Chapter 1: Impromptu Testing
Chapter Text
Jack was up before the sun could even shine through the windows.
His entire body was practically buzzing with excitement, even with how his stomach was growling and his eyes still felt somewhat bleary trying to blink away any excess sleep. Looking around, the base was still shrouded in a thin, barely-there glow- a faint glow of orange and gold outlining a cool blue, indicating he at least wasn’t too early. Okay, so he had gone two days without much sleep- what was the issue? He was so excited he could already feel the triumphant heroic fanfare rising in his chest!
Leaning over and practically crawling on all fours to Raf’s sleeping bag, he shakes the younger boy awake- jostling him rather enthusiastically by the shoulder and being met with blue eyes blearily blinking awake and narrowing at him in annoyance.
“Do you know what time it is?” he asks- reaching over with stubby fingers to fumble for his glasses, before managing to grab them and put them on. They sat on the bridge of his nose somewhat lopsided- a perfect match to his already disheveled and very much moody appearance.
“Can’t sleep,” Jack shrugs.
All Raf responds with is a roll of those same tired eyes. “Hah. Don’t know what else I expected.”
Hauling himself up to prop his weight onto his elbows in a half-sitting position, he shivers as soon as the cold early-morning Jasper air hits his skin. Goosebumps prickle in the places where pale freckled skin begins to visibly flush a bit redder. And even though Jack knew it was too early in the morning for him to listen with full attentiveness, he still made an attempt to do so anyway. “So, what’ve we got here?” Raf asks, eyeing him with a barely concealed smirk. “More superhero schematics running around in that head of yours?”
“Actually…” Jack trails off- and Raf knew that smirk always meant the inventor had something up his sleeve. “I was thinking we form a team.”
The awkward silence didn’t help his case along at all.
“Come on- working together always makes anything possible, right?” he was thinking of Captain Avery and his crew- how similar the Autobots were. Each member, according to their talents, were designated specific roles- ranks like Lieutenant, Sergeant, Commander, General- but also roles whose tasks were at the very least 80% self-explanatory by the title: communications officer, stealth commander, medic, demolitions expert, weapons expert, SpecOps captain, strategist- well, the list went on and on. But all of them were just as important, just as crucial, to the success of any goal. Especially one as daunting as saving the world. “We should test out my powers- figure out my capabilities and potential weaknesses to better strategize how we’ll operate.”
He’s confused at yet another dry glance Raf shoots at him, turning around- and jerking in surprise and embarrassment at the rubric still lying behind him, titled ‘Summer Assignment- Great. The younger boy raises a brow. “I assume you’ll be strategizing on how to complete your essay?” he asks- amusement only spiking tenfold visibly when Jack panics- flails and shoots out an arm to grab the paper then crumples it up and tosses it into the nearby waste bin. “Ha- uhh, what essay? I don’t remember anything being said about an essay of all things.”
Great. Another member of the esteemed Procrastinators Anonymous.
Raf sighs- runs a hand through his curls messed up from the pillow. “I- you-” his words die on his tongue. He sighs, stops to recompose himself. “Well, whatever. It’s fine. You still have three more months to work on it. Might as well pay attention to the other millions of projects you have on the backburner instead.”
“Ah-ah- not just pay attention to them,” Jack corrects, wagging a finger before leaning in closer- eyes sparkling with barely contained elation. “ Repurpose them.”
Walking over to the thousands of blueprints he had taken the time to scatter across the floor, eager fingers skillfully thread through each and every one of them like they had done so several times before. There was a whole laundry list of so many ambitious projects- a study into Three Gates’ Tech developing nanite technology, thrusters for his prosthesis and how to best incorporate them into the pre-existing model and neural bridge technology, more analyses and molecular diagrams of substances, a neural bridge interface concept that he aimed to program to be able to establish with Emily as a part of a new surveillance technology- notes about how he had wanted to use a hydrogel polymer composite for a new prosthetic model because it was strong, only to woefully find out that the drawback was impedance.
Yeah. He could see why he shoved all of this to the ‘to be done’ folder. There must’ve been even more works in progress back home and on his computer.
The essay almost looked more appealing to work on now.
Almost.
“Easy,” Raf pipes up, having gotten up and walked to Jack’s side. He feels fingers gently pat and curl around the space just below his elbow- an attempt to ground him, which the inventor very much appreciated. Emily beeped at him encouragingly from the side- perching on his shoulder with her own two ‘legs’ despite her ability to fly anywhere she pleased. “One thing at a time. Besides, you’re not alone this time around. You have me to help, don’t you? Your training, this war, overhauling the base… it’s a lot, to be sure. But long-term changes require patience- not to mention a lot of screwing up- so in that way, you’re right. It’s always better to have someone with you during the long haul.”
The corners of his lips curve up reassuringly. “I’m sure we can do it together- one step at a time. Just like how Captain Avery and his crew always manage to overcome any challenge.”
Jack gives a soft little exhale. “Yeah…” he looks to the side, trails off momentarily- then back at the younger kid and smiles. “Yeah, I do. Thanks for looking out for me, man,” he says- and means it, feeling relief and excitement settle in his chest when he holds out a hand to fistbump and Raf accepts it. “Always glad to have extra hands on deck.”
***
The first ‘test’ was, obviously, super-strength.
It was relatively simple. By the time Raf had gotten out his phone to record, Jack had stopped fidgeting via his little in-place jig and moved to- in what was admittedly beyond a risky but an outright dumb idea- punch the concrete. Yes, punch concrete.
Luckily, it was successful. His knuckles didn’t hurt as much as he thought they would- and whereas the only fruitful results for an average human would be thoroughly damaged knuckles and a somewhat wounded pride, he had successfully punched through the material- dust gathering on his fist where skin had met the surface and debris of varying sizes now lay on the ground. Jack had jumped for joy, obviously- super strength, the most useful power for any superhero, and he had it! He had it!
The second test was- even more obviously- flight.
It was a rather embarrassing failure. Jack had attempted to run up a natural rock formation that was the closest shaped to a ramp- jumping impressively high before pausing, and then plummeting back down to the floor just mere seconds after his velocity had reached zero. His back, ever unfortunate, had taken the brunt of the blow- and it was a miracle how he hadn’t broken any bones yet. “I guess we can cross enhanced durability off the list…” is all Raf had mumbled, looking at Emily and mirroring her somewhat concerned expression- but was stopped by Jack holding up a hand. “No, don’t- we still need to perform extended testing on how much my body can take!”
Concern quickly turns into exasperation. Raf’s fingers twitch- as if he’s resisting the urge to facepalm a hand-shaped dent into his skull. “Like… what?” he finally works up the courage to ask- and his heart drops at what might as well be a mad scientist’s words. “Fire and lightning resistance and resistance to electricity in general, tolerance to venoms and poisons plus tolerance to heat and subzero temperatures, energy projection, laser eyes- you know, for science!”
Raf storms forward, already wanting to call this whole thing off.
“You can’t just say ‘for science’ for everything!”
The third test was energy projection.
Jack would take any kind- preferably the cooler ones like laser eyes or lightning from the fingertips. Unfortunately, it seemed that it didn’t come naturally for him. Blasts did fire from his fingertips on a few attempts- but they were almost comically weak, embers going out into smoke. Not to state the obvious- but anything exploding right in one’s face would dishearten anyone significantly.
“It just keeps exploding in my face!” he whines, shoulders slumping down in clear disheartenment. “Just like everything always does!”
One swift bonk from the back jolted him out of his mini-pity party, though. “Focus!” Raf barks, craning his neck and arm up to snap his fingers in front of Jack’s face. “Think back to the basics. What’s the first principle of the Conservation of Energy?” he asks. The boy scrunches his eyes shut- and the answer comes to him fairly easily. “Energy cannot be created nor destroyed,” he replies, looking back at Raf. “It can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another.”
“So…?” Raf trails off- and Jack appreciates the window given to him to voice his new hypothesis aloud. Though he wondered why the other kid looked dismayed when he did speak. “A human’s electromagnetic field is too weak to harness, let alone control- so projecting it out of basically nowhere won’t work. I need to try to absorb energy from a source and then release it into another source,” he declares- and once again, Raf facepalms.
“You’re correct, but… why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?” is all he asks in reply. That exasperated look on his face was bound to become trademark.
***
Sure enough, they had gone to an empty road cutting through the middle of nowhere. Why? So Jack could climb up the power lines. Raf had, at this point, thirteen unsuccessful attempts in trying to convince him that attempting to absorb the energy from a circuit breaker just because it was the most potent in electrical energy was the most idiotic idea he had ever heard. Well, at least he hadn’t started to climb the power lines yet- nope, no, never mind, he already was. He was even going as far as to wave at Raf from above. “I say this out of the utmost concern for your wellbeing and respect for your curiosity…” he pauses- having to take a deep breath before looking up. “This is a HORRIBLE idea.”
Jack turns back to him. “Absorbing something as tiny as a static shock wouldn’t yield visible results. I would say a better idea is trying to get struck by lightning- but you know how it is. It hardly ever rains here, let alone thunders.”
The young hacker sputters. “That doesn’t mean THIS is a plausible alternative!”
The inventor rolls his eyes. “Oh, live a little. It’s for science! How do we know unless we try?” he insists- and already, Raf doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “There you go again with THAT excuse.”
Just then, high-pitched screeching interrupted them both, a sound like nails to a chalkboard- they yelped and covered their ears in a knee-jerk reaction. An unpleasant sound, and it looked to be… rapidly approaching!?
A garbage truck rounds the corner- wobbling in a display of worryingly unstable steering, sparks dancing from where its tires met the road. Jack trailed it with his eyes and barely noticed his jaw dropping- saw it careening... straight towards Raf and Emily, oh no. The boy cries out, shielding himself and Emily on instinct. Quick, no time to think, no time to panic! What to do, what to do-
There’s a sudden shift of what he could only describe as energy within him- like a river abruptly reversing the direction in which it flows. The crackling in his stomach is like the flesh is sparking and pulsing with an almost electrical power. Without warning, a familiar feeling returns- he can feel his blood slowly pumping in his ears, his previously erratic breathing rhythm slowing down- more controlled, more natural. Eyes locked onto Raf, he jumps down and surges forward, reaches out a hand- tackles him out of the way. By the time they’ve tumbled off-road, the truck is obscured by the cloud of dust his feet had kicked up- but Jack manages to catch the barest glimpse of the interior.
There was no driver.
Ever since the shard had taken root in his body, he started sensing it in the barest of ways- a strange sort of semi-visible ‘aura’ that he could detect from the Autobots. An electromagnetic field- theirs were a fair bit stronger than a human’s due to the specific component inside Optimus has said was equivalent to their soul- their ‘spark,’ he had called it- so it was rather easy to detect any fluctuations or changes in them and the frequencies said changes carried. And similarly… he could detect one from the truck too. One flaring in high frequencies- a constant stream of waves upon bunched up waves of frustration. And just like that, it was gone- his senses dulled, and his surroundings reverted back to normal.
Raf stirs- groans, mumbles a curse under his breath in Spanish followed by something along the lines of ‘it’s too early in the morning for this crap…’ Jack, shaking himself back into action, reaches over and rapidly taps the younger boy’s shoulder. “You noticed it too, right!?”
The boy merely blinked at him. “Noticed… what, exactly?”
“The interior!” Jack exclaims, now grabbing the other by both of the shoulders and shaking him lightly. “There was no driver, Raf! What’s more, I noticed some kind of ‘aura’ around them- the same electromagnetic field I sensed around the Autobots- it’s a good bit stronger than the electromagnetic field humans and standard technology emits. And what’s more- it flared up for the briefest moment when I tackled you out of the way… before going right back to normal as they were driving off!”
That certainly piques Raf’s attention. His lips thin into a grim line- his brows furrow in equal parts concern and thought, finger twitching once or twice as he brings it up to rest just above his lips. “Decepticon in disguise?” he asks- and the aspiring inventor nods. “It would certainly explain the lack of any visible insignia anywhere,” the taller boy replies, rising to his feet before dusting his jeans off. “But what should we do? Follow it, or report it back to the bots?”
“I’d say we go back,” Raf replies, also hauling himself back up. “They’re more equipped to handle this situation.”
That sentence makes Jack itch. His fingers jerk a little- restless, screaming at him to take action now despite his brain telling him that going back and conducting extra preparation would better equip them for the battles ahead. “But how will we know where that guy is going or what they’re up to? If they really ARE a Decepticon in disguise, they can’t just be going through all the effort of trying to slip under the radar like this for no reason. They’ve gotta be up to something in particular, something nefarious- something that they KNOW will conflict with the goals of not only the Autobots, but the authorities as well,” he stomps his foot, a pout crossing his lips.
“Ugh… but at the same time, we can’t just chase after him right off the bat because we have no concrete idea of what their plans are and-” he huffs- “-what if it could be their idea to lure us into a fruitless goose chase around the urban district and the neighborhoods alike so they can buy themselves more time to enact their little schemes!? This is so frustrating- they’re getting away with this either way with every second that passes, and we have no choice but to be sitting ducks!”
Raf contemplates silently for a moment. His brow furrowed in indication of the thoughts swirling behind his eyes. He turns away, glasses glinting underneath the harsh glare of the sun- not in frustration, but thinking about their next move. “Well… we can glean our next course of action from a source of reliable intel based on both the Decepticons’ past plans and what we saw now- and so far, we have two. The Autobots, and…” he trails off- and Jack finished the thought… then proceeded to briefly question all of his life decisions.
“...Miko.”
Chapter 2: Hypothesis
Summary:
Kinda hate myself for posting this so late, but whatever- life has been kicking my butt and so has my brain. Enjoy either way!
Chapter Text
This little trip required them to drive all the way out to the city- past the urban neighborhoods they lived in and into the Cretan Quarter. It was normally known as a shopping district in Jasper’s urban area- filled with shopping centers, entertainment establishments, restaurants, even a night market. One of said establishments included a library of which Miko apparently frequented to ‘research’ in peace on the third floor- which was evidenced by her having texted Raf a picture of her location followed by map coordinates.
Emily was still perched comfortably on Jack’s shoulder as he looked down at the sample he had collected- tucked away safely in his briefcase. A canister, similar to the ones back at the Argos Research Facility. Apparently, both N.E.S.T and Nakadai Industries were among the companies that had contributed to the funding and resource providing for this place, due to their budding interest in the fields of aerospace research and the prospects of an aerospace materials mining industry, or even bases on different moons or planets or colonies. Projects and facilities like the Argos Space Station, if all went well, would be made quicker and quicker with the development and discoveries of new technology and resources- and more and more companies like Three Gates Tech would invest in these opportunities.
But it seems other factions, too, have taken interest in this- and to Jack, it was no surprise that said faction happened to consist of alien beings.
The canister itself was found having dropped from the truck onto the road. It contained a thick violet liquid of varying appearances that switched from translucent to opaque- even through the thick, reinforced glass, it felt hazardous just from even being near his skin and caused the faintest of static sensations. It was stifling- like he was under the sweltering heat and wearing clothes too thick. It possessed the viscosity of tar and, like the shard, pulsed like something breathing and alive- yet Jack couldn’t quite put a finger on what exactly caused him to feel such a sense of wrongness and revulsion just from looking at it. Like it was an aberration of reality.
Heart jumping a bit in alarm upon spotting the veins creeping up his skin, he swiftly tucks it back away and clicks the clasps back into place- straightens up and looks at Raf. “Tell me again why Miko remains our best option?” he groans- and Raf shoots a look that comes across as more exasperated than pointed. “You know why. Nakadai Industries has subsidiaries in several industries- weapons, technology, scientific research- even construction and aerospace. Nakadai Industries funded the construction of that base,” he replies. “Miko might have dug up something- receipts, business records, transport or communication logs- that may tell us more about this sample here. We need her help due to her connections- which means she’ll be frequenting the base.”
Jack groans again.
He still remembers the day he first met her- seeing her walk down that hallway, the click-clack of her heels. His jaw had practically dropped, he physically felt the blood rush to his cheeks. It felt like electricity arcing through his stomach like a tesla coil when she bumped into him- watched the box of pencils, notebooks and other school supplies he was carrying arc through the air as he careened and crashed to the ground.
And the rose-colored lenses were instantly broken to smithereens when she merely dusted off her shoulder and looked at him like how one may gaze upon an ant.
“Watch yourself, nitwit.”
Oh, it was safe to say he was positively fuming, flushing throughout his entire face. “What in the- watch YOURSELF, you jerk!” he had then exclaimed- blowing a raspberry at her as she walked away like she was better than everyone, bending down to pick up the supplies and angrily muttering to himself. ‘Blegh- whatever. She’s not even that cute anyways.’
“Oh… I am SO not looking forward to this!” he groans, lightly stomping a foot in indignation and briefly drawing the eyes of- thankfully- only a few passerby. He could already picture the condescending smirk on those glossy lips- the way she would either get annoyed at them for interrupting her work, or the way she’d smile at how they had ‘crawled back’ to her for help, and that was why Raf had gotten her contact information. “That nasty, disgusting, perfectly painted, stupidly symmetrical face… ugh- I just KNOW she’s gonna say or do something that’ll make me wanna just- wring her neck-!”
Again, that hand on his shoulder. Emily nudges him as if to return his rising blood pressure to normal. “Okay, okay. Simmer down, hotshot- it’s alright,” Raf reassures. “I’m quite used to mediating anyway- so if you two try to kill each other it’ll be fortunate that I’m here.”
With a deep sigh and a good long moment of mental preparation for what was to come, Jack makes his way into the library- not quite sure if he had the mental strength to handle losing any more braincells than he already had.
***
They had made their way up to the third floor when they found her- much to their surprise, the entire floor was empty. There were brimming bookshelves with displays on top displaying the monthly recommendations. Plants were positioned masterfully so that the sun could hit them at just the right angle while simultaneously looking as though they were merely part of the environment with where and how they were placed. Study cubicles lined the wall with outlets in close proximity for chargers- some with room for one, others with room for three. Or more, if you were fond of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with complete strangers.
Miko, for one, was very much the type who valued her personal space- she had taken up a spot on one of the more open tables, one leg crossed over the other as she diligently typed at her computer. There was a drink next to her- fading in a gradient from a deep indigo to white. Milk tea, he presumed. Then a somewhat devious idea rose to his mind- just to ruffle her feathers a bit, he snuck forward- snatched the cup as soon as she was about to reach for it and took a swig.
That proved to be a mistake. Her face wrinkles in disgust and indignation as soon as he gags and spits it out right onto the carpet.
“Blegh- gross!”
Her eyes flick up to him and narrow in an almost comically disapproving stare. “Look what you’ve done, nitwit,” she huffs, somewhat mourning the loss of a drink she bought judging by the brief flash of something resembling loss in her eyes. “You just wasted a perfectly good milk tea.”
“Tea!?” Jack sputters- that sickeningly cloying syrup still coats his tongue like rough sandpaper, he struggles to get it out. Raf merely takes a water bottle out of the pouch of his backpack and hands it to him- holding up a finger, he eagerly glugs it down before wiping his mouth and turning back to her. “You call that abomination probably concocted in a cauldron tea!? What even- what ARE the ingredients anyway!?”
As if it was the most casual thing in the world, she lists them off her fingertips- smiling at the mere mention of a drink that it seemed only she could like. “Milk, taro, vanilla ice cream, caramel, coffee syrup, brown sugar boba and star jellies,” she lists, as if that vile concoction of pure diabetes was perfectly normal to not only drink, but enjoy. “It’s a basic strategy of carb and caffeine loading to get the energy I need. Then I can finish my work in no time at all. Works every time.”
“You both play with your lives like they’re toys- at the very least you have THAT in common,” Raf quips, sitting down beside her. “But enough of that- enjoyed your break?”
Miko shoots him a dubious look. “Uh- no? It wasn’t a break. And I literally just sat down.”
“Future plans will have to wait, I’m afraid!” Jack pipes up, plopping down right next to her with a smile before rummaging around in his briefcase. “Since we have the floor to ourselves, there’s something that we want to show you.”
Her eyes widen as soon as she glimpses the canister. “That’s… the same storage canisters we saw back at the Argos Research Facility,” she states. “But what’s the substance inside?” she asks- and Jack places it onto the table gingerly, ironically being careful due to his curiosity and excitement over this new discovery.
“That’s what me and Raf were trying to figure out,” Jack replies- then smiles down at Raf, eyes practically gleaming in excitement at the upcoming opportunity to either ramble for hours on end or show off his impeccable diagrams. Emily lets out a little
‘bwee-woop-beep-!’
in affirmation of his statement. “We speculated on the way here- and even though it’s not quite a theory or a hypothesis due to any lack of evidence or proper study… I may have
one
idea as to how to figure out what it is.”
Raf raises a brow. “ Just one?”
“Okay… probably more than that. Ideas. That… have sub-ideas… of which may or may not have more sub-ideas- and branching sub-ideas for those sub-ideas…” a giggle escapes the older boy’s lips- then he claps his hands together. Emily rolls her eyes. “I didn’t write them down because they’re probably enough to fill up at least thirty three notebooks- but don’t let that discourage you! I promise you both, they are TOTALLY legit.”
It was comical enough, how simple ideas were expanded and stretched out into even more diagrams that Jack scribbled down as he talked. Raf had to give him credit, though- the older kid did his best to summarize the gist of what he was trying to convey. “This rolled out of the crate a Decepticon was carrying,” he begins to explain- then corrects himself. “At least, we’re pretty sure it WAS a Decepticon. It was just disguised as a vehicle- a truck.”
It took him off guard- the jarring way Miko then stiffened and looked at him, eyes suddenly so intense like they bored holes into his flesh. “Were they garbage trucks?” she asks- no, demands.
It takes a while for the boy to reply. “...Yes, they were. Wh- how did you know?”
“It’s the easiest way to map out and discreetly claim several possible supply routes,” she explains- pulling up the map application on her computer and zooming in on Jasper. “They’re taking advantage of a lack of security checkpoints within the city, but also have to make sure they keep the ‘disguise’ part intact and not rouse suspicion from civilians or the authorities. If they want to transport multiple of those canisters… then they’d do it in plain sight,” uttering those words, her eyes then proceeded to narrow at the other two kids. “Where did you see the trucks go? Along which road leading into the city?”
“Uhm…” Jack squints- expression shifting into an almost-pout as he tried to recall the sign post. “117. Why?”
Miko sighs, running a hand through her bangs and mussing them up a small bit. “No… that intel is too vague,” she mumbles. “There’s several roads running in and out of Jasper and these roads split and diverge into separate routes, 117 included. We’re at a bit of a roadblock without help from the Autobots,” she mutters. “I have a theory. But I can’t be too sure.”
***
By the time they arrived back at the base, it seemed as though they had run into yet another roadblock. A roadblock that had the gears in Jack’s brain turning- as though every inconvenience they came across painted a bigger picture of the current circumstances.
They didn’t quite have a vehicle to drive back to base, so Jack had called Arcee after their lunch break to take them back to base. Miko was still there with that half-finished plastic cup of that insufferably sweet concoction, Raf had a half-eaten sandwich still partially wrapped in brown paper covering so as to not get grease all over his fingers. That’s when they heard it- that same arrhythmic, frenetic tapping they remembered- having heard it once before, knowing it to be the type of sound anyone would instantly recognize upon just a second of listening.
There’s a clamor- then a bang, followed by a chagrined swear.
“Fragging piece of- ugh!”
Raf raises a brow. “That’s… Ratchet’s voice.”
Another bang. Miko raises a brow, taking another sip of her drink. “Sounds like he’s struggling with something,” she comments- Jack turns to her and raises a brow. “You don’t say,” he dryly remarks, before turning back around. “He sounds annoyed… even more so than his usual default state of annoyance. We should probably go check it out.”
When they arrived at the scene, the sight that faced them was… comical. As well as baffling and slightly concerning. There Ratchet was- looking as though he might blow a fuse at any moment.
The holographic screen in front of him was crowded with errors and overlaid with a thin sheen of glitching static, overwhelmed with lag- a sight that very visibly made his servos boil on the inside to the point of them wanting to turn into slag. His optics darted from to the glitching terminal in front of him, back to the floor, his very limbs weighed down with weariness. This specific issue was just gnawing at his circuits, it looked like.
“Perhaps you should take a break, old friend-” Optimus suggests- but Ratchet holds a mildly trembling hand up, stopping his general. “I’m alright.”
Just then, he heard the keycard reader beep- and glanced over to whoever came through the base’s doors. His gaze softened upon realizing it was only Arcee and the three kids- but only slightly. The irritation of having to deal with particularly incessant tech issues knew no bounds- they all would know. "Do you need something from me?" he asks in that usual sardonic tone of voice- which was expected, coming from the regularly crotchety medic.
Raf stepped forward and eyed Ratchet in response, maintaining a rather stiff poker face that betrayed nothing except a hint of concern. One glance was all he needed to gain some semblance of context on the situation before him.
"Nothing," he replies while shooting a quick glance at the terminal screen, making the medical officer pause. "Just that... the last thirty minutes I've been trying to sleep, I’ve been hearing nothing but frenetic tapping and cursing from here. I doubt you're handling things alright."
The way that the young human analyzed him- it irritated Ratchet a bit. But then again, it was to be expected, given what he- and the other two- knew about his personality thus far.
"Pah- please! I know exactly what I'm doing!" he huffs in protest. His hand hovered over the keys of the holographic keyboard, before yet another slew of errors crowded the screen. He paused and slowly moved away- and his head ducked down slightly, the servos underneath his cheeks heating up in equal parts embarrassment and anger primarily at himself.
"Okay, maybe just a little... lost,” he finally admits.
Ratchet was a prideful mech. A ‘cynical overbearing, cantankerous old glitch,’ as so eloquently put in Wheeljack’s terms a long time ago. He was known among the group as someone who was as much of a stickler for rules as Ultra Magnus. Tsk- as if looking out for the safety of the dolts he was responsible with was a crime!
There wasn’t a single occasion where any member of his team DIDN’T get hurt or do something dumb on any mission- like when they plowed through an entire moon from one of their little scuffles with a Decepticon destroyer fleet and damn-near created a debris field that nearly destroyed their ship and the Space Bridge, or when Bulkhead somehow blew off his own pede by foolishly taking a propulsion cannon hit and- of course, it was up to Ratchet to make a replacement- or when Arcee had a high grade too many at some bar in Protihex’s Entertainment District and Cliffjumper had to stop her from breaking the betting tables when she lost the bonus she earned just that week in a bet- or-
“Cold War hardware? Really?” Raf’s voice suddenly pulls him out of his thoughts. An almost derisive snort escapes the boy’s lips. “No wonder your fancy alien programs aren’t working. The poor computer.”
A twang of slight irritation flashes through the medical officer’s spark.
“What would you have me do?” he snaps in reply. “This is an abandoned missile silo, kid- N.E.S.T doesn’t bother to invest anything into overhauling this scrap dump.” And it was true. Even with the Cybertronian Accords in place, the Autobots were poor as space dust- in Energon, in resources, in money, in basically everything. No contracts, no suppliers, no connections. Fat chance those idiots were going to fix the problem with the electric meter, let alone provide them with any new tech or gadgets needed for their missions.
The way this young human's words somehow managed to make Ratchet feel both embarrassed, and slightly impressed was a bit strange.
Raf looks back at him. He seemed almost surprised... perhaps at the fact that the Autobots basically had no money since they had to essentially flee Cybertron over five millennia ago. "You mean... N.E.S.T doesn't invest their funds into your operations?" he asks. Miko places a hand to her lips.
"That's... shockingly irresponsible. This place legally qualifies as their property according to all official documents, right?" her arm drops back down to cross itself over the other- she glances back to Ratchet again. "If they don't allocate the proper funding to maintain and restore what is essentially one of their bases- a base of an organization aligned with them... then they can't blame you or the other Autobots if things go wrong. Any security breach or collateral damage or incident resulting in an information leak- the responsibility will fall entirely on them, and they'll risk exposing themselves to the public and cause a massive PR crisis should the war be exposed to the general public. Compared to that outcome... I think they should rather spend money on this place."
Ratchet sighs- for once, they could agree on something. Primus, did the truth hurt.
"I tried everything I could. I’ve been at this blasted thing for six hours, submitted eight electronic appeal forms so we can have what we need to pass any basic building security inspection checks- hell, I sent eleven texts and nine emails to the Director just today itself- none of which he replied to, because of course..." he pauses for a moment, optics still darted off somewhere else, his frame slightly shifting in place- before he suddenly and swiftly glances up at Miko, giving him a suspicious glare. "...I'm surprised you're even here asking about this. What do you need the terminal for?"
"Miko thinks she has a lead," Raf replies for her, leaning back and blowing his gum before promptly popping and sticking it to the roof of his mouth with his tongue with a somewhat obnoxious smack. Ratchet looks in the heiress’ direction with an almost derisive snort in her direction- eliciting a roll of the eyes from her in return. “You?” he barks out a laugh. “And there go my hopes of having experts help us on this case- or of the Cybertronian Accords or our partnership with N.E.S.T being relevant at all. How can an unqualified little girl possibly hope to help us with this when we’re clearly stuck on the back foot for now?”
“Unqualified?” Miko chuckles, stepping forward- she eyes the terminal, then looks back to Ratchet again. “Weird. Somehow I take more offense to that than the ‘little girl’ part.”
Jack wasn’t surprised. In the few days that he had known her- really known her- he could tell that some of her arguably better qualities was that she was a passionate, driven, and ambitious character. Not the kind of ambition that was driven by unchecked greed- but in terms of education and academics, she always strove to push herself. To be better, to understand more. In the beginning, this made her come across as somewhat competitive and arrogant- and perhaps those were symptoms of her at-times one-track mind, he contemplated. But every trait, in its own unique way, is a double-edged blade.
Her words pull everyone right back out of their thoughts. “The Nakadai family has always upheld strict discipline. Both my father and grandfather- and his forefathers and foremothers before him- were all talented scholars and engineers, all the way back to their history of originating as a noble family of Japan unmatched in blacksmithing and metallurgy,” she continues- her gaze shifts to something almost challenging as she looks at Ratchet, daring him to question her claims. “As such, I’ve received a systematic and thorough education from an early age under their guidance- as well as the guidance of our company’s employees.”
Ratchet glances to Jack, optical windows narrowing to shift in confusion- and perhaps the faintest hint of incredulity. “Kid, what’s with this girl? She’s almost as weird as you are!”
The boy shoots him a glance in reply. “First, don’t compare me to her. Second, how would I know? She’s the one working for a newspaper when she’s seemingly so confident in her knowledge!” he retorts- and bristles like a cat when she scoffs in his direction once again. “It’s an internship for extra credit. Don’t go getting your Celestial Odyssey panties in a twist.”
He freezes. Panties? Oh- it was WAR now.
“Ahem,” Raf loudly clears his throat, shooting the two of them the signature ‘stow it’ glare. “Back to the topic at hand.”
Then he cranes his neck to glance back up. “You mentioned that it was issues related to the terminal’s operating system and runtime that’s causing the lag and overheating errors, right?” he asks, reaching into his backpack and bringing out what looked to be a laptop of his own. Ratchet does a double-take, turning around with yet another variation of one of his thousands of befuddled expressions. What the Pit- did the kid look at the screen and discern the problem just from one glance alone? He never mentioned what type of error it was, how did he-
A couple of taps on the keyboard. And then those pesky alerts disappeared, followed by a pop-up screen indicating a systemwide update taking place.
To say that Ratchet was beyond flabbergasted was an understatement. He almost questioned if he were hallucinating- if there was something wrong with his visual feed in addition to the terminal, because of course having more things malfunction was JUST what he needed right now.
“You… fixed it? Just by installing the necessary updates?” he stutters out.
Raf shoots a bemused glance at the mech’s dropped jaw. “It’s more of an emergency patch than a permanent fix,” he replies, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I reckon you give it maybe a few weeks before the issue will start to pop up again. The only way to actually fix this is a slow, long-term solution- slowly overhauling all of the hardware in the base so that you actually have terminals capable of hosting your software.”
Which, yes, meant renovation. New infrastructure, and especially new hardware- we're talking Ethernet cables, a special-purpose modem and router with custom-configured settings, an active internet connection and a fully set-up network, WiFi configuration, breaker boxes, better cooling systems, a better BIOS- better hardware in general to accommodate the programs and codebases you've developed. Generators
and
backup generators.
He pauses, a knowing smile punctuating his words. “But you already knew that, didn't you?”
Another roll of the optics from the medical officer was his only response. “Of course. Just as enlightening as the first 89 times you told me that,” he snarks.
The redhead grins. “Alrighty, then. Good to see we’re all on the same page here.”
Smart-aft.
The heavy thud-thud-thud of pedesteps indicated Prime’s presence, followed by the soothing pulse of his EM field. A curious expression on his face, he peeked in- as if silently asking for permission to enter- before glancing at the terminal, now running in a relative state of smoothness. “This was your doing, young Rafael?” he asks, glancing at the youth. Ratchet scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I’d say the lad gets twenty percent of the credit here.”
“Excuse you,” the boy scoffs, giving a playful roll of his eyes. “I’d say an argument can be made for at LEAST fifty percent.”
Optimus smiled. A somewhat rare, albeit genuine smile. A moment of levity in the constant chaos and pressure that was war, where the sacrifices never seemed to end and every decision held an infinite torrent of fear and uncertainty and weight, even the smallest ones.
“I see you all are getting along swimmingly already,” he quips. “Promising, indeed.”
Revelations_201215 on Chapter 1 Mon 23 Jun 2025 04:52AM UTC
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Starry_Skies_116 on Chapter 1 Mon 23 Jun 2025 02:38PM UTC
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