A/N: Okay, first off, I'm terribly sorry about the wait, but the Muses just keep giving me new story ideas and inspirations for stories besides the ones I'm already working on. I WILL try to be more balanced with my output in the future. Second, you may be wondering why I keep bringing up mutants, well, I promise you, all the talk about mutants IS important for this story, as you will see in a couple chapters. Next, I know that Ratchet's description of the Kree and Skrull doesn't match what was revealed in Captain Marvel, but let's go with the explanation that his information is a few hundred/thousand years out of date. Now, on to Unicron! And if you recognize anything, I don't own it.
More Than Meets the Eye
Chapter IX: One Shall Rise
Dec 18- Autobot Outpost Omega One
Three months had passed since the Polarity Gauntlet had been recovered, and while it had been quiet for the humans, the Autobots had been fairly busy. Shortly after the gauntlet had been found, Jack, Miko and their Bots had gotten in trouble due to an abandoned energon mine and Miko's adrenaline addiction. Fortunately, Jack had found an abandoned drill, allowing them to escape, though not before Jack had accidentally unburied Megatron and had an opportunity to kill him. Then they discovered an experimental weapon called the Immobilizer and nearly recruited Starscream, if not for the fact that he accidentally told Arcee that he killed Cliffjumper. Later the team accidentally discovered a Cybertronian device called a data cylinder that contained the formula for a synthetic energon, but the data was lost before Ratchet could get the complete formula. About a month after that, Ratchet had completed a synthetic energon based on the formula, then went mad scientist by testing it on himself. Unfortunately, what he had created was little better than a steroid and he was nearly killed because of the synth-en's side-effect of pure arrogance.
Now they were going over conspiracy websites to clear out any references to Cybertronians that showed up. "Pass, nope, repost of the Denver alien, balloon, toy … hold it," Jack stated. They had just come upon an image of a driverless yellow Camaro with black stripes. "The camera sure loves Bee," he stated, as they had often found images of Bee on these sites, and almost none of the others. "How many times do I have to say it, Bee? Use your holoform!" Jack scolded good-naturedly.
"What can you do? When you're a superstar, you're paparazzi bait!" Miko said with a grin.
Ratchet also realized what the picture was of, but Raf was quick to assure the mech of their safety by replacing the picture of Bee with an animated cat mocking the traditional greeting to an alien. Much to everyone's shock, Ratchet the Hatchet actually laughed at the picture! When he noticed that the other bots were also stifling their laughter, Jack decided to see if Optimus would laugh as well, but he never even looked. "Don't be embarrassed, Jack, Primes are built that way," Arcee said with a smile. That led to Ratchet explaining that Primes had to earn the title, and that Optimus was more like Jack before he earned the title.
Jack was spared further embarrassment when Fowler bellowed his way over the video screen. "Those tech heists that SHIELD's been tracking? We figured it was MECH on account of their stealth tactics, until moments ago when a security feed at the Pennington-Epps Particle Accelerator captured this," he explained. The picture he shared was one easily recognized by all: Soundwave. "The 'Con without a face made off with a cutting-edge phase conductor. Here's a punch list of everything else we've confirmed stolen to date."
When the list showed up, one item jumped out at Jack. "The tesseract?! You actually let them steal the tesseract? How could you possibly be so stupid?!"
"Well, he didn't steal the tesseract, he stole a tesseract. We learned about ten years ago that it's possible to make duplicates of the original. Soundwave stole one that we'd been testing as a potential green energy power source," Fowler explained.
Once he had gotten over the fact that Jack of all people had lost his temper, Ratchet explained what the Decepticons were doing. "There's only one thing missing if they intend to build another spacebridge: an ample power supply." Ratchet then gave the power requirements for a spacebridge, and Fowler promised to provide a list of locations with items that could provide enough power. "Now that he's gone, want to explain what that was about, Jack?" Ratchet demanded.
Jack sighed. Why is it that the medic wouldn't learn anything about Earth and its' history? "About 70 years ago, Johann Schmidt, the leader of Hydra found the tesseract and used it to make the most dangerous weapons that the Earth had ever seen. It was only due to the efforts of Captain Steven Rogers, aka Captain America that we managed to defeat Hydra. In the last battle, Captain Rogers sacrificed himself in order to defeat Schmidt, and the tesseract fell into the Arctic Ocean as a result. Howard Stark fished it out of the ocean when he was searching for Captain Rogers, and it hasn't been heard from since by the larger world … until now that is."
December 19-20, 2012-Autobot Outpost Omega One
The next day, Jack and Miko were playing a game when Optimus desperately ordered Ratchet to bridge them back. The two immediately stopped, worried about who was hurt, but to their shock, it was Raf that had been injured. Jack was quick to make a call. "Mom, listen, we have an emergency here at base! Grab anything you could possibly need and be ready for a groundbridge."
"Jack, what happened?" she asked.
"Raf got attacked by Megatron," he explained.
"I'm on my way," she responded, clearly in mother bear mode.
"Argh! My tools, they're all wrong!" Ratchet complained.
"My mom's on her way right now," Jack said. "I know you won't like it, but have you even once studied human biology? We need her."
Ratchet simply bowed his head in shame before whispering "And the weak shall perish. Be strong, Rafael."
"And what was that about?" Jack demanded as he opened the bridge.
But Ratchet managed to escape the explanation as June arrived in a fury. She was quick to go to work, even ignoring Bee losing his temper and slamming the wall promising to kill Megatron. Even Ratchet admitting his faults to Optimus didn't pull anyone's attention away from Raf. In fact, it wasn't until June ordered Jack to put Raf in the car that anyone paid any attention to anything else. "The effects of an Energon blast on an Autobot can be devastating enough, but Rafael is human! Wait an astrosecond … I'm not getting any readings … but why? How could I not have seen this?!" he asked, while hitting himself on the head. "Rafael has been infected with Dark Energon! If Dark Energon is devouring Raf from the inside out, we must expel it, and fast, the only possible way I know. I need Energon!"
"Wait, you said Energon was devastating to humans! How could you possibly suggest that Raf needs Energon?!" June demanded.
"Under normal circumstances, it would be. But I am relying upon the Dark Energon currently invading Rafael's body to meet it head on. Hopefully the two will neutralize each other and save him." Bumblebee was quick to volunteer the Energon needed, and once the energon was drawn, Ratchet ordered Raf into the stasis pod that Bee himself had been in only four months earlier. Once he was in there alone, Ratchet dispersed the Energon in a gaseous cloud that quickly blinded everyone watching. When the light faded, everyone rushed in. June's first action was to grab his wrist and pronounce "His pulse rate's stabilizing!"
Once everyone had checked on Raf themselves, Bulkhead explained why Optimus wasn't there. "He stayed on the Nemesis to face Megatron one last time." Arcee was quick to get after him, but Bulkhead insisted that Optimus couldn't have been persuaded otherwise.
"It could be a trap, I'm locking onto Optimus' signal," Ratchet stated. But when he did … "How is this possible? We need to get Optimus out of there, now!" They were quick to bridge to Mt Etna in Sicily, and when they returned, it was clear that Optimus wasn't in good condition. "Easy, Optimus, from the looks of things, you've been exposed to a massive amount of Dark Energon."
"Wait, Megatron found more? How, when where?!" Jack demanded.
"A volcano full of the stuff," Arcee said.
"The question is how?"
"No, the question is what," Ratchet stated. "As in 'what in the world is the blood of Unicron doing here on Earth?"
"The 'Cons killed a unicorn?" Miko asked in confusion. When the Autobots looked at her with even more confusion than she had expressed, she explained. "White horse with a horn on its' head, prances around looking all sparkly?"
Ratchet shook his head. "Unicron, an ancient evil, whose fossilized blood is said to comprise the matter which we call Dark Energon."
"So, you're saying this Unicron is some kind of boogieman?" June asked.
Once Miko explained what a boogieman was, Ratchet again disagreed. "No, Nurse Darby, Unicron was very real. No, what I meant is that while I certainly believe he once existed, I do not subscribe to the theory that his primordial life essence is the substance which … harmed Raf."
"I've heard enough. Jack, help me get Raf in the car," June ordered.
"I thought he was doing better. Why can't he stay here?" Jack asked.
"Raf needs to be examined by real doctors, and Raf's family needs to know what happened. His real family," she emphasized again.
"But Mom, Raf considers us his real family!" June just glared at Jack in response. "Besides, they can't protect him like the Bots can. And these guys are a government secret, remember? How are you supposed to tell them what happened?"
Again, June just glared at her son. Optimus made an impassioned plea for them to stay, but June wasn't hearing it. "Optimus, they're children. They don't belong in your world. They should be worrying about grades, prom dates, pimples, not their own survival!"
"Mom, Dark Energon is erupting out of the ground, it doesn't do that! This could be about everyone's survival, not just ours," Jack tried again.
"You're coming with me, all three of you! And they will not be coming back!" Optimus bent to her will, but Miko wouldn't have it, insisting that they have the right to choose. "That may fly on their planet, but not here on Earth. You're not even old enough to drive, young lady! Get in." Miko refused, even when Bulkhead tried to get her to bend. "Fine, but I am Jack's mother. Let's go, Jack."
Jack already knew what Arcee would say, but his mind had been made up. "No, I'm staying. I left them once before, and I regretted it the second I walked out the door. I am not making the same mistake twice. You can kick me out of the house if you want, but I'm not leaving them. I'm sorry." For a second, June softened, but then she just turned, slammed the car door and drove off, not even accepting Optimus' offer of the groundbridge.
Just as she left, Fowler bellowed "Prime, do you copy?"
"We hear you, Agent Fowler."
"Been watching the news? Mother Nature's got a twitch in her britches."
"We know about the volcano."
"And the quakes? Seven major tumblers of the exact same magnitude at the exact same time as Etna's eruption. All over the globe, on different tectonic plates. In theory, unrelated, if they hadn't happened …"
"At the exact same time," Ratchet finished. Miko had turned on the news and revealed that even stranger weather was happening all over the globe. EMP's devastating Europe, lightning storms in Mongolia, tsunamis in Canada, and hurricanes all over the Atlantic. "These abnormal global phenomena are leaving most to wonder why now, and what's next? Some connect it to the planetary alignment and the Mayan doomsday calendar."
"Don't tell me the 'Cons have built a weather machine!"
"One that powerful? Highly unlikely," Ratchet disagreed.
"I don't believe the appearance of Dark Energon at this time to be coincidental," Optimus stated, leaving all to wonder what he meant.
"Wait, if these storms are global, then my mom and Raf are out there in it!" Jack realized. He turned to ask Bee to go after them, but he had already sped off.
"Don't worry, partner, Bee will get them back safe and sound," Arcee said. Jack smiled, knowing that she was right. Fortunately, a mere fifteen minutes later, Bee returned, and the Darbys reconciled, though June did promise to ground Jack until he was 25.
Just as the news reported that the crazy weather was global, Fowler arrived. "Prime, what have you learned? And you better not blow smoke up my oven. The World Security Council is going hard on my … Ms Darby," he said with a stutter. "What a nice surprise."
"Bill, it's good to see you again," June said with a smile.
"Bill?" Jack asked in shock. "Uh, his first name is Agent," he said, wondering when his mom and Fowler got on good terms.
"We have learned this," Ratchet interrupted. "As with the so-called magma from the volcano, these earthquakes originated far below the Earth's crust. From the very center of the Earth's core, in fact. Tiny tremors rising and falling in a consistent pattern, almost like … by the AllSpark!" he whispered in shock. "If I convert these data points to audio files …"
"What? What is it?" Fowler demanded.
Within seconds, the audio file started, and Jack heard the distinct music of "A sparkbeat?"
"How is that possible? A heart pumps blood! There's nothing inside the Earth to pump except-"
"Dark Energon, the blood of Unicron," Jack and Raf realized in unison.
"Okay, hold on," Miko started. "You mean something's actually living inside our planet?"
Optimus was quick to explain that he believed that Unicron himself made up the core of the planet. More than that, he believed that Unicron didn't just land on Earth, but that Earth formed around the remains of Unicron. Also, since Primus turned himself into Cybertron, such an event was not without precedent. The problem was that no one knew what would happen if Unicron truly awoke. As such, they decided to investigate the epicenters of the earthquakes. Naturally, at the epicenter that Optimus investigated, Unicron made a sort of appearance and attempted to destroy Optimus. Optimus stated that he wished to fight Unicron alone, but Jack wasn't having any of that. "Ratchet, you're not honestly going to just let him fight Unicron alone, are you? As powerful as Optimus is, Unicron is going to overwhelm him eventually. You have to send the others out!"
Ratchet was quick to agree, and naturally the rest of Team Prime was just as quick to volunteer, but all too soon, they realized that they would still be overwhelmed so they decided to try to retreat to somewhere safer. Before they could get far though, they heard Optimus state that whatever the team was seeing was not Unicron himself, so Jack asked Arcee for some clarification. "Basically, we're looking at the biggest manifestation Unicron has produced so far. It's as big as a small mountain." This manifestation though clearly wasn't going down as easily as the others had, and Jack started wondering if maybe Blitz would have to show up again. Then, at the last minute, the manifestation fell, only no one on Team Prime claimed responsibility.
"I happened," came the all-too familiar voice of Megatron.