All right true believers. Here's the next chapter for Beast Wars Prime. Just a heads up, I only ever watched the first two "Bayverse" transformers movies. I know that a certain characters' portrayal probably isn't right, but I needed it for plot purposes. Note: edited 3/15/22
In his beast mode, Jack paced around the hangar they'd been hiding in almost since they'd got back. They'd won, but anything after that was drowned out by his fear of facing his mother. He'd not caught one word of Fowlers speech to the Autobots. Admittedly being thanked by the president and joint chiefs of staff via Fowler was cool, but he was too nervous to think about it.
"Jack, calm down and transform." Raf sighed, sitting against a far wall, examining his hands. "Optimus, Arcee, and Fowler promised to prepare her for the shock, but it'll be easier on her to see us in robot mode first since we still look like us."
From her place on a large crate, Miko, in her beast mode, snorted. "Yeah Jack. I think seeing a giant man-eating cat talk with your voice might not be a good idea." She jumped off the crate and transformed, walking over to him. "She might think you got eaten or something."
Jack snorted. Despite her worrying, he knew she wouldn't think that. With a sigh he transformed and wrapped his arms around himself. "I'm just worried about how she'll handle it. Bad enough I lied to her, but this?" He looked at his hands, so different from what he was used too, scars and details that were no longer there.
Miko placed her hand on his arm. "I know a thing or two about loopholes Jack. You didn't lie to her. Arcee didn't even lie to her completely. She'll probably be upset that we didn't tell her everything, but she'll be happier that you're alive."
Jack sighed. "I just hope she sees it that way Miko. Trust is one thing we've had since I was a kid." He shuddered. "I don't like the thought of losing that." He turned and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the comfort. "Besides, I don't know which will be harder to explain, our new forms, or the fact we're together now."
Miko snorted a bit before letting out a laugh. "No matter the body, you're still you Jackrabbit. Only you would find reintroducing me as your girlfriend as hard to explain as us being used as Decepticon lab rats."
Raf stood up chuckling. "I think that we'll be fine. If nothing else we have the bots, and each other." He looked at the other two. "My worry is someone trying to claim us as property, technically we're not human anymore." All three shivered at the thought.
Any further musing was cut off as a series of rapid footsteps came closer to the hangar. "I don't care about what's happened to him, I want to see my son! I need to know he's alright!" Not two seconds after hearing that the hangars' human door opened to reveal an exasperated June Darby.
Looking around the hangar at eye level for her son and the other two teens she'd all but adopted, she quirked her eyebrow. Looking up she saw the three new bots standing before her. Two were a little over twice her height and the third was another few feet taller. "Sorry, Optimus sent me this way have you see-"
Her question was cut off when Jack crouched down and looked at her. Junes' eyes widened as she looked at her sons' new form. She let out a gasp as she brought her hands to her mouth. "Jack?" She slowly walked towards him. Reaching out a hand she cupped the side of his face as he nodded. "How?"
Jack took a deep breath. "We were kidnapped by the Decepticons after school before they fired that beam. They used us as hostages against the bots when they were on the verge of winning a major battle."
June nodded, Arcee and Bill had already given her an abbreviated version of the events that led up to that point. "Arcee mentioned that she, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead tried to grab you three when the exchange went south." Admittedly she was still angry that the three were taken, but ultimately knew it wasn't their fault. At that thought she gave a start, turning to the other two bots in the room. "Miko? Raf?" She said looking at the other mech and femme.
Miko stepped forward, crouching like Jack did. "Yeah, after everything went dark at the exchange we woke up in Knockouts' lab. He said he wanted to try replenishing the Decepticon troops with humans." She repressed a shudder.
Raf took over, sitting down to be on the same level as the others. "He combined the same material that created that fortress with some Cybertronian artifacts' energy and it turned our bodies into something that's half bot, half organic. We got our beast modes later."
Junes' eyes widened. "Beast modes?" The only one who came close to that was Airachnid. Then again, when she'd asked Arcee about her spider characteristics, she replied that they were the result of a type of cosmetic surgery.
Raf and Miko stood up and relaxed, shifting back into their bird and rhino forms respectively. She turned back to Jack and took a step back. He took a deep breath and transformed back into his lion mode while June stared wide eyed.
She put a hand up to his current face. Taking a long look in the big cats' eyes. Despite what had happened to the three, they still had the same eyes in both forms. She smiled and nodded; this was definitely her son. She then looked at the other two and corrected herself. These were definitely, her kids.
The touching moment was interrupted when the door she'd entered barely ten minutes ago burst open again. This time a group of soldiers in army fatigues and medical staff charged in and surrounded the group. Each of them was armed with advanced looking weaponry and each had a Maximal locked in their sights in seconds.
Last to enter was a thin white man dressed similarly to agent Fowler. Unfortunately, this agent had an aura of arrogance about him that reeked from his posture to his shades. "Alright get the subjects ready to transport. I got analysis teams already on standby for these three." The agents moved closer to the Maximals causing them to transform back into robot mode, and June go marching towards the man.
"Just who the hell do you think you are?" June yelled. She'd just gotten those three back and she wasn't going to let some prick in a suit take them away again.
"Agent Seymour Simmons with Sector-7." He replied with a cockiness that mirrored his appearance. "Our job is to recover alien technology, and those three." He said taking off his shades and pointing at the Maximals. "Are now chock full of it. This'll be the biggest leap forward for human technology since Rosswell."
"Like hell you are." June countered. "Two of them are U.S. citizens, and the third is an exchange student from Japan with diplomatic immunity. On top of that, they've already been through a traumatic experience today, and I'll be damned if you take any of them anywhere!" She ended her voice rising to a shout.
Simmons smirked. "Actually, as they aren't really human anymore, human rights no longer apply. We've already been in contact with the Nakadais, who agreed to declare their daughter legally dead, so long as they get first crack at any alien tech we pull from her." Mikos' eyes bugged out and she began breathing at a faster rate.
"And as far as Esquivel, he may be a U.S. citizen, but his parents aren't. All I had to do was threaten to deport them and send their other children into the foster care system, and they agreed to declare him dead too. That just leaves you and the lion over there." He finished as Raf took a Shakey step back.
"Now you listen here you." June began, pointing a finger at Simmons, but was cut off by a soldier clocking her in the right eye. She fell to the floor in front of Jack who took a step towards Simmons, growling.
"See this, nurse Darby." He said pulling out his badge. "This, is a 'do anything I want and get away with it badge.' I could just as easily have you arrested for interfering with federal operations, or just shoot you dead right here." Jack started inching his hand to reach for his whip. They might have to fight their way out, but they would escape no matter what.
Any further arguing was cut off by thunderous footsteps coming towards the hangar followed by the bay doors being opened so fast they almost came of the track. Standing there was Agent Fowler with a platoon of soldiers, each with their sights set on a different member of Simmons platoon. Behind them stood the Autobots, weapons deployed as a show of force. "What the red white, and blue blazes do you think you're doing here Simmons?" Fowler yelled at the other agent.
"Fowler, stay out of this. Your jurisdiction is limited to the tall bots back there, or otherwise we'd be taking them too." Simmons replied with a sneer at the Autobots. All that tech, and the president forbade them from touching any of it. At least he didn't know about these three, and hopefully they'd be back at base before they could be stopped.
"Those kids just helped save this country from an extraterrestrial threat and you want to haul them off to some lab somewhere. I think not." He grinned at the sneering man. "I heard how you strongarmed the Esquivels into doing what you wanted, which is disgusting by the way, and we have an answer to that too." He looked up at Optimus. "You're up big guy."
Optimus nodded. "I, Optimus Prime, as leader of the Autobots, and currently the main ambassador of the planet Cybertron, hereby offer sanctuary and citizenship amongst my people to Jackson Darby, Miko Nakadai, Rafael Esquivel, and June Darby should they so accept it." He looked at the group in question as June got back on her feet with Jacks help. The four collectively nodded in acceptance, although Raf and Miko still seemed stunned at what they just learned.
Fowler kept grinning. "And with their acceptance, that makes them citizens of Cybertron, with all that is attached with it, including ambassador status and diplomatic immunity." He glared at Simmons "And as I am the current liaison to the Autobots, they would fall under my jurisdiction." He continued. "That said, unless you want to be the cause of this nations', and in fact the worlds' first interplanetary incident, You and your men will leave now! He finished with a shout.
Simmons glared at them. "Fall back men." His squadron rapidly exited the hangar under the Autobots watchful optics. He turned back to Fowler. "This isn't over Bill, the president will hear about this, and he will overrule the big Mac over there."
Fowler glared back at Simmons. "He already knows their involvement in the Darkmount crisis and I assure you he will know about what you've just tried to pull." He pointed to the open door. "Now, I believe I told you to leave." With a final glare at the Maximals agent Simmons turn and left with a huff.
Optimus kept a close optic on the Sector Seven operatives until they'd cleared the military base, Fowler and his squadron escorting them. His attention was brought back when the other Autobots excepting Ratchet and Ultra Magnus rushed forward into the hangar to comfort their friends. On closer inspection he saw that Rafael had sat down on the floor and was staring ahead at nothing. Miko on the other hand was being comforted by Jack while June watched with a sad expression and a black eye blossoming on her face.
Bumblebee ran to Raf beeping if he was alright. "No." He answered weakly. "I thought that something like this could happen, but I thought my parents..." When Bumblebee put a hand on Raf he curled up on himself and began to cry.
He had effectively been sacrificed for the rest of his family. Another series of comforting beeps, saying that he always considered the boy something of a brother, and would happily be there for him. Raf looked up at him. Standing up he threw his arms around Bumblebees' waist and hugged the bot for dear life. A quiet "Thank you." was heard by all.
Meanwhile Miko was bawling her eyes out on Jacks' shoulder as his mother watched. Arcee, Bulkhead and Wheeljack walked up to the trio as quietly as they could. "I-I can't believe they did that. They, they wanted me dissected to make themselves richer." Jack held her tighter and planted a kiss to the top of her head.
Junes' eyebrows shot up at that statement. She knew Miko rarely spoke about her family, but the events of the last ten minutes both shocked and disgusted her. Then there was this new affection between Miko and her son. She'd have to ask about this later, but right now, there was a young girl that needed her help.
"Miko." She began, causing the two to separate and look down at her. June took a deep breath. "I don't know much about your family, but I do know that what they tried to do to you is wrong. I can't imagine what they were thinking wanting to use you like that."
She was cut off by Miko. "They're the same people who wanted to marry me off to seal a corporate merger. They probably thought I'd be worth more as parts than as a bride." She muttered angrily, looking at the floor.
June was shocked. How could any parents consider either of those for their only child? Making a decision, she looked at Jack. "Jack, sweetie, could you lift me up to her?" Jack looked surprised, but carefully lifted his mother up, holding her by her sides. Holding her out to Miko, June wrapped her arms around Mikos' neck, giving her the best hug that she could manage.
"Miko." She began. "What your parents did to you before you came to Jasper was as wrong as what the Decepticons did to you." She took a breath as Miko froze. She'd never heard anyone openly speak ill of her parents. "You deserve to have a loving family who sees you as more than a bargaining chip. I know you're almost an adult, but if you want, I'll happily be as close to a mother to you as I can be."
For a moment no one spoke. Miko brought an arm under Junes' legs, relieving Jack of her weight. Miko took a shuddering breath. "Thank you." She said, trying to keep from crying again.
Bulkhead and Wheeljack came up on either side of the three. "And no matter what." Wheeljack began, placing a hand on one of her shoulders. "You have a home and family amongst the Wreckers. Miko hugged June to her chest again and looked up to see a Jack beaming at her.
Miko set June down and she turned to Raf and Bumblebee. "Raf, my offer is open to you too." She said, looking at her second unofficial child. "I know I can't replace your family, and I don't want to." Raf walked towards her and kneeled down. "But I'll be here for you when you need me like I'd be here for you like I will be for Jack and Miko."
Looking at June, Raf smiled. "I think I'd like that Mrs. Darby." He glanced at her darkening eye. He looked at his right hand and remembered one of the tools in his hands. "Hold still a second." He held his right palm to her face. It pulsed a light violet for a few seconds and June felt the pain in her face subside.
Feeling her face, she realized the tenderness where she'd been punched had vanished completely. She looked up at Raf. "What was that?"
Raf smiled. "I think that it's called a cellular regeneration pulse. I wanted to help you like you're helping us, and I thought of it. I think it accelerates the natural healing process."
Ratchet looked interested at this. He'd have to think about training Rafael as a Medic.
Arcee looked on at the scene. Despite how they seemed to be taking it, she knew from experience that this kind of change would be a hard adjustment for them all. And that's not including the other emotional baggage at least two of the kids seemed to be carrying.
Coming to a decision, she walked over to Optimus and Ultra Magnus. "Sir, I think I know someone who could help the kids, but I'd need your permission to send the message." She turned to Ultra Magnus. "And your ship to send the message, sir."
Optimus looked at Arcee. "I know whom you're referring too and Ultra Magnus has informed me which ship he's now serving on. With the addition of Shockwave and his abilities I believe an additional call for reinforcements is required."
Arcee nodded. "I have his personal frequency, and I'm sure he'd come either way. Once I get a hold of him, we can request the ships' captain to come to earth." Optimus nodded at this. "Alright Arcee, follow us." With that they walked out of the hangar and towards Magnus' ship, beckoning Fowler to follow them.
A/N: I hated to do that to Raf and Miko, but I had no idea what to do with their families and what Mikos' parents did is, I think, pretty in character for how I've portrayed them. And no, this is not the last we'll see of Sector Seven. Slight correction from my A/N last chapter. There will be one more chapter in this arc. Mostly because the next couple scenes started to get long enough to be a chapter on their own. That said, I should update a bit sooner.