"No single act is entirely redemptive, but all a fallen man has is the first step back.” 

~Frederick Weisel

>>•<<

After an unsuccessful first few attempts to get the right kind of car for Jack, Smokescreen was getting antsy. He really couldn't complain, as he was just as picky, but something about the boy seemed . . . Off. It made the Autobot uneasy.

He supposed it made some sense that Jack would be angry after learning that his mother had died at the hands of Megatron. Smokescreen couldn't imagine what it must have felt like, to have his only family ripped away so suddenly by the Decepticons. Sure, a lot of Cybertronians experienced that during the war, more than he cared to think about, but the fact that a human, who could do nothing about the war they had been accidentally thrown into, was harmed, it seemed so much worse.

Yet the way Jack moved, spoke, and even growled was unnerving. Something was there that didn't sit right with the rookie. Something Jack had yet to disclose; if he was even aware that it was there.

Smokescreen straightened a bit as his comlink chirped, opening it up. "Smokescreen to base. What's up?"

[You and Jack need to get out of there, now! Megatron is headed right your way!]

"Megatron?" Jack looked up as the sound of jets reached his audio receptors, glaring as the shriek of engines passed over their heads and the sound of transforming followed soon after. The boy stood as Megatron landed with a heavy thud, the warlord standing up straight and grinning, pointed denta intimidating in the bright dessert sun.

Three Seeker-type Vehicons followed up behind him, their servos transforming into guns and pointing at the two Autobots, silent as their master addressed the enemy.

"It seems that we have almost come full circle once again." Megatron crooned, taking a few calculated steps toward Jack, who immediately tensed into a fight-ready position. "Unfortunately, I no longer have anything to bargain with. But I think you already knew that."

"You murdered my mother." Jack's servos transformed into their swords. "There will be no bargaining. I'm going to take your spark, right here, right now!"

Smokescreen felt the energon drain from his helm, and he stepped forward and reached out a servo. "Jack, stop-"

Slam!

The rookie flew back several feet and landed in the dirt, hard, his processor spinning with confusion and shock. Jack had hit him, assaulted one of his own. As he set up with a grunt his comlink beeped again.

[Smokescreen, we are sending backup. Stay where you are, do not engage Megatron!]

"Too late, Optimus." He mumbled, sitting up and blinking the fuzziness from his optics to see Jack and Megatron squaring off. "Jack is . . . Already fighting . . ." He felt his neural receptors assessing the damage, cursing himself for being useless after one unexpected hit in the helm. Jack would never survive against Megatron under any circumstance.

A Groundbridge portal opened near him and Bumblebee stepped out first, noticing his injured comrade and kneeling down, beeping out a concerned question.

"Jack!" Arcee cried in horror as she skid to a stop outside the portal, optics wide as she watched him engage Megatron in a heated battle, one fueled by anger and bloodlust; this was not a battle one would engage in war, this was a gladiatorial battle, one where their lives hung in the balance, only determined by the mood of the victor.

"Arcee, get Smokescreen back to base." Optimus commanded behind her, forcing her to tear her gaze from her former charge and go help the rookie. The Prime felt his spark tear as he observed the battle, unable to tell through the whirlwind of motions if Jack had finally succumbed to the corruption that was revenge, or if he still retained his merciful spark.

It had been stated once or twice that Jack was much like Optimus, worthy of holding the Key to Vector Sigma and sparing Megatron's life in a situation where his enemy was completely helpless before him. But they had never taken into account that, if Jack were stripped of his humanity and human ties, would he still have the heart of a Prime?

Optimus began to fear that he did not.

Jack grunted in effort, anger fueling him as well as the pain of grief, using the energy to hit Megatron over and over, as hard as he could. The warlord was holding up, but it didn't take long for either of them to realize that the rules of war did not apply here. This was purely a fight between two individuals, where anything went. And so, Megatron began to throw every trick he knew in the book.

He spat energon, he kicked, he threw up dirt, bit, and clawed, anything to maim his opponent to the point of defeat. The Decepticon was not stupid; Jack was not in the mood to spare his life, if not torture him first. Yet he was confident that his skill severely outmatched Jack's, despite occasionally missing his mark and getting a hit in return.

Winning was the only thing the desperate boy was wanting. Defeating Megatron, avenging his mother, was the center of his focus. It was like the books or videogames, his vision becoming red as he slashed, dodged, and punched at Megatron. Revenge was the only coherent word that filtered through his head. He wanted to see the sick Decepticon's purple energon pour from the wound he was going to open in his chest.

Optimus advanced on the snarling, tangled pair, his face mask still in place, but he didn't know what to do. Hurting Jack would be inevitable if he tried to separate them, but Megatron would do much worse damage if his power overtook that of the young Cybertronian. He would have to wait for an opening to seize Jack- or hit Megatron out of the way -and take the former human back to base.

"Hey, Buckethead!! You leave my friend alone!"

The Prime's optics widened. "Miko, no!"

The Seeker femme flew out of the Groundbridge at top speeds, opening fire and causing both adversaries to hold up their arms and shield their faces from the blast. Megatron growled as the fire concentrated on him, fusion canon charging and pointing at Miko, intending to shoot her out of the sky.

Seeing the chance Optimus rushed forward, bulk making it hard for him to speed up as he saw Jack notice a much different kind of opportunity.

Megatron immediately stopped charging the moment he felt a immense pain at his side, distracted completely from Miko as Jack's sword buried itself into his abdomen. He had taken care worse in the past, but the attack had taken him by complete surprise.

Reflexively his arm swung back to hit the boy, but by then Jack had jerked back, sword leaving his body and leaving the warlord to stem the energon flow with his own servo, limping as the weight he used to stand only inflamed the wound.

Jack whirled and slammed his fist into Megatron's back, sending the injured mech tumbling across the sand. He jabbed down with his sword only to have it intercepted by the Decepticon, who kicked him off before rolling to his pedes.

Megatron panted heavily. "It seems you've learned a few things since I last saw you, Jackson."

"Actually, you're just incredibly predictable." The boy seethed, red optics blazing. He squared off once more, Miko transforming and landing behind Jack after taking care of the Vehicons.

"Come on Jack, let's go!" Miko ran up to him, putting a servo on his arm. "Optimus can take care of him."

"No!" Jack snarled, turning his hateful gaze to the girl. Horror molded her face plates into a terrified expression and she took a few steps back, vocalizers straining with emotion.

"Jack . . .?" Disbelief made her spark falter. His optics, they looked just like-

"Optimus won't finish him off. Not like I will." Jack growled as he advanced on the Decepticon leader, body seeming to pulse with anger. His sword dripped with energon, his adversary still limping and growling with anger. Megatron would not let this equivalent of a sparkling best him!

Miko felt a heavy servo on her shoulder, and she looked into the grave eyes of Optimus Prime.

"Go, Miko. I will attend to Jack." He said solemnly, the femme looking at him.

"What's wrong with Jack?" She looked worried, and she sounded very afraid.

"I don't know." It was a half-lie, on Optimus' part, but he needed her to get out of there without demanding an explanation. He had a feeling things were going to get nasty. "Tell Ratchet to close the Groundbridge once you're through. I don't want our enemy to attempt a rampage into our base."

Miko nodded, looking at Jack one last time and wiping at the energon tears that pricked at her eyes before she ran off, back into base. Soon after, the Groundbridge closed, leaving the three mechs to themselves.

Before Optimus could attempt reason Jack and Megatron were back at it again, this time much more physical. They entered a brief wrestling match before Megatron got the upper hand and shoved Jack off, however the boy kept attacking. The Prime wanted to interfere, but the openings in which he could thrust the two apart were few and far in between. Not to mention that, in Jack's current state of mind, he probably wouldn't think twice about attacking Optimus either.

His body was aching but he wasn't done yet. Jack had made a significant blow, and now all he needed to do was utilise it to his advantage. And he wasn't about to let Optimus stop him.

Megatron didn't waste his ventilations on words as he attempted to beat Jack into submission, the surge of angry energy and desire for revenge making the young mech a whirlwind, almost impossible to land a good blow, especially with the wound in his side draining him of resources, quickly. As much as it wounded his pride, the Decepticon warlord admitted that a retreat may be necessary.

[Soundwave. I require-] "Gah!"

Jack's fist snapped his helm to the side, and he felt something tear in his neck cables as the raw power of the punch almost made his helm do a 360. His neck locked in position as his processor attempted to remedy the problem as soon as possible, muscle cables stiffening up and unrelenting. It gave the boy exactly the window he needed.

The warlord froze up in shock and surprise as Jack gripped a shoulder spike and forced his body downward, his sword uppercutting and burying itself deep into his spark chamber, severing the semi-solid soul center into two. His neck then slackened as his processor found a new priority, stunned red gazing back into angry and yet satisfied vermilion.

"No . . ." Optimus' face shield retracted as he gaped, watching as Jack brutally murdered his long-time enemy.

After only a few seconds Jack howled in agony, jerking back from Megatron and letting his dying body fall as he clutched at his own spark chamber, feeling a tearing pain rip through his chest. As Megatron's optics dimmed and his spark died, so did the shard within Jack. The sudden death sent agony through his body, but only for a moment, until he knelt there, shuddering for breath, as it ebbed away.

Optimus stood in silence for a long time, utterly speechless, before taking a few careful steps forward. "Jack-"

He was interrupted by a Groundbridge opening and the arrival of Soundwave, the communications officer stalking out silently, his body language expressing immense surprise as he saw the fallen Megatron and the pained Jack, servos curling into fists as he gazed at Optimus, immediately assuming that blame was on him.

"Soundwave . . . Good." Jack breathed, looking at the mech with blazing red optics. He stood up straighter. "Here is your master!" With what strength he had left he picked up Megatron's body by the helm and flung it over to the communications officer, who watched silently as it rolled to a stop at his pedes. As if understanding a certain, silent language, Jack began walking toward him.

"Jack, what are you doing?!" Optimus demanded, servo slowly going to his machine gun. "Soundwave is not one to be trifled with, even though you defeated Megatron!"

"Soundwave knows who he is loyal to now." The tone in his voice was eerie. "I've earned respect by killing his master. I am now leader of the Decepticons. Don't worry, Optimus." His corrupted spark showed in his optics, and Optimus felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and spark ache. "You'll be next."

Then Jack turned his back on the Prime, and walked into the Groundbridge portal. Soundwave stared at the corpse of his master for a long time before he too turned around and left, Optimus now alone with his dead enemy, once friend.

And he had never felt so alone and broken in his life.