While the team Prime was on a mission, Jack was looking at Ratchet's computer when the medic came in the room.
" What are you doing, Jack ? " he asked him
" I'm looking for a vehicle form. " Durerus answered
" Try to pick something not too eye-catching. " Ratchet suggested
Jack turned towards him with a raised eyebrow.
" I have red flames on my blue body. Could you define "eye-catching" ? " he asked
" Good point. Just don't pick race cars or monster trucks. " Ratchet admitted
Jack continued to look until he picked a vehicle form.
A Ford Mustang 2008. He scanned it and it was registered in his processor. But in it, he read something that stunned him.
" Ratchet, my processor tell me I have a place for another vehicle form. Is that normal ? " Durerus asked
" Really ? It is not seen very often but it is normal : some cybertronians has two vehicle modes. They're called triple-changers. The most known are Blitzwing and Springer." Ratchet answered
" In that case, I'm choosing a jet. " Jack said, before turning back to the computer
After minutes of searching, he choose a f-18 fighter jet.
" Okay, I have my vehicle forms. How do I transform ? " Jack asked
" Picture the image of the vehicle in your processor but don't try to force the transformation. " Ratchet advised him
Jack focused and did what Ratchet said and he soon transformed, first into his ground vehicle then his aerial form.
" Very good Jack. The others will be glad for you. " Ratchet said
( 10 minutes later )
The other autobots came back from their mission, with the first Iacon relic.
" Ratchet, put the spark extractor in the storage room. " Optimus asked
" Understood, Optimus. By the way, Jack has something to show you. " Ratchet answered
Just then, Jack entered the room in his car form and transformed into his robot form.
" Ta da. " Jack said
" You have a vehicle mode ?! " The stunned Arcee asked
" I have vehicle modes. " Jack answered, transforming in his jet form.
" You're a triple-changer ! " Bulkhead said
" Yes, Megatron is no longer the only one who has flying soldiers in his ranks. " Durerus answered, transforming back in robot form
" I am glad that you have now your vehicle forms, Jack. But do you know how to drive ? " Optimus asked
" A car, I know how. But for a jet, my only experience is a flight simulator in arcades. " Jack answered, rubbing his neck
" Don't worry partner, you'll get it in no time. " Arcee reassured him
( 1 hour later )
Arcee and Durerus were in the training room for Jack to learn how to fly.
" Okay Jack, imagine that you still are in your flight simulator : This will help you to go around in the air until it is natural for you. " Arcee explained
" This is how they do it on Cybertron ? " Jack asked
" Well, I talked with Jetfire and Silverbolt and they told me they learned like this. " Arcee explained
" Okay, if you're sure. " Jack said before transforming in jet mode
He focused and did what Arcee told him. It took him some tries but in the end, he managed it. He came back on the ground and changed back. He could now change his arms into rotary guns and launch missiles like Starscream.
" You did very good, Jack. " Arcee congratulated him
" Thank you for coaching me, Arcee. " Durerus answered
" Anytime, partner. " Arcee responded, before they returned in the main room
When they arrived, they saw something wasn't right : Bumblebee was laying on Ratchet's operation table.
" What happened ? " Durerus asked
" Bumblebee cannot transform anymore. " A frantic Ratchet answered " Someone stole his t-cog. "
" His what ? " Miko asked
" The organ that allow us to transform. " Optimus answered
" I have two suspects : Megatron and Mech. " Durerus stated
" Megatron wouldn't be ghoul enough to steal other cybertronian's part. " Ratchet said
" So Mech is behind this. " Arcee said
" Then let's go take my t-cog back. " Bumblebee said
" I'm sorry but you are not going, Bee : You are at a disadvantage without your ability to transform. Until we find your t-cog, you can't go on missions. " Jack regretfully said
" What ?! I can help you all. Tell him, Optimus. " Bumblebee said
" I am sorry, Bumblebee, but Jack is right. We cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. " Optimus said
Bumblebee looked at the floor, while Ratchet guiltily looked at him.
( hours later )
Optimus and Arcee had gone on patrol, Ratchet had go to take Raf home, leaving Bulkhead, Jack and Bumblebee in the base.
Suddenly Ratchet's computer detected a signal.
" Hey Jack, we have another Iacon beacon. " Bulkhead said
" Let's go. Bumblebee, you are on monitor duty. " Durerus said
Bulkhead opened the groundbridge and him and Jack went through it.
They arrived in a forest and began to follow the signal.
" Say Bulkhead, what happened to Bumblebee that make humans incapable to understand him ? " Jack asked
" From what Ratchet told us, it happened in the Tyger Pax battle : Bumblebee had been captured by the decepticons and Megatron personally interrogated him. But Bee never told him anything. So Megatron ripped off his vocal box and left him for dead. Ratchet found Bee and did his best to save him. But he couldn't do anything more. " Bulkhead answered
They arrived in front of a cave but Knockout came barreling out, closely followed by Breakdown.
" Big Dumb and the New prime. And here I thought this was gonna be a lame day. " Breakdown taunted
" You can handle him, while I run after his colleague ? " Durerus asked
" No problems, Go. " Bulkhead said before resuming his grudge match against Breakdown
Jack transformed into his car mode and drove after Knockout. The red car was soon into view.
" Wow, you're pretty good looking, Jack isn't it ? " Knockout said
" That's Durerus Prime, now. Hand over the device ! " Jack replied
" You think you can catch me ? I'm the fastest being on wheels. " Knockout taunted
" Not for much longer ! " Jack retorted, before letting out a rotary gun from his hood and shooting at Knockout.
The decepticon moved left and right to avoid the shots but eventually one hit his tire, making him swerve out of control. Knockout transformed back and let go of the device in the process, which made it fall of the cliff.
" Thank you. " Jack said before jumping of the cliff
" He is mad. " Knockout commented
Jack transformed into his jet form and caught up with the device that he placed in his cockpit before flying towards where Bulkhead was still fighting his rival.
" He is good. " Knockout corrected himself
Jack went faster and transformed back into robot form, punching Breakdown in the process, the momentum sending the one-eyed decepticon away.
" Alright there, Bulk ? " Jack asked
" Yeah, thanks to you. " Bulkhead thanked
Breakdown got up and fired a missile at them. Jack raised the device by reflex and it suddenly glowed blue and created and forcefield, which stopped the missile.
" A forcefield projector. Brilliant. " Durerus said
" Bee, you can bring us back now. " Bulkhead called on his comms
A groundbridge opened and Bulkhead and Jack walked back into it, keeping the forcefield up.
" Say hello to Megatron for me. " Jack taunted Breakdown, before they disappeared.
( autobots base )
Optimus and Arcee had come back from their patrol and Bee told them where Jack and Bulkhead went. Arcee was of course worried about Jack but the two returned.
" Jack ! Are you okay ? " Arcee asked him
" Yeah, we are fine. And we completed the mission. " Durerus answered, showing them the device
" The forcefield projector. Well done, Bulkhead, Jack. " Optimus said, taking it.
" Actually it's Jack who took the projector from Knockout, I only covered him. " Bulkhead said
" Are you kidding ? You were the one who faced Breakdown. " Jack argued
Bumblebee was listening to them and was even more depressed.
" Bumblebee, I am sure we'll find your t-cog and you'll go again on missions. " Ratchet reassured
" Then for how long will I be replaced by Jack ? " Bumblebee asked
" How can you say something like that ? Jack isn't replacing you, Bumblebee. You are irreplaceable. " Ratchet responded
" He is right Bee. I'm not replacing anyone, how could I ? " Jack answered
" Yes, you are ! You want to replace Cliffjumper. How can you let him do that, Arcee ? " Bee complained
" Don't go there Bumblebee. Jack is my partner, not Cliff's replacement. " Arcee growled
" And he has a weird way to show it. He never thanked you for being there to watch over him. " Bee whined
" Of course he wouldn't. I wasn't happy with it and I took my anger out on him. He had every right to not be grateful to me. I apologize for that Jack. " Arcee said
" You already did and I forgave you, Cee. " Jack responded
" And you used me to win a race against Vince. " Bee said
" Again with that story ?! For the last time, I wasn't at that race. If you don't believe me, ask my mother. " Jack responded, before calling June
" Hey honey, how are you ? " June answered the call
" I'm sorry to bother you, mom, but the autobots are accusing me of having took part in an illegal car race, the last day of June during the night. " Jack explained
" What ?! Rise your radio, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind. " June growled
Jack did just that and the Autobots listened.
" Listen to me well, all of you. My son is the best son of all, he couldn't have go to that race because he burned his hand by helping me cook dinner and I healed him. I told him to not go out this evening and he didn't disobeyed me. You'll apologize to him or you'll have to deal with me. " June promised them before hang up
" There, now you have proof. " Jack said
" But if it wasn't you, who was with Bee ? " Ratchet asked
" How should I know ? Ask Bee. " Jack answered
" I have nothing to say to someone who doesn't know anything about loss. " Bee insolently said
" That's it ! Arcee told me the same thing and I refrained myself because she just lost someone she was close to, But I'm not restraining myself with you, you overgrown brat ! " Jack yelled " You say I don't know anything about loss... My father died of cancer when I was nine years old and my mother and I only had each other. We struggled for three years to return to a near normal life and we were still struggling to live when I met you guys. So do not speak to me of not knowing about loss. " Jack said
The autobots were stunned to learn about Jack's past, he never talked about it.
Arcee was feeling guilty for having assumed those things about Jack and never truly paying attention to how he and June lived.
" If someone is searching me, I'm in the training room, I need to hit something. " Durerus said, before going.
Optimus turned towards Bumblebee.
" Bumblebee, I am disappointed in you. I now know you went alone to that race and you used an hologram of Jack to made us believe he talked you into it. I do not understand how you could say such things about him. You are confined in our base until further notice. " He announced, before turning back to decoding the coordinates to the Iacon database.
The three other autobots turned away from Bumblebee, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He now realized that despite what happened to him, this didn't justified what he said and did.
" I'm sorry, Jack. I have been such an idiot. " He thought
( hours later )
They had decoded a third Iacon relic, the Forge of Solus Prime, but after a hard battle Megatron took it with him.
Meanwhile, Fowler had called to tell them that a Mech base had been discovered, and Bumblebee took the opportunity to find his t-cog. But he had to fight Starscream and the piece was damaged in the process.
Ratchet was currently repairing it and Bumblebee approached Durerus.
" Jack, I am sorry for what I said and did to you. I was being selfish and it was easier to blame you than to question myself. I apologize. " Bumblebee said
Jack raised an eyebrow and looked at Bumblebee for a moment before streching out his hand.
" Apology accepted. " Durerus said
The two shook hands and Ratchet came back with a smile.
" Bumblebee, come into the med bay, your t-cog is ready. " He announced
After the operation, Bumblebee came back in vehicle mode.
" Okay Bee, you can go have fun with Raf, you've been punished enough. " Jack decided
Bumblebee didn't need to be told twice and got out in the open.
" It was a good thing for you to forgive him, Jack. Bumblebee has learned a lesson in humility. " Optimus said
" What we all have is too precious to be broken by a stupid argument. " Jack said
note : I am back to this story, like promised.
No, I'm not bashing Bumblebee, I just tried to show him as someone who was feeling replaced because he couldn't do what he did best ( kinda like Bulkhead when Smokescreen arrived in the team ). Bee is one of my favourite characters in the show with Jack, Arcee, Wheeljack, Optimus, Soundwave, Breakdown, Dreadwing and Predaking.
Next time : Wheeljack returns and Dreadwing appears. How will Durerus Prime and the autobots handle this ?