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Jack sighed as he plopped down on the edge of the cliff. The wind was still a little strong after Unicron decided to reawaken and wreak havoc across the entire globe by unintentionally summoning all the natural disasters known to mankind. Honestly, the past few days had been a blur- everything was going so fast and there wasn’t any room to breathe. First, they learn that a God was living in Earth’s core and decided to wake up when all the planets aligned, causing volcanoes to spit out Dark Energon.
It then led to the Autobots and the Decepticons teaming up to stop said God from destroying Earth (after Megatron realized having Unicron stick around wasn’t helping him either) which then led to Optimus Prime losing all his memories after using the Matrix of Leadership and joining the Decepticons for a short period which then led to him having to travel all the way to Vector Sigma on Cybertron (heh, top that NASA) to download his memories and almost getting obliterated by Megatron’s fusion canon and-
Yep. Yeah, no that was enough cycling into dark thoughts for one day. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since the Autobot leader returned to base, and his thoughts were already spiraling out of control. That’s why he left the base to watch the sunset in the first place, to help him relax. And for some peace and quiet from Miko. Not that he didn’t like the girl-quite the contrary in fact-he just needed some time to himself. But mainly to gather his thoughts. Which clearly wasn’t working.
Jack groaned, running his fingers through his hair. He… had some questions-okay, a lot of questions he wanted to ask the bots, but he also knew it was not the right time since Optimus had just returned and everyone was concerned about him. His temporary time as Orion Pax bore some physical and mental scars. Ratchet was adamant about doing a full body scan to make sure the Prime was in tip-top shape. Even Miko and Raf were helping everyone out. After handing back the key to its rightful owner, he…just…couldn’t stay inside. He caught Agent Fowler’s eye, and the man seemed to understand his predicament, as he was the one who encouraged him to get some fresh air. They weren’t needed at the moment and Optimus was getting his Decepticon insignia changed back to the Autobot one, so Jack nodded and slipped out quietly.
Now that all was said and done (even if Unicron wasn’t completely gone- obliterating Gods was never easy), what was next? The war wasn’t over, so things should hopefully go back to normal. Well, normal as in how things were before.
They’ll go to school as always and Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead will pick them up in the evening. The bots will continue their search for Energon and fight the cons. But…there’s no telling when situations like this will erupt again, and that terrified Jack. The Autobots were capable warriors, there was no doubt about it, but so was Megatron. So were the cons. It didn’t help that they had access to almost every Energon vein on Earth. To say he worried on some days was an understatement.
…And once again he was going on a tangent. Great. If Miko were here, she’d giggle and tell him to ‘get in the zone’ while Raf would merely hand him a controller. Arcee would take him out on one of her patrols and sometimes Bee and Bulk told him war stories to distract him. Jack smiled at the memories he made this year. It was a bit jarring, one day he was a random middle schooler who now befriended alien robots and helped them with their ongoing war. He didn’t ask for it, but he had no regrets. On that note though, he still has questions to ask. The question was, when?
He swung his legs back and forth, his feet gently hitting the ledge. The sun rays weren’t blinding anymore and were nearly below the huge cliff, which meant it was almost time to head home. It has been a long day. Even if he hadn’t fully explored Cybertron, he still felt the effects of the aftermath of visiting a foreign planet, which Agent Fowler assured him will go away in two to three days. At least the dizziness was almost gone. It still felt weird not wearing the helmet, which felt odd because he only wore it for a grand total of 4 Earth hours. It looks like astronauts have it worse than everyone else.
Well, he still had plenty of time to choose his path, but he was considering astronomy now more than ever. Small miracles, as they say.
Jack yawned and stretched his arms. He figured he could ask his doubts later once things settled down. Though he was itching for answers, he could wait for a few more days. Then he’ll let them all out. Yep, that was a solid plan.
Unfortunately (or fortunately this time) his plans never go to…plan.
Just when Jack accepted his fate, he heard footsteps approaching from behind. Loud ones. Well, not Earth-shattering loud (they were still soft, but loud) and they sounded all too familiar. If there was one thing Jack found out, it was that each bot had different-sounding footsteps. If he had to guess why, it’s probably because of their foot size and overall mass. He didn’t know much about Cybertronian biology apart from the random tidbits Ratchet dropped now and then and so he had to decipher certain elements based on observation. But right now, his muscles tensed a little because he was not expecting someone to come after him. And if they did, he never imagined it would be the head honcho himself!
The footsteps got much closer and before Jack knew it the very bot he didn’t exactly want to meet right now (because he was well aware he would not be able to control both his mind and mouth right now and Jack wasn’t looking forward to accidentally offending him) was standing next to him. He tried not to flinch as he felt those cerulean optics examine him for a few seconds before sitting down next to him. He glanced at the mech out of the corner of his eye and saw him looking…oddly relaxed.
Jack noticed two things-the Decepticon insignia was now gone, which was surprising considering he had been all but 5 minutes in the room, and the previous stiffness Optimus carried in him when he returned was now gone. It looked like Ratchet hadn’t filled him in, but he still looked so much better, and that made Jack happy.
Yes, he might complain a bit here and there but that doesn’t mean he isn’t grateful for getting to know them. He cherishes every moment he spends at the base.
Neither of them said anything, and it was fine. It gave him time to organize everything in his mind. He wondered why Optimus was here though. Maybe the Prime always came up here a this time to watch the sunset? But he always hung around the base at this time and never once saw him go up. Was he looking for him? Maybe he noticed he was gone and decided to check on him. Did Fowler snitch him?
The silence wasn't loud, but it was a little deafening. He so badly wanted to ask Optimus how he was feeling, but he ultimately chose to wait and let him to make the move. It shouldn't take so long, right?
.........
...
..
'Well, frag it.'
Jack broke the silence and said, “How’re you feeling?”
Judging from his widening optics (Jack had to strain his eyes to see it), he caught Optimus off-guard, which surprised him. He could count off the number of times the Prime was startled on one hand, and that’s because of the Decepticons. It appeared he was more laid back than usual, which wasn’t surprising. Everything just returned to normal, and it’s going to take even longer to process everything.
Before he could apologize for accidentally alarming him, Optimus nodded his head slightly. “Better, thank you.”
“You…still don’t remember everything that happened, huh?”
“Ratchet and the others have told me what I needed to know. I… realized I caused everyone much stress. Especially for you, Jack.”
Now that startled him. Was he… “What do you mean?”
Jack winced when Optimus gave him a sad look. Suddenly, he figured out why he came up here in the first place, and it definitely wasn’t to watch the sunset. “Jack, I am well aware of what I did and what I made you go through. I understand if my actions would have caused you some unease.
Ok, he was not expecting them to jump instantly into the topic. But then again, Optimus was the type of person not to hold his words. How he knew what to say at the right time was beyond him. Probably because of the Matrix? “I’m fine, Optimus, really, I am. The day was stressful, but that was all. It's nothing.”
Optimus narrowed his optics, and Jack flinched again under his gaze. Arcee wasn’t lying when she said Prime’s are like those lie detector tests-they always know when you’re not telling the truth. But were his problems that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things? There was a war going on, and his slightly messed up mental state wasn’t all that important.
Apparently, some others (especially one Autobot leader) beg to differ. “I wish I did not have to put that burden on you. I noticed you were not inside, and Agent Fowler said you were out here.”
Ah, so it was Agent Fowler who snitched him. Jack wanted to be the tiniest bit disappointed but couldn’t find himself to be mad at all. “Yeah,” he started to say, “I figured if I watch the sunset I could distract and calm myself down a bit. Which isn’t exactly working the way I want it to.”
“From the looks of it, it appears you have some doubts that are plaguing your thoughts.”
Since when were Primes mind readers?? “How’d you know?”
The small smile that he gave astonished Jack. Ah, what was he saying? Of course, he’d know. He stretched his hands and started to talk again. “I do have a bunch of questions I want to ask, but you just got your memories back and are still in recovery. Plus, with the whole Iacon relics matter, I didn’t want to bother you.”
Optimus hummed. “The Iacon database does take precedence over all else at these times, but not when it comes to someone’s troubles, no matter how big or small they might be.” The smile never left his face. “Now that I’m here and not presently doing anything, you may speak what’s on your mind.”
“Ah, are you sure? Even though you said you I can say whatever’s on my mind-”
“Jack.”
And he flinched for the third time today. Jack should’ve expected the stern yet gentle tone from him. Well, since Optimus wants him to shoot, he might as well. After all, what does he have to lose?
“Why-and for the record I don’t offensively mean this at all, I’m just curious, did you give the key to Vector Sigma to me? I get it’s because Megatron wouldn’t expect a human to go have the key, and you also said it’s because I’ve matured since our first meeting, but is that all to it? Did you know Megatron would…do what he did back at the Space Bridge?”
Yes, he still does have more questions, but this was the one that was bothering him.
Optimus considered his question. “I feared Megatron would quickly suspect one of the Autobots having the key, and thus jeopardize the mission. However, he has yet to see the power of humanity, and it is because of this he has failed to stop you from restoring my memories.
He leaned a little closer. “However, I meant every word that I said when I handed you the key. You have grown a lot, Jack, and I felt that you had earned that responsibility. Your bravery and persistence are admirable, and I have faith in your abilities. Though I never wanted to put you or the others in danger, I…did not have another choice. And for that, I deeply apologize.”
Jack shook his head. “There’s no need to say sorry. You had to do what you had to do, and I don’t blame you one bit, nor do I blame the other bots. We may have been sucked up in this war, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to help you guys in ways we can. Well, apart from being on the battlefield, which Miko seems to have no problem running into.” The number of times the self—proclaimed Wrecker disappeared through the Ground Bridge made him cringe.
“And I am glad for that,” Optimus replied. The Prime hesitated a little (which shocked Jack again because Primes never hesitated? He was starting to think he and the others on Team Prime- save Ratchet most probably, were getting this all wrong) before asking, “You asked me if I was alright, but what about you, Jack? I cannot imagine the horrors you must have gone through to track down Vector Sigma back on Cybertron.”
Now it was Jack’s turn to hesitate. Well, yes there had been…horrors, as Optimus put on Cybertron. There was that Insecticon that nearly tried to kill him and Arcee, the Scraplets that almost shut down the big V before the data could fully be uploaded, and Megatron would’ve nearly killed him if Arcee hadn’t knocked him down. Or if the other bots hadn’t managed to block him. Even though Optimus suffered more than he can admit at the hands of the Decepticons…he still said that doesn’t invalidate his own experiences. “I’m…a little shaken up, but otherwise ok. Seeing Cybertron for the first time was a nice experience. Despite the state your home was in, it…it must’ve looked beautiful.”
“It used to be, yes.”
“We started to head down in the direction the key was glowing in and, it turned out Vector Sigma was beneath Kaon. It was surprising that Megatron had no clue about it. We arrived there and boom! Suddenly the entrance to the big V was right there. Unfortunately, the whole time an Insecticon was tailing us.
“The Insecticon was scary, not gonna lie. Arcee held it off while I ran inside, and once I started downloading your memories, the damn Scraplets came out of nowhere and started eating everything. Somehow, I got them all out, and then me and Arcee headed back towards the Space Bridge and Ratchet didn’t pick up our call. That’s when we began to worry that something was wrong.”
Jack inclined his head slightly, silently asking Optimus if he should continue. Although he was halfway through the story, he wanted to make sure the Prime was ready to hear the rest of the details, in case his memory processor (or something, he forgot what the Cybertronian equivalent of the brain was called) started to act up. Amnesia was something to never be taken lightly. The bot nodded, and he took that as his sign to go on. He just hoped nothing would happen, and if it did Ratchet would understand.
“That’s when we found out that Megatron had figured out our plan to save you, and he was waiting on the other side of the space bridge. All that time he assumed it was Arcee who had the card, he never thought it’d be me. So Arcee knocked him down to allow me to cross without any issue. And then you were right there, and the rest is…history.”
That needn’t be said allowed-both of them remember how Jack held up the keycard to allow the power of the Matrix to pass from it to the one in his chest. Megatron would’ve nearly sliced him in half if Optimus hadn’t stopped. Now that made him shudder.
“That,” Optimus said, and Jack once again craned his neck to see him, “was a lot more than what I had previously imagined.”
He laughed. “There were more ups and downs than there ever needed to be. But regardless, it all worked out in the end.”
“It did. And Jack?”
“Yes?”
“I am proud of you.”
Jack was disconcerted for a moment there. What did Optimus say? A large servo gently patted his shoulder, but he hardly noticed it. He was sure his eyes were blown open wide and he was looking at the Prime stupidly. But did he say he was proud of him? The last time he heard that was…was a long time ago.
I am proud of you.
“You have braved through most others would have feared. Against all odds, you kept your head high. It may take me some time to forgive myself for my actions-your mother was right to be angry at me, even if most of that anger is now gone, but if there is one thing I do not regret, it is placing my trust in you. I hope that, with time, you will come to trust your abilities. To trust yourself.”
Jack hugged his legs. The way he said that so nonchalantly, like it wasn’t any big deal…it didn’t bother him, and yet it did. Emotions were hard to express, and he wondered day after day how Optimus was so good at hiding them. He knew he cracked a small smile now and then and occasionally indulged in the bots' activities (well, most of said activities were Miko’s ideas). But it was always the Prime’s words that mesmerized him. He always knew what to say at the right time, and how to comfort someone. Jack’s seen him talk a ton with the other bots, and even Raf once. He’s always been the one reassuring others that he’s never known how it felt to be on the receiving end.
And now that he’s here listening to Optimus’ words, it feels…nice. His heart feels warm with pride. “Thanks,” Jack somehow managed to say with his shaky voice, and, out of the blue something within him snapped. Optimus praised him and consoled him, and something told him that maybe he also needed to hear some reassuring words as well. Of course, the other Autobots would’ve done that already, but nonetheless, he wondered how he’d feel if he heard it from a human.
So, he did. “And, Optimus, I don’t know if you do, but please don’t blame yourself for what happened the past few days. It isn’t your fault that you lost your memories after using the Matrix to defeat Unicron, and it certainly isn’t your fault that Megatron manipulated you, took you back to the Nemesis, and made you decrypt the Iacon database. I know Ratchet and the others might’ve said that, and I don’t know how you reacted to that, or how’re you feeling. I…just thought that you might need to hear it. So, yeah.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, suddenly feeling self-conscious about what he just said. Actually, why had he just said all that? Optimus was a billion years older than him and much wiser. What difference would his words make?
But then he heard Optimus inhale sharply, and when he saw him that smile (which had never left his face-new record) only grew. His optics swirled a little, probably recalibrating. That was when Jack knew he should stop selling himself short and stop assuming things.
“Thank you, Jack,” Optimus said. He turned to the now almost fully set Sun. “Those words…perhaps I needed to hear them.”
“You and I both,” Jack replied, and silence once again settled over them. This was a more comfortable one, and they both gained a new insight into who they were after Optimus returned to the base. The Autobot leader trusted him wholeheartedly, and Jack had faith that he would power through Megatron’s mental abuse and emerge stronger than ever. He hadn’t gotten all his questions answered, but for now, he was content.
There will be more countless battles between the two factions. There will be times when he, Miko, and Raf will have to step up to the occasion. They might win or lose. They might gain new comrades and lose some. The future remained uncertain, but they had the power to shape their destiny. They could still write and end their stories the way they want to. For Optimus, it was to return peace among the Cybertronians and revive Cybertron. Jack still didn’t know what the next chapter had in store for him. Yet, he was confident that the road he was heading down currently would lead him to where he wanted.
……..
……
Ok, so he had one little question.
“Optimus?”
“Yes?”
“Is it true that…you have a dino alt mode now?”
“…Are you…?”
“After Bumblebee’s little stunt, I’ve been keeping in touch with Cody. I know Ratchet is the only one that knows, and I promise I haven’t told anyone yet.”
“I see. Thank you for that, Jack. And to answer your question, yes, I do.”
“And the reason why you don’t use it is because-“
“It is very easy for me to lose control because my Energon levels go dangerously low when I assume that form.”
“Oh. Well, that’s all for now.”
“Hm.”