The front yard was clear. The driveway was empty except for her car, which William so graciously fetched from her old house. The backyard was undisturbed.
June had been checking the cameras frequently—too frequently, perhaps—but she couldn't shake the paranoia since she had gotten Jack back. The fear that something would happen again, MECH taking them and torturing her baby haunted her. Jack and Miko couldn't truly be safe.
She quietly stood in front of the monitor, listening for any signs of her son having a nightmare. There was nothing. Throughout the night, she calmed Jack when he was screaming and sweating, clawing at his invisible phantoms. It broke her heart.
Curse Silas, she thought bitterly. That was one of the things she heard her boy mutter, along with Felton and "E-X1," though she had no idea what that was. When she was finally satisfied that nothing was out of place, she pushed away from the monitor with a weary sigh and made her way toward the garage.
She hesitated at the door for a moment before wrapping her fingers around the handle, twisting it open with a quiet creak. The cool night air of the small, open window in the garage filtered in, caressing her skin. The woman rubbed her arms as she took in the sight of Arcee's alt-mode, a blue and pink-accented motorcycle parked near the far wall.
A machine to most, but June knew better. Only because of the incident with Airachnid, who strung her to her death on a catwalk. If it weren't for Arcee, she'd be dead. It was a thought that made her shiver. Leaving her son without a mother was an awful thing, a reality she was thankful didn't come to pass.
"Arcee?" she called softly.
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. It made her question whether Arcee was awake, or whether the Autobot had powered down completely. However, the motorcycle's engine rumbled faintly. It was almost like a sigh.
"Hello, June."
Her voice sounded tired, but not raspy like it would a human when they were roused from slumber. Well, she was a giant, alien rob—being (the Autobots did not like being called robots, taking offense to being compared to a soulless, mechanical being), and it would stand they were very different. She wondered what it was like to be one of them.
June stepped further inside, crossing her arms and instinctively pulling for her sweater, only for her to remember that Miko still had it. "I hope I didn't wake you up," she murmured.
"No. Just... rechar—resting."
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. "How are you?"
"Fine."
A non-answer, then. She was withdrawing, that much she could tell. She could only imagine what Arcee was feeling, and her blaming everything on the Autobot made it all the worse. And while Arcee wasn't human, she had emotions, something she wasn't about to let go unaddressed.
"Arcee, don't do that. Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear."
There was another long moment of silence. Her plating shifted, and with a series of clicks and whirs, she transformed, unfolding into her bipedal form. She crouched, arm resting on her knee, winglets down and optics dim and tired as she looked away.
"I know that look."
It was a look on patients who had been through trauma so deep it left scars on their very souls. And on her own son, after MECH had stolen him away.
Arcee huffed. "You don't know this look."
June lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? You think I haven't seen someone blaming themselves before?"
"I said I'm fine," the cobalt femme muttered, staring at a particularly interesting spot on the floor, hugging herself tightly. Her fingers dug into her plating hard enough to leave dents.
The nurse frowned. "And I said not to lie to me."
She shook her head. "I don't see the point in talking about it. It won't change anything."
June sighed and placed a hand on the warm metal, pretending she didn't feel the soft tremors through her frame. "It's not good to hold it in, and it's worse to cut yourself off from others."
"Jack could've died."
Oh, she knew that. It was a scenario that had played over and over in her mind too many times already, driving away her sleep and appetite. "And you think that's your fault?" she asked softly.
"He's my partner. He shouldn't have been taken in the first place. If I had just—" She stopped herself before she could go on too far. "I should've been the one MECH took. Not the kids."
June swallowed, forcing down her own surge of emotions. "Arcee, listen to me." She stepped closer, reaching up to place a hand on the Autobot's forearm. "I'm a nurse. I've had patients who didn't make it. Kids. Adults. I've looked their families in the eyes and wondered if I could have done something differently."
"You know what I also know? Blaming yourself won't change what happened. You did everything you could. And Jack—"
"Did I?" Arcee snapped, her optics brightening before dimming again. "Because last I checked, I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't enough."
"I'm sorry," the nurse said, pulling her hand away from the Autobot. "I was upset when Jack was taken, and I took out my frustrations on you and the Autobots. I said some hurtful things. Things that I see are having an effect on you."
Her optics watched her, and her arms slowly fell to her sides. "You were right," she said in a guilty tone. "I failed as his guardian."
"Arcee—"
"I'm too weak to protect others." Arcee's voice rose, and suddenly, her optics blazed with an agonized look. "That's why I keep losing my partners!"
The last words came out strangled, like they had been ripped from her very spark. By the sound of it, they had. Jack had told her about them. Arcee had lost both of her partners to the Decepticons, Cliffjumper to Starscream and Tailgate to Airachnid.
"You're stronger than any person I know." June fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I blamed you. I blamed Optimus. I blamed the Autobots for getting my son involved in all of this and for not being able to protect him. And that wasn't fair." She swallowed, her throat tightening. "You've risked everything to protect Jack, and I threw that in your face because I was scared."
The cobalt femme said nothing.
The nurse sighed, rubbing her temples. "You have no idea what it's like to be a mother, to see your child in danger and feel completely powerless to stop it. And to know that no matter how hard you fight, how much you try, there are things in this universe that you just can't protect them from."
Arcee's optics darkened. "No. I don't know what it's like to be a mother," she said quietly. "But I do know what it's like to have someone you care about ripped away from you. Over and over again."
June flinched.
She had been so caught up in her own grief and terror that she hadn't stopped to see other's pain. Especially Arcee, whom she blamed the most. She had only seen her as a warrior who had failed to keep Jack safe. Not as someone who had already lost too much.
And yet, despite everything, Arcee had still fought for him.
"You've survived losing your partners you've been through God-knows how long of war and you're still fighting. Most would've given up by now, but you haven't. You're strong and brave, and my son needs you, just like you need him. Don't shut him out now because of me."
Arcee stared at her with an amazed expression.
"If you try, I won't let you." She smiled softly, planting her hands on her hips. "If you won't do it for me, do it for him. He needs you now more than ever."
Those were the words the cobalt femme needed. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she returned her smile, straightening. "Thank you, June."
"Until we get things sorted out, I'd feel more comfortable with Jack riding with me," June said slowly, watching the Autobot's face carefully.
Arcee nodded, seemingly unoffended by the statement. "I under—"
"What?! Y-you can't do that!" came an incensed voice from behind the door.
June placed her hands on her hips, turning around to see a Jack, flushed from anger. "Really Jack? Eavesdropping? I thought I trained you better than that."
"You can't just decide that for me!" he nearly shouted. "Arcee's my partner! My family! We've been through too much for you to just- just cut me off like that!"
The nurse crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "And what am I, Jack? Chopped liver?"
"No, no, I mean—yes! I mean no!" He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to find the right words to climb out of the hole he was digging himself in. "Of course, you're family! The Autobots are just... like extended family. Distant extended family."
"You're overreacting, Jack. It's just temporary."
Jack's mouth dropped open. He looked at Arcee, then back at his mother, hoping she was joking. "B-but... you can't downgrade me to a ten-speed!"
"I never said that."
Her son let out an exasperated noise, throwing his hands in the air. "This isn't fair!"
June gave him a pointed look. "Jack, you were kidnapped. You could have died. I thought I lost you, and I can't go through that again." Her voice cracked at the end, and she quickly composed herself. "This is just temporary. If you want to ride her, I'll go with you."
The teenager slumped, and all the fire was extinguished. He looked tired and haunted all over again, rubbing his hand over his face.
June reached out and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I love you, Jack. That's why I'm doing this."
"I have to go," Arcee said abruptly, and frowned, making an odd face and muttering something about a "Galloway."
A GroundBridge opened up in the garage in a mesmerizing swirl of green. "See you later, Jack?"
He nodded, forcing a smile.
"Goodbye, Arcee." June waved at the cobalt femme as she vanished, and the portal snapped shut behind her. The nurse took a look at her son. "Since you're awake, you can come to the grocery store with me. We need to get food and supplies."
Jack groaned loudly, throwing his head back like the world had just ended. "Really, Mom? Grocery shopping? Now?"
She crossed her arms, throwing a pointed look at him. "Yes, now. Unless you plan to survive off of stale cereal and half a carton of milk that expired last week."
Jack wrinkled his nose at that. "Gross."
There was a queasy look on his face, but not from the mention of the food. That was strange, she would talk to him later about that. "Exactly. So grab your shoes and let's go," June stated, already heading for the garage door.
Jack sighed, dragging himself toward the front door like a man walking to his doom. He shoved his converse on with minimal effort, not even bothering to tie them, and followed his mother inside. "It won't take long, Jack. Just a quick run for the essentials."
"Define 'quick.' Because your version and mine never match up."
He only got a chuckle in response.
Dark storm clouds rolled in the distance, rumbling with thunder, flashing with forks of lightning that brought all too vivid memories forth.
Metal straps bit into his skin, drugs numbing his mind and thoughts as a blade cut through flesh, each time deeper in deeper. Silas held a controller and pressed the buttons, causing electricity to arc through his body and bringing a deep, unbearable pain as it spread through his body like cancer.
He hissed, feeling the phantom pain of the hot bolts that ran through his body. He hated that chair more than anything, and it was where he spent the rest of his stay at MECH after his attempted escape. Miko, from what Silas told him (not that he would trust that bastard) she was given to Felton, who strung her up on a pole and beat her.
It made him burn with anger, that they could do such a thing, but he believed it. Sometime, during that agonizing week, multiple times a day, he would get tortured by Felton when Silas around, and to see he was... creative was an underestimation. Those were the worst times.
Now that everything was back to normal, he hated how quiet it was. For months now, his life was filled with the war of the Autobots and Decepticons, and now MECH. How was he supposed to just go back to the way things were before?
Jack...
The voice snapped him back into reality, and he jerked upward, tearing his gaze away from window of the dry landscape of Jasper.
"Jack?" His mom looked concerned.
He blinked and turned to her. "Huh?"
"Are you okay? You..."
Jack, they will come...
He shrugged, pretending that there wasn't an ancient voice in his head. "Y-yeah, um... just tired."
You must be ready, Child of the Light...
"—alk me. Alright?"
Jack nodded at his mom, having no idea what she just said. He glanced around the car, searching for the source of the voice like he had in the cell, but once again, there was nothing. Nothing but him and his mom.
Okay. Not weird at all. He just pretended that it never happened, and that it was just a hallucination of the E-X1.
I'll tell her everything when I get home, he thought as they pulled in the grocery store parking lot. He thought Jasper Mart was a rip-off of Walmart. His mom didn't seem to think so, even though they looked the exact same.
The beige building looked even duller against the blue sky, even with the patch of green on the entrance with glaring white words that read the store name. Jack unbuckled his seatbelt with a sigh and followed his mom inside.
The store was relatively empty, save for the people weaving through aisles with carts, their kids whining about snacks. He grabbed a cart and started pushing it halfheartedly as Mom led the way. She moved through the aisles, grabbing produce, bread, milk, and stuff to make organic tofu, which included soybeans.
Jack trailed behind, occasionally tossing in a bag of chips or a box of Pop-Tarts when she wasn't looking. Eating was not appetizing, since he threw it all up, but why not annoy his mom. She did ban Arcee...
They were walking through the frozen food section when a familiar, soft feminine voice called out his name.
"Jack?"
He turned to see the familiar, slim form of Sierra, dressed in non-school clothes. This was the first time he had seen her like this. His cheeks instantly heated up and he prayed they weren't red. "Oh... um... hi Sierra," he fumbled, rubbing his neck and pretending not to see his mother's amused expression, which made his cheeks heat up more.
His mom moved further down the aisle, giving him space but definitely still eavesdropping. And she had just reprimanded him about his eavesdropping, but she could do it?
"I heard what happened."
His stomach dropped. She heard about MECH?
"Oh, um..."
Sierra tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear, looking at him concerned with deep, green eyes. "Getting kidnapped like that... I can't even imagine."
Oh. Oh. The cover story, r-right. Jack swallowed, forcing a casual shrug even as his palms felt clammy. "Yeah, well... they weren't exactly hospitable." He let out a dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.
The redhead's brows furrowed. "Did they hurt you?"
He forced himself to shake his head. "Nah. Mostly just locked me up and- uh, scared me a bit. But I'm fine now."
She smiled. "I'm really glad you're okay, Jack."
Jack felt his face heat up even more. Oh God, he was probably redder than a beet. Get it together, Darby.
"So, um," he blurted, desperate to change the subject, "how's school been?"
Sierra let out a small groan. "Ugh, you know how it is. You didn't miss much, and Vince is still being, well, Vince. He keeps trying to show off in gym class, but Mr. Clancy totally wrecked him in dodgeball last week."
The teenager snorted, picturing the smug joke of a bully getting humbled by their gym teacher. "Wish I could've seen that."
"Yeah, it was pretty funny," she said with a small laugh. "But seriously, you're coming back soon, right?"
The idea of just going back to school made him sick. He didn't want to go and socialize with others that were going to inevitably ask about his disappearance. He would probably be the school celebrity, and he didn't think he could handle that.
His mind flashed to chair, the syringes, and the sickening, cruel face of Silas. But he couldn't exactly say that to her. After all, MECH, a crazy organization run by an insane man who experimented on children over his obsession of Cybertronians, didn't exist to 'normal people.'
"Yeah," he finally said. "I mean, soon. Just... gotta get back into things, y'know?"
Sierra nodded in understanding. "I get it. Oh! That reminds me—" She perked up, her face lighting up with excitement. "I'm actually hosting a party this weekend. My parents are out of town, so I figured—why not? You should totally come. I never see you at any."
Yeah, well, spending ninety-nine percent of his time with alien bots severely limited his social life. Actually, it made it non-existent. Even so, he couldn't remember the last time he was invited to anything, if he was at all. Often times, he was just ignored by most kids, which included Sierra until the whole motorcycle race.
It made him wonder why she noticed. Was he really that out of it? He wondered if Vince would be there. Most likely, since he was Sierra's boyfriend starting two weeks ago. It made something in him twist, though he was sure why.
"Y-yeah sure," he answered.
Sierra lit up with excitement. "That's great! It starts at 8. See you there, Jack." And just like that, she was gone, walking away with a casual wave, leaving him standing there like a total idiot.
A throat cleared behind him.
Jack froze before slowly turning to see his mother standing there, arms crossed, an all-too-knowing look on her face. "Soooo," she drawled, "a party?"
The teenager groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Mom—"
Mom patted his shoulder. "You should really work on playing it cool, sweetie." Placing another item in the cart, she added, "You can go, but I don't want you to eat any of that junk they might have there."
Jack groaned again, wishing the floor would just swallow him whole. By the time they were back in the parking lot, he had endured twenty full minutes of good-natured teasing. He thought he was finally free when they reached their car and began unloading bags into the trunk. That was, until a shadow fell over them.
"Let me get that for you."
A hand reached out, effortlessly pulling open the back door of their car.
Jack turned automatically to thank whoever it was, expecting maybe a store employee offering to help. But the words died in his throat. Mom gasped, nearly dropping the carton of eggs she was holding. Her face went pale.
The man standing before them looked almost exactly as he remembered. Tall, lean and broad-shouldered, with short dark hair now dusted with streaks of grey. He was wearing a red flannel and blue jeans, complete with a set of boots.
Crow's feet branched out from ocean blue eyes, filled with a warmth that he knew all to well. There were faint creases around his mouth, and wrinkles on his forehead that weren't there before. But it was him, unmistakably him.
A smile tugged at the corners of the man's chapped, yet still plush lips, reddened at one corner with healing skin. "Hello, June. Jack."
Jack felt like the ground had just been yanked out from under him. His dad. His dad. Standing here, in the middle of a grocery store parking lot, after years of absence, he had stopped expecting him to ever come back. And he was just standing there, holding the door open like it was the most normal thing in the world.
His heart slammed against his ribs, and he found himself at a loss for breath. His mouth felt dry; his throat was tight. His mind scrambled to process what he was seeing, what he was hearing, but all he could do was stand there, rooted to the asphalt, groceries in hand.
"Dad?"
Mom managed to find her voice next. "What the hell are you doing here, Jonathan?"
Miko had spent the last few hours hanging out with Bulk and Jackie, who was so epic! Just like the first time she had met him (not the shapeshifting version of him, duh). They went dune bashing—oh how much she missed that—and after, to KO Burgers to grab a milkshake, followed by a session of her drawing Jackie.
It really kept her mind off what had happened in the last week, which she was really grateful for. Though, she was kinda annoyed with Bulk checking her like every two seconds. But she couldn't blame him. She had just gotten back with Bulk, who had just finished rinsing off sand, while Jackie was repairing his epic spaceship outside.
Miko didn't know that Transformers took showers. She had tried to sneak in the first time she had heard about it, but Bulkhead had denied her, telling her that the force of the liquid they used to clean themselves could kill her.
That stopped her from going in.
The Japanese girl drummed her fingers against the couch, staring at cranky ol' Hatchet, who had not taken his eyes off the console. "So, have you checked our blood yet, Doc Bot?"
The old medic grumbled something under his breath before he spoke louder. "No. I have been focusing my efforts on finding Rafael. I will check it later."
Raf had been taken by 'Screamer, and she was worried for lil' hedgehog. She prayed that he wouldn't be hurt too badly by the 'Con, but that was kinda a stretch. They had destroyed Cybertron, what was stopping them from torturing or killing a kid?
A chest ache started to form again, and she grimaced at the burning. These were starting to become more frequent than she liked, she would have to ask Jack's mom for medicine or something. Maybe she could help with that.
That would have to wait until she and Jackrabbit got to the base, which seemed forever. Jack had just texted her that they were grocery shopping, so it might be a while. Miko hated grocery shopping, it was the most boring thing in the world, and it took forever.
The elevator, next to the chilling area, slid open to reveal a man that she had never seen before.
Dressed in a perfect black suit with a crisp white shirt and a navy tie, he carried himself with the air of someone who believed he was the most important person in the room. As if! His dark hair was cut short to his scalp and wiry glasses hung on his nose.
"PRIME!"
A scowl twisted his thin lips, and he glared at the Autobots like they had somehow offended him. His sharp features reminded her a bit of Mr. Baldie Creepy Face, and it sent an unwanted shiver down her spine.
Dark memories flashed before her eyes, and she dug her nails into her skin in an attempt to distract herself with something else.
I'm okay. I'm here at the 'Bot's base. Not there. It was a mantra she was starting to repeat more often than not.
The heavy pedes of Bulk caught her attention, and the moment he saw the stranger, his optics widened. One moment she was sitting on the couch, the next she was yanked behind his massive frame like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey!" she protested. No fair! Bulkhead made a noise at the same time she said that. Who was that?
"What can we do for you, Director Galloway?" Ratchet grumbled.
"What you can do," Galloway snapped, footsteps moving away from them. "is explain why there was an entire military operation in the middle of the Connecticut forest, and why there are dead human bodies!"
Oh.
Right. That.
A sadistic laugh echoed in her ears, green glowing liquid sloshing in a cup. The rim was tilted to her lips, and despite her best attempts at fighting, it slid down her throat. It hurt so much more than the injections! It felt like her mouth was peeling away and burning with a white-hot pain, spreading through her veins.
Screams escaped her lips as agony blinded her, dark spots dancing across her vision. It eventually stopped, leaving her with stinging, swollen and blistered mouth, and she could feel stuff peeling from her gums. She felt like she couldn't breathe, her throat was on fire.
The man's voice cut through the dark memory as her hand drifted to her mouth, trembling. "You promise the government that the Autobots would not cause unnecessary incidents! There would be no reckless operations, no massive clean-ups, and especially no bodies left behind for the government to deal with!"
Heavy footsteps approached from the hallway behind Bulk's back, and she saw Optimus Prime. The large, red and blue bot strode in from down the hallway, optics narrowing at the enraged official.
Optimus regarded him calmly. "Director Galloway."
The man scoffed. "Oh, don't you start with that diplomatic nonsense, Prime! You had a deal with me, and now I have a disaster on my hands! What the hell happened in Connecticut?!"
"MECH was in the forest," the Guardian Knight stated calmly. "They have been stealing from us."
Galloway scoffed. "You broke the treaty by taking human lives! The Autobots are supposed to report to NEST for matters like this, not go in guns blazing like some rogue faction!"
"They would not have responded in time," Optimus countered evenly, his optics locked onto the furious man in front of him.
NEST? Treaty? She had no idea what the heck those were.
She glanced up at Bulkhead, but she couldn't catch his eye, her eyes boring into the back of his helm. Miko could practically feel the irritation rolling off him. Oh yeah, he definitely wanted to throw this guy through a wall.
"Human lives, Prime!" he hissed. "I already have pressure on me, and now I have to deal with why an classified organization's base was wiped off the map with no official approval!"
Optimus remained impassive. "MECH has proven itself a significant threat. They have abducted civilians, conducted inhumane experiments, and attacked both humans and Cybertronians alike. If we had waited for authorization, they would have escaped and continued their operations elsewhere."
"That is not your decision to make!" the stranger practically spat. "I warned you before, Prime. You and your team do not operate without oversight! You do not decide who lives and who dies! You are guests on this planet, and if you cannot abide by the rules set for you, then maybe you shouldn't be at all!"
Miko felt anger boiling at this idiot. Heat rose in her chest, twisting and clawing at her. This guy! He had no idea what the Autobots had gone through! What she had gone through! What Jack and Raf had suffered! He was acting like they had just gone on a killing spree for fun!
"We do not seek conflict, Director Galloway. However, MECH left us no choice. They were dangerous, and their actions would have inevitably cost more innocent lives had we allowed them to continue unchecked."
"That is not your decision to make," he repeated. "Until further notice—"
She heard a growl that came from the other side of the room, sounding suspiciously like Ratchet. It made her wonder what snide remark he was holding back.
"Are you serious?!" she burst out from behind Bulk, unable to help herself. "Do you even know what MECH was doing?!"
"Miko!" Bulkhead and Ratchet chorused at the same time. His large servo came from behind him to show Miko to the government official, whose icy, dark eyes snapped to her and then widened.
"You have contact with a civilian?!"
"She is under our protective custody—"
"This is unacceptable!" Galloway practically spat the word, cutting the Autobot leader off before he could finish. His expression darkened, and he pointed an accusing finger at them. "How long has this been going on?!"
The Prime opened his mouth again to explain, but the stranger wasn't interested in listening. He snapped, "We cannot entrust national security to a child!"
The exchange student bristled. Never had she ever wanted to punch anybody than this man, not even that jerk Vince, could match up to him. "Put me down, Bulk!" The Humvee complied, lowering his servo onto the platform and she stomped off, crossing her arms. "I'm not a child!"
Galloway rounded on her, his icy gaze falling on her, and for the briefest moment, Miko felt like she'd been shoved under a microscope. His stare was the kind that made people squirm and make them feel small. She was not going to let him intimidate her.
"You," he barked, pointing a stiff finger at her. "Here. Now."
"You're not my dad," she jeered, lifting her chin.
His nostrils flared, but he didn't take the bait. The edges of his mouth curled downward. "What's your name, little girl?"
Oh, he wanted to play this game? Fine.
"I'm not allowed to give personal things away to strangers," she said with an overly-sweet voice. Then she smirked. "Especially ones who are annoying and ugly."
Nearby, Ratchet made a sound suspiciously close to a muffled snort.
The man bristled, his face darkening several shades. "Excuse me?!"
Optimus turned his helm sharply, pinning her with a hard glare. "Miko."
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine." She huffed, "Miko."
"Miko what?"
The Japanese smirked again. "Miko Nunya."
"Nunya?"
She grinned, so glad he took the bait. "Yeah. Nunya business."
Ratchet definitely made a sound this time.
Galloway looked about two seconds away from a stroke. His face had turned a shade of red that could probably rival Knock Out's paint job. His jaw clenched so hard Miko swore she heard his teeth grinding. He exhaled sharply, then turned on his heel, rounding back on Optimus with renewed fury.
"Where is your liaison?" he snapped.
"Agent Fowler is currently occupied—"
"He's at Jack's house, duh," Miko interrupted, still riding the high of irritating Galloway.
The man froze. His eye twitched. He turned back so slowly; it was almost menacing. "There's more?!"
Nobody responded, but their lack of denial was answer enough.
The man looked like he was about to explode. He took a deep, deep breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, then muttered something under his breath.
"Agent Galloway, MECH is a threat to the Autobot cause and was responsible for the theft of our weaponry. They stole our charges and tortured them," Optimus stated, staring at the fuming government agent. "That is a violation of our treaty."
The stranger scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "As far as I'm concerned, that treaty is void."
"What?" Bulkhead shouted, outraged. Bumblebee let out beeps, looking away from the GroundBridge with anger.
The Guardian Knight didn't react outwardly to Galloway's declaration. Instead, he asked evenly, "How can we rectify this?"
"Until we can work something out," he declared, "you will be moved to Diego Garcia."
"You can't do that!" she screeched, racking her brain where that could be. "That's halfway across the world!" She stepped forward so fast that Bulkhead had to physically stop her by placing a servo down in between them. Bumblebee's optics were wide. Ratchet was fuming, and she thought she heard him muttering something about a "fool."
"I can and I will," he shot back, looking down at her like she was nothing more than an inconvenience.
She could barely breathe. Turning to Bulk, then Optimus, then Ratchet, she looked for help to stop this madness, but the looks on their faces told her everything. They knew there was nothing they could do.
"This isn't fair!"
"Life isn't fair, Miss Miko." He turned back to Optimus. "You will be relocated. There will be no further unsanctioned Autobot activity outside without permission. Any future unauthorized contact with civilians will be considered an act of aggression against the United States."
Miko felt like she was going to be sick.
This couldn't be happening. They were just going to tear the Autobots away from their home? Away from them? She had just got them back! Nononono!
"What about Raf?!" she cried, desperation creeping into her voice. "He's still out there with a 'Con!"
"What did you just say?"
The Japanese girl swallowed, suddenly aware that she might have said way too much.
"How many civilians have you made contact with?!" His voice was beyond angry at this point. Bulkhead's frame was trembling, and Bumblebee was suddenly staring at the man with blazing optics, twisted in an expression of fury, it made him flinch.
"Rafael Esquivel has been taken by the Decepticon known as Starscream. We are currently working to recover him."
"You are telling me," Galloway seethed, "that an armed, extraterrestrial war machine has abducted an American civilian, and you—" He pointed a shaking finger at the Prime, "—did not inform the United States government?" His voice was icy and somehow calm.
"We are doing everything in our power to ensure Rafael's safe return."
"You don't get to decide that! You are not the governing body here, Prime! You answer to the United States! And right now, you are looking very much like a rogue faction harboring civilians without authorization!"
She hated this guy, but she wasn't stupid. He had power. And right now, he was looking at Optimus like he was a threat to national security.
"The United States government will handle this matter. Not you."
Miko felt her stomach drop. "You're not even gonna let them search for him?!"
"You can't be serious!" Bulkhead rumbled, his voice dangerously low. Bumblebee let out a series of beeps, pointing a finger at the stranger, talking to Optimus. Galloway pursed his lips tightly, though she could see a glimmer of fear peeking through. It was gone in an instant.
"You have endangered human lives long enough," he said coldly, voice carrying finality. "This is—"
Bulkhead snapped. "Like hell it isn't!" His booming voice echoed through the base, making the very walls tremble. He took a single step forward, and leaned over the platform, removing his servo that was acting like a wall, glaring at the man.
The exchange student didn't realize that the Wrecker knew any English curse words. He must've picked it up during one of their dune bashing sessions. Miko was positive that she saw Galloway trembling. A vein in his neck bulged, and he looked livid, but not as much as Bulk.
"Stand down," Optimus ordered the Humvee, who hesitantly backed away, still glaring at the man.
"I suggest you get comfortable with your new accommodations. You leave for Diego Garcia in twenty-four hours." The man didn't stop there. "And effective immediately, you are to not have any further contact with these civilians. You will cease communication, cease visits, cease all unauthorized operations with these minors. Do I make myself clear?"
Miko's heart stopped, blood rushed to her ears, drowning out the protests of the Autobots. Her world was turned upside down. After all this, the 'Bots were being taken away from her, and she would never see them again. Nononononono.
No no.
No.
Jack's mom would never set foot in the base again. Jackrabbit would never beat his speed records again with Arcee.
Raf would never sit with Bumblebee, laughing over their weird beeping conversations. He wouldn't even get to say goodbye.
She- she would never set foot in Bulkhead's alt-mode ever again.
"You can't take Bulkhead from me!" the girl shouted, bolting toward Bulkhead. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could barely hear herself think. Bulkhead, her big, dumb, lovable lug of a guardian, immediately lowered his massive servo. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around one of his thick digits in a death grip.
Bulkhead let out a low, rumbling sigh, offering what little comfort he could. Galloway rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "They're weapons, not toys," he drawled, arms crossing over his chest.
She bristled. "Screw you!" she snapped, tightening her grip and craning her neck to look at that evil, cruel, heartless man. "Bulkhead's my guardian. You can't just—" She whipped her head toward Optimus, feeling on the verge of having a panic attack. "Optimus, please, tell him!"
The Guardian Knight nodded in agreement. "Miko is correct. She, as well as the others, are under our protection."
Galloway scoffed, curling his lip. "They're Americans. That means they fall under our custody."
"I'm not American," the girl spat, glaring at him. "I'm Japanese."
"Then maybe we can send you back to wherever you came from."
Her mouth fell open, ready to tear into him, ready to let loose every single insult in her arsenal, ready to scream at the top of her lungs that he had no right—
"A military base is not a place for a child," he said, lecturing them as if they were idiots who didn't already know that. His voice had taken on a diplomatic tone, smoothing out into the 'reasonable adult' voice adults used to get something they wanted. "Or children. They should be in school, worrying about friends and grades. Not—" he gestured broadly toward the Autobots, "being stepped on by... you."
The base fell so quiet, she could hear the quiet whir of the Wrecker's hydraulics as he fought to keep himself still, and the tremors that ran through his frame. It was obvious he was doing his best not to lash out and say something that would make things worse.
Optimus remained silent; his optics narrowed. He seemed to be deep in thought, mulling over everything that Galloway had said. And in that deep, grave voice of his, he said:
"... I understand."
The world stopped.
"What?!" Miko and Bulkhead yelled in unison. The exchange student whipped around, eyes blazing with betrayal. "WHAT?!" she shrieked. "You- you're just gonna LET THEM KICK US OUT?!"
Bulkhead recoiled, optics wide. "Optimus, you can't—!"
Optimus merely inclined his helm, and despite his best attempts to remain unreadable, he looked sad. "We will comply."
Miko screeched in rage as Galloway's fingers latched onto her arm in an iron grip. "Get your hands off me, you fascist-!"
She thrashed, jerking her arm as hard as she could, but he was surprisingly strong, and despite her struggling, he didn't so much as flinch. Betrayal stung as the Autobots watched her being dragged away, without doing anything.
They didn't stop him.
"BULKHEAD! She shrieked, digging her heels into the floor as Galloway hauled her toward the elevator. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"
Tears started streaming down her face, and she didn't even bother hiding them as Bulkhead's gaze fell to the ground. Her eyes desperately fell on each of the Autobots in the room, but they didn't meet her gaze, looking hurt and ashamed.
Noooooooo!
Miko couldn't believe it.
"OPTIMUS!"
He didn't even look at her.
And just like that, the steel elevator doors slid shut, trapping her inside with him.
The girl lunged at the doors, slamming her fists against the metal as the elevator lurched upward. "LET ME OUT!" she howled, ignoring her burning throat as she pounded on the walls. "THIS IS BULLSHIT!"
Galloway stood stone-faced beside her, arms crossed, completely unmoved by her fury.
"You can't just DO THIS!" she spun on him, seething. "You can't just rip me away from Bulkhead! From my friends—"
"Watch me," he said coolly.
Miko saw red.
"I HATE YOU!" she spat, her entire body shaking with rage. "I hope you get stepped on by Megatron, you soulless, government—" She finished the rest in her mother tongue, cursing and spitting at him with every word she could possibly think of.
The doors dinged, sliding open to reveal the dark night sky and a waiting helicopter, its blades whirring loudly, kicking up a harsh wind. A pair of armed soldiers flanked the entrance. The girl dug her heels in again, but the man simply yanked her forward with zero effort, forcing her into the howling wind.
"NO!" she screamed, as he shoved her toward the helicopter. "I'M NOT GOING!"
A soldier reached out, gripping her other arm, and between him and Galloway, they lifted her straight off the ground. "PUT ME DOWN!" she screeched, kicking wildly, her voice nearly drowned out by the deafening roar of the rotors.
But they didn't.
She was manhandled straight into the helicopter, practically thrown into one of the seats, the harness buckled over her torso before she could even think to move. The official stepped in after her, taking the seat opposite hers as the doors slammed shut and the helicopter lifted off the ground.
Miko thrashed against the harness, gasping, heart pounding. She couldn't believe this was happening.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"
Galloway didn't so much as blink. "I just did."
The girl tore at the harness, but it was locked tight. Her vision started to blur, and she whipped her head toward the window, straining to see the Autobot base below, to see if Bulkhead was there, if he was watching, if he was coming for her, but the base was already shrinking away, swallowed by the night.
Her chest constricted as the cold realization gripped in her in its icy claws. They were really taking her away. They were really doing this. And the Autobots were letting them. It hurt more than any blade that Felton could stab her with.
Fine.
If they were really going through with this, if they were really tearing her away from Bulkhead and the others, she was going to make sure Galloway regretted every single second of this flight.
Miko stared daggers at them man and began stomp her foot on the ground, enjoying the way that the man's eyes twitched ever so slightly. Good.
She picked up the pace, harder and louder, making sure the sound was irritating enough through the tight cabin. The soldier sitting closest to her shifted uncomfortably, but Galloway? He remained stone-faced.
Not for long, bitch.
She started humming, loudly and off-key, making sure it was the most annoying song she could think of. "~This is the song that doesn't end~" she sang, injecting enthusiasm and mocking cheerfulness in her voice. "~It just goes on and on, my friend~"
One of the soldiers visibly winced at the terrible sounds coming from her mouth.
"~Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was~" she belted. "~And they'll continue singing it forever just because—~"
"Knock it off, brat."
That same vein from earlier bulged, and he looked irritated as he stared her down. Miko grinned wildly, baring her teeth into a mockery of a smile that could probably rival Megatron's. "What's wrong? Not a fan of the classics?"
He exhaled through his nose, clearly restraining himself. "You're not making this any easier on yourself."
"Oh noooo," the girl mocked, widening her eyes dramatically. "Whatever will I do? I should totally be thanking you for kidnapping me and ruining my life—"
"It's not kidnapping," he snapped. "You don't belong there."
"You don't get to decide that," she hissed viciously. "Bulkhead's my family."
"They are not your family," the stranger shot back as his eyes darkened. "They are weapons—"
"THEY'RE NOT JUST WEAPONS!"
The soldiers flinched at the bark, but she didn't care. "They're people, better people than you could ever be!"
His lips pressed into a thin line. "They are alien war machines," he said slowly, as if he was explaining something to a particularly dim-witted child. There was only one dim-witted idiot here, and that was Galloway. "They are not your friends. They are not your family. They are dangerous, and if you had any sense, you would—"
"They're not the dangerous ones!" the girl snapped, leaning forward as much as the harness would allow. "You wanna talk about dangerous? What about the Decepticons? What about MECH? Oh, wait, that's right—you don't actually care about the real threats, do you? You're too busy throwing a fit because the Autobots hurt your precious little government feelings—"
"Watch it," he warned, darkly.
"Or what?" she shot back. "You gonna throw me out of the helicopter?"
His eyes narrowed. "Don't tempt me, brat."
"Says the stuck-up, self-righteous, pencil-pushing bootlicker," she fired back.
His lips curved downward, earning a vicious grin from the exchange student. "~This is the song that never ends~" she sang again, louder than ever. One of the soldiers groaned. Galloway rubbed his temples, looking annoyed and tired.
"~It just goes on and on, my friennnnddsss~"
The flight to Jasper was going to be hell, and she was going to enjoy every. Single. Second.
Lily Bishop was five when she died.
It was the reason that Project Damocles was created, to be able to find anyone on planet Earth. Silas created that satellite just for his girl, to find the person who murdered her.
That project ended with him being discharged from the army, and it ended with his grieving wife leaving him after she learned what his goals were and the monstrosity he had created in his craving for vengeance.
Without any links or weaknesses to his old life, he spent years building MECH, Mechanical Evolution to Conquer Humanity, from the ground up, taking the new alias of Silas and eventually worming his way into the higher-ups of the government.
Ultimately, MECH had grown beyond what he ever envisioned, and it was all thanks to those Transformers who kept the D.N.G.S out of their hands, allowing them to discover their existence. The Transformer known as Breakdown helped their research significantly, and then, Ar-cee and now, the drones.
He would create a new world order, where only the strongest ruled and the weakest served. There would be no corruption, no murderers, no thieves, no nothing. It would be perfect.
"It will be built on the back of murderers!"
He ignored his former wife's voice in his head, turning to look down at their new base, located in an abandoned industrial sector in Jasper, Nevada, a place the Autobots would never think to look. The end was near. So tantalizingly close. He could practically taste victory on his tongue.
They were storing the Transformers in the large silos; the two lifeless frames having been separated from the living drone. Those husks were waiting for their sparks, waiting for him to breathe new purpose into them. Waiting for the moment when he would take control.
And with Starscream's assistance, that moment was within reach.
The Decepticon had at least proven useful in helping the runt, Rafael, dissect the complexities of Cybertronian neural pathways. The boy worked tirelessly, inputting codes, overriding restrictions, unlocking secrets that no human should have been capable of understanding.
And yet, he did. It was a mystery to him, and he didn't like how he didn't understand why. Perhaps it was a gift. Perhaps it was an accident. Or perhaps, it was the Vehicon.
It was the last drone to be rebuilt, and yet it was fighting him at every turn, making their job of implanting the Chimera Codes into its process. They had attempted to shut it down, and yet it always came back online.
Every. Single. Time.
After the seventh failure, he had given up wasting resources on suppressing it. It was a persistent little thing, stubborn in a way that machines shouldn't be. But again, Transformers weren't just machines, they were living, breathing (if they had the ability to do that) things with their own minds.
And that runt kept talking to it.
Silas observed them with narrowed eyes, arms folded as he looked over the catwalk. The runt's small, scrawny frame was dwarfed by the machine strapped on the slab before him. MECH's leader couldn't hear what Rafael was saying, nor did he particularly care, so long as it didn't distract him from his work.
Perhaps—however unlikely it seemed—the drone was feeding the boy information without realizing it. Perhaps, without even meaning to, it was helping him. It was an amusing thought, really. No matter. In the end, it didn't matter what the drone did.
Soon, the protocols would be activated. Soon, MECH would be in control. And then, not even the Autobots could stop him from building the world his daughter deserved to live in.
The man made his way down the catwalks and entered a separate building, where they were storing their food supplies and medical items, and where Dr. Victor Felton lay in the medical wing. Pushing open the door to the medical ward, he was immediately greeted with the scent of a hospital. Antiseptic and clean.
There was a steady beep of a heart monitor, and the ragged breathing of the man lying on the bed. The paled man was barely clinging life, and he looked weak, especially with that baseball sized lump on head. He was a shell of the man he had once been.
Silas would have felt disgusted if he had the slightest inclination to care. But he didn't. Whether Felton lived or died was inconsequential. MECH's members were expendable, all of them. They simply did not need to know that.
However, he couldn't help but feel intrigued. Felton had survived a direct hit to the temple with a crowbar by a girl with enhanced strength, because of acid running through her veins. By all accounts, he should have been dead.
The man suspected that Victor had been experimenting on himself, using MECH's resources for his own personal ambitions. With what, exactly, he neither knew nor cared. Felton had always been reckless, dabbling in things he should've not. If his experiments had somehow kept him alive, then perhaps, in some small way, his foolishness had served a purpose.
He was only alive because of that, and because he allowed it. Silas quietly admitted to himself that he allowed Victor to live because he was always there since the beginning, even after they were kicked out of the government for Project Damocles. A sentimental part of him still remained, even after all these years.
The man was a liability now, and liabilities had a way of being... removed. If he woke up, then perhaps he could still serve a purpose. If not... well, MECH had no need for dead weight.
Silas clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the room without another glance at the man, finding his thoughts drifting back to the brats.
He had underestimated the children. A grievous miscalculation, a costly one at that. One he would not make again. Underestimating the fiery girl, who had nearly killed one of his top men, was another one of his few mistakes, and he had paid dearly, losing his two test subjects who were vital components to his plan.
And now they had information they would inevitably share with the Autobots about his plan. He was starting to regret telling them about their use in the grand scheme of things, but no matter, he would have his Transformers and no Autobot would stop him.
As for the runt, Esquivel, he had ordered the guards posted on him at all times. The boy was valuable, but Silas was no fool. Every hour, a tech specialist was sent to inspect his work, ensuring that he was actually contributing and not attempting to deceive them.
Despite the boy's small frame, his timid and quiet nature, Silas knew better than to underestimate him. That mistake had already been made once. It would not be made again.
That didn't make him any less frustrated. The other had still managed to escape, and in turn brought angry Autobots to his base, decimating, though not before he had managed to evacuate all the important things. Those who were behind were killed, most likely.
However, he was concerned with the other two brats. They were dying. Without MECH, without him, the Autobots would never be able to save them. Their precious wards were as good as dead. It was only a matter of time before MECH found them, and if they couldn't, there were other ways to persuade them to come back.
It made him want to gloat to them, but he decided against it. They had already proved a point in Connecticut, and with MECH being so close to the end, they could not afford any missteps.
As he turned a corner, a figure approached him with hurried steps. Angelica. She was a small woman, barely reaching his shoulder, with a mind that made her more valuable than most of the personnel in the facility.
Her round glasses sat awkwardly on her narrow, pointed nose, constantly slipping down, forcing her to push them back up every few minutes. It was a habit Silas found mildly irritating, and he didn't understand why she didn't get a different pair.
Pushing up the glasses up the bridge of her nose, she informed him of the latest developments. "The boy is progressing quicker than we expected." Her voice betrayed no concern for the subject's deteriorating condition. "His health is declining at an accelerated rate, and he was unable to keep down any food when we attempted to feed him today, which means his spark is almost formed."
The edges of his lips curled upward in the beginning of a smile.
"We're scanning him now. He'll need energon, but it is poisonous to a human's body as we already know. Once his spark is formed, we'll have a narrow window in which to place his spark in an energon tank to keep it stable. From there, we can place it inside one of the drone's frames."
That was exactly what he had been waiting to hear. The transformation was nearing completion.
"His human body will be dead within three days, just a couple of days before schedule."
Ironically, Rafael would die, in a figurative sense, on his daughter's birthday, the day she was murdered. His greatest triumph would rise on the day he was motivated to create a weapon to avenge her death, unwittingly planting the seeds from which MECH would grow from.
He had Lily to thank for everything.
And that meant he would need to start considering the next phase. He wanted doses of E-X1 administered on himself, but before that could even begin, they need to ensure the process would work. And they would require another frame. There was no point in moving forward with his own transformation until the necessary vessel was secured.
"Continue monitoring him," Silas ordered, not waiting for her answer. He had another matter to attend to, a personal one.
The moment he entered the room; he was greeted with the rather unpleasant smell of sweat and blood. In the center of the room, tied to a chair that he tortured the Darby brat in, was Dr. Connors.
His wrists were bound tightly behind his back, ankles strapped to the legs of the metal chair. The man's head hung low, matted hair obscuring his swollen face. His lab coat was long gone, leaving only a torn, bloodstained shirt underneath.
Bruises marred his skin, ugly purple splotches swelling around his cheekbones and jaws. Blood trickled from a gash just above his brow, dripping onto his pants below. Small cuts peppered other areas of his body, most of them having stopped bleeding by now. Unlike the brats, he had not been granted the luxury of E-X1 to accelerate his healing.
He looked pathetic, because that's what he was. A weak excuse of a man, who was bothered by some blood shed by children. That was a motivation that had prompted him to help the girl escape, something he saw from the security footage.
"Dr. Connors," he remarked. "You don't look well."
The scientist lifted his head slightly, struggling to keep his eyes open. They were glassy and fogged, and he was trying desperately to focus on him. The man tsked softly, shaking his head as he walked toward the nearby table. His fingers traced along the various instruments laid out before him.
He picked his favorite weapon—the knife. He turned it over in his palm, running a finger along the sharp edge before glancing back at Connors. "You know," he murmured, stepping closer, "I'm no Felton. Torture isn't exactly my specialty."
He crouched slightly, leveling his gaze with the bound man. "But I know enough to make it hurt."
The man flinched but didn't speak. He smirked.
"I really don't appreciate traitors," he continued. "You helped the girl. You gave her the means to escape. And worse..." His eyes darkened, and he plunged the blade into the man's leg, eliciting a hoarse scream from his abused throat.
"You led the Autobots straight to our base."
His free hand shot out, gripping Connors by the jaw, forcing the man to look him in the eyes. "You cost me resources. Time. Manpower."
He squeezed, watching with satisfaction as Connors whimpered softly, struggling against the vice grip. Pulling the blade out with a sickening squelch, he added. "You will pay for that."
And with that, he pressed the tip of the blade to Connors's skin, smiling when the screams started.
Wow... that was the longest chapter I have ever wrote. Basically two-in-one-chapters! And it was the most painful, I think. It hurt me just writing this, especially the scene with Galloway. It took me a few tries to get it right. (There's a reason Wheeljack is absent from that scene)
I finally got the talk in, with June and Arcee. But it's so sad, because they can't see each other anymore...
Jack's dad is back?! After all these years, he randomly shows up.
So is that very, totally, mysterious voice that can predict the future, I think.
Silas has a family, wow :)
I can see his wife left him... a bit insane...
We are starting to get there... so close...
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think :D
Thank you all for your votes! The new one will be Mechanical Evolution to Conquer Humanity, it's better than what I came up with. I just changed ones word. Credit to LEGOBRICK13 on Wattpad for the name :D