Author's Note: Hey guys! As you may know, I'm extremely excited for this story. After all, it is the basis of my entire series so you know it's a big one. I also want to mention that this story is inspired by... no one! You might be saying, "Ilikepieguy123 doesn't do originals". Well you're wrong. :P

By the way, if you don't know already, my series is following the storyline of the games War of Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron, as well as the book Transformers: The Covenant of Primus. As always, I have made moderate changes to the timeline and events that happened which will be revealed in time.

Also, if you haven't read the other stories that come before this one, definitely go check them out. There is Transformers Prime: Operation 000, followed by Transformers Prime: Another Set of Eyes. After you've finished those, come back her and you'll understand the context. :P

Hope you enjoy Transformers Prime: Power of Stealth!

(P.S. I know it's a cheesy name but I couldn't think of anything else.)

Chapter 1

Sunsets.

There is nothing that can compare to the elegant natural event that takes place every day. No picture or painting can express the beauty of the scene, no matter what quality it is. Perhaps that's why it's so special to him. It's something distinct, something nothing else can relate to. Kind of like him, his life, and his journey.

Evenings were always quiet for him lately but he didn't mind. He enjoyed being alone and spending time in his own thoughts. Most people spend their free time with friends, or family, doing things that they would talk about for days to come.

Not him though, he left that all behind him. If not for school and work, he would be up here every day, 24/7. Day or night, moon or shine. It didn't matter what or where he was, he always had himself. To the average American, spending time to just think and be alone would be ridiculous. People always have things to do, places to go, almost like a busy ant hill, moving around just to survive. But that's the world we live in where taking time to just look around is considered a waste of time.

Jack sat on top of the mountain, looking out at the changing colors in the sky. It had taken him a while to find a spot like this one, one that resembled his old hill. Of course, it had taken some more time to getting used to the change in height and atmosphere, but eventually he learned to love change. After all, that's all that ever happens to him.

Occasionally, he would miss his old hill, the one where a lot of his memories floated to. It was his original spot where he could think and be alone, but he couldn't return back there anymore. He knew that others were always looking for him and that would be the first spot Arcee would check.

Arcee... she was something he's had on his mind for a while. She was his guardian, friend and partner. Lover, and love interest. She was his girlfriend; someone he should be talking about his problems with, but that just wasn't the case. He's been avoiding her, just like he has for everyone else, passing by them all as if they weren't even there. Occasionally he would see her in the garage, waiting for him, but even then he ignored her. He knew that every time he gave her the cold shoulder, she would become more persistent. He's already begun to see it happening, the blue motorcycle secretly following behind him as he drove on the road, the headlights that watched him from afar. It pained him to have to ignore her like that, but it was necessary that he did.

Truth be told, he felt guilty in his own sense. He's been slowly distancing himself from her and the rest of the group. He hadn't shown up at base in a while and even at school, he would avoid his friends. It was tough to push away the people he cared about and the sinking feeling in his stomach never seemed to go away.

A number of things have happened since the attack on the Nemesis, all of which he hadn't been there for. At some point in time, both the Autobots and Decepticons' databases had been leaked and the two decoded Iacon database entries each side possessed were exposed. With four different sets of coordinates to go to all at once, the team had been forced to split up.

He remembered hearing about how Arcee, Bumblebee, and Miko managed to snag the Phase Shifter from Knock Out while Ratchet and Wheeljack lost the Resonance Blaster to Soundwave. Optimus and Dreadwing had journeyed to the Arctic where they had encountered both Dreadwing and Starscream. After a multitude of battles, they had lost the Mass Shifter to the ex-con and returned home empty handed. Probably the biggest loss was Bulkhead and Smokescreen's mission. They had been ambushed by a horde of Insecticons, an insect like Cybertronian that somehow found its way to Earth. To make matter worse, the relic they were after turned out to be Tox-En, a dangerous gas-like object that had nasty effects if exposed to too long. Having to dispose of it quickly, the green wrecker was forced to jet it into a volcano but was once again ambushed by Insecticons. In the end, the Tox-En had been removed of but Bulkhead had been severely injured with system failures and partial paralysis. He had found himself next to his fellow wrecker in the medical bay and was forced to take some time to recover from his injuries.

All of this had happened and Jack was nowhere to be found. He should have been there to help to somehow, after all Miko, Raf, and Agent Fowler had been given tasks and they didn't even have enhancements like he did. Maybe if he had gone, Bulkhead wouldn't be out of commission and they would have been able to collect another relic. Or maybe if he had gone, he would have lost control once again and another Autobot would have been nearly killed by his actions.

Jack remembered the look Wheeljack had on his face when he almost off-lined him. It was a look of betrayal, of fear. He had seen the surprise in his optics as he fell limp on his sword and the thought of it haunted him every night. And even though Wheeljack had awakened from his coma a couple days ago, he refused to go see him. It wasn't that he didn't want to check up on his friend, and he did so very badly, but it was the wrecker's reaction to seeing him that he feared the most.

In fact, he hadn't faced anybody face to face in a while. It just didn't feel right anymore. They were his friends and family but now, it was like they were strangers. The looks they give him behind his back tell him that they see him in a different light now. He had no idea of how to confront them or even if they'd listen to him. He was an outcast to his own group, one that knew his place and had acted upon it.

You okay? You're awfully quiet today. Came Agent 000's voice in his head.

The agent had truly become one of his closest friends in the past weeks. He was basically the only person he talked to, and he was also the only person that completely understood his situation. Not only that, but he was the only one who knew of his plan and said that he would stick with him no matter what.

I'm just... thinking about stuff.

Thinking about that plan of yours?

Yeah...

I've told you many times before, I'm with you all the way. However, I also remember telling you about the importance of family and friends.

Yeah I remember.

If you're really going to continue with this, you need to consider every aspect of it. Who and what you'll be losing.

I know that, that's why I'm up here. Jack shot back with a little irritation in his voice. He didn't mean to get angry at the agent but he was just frustrated.

Well alright then...

Look, I'm just... really frustrated right now. I don't know what to do and I didn't mean to get all pissy at you.

Hey, no hard feelings. It's all good. But can I ask one thing?

Sure.

When?

... soon. That's all I know. We have everything ready so I can do it whenever I want. I just want to make sure it's the right time to do it.

I understand. Take your time, this is a tough decision to make.

Jack nodded his head and watched as the half of the sun was covered up by the mountain top. It really was a beautiful sight and he wondered if he would find another spot like this if he did carry out his plan.

He sighed, realizing that his options were shrinking by the day. Deep down inside, he already knew what he wanted to do, but his mind had other thoughts. There were thoughts that said 'go for it', while others said 'no don't'. It was as if his brain was having a battle with itself, battling to see who dominates the other. It's ironic really since he's done that multiple times, just in a different context.

"What do I do?..." he asked to no one in particular. He wished life wasn't this hard. If only it was like a maze. In a maze, there is one path to follow but that path is always there. It doesn't change over time and it certainly doesn't affect other paths. If only...

The sound of an engine snapped him out of his thoughts as he heard it come closer. In fact, he heard it driving up the mountain side and he knew who it was immediately. He knew that it was bound to happen eventually but he didn't know so soon.

Jack didn't bother turning around to face the vehicle. Instead, he continued to watch the sunset, ignoring the engine getting louder by the second.

When the engine stopped and the sound of a transformation echoed in the valley side, he knew that it was time. He had two choices here, but he already made up his mind. There was nothing left for him here and he had to let her go.

"Jack..."

...

Author's Note (#2): Little disclaimer, this story will hopefully last just as long as the previous one so around 30-ish chapters. The problem is, summer is coming to a close [] and school is starting soon for me. I am a man of my word and will try my hardest to update daily, but with school and football coming in, it's going to be a busy life. If I miss a day, I'll try uploading a double the next. If not, you're just going to have to suck it up. :P

Much love and thanks for reading. Leave a review on how you like the beginning or what you might think will happen.

Cya tmrw.