"Once you drop a mask, you can never wear it again."   

~Ljupka Cvetanova, The New Land

>>·<<

"A second Predacon? Where were they hiding it?" Ratchet demanded, bewildered by the idea that the Decepticons would create a second asset and then never utilize it.

"It stands to reason the lab Shovel and Wheeljack found was for multiple Predacons within a single time frame, as it would be more efficient than only growing one or two aboard the warship," Optimus Prime suggested. "This second one may have recently matured, and kept aboard the Nemsis."

"Possibly," the medic muttered.

"But something doesn't make sense," Wheeljack tapped his helm. "I just can't . . . place it. It just feels wrong, chief. Like we're missing something."

A persisting beeping noise interrupted them, the Autobots pausing in their work to turn and look at the intruding noise.

"Uh, can we talk about this later? We've got a bigger problem on our servos!" Bulkhead pointed to the screens. "Smokescreen and Jack have four bogies on their tailpips; and one of them is Megatron!"

>>·<<

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! Buckethead 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. "Going to strike a deal with me once more, Jackson?"

"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!"

"Oh, is that what the Autobots told you?" Megatron grinned, sharp denta bared. Smokescreen felt the energon drain from his helm at the look. "They lied to you, Jack. Your mother is alive and well."

"Liar!" Jack snarled, armor plating bristled up, moments from attack. "Arcee watched her die! Collected her ashes! There was no way you could have possibly - "

"But I did," Megatron interrupted, cutting off the mechling mid-rant and continuing as if he had not. "Soundwave opened a Groundbridge portal and safely delivered her onto the Nemesis. Would you like to become reacquainted?"

There was tense silence, Jack unmoving from his position. As desperately as he wanted to say yes, he knew that the warlord could use that word to contract him into anything. He had to be careful - he needed to know the terms and conditions.

The warlord did not wait for an answer, however. Behind him a Groundbridge portal opened, the gaping vortex empty for several seconds before the Decepticon extended a servo outward, as if waiting for something to be dropped into his palm.

"June," he rumbled. "Attend to your master."

Jack watched with wide, unbelieving optics, as a never before seen Predacon slipped through the portal.

"By the Allspark . . ." Smokescreen gulped, flinching when another Groundbridge portal opened beside them, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime stepping through. They stopped, utterly shocked when they beheld Megatron and his Predacon.

The warlord chuckled, his claws scraping across the Predacon's helm, touching her armor and scratching the areas he knew she enjoyed most. His grin widened as she purred, her blue optics focused on the foreign others. 

"Ah, Optimus, you know how to come in at the perfect time," Megatron gestured with his free servo to Jack, the stunned Cybertronian deathly still. "I was just reintroducing Jackson to his late mother. Human mother, naturally."

"June," Optimus' optics widened when he recognized the Predacon, staring into her optics as she reacted to her name. His spark seized, frame still as he and the rest of the Autobots became as still as Jack. "Megatron, what have you done?"

"Are you truly surprised, old friend?" Megatron questioned mockingly, servo running down June's side. "I gave the Decepticons an edge; with the loss of my experiments, I had to compensate. And June provided the thing we needed. Besides, we had yet to experiment with a mold of human and Predacon - she proved immensely helpful in that regard."

"Mom . . ." Jack took a hesitant step forward, June's helm jerking and her lip plates pulling back in warning. He stopped, optics wide. "Mom, it's me. It's Jack; your son." His voice broke.

Megatron chuckled cruelly. "She does not understand, Jackson, and she does not remember."

"You tampered with her memory circuits," Arcee accused, pointing her canons at the warlord's helm.

"Shockwave tampered with them, Autobot," Megatron sneered. "It would not do to have her remember her past self and resist in such an intimidating form. But now, as you can clearly see, she is, as you humans would put it, wrapped around my pinky."

Jack roared in anger. "Let her go, you sick monster! She is my mother, not some kind of pet!"

June noticed the other becoming agitated, her armor flaring in response and warning. Optimus took notice, stepping forward and extending his servo in an indication of nonthreat.

"Megatron, cease this torment," he commanded, blue optics narrowed and lip plates twisted into a pained expression. "Please, allow June to return to her son. She is a sentient creature, and should not be subjected to this degradation."

Megatron laughed. "Why not allow June to make that decision for herself?"

"If she had a real choice, she wouldn't chose you," Arcee growled.

The warlord grinned at her, his red optics glittering with cruel humor. "Perhaps, but it should not surprise you Autobots that we Decepticons will do anything to receive the upper servo. Now, I'm sure you are desperate to have Ms. Darby back. So . . ." The Autobots tensed, not sure what would happen but expecting the worst. "June, sic them."

The Predacon femme lunged for the nearest Cybertronian, which happened to be her previously human son, Jack screaming and begging for her to stop to no avail. Arcee sprang into action to defend her partner, Smokescreen and Bumblebee joining her. Her fist slammed into the side of the Predacon's helm, knocking her jaws away from the prone experiment.

Optimus Prime charged for his long-time enemy, his spark pulsing angrily. First, he had desecrated Jack, Miko, and Rafel by experimenting on them without their consent. And now June, reduced to what could only be called a sentient beast, was fighting her own son, wrongly believing him to be the enemy.

Megatron clashed with the Prime gleefully, his optics glittering. Everything was finally going his way, and he could not wait to crush the Autobots underfoot with his newest addition. It would be most satisfactory to watch them fall to the creature they had sworn to protect, a mistake which would cost them all dearly.

June swung her tail and took out Bumblebee and Smokescreen with unnatural ease, the Predacon distracted by Arcee and allowing Jack to escape out from under her. It pained the boy to see his mother harmed, but she was not . . . she was not herself. It was for the best, for all of them.

Arcee punched the Predacon femme in the face, cringing. "Sorry, June, but you'd thank me for it," the Autobot muttered, dodging an onslaught of fire and aiming for her exposed sides. She was intercepted by a claw, the small femme thrown toward the Seekers, who immediately attempted to offline her.

Jack pressed himself against the rock face, as far from his mother as he could, his optics focusing on Megatron. His optics burned a soft red-blue as anger welled in his chest, abandoning the fight that was happening in front of him and moving to assist Optimus.

The Prime was faring about as well as he would in any other situation against Megatron, countering each blow but unable to land his own in turn, the pair far too evenly matched. His optics caught Jack approaching, crying out a warning too late. The boy pounced on Megatron, his swords out as he attempted to literally stab his tormenter in the back.

Snarling, the warlord threw him off, grinning savagely as he unsheathed his sword, the thrill of the fight running through his veins. "Go ahead, Jackson, exact your revenge. Show your Autobot friends the corruption within your spark."

"Gladly," Jack snarled, charging forward. Optimus attempted to stop him but was knocked aside. The Prime wanted to intervene, but he knew Jack would get hurt in the resulting tussle and confusion; though the idea of Megatron fatally wounding him was even more concerning.

June shrieked in pain and anger as Bumblebee landed a hit on her sensitive back, flaring her wings and shaking the scout off, her jaw closing around his leg and tossing him towards Optimus, the Prime barely fast enough to brace for the impact. Her attention was drawn away from her current fight when she saw Master being attacked by the other he had ordered her to destroy, her optics narrowing and snarling.

Jack showed amazing prowess as he put his Decepticon-taught skills to use, countering Megatron and using the titan's bulk against him. He was not completely disillusioned - killing the warmonger was nothing more than a fantasy. But if he could at least get under the mech's guard and draw energon, he felt that his revenge would be satiated for the moment.

His adversary still had his infuriating grin plastered on his faceplates, attacking and counter-attacking with surprising grace and speed. Yet his arrogance proved his downfall as Jack slammed his sword away with more force than he expected, throwing the warlord off-balance. The resulting movement left his flank wide open, and Jack thrust his sword into the exposed side of Megatron.

The scent of the blood of Master filled June's nostrils as he was injured, a shrill scream of alarm escaping her vocalizers. She charged forward, the other barely leaping out of the way to avoid her claws, his sword leaving the side of the Decepticon. Her bulk circledMaster and protected his vulnerable chassis, her tail curling against his chest, her helm settled next to his as she gave each other a warning snarl. Her chassis warmed with fire, prepared to annihilate them should they attempt another assault.

Megatron grinned, his claws stemming the energon flow from his side. "How does it feel, Jack, to know your mother has chosen me over you?"

"You did something to her," he growled. "That doesn't count."

Chuckling cruelly, Megatron used June's leg for support, further infuriating the mechling. "Well, I have gained the satisfaction I wanted from seeing your faces when you realized June Darby was mine. Perhaps next time, you will be able to see her in her bipedal form."

"Megatron!" Optimus called out in rage, but the mech had already gave the order, June picking him up and taking off with a whoosh of wind, her powerful wings knocking the Cybertronians down. By the time the Prime had recovered and prepared to take flight, a Groundbridge had opened and the pair disappeared, leaving the defeated Autobots in the desert.