"You did it, Aurora!" Raf said excitedly.

"You did it! This is so neat! This will totally come in handy," Miko said.

"Thanks guys!" Aurora said.

The three of them were their new refurbished hideout, Omega-2 outpost. They decided to name it after the main base. After the 'shadow zone' incident, Miko and Raf wanted to see if Aurora could use her bridging ability to bridge into the shadow zone. They just found out she could, while making ten more bridges, and a new ability.

"Do you think we should let Jack into our hideout?" Aurora asked. "He's starting to get a little suspicious where we go without him."

"It's up to you, Aurora. This is your hideout after all," Raf replied.

"I asked because it is our hideout, not just mine."

"I think you should hang out with him at his house, and see if you trust him. I don't really care, but final say is yours, Aurora," Miko said.

"That's a good idea. I'm okay if you let him know, but you should see if he is ready," Raf added.

"Okay, then. Let's go back to base then," Aurora said as she bridged them into a supply closet at base. Then Aurora found Jack and a tired Arcee, while the other two went home.

Aurora slowly approached the two. "Um, Jack?"

"Yes, Aurora. What do you need?" He asked.

"Can I sleepover at your house for a few days?" Aurora asked.

"What- why?" Jack asked alarmed.

Aurora heard the surprise and panic in his voice. "N-never mind. ... I thought I would try to get to know you more. But it's fine if you don't-"

"It's fine, Aurora," Jack cut in. "You can sleep over. I can come up with something to tell my mom."

"Oh, thanks Jack! I can't wait!" Aurora said as she flew off to get her stuff.

Time Skip

"It's so kind of you to walk us home, Jack," Arcee said. Aurora nodded as she sat of Arcee.

"Well I don't want you revved up before bedtime. Come on, Aurora. Let's go inside, but be very quiet." Aurora nodded and followed directly behind him.

"Mom's a light sleeper, and I don't think she'd understand about-"

"About what, Jack? You breaking curfew for the third time this month?"

"Mom!"

June, continued. "Or why your boss called saying you missed another shift at work! Or the email from your Art- History teacher is conserved on why you keep falling asleep in class!"

"Ya, well, two words mom, art and history," Jack said.

"Tell me the rumors aren't true, Jack. Tell me you aren't racing that motorcycle."

"What, no! W-where did you hear that!"

"Small town. People talk. I work in an emergency room, Jack. I seen what can happen. Please, tell me you haven't fallen in with the bad crowd."

"What!? N-no no, no. No no no no no. My friend are the good crowd, seriously good."

"I thought you had that nick because you convinced me you were mature enough to handle it, but I think you need a gentle reminder."

"Message received, mom. Loud and clear. I'm glad we had this talk."

"Let's see what a few weeks without your bike will do the trick."

"But MOM!"

"Jack, you're grounded. You can only go to school and work. And if you want to take a ride either, you'll petal." She made sure to look in his eyes, and told him she was serious. "Now, go wash up and-" June stopped as she noticed, Aurora hugging Jack's leg tightly.

Jack noticed his mom looking at Aurora. "M-mom ... I can explain!"

"Who are you, sweetie?"

Aurora peeked out from behind Jack. "I-I-I'm A-Aurora Miss. Darby. I'm one of Jack's classmates," Aurora said.

"Why are you here?"

"Mom, she-" Jack started, but June shushed him, so Aurora could answer.

"I'm here to sleep over for a while. I wanted to get to know Jack better," Aurora said.

"Are your parents okay with this? How did you meet?"

Aurora teared up a bit. "I don't know if my parents are o-okay with it because they're ... they're ... they're dead when I was ... four. J-Jack and h-his friend have been t-taking care of me after I escaped from being tortured for four years straight." Aurora stopped to cry. Jack bent down, and hugged her, as she cried into his chest.

"Jack ... how old is Aurora?"

"She is only eight. When we met, she thought we would take her back to that Hell or hurt her. Me and my friend have been working tirelessly to help her live a normal life. ... She can't even remember her past."

"Then she isn't really named Aurora?"

Jack shook his head. "My friend named her. They made her family, but have yet to make it official. Her full name is Aurora 201 Project." Then he picked up Aurora, calming her down.

"Poor baby. You can stay over as long as you want. Since Jack is grounded, I'm sure he has more time to look after you."

"T-thank y-you, Miss. Darby."

"You can call me June, Aurora."

"Thank you, Auntie June." Aurora said, making June blush at her cuteness.

"You're welcome sweetie. Now, go inside and get comfortable. We'll be there in a sec." Aurora nodded and slowly walked into the house. She glanced back once to look at Jack, before going in completely.

"So she's the reason you've been out, Jack?"

"Y-yes. She is."

"What do you and your friend do with her?"

"We hang out. Teach her how to be normal."

"What did she mean, but tortured? She seem normal other than the horns and eyes."

Jack's expression darkened at that. "It's what it means. She was tortured for four years straight. You haven't seen it, but the horns and eyes are the after effects of the experiments done on her. She was taught how to fight, take orders, and endure pain. They beat her when she didn't do simple thing or when she would fight back. They made and used her as a tool. Only calling her by a number. I will never forgive them."

June saw how serious her son was. She didn't realize it until now, but Jack cared for the little girl. She never seen him this serious before.

"Alright, let's go. We can't keep Aurora waiting. I'll lift some restrictions. You can use your motorcycle, for work, school, and Aurora, but you need to be home for curfew."

"Thanks, mom. It means so much more than you think."

Both go in and see Aurora crying, and a metal table smashed in.

Jack quickly ran to Aurora's side and hugs her to his chest. "Hey, hey, Aurora. Calm down, you aren't there. You're with me and my mom. It's okay."

"They're coming to get me!" Aurora sobs.

"Not while I'm around. I will protect you, and so will the others."

June watched as her son calmed Aurora down, then turned to the table. She saw knuckle imprints in it.

"Let's get you to bed," Jack said.

"Can ... can I sleep with you. I can't sleep alone. I get terrible nightmares."

"Ya, just go wash up and get ready for bed. I need to eat first. You know where to go, right? Aurora nodded and went off and into Jack's room.

"Jack, how is this," June gestured to the table, "possible?"

"As I said, experimentation. The table must have looked like the same one they strapped her down to for those experiments."

"I'll go check on her."

"Wait, mom! Don't!" June ignored her son and walked into his room, and opened the bathroom to a sight that shocked both of them.

There stood Aurora only in her underwear. They saw all the cuts that littered her back and legs, while her arms and face were untouched. They saw the thick purple streak that went down her arms and legs, and her wings fully stretched out.

Their sudden entrance caused Aurora to jump and try to fly away, but she ended up getting her horns stuck in the ceiling.

"Aurora!" Jack carefully took a hold of her feet and pulled her out. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Sorry!"

"It's fine, Aurora. I should have stopped my mom from entering."

June quickly got next to them and started to examine all her scars. Whip marks, cuts from knives, and bullet shots. June looked over Aurora's hands to find them perfectly fine.

"Come on, mom. Let Aurora shower now." They left the room to eat in complete silence.

They went to bed, but June stopped Jack.

"Take care of her, Jack."

"I already know."

Time Skip

"I think we should tell her, Ate Cee. She could be in mortal danger if left in the dark," Aurora said. She liked June a lot, and didn't like that their secret was putting a strain on Jack's relationship with his mom. They tried to tell her earlier, but Arcee wouldn't show herself.

The drove up the driveway pretty late, and thought June would be there, but she wasn't. Jack looked in the garage to see a package. He opened it and there was a device that fell out.

"Hello there, Jack." Arcee transformed and held Aurora close as she shook like a leaf.

"Silas!" Arcee growled, while Aurora whimpered in fear.

"What is it? What's going on!?" Jack panicked.

"M.E.C.H." Arcee said.

"They know where I live now!?"

"We know things about your family that even you don't know. For example, do you know where your mother is?" Silas asked.

"What did you-" Jack started.

"Understand, Jack, we have no intention of hurting her. In fact, we'd like to reunite the two of you as soon as possible. I just need you, Arcee, and Aurora to follow the GPS coordinates programed into this communicator. They'll lead you to the temporary facility I set up."

Arcee tried to contact Ratchet, but only received pain.

"Did I not mention that our communicator scrambles communication signals and your brains? Any break in communication or attempt to reach the Autobots and Miss Darby ... Well, I wouldn't want to be responsible for the outcome."

They quickly drove to the area where the coordinates led to.

"If anything happens to her because of my connection to all this I-"

"Jack, M.E.C.H. is only interested in me, not you, your mom, or Aurora. Once they get what they want, they'll let your mom go."

"That's not exactly reassuring. You're family too," Jack said.

"I won't let them take you to Hell, Ate Cee! I won't allow it! I rather they take me, not you," Aurora added.

"Aurora, I won't allow you to be taken back by them again. Over my dead body."

They turned into a cement refinery. When they stop, guns were aimed at Jack.

"So, what's the plan?" Jack asked.

"The usual," Arcee replied. Arcee quickly drove passed them, while M.E.C.H. troops shot at them, into a hanger.

Jack and Aurora got off of Arcee.

"Mom!?" Jack yelled.

"Looking for June? She's hanging around here somewhere." Arcee transformed to stand between the kids and her greatest enemy.

"Airachnid!" Arcee growled. Airachnid quickly trapped Arcee in webbing.

"What's she doing here!?" They were quickly surrounded by M.E.C.H. troops.

"Help them, please. Their human like you. You can't let Airachnid-" Arcee pleaded.

"A few human lives are a small price to pay for a miracle of science like yourself," Silas said, and had one of his troops shoot Arcee.

"Arcee!" Both Jack and Aurora went to check to see her unconscious.

"You and I will have a private session later. Promise," Airachnid said.

"Gentlemen," Silas motioned toward Jack and Aurora. The troops took their phones.

"I'm still learning about human kind, but one thing is clear to me, you two. You people care deeply for family. Therefore, the sweetest revenge I could possibly devise would be to make you watch as I take your family apart."

Aurora blocked out the conversation out and used her C.L. ability to find where her aunt was from Airachnid. Once she found it, she grabbed Jack's hand.

"I know where she is. I'll take us there," Aurora said as she opened up a bridge and appeared right above June.

"Mom!"

"Jack!? Aurora!? What are you doing here!? Who are these people!? How did I get in this stuff?" June asked in a panic.

"Don't worry, mom. I'm gonna get you out." Jack was able to free June with Aurora's help.

"Jack, the robots are real?" June asked as she saw Airachnid came up and stared down at the three of them.

"I beat your deadline!" Jack shouted.

"Afraid not, Jack. You cheated! You used Aurora to-"

"You never said I couldn't, now did you." Airachnid shot webbing to pin them down, but Aurora made four energon blades and sliced it to pieces.

"I won't let you hurt my family!"

"Move aside, Primus incarnate. He must pay for his mistakes!"

"They are my family!" Aurora sent her sword at Airachnid. They tried to slice her up, but she kept on dodging. "I had my family taken away from me once. I'm not letting it happen again!" Aurora shouted.

"Aurora!" June whispered in surprise. June didn't really know Aurora, but really wanted to know more about her.

Aurora took this time to have three bridge portals fall over them. Airachnid tried to spite acid at them, but it phased right through them.

"Aurora, are we in the shadow zone?" Jack asked.

"Not quite. We're in the dusk zone. The difference between the dusk and shadow zone, is that we can be seen, heard, and touch things, but anything not within the dusk zone, can't touch us."

Then, Arcee came around to fighting Airachnid. The watched as they fought. When Airachnid was laying in a container, Jack activated the cement machine, while Arcee poured it on her. Airachnid pinned Arcee and tried to attack, but Agent Fowler came around with three attack helicopters and shot at her.

"Uncle Fowler!" Aurora shouted with glee.

"Thanks for coming, Agent Fowler," Jack said.

"If I knew Cons were involved, I would have called in Prime," Agent Fowler said.

"That would have been too much for my mom for one night." They continued to shoot until they thought she was subdued. Airachnid took their cease fire to scan the helicopter, and escape.

Time Skip

"Miss Darby, I'm Special Agent William Fowler. It's time you knew the truth. For the past several months, Jack has been interning for me at the agency," Agent Fowler started.

"Agent Fowler, mom's not going to buy it," Jack said.

"He's got that right," June added.

"Agent Fowler," a soldier called.

"Let me guess. Without a trace?" When the soldier nodded, Agent Fowler growled and walked off.

"No ... they're still out there. They can still come after me!" Aurora shouted.

"Aurora, calm down. You know we won't let that happen," Jack said, hugging Aurora close.

Then Arcee walked up.

"And she would be your ...?"

"Motorcycle, guardian, Autobot, friend."

"Call me Arcee."

"Thank you, Arcee," June said.

"I think it's time for that ride you made me once promise."

The three of them rode to base, while Aurora flew from above. Once at base, June gazed around in wonder.

"Mom, meet my Science- Fiction club," Jack said.

"And my family and friends," Aurora said as she flew around everyone and landed on Ratchet's servo.

"These are your family!?"

"Well my new family. My original parents died. I don't even remember anything about them, and I wish I knew them."

"Well if it helps, you are Filipino," June said.

"I am?"

June nodded. "Filipinos often consider those close to them who aren't related as family. Plus, Ate and Kuya are Tagalog for sister and brother."

"Raf, you hear that! I'm Filipino! That's one step closer to my past!"

Raf nodded. "We will find out who you were. You can count on me."

"I have a question though. What is Primus?" June asked. The bots were surprised at that.

"Primus is our Creator. He created all Cybertronians. Why do you ask, Miss Darby?" Optimus asked.

"The spider called Aurora the incarnation of Primus," June replied. The whole base had a deafening silence as they all looked at Aurora who stood there, unmoving.

"Why would Airachnid call her that?" Raf asked.

"I don't know, Raf. I don't know," was Optimus's reply.