A/N: Two things that I want to mention; before we get started. One, This chapter will take place in the Transformers Prime episode of "Convoy." The reasoning for this, is because there are 3 seasons of Transformers Prime, and only 1 season of Wolverine and the X-Men. I wanted to make this the chapter, where Jack got his powers.
But if I had decided to do every episode of Transformers, in order; then that would've taken a while. So, I chose to skip over a few episodes. But if you've seen those episodes; then you already know what happens. Transformers Prime, was a very popular show. I'm sure a lot of Transformers fans, have seen it. And if you haven't; then here's your excuse to go and watch the series. I'm sorry if you feel cheated; because you won't get to see some of those episodes, in this story. In the future, I may choose to skip over some more episodes.
But I figure that it's okay. Because June Darby didn't show up in a lot of episodes of Transformers Prime, anyway. And Mystique only made a handful of appearances in Wolverine and the X-Men, as well. So, neither one of those characters, loses anything.
The second thing that I wanted to mention; was that if any of you like this story, so far. Then please, don't be shy to send a review!
It had been some time, since Jack, and his mom; had that conversation, in their garage. Little did she know, that the motorcycle her son brought home that night; was actually a transforming robot, from the planet Cybertron. Her name was Arcee. She was part of a faction, called "Autobots." They were fighting a war, against the evil "Decepticons." In the end, their war, ravaged their planet. It could no longer sustain life. Now, they continue this war, on Earth. Jack and his friends, Miko, and Raf; have agreed to help the Autobots, in their fight against the Decepticons.
Jack's mom had heard about Raf and Miko. She was glad to know that her son made friends. Not long after he got to base; Jack felt as if something was, off. He felt an intense pain, in his arms. He had been feeling this pain, for most of the day, now. Miko came across him; and saw him clutching onto one of his arms.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked.
"My arms kinda hurt. Truth is, they're killing me. It feels like there's something moving inside of them. Almost as if something's trying desperately to get out." He told her. Hearing that, grossed Miko out, a little. But the surprises, didn't end there. Ever since this morning, Jack could smell everything. It's like his sense of smell has been dialed to 11. Then, he caught a whiff of something. Something familiar. "Did you have bacon and eggs for breakfast, this morning?" Jack asked Miko.
She was a bit off put by this question; but she still answered. "Yeah, hours ago. How did you know that?"
"I don't know. I could just smell it, on your breath." He responded. That was a weird thing for Jack to say. But before they could delve into it, further; a rather loud sounding voice, came in through one of the monitors.
"PRIME! PRIME!" The voice came from Agent Fowler. He was the Government's liaison, to the Autobots.
"Special Agent Fowler, to what do we owe-" Optimus tried to say, but was cut off.
"What else? Con. I chased them off with some hard ordinance. But not before they blew me out of the sky."
"Again?" Miko snickered.
"They tried a smashing grab for the D.I.N.G.U.S. ." Fowler stated.
"The what's it?" Arcee questioned. No one at the base, knew what he was talking about. So, he had to elaborate.
"Dynamic. Nuclear. Generation. System. A.K.A. D.I.N.G.U.S. . It's a prototype energy source, I'm porting to the coast, for testing." Fowler informed them. Ratchet questioned why Starscream, the current leader of the Decepticons; would even want such a primitive piece of technology. Fowler said that he might want it, to create a weapon of mass destruction. He then explained, that if the D.I.N.G.U.S. was to melt down; then it would irradiate the state that he was currently in, and the 4 next door.
That made Raf nervous. Fowler told Prime, that he wanted him to send the D.I.N.G.U.S. to its location; via the Ground Bridge. But Optimus told him that he could not do that. Sending such a volatile device, through the Ground Bridge; was out of the question. If there was an accident, during transit; then radiation could spread through the Ground Bridge, harming all of the United States, and beyond. Since the Ground Bridge was no longer an option; Fowler asked Prime, if he had a plan B.
Optimus's plan B, was to drive the D.I.N.G.U.S. to its destination, himself. He was currently in his vehicle form. A big rig truck, with a cargo trailer. Fowler was sitting in the driver's seat of Optimus's cab. He was eager to start driving. "No need, Agent Fowler. I will handle the driving." Optimist said, as soon as Fowler put his hands on his wheel. Fowler was disappointed at this.
"It's gonna be a long trip!" Fowler said, as he crossed his arms.
The Autobots started their engines. "Autobots, roll out!" Optimus instructed. They then started to drive. While on the road, there was an old pickup truck; that was moving slowly, in front of Optimus. Too slow for Agent Fowler's taste.
"MOVE IT, GRAMPS!" Fowler yelled, as he continuously honked the horn. The truck pulled off to the side; allowing them to pass. But Fowler was still honking the horn.
"Agent Fowler, is that really necessary?" Optimus inquired. To him, Fowler's actions; not only seemed needless. But also, rude. It annoyed Fowler, that Optimus was such a, by the book, kind of driver. What none of them noticed, was that there was a helicopter; that was now following them. The man in charge, was riding inside the copter. He aimed to steal the D.I.N.G.U.S. . So, he ordered his men, to send in the ground units. The drive was going smoothly enough; that Fowler decided to listen to the radio.
But before he could; he saw a helicopter, in his rear view mirror. He identified the helicopter, as the same one that shot him down. He then assumed, that he was one of the Decepticons. Then Bulkhead was boxed in, buy a bunch of green muscle cars. Optimus ordered the Autobots, to remain in vehicle form; until absolutely necessary. The funny thing was; they assumed that their pursuers, were Decepticons. But Ratchet told them, that he wasn't picking up any Decepticons signals. Of course, they could have been using a cloaking device.
One of the cars, was now driving alongside Optimus. The sunroof opened; and a Human popped out, holding a rifle. The man ordered Fowler to pull over. They were all surprised to find out; that their current enemies, were Humans. Not Decepticons. Optimus slammed into the car that was next to him; before driving ahead of it. But Optimus, being the bot that he is; ordered his Autobots to apply minimal force only. They were to disarm their foes. Not hurt them. Optimus would never condone the loss of Human life.
Bumblebee managed to run one of the cars off the road. The man in the helicopter; was starting to think that the people they were chasing, weren't normal drivers. Soon, one of the cars pulled up next to Optimus. A man jumped from the car; landing between the truck, and the trailer. He then got to work, in trying to separate the truck, from the trailer. Optimus swerved, in an attempt to stop him. His swerving did manage to disable another one of the enemy's vehicles.
Agent Fowler then got out of Optimus; and climbed in between the truck, and the trailer. He grabbed a hold of the assailant; and held him above the open road. He then began to interrogate him. "You're gonna tell me everything I want to-" Fowler started to say. But before he could finish; the man he was holding, was hit by a passing tree. Fowler lost his grip; and the man fell to the road, below. Fowler made his way back inside the cab; before he received a radio transmission.
"I do hope you take better care of the D.I.N.G.U.S. , than you do your captives!" The voice on the radio said.
"Special Agent, William Fowler, here. Identify yourself!" He demanded.
"I am Silas. But of greater consequence to you, we are MECH. Fair warning, we will be helping ourselves to your device. Even if it means inflicting casualties!"
"Is that so? Tell me, Sai! What's the market price for a D.I.N.G.U.S. , these days?"
"What makes you think we intend to sell it, Agent Fowler? There's a war brewing; between the new world order, and the newest. The victor, will be the side armed with the most innovative technology." Silas said. More MECH Agents drove behind Optimus. They shot explosives at his trailer; blowing the hinges off the door. The trailer door, was now open. But none of the MECH Agents were expecting to see Arcee, in motorcycle form; emerge from the trailer. She crashed into one of their cars, causing a collision.
This reinforced the belief that MECH had; that theses were not civilian drivers. Fowler was feeling proud of himself. But Optimus told him not to take Silas lightly. He informed him, that Megatron preached the same ideology; before plunging Cybertron into the great war, that destroyed their world. Ratchet then told Optimus, that they were ready to initiate phase two of the plan. Unfortunately, Ratchet's transmission was picked up by the Decepticons. Starscream ordered his troops to engage the Autobots.
Back on the road, the Autobots were driving through a tunnel, alongside a train. MECH was hot on their tail. So, Bulkhead transformed; and shot at the entrance of the tunnel. This caused a small cave in; that prevented MECH from following them. Bulkhead then transformed, and rejoined the others. Silas wasn't too worried about this. He knew that since it was a tunnel; they would eventually have to come out, the other end. That's when his men would grab them. The Autobots then departed from the train.
Silas noticed that there were now, a squadron of purple jets; that were pursuing his targets. Ratchet gave a warning to Optimus; that those aircrafts, were giving off Decepticon life signals. The Decepticons shot missiles at the Autobots. They were able to avoid them. But the trailer that Optimus was hauling, was destroyed. Silas was surprised to see, that when the trailer was destroyed; there were no readings of radiation. Meaning, that the D.I.N.G.U.S. didn't melt down.
The Autobots were now cornered. The cons transformed, landing right in front of them. This forced the bots to transform, as well. Optimus placed Fowler in a safe position; before preparing himself for a fight. Silas witnessed everything, from above. At first, it was just a rumor. But now it was confirmed. There was indeed, living technology, on Earth. The cons, and the bots; engaged each other in combat. A conflict, which the Autobots, were clearly winning. During the fight, MECH began to wonder, where the real D.I.N.G.U.S. was.
"Special Agent Fowler, you lead a charmed life. Walking among Titans." Silas said, over the radio.
"Come on down! I'll introduce you!" Fowler shot back.
"In good time. But at the moment, I'm too busy wondering how the D.I.N.G.U.S. might have vanished into thin air, without a trace." Silas remarked. If Silas had saw what happened in the tunnel; then he would have seen the Autobots switch out the D.I.N.G.U.S. . They had taken the D.I.N.G.U.S. off of Optimus's trailer; and given it to the soldiers, aboard the train. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a train to catch!" Silas said, as he became wise to their trick. The helicopter was then, going after the train.
Fowler warned Prime, that Silas figured them out. Optimus understood. But before he could take action, one of the cons, slammed him in the face, with a giant log; sending him down the mountain. Optimus found himself, unable to get up. Back at base, everyone became aware of the current predicament.
"Optimus is down!" Miko declared, in a state of urgency.
"MECH's gonna grab the D.I.N.G.U.S. ! We need to think of something, quick!" Jack announced.
"You mean, like a phase three?" Asked Raf.
Jack then racked his brain; trying to think of a solution. "Come on! Think! Alright, if MECH wants the D.I.N.G.U.S. ; they have to get on that train." He pointed out. Then Miko suggested that they get on the train first. That way, they could try to stop them. But that plan of hers, wasn't very well received.
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet told her.
"Yeah. That would be suicide." Jack added.
"Hello! The United States of meltdown! Lives are at stake!" She reminded everyone.
"Yes, yours! You want me to not only Bridge you into a confined space; but one traveling at 90 mph? I can't even count the number of ways that can go wrong. Mass displacement trauma. Twisted limbs. Metal burn." Ratchet listed the risks. But then he remembered that he was talking to Humans. "Well, maybe not the last one. Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix Ground Bridge coordinates on something, moving at that speed."
"Would it help, if we had access to the train's coordinates?" Raf questioned, as he typed on his laptop. Then, the train's exact position, appeared on one of the monitors. This made Ratchet reconsider the plan. Even if it was only, just by a little. The MECH chopper, flew above the train. Silas gave the order to immobilize them. One of his men, fired a device, that latched onto the train. The vehicle surged with electricity; knocking out all of the soldiers, that were on board.
A green vortex opened up, on the train; and Jack and Miko emerged from it. It was a bit of a rough landing. But, they made it. They heard a noise, outside. They opened the door of the train car; and saw that MECH was going to land their chopper, right on top of them. Jack told Raf what was happening. Raf hacked into the system; and diverted the train, on to another track. This caused the chopper, to miss its mark. When MECH found out that they were being hacked; they remotely scrambled Raf's connection to the system.
Jack and Miko, were now on their own. The chopper landed on the train; before the MECH Agents cut through the roof. Miko grabbed a fire ax, from behind her. While Jack picked up a fire extinguisher. "You want a slice of this? Well, do ya?" Miko said to the MECH Agents; while swinging the ax, in a threatening manner.
"What she said!" Jack joined in.
The Agents entered the car; and quickly disarmed the two teenagers. One of them, threw Miko to the floor. While the other Agent, punched Jack in the gut. This caused Jack, to fall to his knees. The MECH Agents were then waiting for instructions. One of them, had received orders, through his comm link. "What do we do with them?" One of the Agents asked.
"Orders just came in. We kill them." The other Agent said. The one who was standing over Miko; was now pointing his rifle, directly at her. When Jack saw this; he started to go through a whirlwind of emotions. At first, he was scared. He was panicking; because they were going to kill his friend. But after that; all he can remember feeling, was anger. How dare they point their guns at her!
"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Jack shouted. Then, the pain in Jack's arms returned. It was so much more intense, than before. When he focused his eyes; he could see something moving through his wrists. Soon enough, a pair of three bone claws; burst out of the spaces between Jack's knuckles, on both of his hands. The MECH Agents, as well as Miko; were all shocked to see this. They didn't see that coming. The Agents raised their guns towards Jack. To them, he was the immediate threat.
They opened fire. The wounds he received; caused Jack to stagger back. But he remained standing. No one expected what came next. Their bullets seemed to be pushed from his body; and his wounds were healing themselves. Combined with the pain he just suffered and the situation that Jack and Miko now found themselves in, made Jack so angry, that he flew into a blind rage. He let out a primal scream as he charged at the Agents. He used his claws to stab one of them in the shoulder.
He slashed another across their chest. Before impaling his claws in that same one's leg. By the time he was done; the Agents were in bad shape. Despite their bad condition; the MECH Agents still managed to escape through the hole that they cut into the roof. However, given their injuries; it was a challenge for them. When the fight was over; Jack began panting heavily. He was trying to calm himself. He then looked to Miko. She seemed frightened. Her face was a mix of amazement and fear. She had just bared witness to something gruesome.
When the adrenaline wore off; Jack took a look between her and his claws. Jack fell to his knees and watched as his claws slowly retracted back into his hands. "What did I just do? What am I?" Jack asked. He felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes. Miko saw that he was in a bad way. So, once her initial shock was over; she got closer to Jack. She kneeled down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. She wanted to comfort him.
"It's okay, Jack! You were just protecting me!"
"Miko, what have I done?" He asked, with a look of disappointment.
"You saved my life. That's all."
"I almost killed those guys!"
"But you didn't." She responded.
"But I wanted to. When they shot me; I was so angry. And they were going to kill you. I wanted them dead, for that. If they had killed you; then I would have ended them. But, what scares me the most; is that, when I tore into them, I liked it. I enjoyed the feeling. I've never felt like that before. It made me feel like an animal."
"Jack, you are not an animal." She told him.
"Then, what am I?"
"I don't know. But I promise you, that we will find out!" She reassured him.
Optimus was chasing after the train in vehicle form. This caused the MECH chopper to withdraw. Silas believed that the first rule of combat was to never leave the enemy with the spoils of war. So, he leaned out of the helicopter and fired a rocket launcher at the train tracks. The tracks were demolished. So, once the train crashed; the D.I.N.G.U.S. would explode. That would cost the lives of so many people; including, Jack and Miko. Raf and Ratchet were no longer in a position to help their friends.
Miko suggested to Jack that they jump out of the train. He told her that jumping out of a train that was moving at 90 mph would be crazy. But for Miko; it was all about choosing how they died. Either by the impact or by the meltdown. Jack told her that if nothing else; then they would be in this together. He walked over to Miko and wrapped her up in a hug. He held her close to him; in an effort to shield her from what's to come. But the mood lightened, when they saw Optimus speed past them.
Optimus transformed and grabbed a hold of the front of the train. He then planted his feet firmly against the ground. Slowly, but surely; the train skidded to a stop just before reaching the blown out tracks. The crisis was averted; but the MECH chopper remained above them. Everyone who was present watched and waited; until the chopper flew off into the distance. The one thing that worried Optimus; was that the Earth has now breeded its own version of Decepticons.
Back on the train, Jack was starting to have a strange feeling. It was like something was shifting, throughout his body. It wasn't a comfortable sensation. Jack clutched his side, in pain. Something that both Optimus, and Miko, took notice of. "Jack, are you alright?" She asked.
"I don't know. Something feels, off. AH!" Jack screamed as the pain rippled through him. When he looked at his hand; he saw it change from Caucasian to a dark shade of blue. Optimus and Miko both had shocked expressions on their faces. Soon, all of Jack's skin was the same kind of blue. Then, his hair went from black to red. Finally, the color of his irises changed from blue to amber. When the change was complete, the pain subsided.
Jack took another look at his still blue hand. He then saw a few strands of red hair hanging down from his head. "What happened to me?"
"I don't know. You just, you just... Changed." Miko stated. Optimus ordered everyone back to base. He then told Ratchet to prepare sick bay. Whatever was happening to Jack; they were going to get to the bottom of it.
When they got back to base; everyone was surprised to see someone with blue skin and red hair. "Ok, who's this guy?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Everyone, relax! It's just Jack." Miko informed them.
"What? How did this happen to him?" Arcee inquired.
"We don't know. He just, all the sudden, started changing." Miko answered. She then went on to explain everything that happened on the train. She told them about Jack's claws. About how he healed from the gunshots he received. How he beat those MECH Agents. Finally, she told them about the physical change he experienced. Everyone was blown away. None of them were expecting a story like that.
"Seriously, how bad does it look? I can't see all of it." Jack said, in reference to his body. Miko then directed him to a full scale mirror; so he could see for himself. He was taken back by what he saw. He didn't look like himself. Not at all. He didn't even look Human. Was he even able to still call himself that? Everyone saw how anxious this made him. Optimus instructed Jack to sit down and let Ratchet run some tests. Jack sat on a medical slab while Ratchet took a few scans. Raf helped explain anything that Ratchet didn't understand.
"So, what's going on?" Jack asked after all the scans had been taken.
"Well, all the data that we collected... Seems to have indicated, that your body went through a drastic mutation." Raf said.
"You mean, Jack's a Mutant? Just like the kind you see on the news?" The bots didn't understand the concept of Mutants. So, Raf explained. He told them that Mutants were people that for some reason or another, had special powers. "Cool!" Miko said, in reference to Jack's new abilities.
"It's not cool. Look at me! I can't be a Mutant! I just can't!" Jack murmured with dissatisfaction. He didn't hate Mutants. But he knew what this would mean for him. A lifetime of being hated. Being on the run from the Mutant Response Division or M.R.D. , for short. His friends could sense his feelings. So, they sat down next to him and tried to cheer him up.
"Jack, it's gonna be ok. No matter what; you'll still have me and Raf." She said.
"Yeah. We won't abandon you. The three of us will always be friends. And you've also got Team Prime." Raf told him.
"I'm not worried about any of that." Jack said as he got up. "Ever since the Mutant Registration Act; everyone's been up in arms. I wouldn't even be able to show my face outside. The Government would probably send the M.R.D. after me. Everyone will hate me. I might be taken away from my mom." His mom. He didn't even consider how this would affect her. "How am I supposed to tell mom?" He asked himself. He looked at the mirror and wished that things could go back to the way they were.
As he thought this; he saw his body change, in the mirror. His appearance changed back to the way it was before. Even his clothes changed back to the way they were; before they were riddled with bullet holes. "Whoa! How'd you do that?" Asked Miko.
"I just, pictured myself, the way I was before. And then, it just happened." In all of the excitement, Jack lost his concentration. This caused him to revert back to his previous form with blue skin, red hair, and amber eyes.
"Do it again!" Miko instructed.
When Jack began to focus; his appearance, again, shifted back to its original self. He started to wonder that If he could change his look, just by concentrating. Could he make himself look like anyone else? He gave it a try. He thought really hard; and his appearance morphed into that of Miko's, clothes and all. Everyone's eyes were now big, with astonishment. Jack also found, that he could mimic people's voices. As he copied Miko's voice, perfectly.
He then morphed his appearance into Raf's. Everything about his change was accurate. He was the same height as Raf. He even mimicked his glasses. Jack then changed back to his normal, Human look. He looked at himself, up and down. "So, I guess if I focus; I can turn into anybody." This was a lot to take in. So many things have happened today. But Jack took comfort in knowing that; at least now, he had some defense against Human prejudice.
At the end of the day; this was just another secret that he and his friends would have to keep. But all Jack wanted right now; was to go home. As he and Arcee were driving home; he was wondering if he should tell his mom that he was a Mutant. He had no idea how she'd react to the news. If he was going to tell her; how would he go about it? Thinking on it for a bit; he decided not to tell her. At least, not right now. He had only just found out, himself. He wasn't ready, yet.
A/N: We'll explore the full depths of Jack's powers, in later chapters. My brother thought that Jack should have told his mom about his powers; immediately after he got them. He reasoned that, if something amazing happens to you; why wouldn't you want to tell the people that you trust, and love, the most? But I wanted to make the big reveal during the episode of "Crisscross." That way, his mom can learn that he's a Mutant; and meet the Autobots, all at the same time.
If you guys liked this chapter; then please feel free, to leave a review! Just remember, to please be nice!
This is your resident rookie, "Cloud Prince J'onzz", signing off.
STAY COSMIC!