And here it is: the seventh part to what was intended to be a five-parter start to this story. I hope you enjoyed it. For now though, any further additions to this story will take longer. Since I wanted to write a few before actually posting the first one, now we have a cluster of chapters to start us off with. But for now, any more additions will take time. I hope you'll enjoy.
Once Human, Part 7
Decepticon Mine - Mining Area
In one corner of the mining room, Ironhide dove forward to dodge Brawl's missile wave, then rushed in for a gut punch. Brawl blocked with his arms, and swiped the arm cannon out of the way just as it would have blasted his chest piece. Then, with the other servo, both bots punched forward, feeling a clash of fists.
"I see all that bulk isn't for waste. Unfortunately, it won't help you." Ironhide said.
"I wouldn't say so, Autobot!" Brawl screamed.
Brawl then raised his pede to Ironhide's chest piece, and kicked hard, launching each other backwards quite a bit. They both got up quickly with weapons trained on each other.
"Let's see who gets sent to the Allspark first!" Brawl said with anticipation.
But the contest of firepower was brought to a halt as they heard a screech. A horridly high-pitched screech that sounded both furious and crazed. Both Ironhide and Brawl turned to find the strange new triple changer, Jasper, screeching to the sky as he sprinted right at the Vehicons shooting at him. He grappled one Vehicon and stabbed his chest piece repeatedly while holding his headpiece with the other servo. Oddly enough, a severe amount of Energon streamed from that wound, like it was being coaxed by the blade.
Ironhide thought Jasper went mad, and sought to help him. Yet something was not right. Despite still getting shot at by the other Vehicons, Jasper didn't seem to care. In fact, it made him more mad, as he went to the next closest Vehicon. Like he went feral.
"What kind of freak is that Autobot!?" Brawl yelled out as he aimed for Jasper.
In a split-second, Ironhide wrestled down Brawl, holding his cannon to the ground.
"You forgot about me!?" Ironhide yelled out as he punched Brawl's face.
Hopefully, Ironhide thought, someone else could help with whatever was happening to Jasper.
Closer to Jasper, the three humans watched in absolute shock as Jasper, the one who incessantly wanted to run to safety, was now chopping down vehicles one by one.
Aiko asked, "Ralph, have you ever seen any transformer do this?"
Ralph, who was analyzing Jasper, said, "No, not once in all my life… how is he still going?"
Ralph kept looking on as Jasper took out his blade from a Vehicon he held in the air and noticed the blade absorbing the Energon. And, whenever he was taking in Energon, he repaired any wounds he had. In fact, he was repairing faster than he was getting injured.
Just what creature could make him into… this?
Suddenly, a laser hit Jasper from above, and he growled as he noticed Laserbeak flying above him. He started climbing a wall real high, then screeched out as he jumped far, ready to catch the little flying Decepticon. Laserbeak easily dodged the grab and saw him fall hard, but Jasper seemed to not remotely care and just got up immediately to cut down a different Vehicon shooting at him.
Ralph saw this, and realized, "He's… he's not thinking. He's just reacting."
Aiko clapped between the two men, saying, "Stop analyzing. Ralph, I need you to exit and to call for Ratchet. Take these." She held out the unknown datapads to Ralph.
Ralph took the datapads into his backpack and asked, "What about you, Ma'am?"
"I need to get the only civilian out of here, right now."
Jackson looked at the only civilian proceeding to smash a Vehicon into the ground with a scream, "Good luck with that."
Ralph reluctantly agreed and ran for the unguarded exit, while Aiko grabbed Jackson's radio.
"Jasper? Come in, Jasper."
Jasper heard Aiko's voice in his audio receptor as he sliced off a Vehicon's cannon arm. He looked around, confused, expecting an enemy to be close by.
"Jasper, it's me. Division Major Aiko. We need you to get out of here. It's too dangerous."
Jasper growled in anger as he found Aiko looking upon him with… worry. He seemed to calm down just a bit, though the energy within him kept him far from still.
Aiko relaxed… until she looked back at Ralph and saw a Vehicon going for him.
"Ralph, Vehicon!"
The warning got to Ralph, who jumped back at the Vehicon's attempt to grab him. But as he went to grab him again, Jasper darted at the Vehicon, grappling his arm and swinging around his whole body right into the stone wall. Ralph hesitated as Jasper beat down the already-offlined Vehicon, but he merely stared at Ralph for a second… and then rushed off to the next target. Ralph caught his breath and then ran into the tunnel.
Soundwave was analyzing the suddenly-raging triple changer as he was fighting Bumblebee.
"Lord Megatron, the triple changer is destroying our Vehicon troops," Soundwave said over the comms.
"Then put a stop to him!" Megatron yelled as he parried Optimus's axe strike.
"The triple changer appears to be easily distracted in his current state." Soundwave pointed out.
"...Then distract him, and bring him to me," Megatron said, a grin on his faceplate.
After a clash that pushed both leaders back, Megatron simply gave off a sinister laugh.
"I must admit Optimus, I'm surprised. Never did I think you would find yourself such a barbaric Autobot before. Such power, such ruthlessness… It's impressive."
Optimus glanced over at the raging Jasper with concern. Just what was happening to him? And was he in control of himself?
Bumblebee was dead silent as he tried to pin down Soundwave. But the Communications Lieutenant of the Decepticons truly lived up to his reputation. Yet finally, as Bumblebee grabbed both of Soundwave's arms and restrained them…
"Ravage, eject."
A cassette popped out of Soundwave's chest and unfolded into a black-and-gray puma that hit Bumblebee's headpiece hard. Soundwave then pushed back the muscle car Autobot and blasted him with a dead-on sonic boom, launching him back into a stone wall.
Soundwave looked down to Ravage and said, "Ravage, lead the triple changer to Megatron."
Without a word, Ravage was making leaps towards the raging Jasper. As he was crushing one Vehicon's cannon arm, Ravage jumped and clawed at Jasper's back, causing him to howl in anger. He reached for the big Decepticon cat, and Ravage jumped off just in time to run off. Jasper, his optics trained on the retreating Ravage, gave chase.
"No, no, no, what are they doing?" Aiko said as she saw Jasper run away.
"They're leading him somewhere… towards Optimus and…" Jackson then went wide-eyed and grabbed back the radio, "Bumblebee, we need you to get up and to get Jasper back…"
As Jackson tried to order a dazed Bumblebee, Aiko saw that Soundwave directed Laserbeak right for them.
"Jackson, we gotta run! Now!"
Aiko then dragged Jackson away toward the exit tunnel, with Laserbeak on their tails.
Within the mind of Jasper, very few coherent thoughts ran through his head. All he saw was the world colored red, and all he felt… was an unexplainable, primal rage. That same rage fueled him onward, dulling so much of the pain that he didn't buckle from it, but just enough that it directed his fury toward someone. No concern, no fear, just…
Destroy…
Just instinct.
That's what he was doing as he was chasing down the little Decepticon puma, running away just fast enough that Jasper could never get his hands on him.
Meanwhile, Megatron was still fighting the Prime, though it was clear the warlord had the edge. While the Dark Energon made him stronger and more durable, Optimus was not fully recovered. Yet still, the Prime fought with all of his might.
But Jasper was only focused on his target, and saw Ravage stop while clinging to a stone wall. Jasper screeched out as he thrust his hollow blade at Ravage, only for the puma to dodge with milliseconds to spare. Ravage then landed away from Jasper, who wedged his blade right into the stone. Jasper then began to try and pull his blade out with such fury, that even his grunts of effort sounded animalistic.
Megatron laughed out of surprise, "Truly, Optimus, have your standards fallen so far that you allow ferocious beasts into your ranks? I'm impressed, however. He makes for a deadly weapon."
In his arrogance, Megatron let his guard down just long enough for Optimus to chop at the warlord with a battle cry. Megatron brought up his arm just in time for the ax to embed into it, and Megatron's face was more excited than pained.
Megatron growled as he held Optimus's arm in place, and broke the handle of his ax weapon, disarming the Prime. He then kicked Optimus hard in the chest piece, sending him back far. Optimus felt pain and exhaustion, yet rose his head to see… Megatron looking right at Jasper.
"Beastly creature!" Megatron said as he fired his fusion cannon right into Jasper's shoulder.
The wild Jasper finally let out a roar of pain, feeling far more from that one blast than from any other before. As the wound was healing, Jasper looked at the warlord with even greater fury, and aimed his other hand at Megatron. It transformed into a large, claw-like cannon that charged up a ball of energy and electricity. With a rising yell, Jasper fired the ball at the warlord, who sidestepped the fast projectile.
Knockout then came out of a nearby tunnel, holding a statue in his servos, "Lord Megatron, I have the– Ah!"
Knockout dove just in time as the ball of energy hit an Energon crystal, causing it to explode and leave a rather sizable crater in the wall. Both Megatron and Prime saw the scene of destruction, noticing the damage and the statue in Knockout's hands.
"Knockout! Get the converter out of here, now!" Megatron ordered.
Optimus just looked back at a still-mad Jasper, whose glowing orange body pattern seemed to dull in color after the blast. Finally, with the help of both legs pushing hard on the stone, Jasper freed himself. His sights were then set back to the middle of the room… to Megatron.
Destroy… Destroy…
Jasper started running, his fury still strong as he was growling and screeching at the warlord.
Destroy… Megatron…
"Jasper, no!" Optimus warned.
But it was too late. Megatron looked back at the furious fighter approaching him, aiming his blade at his spark…
Only for the warlord to dodge just out of the way, his flail extended and spinning with him. By the time Jasper looked back, the flail struck his headpiece, shattering his visor and sending him to the ground with a slam, his orange pattern disappearing a second after being grounded.
That knock to the head was enough for Jasper to see the world as it was, including the menacing Decepticon leader standing over him.
Megatron grinned and said, "I'm impressed, Autobot. With all of your abilities, you could make an incredible soldier. But a soldier on the losing side is a waste. Look at them: the ever-righteous Autobots, against my ruthless Decepticons! Look how they falter!"
Jasper, exhausted, looked over at the Autobots and saw Bumblebee just shaking off the sonic boom, Ironhide being pushed back by Brawl, and Optimus holding his crushed chest piece.
But Megatron also noticed something about Jasper. Or more, a lack of something.
"You have no insignia! So why even fight for them? I will give you this one chance, Jasper… join us, and your victory is guaranteed. We will destroy the Autobots, bring back Cybertron, and begin the Age of Decepticons!" Megatron held his fist high in the air, his words sounding triumphant.
But after a few seconds… Jasper just chuckles weakly.
"Megatron… you would make a good point… but I have to tell you something… Your planet isn't my homeworld."
Megatron was disappointed, yet surprised. Did he just say–
Megatron couldn't finish that thought, as he caught Jasper's blade between his servos.
Megatron looked down at the weakened Jasper, "Oh, so unwise."
Then the warlord quickly broke the hollow blade, sending Jasper into sudden great pain, and picked him up by the next with his free servo.
"Then you will die with them!" Megatron snarled.
Jasper… he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He's done enough. He wanted this to be over, body or not. So he waited for the final blow…
Only to hear a battle cry from the side as Optimus tackled Megatron hard, punching him with all his weight right into the warlord's faceplate. Enraged, Megatron threw Jasper to the side to brawl with the Prime again.
Jasper flew for a bit before hitting rock, sliding across until barely stopping right near the Energon elevator and storage pit. He struggled to look up as he saw Optimus punching Megatron repeatedly, while Megatron seemed only disgruntled by the assault.
Just how many times has Optimus saved him at this point?
Jasper then heard heavy pedes approaching him, and found Knockout approaching him.
"Well, look at you now," Knockout said with a sly grin.
Jasper sighed. This day cannot get any worse.
Jackson and Aiko were running down the tunnels, chasing the lights as the high-pitched Laserbeak kept chasing them.
Jackson pulled out his holstered gun and shot it behind him. Laserbeak simply dodged out of the way of each bullet.
"Jackson! Bullets are useless against them!" Aiko sounded off in the front.
"If I die today, it won't be with a full mag!" Jackson then kept firing until his gun only clicked with every trigger pull.
Aiko looked back with frustration at the flying Decepticon bird, then tripped right over an embedded rock and fell to the ground. She got up as fast as she could with Jackson helping her up, but it was too late: Laserbeak was right in front of them, training its barrels on the two targets.
Jackson raised up to face the metal bird and said, "Division Major… it's been an honor."
"The honor's all mine, Sergeant…" Aiko raised her hands, and thought of her daughter…
Only to hear a siren approach them from behind.
Jackson looked back and said, "Is that–"
He stopped once he noticed the white-and-red ambulance driving down the tunnel, and pulled Aiko to the side as it transformed into Ratchet. Ratchet gave off a yell as his servo formed into a large, scalpel-like blade, and swiped at Laserbeak's wing. Laserbeak barely dodged the deadly attack, its wing now suffering a through-and-through cut that made it harder to fly. Ratchet formed his other servo into a scalpel.
"The doctor is here!" Ratchet said as he stared down the wounded Laserbeak.
Laserbeak simply turned around and flew back, leaving the humans and the deadly doctor behind.
Ratchet sighed as he looked down at Aiko and Jackson, "I was wondering what's been happening the last hour."
Aiko could not be more glad, and said, "Are you not a sight for sore eyes. How did you know to come here?"
"Ralph called me and said they needed reinforcements. He's now in control of the ground bridge. He also said that you should be getting out, right now."
Jackson sighed, said, "Fine by me," and started running.
"Wait!" Aiko said, "Ratchet, they've got Brawl, Soundwave, Knockout, and Megatron in there. Not to mention Jasper–"
"It's fine. I've heard everything from Ralph. I'll try and get them out as well."
Aiko hesitated… only to nod at Ratchet. Ratchet nodded back and transformed back into an ambulance, then drove for the mine room.
"Megatron is right, you know. We were strong before all this, but now with Dark Energon? The Autobots don't stand a chance."
Jasper looked upon the Decepticon doctor with disdain, glancing over at Optimus holding his best against Megatron.
Knockout tapped his digit onto the statue in his hold, "Who would think our key to freedom would be a statue? I doubted Megatron, I really did, but I can't deny the results."
Jasper was confused. That… creepy statue… was why they had Dark Energon?
"Most bots would see the truth and follow his request. But you… you just denied his invitation? To the winning team? You must have a death wish. Speaking of…" Knockout formed one servo into a spinning buzzsaw, "I'm going to get you back for what you did to my finish."
Jasper felt off. He felt fear as Knockout approached him buzzsaw-first, but it wasn't as much as it should've been. He looked down at his broken blade, his scratched-up body, and his new claw-blaster thing that he didn't even know he had, and realized. All he saw the last 24 hours were titans. Metal titans. He would have been completely scared out of his mind if he were human. But he wasn't. He was also a titan himself. And it clicked in his mind that perhaps he wasn't as hopeless as he thought. Perhaps… he can still do something.
Knockout stopped as Jasper got to his knee and pushed himself up, almost falling over from exhaustion and pain. He raised his new blaster at Knockout as he took a few steps back.
"You're a brave one, but foolish. That blaster won't hurt me by the time I get to you."
Jasper gave off a chuckle, though he knew he was right. He felt like at most, he could give off one blast, nothing like the one before. Perhaps he could aim it at Megatron to give Optimus the edge… but he could potentially hit Optimus instead. He only learned how to use it in a rage not five minutes ago.
But then Jasper stopped as his pede's heel reached empty space, and glanced back into the pit… filled to the brim with Energon crates and crystals.
"Huh… red barrels…" Jasper realized.
"W-what?" Knockout said, caught off-guard at that comment.
Then Jasper activated his blaster, charging up an energy ball… and aimed it right into the Energon pit.
Knockout's optics widened in horror, and he rushed forward to cut down the triple changer.
"Don't! You'll blow us all u–"
It was too late. Knockout was just a few feet away as Jasper released the energy ball downwards, watching it fly fast to a pile of Energon crates. It made contact, shattering the crate's surface and electrifying the freed liquid. And the crate pile blew up. Then another. And another…
Until the entire Energon pit exploded with such force it sent everyone close by flying back, and everyone else to the ground. Everyone, both Autobot and Decepticon, saw the cave shake with every explosion, coming apart as large boulders fell from the ceiling and shattered the mining equipment.
Megatron and Optimus rose from the ground and looked back at the flaming Energon pit.
"No… the Energon…" Megatron's shock turned to rage as he brought out his flail against a rising Optimus, "Was this your plan, Prime!? To destroy us all in this mine!?"
"Wasn't his plan, Lord Megatron. Not at all."
Megatron looked aside to find Jasper, holding onto his shoulder and breathing heavily… while also holding the statue in his free servo. Megatron's optics widened upon the realization, and his dentas gritted hard as he growled.
"You want this? You gotta catch me first." Jasper said with a sly grin before transforming into a truck and driving off.
Megatron let off a furious roar as he rushed for Jasper, transforming into his jet mode and blasting all thrusters to max.
"Jasper… don't…"
Outside the mine...
From high in the skies, Starscream flew with speed through the clouds with his Seekers. If what he heard from Soundwave was correct, nearly all the Autobots have attacked the mines to rescue the human prisoners. And worse off, there was an Autobot triple changer in the mix as well.
He called Soundwave on his comms, asking, "Soundwave? We are twenty nano cycles away from the mine. What's happening there? Soundwave!? Scrap!"
"What's happening in there, Lieutenant?" Thundercracker asked behind him.
"I'm not sure. But I'm certain they're holding themselves fine."
"The mine's in sight, Lieutenant!" Thrust said.
Starscream sighed as he saw the hill that hid the mine, easily noticed by the exit hole atop it.
"Perfect… Now remember, we're there to reinforce. Destroy or capture any Autobots and ensure the prisoners do not escape. Focus on your orders, and do not get distracted. Right, Slipstream?"
Right behind everyone, Slipstream completed the diamond formation of the Seekers.
After a few seconds of silence, she responded, "... Understood."
Starscream sighed in relief, hoping that now she'd understand to follow his orders. Perhaps now, everything will go accordingly today.
Immediately after that thought, the hill's opening exploded in blue fire and smoke, nearly sending all the Seekers in disarray.
"What in the Allspark was that!?" Starscream shouted before entering through the top entrance.
The mine was a complete disaster. The Energon pit was a permanent smoldering and exploding mess of blue flames that heated the surrounding air so much it was nearly unbearable for Starscream's metal hide. Any exposed Energon crystals were randomly exploding and sending vibrations through their very bodies as though they were inches from the explosions. The cave was cracking apart and releasing falling shards of stone that could even dent their thick armor. And the actual battle? Sheer chaos. Most combatants were just trying to recover from the explosion and dodging so many falling rocks.
"This is a disaster! We have to get everyone out of here!" Starscream yelled out over the explosions.
Suddenly, Megatron's silverish jet mode flew past them as it roared in anger, like a predator on the hunt.
"Lord Megatron!" Starscream recognized him, and got on the comms, "Lord Megatron! The mine is falling apart! We have to retreat!"
"Not without my converter!" Megatron countered quite angrily.
Starscream was confused until Thundercracker pointed something out. A desert-brown military truck, carrying a statue within its cargo.
Thundercracker said, "Lieutenant, look! It's the–"
"The Autobot!" Slipstream yelled out excitedly.
"Slipstream, no! Remember, follow my orders! This place is coming down, we have to get everyone out of here before we get buried!"
"What about the converter and Megatron!?" Thrust asked.
"I'll deal with Megatron! Now get going!"
Starscream maxed out his thrusters as he was zeroing in on Megatron's location.
While Optimus struggled to rise, he saw as the Seekers descended from above, flying erratically to avoid any collapsing rocks. Optimus's spark sank as he saw the three Seekers head for his troops, and Starscream fly for Jasper.
No. He would not allow this. He would not allow his Autobots to lose their lives here, and he would not allow any more humans to be harmed or come to harm. The Decepticons must be stopped. Megatron must be stopped. No matter the cost.
Letting out a fierce battle cry, Optimus's facemask rose as his servos changed into blasters. He charged onwards past the falling boulders and rising temperatures. His first shot went right into Brawl's back as he was holding down Ironhide, who then proceeded to kick Brawl right off of him. His second shot shattered Soundwave's sonic cannon, nearly sending him spinning. This allowed Bumblebee to get up and throw a haymaker at him to properly send him to the ground. Thrust and Thundercracker flew right at Optimus, priming their blasters at him. Optimus's third shot hit one of Thrust's exhausts and sent him into a wild spin. Thundercracker transformed mid-air and rammed into Optimus, holding him down as Slipstream shot a missile at the vulnerable Prime. Optimus instead grabbed Thundercracker and hoisted him up, shielding him from the missile's explosion and sending him and Thundercracker flying to the ground.
As Optimus got up yet again, Slipstream landed in front of him and aimed an arm blaster at his faceplate.
"Die, Prime!" Slipstream simply said.
Then a white-and-red ambulance blared its alarm as it flew right into Slipstream's torso, sending her to the ground. Optimus took no chances and grabbed onto her to throw her far away, seeing a large rock strike the Dark Energon-powered Deception.
Ratchet transformed and said, "Optimus! We need to leave! The humans are safe!"
"Not all of them! Everyone else, fall back!" Optimus yelled with sheer determination as he ran for Jasper. He will get him to safety. He has to.
"Optimus, wait! Scrap!" Ratchet looked at Ironhide and Bumblebee, and ordered, "Give him suppressing fire!" He then transformed and followed Optimus, dodging as many rocks as he could.
Ratchet truly hoped that Optimus was not in over his headpiece.
The rest of the Decepticons found this to be too much. After what the Prime had done, they all found themselves grouped up and just firing back at Ironhide and Bumblebee.
"I'm gonna scrap you, Ironhide!" Brawl yelled out as he kept unloading missile after missile.
"Enough! Don't you see what's happening!? We have to get out of here, now!" Thundercracker pointed out.
"He's right!" said Knockout as he approached them with a heavily scratched finish, "The Energon pit hasn't reached its maximum yield! At this rate, we only have three minutes before it destabilizes this whole cave into coming down!"
"Lord Megatron has not acquired the Dark Energon converter. We cannot abandon him now." Soundwave said calmly despite the sheer destruction around him.
"He's got Starscream helping him! He'll be fine! Now let's get out of here!" Knockout urged everyone.
Rather quickly, most of the Decepticons rushed for the exit tunnels, except for a stoic Soundwave and disgruntled Slipstream. Soundwave watched as Megatron kept chasing the triple changer with little regard for his surroundings, and clenched his servos as he was ready to step in.
"No." Slipstream palmed Soundwave's shoulder, then said, "You're not fast enough. I'll do it."
Soundwave almost felt slight insult at the proposal, but seeing the sheer level of determination on Slipstream's face, he stepped back and transformed into his bulky car form. Slipstream watched Soundwave follow the remaining Decepticons, then cracked her servos as she ran for the evading Jasper.
Jasper drove around the perpetually exploding pit, dodging falling boulders and blaster fire from Megatron. After that massive explosion and being sent flying to a hard rock wall, his mind was in a haze. He wasn't overthinking anything, he wasn't wondering what threats could attack him. He only reacted to what was in the moment. And at that past moment, he saw Megatron, and the statue in Knockout's unconscious servos… and had an idea.
Distract Megatron.
A simple plan that worked well so far. The in-progress cave-in slowed down Megatron and made Jasper's movement unpredictable. Megatron seemed to hesitate shooting at Jasper for the sake of the statue's sanctity. And though Jasper felt like he wanted to rest for a week, hearing the warlord's furious battle growls and roars filled him with some form of determination.
But then Starscream joined the hunt.
With the deadly Megatron on his tail, Jasper saw the more agile Lieutenant close the gap faster and shoot off lasers at his wheels. His aim was as accurate as Megatron's but double the fire made it much harder to dodge.
Well, that was pretty bad, Jasper thought.
Then he heard a jet from the front, and saw the purple Slipstream circling the other way and flying fast, priming her missiles for the approaching Jasper.
Nevermind. That was bad.
A running Optimus saw the whole thing, and urged himself to go faster. A two-pronged attack from three powerful jets? Jasper would be decimated from the collision alone.
"Jasper, no!" Optimus yelled out.
But Jasper could not hear him. He was in his own head, wondering how to deal with this.
And then it struck him.
With enemies on both sides approaching fast, the double-ended assault inevitable, Jasper floored his engines. And as the three Decepticons were close enough…
Jasper transformed and jumped upwards with his momentum. Slipstream's missiles struck the ground underneath Jasper, sending him flying along with tons of dirt and dust. Suddenly, the dust cloud blocked sight for both sides of the attack, meaning–
A blast from Megatron hit Slipstream square in the wing, sending her spinning right into a screaming Starscream and causing them both to crash-land.
Meanwhile, Jasper pushed himself up with great difficulty and pain, his breathing sharp and almost… chuckling. He looked upon the two Seekers, recovering hard from their collision, then near his feet: That statue still remained in one piece.
"Triple changer…"
Jasper's head jolted toward the venomous voice, and found Megatron pounding his pedes heavily as he approached with utter contempt.
"I will take back what is rightfully mine. But first," Megatron aimed his fusion cannon and primed it to fire, "I will vaporize your spark!"
Jasper… couldn't even bother, and let out a quiet chuckle, "I believe you." He looked at Megatron and saw… something approaching him from behind.
No, is that–
Megatron heard the heavy pedes too late, and took a full-blown punch from Optimus, sending him back twenty meters. Megatron shook his headpiece and finally regained focus, and saw Optimus shielding a horrified Jasper from him.
"No… No, Optimus, what are you still doing here? You and the Autobots need to get out, before this place comes down!" Jasper said, his optics wide.
"We will get out of here! All of us! Including you, Jasper!" Optimus told Jasper.
Farther away, a groaning Starscream pushed off Slipstream and got up despite his new collision damage. He saw Megatron rising from the ground to meet the defending Prime yet again, still seeking to fight. But as he was farther back, Starscream got a full view of the crumbling cave, and realized all the same that time was running short for them. They had to get out of there before it was too late.
"Lord Megatron! We must leave now! This may be our last chance before it is too late!" Starscream yelled out to Megatron.
Megatron glanced back at his Lieutenant, and Optimus took the chance: he dove for the statue and grabbed it. By the time the warlord noticed, Optimus was already preparing to throw it at the flaming Energon pit. Megatron's fury exploded as he let off a hasty shot of his fusion cannon in an attempt to stop the throw.
"No!"
Jasper screamed out as he dove in front of Optimus, shielding the shot and falling to the ground in pain. Before Megatron could charge another shot, it was too late: Optimus threw it as hard as he could for the pit, and the statue went flying through the air. His optics wide, Megatron transformed and flew up to try and catch it, but was just short.
"The converter!" Megatron yelled out as it flew over the pit.
Yet somehow, the statue's force was too great, and it cleared the pit entirely and landed right on its edge… on the polar opposite of the collapsing mining room.
"Lord Megatron, abandon it! We have to escape, now!" Starscream pleaded with Megatron as he fished Slipstream from the ground.
"No!" Megatron started flying around the pit as its explosions intensified, "Get that converter! Now!"
Starscream had enough. They had to leave. One statue was not worth their lives.
"We must leave, now! Slipstream, with me!" Starscream ordered the roused Slipstream.
"Understood… Lord Megatron." Slipstream muttered with a purple gaze before flying with Megatron.
"No! Slipstream! Scraaaap!" Starscream screamed out as he transformed and flew upward toward the roof exit.
Meanwhile, Optimus was looking over Jasper, who was in bad condition: apart from all the damages repaired in the battle, and the scratches and explosion burns that never did, he now had a purple, vaporizing hole in his arm that exposed his internals and leaked a lot of Energon. But while Jasper looked bad, he felt worse, like he was hit by several trucks at once and was set ablaze. He couldn't move even if he wanted to.
But somehow he did, as Optimus hoisted Jasper's good arm around him and carried him on.
"Optimus!" An approaching Ratchet yelled out before transforming and, without a second of hesitation, took Jasper's free arm and carried his other side.
"Optimus… Just go…" Jasper said weakly.
"No…" Optimus said, placing one pede in front of the other, "This is not how your life ends, Jasper. Not in my war. You have family and friends that will miss you greatly if I don't get you back. Don't you want to see them again?"
Even with the pain and exhaustion clouding his thoughts, he did think about them. Mom… Dad… Zane… Frank…
Roe.
He stopped dragging his pedes and stomped them. He stopped losing vision and widened his optics. He gritted his dentas and let out a growl. Jasper suddenly lunged forward from their grasps, still on his own two pedes, and slammed his own chest piece with his bad arm. He felt pain. It was a pain he'd never felt before and would've weighed him down like an anchor. But he pushed on, and started running with Ratchet and Prime, transforming with them into his truck form and flooring it for the exit.
Megatron was right at the edge of the pit, reaching for the statue that was so close to falling down. His vision was only on that statue, nothing else, and having it be so close just urged him to reach for it more. He could feel it. The statue was calling for him to get it back.
"Lord Megatron!" Slipstream said as she transformed next to him.
"I will get that converter!" Megatron screamed out. What that statue would give him was worth the risk. He knew that to be true.
Slipstream said no words of hesitation or doubt, and grasped the cliff's edge with her digits, her free servo closer than ever to the statue.
Megatron grinned maddeningly. They could get it. They could–
Suddenly, Megatron's vision focused past the statue, and saw the Energon pit's explosions becoming grander and more frequent. He snapped out of it, looking around him as the cave walls were crumbling so much that they couldn't be called walls anymore. The roof was coming down on them more and more. The pit's flames were growing hotter and closer. But as he realized how deep into the trap he was…
The Energon pit's chain event began, and it let out one single, massive explosion that sent Megatron and Slipstream flying back, their armor shattering from the force. They crashed violently into the wall, with Megatron losing sight of Slipstream. He barely had a second to think just as the air flashed with fire while he saw a monsoon of stone raining down upon him.
Curse you… Prime!
Megatron let out one rebellious roar as the thousands of tons of stone crashed into him, burying the warlord once and for all.
"Keep driving!"
Optimus urged Ratchet and much more rickety Jasper to drive as the tunnels began collapsing. Though his wheels always seemed ready to fly off their hubs, he drove ever onward as the path behind was buried by rocks. He followed Prime, who followed the flickering lights, all to escape the exploding mine.
"Just a few… hundred… meters!" Ratchet yelled out as he wordlessly counted down the lights, hearing the rubble behind get closer and closer…
Until all three vehicles launched out of the cave entrance and landed above ground, skidding to a stop right as the cave entrance collapsed with a final blueish explosion flaring through the cracks.
All three of them transformed, and Jasper looked back with great exhaustion. He was out of there. He was safe. Finally… he could just rest–
Suddenly, he felt Ratchet's servo on his shoulder pad, causing him to look back… and see the main Decepticon soldiers all staring and aiming at them. Brawl, Soundwave, Knockout, Thrust, Thundercracker, and a handful of Vehicons, all looking upon the Autobots with contempt. Only Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Optimus were aiming back, the promise of a firefight so very near.
Jasper's spark sank as he took a step back. Ratchet held him in place as he shielded him, his other servo turned into a scalpel-blade.
Suddenly, a jet engine roared in the sky, and what else dropped from the clouds but Starscream, who transformed seconds before hitting the ground. All Decepticons glanced at Starscream as he got up from one kneepad.
Soundwave was the first to break the silence, "Where is Lord Megatron?"
Starscream was silent, looking at the flaming hill with disbelief, "He was still in there… Slipstream as well. They didn't make it out."
Brawl was shocked. Knockout was doubtful. Thrust and Thundercracker couldn't believe their Seeker comrade and leader was gone. And in the case of Soundwave, he was just dead silent.
Then Knockout pointed at Jasper, "It was him! The triple changer Autobot! He blew up the mine! He snuffed Megatron's spark!"
Quickly, shock and loss turned to spite and fury, as most of the Decepticons adjusted their blasters for the injured Jasper. Soundwave, now without a functional Sonic Cannon, just stared at him with a look that promised nothing good.
"Stay behind us, Jasper," Ironhide said as he adjusted his body to block Jasper's, and then primed his arm cannons.
Jasper's servos shook once again in anticipation of the carnage to come…
Then he heard the explosion of sound far behind him, followed by a green light. A ground bridge just opened.
"Everyone, quick! Retreat!" Said Ralph over the comms.
Starscream broke out of his silence and aimed his blaster at the Autobots, "Decepticons, stop them!"
A volley of blasts rained down on them as the Autobots started running back to the ground bridge while firing back at the Decepticons. Bumblebee transformed to drive next to the portal, then transformed back to urge everyone forward and to return more blaster fire. Thrust and Thundercracker transformed and flew high, readying their blasters to fire right at Jasper. Optimus noticed and redirected his blasters upward to split them. Though many shots came close, a few did glance and strike at the Autobots, but they carried on.
Except Jasper, as a blast hit the back of his leg, nearly sending him buckling down. Jasper's sudden misfortune found him lagging behind, so exhausted and injured, even while practically hopping forward on one working leg. Brawl saw this weakness, and started transforming into his tank form.
The first to retreat was Ratchet while Ironhide and Optimus gave suppressing fire. Bumblebee rushed to Jasper to give him the speed he needed to keep up. And just as Brawl was ready to fire off his twin cannons, Optimus grabbed Jasper while Ironhide grabbed Bumblebee…
And they all jumped through the portal and onto a hard, steel floor of the silo room.
"Now!" Ralph yelled out as Ratchet took control of the ground bridge controls and pulled the switch.
The green portal swirled backward as it shrunk, but not before letting in some fire and debris just as it closed completely. But nothing more. The Autobots were safe. The humans were back. They won the battle.
Ironhide got up and quickly picked Bumblebee from the ground, "All clear… Good move there, giving him a boost."
Ironhide looked to the now-free humans, and said, "Welcome back, you two. Sorry you had to be in that position."
"It's fine, I'm just glad to be back," Jackson said, leaning on the railings of the walkway.
But Aiko was not relaxed, and asked, "... Jasper?"
Everyone was then directed at Jasper, who was still on the ground and not moving as Optimus held him in his arms. His optics were fading and barely tracked anything, and his breathing was shallow.
"So… tired… need… to sleep…" Jasper muttered to Optimus before lowering his head.
Jasper felt as heavy as lead as his vision blurred. He couldn't hear the commotion of everyone hurrying off somewhere, nor could he feel as servos were holding him high as the wind passed by so fast. What he felt… was a level beyond exhaustion.
See you soon… Roe.
Decepticon Warship - The Nemesis
In the command room of the Nemesis, many Vehicons along with the select Decepticon Lieutenants watched from the lower platforms up at the holographic screen showing their once-mighty Lord Megatron. Alone on the higher, commanding platform, stood Starscream, looking on at the image with heavy optics. The leader of the Decepticons… was now gone. After eons of battle, he finally fell.
All because of the Autobots.
But… in his mind, Starscream could not believe that. Megatron could have lived. If he had listened to Starscream and left that statue behind, he would be here. Sure, no more Dark Energon could be made, but there can always be other ways to destroy the Autobots. So his death was entirely avoidable. Starscream did all he could. It was not the Autobots that offlined Megatron, but instead Megatron himself.
And now the Decepticons were left leaderless… Unless one was willing to take the step.
"My fellow Decepticons… this is truly our darkest hour. Our mighty leader is no more. His grave is now marked by the destroyed Energon mine. He has met his end… but we have not."
Mutters and whispers could be heard from the crowds as Starscream looked back with a new look in his eyes. One of ingenuity and excitement.
"As powerful as our leader was, he was not infallible. That is why his quest for power, for Dark Energon, led to his very doom! But we are Decepticons! We all know the risks, Megatron just as much! One lost battle does not mean the end for us! So I say, for the sake of our Lord, we shall seek his vengeance! We shall be the ones to destroy his enemies! We shall be the ones to further the cause! And we shall be the ones to win this war! No matter the cost!"
The crowds were roused from such words, all their visors on Starscream. Brawl and the Seekers were excited, Knockout was impressed by the words, and Soundwave kept staring on.
Starscream threw his arms out, his digits curled, "I promise to you, Megatron, that I, Lord Starscream, will avenge you! All Autobots must fall!"
All the Vehicons thrusted their arms in the air, chanting, "All Autobots must fall! All Autobots must fall!"
Starscream watched upon the vision of the crowds chanting… and smiled the most wicked smile.
Autobot Hideout - Unknown Missile Silo
Jasper… could not move. He could not feel. He could not even see. Wherever he was, he couldn't find out. But what he could do was hear something. Voices. Familiar ones.
"He's leaking a lot of Energon!"
"Shouldn't he have more wounds!?"
"He can heal them back by… wait… I have an idea. Someone transform his servo!"
"What!?"
"Trust me! All you have to do is–"
Suddenly, the familiar voices stopped. And all there was was silence… for a while.
"."
".."
"…"
"... You started off better than we thought. Perhaps you can still do what must be done."
The dread-inducing voice suddenly woke up Jasper, leading him to gasp in air he didn't need. He looked around in a panic, seeing a familiar off-white medical room… and every Autobot looking over him. Confused, looked down and saw Ratchet pull off his impaled servo from Jasper's transformed hollow blade, absorbing Energon and glowing in orange lines like before. But the glowing orange lines only reached his shoulder, and soon, retracted back to his blade and disappeared.
"I suppose this is what you call a transfusion… how barbaric." Ratchet sneered as he looked upon his injured servo.
Jasper… was still confused, "What… what happened?"
Ironhide answered first, "You went unconscious! Scared us half-to-death, punk. But we got you all healed up." He held up his servo, which was also stabbed.
Bumblebee simply beeped a few times and held up his own impaled servo.
Ratchet continued, saying, "Your biology allows for dramatically faster repair times, especially when absorbing Energon. It raises more questions than answers, but I am just glad that it works."
Jasper looked down at his hollow blade, and transformed it back to normal.
"Th… Thank you… So… it's over? The battle is… Oh, God! What about Ralph, Jackson, and Aiko!? Where are–"
"Down here, mister Judge," an unseen Aiko said.
Jasper looked down at the ground and saw Aiko, Jackson, and Ralph all looking up, glad to see that Jasper was leaning up and responding.
But Jasper was looking specifically at Jackson and Aiko, "Oh, oh my… I'm… I'm so sorry for getting you captured. I didn't–"
"Stop." Jackson held his hand up, shushing Jasper, "You helped get us out. I'd consider us even."
"Trust me, though, I am mad that a certain someone got you involved," Aiko stared down Ralph, who avoided her gaze, then she continued with, "But… I'm just glad you're alive and well. Last thing I wanted was a civvy to die because of me. Instead, now I'll have to deal with a cover story about a whole hill exploding from Energon."
Jasper chuckled nervously, before stopping as he pondered back further and further onto the past events… and realized it.
"... So what now? I mean, the only reason you were helping me was to get my body back, but… the facility was destroyed. There was no trace of my body there, and I'm pretty certain at this point that the Decepticons didn't do it, so… where does that leave us?"
No one answered the tough question, but Optimus stepped to the front of the crowd, also bearing a wound on his servo.
"Jasper, thanks to Ralph, we have the datapads from the facility. They should yield something on your condition once we decipher them. But for now, you will need to wait."
Jackson continued on what Optimus said, "Yes. Unfortunately, we have to keep you here. Not only to keep you safe from the Decepticons, but to keep you safe from the public."
Jasper sighed in relief… but only briefly.
"But… What about my family? My friends? I have people that will miss me. What will… would I just have to abandon my life?"
Aiko sighed, "I'm afraid, in your condition, there's really nothing more we can do for–"
"Wait."
Jasper, along with everyone else, looked to Optimus as he interjected.
"There is one thing that we can try. It won't be easy, but it could allow you some form of your previous life."
Jasper couldn't hide his shock. He wanted to know. He had to know. He didn't care how difficult it was, as long as he could just see his loved ones yet again.
"What is it, Optimus? Tell me." Jasper pleaded without even wanting to.
Kamilo, one hour later…
The dusking sun washed over the town of Kamilo with golden light, making the simple and small buildings look more beautiful than can ever be seen. Very few people were walking at this hour, as most were at home after a long day's work, leaving the streets and sidewalks barren. The town… was quiet. Peaceful.
Jasper cannot believe he's never seen the town like this. He never cared much for the view. But after his kidnapping, he couldn't be more glad to see such a sight. And who would have thought that all it would be was one short ground bridge trip that he could be here… driving his own alt-mode.
It was a strange thing, what Optimus suggested. A 'hardlight' form meant to fill up the seat to dissipate any suspicions. To the others' surprise, he already had the module that carried this feature, and using it showed off his original body instead of having to calculate one. He couldn't believe it. Seeing his own pale hands on his steering wheel, his thin, black jean jacket looking more pristine than they ever did, and his neck-length hair flowing freely with no split ends or lack of substance. He was… himself. But also not. It was a strange feeling, but he was just glad to be something more familiar.
"It's… it's incredible, Optimus." Jasper said with a smile on his face.
Looking to his side, Optimus's vehicle form was right next to him, and in the driver's seat was Optimus's own hardlight form, looking at him with a more stoic expression.
"That is a relief to hear," Said Optimus, weirding out Jasper with his lack of mouth-tracking.
"... I imagine you don't use this function that much?" Jasper asked, his own movements precise and… well… second nature.
"It serves its purpose for the times that it's needed. Though I have no doubt that you will find more use with it."
Jasper was grinning wildly, then asked, "Can we go to my place?"
Optimus pondered before saying, "Very well. Follow me. I'll lead you there."
Optimus drove down the road toward his home, and Jasper gladly followed.
In the parking lot of his complex, Jasper looked around in amazement from his guest parking spot. Optimus watched over him while keeping an optic around. Optimus did not believe that the Decepticons would act so soon after such a loss, but he did not take that chance.
"My God, it's still… kinda bland-looking. Shouldn't be surprised. I definitely didn't pick it for the view." Jasper chuckled before looking at his own apartment…
Until he saw someone familiar.
"Wait… is that…"
Nearby his apartment's door, curled up in its own little tail, was a familiar-looking, dirty tabby cat.
"Rascal!" Jasper gasped as he exited his vehicle, shocking Optimus.
"Jasper, wai–"
But Optimus stopped speaking as he watched the ecstatic man exit the driver's seat and run over to the little tabby cat. Jasper scooped up Rascal, scratching him just behind the ear and causing the cat to purr.
Optimus stared in silence and disbelief. Jasper's hardlight form… even worked outside the vehicle? Not only did he have a hardlight module installed, but it was of a more advanced version. Of all the Autobots Optimus knew, he knew very few of them that had something like this.
Yet another surprise from Jasper's biology.
"Oh, you cute little stray, did you miss me? Is that why you were waiting at my door? I'm sorry I wasn't here to get you some jerky, but I'm here now." Jasper whispered to the very pleased feline.
Upon seeing the sight, Optimus's spark seemed a little lighter. To see Jasper so happy after everything… It was a victory like no other.
Suddenly, Jasper jolted back as he heard a ringing. But he found nothing in his pocket, confusing him further until he realized he still had a clone of his phone in his mind. He brought the phone into his internal view, and saw the contact: it was Roe.
Immediately, Jasper answered and said, "Uh, Roe, hey, how's it going?"
"I'm good. I was just wondering where you were at, by chance?"
"Oh, well, I'm finally back home. That whole thing with the job got resolved."
"What a coincidence."
"Why?"
"'Cause I'm right next to you."
Jasper almost jumped back as he saw Roe on his right, her phone in her hand and a sly grin on her face.
"Gotcha… Hey, where's your phone?" Roe asked, scanning Jasper's hands.
"Oh, uh…" Jasper patted his pants again and found nothing, then quickly said, "Uhm, uh, earbuds! Got these on the way back." He said, quickly 'putting away' the fake earbud in his pocket.
"Well isn't that something, Mr. Businessman?" Roe said slyly as she scratched Rascal's neck, "So what was that about that thing with the job? Did you fix your mistake?"
"Uhm, err, uh–" Jasper was panicking, he wasn't expecting to answer these questions so soon.
"He did fix it."
Both Jasper and Roe turned to Optimus's hardlight form poking its head out of the window, stoic-faced like usual.
Roe walked up to the hardlight form with Jasper following just behind in a greater panic.
"Uh, Roe, this is my–"
"Your interviewer. Yeah, I remember Orion. We talked before."
Jasper seemed shocked. So Orion was Optimus?
Jasper quickly got back on track and said, "Aaah, yes, that's it, I almost forgot you told me you met. But yeah, it wasn't easy, but I was able to help them fix it."
Optimus-now-Orion interjected, saying, "Jasper humbles himself. Anyone could've made that mistake, but he worked tirelessly to undo it. And in doing so, he even solved another one of the problems we were dealing with."
Jasper… was stunned. Was Orion talking about…
"Wow, is that so? So after all of that, he had to have gotten the job, right?" Roe asked, excited for the answer.
Jasper was caught off-guard by this, barely reacting as Rascal clawed its way onto Jasper's shoulder.
Orion, however, was not as he said, "Well that, I leave it up to him."
… What?
Jasper coughed before saying, "Uh… yeah, right. We still need to talk about that. In fact, we'll need to go and talk about that in a few minutes. But, uh, Orion, could you give me a few minutes with her?"
"Of course. I'll just be here."
"Thank you so much."
Jasper nodded his head as he went further away with Roe for privacy. Optimus's side view mirror turned to keep them in view.
Now alone, Jasper's nerves were rather shot as he looked upon Roe's face with that slight grin that made him feel a thousand pounds lighter.
Roe was confused at Jasper's silence, and spoke first, "Ahem, so… hey, you wanted to talk about the da–"
Roe was interrupted as Jasper hugged her suddenly, leaving her wordless and wide-eyed. But slowly, she returned the hug in kind.
"Roe… it's been a long and strenuous two days, so I'll just tell you this. You have been the highlight today. You've helped me do things that I never would have done before. Thank you." Said Jasper, every single word heavy and genuine.
Roe was silent for a moment, before chuckling and saying, "Wow, never heard you talk like this. Must've been one life-changing interview."
"It was, really… uh," Jasper snapped out of it and let go, brushing off her shoulders, "Thanks for that hug, too. So, what do you think? Do you wanna do the date tomorrow?"
"Of course, lover boy… wait… you're not gonna ghost on me, are you?" Roe looked at Jasper accusingly.
"Never in my days. So how does 2 PM sound to you? Or 3? Or maybe even–"
Roe silently shushed Jasper, saying, "Stop panicking. We can talk it over text, Jasper. Now go on. Talk with Orion and go get that job."
Jasper stepped back and looked at Optimus's and his own vehicle form, and held Rascal in his shoulder.
"Y-yeah. I really should."
Jasper started to walk toward his own truck form, before being held back by Roe. She surprised him with a kiss on the lips, leaving Jasper completely motionless like a deer caught in headlights.
She separated the kiss, chuckling before saying, "I just love seeing that look on your face. See ya!"
Jasper weakly said 'see ya' back as he watched her walk away, one hand waving and the other holding Rascal. As Roe turned the corner, Jasper felt at his lips and looked at his fingertips despondently.
He tasted… nothing.
Far away from Kamilo and any roads, Optimus and Jasper resided at a cliffside. Jasper remembered this cliffside well, as the one where the Autobots saved him the first time with the ground bridge. But what he never realized was the serenity of it all, with the wall of trees at his back, the spacious cliffside to sit in, and the large view below of a forest being bathed in the golden sun and sky.
Jasper sat down, his knees up, holding Rascal with one servo and used his free digit to playfight with it. Despite being a gigantic, menacing robot, the little cat still loved him all the same.
"It's so beautiful," Jasper said without thinking.
"I believe you," Optimus said, standing at his side with his arms crossed, "I have seen many sights beyond the stars, and I will tell you. No amount seen will ever dull the rest."
Jasper chuckled, "I nearly forgot that you guys aren't even from Earth…" Jasper stopped chuckling and looked to Optimus, "What did you mean back there? What you said to Roe? About how it's up to me if I want the job?"
Optimus glanced over at Jasper, "Jasper… I understand that you want to be a Human once again. But for now, you are a Cybertronian. The Decepticons have fought with you, and we took you in. They will believe that you are with us now, no matter what we say. So I ask you this."
Optimus knelt next to Jasper's, his optics meeting his.
"Join the Autobots in the fight against the Decepticons."
Jasper… didn't know what to do with this proposal. He never expected it. He expected a thousand things before this. So all he could really think was…
"... Why? Why would you want me to join you? I've gotten you guys into more trouble than I helped you."
Optimus shook his headpiece lightly, saying, "You are too hard on yourself. You never meant to bring harm to the humans, and you were relentless in your search for them. Your infiltration ability alone helped us find them. And after that, I told you to remain back for your safety. Yet you saw the opportunity to save lives and you took it, despite the threats it posed. Though it was reckless in causing the Energon pit to explode… I would not change what happened. And finally, Megatron is…"
Optimus trailed off into silence, staring into the lower forest with a sense of… loss.
"... Megatron is no more because of it. And the Dark Energon converter has no doubt followed him to the Allspark. What I said back at your home was true: you humble yourself too much with the amount of good you've done."
Jasper was brought to silence with this realization. For so long, he was focused on the bad, on the horrid guilt, on the bad things that could have happened. But considering everything… did he have the capacity for change? Could he do good?
Optimus continued, "No matter what you choose, we will always protect you. But if you want to help protect others, if you want to protect your planet, if you want to protect against the Decepticons, then we can train you to do that. No one soldier can win a war, but every single one still counts. So Jasper, do you want to become an Autobot?"
So much went through Jasper's headpiece that he almost felt overwhelmed. He never thought himself a soldier-type, nor did he think himself brave. He feared death just like anyone else. He knew that any time in that past day-and-a-half, he could have been killed. Destroyed. Wiped off the face of the Earth. But he wasn't… because of the Autobots. He didn't realize how grateful he was for them.
But then he thought… What if they weren't there? What if someone was threatened by a Decepticon, and no Autobot was there to help them? What if it was his parents? His friends? Roe? What could they do without someone to fight off the advanced alien robots? Would they not be hapless to do anything as the Decepticons just reigned supreme, enslaved the human race, and hollowed out his planet? He couldn't allow that!... Right?
He saw that the Autobots were fewer than the Decepticons. The Autobots fought an uphill battle, perhaps every single day. Yet still, they stand against the Decepticons no matter what. For a people not their own. For a planet they weren't born on. Such a cause… a noble cause…
He knew his answer.
Jasper stood up, looking at his own planet with a hardened, determined stare.
"...Yes. Yes, I will become an Autobot, Optimus Prime."
Jasper held out his free servo, and Optimus recognized this gesture well. He stood up and met it with his own, shaking Jasper's servo in agreement.
"Welcome to the Autobots, Jasper. But before you can join, I would suggest choosing a different name for the safety of your loved ones. And I would leave the honor to you. What would you like your new name to be?"
Jasper was slightly surprised by this, though he understood the secret identity logic. For the sake of those close to him, he can't just be called by his full name. So what would it be? He looked down at his own body, seeing the PNTBR8KR license plate from his truck form. What about Pointbreaker? No, it doesn't sound right. Not to mention, that name belongs to the original vehicle. So perhaps…
Jasper's attention was brought to his free servo, and he remembered. He willed his servo to transform, the digits and base disappearing and a long, hollow blade came out, ready to absorb Energon. This one blade, the very first weapon he used to fight back. The very weapon that turned him into something… else. A dangerous blade with a sharp point.
Pointbreaker… Hollow blade… Sharp point…
After a long look at his blade, Jasper finally answered.
"How about… Hollowpoint?" Jasper said before retracting his blade.
"Hollowpoint… a good name. Now let's return to base." Optimus then got on the comms, "Ratchet, call a ground bridge on our–"
"Wait. Before we go, I have one request." Jasper said, before quickly holding up Rascal in his servo, "Can I bring Rascal? Please?"
Optimus was caught well off-guard by the question, and found himself curling one end of his mouth upwards.
"Of course you can bring her."
"Her?" Jasper asked, before looking at the little cat, "And you didn't tell me once."
At Optimus's request, a ground bridge swirled open and swelled to its maximum size, illuminating the surroundings in a bright green as the sun began to set. Rascal was quickly roused from her nap and into a shock as she became mesmerized by the portal's wondrous lights.
"You know, this is the first time I'm going back to base fully conscious."
"Let it not be the last time. Now let's go, Hollowpoint."
Optimus disappeared into the green portal, and Jasper looked down at his new pet with a smile.
"Don't be scared. It's just a portal."
Jasper then held Rascal closer to his chest piece as both of them disappeared through the portal, letting it close to return everything into a dark night.
Meanwhile, at the base…
Aiko sat in her office, leaning on her desk as she faced a large, advanced television. The walls were adorned with quite a few ornaments and awards of her past efforts. But her stare was focused upon the only picture frame on her desk of her, her baby daughter, and her husband. She let out a long sigh, knowing what to anticipate from this talk. She did not want to do it. But she knew full well she had to.
On her desk, she pressed the button, and the television activated, its screen lighting up as it said 'Calling General Sharpe' and began ringing… and ringing…
Until a click was heard and a man's face showed up, looking displeased with exhaustion clear on his weathered face. He rubbed his shaved head as he adjusted his dark green military outfit that had many badges and medals adorned on its breast.
"Division Major, it's incredibly late and I was just about to leave. Care to explain why you are calling at this hour… and not tomorrow?" The general said, the annoyance clear in his voice.
Aiko saluted before saying, "Forgive me, Sir, but I felt it necessary to tell you about the mining incident."
"... I imagine it would be important…" The general picked up a bundle of papers, then said, "I've been struggling to get through this report for the last hour. Though just from looking at it, I'm frankly surprised. You're telling me that Megatron is dead?"
"Beyond a doubt, Sir. No one could survive that cave explosion, Decepticon or otherwise."
The general gave an almost sinister chuckle, then said, "Finally, that alien's gone. Perhaps the United States can finally rest soundly without that war criminal threatening us. Tell me, which Autobot was it that blew him to smithereens?"
Aiko went silent, thinking over her words again. She had to be careful with them.
"That's the thing, Sir. Have you read the report about Jasper?"
"I've heard a few mentions of him. Odd name for one of those aliens, isn't it?"
"... He's not one of them."
The general stopped looking at the report and stared right at Aiko, "... I beg your pardon?"
"Jasper was a human made into one of them. By who, we don't know. That's actually why we were investigating that facility in the first place. To try and get back his body."
The general… was utterly left shocked by this news.
"... You're telling me that the Decepticons have turned to taking humans and making them into more soldiers!?"
"You misunderstand, Sir, it couldn't have been the 'Cons. From what Ratchet garnered from one of the things that kidnapped him, it's a third party. Unknown."
"Good God… And this Jasper, where is he now?"
"With us, Sir. We're keeping him for the sake of his safety… and because we need to further monitor him. He may have been a civvy, but I've seen him in combat. The things that his body can do–"
"You allowed a civilian into combat!?" The general yelled angrily.
"Absolutely not, Sir. But some combat was unavoidable. Sir, whatever made him made him strong. He's able to transform into two different vehicles, he can listen in on encrypted signals without the need of equipment, and…"
Aiko trailed off as she recalled Jasper's rampage, the sheer level of violence he caused while not even in control of himself. She decided it was best not to speak of that moment.
"... and he's got incredible self-repair speeds. It was actually because of him that Megatron is now gone along with that Dark Energon converter."
The general was silent for what felt like an eternity. All of this information, now that Aiko finally put it to words, actually filled her with unease.
Finally, the general spoke up, "... I see… You need to keep an eye on him. And if there is any odd behavior from him, you need to contain him."
"Sir, he's not a threat, he can be–"
"A threat is the least he can be. Something was able to make him into a Transformer, yet he managed to just escape? No… I got a bad feeling about it. We know very little about his condition. What's to say he doesn't just snap at the flip of a switch and goes on a rampage?"
Aiko kept silent on that, and instead said, "... Understood, Sir."
"Your first priority will remain the same. Eliminate the Decepticons. But your second priority is to find and destroy who did that to him before he does that to any other human. Got it?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. That is all, Major. Over and out."
The television went dark, as Aiko let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. This thing, this… monster that made Jasper how he is… She feared what he would do next.