Manipulation

Jacob awoke with a start. Immediately he regretted his sudden action when a split pain shot into his chest. "Ahh, "he groaned, grabbing his stomach and curling up. As the pain quickly faded away, the boy blinked. Finally, he questioned about the place where he had woken up," What..."

The last thing he recalled was being chased down by the Autobot and blacking out just before she was going to kill him. Gazing down, Jacob found that the gash in his chest had been mended up. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the injury had been welded together like with a torch or something. I suppose that would be the robots' way of stitching someone up, Jacob slightly remarked to himself.

Then Jacob stopped. But wait... that doesn't make any sense... then who saved me?

Swiveling his head around, Jacob hoped to find some answers. It was a small room- well, at least for his robot body- the walls were blank and Jacob seemed to have been laid upon a metal, flat surface. In the corner there was a door and on the opposite side of the room there was a shelf with an array of items presented on it. Curiously, a mirror was hung on the wall at the base of his bed-like structure. From where he sat, Jacob gazed across the room into the mirror where he saw... himself? Jacob touched his face and watched as the figure in the reflection mimicked him.

Huh. Jacob never really had the chance to see himself in this new body of his and... it certainly was strange. It wasn't like it was often he saw another person when he looked into a mirror. It was very surreal.

Sliding off the elevated surface, Jacob slowly moved towards the mirror for a better look. Once he stood directly in front of the glass, the boy looked himself up and down.

He appeared to have the body of a rather thin bot compared to those he had seen so far. It was a little unusual for him to inhabit something so lanky. Back on Earth he was a hockey player, so naturally he was well-built; a little bulky too, but he fine with that. Although, even if this frame was thin, it still was fit- probably agile. He was colored mostly a grayish white and had red lines running down the crevices and lining the edges of his armor. A thick, blocked-like shape jutted out from his forehead and two circular plates covered the area where his ears would've been if he had still been human. Gazing into his eyes, he found they were a vibrant yellow and there was a slight luminescence about them. Intrigued, Jacob inched closer to the glass until his faceplate touched his reflection. Jacob studied his eyes, noting how complex the thread-like wires were and how all gears meshed together so cohesively.

The observation made more questions pop into Jacob's head: Where did these robots come from? Did someone create them? Whoever did, must've been seriously smart. The thoughtful boy placed a finger on his chin, Maybe they're like humans and they evolved. In that case, do they reproduce? How would they even evolve or reproduce if they're made of hunks of steel? Jacob stopped suddenly. A dirty thought popped into his head that needed answers. Eyes drifting downward he eyed his pelvic area...

Right on cue, the only door in the room slid open and a new figure walked in, "D-draft?"

Jacob turned, flustered, it was like his parents had just walked in on him. But to his surprise, he found that it was the same Autobot who had pursued him that stood there. A confused look flashed onto Jacob's face, "I-" The boy was interrupted when the mechanoid suddenly rushed forward and embraced him with a hug, "Uh..." he said, getting more perplexed by the second. Didn't she want to kill me?

"We thought you were gone," the feminine bot sniffed, squeezing Jacob even tighter, "I still believed though, Draft. Somewhere inside me knew you were still alive..."

The awkward moment ended when another bot entered through the door. This one was very tall and had an authoritative aura about him, "Aether..." he spoke in a deep, yet calm voice, "I think it would be unwise to approach this impersonating Decepticon."

"B-but Prime!" Aether objected, placing a hand on Jacob's shoulder, "It's Draft!"

"Aether, open your optics!" butted in another mech, emerging from the entrance. This bot was black and white. He looked very cross with the one called Aether as he folded his arms," You of all bots should know Draft was killed in battle! He's a fake! There have been numerous accounts of Decepticons pulling this very trick to sneak inside Autobot lines and spy on us."

Aether winced, hurt by his harsh words.

Jacob looked left to right, unsure of what was going on. Did they mistake him for one of theirs? What would they do to him if they found out he was truly an imposter? Jacob thought back to when Fuseload and Orbit had preached about how awful the devious and scary Autobots were. He could only imagine with a shiver of what they'd do to him.

"Prowl is right, Aether," the one called Prime, interrupted, "We should proceed with caution."

Aether's shoulders slumped forward for a moment, "But sir..." she started, "Optimus Prime... I don't mean to overstep here, but those were instances with bots who looked similar to those MIA. Draft's appearance here is uncanny to the one we all know. I mean, look!" Aether quickly grabbed Jacob's arm and presented it to the two others, "He even has the same scar on his hand that Draft got when we both were just sparklings! Am I right Draft?"

Jacob blinked, a little taken off guard by the position Aether put him into. A brief instance inside him wanted to tell the three the truth and that he wasn't who they really thought he was, but the boy rejected that notion. He couldn't trust these strangers. The best option for now was to play along to ensure his survival, "Y-yeah. Don't you guys remember me? It's me- Draft!" Jacob said, lying right through his teeth.

Optimus Prime paused and tapped a finger on his chin, "I suppose you're right Aether... and I don't doubt it's you, Draft. I just wanted have precautions. Things around here have been at lot more harder since your disappearance, Draft," his gaze shifted back and forth between Jacob and Aether, "But it doesn't hurt to take careful measures. Aether, can you please escort Draft around the facility, it's been a while and a lot of things have changed, I don't want you taking your optics off him."

Jacob let out an inward breath of relief. Prime was convinced and his acting had paid off.

"Optimus!" Prowl piped up with his hands extended at Jacob," This is obviously an imposter! He-"

Prime held out a hand, stopping Prowl from continuing," Now Prowl, Draft is an old friend of ours. If anything goes wrong, Aether will be there to warn us," he explained. At that, Prime turned and exited the room.

Aether had enthusiastically nodded along with Optimus Prime's words while Prowl let out a defeated huff," Fine... but if I catch so much of a whiff of something strange up with you, Draft, you're dead." the bot hissed, adding a sarcastic tone when he said the name, before following his leader out and leaving Aether and Jacob alone.

Jacob's heart skipped a beat from Prowl's threat. Assuring himself, the boy promised he'd get out of this place the moment he got the chance.

Aether spun around to face Jacob," I can't believe you're alive!" she cried, enveloping him in another hug," You have to tell me everything! What happened that day?"

Jacob stiffened up when she hugged him. It was incredibly awkward knowing he wasn't who she thought he was," Uh... what did you think happened?" Jacob slowly asked in return. Being sly, he could get some information out of her while he could.

Wiping a tear, Aether looked up at Jacob," Oh Draft... we- we were on patrol... then... we were ambushed and t-then you told me to run to get help while you held them off.
I ran as fast as I could, Draft, but by the time we came back you were gone!" Aether told him in a shaky voice," All that we found was your spear and a pool of energon..." as her voice drifted off, her eyes fell to the ground in a shameful manner," I shouldn't have left you Draft..." she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes," Ever since that day, I regretted leaving you... everyone thought you were as good as dead..."

A lump was caught in Jacob's throat. Poor Aether... Jacob's guilt made his head swim around in circles. Did all of this mean he was transferred into the body of Draft? That would mean that the real Draft was gone. Jacob felt awful. Not only was he impersonating someone who was dead, but he might be inhabiting their old body! The boy firmly shook his head. No... it wasn't his fault he got abducted and forcibly transferred into this metal shell; it was that scientist called Knockout who did this to him! For now, Jacob was going to do whatever it took to get back home. As horrible as it sounded; it even meant if he had to lie to this brokenhearted robot. Getting home was his priority.

"Draft?"

Startled, Jacob's eyes shot up to Aether's concerned face. "Ahh... sorry," he apologized, scratching the back of his head," Was lost in thought..."

"Oh?" Aether blinked, the edges of her lips curled up in a short smile," What were you thinking about?"

"Um... just how glad I am to be back here Aether," Jacob replied with a fake smile.

The girl smiled back at him again, wiping a tear from her eye," Okay..." there was a short pause of silence," Well, let's go- I'm going to show you everything that's changed around here since you've been gone."

The two took off and the happy autobot proceeded give Jacob a quick tour of the building. During their walk Jacob learned that this Autobot camp was located in the capital building of the city. It was the biggest building around and was very structurally stable, making it also the safest. The two walked through a corridor and made their way out from the medical bay to the main hall. The cylinder-shaped building was designed to have a central hub in the middle it where everything branched out from. When Jacob and his accomplice emerged from the hallway, it opened up to a large hall. When Aether called it a hub, Jacob thought of something that was more simple, but when he saw it, the boy was floored with how big it actually was. He gazed up at a grand hall that was at least ten stories tall. The hall was cylinder shaped, much like the building. Each floor had an open walkway in which one could peer over the railing and see below into the hub. Great, big pillars stretched from the floor to the ceiling to hold up the behemoth of a building.

Jacob could see that this once important, luxurious building had been turned into a military camp for war. The effects of such abuse was clear. At the top, Jacob could tell that the domed ceiling once harbored skylights, but they had been removed and replaced with metal sheets. Jacob stood at the very bottom of the whole complex. The canal lengthened from a column into an L shape on the first floor. The first floor extended to what was appeared to be the old entrance to the extravagant fortress. It was blockaded over where fancy, glass doors should have been, and instead piles of stacked scrap were welded in place over it. The marble-like floor he stood on was dirty and harbored hairline fractures everywhere. The walls were mended over with scraps and no one seemed bothered enough to pick whatever trash there was lying around.

What made Jacob most in awe was how the entire hub buzzed with life. He had never seen so many of the robots in one spot. There was so many walking and going about whatever tasks that they needed to get done. It was like the whole complex was a hive full of bees.

"C'mon Draft!" Aether exclaimed, pulling on Jacob's arm," We don't have all day!"

"R-right," Jacob stuttered, following Aether through the crowd. His head pivoted around, trying to catch sight of everything. He mentally noted whatever exit he could use to escape.

Around the wide base of the first floor, multiple elevator-looking contraptions operated. Aether took him to one and they walked inside.

"Ahh, some peace and quiet," the feminine robot sighed. The doors behind them closed, muffling out all of the hub's loud noise. "You remember how much I hate loud noise, right Draft?"

Jacob slowly nodded, mesmerized by the lights that flashed by as they were carried upwards. He wasn't very comfortable in his current position. Being surrounded by so many strange aliens and the more he saw of the place, the less he believed his chances of escaping. With everything that had happened to him in such a short time, it was to no surprise with how Jacob felt like he was in a trance. All of a sudden, all the boy wanted to do was take a break and have a moment to just process what had happened to him.

Finally, the elevator hissed to a stop and the doors slid back open to a new hallway. Leading the way, Aether took him around. Lead through the capital's maze-like corridors, Jacob wondered where she was taking him. He could have tracked all of the different paths they were going on, but his head was spinning too much and he felt too exhausted to care anymore. They traveled for what seemed like forever. At the end of it all, Jacob was practically dragging his feet on the floor. In the meantime, Jacob was shown the armory, cafeteria, storage, civilian halls, control rooms and meeting hall. There was countless of others, but Jacob couldn't possibly keep track of it all.

Finally, too tired to move, the boy stopped and was hesitant to follow Aether any longer. Noticing her friend wasn't with her, Aether turned around," Draft? What's wrong?"

Jacob's eyes fell to the floor," Can I rest somewhere?" He softly asked, unsure if he was going to blow his cover," I'm just really tired and... it's been a while since I've been back here..."

Aether's smile reassured him," Of course! I'm sorry Draft I should have realized... you must've been through a lot in the Decepticon's captivity." She grabbed Jacobs hand and they started off in another direction.

It was a short trip. "We're here!" Aether cheerily announced when the pair arrived at a simple grey door. To the side of it was a lit up tablet.

Lifting his weak head and looking around them, Draft noted how the hallway was filled with many of the exact same doors," Where are we?" he croaked.

"Don't you remember? This is your old room!" Aether said pulling him closer,"The exact same way you left it. We, uh, never had to touch it anyway after you were gone... its not like we're getting any new recruits around here," the girl awkwardly chucked at her depressing joke," Anywayyy," Aether piped up when the air around them grew quiet," Let's go in." Promptly, she tapped at the tablet's screen which beeped in approval as it accepted her passcode. The thin door shuddered open and the two stepped into the dark room within," Whew! It's dark in here," Aether said. She waved her hands around and the lights flickered on.

Jacob blinked. The room was very small. Surprisingly, the robots had furniture. Jacob didn't know what to expect, but he guessed even aliens had to have a bit of decency. In the corner was a metal table and against the back wall was a couch. The room was cramped and there was little space to move around easily. Shelves were indented into each side wall, hosting various trinkets and valuables that must've belonged to Draft. On the same wall of the door, opposite of the couch was a sleek device- probably a tv of some kind.

Feeling tired, the boy couldn't help thinking out loud," Where's the bed?"

"The what-?" Aether questioned, confused by Jacob's terminology.

"I mean where do I sleep?" Jacob hastily corrected himself.

"Sleep?" Aether asked again," Draft are you okay? Maybe you rest on your berth for a bit?" she said with a concerned look on her face. "Primus, you probably haven't had a good power down since I last saw you!"

A wave of dread washed over Jacob when he saw her gesturing at the metal table and calling it his berth. I take it back, these aliens have no decency if that's what their bed is! Giving up, Jacob was too tired to care. He went over and tossed himself onto the berth, cringing at the sound of metal clashing on metal.

"Primus, Draft! What's gotten into you?" Aether cried," You're not a sparkling! You're going to ruin your finish with stunts like that!"

"I don't care..." Jacob muttered, getting ill-tempered. Shifting around, he found a comfortable position and closed his eyes. Making it clear that he wanted to be left alone. Please, I just want some peace and quiet alone...

There was a long period of silence exchanged between the two.

"Draft..." the autobot finally sniffed," You're my best friend... when we thought you died, I believed it was all my fault for leaving you." A shaky sigh shuddered out of Aether," I realize you might be angry... I understand completely."

Jacob cracked open an eye. The guilt was clawing at his heart. He felt awful for the poor girl robot. Rousing from his sleepy state, Jacob spoke," It's okay, Aether." He couldn't help offering a little consolation for the bot.

Then blue liquid began seeping out of Aether's eyes," I- I'm sorry," she quickly began wiping away the tears," Y-you don't know how much it means for me to hear that from you."

Jacob sat up from his berth, surprised by the robot's tears," Hey! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. It's okay, really! You don't have to cry," he spouted. Words of comfort instinctively tumbled out of his mouth. After having a girlfriend, he knew when a girl was upset," Really! It's fine, you have nothing to- oof!"

Jacobs words were cut off by a sudden embrace. Aether's arms were wrapped around his neck. Again, Jacob was taken aback. His arms slowly accepted the hug and returned the favor by lightly patting her back.

The embrace was long and embarrassing- at least in Jacob's case, so when she finally pulled away, he was relieved. Although... he'd admit it was rather nice receiving familiar touch in what seemed like forever. The hug was appreciated.

"S-sorry again.." Aether sniffed,"...Thanks."

Jacob curtly nodded, resting both of his hands on his knees.

"Um..." the bot started," If it's alright with you, could you tell me what happened to you- while you were the Decepticon's prisoner?"

Jacob would have audibly groaned if he could. She was asking a lot of him since he was going to have to make everything up. He felt he was obligated to it, though, since he was tricking her into thinking her friend was still alive. Giving in, Jacob proceeded to fabricate another lie," Well... Right after you left, I was taken captive by the Decepticons..."

He began to tell her about how he was put into a prison cell and was left there for a long time. Thinking about Knockout, he told her about a mad scientist who did tests on him while he was held captive there. Finally, he told her that he escaped one day during a test and was able to sneak aboard a soldier carrier. Jacob explained that he pretended to be one of their own and that was why when she found him, he was with the bunch of Decepticon soldiers. Jacob also told her he ran away as she chased him because he was only trying to escape the battle. Patiently, Aether stayed quiet during his entire speech. At the end, Jacob was satisfied with what he came up with; what he told her wasn't all entirely lies.

"I'm so sorry, Draft!" Aether cried when Jacob finished," It must've been awful going through all that alone."

Jacob smiled, thankful to have convinced her so easily.

"I'll... let you rest now..." she said, standing up. Giving him a weak smile, she walked over to the door. "Goodbye Draft... I'll come pick you up in a cycle?" she pondered, her hand rubbing away the last of her tears.

Jacob nodded. He wasn't sure how long that was, but it was probably enough time for him to get his bearings.

Aether tipped her head back in response, giving a short wave before exiting his room.

Left alone, Jacob flopped back down upon his berth," Christ almighty!" he breathed, rubbing his eyes vigorously. He thought he was never going to get the chance for a break. Somewhere inside him was scared that the robots didn't need sleep. A yawn escaped his mouth. I guess I'll power down for a while, he thought to himself. Curling up into a ball, Jacob closed his eyes and fell asleep.