Sanctuary TFP/RB

Chapter 1

Jack had never been so tired.

Sometime after the first couple of days, he'd lost track of exactly how long it had been since he'd escaped from Knockout. It felt like an eternity.
Meanwhile, he still hadn't gotten over the shock. How had he ended up in this situation?

Huffing and puffing, he slowed to a walk and glanced over his shoulder for the trillionth time. Knockout and Breakdown were somewhere behind him, playing cat and mouse. With their ship only a GroundBridge away, they could refuel and keep following as long as they wanted. Days even. And they didn't get tired each time they caught up and chased him, leading to countless close calls.

Jack too was only a GroundBridge away from home, if he could actually manage to get ahold of the Autobots! He'd tried until his phone died, but all he heard were rings. He'd had no such luck with his mom, Raf or Miko either.

So there was nothing for Jack to do but keep moving. He'd spent all the cash he had on him on gas station snacks and busses. All he had now was his survival kit, which wouldn't do much, and his phone which was low on battery.

His mind had been in a constant state of overdrive ever since he'd followed Miko through that GroundBridge. Again. He remembered that much, but the details of how he'd gotten from there to here were a blurr. Did the Autobots even know what had happened? Did Miko?

Over the days, he had weakened considerably. He winced as he touched the makeshift bandage around his left temple, acquired from his last run in with his pursuers. It, just like half of his face, was coated with dried blood. And he was getting dizzier with each step.

If he didn't contact the base soon, Jack was a goner.

Spotting a park bench ahead, Jack slid his nearly dead phone out of his pocket. He'd finally managed to get a little juice into it at his last stop, but only minutes later, Knockout had appeared, forcing him to run again. It would have to be enough.

Jack collapsed onto the bench and dialed the commlink number again. "C'mon, pick up, pick up." He pleaded.  More exhaustion swept over him as his body realized it had stopped moving and went slack.

As he listened to the rings, waiting for an answer, Jack felt a few tears prick the corners of his eyes. What was his Mom doing right now? How was she coping with his disappearance?
And Arcee...
He shook his head to clear it, but it was beyond murky now. "Please." He urged his phone.

As if in response, Ratchet's voice cut through the clouds in his mind. "Jack! Are you okay? Where are you?" At first Jack could only stare at his phone. The millionth time was the charm? Then it clicked and he shook off the shock.

As he found his voice, he would have laughed in pure relief if he wasn't so groggy. "R-Ratchet! I don't know where I am. I've been running for a while...Knockout and Breakdown have been following me this whole time and..." Distantly, Jack could hear the exhaustion in his own voice as it trailed off.

"Scrap! Jack, stay with me! I'm tracing your cell phone signal, but we can't reach you right now! I've only just gotten the commlinks back up, and the GroundBridge is down!" Jack closed his eyes as his heart sank. No GroundBridge. His only way of escape. And the Cons could be on his tail right now.

"Jack, are you injured?" Optimus's deep voice joined the call. Jack nodded slowly before remembering he was on a phone call. "Yeah. I hit my head on a metal beam while I was running from Breakdown." His head was really swimming now. "I think I've got a concussion."

"Your signal is coming from somewhere off the coast of...Maine." Ratchet sounded surprised. "How in the Allspark did you get all the way out there?"
Jack groaned softly. "I can't really think right now..."
"Explanations can come later, old friend. Our first priority is getting Jack to safety."
"Without a GroundBridge? We can't even get to Jack!"