. "Your locker is next to mine and I only just got here too."
"Uh..." Jack mentally cursed himself for walking into that one. 'Why did I even lie?'
"I meant that I stopped by my locker after the bathroom before returning to class. It ended on my way back but I stayed a bit talking with Mr. Williams about the paper due next week about cubism." He answered as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Raf decided it was better to just not question why he hadn't seen him in the halls if that was the case, since their lockers were in the opposite direction from Jack's class. There was obviously a detail he was trying to avoid speaking about. It wasn't his business to pry, however, especially if Jack was trying to keep it hidden for his own personal reasons.
Miko meanwhile, rolled her eyes at Jack's answer. "Why are you worrying about homework dude? No one cares about that class. What you should be caring about is getting back to base with the giant alien robots we hang out with every day!"
"Miko! Don't say that stuff out loud!" Jack chided as he glanced around to make sure there was no one nearby who could've heard. "Besides, some of us care about our grades."
"Nobody heard me, relax." She brushed it off. "And don't act like you're the perfect student. I see you trying not to fall asleep as the teacher goes on about paint."
"As much fun as it is listening to you two squabble," Arcee cut in, "We should be heading back to the base."
"No need to tell me twice!" She quickly hopped inside her green SUV friend, promptly racing out of the parking lot and leaving behind a trail of smoke.
Raf smiled slightly as he looked between Jack and the spot Miko had just occupied a few seconds ago. "I'll see you back at the base, Jack." Bumblebee opened the door for him, and Raf waved goodbye as the pair sped down the empty road.
Jack wordlessly began putting on his helmet, flipping up the kickstand, and grabbing the handles to appear in control of the vehicle. Arcee wasn't as dramatic as her teammates leaving the school, smoothly pulling out of the parking lot and traveling down the main road of Jasper before stopping at a red light.
Jack watched as the light traffic slowly moved across the intersection, waiting patiently for it to clear. He let out a sigh he'd been holding in when the light turned green and they began moving. "I ask this every day, and it's the same news every time… but any luck on finding that space bridge?"
"Actually, Bulkhead and Ratchet have some news. The two found something while the three of you were in school today." Arcee gladly answered.
Flabbergasted, Jack released his grip on the handlebars and put his hands on his head."Wait, seriously? That's great news."
"Yup. Ratchet contacted Agent Fowler and your mom to meet back at the base to discuss the details. Fowler's on his way and your mom will come over after her shift." Arcee answered as the pair continued cruising. She noted the cars driving in the opposite lane and the faces their drivers were making. While not impossible to ride with no hands, it still brought unnecessary attention. "Might want to put your hands back on before too many people or a lucky cop takes notice, Jack."
He looked down, realizing that his hands were now hanging loosely from his sides, and sheepishly grabbed the handlebar. "Sorry, about that. It's just exciting to think about. This could really be it?"
"It's likely. Ratchet and Bulkhead were ecstatic when Bee and I returned from our searches. They wouldn't make a big whoop out of nothing."
They left the confines of his small town and Jack smiled beneath his helmet as Arcee drastically picked up speed as they entered the empty two-lane highway. It was time to get their Prime back.
Jack sluggishly awoke from his nap upon Miko's insistence and stood off to the side of the main terminal in the base, with the rest of the Autobot's human allies. His mom had just arrived and Ratchet wasted no time in beginning his briefing.
"The Decepticon space bridge is located right here. Deep within an Energon mine." Explained Ratchet, displaying its location on the large main terminal for the entire team to see.
"Adjacent to a raw fuel supply. Hidden in a cave system like that, it would've taken us a long time to find it. Clever." Arcee noted. "What's our intel?"
Bulkhead and Ratchet looked at each other, dumbfounded. How did you explain that the former Decepticon Second-in-command had exchanged the information in return for medical aid?
"A… reliable source." Ratchet finally answered. Arcee didn't appear satisfied with his answer, but she didn't press further. "So, do we have a consensus?"
June expressed her concerns. She hadn't been welcome to the idea of sending him to a distant planet from the start, and her worries hadn't disappeared. "Do we know if people can even breathe your atmosphere?"
"I'll hook Jack up." Fowler answered. At the appearance of his mom's glare, the government agent explained further, while Jack tried to ignore the hand Fowler placed on his shoulder. "It'll be completely state of the art. I figured he'd need one when we started talking about sending him into space. Luckily, I still have connections at NASA. The suit's ready at a moment's notice."
June's glare softened as she softly spoke. "It's too dangerous."
Jack stepped forward and embraced his mom. It'd been a long time since he hugged her like this, and not given her just a flimsy side hug. Months ago, he wouldn't have dreamed of hugging his mom like this in front of his friends. He was a teenager, they didn't do that in front of anybody if they cared about their reputation. Jack didn't care right now though, his mom was rightfully scared for him.
"Mom, I know that this is hard, but Optimus risked his life to save our planet." He softly released her from his grasp as he continued. "All of the Autobots did, and they're not even human. We owe it to him."
"Jack may be the only one who could do this June, but I don't want you to think for one moment that I'll allow him to travel unchaperoned." Arcee assured.
"Not everyone is destined for an ordinary life, June. Optimus Prime was once Orion Pax after all." Said Ratchet.
June let the words mull through her head, as she turned back to look at her son. She dried her damp eyes as she spoke softly with a smile. "When you were little, you always wanted to be an astronaut."
As promised, Agent Fowler's connections pulled through. Permission was granted and one ground bridge later, he walked through with the suit. It certainly wasn't like any space suit Jack had seen before, not nearly as bulky nor white. Instead, dark and light browns made up the suit, with traces of white adorning his helmet and the life support system that sat on his upper back.
He quickly suited up and entered the command room. Raf was ecstatic to see his friend enter the room wearing the suit. Jack happily listened as Raf began excitedly describing the advancements NASA had made in their suit. Intended for surface activities on the Moon and Mars, the suit was designed with greater mobility and agility in mind. All in a lighter and slimmer suit, meaning the wearer would get fatigued less easily, allowing for more work to be done during EVAs. A good choice for Cybertron, Jack thought.
However, the designers and development team would likely lose their minds if they knew Fowler's 'Field Test' for the military involved sending it to another planet to be used by a teenager.
He waited patiently in the command center for the bots to report in. Blocking all signals inside the cave prevented the Decepticons from calling for backup or alerting the Nemesis, but it left the rest of the team at Omega One in the dark about their status. He knew they could handle whatever security detail the Decepticons had posted though. It'd only be a matter of time before they called him in.
Jack ignored the pressure he felt squeeze from inside his chest. Although it was becoming more common, it wasn't causing him serious pain. Ratchet could examine it after the mission. It'd likely just be more bad news anyway, no use worrying about it now.
Her arms wrapped around him once more as he prepared to disembark. Her comforting hold reminded him of part of the reason he was doing this. Jack never quite believed in destiny and at almost sixteen years old, he didn't know what he even wanted in life. Unfortunately, it seemed the universe decided he wouldn't get to make that decision.
If he could do just one thing in his life that would matter, however, he'd accomplish this mission. Everyone was counting on him to bring Optimus back. He was doing this for his new friends, and his family. All of their safety depended on the success of this mission. What happened to him after wasn't important.
June released her hold on him as she wiped away the small tears that had formed. Jack took a step back and faced his friends, giving them a mock salute as his mom blew him a gentle kiss.
He spun around and trekked toward the ground bridge. The powerful hum and bright lights grew stronger the further he walked in. There was a moment of unease as he stepped through the end, feeling as if every atom in his body had been temporarily torn apart before quickly being reassembled.
Jack continued walking as he found himself on a bridge, inside of a large, spacious cavern. Arcee and the rest of the infiltration team stood at the end, waiting for him. Directly behind him, a large ring structure sat flat along the cavern wall. This is what the team had spent weeks hunting for.
"You ready?" Asked Arcee.
Jack pulled out the key from a side pocket on his leg in response. "Let's do this."
Ratchet stepped toward the pair from his position near the space bridge controls. "I'll leave the space bridge portal open in order to eliminate any communication lag over the great distance. It'll make it easier to locate the two of you when you're ready for your return."
"Right," Said Jack. "We have no idea where the Big V is."
"Remember, the key will be your guide along the path of the Primes, Jack. We must be confident that Optimus will guide you."
Jack nodded in understanding, pocketing the key. He and Arcee stood at the foot of the bridge as Ratchet prepped the space bridge for activation. He stared anxiously at the cavern wall where the space bridge lay in wait. In just a few moments, he'd be on a whole other world.
Arcee picked up on his fidgeting and tried comforting him. "Don't worry, Jack. Space bridging is just like ground bridging."
With a roar, the space bridge powered on and enveloped the cavern in its bright green glow. Even standing a fair distance away from the portal, the deafening noise of the space bridge sounded as if he was standing next to a jumbo jet on take-off.
"Just a little more intense!"
The pair trudged forward and as he got closer, Jack could physically feel the power of the space bridge. He could feel the vibrations of the floor beneath him through his boots. The thunderous roar and overpowering light flooded his senses. He continued his march, trusting his partner's words. The blinding light intensified as he shut his eyes on instinct as he felt the familiar deconstruction of his body.
Suddenly, it felt harder to walk; as if he were now wearing ankle weights. Jack opened his eyes to the barren wasteland of Cybertron. The smogged skyline of a ruined city filled his visor as two large moons sat perched in the sky. He was on an alien world. The first human in history to step foot on another planet. When he was a child and dreamed of being an astronaut, he'd wanted to go to the Moon and maybe Mars if NASA ever journeyed to the red planet. But never did he think he would be the first.
"I can't believe it. I'm actually on another planet. Arcee, this is incredible." Jack twisted his body to look at his friend. She stood motionless, staring into the horizon with sullen eyes. "Arcee?"
Arcee's response was laced with grief as she shut her optics and turned away. "This isn't how I wanted you to see my home."
Jack turned back to look to face his surroundings. This was an entire planet that once thrived with life but was now entirely devoid. Nothing in his sight looked untouched by the war. Potholes and ruined structures littered the road and the area he stood on. The desolate gray sky seemed as if it was still filled with the smoke from battles fought long ago. "I'm… I'm sorry."
"In the fog of war, it's hard to see beyond the next leg of the mission. Or the next punch in the fight. We did everything to save Cybertron, but when the fog finally lifted, there wasn't much left to save."
"Arcee, Jack do you copy?" Ratchet's voice cut through from their comm links.
Jack raised his hand and activated his comm link near his left shoulder. "Roger. We're on Cybertron."
A chorus of excitement and relief came through from the base. Jack chuckled slightly at his friends' enthusiasm.
"Just keep the sightseeing to a minimum, huh?" Bulkhead jested.
"Indeed. We don't know if your journey ahead is five clicks or five thousand." Ratchet agreed.
"Understood. We're out." Arcee replied as she cut the comm link.
Jack retrieved the key from his leg pocket, unsure of what to do next. "Ratchet said the key would guide us. But I don't see how or what I'm supposed-"
The key flared with light as it randomly would while in contact with him. An idea entered his mind as he began slowly moving the key card methodically in front of him. Scanning the horizon, the key pulsed brightly as it faced a ruined pathway then faded as he turned away from it. Like a compass, the key seemed to work in only one direction right now.
"Well, there you go." Said Arcee as she transformed.
Jack carefully got on, mindful to be cautious with the suit he was wearing. It didn't limit his movements except for his neck, but it still felt odd to ride a motorcycle with the extra gear and weight. The stronger gravity didn't aid him either. Jack made sure he had a good grip on the handlebars, and without a word, Arcee sped down the deserted road.
Minutes passed in silence as they streaked across Cybertron, Arcee cautious for her friend as she weaved through the obstacles that cluttered their route. They were going incredibly fast, but Jack knew she could easily go faster while maintaining control. However, it would do them no good to travel all this way and have Jack get hurt simply because she was overzealous and going too fast. Though Jack worried that the mission could still fail, merely because they took too long to find Vector Sigma. He had no idea how long they'd have to continue driving in this direction.
"Arcee, what are our chances of actually finding Vector Sigma? For all we know it could be on the other side of the planet." Asked Jack as he tested the key again, confirming they were still taking the correct course.
"Hopefully, that's not the case. Ratchet said we needed to follow the path of the Primes, but it's not known where that begins. He figured bridging us to the outskirts of the Well of All Sparks was a good option since it borders several large cities where Vector Sigma could be located."
"Well of All Sparks?" Jack questioned.
"It's where all Cybertronian life comes from," Arcee explained. "Or used to at least. The Well's been dead for as long as Cybertron ever since Optimus ejected it into the far reaches of space."
Jack couldn't believe what he just heard. "Optimus? Why would he do that? Did he know what would happen when he did?"
"He saw it as a necessary sacrifice to keep it from the clutches of Megatron. Like every other decision regarding him, Optimus doubts if it was the right call to make."
"What do you think he should've done?"
Thoughts mulled through her processor. His position was one she wouldn't want to wish on anyone. "Optimus has had many chances to end the war. Most were when Optimus was figuratively cornered and offered the choice of surrendering to Megatron, ending the war. He denied them all and managed to escape with his forces of course. There were a few times though, when he had Megatron dead to rights and just… let him go."
Arcee sighed as she maneuvered around another piece of debris obstructing their path. "In that same position, if I had the chance, I'd end him. Countless sparks extinguished and a poisoned planet thanks to him, it's what he deserves. The same for Starscream too. Cliff still needs his justice delivered. With the All Spark, however, I fully supported Optimus. If Megatron had control of it, he'd have a new army with each new generation of sparks that would be indoctrinated with his lies. The Autobots couldn't stand to let someone hold that much power, or allow them to take away future generations' freedom."
"It's not an easy position to hold is it?" Jack finally asked.
"It's a large burden for anyone who bears the title." Arcee answered.
The drive continued in silence for what felt like almost an hour. Jack couldn't tell, for how highly advanced his suit was, it didn't come with a clock. It did display a time estimation of how much oxygen he had remaining, but that could be an unreliable method to base his time off. He could be consuming oxygen faster or slower and that would throw the time remaining off.
He pulled out the key card again to double-check their route and the key brightened in confirmation. "Still heading the right way."
"I hoped it would've had us change course by now. We're headed towards Kaon." Arcee grumbled.
"The Decepticon capital. Swell."
Arcee skidded to a stop at the foot of a bridge that traveled across a large pit. On the other side stood a massive structure that just looked malicious.
"We're on foot from here." Said Arcee. She transformed quickly and stood ready with her blaster. "Don't want engine noise to attract the wrong kind of attention."
"There could still be Cons here?" Jack asked.
"Vermin." Arcee replied simply.
Key card in hand, the pair traveled across the bridge, marching head first into the Decepticon capital.
Sorry, it took so long to get an update out. I've been busy with work and real-life stuff. Nothing bad, it just keeps me busy.
Review Responses
End of Winter- Thank you for the advice! I'll keep an eye out for those pesky commas in the future. And with the Jack/Arcee stuff, I also kind of like it, if it's done well. I'm not sure whether I could do it justice. I knew when I started writing this story that I was aiming for a platonic relationship between the two. Not decided yet on which path to choose, but the time to make a decision isn't exactly anytime soon.
Juxshoa- Thanks! Hope you continue to like it.
Guest- I might do a Jack/Arcee pairing in this story but I'd never do any smut.
FleetingSpectre- If he ever appears in the story, his personality would resemble his G1 self. Appearance-wise, probably Bumblebee while still retaining his triple-changing abilities, however.
Anyways, thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave your reviews, questions, or comments. I'd like to read what you think and criticism is appreciated. I can't get better without it.
9/14/23