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Tessa and Cade stared in disbelief at the crater where the massive Decepticon warrior lay defeated. Smoke curled from the broken body, and the ground still trembled faintly from the impact.
"Did he really do that?" Cade's voice was hushed, as if louder words would break the spell of the moment.
"He… beat a Transformer?" Tessa asked, her voice trembling with awe and a hint of fear. "That's insane."
"This guy isn't human," Cade muttered, his eyes locked on the figure standing tall amid the wreckage.
Not far off, Bumblebee and Drift were frozen in place. Their optics blinked slowly, processing what they'd witnessed.
"Drift… we really lost to him?" Bumblebee asked, rubbing the side of his head with his servo. "Are my sensors fried or something?"
"Use your own damn servos, Bee," Drift snapped, shaking him off. "But yeah. We lost. To that human."
Crosshairs crossed his arms and exhaled through gritted denta. "Optimus… you were right. This human is trouble."
Optimus Prime stepped forward, calm yet imposing. "That's why I warned you all. Jack is not an ordinary human. Do not underestimate him."
The massive form of Hound—recently knocked into the dirt—let out a groan as his cybernetic joints creaked. Sparks flickered across his damaged chestplate, where Jack's final blow had cracked open his armor and exposed the glowing Energon beneath.
"You lost," Jack said, walking toward him with steady, almost bored confidence. "And per our agreement, you're under my command now."
"I didn't lose," Hound growled through his damaged voice modulator. "Not to a human."
Jack gave a cold smile. "Yeah? Then what's that mess pouring out of your chest? Ketchup?"
Hound growled, but couldn't refute it. His Spark was exposed, flickering weakly. Any Autobot or Decepticon knew—that meant death was one flick away.
"Jack, that's enough," Optimus said, stepping in with Bumblebee at his flank. "Hound is not a prize to be claimed."
Jack shrugged. "I'm not claiming a prize. Just settling a deal. He made a bet. He lost. I collect."
"Hound is no one's slave," Optimus growled.
Jack's tone hardened. "I don't need slaves. I need warriors who keep their word. And he gave it."
Slowly, Hound pushed himself upright, metal groaning with effort. He looked to Optimus, to the others—then bowed his head.
"I lost," he admitted. "I didn't expect to fall to a human… but I did. I am an Autobot, and I will honor my word. Jack… I follow you now."
"Hound—" Optimus began, but the old soldier raised a hand.
Crosshairs stepped forward, his weapon locking into place. "You smug bastard. Making Autobots take orders from you? I should turn you into a grease smear."
Jack didn't flinch. "Try it. Let's see what happens."
Hound held up his hand again. "Crosshairs, stand down. This was my decision. I made the bet. I lost. I own that."
Optimus stared at Hound for a long moment. Then, with a heavy sigh, he nodded. "So be it. Jack… if he follows you now, treat him with honor."
"Leader!" Bumblebee objected, concern clear in his voice.
Optimus looked at the sky, his voice heavy. "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. Even if I lead the Autobots, I will not take that choice from any Cybertronian."
Jack smirked, throwing an arm around Hound's shoulder like they were old pals. "Relax. I don't mistreat my team. Unless they act stupid. Then I dish out mild suffering."
He turned toward the group, arms wide. "One Autobot down, a million more to go. First Hound, next—maybe Megatron. Who knows?"
Bumblebee tilted his head, optics narrowing. "He's insane."
Jack gave him a sidelong glance. "And you're a walking jukebox. What's your point?"
"You'll regret this," Bumblebee muttered.
"I regret nothing," Jack said cheerfully. "Except maybe Taco Bell last night. But that's between me and my digestive tract."
"I made my choice," Hound said firmly. "A deal's a deal."
Crosshairs backed off, grumbling under his breath.
At that moment, Tessa and Cade jogged over. Cade looked at the scene, at Hound standing behind Jack like a defeated bodyguard.
"He's… yours now?" Cade asked, trying to wrap his head around it.
Jack shrugged. "Yep. My new chrome little brother. We're going to conquer the galaxy. Just me, him, and a boombox soundtrack."
Tessa rolled her eyes. "Did you just refer to yourself as 'this seat'? Seriously?"
Jack lifted his chin. "It's called branding. I decided 'Lao Tzu' was too played out. 'This seat' sounds majestic, regal, powerful."
"Sounds stupid," she muttered, but her smirk betrayed her amusement.
Jack winked. "You're just jealous."
Tessa's cheeks colored slightly, and she looked away.
"Hey! Don't flirt with my daughter!" Cade barked.
Jack waved him off. "Relax, Uncle Cade. She's seventeen. That's, like, middle-aged on TikTok."
"She's still my daughter," Cade snapped.
Meanwhile, Optimus tried to refocus the group. "Do we know if there are any other survivors?"
Drift shook his head grimly. "Not that we've seen. Just us."
"They're hunting us," Hound added. "One by one."
Crosshairs muttered, "And now we've got fewer than ever."
"With you gone, Prime," Drift added, "Bee tried to take command. But let's be real, he's more sidekick than general."
Bumblebee stepped forward. "Say that again, samurai."
He rammed his shoulder into Drift, sparks flying.
Drift twisted, slamming the flat of his blade against Bumblebee's chest. "Come at me, yellow bug. I'll cut that radio mouth out."
The blade rested against Bumblebee's neck. Bumblebee's cannon powered up.
Crosshairs laughed. "Here we go again. Duel round two!"
"Autobots!" Optimus thundered. "Stop fighting! We are being hunted! By humans. That should be impossible. But it's happening. We must understand why—and survive."
Jack turned from Cade's endless commentary and stepped up beside Prime.
"You want a reason?" he asked. "Fine. I'll give you one."
He pulled a drone from his coat—sleek, black, humming with energy—and tossed it into the air. A holographic projection flickered to life, showing footage from above: a black-ops military unit surrounding a captured Autobot, dragging him into a facility.
"They're dissecting you," Jack said, voice like ice. "Extracting tech. Harvesting Sparks. Turning you into weapons."
Even Drift recoiled. "Savages."
"No," Jack said darkly. "Humans."
A heavy silence fell.
Optimus's hands curled into fists. "This… this is a betrayal beyond reason."
Jack looked around the circle of mechanical giants. "You thought I was your enemy? I'm the only one showing you the truth."
Hound nodded solemnly. "Then lead us, Jack."
Jack's grin returned. "Gladly. Let's show this world what happens when humans and Cybertronians fight side by side—under my flag and let me show you something."