Arcee awoke with a tired groan. She winced at the sudden flare of pain in her side, though she tried to ignore it. She knew that she hadn't made it back to base since Ratchet would have already stitched her up. She looked around, noting that she was still in the canyon she had been scouting out.

She slowly got up while clutching her bleeding side, the blue energon staining her servos. Looking around, she saw that she was next to a toppled energon carrier with the spilled energon scattered around her. She grimaced as she kicked away the energon crystals next to her. She leaned against the carrier, scanning her surroundings while trying to work past the pain.

The events of the past hour came back to her. The scouting mission with Bumblebee, the sudden attack. Megatron's and Optimus's arrival. The explosion as she tried to get the energon through the ground bridge. What was supposed to be a simple mission turned out to be really complicated, but these missions always seemed to take a turn for the worst nowadays.

She took in a deep breath in an effort to steady herself. Reaching up, she tried to contact the base. "Ratchet," she said with forced calmness. "I need a bridge. And you might want to prepare your medical-" She stopped at the sudden static she received. She frowned, "Arcee to base, do you read?" Still more static. She stumbled forward and away from the cart, hoping to get out of the dead zone. "Arcee to base, do you read?" she repeated, her spark pulsing in panic. No big deal, she tried to remind herself. She had been in worse situations before.

By the time she was a few yards from where she had woken up, she was panting heavily. Her side was aching, and her wound was still leaking. Her optics shuddered at the pain and she feared that she would pass out. She wondered if the explosion had done more damage then she had thought. Most likely, as the bleeding had yet to stop.

Her worried thoughts came to a halt when a familiar voice caused her to look up with hope.

"Is she back at base?" she heard Optimus ask, no doubt speaking through a .

Arcee had a good idea of who the 'she' was. "I'm here," she called out, stumbling forward. When Optimus didn't address her, she frowned. "Optimus?" she asked hesitantly. Her body then spasmed as something walked right through her. She fell to her knees, looking up as Bumblebee walked through her and right towards Optimus. She stared in shock. "No," she whispered in horror. She got to her pedes, reaching for the yellow scout. "Bee, please," she pleaded, her arm brushing right through his shoulder. Panic began to set in at that moment as she stared at her comrades who could not see her.

The Shadow Zone. She was in the Shadow Zone.

"Well, this is unexpected," a familiar, yet sinister voice commented. Arcee jolted up to see Megatron walking toward her. Her optics widened as she scrambled to her pedes and away from him. The warlord was looking right at her, which meant he could see her. The only way he could see her was if he was in the Shadow Zone with her.

She on-lined her weapons, pointing them at the Decepticon. Megatron just raised an optic ridge. "You are in no condition to fight me," he said.

"Never stopped me," she growled, firing her blasters. Megatron transformed before flying upwards. Arcee, having a vague idea of what he was doing, turned around to face him. However, her wound seared with pain at the sudden movement and caused her to stumble, giving Megatron the opportunity to pin her to the ground as he collided into her. She thrashed and managed to get her one arm free before punching. She didn't know where she had hit him, but the sudden attack caused him to release her. She leaped to her feet, putting some distance between herself and the Decepticon.

"The worst place you could ever be in a fight is on the ground." Ironhide's words echoed back to her, causing her to grin.

"You are only harming yourself in the process," Megatron said, annoyance in his optics.

Arcee frowned. "Then it'll speed things up when I kill you."

Surprisingly, Megatron chuckled. "If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you when you were unconscious."

Arcee ignored him as she took aim with her blaster, but a sudden wave of dizziness caused her to stumble back. "Why spare me?" she rasped out instead, forcing her optics to focus on one Megatron instead of the two her dizzy vision was seeing.

Megatron rose to his full height, though he kept his distance from the two-wheeler. "Because I do not know where we are. Having one's opinion on the current situation we are in would be beneficial for the both of us."

Arcee narrowed her optics. "And once you think you have what you need?" She trialed off, already knowing the answer.

Megatron shrugged. "Then you would have outlived you usefulness."

Arcee wasn't sure that she would even live through the night. Her wound had only opened up even more from all the moving, and energon was running out of her side.

"What makes you think I have what you need?" she asked, stalling. Her optics flickered around for a sudden escape plan. There was no way she could ever beat Megatron in a fight, even on her best days. Her only chance was to escape. But escape where? Could she really outrun Megatron in her condition?

Megatron raised an optic ridge. "Do you?" She noticed how his fingers twitched, as if ready to fire his weapon.

Arcee forced herself not to step back. She would not show fear; Megatron would use that against her. "I might," she answered.

Megatron snarled. "Now is not the time for you to be coy with me, Autobot."

"Or what?" she countered back. "You'll kill me? My death will leave you trapped here with no chance of communication. And I will gladly die knowing that you will be following me to the Allspark."

Megatron was silent for a moment, and it got to the point where the silence was beginning to unnerve her.

"So there is a way to communicate with the others," he said finally.

Arcee blinked, startled. "What?" she asked.

"You said 'no chance of communication'," he said, looking directly at her. "Why would you say that if there wasn't a way to communicate?" He walked forward, despite Arcee's silent warning when she moved her blaster.

"I am only going to ask you this once," he said, coming closer. "How do we get out?"

Arcee didn't even think. She pushed past the pain and opened fire before transforming and speeding away. She pushed her speed, ignoring the pain and the sounds of Megatron's pursuit.

Something rammed into her side, sending her flying back. She transformed as she rolled into the fallen energon nearby, the crystals poking painfully into her sides. As darkness consumed her, she could only think that it was worth cutting the head off the snake. At least she gave the Autobots a chance at winning this war. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be alive to witness the outcome.