Ta-da! A new chapter!

Hey, sorry this took so long everyone! I've been so busy recently, and so I've had less time to write, and its awful DX But here it is! A new, shiny chapter!

Thanks to all of you who have faved, followed, reviewed and PMed! I appreciate the support soooooo much! You're all amazing!

Disclaimer's on my prof.!

Enjoy reading!

It had only been a few hours.

A few hours since the Autobots and Lockdown had battled.

A few hours since Lockdown had returned to his ship, energon leaking from several gaping wounds.

A few hours since Jack had escaped.

And frag it, Lockdown was angry, furious! But more than anything he wanted his young companion back. Despite all his fury towards the teen who had dared to escape him, he wanted the boy back. But now that the teen was back in the Autobot's clutches, retrieval would be significantly more difficult than it would have been if the teen had just run off on his own. The Autobots had a base that hid life-signals, and now that they knew all about Lockdown's fascination with Jack, they would no doubt keep Jack within their base and not have him return to his home, since it was certain that the bounty hunter knew his home's location.

But Lockdown would find a way to locate Jack. He was no stranger to improvising, and this would be no different. As long as the cybernetic in Jack's chest remained, Lockdown could find the signal if he found a way to improve the life-signal detection system on his ship. No doubt the Autobots would leave the cybernetic alone, Lockdown had wired it into some very vital places, just in case this ever happened.

Lockdown's angry thoughts suddenly slowed, and the mech's face twisted in pain. He'd thought things had been going so well. Jack had started opening up to him, had even shared the story behind his scars with him! But...apparently something hadn't gone right, or the teen would've stayed.

Then again, the boy was both stubborn, and his sense of loyalty was strong. Even with things between the two of them becoming better, his strong-rooted sense of loyalty would drag him back to the Autobots every time. So Lockdown couldn't exactly blame the teen, he was still young and naive. Besides, after he got him back, Lockdown would make sure to work on that fragged up sense of loyalty and help Jack realize he had no reason to be loyal to the Autobots- at least, not after how they had ignored him in the weeks leading up to his kidnapping.

Yet, to fix everything, Lockdown first had to get Jack back. And with the tech that enhanced the teen's life signal having been damaged and Jack himself now hidden in the Autobot base, with its life signal cloaking machinery, it would be much harder to find the boy. If he was going to pull it off, Lockdown knew he first had to get his hands on some updated tech.

And he knew where to find some and how to get it.

Time to see if the Decepticons could use a bounty hunter for awhile.

For the past handful of hours, the Autobot base had been relatively silent. Even Miko and Raf, who had ben contacted as soon as Jack was safe in the medbay, lacked their their usual enthusiasm. Miko's guitar lay forgotten in the corner, and Raf's video games remained untouched. While Miko, June and Raf waited on the cement deck, gathered on the couch, the 'bots were strewn across the main room. Arcee was by the set of medbay doors, while Bulkhead and Wheeljack stood side by side, leaning against a wall and their large forms tense. Bumblebee and Smokescreen sat with their backs leaning against a wall, while Ultra Magnus stared quietly at the doors of the medbay unflinchingly. Optimus stood by the main console, but he wasn't working as he usually was. The Prime was quietly watching and waiting, his gaze flickering between each Autobot and human, ensuring that everyone was alright, then his gaze would turn to the doors of the medbay.

The tension of the air was shattered like glass when the twin doors to the medbay opened. Arcee, 'Bee and Smokescreen were immediately on their pedes, while Bulkhead and Wheeljack straightened. Miko, June and Raf jumped up from the couch, hurrying to the railing of the deck, and Ultra Magnus and Optimus straightened immediately.

Ratchet looked tired, angry and saddened all at once as he moved forward, letting the mechanical doors slide shut behind him.

"We were lucky. Jack only suffered a few injuries, and none were too serious. After I gave him a thorough inspection, I set him up with an I.V to raise his fluid levels, as he was dehydrated. From the muscle strain I saw in the scans I took of him, he...He must've been running for hours."

Most of the 'bots winced. Having been at war for vorns, they'd all at one point or another had to run for hours on end, either to make it to a specific location or to evade capture. They all knew it wasn't an easy feat, nor an enjoyable one. And for a small, teenage human who had been stuck in a cramped ship for weeks? It had to have been torture to force himself to keep running for so long. Ratchet quickly continued.

"He'll need a few days rest, along with some close observation just in case, but he should make a full recovery. However Lockdown most definitely left his mark, the little-"

"Ratchet." Optimus interjected, tone warning. He glanced pointedly at Raf and Miko, reminding the temperamental medic to keep a cap on his language. The medic managed to restrain his glossa, if only barely. Satisfied, Optimus gestured for him to continue. "What did Lockdown do?"

The medic sighed, looking suddenly far too weary.

"Lockdown implanted cybernetics on Jack."

Everything fell dead silent, all optics and eyes locked on Ratchet. While the humans of the group weren't quite sure what cybernetics were, they knew it had to be very bad with how the 'bots were staring at the Autobot medic with incredulousness and horror. Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen looked ready to hunt down Lockdown and make him pay for what he had done, while 'Bee chiruped in concern and Ultra Magnus scowled darkly. And Optimus...

Not many could say they had ever seen Optimus mad. But right now, as the large Prime stood stoically by the main console, it was clear that he was more than angry. He was furious.

The large Prime's face still was emotionless, aside from a deep frown, but the mech's bright blue optics were smoldering with fury, and large blue-red servos were clenched into fists.

With a sigh, Ratchet looked over at June.

"He's resting now, but you are free to go in and stay with him." A glance towards Miko and Raf. "You both may go as well, but you need to be quiet so that Jack can get the rest he needs."

June was already halfway to the medbay, and the kids nodded eagerly before following the woman. Arcee went as well, concerned for her partner. Once the doors slid back shut, behind the group, Optimus's gaze fixed on Ratchet.

"Lockdown forced cybernetics onto Jack?"

Ratchet's shoulders rose in a slight shrug.

"I don't know if Jack was restrained or drugged, but I'm certain that he didn't allow Lockdown to implant technology in him of his own volition."

"Can you remove it?"

Ratchet shook his helm, scowling.

"No. The fragger made it so that the cybernetic is connected to several vital organs. Even hours under a laser scalpel wouldn't do any good." The medic moved forward, closer to the others. "I hate to admit it, but the tech itself is amazingly advanced. From what I can tell, it enhances Jackson's life signal so that it is much easier to track, and some of the components are remarkably similar to the Apex armor, which means it may provide protective armor for Jack. I don't understand why, though. If Jack was a trophy to him, I do not know why he would wish to go to so much trouble to protect him."

"If it enhances his life signal, how do we know our signal dampeners will be effective enough to keep Lockdown from tracking the boy's signal?" Ultra Magnus asked.

A bitter smile curled at Ratchet's lips.

"The cybernetic was damaged. I believe Jack realized that if he were to escape, he would have to ensure that Lockdown couldn't track him. Lockdown isn't stupid, he likely had the teen's life signal tied to his ship's security system so that an alarm would go off if Jack's life signal left the ship. From what I can tell, upon this realization, Jack did his best to disable the tech. He pulled out most of the wiring that he could reach, and with the tech damaged, he managed to escape. It explains why he had so much blood on his chest, he bled somewhat with the removal of the wires. He was lucky that his shirt stemmed the flow somewhat, or he may not have gotten as far as he did."

Optimus found himself having to pause and rein in his emotions as anger reared its ugly head. As he calmed himself, Ratchet continued.

"I made sure he didn't need a blood transfusion. Luckily, the blood loss he suffered was minimal, and so it isn't required." The medic shook his head with disbelief. "It's hard to believe someone so young would be willing to cause himself such pain so that we could have enough time to find him and not have to worry about Lockdown following us here."

"Jackson is as brave as any Autobot soldier." Optimus replied gently, gaze softening. Ratchet grunted in agreement.

"Yes, well, I need to go keep an optic on him. I'll inform you if his condition changes at all."

Optimus inclined his helm in thanks, and Ratchet returned to the medbay. Silence reigned the room for a moment, then was broken by Ultra Magnus.

"As long as Lockdown is roaming freely, both the boy and his mother will not be safe outside of the base."

Optimus grimaced, nodding.

"I am aware."

"Then how should we proceed, sir?"

The Prime mulled the question over for a moment, forming a reply.

"For now there is little we can do. Lockdown, with his injuries, no doubt has returned to his ship. We will be unable to locate him while he is safely hidden within the range of his ship's signal dampeners. I fear we must wait until Lockdown recovers and proceeds to search for Jack. Only then will we be able to find him." Optimus turned to Bumblebee and Bulkhead. "Both of you must ensure you keep a vigilant optic on Miko and Rafael. I fear that Lockdown, knowing how close the children are, may attempt to capture Rafael or Miko in an attempt to root out Jack."

Bumblebee whirred and chirped angrily at the idea of Lockdown getting his servos on Raf, and Bulkhead glared at the ground darkly, no doubt disliking such an idea himself.

This was going to be a horrible week. If all they could do was wait for Lockdown to appear once more, then no one was going to be getting any recharge for a long while.

Jack didn't know how long he'd been asleep. It could've been a few hours, or it could've been a few days, he just wasn't sure. As he cracked his eyes open, Jack found his eyes begin to water as bright light stung them. Blinking rapidly, Jack tried to lift a hand to shield his face, but found he arm couldn't go to far. Something- an I.V? Was attached to his arm, and the inserted needles were pulled at painfully when he moved.

Eyes finally adjusting to the light, Jack looked around in confusion. This wasn't Lockdown's ship, it was too bright and-

Memories of his escape hit Jack like a ton of bricks, and Jack gave a start.

He was home! He'd escaped Lockdown, the 'bots had found him, he was home!

This realization left Jack somewhat breathless. Looking around, Jack finally recognized his surroundings: Ratchet's medbay. He was laying on a human-sized cot atop a large Cybertronian medical berth (no doubt this was because Ratchet wanted to keep a better optic on him). Beside the head of the cot was an I.V drip, the one attached to his right arm and that rendered his arm immobile. On the left side of the bed was a monitor displaying Jack's vitals. The machine was giving a steady beeping in time with Jack's heart, and Jack realized that several wires stretched from the machine and were attached to his chest.

Sitting up, Jack used his free left arm to carefully pull the wires off. He jumped when the machine sounded one long, loud, droning beep. Jack gave another start when there was a commotion outside of the medbay, then the doors slid open and an alarmed and worried Ratchet ran in.

The medic froze when he saw Jack sitting up and staring at him in surprise. Optics flickered to the machine that was wailing, then the disconnected cords. A sigh that was an odd mixture of relief and irritation left Ratchet as he moved forward to silence the machine. By now, the others had rushed in, as worried and shocked as Ratchet. At the sight of Jack, though, they relaxed.

Finally, using his holoform, Ratchet managed to switch off the machine. The holoform, an older man with a stern face, gave Jack a look.

"You're the son of a nurse, you should know better than to mess with these machines!"

Jack smiled wearily.

"Glad to see you too, Ratchet."

The medic huffed, still a bit disgruntled, but his holoform's expression softened all the same. The false human moved to Jack, pushing him down carefully.

"You should be resting, not moving around."

Jack popped right back up, ignoring the scowl the medic sent him. The teen smiled as June hurried forward, and the two shared a long embrace, Jack more than happy to bury his face in his mother's shoulder. He'd missed her so much...

"Glad to see you back in the land of the living, kid." Bulkhead chuckled, earning a grin from Jack. Arcee elbowed the green Wrecker, the action sending a small, echoing clang through the room.

"Don't even joke about that." The femme scolded. "I don't even want to think of what could've happened if we'd gotten to him any later."

Jack chuckled slightly, though the sound scratched at his throat the wrong way. Coughing slightly, Jack smirked up at Arcee.

"Aw, you do care."

The femme frowned playfully, crossing her arms.

"Oh shut it."

Jack had missed this too: the friendly banter. The lighthearted teasing.

Raf and Miko had moved forward too, but both were hesitant to get to close, seeming to think if they hugged Jack then something might go wrong, they might hurt him or-

Jack reached forward, grabbing both of his young friends and pulling them close, careful to not bump the cybernetic on his chest. Miko beamed, laughing and chattering away as she gave Jack a one-armed hug about the shoulders, and Raf eagerly wrapped his arms around Jack's middle, giving his big-brother figure the larges hug he could manage.

"I missed you all so much." Jack admitted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm so happy I'm back home."

The word 'home' seemed to resonate with the 'bots. This young boy, this young human, considered the Autobot base his home. It was a strange idea, but a welcome one as well. Optimus smiled softly as Jack looked up at him. The teen returned the smile.

"I didn't tell him where the base is." He stated, surprising Optimus. "I promise I didn't."

Optimus chuckled, the sound deep, low and rumbling.

"I never believed you had, Jack." Glancing at the irritated holoform of Ratchet, the Prime continued. "I believe you'd best listen to Ratchet. We all wish for you to get well as soon as possible."

Jack sighed, but relented all the same, letting himself be pushed back down into a laying position.

"How long have I been out?" He asked, remaining still while Ratchet checked the I.V drip.

"Not too long." June replied gently, running a hand through her son's hair. "Just a day and a half."

"A day and a half isn't 'too long'?!" Jack asked incredulously, nearly sitting up again (only to have a now quite agitated Ratchet push him back down firmly). June shook her head.

"After what you've gone through? No, not at all. And you still need more rest."

A half-hearted groan left Jack as his head fell back onto the pillow, eyes sliding shut.

"I'm already tired of resting."

"Too bad." Ratchet retorted gruffly. "You need rest, and you will be getting it even if I have to sedate you."

"I'll rest, I'll rest!" Jack relented. "Jeez, temperamental as ever, huh?"

"Oh I'll show you temperamental! Where's my wrench? I swear-"

As the medic continued to rant, Jack smiled to himself.

Yeah. He'd missed all of this.