"I believe that words are strong, that they can overwhelm what we fear when fear seems more awful than life is good."

~Andrew Solomon

>>•<<

"What have you done with my son?"

Megatron did not recognize the number, as it was definitely not one of the Autobot's hailing frequencies, and the message did not come with a voice- just a string of words in English that popped in his processor, which he could read and understand as easily as if someone had been speaking to him. A text message.

Son also narrowed down the options by quite a lot. There were two people aboard this ship that anyone would call a son. Jackson Darby and Rafael Esquivel, both of which (as far as he knew) had human parental units. So that raised an interesting question: how did a human get his personal hailing frequency?

Well, the answer wasn't going to suddenly hit him across the face; he would have to do some digging.

"If I had an idea of who I was speaking to, then perhaps I could tell you." He didn't speak aloud, no need for such a thing when he was replying to a text message. A dangerous grin formed on his face as he eagerly opened the new message that arrived moments later.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, so I'm betting you can take a guess." He could practically hear the snappy tone of a protective parental unit. "Tell me what you did with the kids."

"Well, I would at least like an idea." He couldn't just demand the answers with this one, it seemed. He would have to play nice, how tedious. "Given I have a total of three children aboard my ship."

"I'll give you a hint: I'm his mother, and I'm ticked. And if you know anything, you'll do well to no make me any angrier than I already am. Answer my question."

Did he know the exact names of the human's parents? No. But he knew of one who most definitely knew of the Autobots-he had seen her at the base with his own optics-so he could accurately guess who she was using last names.

"Mrs. Darby. A pleasure."

"It's Ms. Darby, thank you." Came the bitter remark. "You still haven't answered my question."

He was surprised by the correction. So either she had conceived the boy without sparkbonding, or somehow broken ties with her mate. Did humans even have permanent relationships, or were they seriously just made to reproduce as much as possible?

"My sincerest apologies." He couldn't keep the sneer off of his face. Whatever had happened, he didn't feel the least bit sorry for her. "As for your question, I assure you that the children are in the safest of hands. Shockwave is not barbaric, he will make sure they are properly cared for."

He hoped that last sentence left a sick feeling toiling inside her, his mental torture of the human rather entertaining. If the Autobots told her anything about Shockwave, it would be how demented the scientist was. Now, demented was harsh. Shockwave was anything but crazy- he was quite the cold calculator, and crystal clear when it came to explanations.

"And I should take your word for it?" Ms. Darby barely feared him, it seemed. He could recall seeing an adult human female rushing out after the kids when he had visited the Autobot base, and now he could pinpoint similarities between Jack and her, if his processor was reliable. Dark hair, blue eyes, the boy took after his carrier very much physically, and it was proving he had her personality and, perhaps morals, too.

Shifting his weight, he folds his hands behind his back and continues to grin at the computer monitors, not really reading the Cybertronian that scrolled down the screen. "Indeed. I assure you, Ms. Darby, that Jackson is is good hands. Shockwave has specific orders from me to not harm a hair on his head."

The angry exclamation he got back made him chuckle in amusement. "Don't you dare call him by his full name! You have no right, none! And you think I'm supposed to believe you? A notoriously good liar?"

There they went again, it seemed his reputation was boundless. "You asked if I was telling the truth. I replied in the positive. Would you rather I had Soundwave bridge you here to prove it?"

Her hesitation left him suspicious for a moment, but when she did reply, he understood clearly.

"Are you tracking me?"

"I could, but I suspect you are contacting me from within the Autobot base, which would make my attempts fruitless." Though yet again she raised an interesting question. He thought that only the Autobot's Cybertronian technology could reach through the barrier that shielded them from being detected. Perhaps that was different when it came to PHFs.

"Well, I can't track you either, so I guess we're even." Her bitterness was evident, even though he could not truly hear her. "What about Raf and Miko? Are they under your "protection?""

"Very much so. I have given direct orders for the three to be kept as healthy as possible."

"So you can hold them for ransom?"

How blind she was. Then again, all of the Autobots were blind, even the children had no idea of their fate. He had no intention of making a ransom call- if he wanted to get rid of them he would just drop them off the flight deck.

"Oh no, Ms. Darby." He smirks, not wanting to reveal too much but wanting to make the human squirm. "They already served their ransom purpose once, which in the end didn't help at all. But now, I intend to keep them. Think of it like a spoil of war."

Her rage made him chuckle, his chest rumbling as the deep noise vibrated throughout his chasis.

"You sick and twisted monster! When Optimus gets word of this, he will personally behead you!"

"I care not for what Optimus thinks he will or will not do." Came his snappy retort. "He will have to learn of their plight first, and how exactly do you plan to tell him? After all, think of what the Autobots would think of you, speaking to the Decepticon warlord when they quite obviously didn't have an inkling."

Another long hesitation that made him impatient ensued, and he begins pacing in a show of it as he waited. To the regular observer he would look like he was deep in thought, when it was on the contrary.

"How do you know I'm not just telling them right now?" She challenges finally.

His smile returned. "How did you put it? When Optimus gets word of this, he will personally behead you! You're speaking in the future tense, indicating you have yet to reveal your little secret . . . our little secret."

Her scoffing was amusing. "You make it sound like this conversation has been enjoyable. First you kidnap my son, and then you taunt me with his wellbeing!"

"You contacted me first." He points out, red optics shining. "And trust me, Ms. Darby. I've greatly enjoyed this private conversation."

"Lord Megatron." Shockwave suddenly strided into the room, his canon cable swinging back and forth as he (unknowingly) interrupted. "I apologize for any disruptions, but I must take my leave of this vessel. My Predacons are in need of checking. Soundwave has been left with the humans, for now."

"I see." Megatron shifted his focus from the messages to his lead scientist, making it seem he was not distracted in the slightest. "Soundwave will bridge you out, it was high time you checked on them."

"Of course you did, you twisted hunk of metal."

Shockwave took slight offense to the statement his master had uttered, Megatron ignoring Ms. Darby's message with some difficulty. It was, after all, inside his own head. He instead focused on Shockwave speaking to him, defending himself.

"I would have kept a better eye on them, had another project not distracted me from my work. These processes are complicated, and strenuous."

"And I understand." Mwgatron approaches his scientist, movements lithe and calculating, predatory. "You are doing an excellent job, Shockwave. Your loyalty and dedication to your profession makes you a . . . rarity."

"I will accept the flattery." Shockwave states, as if Megatron had been afraid he wouldn't. "And you have provided me with an interesting objective, lord Megatron. One I wish to see for myself if it is possible."

"And if you succeed you will transcend all of Cybertron's history." Megatron adds. "As you have already achieved with cloning your Predacon. You have proven to be beneficial to this cause."

"Thank you, my liege." Shockwave turns around fearlessly, knowing Megatron would not mind if he turned his back on him. It was only incompetents like Starscream he would not tolerate. "I will now take my leave of you."

Megatron nods acknowledgingly. Just as Shockwave was leaving Knock Out waltzed in, and the warlord decided that his free time had ended.

"My liege, I have some exciting news." The medic had that insufferable smirk on his face, one that told Megatron the medic was most pleased with himself. He, however, had an inkling that whatever Knock Out had to say, he wouldn't be pleased with him.

"If it is another one of your amazing discoveries of the wonders human-made car wax is, then leave my presence before I scratch it off of you!" Megatron snaps. "For the last time Knock Out, I have no interest in anything created by those bags of flesh!"

"N-no my liege!" Knock Out's optics widened. "Nothing like that! I'm talking about the T-cog modifications you requested. The T-cogs themselves are still under construction, but their, ah, 'extra pieces' are ready for testing. And I have been working to fix my neuron refractor after some Vehicons found it reduced to scrap metal in the Autobot base!"

Megatron gave Knock Out an even gaze, finally deciding the silly medic had something worth his time. "I will be at your laboratory shortly, then." He chose to ignore Knock Out's whining about the neuron refractor. Maybe its destruction could have been avoided if he hadn't let it fall into Autobot hands in the first place.

"Thank you, lord Megatron." Knock Out gave a bow before striding out of the room, Megatron sighing with frustration before returning to his private conversation.

"I apologize for the delay, but something has been called to my attention and I must end the conversation as it is. Do feel free to contact me in the future." A tiny lie on his part in the beginning, he really could have cared less if he left the human thinking he was ignoring her, but it was hard to focus on two things at once when one was in your head and the other was in the outside world. Right now he had to focus on the progress of their current experimentations; Ms. Darby was not a top priority.

"I'll think about it." Came the tart reply, and he left the conversation as it was. He was free, for now. Not that talking to her had been any burden to begin with.

He wondered, very, very briefly, if she would ever try to communicate to him again. And he didn't wonder it because he took a liking to her. He wondered it because he had found something new to take up his time: torturing a mother by talking about her son . . . who she might never see again.

>>•<<

June let out a long breath and closed her phone for the final time, her hands shaking. She had just finished a five to ten minute conversation with the Decepticon warlord, and it had been . . . civilized. He was far from polite or charming, but not at all what she had been expecting after she had sent that demanding question. She almost expected him to reply with a shout or roar, perhaps a call that would be filled with death threats and twisted words.

In fact, if she was recalling things correctly, she had been the one doing the threatening, as empty as that threat was. Granted, he had taunted and toyed with her, but she had been expecting something of that nature. Her major concern now was if he had been telling the truth about the kids, and about trying to track her.

She would have to make a point of turning her phone off when she left the Autobot base, though how effective that would be was questionable. The last thing she wanted was to be the Decepticon's next victim.

"What's that?" She jumps a mile in the air, shifting her body on the couch to face a curious pair of red eyes. Or eye, she couldn't rightly tell with the visor. How long Shovel had been standing there, she didn't know. Hopefully he hadn't seen her text messages.

"What's what? This?" She holds up her cell phone.

Shovel nods.

"It's a cellphone." She flips it up to show him the screen, her heart aching as she saw Jack's smiling face on her wallpaper. "It allows instant communication virtually everywhere."

Shovel tilts his head, curious as per usual. Ratchet looked relieved to be rid of the Vehicon temporarily, though June didn't see the problem with the new addition. Sure, he could be in the way on occasion, but more often than not he was very helpful. Perhaps the grumpy medic just didn't appreciate such help.

"So, like a comlink?"

"Yes." She closes it and holds it loosely. "We also have individual phone numbers. Kind of like a personal hailing frequency."

Scrap. She bit her lip, suddenly realizing she might have said too much. Did the Autobots know whether or not she knew of such a thing? Would Shovel question her about it?

To her complete relief, the Vehicon didn't even bat an eye. "I was expecting more primitive technology." He murmurs quietly. "Humans are more advanced than I thought."

June smiles.  "We are full of surprises, I can tell you that."

"Hey, Shovel!" Smokescreen calls. "I need a bit of help with an energon line. You got a minute?"

"Yeah, sure!" Shovel says eagerly, too excited to bid goodbye to June and hurried off without another word.

Feeling lonely and afraid again, June curls up on the couch and holds her phone close to her chest. She didn't do it in hopes Megatron would text her back- goodness no -but deep in her mind she hoped Agent Fowler would perhaps contact her with new information on the kids. He had a way of learning new things, whether from unknown sources or the news.

Suddenly, an alarm went off, jolting her from her brooding thoughts. The alarm was followed with a shout from the devil himself. "Prime!"

"Agent Fowler." Optimus said from his resting position on the medical berth. He was used to being addressed with a demanding yell from their liaison. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your call?"

"Cut the sugar, Prime. We've got a serious problem. This guy and some lackeys were spotted raiding a Wal-Mart and a WalGreens Pharmacy just a few hours ago. Now, I'm pretty sure Decepticons don't get colds, so are you going to explain to me why they're taking advantage of the 30% off cough medicine?"

June's heart sank as she took in the photograph. It was the Decepticon communcations officer, Soundwave, and several other Vehicons. They stood over a destroyed portion of a Wal-Mart roof, a Vehicon reaching in as if to grab something while a few others had their hands full of supplies.

Optimus' optics narrow. "The Decepticons have no need for human supplies . . . unless they intend to keep Jack, Miko, and Rafael hostage for an extended period of time."

"But why?" Ratchet scoffs, pausing in his work on Ultra Magnus. "Why wait for us to lick our wounds instead of calling for a ransom, and hitting us at our most weakest?"

June sank back into the sofa, tears threatening to once again spill over. She wanted to text Megatron and demand to know what he wanted with the kids, but if she could infer anything from their previous conversation, he wanted to keep that information confidential. And she couldn't just tell the Autobots that the Decepticons didn't want a ransom, they would question where she got that information. That would reveal her conversation with the warlord.

"Do you think they won't want a ransom?" Agent Fowler asks, his eyebrows scrunched up in his trademark questioning look. "They have that Decepticon psychopath Shockwave. How do we know he's not poking them with needles right now?"

Optimus felt his spark clench at the thought of Shockwave doing a sick experiment on the human children, but he pushed aside the horrible thought. Whatever Megatron had in mind, surely it was not to experiment on them . . .

"I do not believe that is the case, Agent Fowler." He says carefully. "We know as of now that Shockwave is already busy with another project of some sort. What Megatron wants with our human friends, I do not know, but experimentation seems the least likely."

"So you say." Agent Fowler says with a finality that made June shiver.  "I haven't told any of my superiors what's happened, but sooner or later they'll want an update and I will have to tell them the truth."

"If they find out the Decepticons have kidnapped Jack, Miko, and Rafael, then I fear they will not hesitate to shut us down and attempt to eradicate us all." Optimus' words were grave and horrible.

"I'll do my best to try and . . . withhold the truth from them." Agent Fowler rubs his forehead. "But until then, get those kids back!"

Optimus nods. "Understood, Agent Fowler."

"Agent Fowler out." He says with a final salute, the screens going blank.

"They can't shut us down!" Smokescreen explodes as soon as Agent Fowler had signed off. "We're all they've got against the Decepticons; if they shut us down then there'll be no stopping Megatron!"

"I agree. But humans are an extremely hard species to reason with." Ratchet states bitterly. "They don't realize the sacrifices we've made in order to lessen theirs. Not until it's too late anyways."

June bit back a defensive retort. He was right, and she knew it one hundred percent. The thought of the Autobots being hunted down and killed by the beings they were trying to protect sickened her.

Optimus looked determined, the depth his wisdom once again showing as he spoke to the Autobots. "Humans do indeed have their flaws, but we must remember they are a young race, just as we once were. We will save our human friends, and we must hope that Agent Fowler can convince his superiors to allow us to continue to protect Earth."

"And if they don't?" Ultra Magnus rasped, making Ratchet look at him in bewilderment, as he had not heard the second-in-command wake up from his recharge.

Looking grave, Optimus answered. "Then we will have no choice but to stand back, and watch the Decepticons tear them apart. Maybe, after a time, they would let us return."

June couldn't help but cringe.

Maybe.