Whatever protest that was on Jack's tongue was drowned out by the bellow of the Autobots. There were furious stomps as several of the Autobots moved forward, only to draw back by the clicking of guns and yells. Of course, that triggered another round of banter, soldiers directing focus at each other, instead of the cuffs around Fowler's wrists as he was tugged away.

"W-wait!" Jack cried.

"You can't do that!" Miko protested.

"Leave him alone!" Raf wailed.

"Under what charges?!" Fowler demanded, hard eyes narrowing to a furious glare.

"Let's start with interfering with a federal investigation," Galloway decided. "And maybe if the judge decides to give you some slack, you won't be arrested for treason."

"This is completely—" Lennox started, charging forward, only for the security advisor to round on him.

"Do you want to be next?"

The lieutenant colonel froze and his jaw clenched. Meanwhile, Fowler looked disgusted more than anything.

"You are a petty man," the liaison hissed.

"You have the right to remain silent," Galloway retorted. When the agent only glared, he added, "A dozen American soldiers are dead and the world's greatest lunatic is lost to the wind. Someone is to blame. All signs point to you."

Jack swallowed. Fowler was the liaison between the Autobots and the American government. It was his duty to mediate between the two sides, but it was clear his loyalty was expected to his country first. Instead, he chosen the Autobots. The teenager's stomach twisted as he processed Galloway's accusations. Lennox was able to form a frontal assault in a matter of hours, when such an operation should have taken weeks of planning at the very least. Unless—

Megatron had sent Jack to the Pentagon to steal secrets from Sector Seven. NEST sent Fowler to steal information from the CIA. It only made sense that the spy agency had been eying the terrorist organization, and maybe knew more than NEST, and was merely waiting for the right opportunity to strike. It was because of that military intel Lennox was able to get a rough idea of Silas's operation, and how to confront it.

The burly soldier pulled at Fowler away, further from the Autobots. The federal agent growled, but complied to his captor's demands. More stomps and even Jack moved, as if there was something he could do. Fowler noticed.

"I'll be fine," the government agent huffed, almost dismissively, despite the look in his eyes. "This isn't my first rodeo."

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the air buzzed with the energy of distressed EM fields. The boy glanced at Lennox.

"Can't you do anything?" he demanded.

The lieutenant colonel looked torn, glancing between one of his oldest friends and the man that had the power to destroy his life with a snap of his fingers. He swallowed thickly.

"My hands are tied…" Lennox confessed lowly.

Jack's eyes widened in dismay. For the longest time, the army brat didn't know what to make of Fowler. The liaison was always guarded, save for his famous outbursts against the 'Bots, along his open hatred of the Decepticons and of course, his patriotism for his country. Other than that, Jack didn't know anything about the man. It was as if the agent was careful, not only to reveal his personal life, but his agenda. There was a time the army brat was wary of Fowler.

But that dissolved quickly. Fowler helped Bumblebee and Optimus Prime defeat Skyquake. He accompanied the 'Bots in transporting the DINGUS, when he could have let someone else do it. He went to the other side of the world to bail Miko out of prison. He saved Jack, and his mother, and Arcee, when he brought NEST forces to drive off Airachnid, to drive off MECH. Fowler saved the teenager again from the organization's cold clutches, and he was paying the price for it.

William Fowler wasn't just a figurehead for the American government. He was an Autobot.

Jack could only swallow painfully as the man was guided away.

"There has been a misunderstanding," Optimus Prime's calm, but stern voice drifted over the humans. "Agent Fowler has committed no crime against the treaty."

"No, but he has committed crimes against the US government," Galloway retorted. "And he must answer to our laws."

"Even if the alliance has not been broken?"

"As far as we are concerned? The treaty is void," the security advisory practically hissed.

"This fool is terribly misinformed," Ratchet muttered. The Autobot leader was more patient than his medic.

"How are we to rectify this situation?"

"Let us do our job—our way," Galloway replied hostility.

"It was not my intention to insult your government. But MECH was a threat to the Autobot cause and was responsible for the theft of our weaponry. That was a direction violation of our agreement."

"And you broke our trust by going behind our backs. How can we trust you, if to you have our men pay the price your irresponsibility?"

Jack felt his hands balling into fists. Optimus was reaching to a solution, but Galloway dismissed each word like the mech was that troublesome student in the back of the class. Not the legendary leader of an entire alien race.

"You and your friends, stay in Diego Garcia, until we have enough reason to believe you again," Galloway decided.

"Very well," Optimus replied shortly. "But inform your leaders as you contain us, you allow the Decepticons to gain the advantage."

"We can handle them."

"And what if you're wrong?"

Galloway gave the Autobot leader a look. "For someone who preaches a lot about potential, who underestimate us humans."

Optimus narrowed his optics, and it took Jack to realize the Prime was offended by the jab. But rather than edge the erratic man further, the Guardian Knight seemed to gather what was left of his patience and stood back to his full height. Then Jack froze defensively as Galloway finally turned his attention back to the teenagers.

"Colonel Lennox, see to it these kids are escorted off base immediately."

The teenagers protested at the same time.

"You can't!" Miko wailed.

"The Autobots are our guardians," Jack tried to reason.

"It's their job to protect us!" Raf added.

"Their job is to repel Decepticon activity," Galloway retorted. "They're weapons, not toys."

"No!" the distraught girl screeched. "You can't take Bulkhead away!"

Galloway only rolled his eyes, but before he could retort, Miko tore away from the group. She closed the distance between her and her guardian in a heartbeat. Bulkhead leaned down at her approach, lowering a servo so she could trap one of his fingers in a bear hug.

"You bast—" Jack hissed, lunging forward, only for Simmons to halt him with a strong hand on his chest. The teenager ignored him. "They're our friends!"

"Optimus, please, tell him!" Miko begged.

"The children are correct," the Autobot leader mused. "They are under our custody."

"They are American citizens," Galloway argued. "They are our custody."

"I'm not!" the exchange student protested, but she was ignored.

"And now, they are trespassing. A military base is no place for a bunch of kids." Galloway had suddenly taken a diplomatic tone, gesturing to the teenagers, and Jack almost tore past Simmons. "There are too many dangers here. They should be in school, safe. Worrying about grades and relationships, not being run over by Humvees or stepped on by… you."

Jack wanted to tell the man he had tried to leave the Autobots. It was exactly what Megatron wanted. The teenagers to be isolated from their guardians, so the Decepticons could directly focus on their adversaries, or have a clear shot at the Autobots' pets.

Optimus Prime narrowed his optics, and Jack could practically see the gears turning in his head. He wondered what the Autobot leader was thinking.

The Autobot leader had taken the children in his custody for their protection, yet they had been dragged into a war that was not theirs. How many times had they almost been killed? Even with his argument, in reality, Optimus had no real claim over them. To do such would be an insult to the race that agreed to host his kind. With the ice that supported the alliance so thin, not even the Guardian Knight was willing to step on it.

"….I understand," Optimus decided, his voice slow and reluctant.

"That's it?" Miko screamed. "After everything we've been through together?!"

"Miko…" Bulkhead tried, but the girl cut him off.

"What about our freedom to choose?!"

"It may fly where they come from, but not on Earth," Galloway interrupted, impatience dripping from his voice. He turned to Lennox. "Colonel, get them off my island, now."

The lieutenant colonel remained in his spot, that torn expression still there. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was the first time Jack had seen a military commander speechless. Unable to follow the command of his superior.

Another figure stepped in.

"Ratchet, fire up a groundbridge, if you will," General Bryce ordered, using an eerily calm voice, dripping with authority. "I think these kids have had a long day."

The medic frowned at the human. The old Autobot only took orders from his Prime, not a mere human. Optimus repeated the command. Ratchet let out a heavy sigh. He looked down at the teenagers, his optics dim, in a soft, pitiful expression. It wasn't that famous scowl. It looked displaced, wrong. All of this felt wrong. Suddenly a servo was on Jack's shoulder.

"It's alright, Jack," Arcee murmured softly, so low the boy hardly heard her. She was looming right above him. "It's for your safety."

The teenager shook his head furiously as he turned to face his partner. He didn't realize his voice cracked as he said, "I don't want to go…"

The Autobot gave one of her rare, warm smiles. One that told him that everything was going to be okay. That they were partners, and she would protect him. Always. Arcee leaned down, so Jack could look into those brilliant electric-blue eyes. Warm, smooth metal cupped his cheek. A gentle finger brushed away a tear he had not realized had fallen.

"You will always be my partner," Arcee whispered.

Jack couldn't help himself. He lunged forward to wrap his arms around her thick neck, burying his face into her shoulder. The words came out before he could process them.

"I love you, Arcee."

His best friend merely returned the embrace with a tight and secure one of her own. It was soft and gentle at the same time, careful not hurt him. A comforting servo stroked his back, soothingly, as Arcee murmured assurances in his ear.

Suddenly a warm, soft hand tentatively touched his back.

"Jack, we have to go," Mom murmured, gently, carefully.

Sure enough, the hum of the groundbridge told the truth behind her words. Something in his chest tightened in a horrible way. The boy practically had to be pried from Arcee's hold. He watched the world turn into a fog, depending on his mother's touch to guide him. Raf and Miko faired no better.

Bumblebee cradled a sobbing Raf in both of his servos, wings drooping as he deposited his charge by the swirling vortex. Bulkhead had to do the same with Miko, but instead of handling a limb child, he wrestled with a raving beast. The Japanese girl kicked and punched as she screamed and shrieked at the top of her lungs, cursing out NEST, her guardian, and the unfairness of it all. She was still going even as Bulkhead placed her on the ground.

Jack turned. He took in the sight of every one of them. Every memory, every picture, every moment he had shared with them for over the last year, flashed before his eyes. Of his friends. Of his protectors. Of his family.

He took in every single detail, ingraining it forever in his mind. Knowing it would be his last. He would never forget them. Jack would never forget her.

The children stepped through the groundbridge.

Jack didn't cry. He fully expected to, but nothing every came. The awful, agonizing feeling in his chest prevented any noise, any tear, any cry from escaping. He merely collapsed on his bed. He instantly felt heaviness settle into every fiber of his body, effectively cementing him to the mattress. The teenager didn't rave or scream or protest like Miko. He didn't cry or sob or wail like Raf. He merely closed his eyes, and let the deep, empty void of sleep take him.

Mom had woken him several times, whispering things to him he didn't understand. The army brat figured she was trying to coax him out of bed, but he didn't have the energy to lift a finger.

Jack didn't eat. He couldn't. Every time he looked at a hot meal, or even thought of one, it felt like something tore at his stomach. He didn't drink. He had no desire to, even as his mouth went dry and a foul taste coated his tongue. He didn't care.

His veins that had been running hot for days, were suddenly cold. Jack felt an uncomfortable itch throughout his body. It wasn't the skin, but underneath. It was deep within, craving something to fill him again, regardless of how dark it may be.

When he slept, it was restless. Almost every night, he closed his eyes, only to see burning skyscrapers, gunfire, and crimson eyes. Jack would bolt upright, screaming her name. She never came, never answered. And the boy would realize it wasn't just a bad dream.

Jack couldn't remember when he woke up. He couldn't remember when he got out of bed. Or how he got to school.

Part of him realized it had only been a matter of days since he had last visited Jasper High. Instead, it felt like three years ago, when he had stepped into the halls for the first time. Jack's skin prickled at the number of stares that bore into him, whispers and sneers following him wherever he went. At first, he didn't understand.

Then he found Sierra, in homeroom. She gasped at his arrival and instantly her friends formed a wall between him and the girl. Then Jack remembered. He wanted to talk to her, to tell her how sorry he was, to explain it wasn't him. But looking into that gaze, he realized he couldn't. At least Vince was leaving him alone.

Jack tried to flee the scrutinizing eyes at lunch, but he still couldn't escape. Raf kept shivering even though it wasn't cold. Miko's eyes were red and puffy. They talked idly, about anything that came to mind, trying to act like nothing had happened. Even though the object of most of their conversations had been ripped away.

Jack couldn't focus on any of his classes. The teachers spoke in garbles and his texts were in an alien language. He couldn't remember anything. His grades dropped and there was a letter he saw more than most. He didn't care.

Jack didn't know how long had passed. A week? Maybe two. Days blurred together. The junior hardly registered the shrill ringing of the bell. The last one of the week, a sound that usually filled him with joy and relief. Instead it only gave him dread and anxiety.

The army brat was trudging to his locker when it happened. A rough, ugly sound erupted from his throat. He immediately swallowed it down and almost put a hand over his mouth. He practically ran the rest of the distance, ripping out his books and slamming the steel door shut.

He found his bicycle, somehow. He wanted to throw it away every time he looked at it. A sorry replacement, and more importantly, it wasn't her. Instead he jumped on it and pedaled as fast as his legs would allow. It was slow. So slow. And so it took far too long.

Jack was gasping for air by the time he barged through the front door of his home. His legs hurt, oh, did they hurt. His entire body was shaking. Sweat had his long sleeves stick to his skin. His face felt wet. Another harsh sounded bubbled up from his throat, as he felt the walls of his home close in around him.

Mom was home, for a change. She started working with the new head physician tomorrow. Jack threw his backpack in his room and tore the keys from the wall. He told her he was going to the store, keeping his voice even enough that she believed him. Thank God she was in the other room.

The teenager didn't remember the drive. It all went by in a numb blur, the arid, empty landscape never registering. Maybe because he gone here so often, he didn't need to. Or maybe he just didn't care.

Autobot Outpost Omega One was cold and empty. For the first time he had even seen it, it was dark. Not a single light was on, not even the emergency lights. Jack almost rammed the car into the unmoving husk of a Vehicon. They littered the floor, now grey and frigid. The pools of energon had dried into an unnatural, ugly color.

Deep groves and skid marks covered the floor. Scorch marks were everywhere, left behind by stray shots of energon. A couple of the catwalks had collapsed and the elevator shaft had hole in one of the concrete walls. The computer console that took up the main lobby was utterly destroyed. Its giant screens were black and lifeless, the webs of cracks spreading across it. The controls themselves were fried and dented. The groundbridge remained cold and lifeless.

Jack had parked the car at the tunnel's entrance, as far away from the fallen Decepticons as possible. He slowly and carefully ascended the staircase he had stepped on a daily basis. In the darkness of the outpost, it felt completely foreign, especially as it rattled and wobbled with each step. Obviously it had been damaged during the fight, but it held his weight.

The upper level wasn't much better. The army brat confirmed the computer was totaled, and so was the little corner he and others set up. The hours they had spent there, laughing and shouting and talking. The TV was gone, the gaming console was destroyed, and all that was left of the couch was a pile of shredded pleather. Jack paused in the ruins of what was once the Autobot base and swallowed, which was loud in his ears. It was then he realized how quiet it was.

No blaring of metal bands or shouts of Miko. No tapping of Raf on his computer, or the little revs of his favorite toy car. No stomping of pedes, metallic thuds, or grinding of gears. He didn't hear the grumbles or mutterings of Ratchet, the bellows and laughs of Bulkhead, the buzzes and whirs of Bumblebee. The deep, echoing voice of Optimus Prime was gone.

Arcee was gone.

Jack let out around rasp. Suddenly his body felt heavy, his knees unable to bear the weight it. He collapsed onto his knees, not bothering to catch himself. He couldn't, not with how the world spun around him, turning upside down into a horrible, hellish reality.

He felt a hole tear open his heart, reopened from the death of his father.

Soldiers don't cry.

Jack cried.

In the silence of the base, the teenager didn't bother to hide the ugly sobs from deep within his chest. He wailed and screamed as loud as he could, as if he expected something hear him, but it merely hurt his raw throat instead. His lungs desperately tried to fill with air, only for a harsh cry to interrupt each time, resulting in a weird, distorted hiccup.

His vision clouded over. Tears sprung from his burning eyes and he felt them trailing down his cheek, dripping from his chin. The boy trembled violently, and the air chilled. He brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. The military brat buried his face in his knees, but it did little to muffle the violent sounds.

"Jack…"

Jack froze, the next sob dying in his throat as he jolted at the deep voice.

A voice he never wanted to hear again. A voice that had only brought him pain and suffering and never cared for anything else.

The teenager turned, slowly, cautiously, glancing over to see a familiar figure. He was in his shrunken size again, only a matter of feet away from Jack, as if to keep a careful distance.

Megatron.

The Decepticon warlord's expression was inscrutable, his faceplates betraying no emotion as he peered at the distraught boy. It made Jack sick. He felt that hot, burning rage well up in his chest like lava from a volcano. It spread to his limbs, filling his entire being. Jack jumped to his feet in an instant, whirling around to face the devil himself.

"Y-You…" No word, no insult, was strong enough to describe the murderer. Jack marched towards the shrunken titan, body rigid and quivering. He rose his voice a high-pitched scream. "You killed my FATHER!"

Megatron merely curled his lip. "I did no such thing. I was being held captive by your kind, remember?"

"The Decepticons attacked the base to hack into the military! To find information about you! Dad died because of you!"

Jack's voice became a higher and higher octave with each sentence. Megatron didn't even react to the violent outburst, merely looking down at the human with an impassive expression. A flicker of optics was the only betrayal of surprise he may have had, but it was done far too lazily to be sincere.

Jack think he went for the punch. Suddenly cold, unrelenting claws wrapped around his wrist. With a screech, the army brat sent another blow, only for Megatron to block it just as easily. If he was calmer, he would be rational enough to know it was foolish. The fragile bone of his hand would shatter against the invincible armor, if the warlord didn't snap his neck outright. Being thwarted did nothing, as Jack screamed and flailed.

"Enough."

Suddenly the world panned. The teenager didn't know if he was thrown or Megatron merely let go. He landed on his back, staring at the rafters far above. He quickly rose to his elbows.

Sure enough, Megatron hadn't moved from his spot, but his optics had narrowed in the slightest degree. His lack of expression infuriated Jack, who bared his fangs, snarling like a vicious animal.

"I will not apologize for something I had no control over," the Decepticon leader announced. "Especially if it was deserved."

"Deserved?" Jack's voice cracked at the octave he managed to hit. "Dad didn't know you existed!"

Megatron snarled. "All the more reason."

Suddenly all the things Jack had been told came rushing back. Megatron gained fame and power by slaying countless others to become the Champion of Kaon. He used the adoring crowd to gain his freedom, and twisted those same minds to do his bidding. He convinced half a planet to go to war, just because he thought he deserved to own a title that was not his. And Cybertron was destroyed because of it.

The tyrant's bloodlust was a result of his own delusions, his own twisted sense of reality. It wasn't until now Jack finally understood.

Megatron was insane.

"What was I, then?" the teenager demanded. "I didn't know about you, yet you kidnapped me, tortured me, stalked me! Was it all just a game to you?"

Maybe it wasn't enough for Megatron to destroy his enemy, but to seduce his son. A twisted sense of vengeance of the race that captured and humiliated him. Of course, the Decepticon revealed nothing, except—

"You are upset with me."

"No shit!"

"You think I abandoned you."

The blunt statement made Jack flinch, catching him off guard. He opened his mouth to tell Megatron he was wrong. He was happy the dictator was gone for so long, and he wished that he would stay away. Instead, the human felt something twist at the words.

The Decepticon leader had to have known what was happening. That MECH wanted to hurt him, did hurt him. After everything Megatron went through to stake his claim on his precious little pet, going as far as to poison him with dark energon, yet the warlord hadn't even raised a claw.

Jack gritted his teeth, the rage spitting out the words before he could stop it. His voice cracked, but he hardly noticed. "I begged you!"

"I will not be summoned."

Jack blinked in shock. For a full thirty seconds, he couldn't process the words. Then—

"Your ego's that big?! That's why?!"

"I answered you. Or did you fight that wretched human all by yourself?"

The teenager seethed. He couldn't count that. It wasn't Megatron stepping in to help him. He had merely used the bond to force his bloodlust upon Jack, coercing the army brat to defend himself. Going as far as to—

"You tried to make me kill him," the human accused.

"You fought me," Megatron retorted.

"I'm not you!" His voice rose back into a yell. "I'm not a murderer! I'm not a monster!" He shook his head. "You won't make me. You won't turn me into you."

Suddenly a noise grated against Jack's ear. It sounded like rocks clapping against each other. It took him a few seconds to register it as the Decepticon's laughter. He glared at the tyrant's amused expression. Jack was totally serious, yet Megatron acted like he said a joke.

"Is that why you act so stubborn?" the sterling titan mused. "Because you can't stand to be like another?"

"I'm nothing like you," Jack growled. "The dark energon is gone. We don't have anything between us anymore."

Megatron narrowed his optics and frowned. "Oh?"

Crimson orbs flashed purple.

Without warning, a tidal wave of darkness washed over Jack's mind. He winced with a choked sound at the pressure the filled his skull, pushing aside thoughts, logic, and emotion like it was nothing. The boy felt something wrap around his heart, tugging at it, as a familiar warmth filled his body. A familiar high tingled his senses.

No.

Nonono—

"You feel it, don't you?" Megatron rumbled. Suddenly the tyrant splayed his fingers across Jack's chest. "The power of Unicron within you?"

"B-But—" Jack tried, but the train of thought was shoved away by the dark presence.

"It's a part of you, now. Not just in blood or in your heart, but the darkness of your soul. It cannot be removed."

The teenager felt a shudder course through his body—feeling the truth in his very veins. The servo slid down, seizing his wrist yet again. Jack almost screamed when suddenly his palm was pressed against warm, smooth metal, against the Decepticon insignia. He felt something underneath the armor, thrumming against his fingertips as it spread across the metal. It was a steady, pulsing rhythm, not unlike his own heartbeat.

Suddenly Megatron's voice gained an odd, metallic twang, but still as menacing as ever. "The lifeblood of the Chaos Bringer runs through us both. We share the same destiny, now, the same fate. We are the same."

Jack shook his head, as if it could make the hued, warped vision disappear. He spoke, but it sounded like another's voice. "No. No!" He gritted his teeth, trying to shove the flurry of emotions he did not want to have. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

"You would have not called for me if that was true. You would not be here now." When the boy just shut his eyes, trying to ignore the silver-tongued monster's words. Megatron dropped his voice to a low purr. "You know it, Jack. You know the blood-bond between us, don't you?"

Jack opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but then he realized. Deep, grating noises of buzzes and whirrs had sounded against his ear, yet he had thought little of it. He had understood it.

"What the frag—"

The human screamed. He ripped his wrist from the Decepticon's grip and covered his mouth with his hands. All the while a flare of tainted optics was the only betrayal of Megatron's amusement. It took several times before Jack spoke without a weird, rough, unnatural noise coming from is throat.

"W-what did you do to me?!" the human screamed, his shaking increasing tenfold.

He didn't just understand it. He was speaking it.

He was speaking Cybertronian.

There was a flash of deadly fangs. "We are one, you and I."

Jack was still gripping his throat, only to feel his heart hammering underneath his skin. It wasn't possible. It wasn't physically possible. He tried to find any logical reason. Megatron had invaded his mind, and he had entered the warlord's. Had the ancient being's knowledge somehow bled into him? Or was it the dark energon? Had it seeped into his existence, so much that it altered his body?

Suddenly the darkness pressed against him. He felt it shove down his panic—his fear—at the foreign instinct. Until only the dark presence remained. He jumped when suddenly servos wrapped around his arms, gently tugging them down. Warm metal cupped his cheek.

"Do you see now, my dear?" Megatron whispered, thankfully switching back to English for the little sanity the boy had left.

"No, I don't!" Jack retorted in another harsh yell, slapping the servo away. "Just like that, you want to forget everything you've done? You hurt me, my friends, my family! Dad is dead because of you! Arcee is gone because of you!"

With that final scream, the teenager tried to pry away from the Decepticon's claws. Only for the possessive grip to remain firm. Jack only pulled harder, even though he was aware it would only reward him with a dislocated shoulder.

"Let me go!"

"No."

The single syllable was spoken like a command. Without warning, Megatron pulled, and Jack was sent into a solid frame. Thick, unrelenting arms wrapped around his back, keeping him in place. The military brat shrieked in protest and flailed against his prison.

"I said let me go!" When his command was unheeded, he continued to rant, "I hate you!"

With that, Jack increased his struggles, but it was hopeless. Megatron never let him go, never flinched, no matter how hard the human pounded against his chest or how loud he screeched. He cursed the warlord's name, how much he hated him, how he was wrong. The teenager didn't realized the tears had returned, streaming down his face as his voice broke from the strain of his screaming.

Jack didn't know long his fit lasted. Maybe a few seconds or a few minutes. It felt like hours. Finally a wave of exhaustion washed over him, extinguishing the fury. His muscles burned with protest as the energy left them. The boy slumped in the Decepticon's hold, his head falling against Megatron's chest. The metal pulsed against his ear. Jack panted, closing his eyes.

"Just kill me already," he murmured, but didn't have the heat he wanted.

"You're far too valuable to dispose," Megatron argued.

"How? The Autobots are gone now." Jack felt something in his chest break at the realization. "I'm useless to you."

"Because the Autobots made you useless. They saw you as an insignificant child. But I have seen through your eyes. I have felt everything you have ever experienced. You are different from the rest of your kind. You are brave, and clever, and strong. You are compassionate but you hate those who have wronged you, as you should. You would do anything to uphold your beliefs, no matter what is in your way."

Megatron's claws stroked through his hair as he spoke. Jack didn't protest the petting, or refute the tyrant's words. He no longer had the energy to argue, nor did he know how. Not when he heard the real praise behind the words, and not just whispered lies in his ear.

The boy closed his eyes. He just wanted to go to asleep, and forget everything that had happened. He didn't even realize he was leaning against the Decepticon, until Megatron adjusted his hold.

One arm wrapped around Jack's shoulders and the other slipped under his knees. He was lifted into the air as if he weighed nothing. The teenager hid in his face in the warlord's shoulder, not caring that his tears trailed down on the armor. The world rocked back and forth in slow, measured strides.

Jack must had dozed off, because he was next aware of plush around him. He still saw the dark rafters above him, and he realized he was on one of the cots in the base. He saw movement above him and a rough, but warm blanket was pulled over him. The frame creaked as a heavy weight settled on the edge.

"I still won't forgive you," Jack whispered.

"I know," Megatron replied.

The teenager closed his eyes, feeling the edges of unconscious creep forward. He tried to sink into it, only for a sharp, metallic sound to pierce his hearing.

The boy jumped, alert. He shot into a sitting position, only for his heart to leap to his throat at the sight of Megatron's sword glinting in the darkness. Despite the warlord's words, he felt panic rise. He was really going to do it—

Instead, Jack watched in shock as Megatron turned the blade and sliced it across his own wrist. Sure enough, dark energon oozed from the wound. The deep itch returned, far worse than before.

"Drink, my little one."

It was still harsh and bitter, burning down his throat, but it didn't have that poisonous taste as before. It was the first time in weeks that Jack felt full and energy coursed through his body. The void within him sealed close. He felt anxiety and fear and anguish in his heart be pushed away as Megatron's will filled the bond between them.

Suddenly he felt a strong arm wrap around him, gently guiding him back down. He was pressed against a hot frame. Jack leaned against it until he heard the thrumming of Megatron's spark underneath him, the sound sickeningly comforting. The boy closed his eyes with a sigh, feeling a strong, dominating presence wash over him. Claws brushed down his spine, deceptively soft and gentle.

"I will never abandon you, my Jack," Megatron whispered in his ear. "You are mine, and mine alone. For all of time."

Jack fell into darkness in the master's arms.

The end.

Story's over. No more fanfiction. The rest is up to your interpretation.

Haha, just joking. Yes, I am fully planning on making a sequel. It was my intention from the first chapter. While this story focuses on Jack and Megatron establishing a bond, the sequel will explore what will happen when the bond is official. It will be loosely based on the first half of season 2, and will have plenty of familiar faces.

However, you're going to have to wait a little while.

I have a couple other projects I wish to finish before dedicating my entire writing to it, because I got carried away with this one.

A huge, huge thanks to everyone that favorited and followed this story, and all the amazing reviews. I am no stranger to writing, but this was my first Transformers fanfiction, so I'm so grateful for the incredible support, especially of those from the beginning. I hope to see you guys again and follow this journey.