"No matter how long you train someone to be brave, you never know if they are or not until something real happens."

~Veronica Roth, Insurgent

>>•<<

Once Miko and Rafael got the hang of transformation, it wasn't long before they could do it as smoothly and quickly as walking. It was already a natural part of their body function, they just needed to be aware of how to utilize it. Miko did indeed have mace-like weapons for forceful hitting, as well as guns for long-distance destruction. Because of her current knowledge of some type of fighting style, she was able to learn basic defense maneuvers rather quickly.

Rafael struggled more in that area. Though he had guns and blades, he was a timid boy, and didn't like the thought of fighting. Bumblebee gave him many words of encouragement while they also practice defensive maneuvers, but it was clear that Raf was not made for physical warfare. Though he was not created to naturally connect to technology like Soundwave, Ratchet was more than happy to teach him more Cybertronian and how to use their computers more efficiently.

If anything, Raf was always useful with the computers. As they constantly reassured him, not everyone was made for battle. They could use someone at the base to run things while they went out and kicked tailpipe.

And that was important, as now Optimus wanted everyone to return to their original prerogative: track down the Decepticons and stop them from unearthing more Predacon bones.

"Hey, you think I can transform into my alt mode and fly around some?" Miko asks eagerly.

"Not in here, you won't!" Ratchet waves a finger at her. "And you best not be doing it outside where a bunch of humans can see you!"

"It's probably best if you don't for now, Miko." Bulkhead says gently. "We should focus on attacks and such first, before you start with the more complicated things."

"It's not easy the first couple of times." Wheeljack adds helpfully from where he was leaning against the wall. He had bounced back from near-death rather quickly, though Ratchet still insisted that he not strain himself, and definitely not go on any missions.

Miko pouted at that, hanging her head slightly so that the pieces of metal that looked almost exactly like her pony-tails move a little. "But I want to go on missions with you guys! Since Wheeljack isn't allowed out of the base, I could help you guys hunt!"

"That is a definitive no." Ratchet exclaims. "Who knows if the Decepticons put trackers on you? Or if the Decepticons with which you share a spark can find you after you leave the shielding of the base? You two are not allowed out of here until we get both of those things fixed!"

Miko crossed her arms. "How do you plan to fix the spark thing? I thought you said it could kill us?"

"I'm trying to test whether or not a transfer would work. Because if it could, then I could link you to an Autobot instead."

The girl leaped up with delight. "Could I share a spark with Bulk?! That would be so cool!"

"Possibly." The medic grunts. "If Bulkhead is willing."

"Of course I'd want to do it, doc." Bulkhead replies proudly. "She's my partner after all!"

Bumblebee beeped and chittered his agreement, stating that he too would do the same for Rafael if he could.

Arcee folded her arms over her chest and slightly squeezed herself. Bulkhead and Bumblebee were so willing . . . She loved Jack as a partner, she really did, but she didn't think she could commit to parting with a piece of herself, even if it meant that Jack would forever be safe from Megatron. Selfishly, she knew that Optimus would be more than willing to give the boy a piece, and even Smokescreen as well.

Don't be ridiculous and selfish. Do you really not care that much about Jack?

She shook her helm and turned away from the group, walking to a secluded corner. Sitting down with a sigh she quietly looked on as her larger team mates discussed with the new additions and gave them tips on how to fight, Miko eager to do so while Raf was content to watch.

"Hey, why are you alone?" Shovel asks as he sits next to her. "Don't you want to help teach them? You're really good."

Arcee doesn't deign to look at him, instead glaring at the floor. "I just like my alone time. How do you know how I fight anyway? You've never seen me in action."

Shovel shrugged. "Actually, I have before. I tried shooting at you once too, when you and a bunch of the other Autobots stormed the Nemesis once. I was one of the lucky few that got out alive."

"You guys actually last that long, huh?" She had to admit she was slightly impressed. It didn't take much to offline a Vehicon, so for one to survive was no small feat.

"Yeah. So I've seen you fight lots of times after that." Shovel adds. "It's kind of scary, wondering if you're next battle will be your last, but now that I'm with Ratchet and the Autobots I don't have to worry about that."

It was somewhat shocking to hear the Vehicon talk. He was a chatterbox, but he normally didn't talk about his past Decepticon life.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asks.

The Vehicon shrugged again. "I thought you'd like to know. Team Prime is the best Autobot team there is, and you guys can do anything, save anyone. You'll get that other human back."

It was an odd form of encouragement the femme didn't think she needed. But it was welcoming. In all her years, struggling with one loss after another, no one had tried to comfort her like Shovel had. She was grateful for it.

The Vehicon truly was something.

>>•<<

"Again!" Megatron snarls as he gives Jack another blow, sending the boy flying across the room. "That was a weak, pathetic attempt! How can you assume that you can hold your ground against anyone, when I dispatched you with more ease than a dead Autobot?!"

Jack picked himself up off the ground, his servos transforming back into swords as he shakily stood in a fighting position. He had never had to fight like this in his life, and to do it now, without any sort of training . . .

Megatron charged him with a growl, his sword coming down with no mercy, Jack barely able to counter it with all the strength his weak and unused muscle cables had. He was tired, something he hadn't really thought Cybertronians could be.

Shockwave watched from the sidelines, the only mech brave enough to tell his master when to stop. Though he dedicated the rest of his time to Project Predacon, he would not turn down the opportunity to watch his creation move and act. Yes, he was aware that the body inhabited a consciousness that could think, feel, and take action for itself, but because Jack was an experiment the scientist had no qualms about looking down at him, a level below Cybertronian.

Jack felt the sadistic delight of Megatron thrum within his own spark, and it made him sick. He wanted to rip it out and end those feelings right then and there, but if he did then he would die. He wasn't about to do that yet, not to Arcee, and especially not to his mother.

The distraction of the spark gave Megatron another opening, his fist finding the young Cybertronian's middle (again) and causing him to double over.

"You're easily distracted, it seems." The warlord sneered. "Get used to it, Jackson! Your enemies will not give you the luxury of hesitation!"

Jack stood up again, his entire body aching as he did so. "If you think . . . The Autobots are going to . . . Try and kill me, you're wrong!"

Megatron slapped him again, then clutched his throat. Jack wheezed as his energon was cut off from his processor, leaving it dry and screaming for fresh energon.

"There will come a time when you will be their enemy, and they will be forced to kill you!" Megatron threw him again. "And they will show no mercy!"

"Lord Megatron, I think that is enough for now." Shockwave decided to finally intervene when Jack was left gasping and venting on the ground. "His body is still delicate and needs time to adjust."

Megatron glared at his scientist, but let his blade retract back into his cannon. Turning around, he began to stalk out of the room. "I will have Soundwave continue your training tomorrow. Shockwave and I have some important business to attend to."

Jack simply gave the warlord a hateful look as the doors closed, ignoring the servo offered to him by Shockwave as he struggled to stand up, blades reverting back to servos.

"I will be taking you back to my laboratory." Shockwave lets his servo drop. "There are more scans I wish to perform. After that, you may rest." His slow and heavy footsteps lead the boy out of the empty training room, and back to the lab that had once held Miko and Rafael in there along with him. It had been rearranged to accommodate for Jack, as he now lived in a lab, but it still brought back painful memories.

"Remain standing." Shockwave commanded as he ran a scanner over his body. It didn't tingle like before; in fact, Jack didn't feel anything at all. When the scanner beeped to indicate it was done and information was downloaded, Shockwave allowed Jack to sit.

Despite his new body, Jack could still not understand Cybertronian, whether he tried reading it "forwards" or "backwards." It remained a mysterious language to him.

He was, however, able to vaguely understand the diagram of his body when it showed up on the screen. He wasn't half-bad at human anatomy, so he assumed that Cybertronian would be just as easy for him.

Even though he didn't know the terminology or what over half of the things inside him were, he could distinctly make out the different "organs" which resided within him. What made him slightly uncomfortable, however, was what seemed to be an odd mass on his T-cog. He recognised the shape and functionality of it thanks to the incident with Bumblebee, and the odd attachment did not escape him.

"What is on my T-cog?" He asks, not caring if Shockwave was irked by him pretty much looking over his shoulder.

"It is a new addition that I have yet to test." The scientist replies vaguely. "You have no reason to be concerned, it will not harm nor hinder your existence."

Jack frowned, quietly zooming in his vision, optics whirring as he did so. It was an unnatural shape, for certain. Something Shockwave- or even Knock Out -had put together from whatever parts they could acquire and called it good enough.

Cybertronians can't get cancer. Besides, he knows what it is, so don't worry.

But Jack did worry, as one should when something unnatural is a part of their bodies. If this was an "addition," something new that had unpredictable qualities, then that meant it could potentially be dangerous. That did not sit well with him, especially since Miko and Rafael more than likely had this thing as well.

Ratchet, please be smart and scan them. Please, please, please.