"At dawn of man, many words of inspiration. At the end, there will be words of revelation."

~Toba Beta

>>•<<

June sat on the couch, trembling in fear as scenarios ran through her head, images floating across her eyes of what their fates would be. She had betrayed the Autobots before, staying in contact with Megatron, but she would not abandon them. That, she decided, was worse than anything else.

He's coming, I know he is. He'll bomb us, again, and though I may not ever see Jack again . . . No, I will see him again. Just not in this life.

June Darby was never big on faith, especially after her husband left her despite months of praying to a God she hoped existed, but she wanted to continue hoping, to know that not everything was on her shoulders. Perhaps there was Primus. Could she pray to a god of a completely different species? Was he even real, like their God was supposed to be?

Well, Unicron was real, and he is supposed to be Primus' opposite, god of chaos. So, probably.

As she closed her eyes to say a little prayer a loud, warning tone fills the air. She leaps to her feet, phone clutched in hand, as Ratchet starts from his position at Ultra Magnus' bedside, optics immediately darting to the screen.

June's erratic heartbeat lasted well after she realized what had caused the alarm: Agent Fowler.

"Prime!" Agent Fowler demands angrily, dark eyes searching for the Autobot leader. "Ratchet, where is Optimus?"

"He is on a scouting mission with Shovel." Ratchet did not look pleased by Folwer's interruption and tone of voice. "What is it this time?"

"What is it? What is it?" Fowler looked ready to blow. "I'll tell you what it is! The Pentagon is going nuts! A whole fleet of jets just smashed into the Hoover Dam! And not just any jets!" Fowler promptly pulled up what looked like an awful camera shot of a flying jet, but as he clicked buttons off-screen different images appear before finally a clear one comes into view.

"Fowler, just because the kids are here doesn't mean you should be using that sort of language!" Ratchet snaps, but goes completely ignored.

"Decepticons?" A surprised Smokescreen adds. "There's nothing they could possibly want at that . . . What-chya-ma-call-it."

"Hoover Dam." Fowler seemed ready to explode. "The Hoover Dam is not just some what-chya-ma-call-it. It is the symbol of America! Of our power, our ingenuity!"

Bulkhead squints at the screen from where he had sat down. "Looks like a giant wall to me."

"No! No no no! This is a dam! It provides electricity to thousands of Americans, and water too! Gallons and gallons of it!" Fowler was definitely feeling extremely patriotic, as he slammed his fist onto the table. "And the Decepticons destroyed it!"

Arcee sat up with a grunt, helm in her hands as she mutters. "And my audio receptors are about to be destroyed by your yelling."

"So what if the Decepticons destroyed it?" Ratchet scoffs. "It can be fixed."

"Not without years worth of construction!" Fowler was beginning to look rather crazed. "Would you guys happen to have any idea why they would do such a thing?"

June was wondering the same thing herself. It made no sense, unless the Decepticons were aiming for mass destruction and panic, there was nothing there for them.

"Of course not." Ratchet sounded even more annoyed. "They have not motive, unless someone was feeding them false information."

Smokescreen snorts his agreement. "By the way they completely totaled that thing, you'd thought the Allspark was hiding in there."

June's mind began to race. Unless someone was feeding them false information.

"What about the kids?!" She blurts. "What . . . what if . . ." Her voice cracks for a moment as the implications suddenly sink in, and she forces herself to say the words. "What if they are . . . being asked for information, and trying to protect us?"

The base was silent for a good long while, her heart breaking slowly as a sob gets stuck in her throat, threatening to come out. The way the Autobots were looking at one another and Fowler signified that she had probably hit the nail right on the head. But they were probably not just being asked for information.

They were probably being tortured.

The cry of pain and sadness rings out across the base before she can stop it, a hand flying to her mouth as several sets of eyes look up at her. Blushing and not wanting them see her cry, June runs out of the room without another word, out of the base entirely, and slumps against the wall, trembling with horror.

Not my Jack. My Miko, Rafael. Not my kids. Please no.

Tears continues streaking down her face and blurring her vision before her hand darts into her pocket without a second thought, pulling out her phone and dialing.

It only took two rings for him to answer.

"And what would you be calling about, Ms. Darby? Something you would like to tell me?"

Her voice was broken up into sobs as she grips the phone, barely able to hold it due to her profusely shaking hands. "I want to talk to my son. I want to talk to Jack."

Megatron's dark chuckle made her hands go clammy and knees weak, and she slides to the ground as be responds, head spinning. She had never passed out before in her life, but at that moment she was about ready to.

"Why? Did his precious two-wheeler suddenly just . . . go up in flames?"

June suddenly realized what he sounded so . . . delighted about. Her sobbing, her immediate call after the destruction of the Hoover Dam; Megatron thought she had just witnessed the destruction of the Autobots. Immediately, her mind made a snap decision. She had to protect them, to make up for her betrayal here and now, conversing with this monster.

June Darby was no actress, but she knew that her emotions at the here and now were her biggest advantage. He had take her son, his friends, her home, her livelihood, and as far as he knew, he had taken away the Autobots too.

"I want to talk to Jack!" She demands, letting hot, angry tears pour down her face. "You've taken everything from me! Please . . ." She allows her voice to break, and even sinks to her knees for effect, even though he couldn't see her. "Let me speak to him. Let me know he's alright." Her body trembled. "Please."

The warlord was silent for an awfully long time. June wasn't sure whether he was trying to determine if she was telling the truth or if she had been so convincing he had to stop and think for a moment.

When he finally spoke, she had never felt so much relief in her entire life.

"I suppose your argument is valid. I did, in fact, take everything you've ever lived for." She didn't know if he was sympathizing with her or simply toying with her. It didn't matter, as long as she could talk to Jack. "Perhaps . . . I could even let you see him."

Warning bells were going off in June's head. Knowing Megatron, he wasn't just going to let her visit. He was trying to play with her emotions, and for whatever reason trap her aboard the Nemesis. To blackmail her son, use her for his own sick reasons?Whatever the reason she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of kidnapping her too.

"N-no, you're lying." She forces out. "I know what kind of game you're trying to play. You're just going to use me, just like you are the kids."

Megatron's chuckle once again sent shivers down her spine. "Hardly. No, Ms. Darby, the children have a completely different purpose than what I have in mind for you. It would be useful, wouldn't you think, to have you aboard the Nemesis? To care for the human children?"

"It would," she spats back "but I know you better than you think. You'll use me for more than that, I know."

"You're very impressive, Ms. Darby, I'll give you that much credit." Megatron did indeed sound surprised by her knowledge of him. "And what else, pray tell, would I use you for?"

"I'm not a mind reader, I don't know." She was becoming frustrated now, but remembered that she had to stay composed, at least a little bit. The Autobots had just died, according to what he knew, so she had to keep him thinking that way. "But don't think for one second I'll let you have me so easily. I'll have Agent Fowler tailgating you before you could possibly track me down!"

"Is that so?" Megatron seemed to be purring on the other end of the line. "I think Soundwave would like to take you up on that challenge."

Her blood ran cold. "I just want to talk to my son."

"Are you afraid, Ms. Darby?"

"I . . . I am."

"How very interesting. Would it make you feel any better to know that I have no intentions of killing you?"

"N-no. Just, please, I want to talk to him. Just talk. Please. Don't take me away too."

"Take you away from what?"

"Don't make me lose myself too."

The silence between them was almost too much. June could almost see the look on his face. Surprised, perhaps maybe even puzzled. When the warmonger finally spoke, he spoke slowly, as if unsure of his decision.

"As you wish, then. I will have Soundwave see to getting Jackson some cellphone reception. But do not, for one Earth second, believe I am doing this out of sympathy for you."

"I didn't think that was the case." She replied bitterly, her hands still trembling; but this time from excitement. Would Megatron really grant her wish? Could she talk to Jack? "You don't seem like the type to sympathize."

"On the contrary, Ms. Darby. I empathize with you."

Before she could reply the line went dead, and she stared at the blank contact ID picture as she took the phone away from her ear. He had hung up on her. She would have been more angry with him if she wasn't so perplexed.

I empathize with you.

>>•<<

The cuffs bit into his wrist joints, but the pain had lasted long enough that Wheeljack was familiar with it. It had taken all his willpower to not laugh in the face of the Decepticons as they ate up the information he was giving them. While the predatory gleam in Megatron's eyes had been unsettling, at least he had the reassurance that the Hoover Dam, though close enough to Jasper, Nevada to be a problem if the 'Cons decided to scout the perimeter, was well out of the way from where the actual Autobot base.

He also chose the dam because it was a monumental American structure; if it was destroyed the entire country and possibly the world would hear about, meaning that the Autobots would have no problem learning that someone was keeping their afts covered.

But it made him wonder. Did they realize he had been gone? Did they presume him dead already? Bulkhead, bless his spark, wouldn't give up on him that easily, but eventually the poor bot would realize that Wheeljack wasn't coming back anytime soon. In which case, he was either dead, or captured. Dead, more like, because he had been knocked unconscious after the explosion, making him more vulnerable. Completely vulnerable, actually.

Still, he hoped.

But he was hardly his biggest concern. No, Wheeljack feared for the kids. Miko had nearly died because of him, and who knew what Jack and little Raf was going through. He vowed to himself that he was going to get out with those kids no matter what, even if in the end it killed him. Megatron may think that the humans interfered and now must stay in this war, but he thought differently. Yeah, Wheeljack enjoyed fighting, but he believed that this was their war. Other species shouldn't get involved, especially when they are at a severe disadvantage and wasn't involved in the first place.

But what did he know? He was just a soldier, according to Ultra Magnus. Someone who liked explosions way too much.

Well, then I'm just going to grab the kids and blow this place sky-high, since that's what I'm good at.

>>•<<

"The protoforms are nearly complete, my lord." Shockwave spoke with his same monotonous voice, but Megatron knew him well enough to sense his excitement. "We only require a few things before they are fully functional. The armor, however, will be the next hardest thing to add. Some things will be able to fit the protoform perfectly, others we will have to test and modify on the bodies once they are functioning."

"Excellent." Megatron turns away from the monitor to look at his top scientist, red eyes glowing somewhat oddly. He seemed . . . unnerved, to Shockwave. "Do you know how long it will take to acquire the necessary items?"

Shockwave, though he was concerned for his master, was smart enough to know to not question what kind of mood Megatron was in. "Not precisely, especially considering I have saved the hardest internal organs for last: processor, t-cog, and spark."

"Ah, yes. And you know we want nothing less than perfection, Shockwave." Megatron clasped his servos behind his back. "I'm sure some Vehicons can be used as models or scrapped for spare parts-"

"Only their T-cogs could be used in that situation." Shockwave was sounding thoughtful, however. "The processors will be the hardest, if my idea on how we can use the sparks will work."

Megatron tilts his head, looking at his scientist curiously. He always had interesting ideas. "And what would that be, pray tell?"

Tapping his helm in thought, the scientist's one eye focuses on nothing in the distance. "A spark made from scratch is not only difficult but nearly impossible, as our sparks are not only an organ that delivers energon to our systems but possesses our very souls. And as it is not yet possible to create a soul, something will need to be there in order to kick-start the spark, to make it fully functional."

"So, you need three spark shards, as one bot can't donate three by themselves." Megatron concludes.

Shockwave nods. "Yes, but preferably from someone more competent than a Vehicon."

Megatron's red optics flashed. He knew what would happen to the spark shards donated- or taken. They would be bonded to the new spark, making them almost like mates. As sick and twisted as that sounded, he knew it was a sacrifice someone had to be willing to make.

"I will have Soundwave compile a list of those strong enough to endure the operation." Megatron says after a moment of musing. "When will you need the results?"

"As soon as possible." Shockwave replies, stopping just before he leaves. "My lord, I think it would be wise if you were kept off of that list."

"And why is that?"

Shockwave didn't shrug, but Megatron could almost hear in his voice that he was about to. "For safety purposes. Who knows what could happen once the sparks are kick-started? It could be a painful procedure, not to mention . . . devestating. This is new territory for me, and so I can not anticipate exactly what is going to happen."

Nodding, the warlord regards his scientist's advice. It was logical, as per usual, but at the same time Megatron had a different idea. He would have to run it by Shockwave, but he should take his advice into consideration before committing to his decision.

"If that is what you recommend." He says after a short moment, turning back to the computer screen. "I apologize for keeping you away from your work for so long."

Shockwave simply bowed. "It is nothing but a minor inconvenience, my lord." And with that the scientist was gone, leaving Megatron to his screens.

The warlord had not, in fact, been looking at the information presented before him, but had been in a conversation with June Darby that he shared privately to Soundwave, with the request of finding some way to allow the distraught woman to have a conversation with her son. While it didn't surprise him when she hadn't taken the bait to see him in person, he was still intrigued that she didn't want to see him. He would have thought that in her emotional state she wouldn't have been thinking clearly.

No matter, he didn't know what he would have done with her anyways, besides blackmail for the children. He saw no appeal in humans, except perhaps as playthings to throw around and watch them squirm. He didn't underestimate their intelligence, but didn't find it useful as it didn't pertain to Cybertronian intelligence.

No matter. Perhaps he could use her for something once he thought of it. But for now, all he had was words to threaten with, and not an object. Soon, he might loose his patience in the game he is playing with her and have Soundwave track her down, to pick up and take back to the Nemesis. Or killed, depending on his mood at the time of the order.

>>•<<

Optimus stood extremely still, only daring to vent once in a while to cool his systems as they were kicked into battle mode. Shovel was still pointing the gun at him, but something was, off. He had it pointed at Optimus' waist, and his gaze . . . was off to the right? Had he gone blind, or haywire?

"I said, don't move!" The Vehicon suddenly shot, Optimus diving to the side and bringing his gun up, pointing it right at the opponent's head, when he stopped. Shovel wasn't turning towards him, wasn't running away from him either; he was running toward something.

"Shovel!" Optimus shouted, but he was ignored as the Vehicon shot yet again, finally the screech of someone getting hit could be heard, the 'Bot sounding quite pleased with himself.

"I hit them! I actually got them!" The Vehicon skid to a stop several feet from where Optimus had been standing, gun still pointed in the brush. "Come on, come out."

Optimus watched with wide optics as a figure rose from the brush, red paint flashing brightly in the sun now that he was no longer concealed by shadow. The suave Decepticon medic stood, holding his arm and glaring at the Vehicon before his red eyes focused on Optimus.

"Prime, found yourself a new dog?" He sneers, hand servos clenching into fists. "Of all the Autobots to survive, and it's you. Megatron is not going to be pleased."

"Survived?" Optimus' brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I quite understand-"

"You poor thing." Knock Out was slowly backing up as now Shovel was more focused on his words and not his actions. "I suppose you can't know; they were just killed ten Earth minutes ago."

"Killed?" Shovel sounded extremely concerned, his weaponized arm lowering. "Ratchet . . . the Autobots are dead?"

Knock Out gave him a weird look. "Why would you care? And what does it matter? Yes, they're dead! Starscream himself attacked the base, and even though he has always been questionable, we are for sure that the base has been decimated."

Optimus felt his systems become hotter with the information. He didn't like how Knock Out was talking, nor the prospect of the Decepticons attacking the base while he wasn't there.

"But like I said, it doesn't matter. I was here to make sure nobody else had been rummaging around the rubble, but now I'll just report back with your unfortunate status of 'totally alive.' Good day!"

The medic suddenly transformed and kicked his gear into reverse, speeding backwards into the trees as a Groundbridge picked him up right before he slammed into the line of gargantuan plants.

"No! He got away . . ." Shovel lowered his arm yet again, looking very much disappointed.

Optimus came up beside him, frowning as the medic got away. "It doesn't matter now. What does matter is that we check on the state of our comrades." He immediately put a finger to his audio receptor and activated his com-link. "Ratchet, are you there?"

"Of course. Are you in need of assistance?"

Optimus didn't know if he had ever felt so much relief. He could risk losing his men a second time. "Just in need of a Groundbridge, old friend."

"One moment, then."

As they waited, Optimus looked to Shovel, a little guilt tugging at his spark.

"Shovel, I wish to apologize."

The Vehicon looked surprised. "Apologize, for what? I was the one that let him get away."

Optimus shook his head. "No, not about Knock Out. I will confess I doubted you and questioned your loyalty when you went to shoot at him. I thought you were aiming at me."

Shovel sounded like he was grinning as he replied. "Oh, yeah. I was in a rush, I didn't really think about you being there in the way. It's okay, I know I'm not really trustworthy . . ."

Optimus put a large servo on his shoulder and smiled at him as the Groundbridge opened for them. "I think you did show your trust today, when confronting Knock Out. Though it was a brief encounter, I'm sure there will be more times for you to prove yourself."

With a happy nod the Vehicon followed him through the Groundbridge, immediately walking over to Ratchet- much to the medic's chagrin -to tell him what had transpired.