Being Human (Transformers Prime)

Chapter Sixteen | Bargain

"Necessity never made a good bargain."

~Benjamin Franklin

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As Jack stumbled into the Nemesis once more, he briefly took in his surroundings. He was a good several feet from where they had last Groundbridge, making him realize how dangerous it had been for him to take such action. He could have ended in a wall, amidst some deadly equipment, or worse, off the ship entirely. And since he didn't know how to radio for help, well, that wouldn't end nicely for him.

Once he got his bearings he began to run, feet click-cracking against the metal floor. It was weird, how it both felt natural and unnatural. The action was natural to him, but the feeling of each piston and bolt moving was foreign. He was used to the smooth flow of muscles, tendons, and bones. Not machinery.

Focus, Jack. One foot in front of the other.

He didn't really want to find anyone, he just wanted to be found. It made sense that any Vehicon or Decepticon that caught sight of him would immediately escort him to their leader, regardless if he said anything or not. He had something-

"Oof!" His feet suddenly rebelled, sweeping out from under him and causing him to crash into the ground face-first, leaving him in a brief moment of pain. When he looked back, he saw the blank mask of Soundwave staring down at him.

"I didn't come back to fight." Jack sits up, his face- which was still a shock for him to see -reflecting off of Soundwave's visor. "Take me to where Arcee and Bumblebee are, and Megatron."

Soundwave paused, as if processing this information, before silently walking past the boy at his slow pace. Jack scrambled back to his feet to follow, staying in the wake of the Communications Officer. He wasn't stupid; he couldn't beat Soundwave even if he knew all the tips and tricks of a Cybertronian.

The Decepticon stops at a door, which opens automatically for him only after a slight pause, and Jack falls in line behind him.

Megatron straightened from his bent position, his face just having been next to Arcee, a slightly annoyed expression on his face which soon turned into an angry snarl.

"Soundwave, I see you have retrieved one of our experiments." His dehumanization of Jack did not go unnoticed by anyone.

"Soundwave didn't retrieve anyone." Jack stood tall despite his urge to cower or run. Seeing Arcee being held immobile by Knock Out reinstated his purpose for his absolutely reckless decision. "I came here myself."

"Did you now? You're even more idiotic than I first believed." Megatron stalked closer, his arms at his side's, signaling that if he was give an excuse, any at all, he would use his fists to cause severe dents in Jack's dull grey plating.

Arcee was staring at the new Cybertronian, her optics wide with shock and disbelief. Even if the original body had been a generic form, when Jack inhabited the Cybertronian mind his body morphed into the mold of his previous human form, to an extent. He wasn't some scrawny kid like his human form had led them to believe. The armor plating that surrounded his chest, arms, and legs filled him out, with the more typical boxy design that usually came along with the males of the Cybertronian species. The voice, too, confirmed that he was undeniably Jackson Darby in the Cybertronian form. His mind had forced the body to match what it knew to be him.

Innocently blue optics settled on his guardian, keeping optic contact as he spoke to Megatron. "I came back in order to bargain with you." They refocused on the warlord. "Release Arcee and Bumblebee, and I will remain here. I can't fight you for them, and I will not let you have Miko and Rafael. So this is my only offer."