Chapter 4 – Sacrifices

The light of the sun settled down over a desert valley, the heat only further intensifying the already tense moment on the ground.

They couldn't move, nowhere to run to, a large rock face behind them, a corrupt army and a psychotic robot infront of them, and themselves, were not in the best condition for fighting.

"Like flies into a Spider web" Silas the leader of the organisation MECH called out to the trio before of Dynobot, Arcee and Jackson Darby.

"What are you talking about Silas?" Jack yelled out clenching his fists his anger apparent in his voice.

"Did you really believe Airachnid's presence was not pre-planned?" Silas said with a confident smirk over his face the said Airachnid behind him, the damage she sustained the previous day by her rival Arcee and the vicious Decepticon rogue Dynobot was now partially fixed and her Energon restored to a higher degree, no doubt because of her fragile alliance with MECH.

Jack and Arcee looked at one another in confusion before Silas spoke up once more.

"MECH knew you Autobots would come looking for the ship, so with a little tracking beforehand we enlisted the aid of Airachnid here."

"And wouldn't you believe my luck." Airachnid finally spoke out from behind the MECH soldiers. "My first assignment and I already get a reward. Arcee and my fair dear Jack" she said with a venomous seductive tone.

"BITE ME!" Jack snapped back at the sadistic Decepticon traitor.

"Ooh, you smooth talker Jack, how very tempting." Airachnid replied running a finger over her fangs.

"So, after your… altercation… we planned for Airachnid to herd you over to us, and here you are. Damaged, broken, defeated." Silas said looking over the three before him.

"Not yet!" Snarled the large raptor as he tried to get up, yet his fall from the high cliff top had damaged and twisted his left leg out of place.

The MECH soldiers stepped forward aiming their advanced rifles at them. Jack looked at them stepping back slowly only for Arcee's hand to cover him, blocking him from the weapons.

"Get behind me Jack" Arcee whispered, Jack complied as he hid behind her.

Dynobot snarled beside Arcee and Jack.

"Try it, move a muscle and we'll have no choice but to take you back to base in pieces." Silas warned his stone cold gaze staring at them.

Dynobot looked at Arcee who nodded to him. He looked back at Silas and snarled.

"We shall stand together Human, and you shall fall" he snarled pulling himself off of his belly causing the MECH soldiers to open fire, Arcee instinctively turned around and covered Jack from the shots, Dynobot snarled as the bullets racked against his synthetic skin, he roared out in pain and rage bringing up his right foot and slamming it down onto the ground causing a big enough shake of the Earth to cause the MECH soldiers to stumble.

"HIDE!" Dynobot yelled as he forced himself to transform, Airachnid attacked immediately firing a shot of webbing at the wounded Dynobot, the impact knocking him back and sticking him to the rock surface, Arcee looked around for any place to hide seeing a large rock formation not too far, grabbing Jack she ran taking cover behind a large rock formation, the MECH soldiers firing at her as she sprinted away, her damaged and reduced armor making the shots more effective against her making her face scrunch up in pain.

"ARCEE?!" Jack yelled out to her from within her two handed grasp, she looked down to him and smiled.

"I'll be okay Jack" she winced and forced a smile trying to comfort Jack. Arcee dared a glance seeing the MECH soldiers coming towards them as Airachnid walked on her robotic legs towards Dynobot.

"Scrap, Dynobot's stuck." Arcee cursed. Jack looked up at her with a worried expression.

"What're we going to do?"

"I don't know Jack, something will come up." She turned her head away from Dynobot to look at Jack. "Something always does" she said with a half-hearted smile.

Jack still didn't feel very confident about their current predicament and he could tell Arcee felt the same.

"Well, well." Airachnid began as she walked up to Dynobot smirking "You got the drop on me last time, but this time you're not so lucky" she stopped infront of him and two sharp blade from her spider legs across Dynobot's face making him roar in pain. He growled mumbling something under his metaphorical breath as he looked down at the floor.

"What was that?" Airachnid smirked taking his metallic chin into her hand.

"I said." Dynobot said louder his voice full of his own venom. "GET FRAGGED!" he roared out looking up at Airachnid his optics lit up green, and fired a powerful beam of Energon directly into her face before she could react, the beam sending her further back only to crash into the ground across the rocky plain.

Dynobot looked down at his restraint. "Powerful stuff" he snarled "Only as good as what it stick too" he roared out in rage as the rock face behind him started to crack as he began to pull himself free only to stop once he heard continuous gunfire to his right. He averted his gaze and saw the MECH soldiers firing at Arcee whom was holding Jack covering him with her body to ensure his safety.

"Only cowards attack an injured foe" he said softly, before snarling his optics changing back from red to green as he fired continuous bolts of Energon at the MECH soldiers.

Silas watched on his face unreadable. He had underestimated this new Cybertronian, more so for its Optical based weaponry rather than armed. He looked at his Humvee and got in then looked at his driver.

"Return to base they'll follow" His driver nodded as they drove off down the dirt road behind them.

Meanwhile Arcee was still under heavy fire laying on her side covering Jack with her body, Dynobot's blasts incinerating a few of the soldiers but ultimately missing others.

"Arcee we got to get out of here!" Jack called out.

"I know that Jack! But I can't risk you getting shot!" Arcee replied worried for Jack's safety.

"Listen I'll lay on the ground as best I can, hopefully they won't see me, then you do what you can" Jack said as he laid on his stomach, Arcee didn't like the plan, but they had no choice, she was damaged, Dynobot was damaged and bound and Airachnid was now getting back up.

"Frag!" she cursed and got up kicking at MECH soldiers around her their bones shattering on impact, she knew Optimus told them not to harm human lives, but when it came to Jack and his safety no one was safe from her wrath.

The soldiers continued to fire, their bullets damaging her body breaking through her less armoured frame, her lack of armor from her having to break some off to fool Airachnid in their previous encounter, and while her systems could fix some minor internal and external damage, it couldn't "rebuild" lost armor, Jack was staying low to the ground as he had said his low profile keeping him away from the firing bullet that missed or ricocheted off of Arcee's body. The MECH personnel now seeing their attack broken down and futile turned to retreat.

Airachnid looked up at Dynobot whom was still struggling in her webbing restraints, her facial armor was damaged parts melting, the pain near unbearable. With an venomous hiss she moved towards him her eight spider legs ready to slice him into scrap metal.

"You won't be playing that trick again" she hissed, Dynobot looked at her snarling, his optics beginning to glow green only for Airachnid to fire off a shot of Energon directly into his face, too slow to fire the Energon bolt hit him directly, his optics still in use though their blaster upgrade was damaged and left non-functioning.

"A nice party trick, but not good enough a third time" she stalked up to him savouring the taste of when she'd send him offline. "You were fun, but you're no Arcee!" she snarled stepping infront of him her bladed spider legs ready to strike.

"You rang?!" called out Arcee's voice, Airachnid turned only to get Arcee's foot blasted into her face stumbling his back. "Now you're as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside!" Arcee called out to the damaged Airachnid.

"Leave me! Get out of here!" Dynobot snarled, Arcee ignoring him as she unsheathed her arm blades and proceeded to cut him loose.

"No deal Dynobot, you helped us when we needed it, I'm returning the favour" Arcee replied as Dynobot was freed.

"Correction." He snarled "I aided you because of my honour, now… I am in your debt" he informed her reluctantly.

Arcee was slightly stunned, but then Dynobot wasn't like most Cybertronians she'd met.

"We'll discuss it later" she said as Jack came running up to them.

"What's the plan now?" he asked looking up to the Arcee and Dynobot.

"No, plan. But I have a sneaking suspicion SOMEONE knows why my com link is jammed" Arcee stated angrily as she walked over to the downed Airachnid.

Airachnid pushed herself up onto her hands and knees only to feel to force of a foot force her damaged and partially melted face into the rocky ground.

"Talk Airachnid!" demanded the angered Arcee. "You know why I've been jammed since I got here. Tell me."

Her demand was only met with laughter from the Spider-Bot. Arcee pushed her foot down further onto Airachnid's head the ground around it beginning to crack.

"TELL ME!" she roared. Airachnid lashed out with her spider legs thrusting them at Arcee only to feel two large clawed hands grip four legs each.

"It is impolite to not answer a question so NICELY asked!" Dynobot snarled, Arcee looked up at Dynobot who merely smirked at her.

Airachnid remained quiet, her silence irritating the large Ex-Decepticon as he pulled on her legs lifting Arcee's leg up, Arcee then used the upward momentum to slam Airachnid's head back into the ground.

Airachnid cried out in pain unable to move, unable to retaliate her blasters inoperative.

"You'll never get anything out of me. So you may as well put me offline" Airachnid mumbled from the concrete. Arcee narrowed her eyes in anger unsheathing her blades.

"Oh don't you worry Airachnid. I'll make sure it HURTS!" Arcee spat her words as sick and as venomous as Airachnid's as she placed the tip of the blade against the side of Airachnid's head and began twisting it, turning it and it began to dig into her head.

"NO ARCEE!" jack yelled out catching her attention. "STOP!, IF you do it you'll be NO better than her, and I know you're better than this, better than her!"

A deep realisation struck Arcee, Jack was right. If he hadn't have stopped her, she'd have been no better than Airachnid she'd have only killed a monster and become one herself.

"He's right" Arcee sheathed her blade. " I am better than this. Better than you Airachnid." She narrowed her eyes then a smile came across her face. "Dynobot however…" she trailed off, Dynobot smirked a toothy grin, he grabbed Airachnid's legs tighter twisting them, the sound of buckling metal and snapping circuitry was heard between the four of them, the scream of agony as Dynobot tore the legs from Airachnid's back, he grabbed her then threw her against the rock face and stomped up behind her.

Airachnid spun around to retaliate, Dynobot back handing her across her face then wrapped his sharp claws around her throat and lifted her up with one hand, dragging the back of her body across the rock face, she grabbed his hand trying to break free. A sadistic look upon his face.

"All across the Universe Airachnid, you have been eradicating species to the brink of endangerment, calling yourself the Ultimate Hunter." Dynobot let out a loud but cold laugh before turning his eyes back to her. "But you're only second best. To me"

Dynobot felt his rage growing within him, a rage that was not his own, not Cybertronian. NO. A more primitive rage, a PRIMAL RAGE, so animalistic it felt addictive, felt intoxicated from it. His Cybertronian optics turned to slits like the beast he could become, a long object beginning to protrude from his mouth. Airachnid looked at it, slime dripping from it, like metal and flesh bonded together to create a new substance. Then Dynobot felt it.

The Hunger.

He felt something inside his churn, something new, something that wasn't Cybertronian, he placed his free hand on his stomach area and looked down, a predatory like smile coming over his face. Airachnid looked into the Cybertronian Beasts eyes as he looked back up to her, she could hear the churning, the look in his face so similar to hers but far more monstrous, more bestial.

"I'm … Hungry!" Dynobot said with a snarl as he lowered her to his eye level staring deep into her optics.

"What do you think you could do tha…. AAAIIIEEEE " Airachnid's words were cut off as she felt sharp blades, small tiny blades sink into her breast plate, she screamed an unholy scream of terror and looked as Dynobot reared back his head her armor sticking out of his mouth, chewing it slowly before swallowing.

Arcee and Jack looked on in horror, he ate a piece of her. But Cybertronian couldn't consume.

"His organic transformation" jack said quietly. Arcee turned her head to him in confusion. "He must have gained "organic" traits"

"He's grown a digestive system?" Arcee asked turning her eyes from Jack back to Dynobot, a screaming Airachnid in his grasp as he took another bite out of her.

"Energon Levels Increased by 5%" Dynobot's on board computer told him making him smirk like an animal.

"It would seem, dear Airachnid. That my new form, has allowed me a few new tricks, consuming you for some replenished Energon" Dynobot smirked, Airachnid stared into his optics, a look of confusion and horror on her face, she may have wanted a painful death, but to be eaten? Eaten Alive?

"Now then" Dynobot smirked turning his attention to Arcee who stared back unsure of whether she could trust the seemingly cannibalistic Cybertronian who then turned his head back to Airachnid.

"Arcee is going to ask you some questions. For everyone she doesn't like… I get to FEED!" he smirked with a toothy grin, Airachnid could see some of her armor in his teeth.

Later the three were walking slowly towards the nearby MECH base, it's location and the information they required given to them by Airachnid…forcefully.

"So it would seem, my new form has adapted my internal systems as well." Dynobot commented as he cleaned his teeth of black metal armor. "A technorganic state it would seem. Combining metal with organic"

Arcee and Jack were rather off put by Dynobot and his new "abilities" of being able to consume and digest to increase his Energon levels.

"I admit, she was rather…. Tasty" He said with a proud smirk on his face cleaning his teeth with his technorganic tongue.

"That's disgusting." Jack merely commented as they came upon the MECH base now seeing it in the distance the two Cybertronians laid on their stomach to keep lower visibility in case MECH were already looking out for them.

"So MECH have set up antennae all over the area which jams all communication in the area." Arcee said remembering what Airachnid had told them.

"Except there's" Jack added on look up at Arcee who nodded to him.

"Except there's, yeah." She looked back at the base "It's a large facility, some could be underground. It could take us too long to find the primary system and take it offline." Arcee said looking at Jack then to Dynobot.

"Stealth is not going to be our best chance to find anything. I'm sure even IF we were in any shape to transform, they'd be suspicious of a lone motorcycle and an extinct overgrown reptile" Dynobot stated as they lay there in watch.

"Agreed." Arcee spoke out. Jack meanwhile felt useless, a human who was about to go into a top secret Base full of corrupt men hell bent on taking apart Arcee and those he called his family… and Dynobot. He didn't know what he could do, to his surprise Arcee turned her head to look at him.

"Got any ideas partner?" she asked hoping he had some idea, Jack blinked looking at her, she wanted to know if HE had any ideas? He sighed then looked at the base.

"I don't know Arcee, I'm way out of my depth in this one" he said in a saddened tone, he felt useless. Arcee placed a hand on his hand and gave it a gentle stroke.

"Don't think like that Jack, you were the one who figured to blow up Airachnid's ship, you were the one who always seemed to think of a plan at the last minute, I have faith in you" Jack looked up to Arcee as she spoke a smile over her face, her words made Jack determined, he looked back at the base to see if he could see anything, anything that could be used for some sort of plan.

Arcee looked at him for several minutes as he stared at the base, she had meant every word she said, and she knew something would come to him, for his age, Arcee was amazed at how Jack's mind worked. Then, something. She saw it in his eye, that look of a plan, a look of determination.

"Okay!" he said at last looking back up to Arcee. "We know Alt forms are out of the question right?" Arcee nodded "Then we have to make do with what we've got. Wind and Natural camouflage" Jack stated, Arcee blinked in confusion and looked at the desert area infront of him, the wind was picking up true enough, picking up a thin dust cloud though the visibility was only barely impaired, there was no way she or Jack could blend in, the area was tanned, with bits of … brown. She turned her gaze to Dynobot. The skin coming from his beast mode was mostly brown with some lighter areas.

"Go on Jack" Arcee said with a smirk, Dynobot looking at them confused. "I'm all ears"

MECH soldiers patrolled the perimeter of the base rifles raised, their ammo hot loaded. Silas knew they would be coming if they wanted the jammer offline, it was the perfect bait.

"Anything?" he asked looking at MECH operative working on advanced machinery.

"Nothing yet sir, scans aren't showing anything just dust, wind and more dust."

"Noted" Silas said in his monotone voice, scanning the area before him from the control room the wind blowing fair dust all over.

"They're out there somewhere, we just have to know when to strike"

As Silas finished his question explosions erupted around the ground of the base. Silas looked at the security cameras, seeing something moving within the dust.

"Perhaps I may have underestimated them"

Dynobot roared crashed his fists down on MECH tanks crushing all those inside. He snarled getting up having commando crawled slowly his original position using the thin blanket of dust as extra cover making sure the blue of his metal skin was covered. MECH soldiers began to fire back now getting their target but Dynobot had already taken out some of their heavier weapons, the rest rolling out from an underground area.

Arcee watched with zoomed in optics.

"He seems to be having fun" she quipped with a slight chuckle, Jack watched best he could, but Arcee was his best bet to know anything. "That was a good plan Jack" she smiled while watching the carnage unfolding "Fragging good plan" she was genuinely pleased with the so far success of her partners plan.

"Yeah, I'm glad it worked too" Jack replied with a smile. "Come on we best get down there quickly"

Arcee nodding wrapping her right hand around Jack's chest and ran down towards the base.

Silas watched on from the control room, at the destruction unfolding outside. With a mere roll of his jaw cracking some stiff joints he turned towards another member of MECH.

"How long before Bravo and Tango are ready for deployment?" he asked calmly.

"Immediately sir" replied the MECH member, as he typed on his computer.

"Good, we'll give our… guests… a little run around, they'll want the generators offline, make sure all available forces are directed to the generators." Silas demanded as he walked out of the room.

Outside the MECH forces had retreated into the main building. Dynobot's body was damaged but that was to be expected.

"You okay?" Arcee called out as she entered the base, Dynobot turned to look at her as she carried Jack.

"I am still functional, so far the plan has worked, taking out the upfront weaponry leaving us some "breathing space" as it were." Dynobot looked at Jack as he spoke who was smiling.

"I'm just glad the plan got us this far." He sighed gently from relief. "Alright now we just got to find the power source and shut it down" Jack said looking at Arcee then to Dynobot. "So we might have to split up, cover the area more quickly, however it'll leave us at a disadvantage if we get ambushed" Jack thought weighing up their options, not liking either circumstance, they either went together and took longer to find the power source or sources, or they split up and become more vulnerable.

"I think time is of the essence right now Jack" Arcee spoke up looking at him.

"We need to be as quick as we can, and no doubt MECH will have more people waiting for us"

Jack nodded, she was right, MECH had a lot of equipment and a lot of weapons at their disposal.

"Then we best get moving before they can mobilise their remaining forces." Dynobot suggested as they heard the whirring of helicopter blades.

"Airachnid?" Jack asked out in panic.

"No Dynobot left her to badly damaged to transform into her spider legged form, let alone a helicopter." Arcee replied to Jack as multiple Helicopters hovered up from behind a large facility on the base.

"Scrap!" cried out Arcee covering Jack as the helicopters opened fire with automatic weaponry.

"You two get underground, I'll deal with things up here!" Dynobot yelled out, Arcee turned to look at the open passage way to the underground then back to Dynobot.

"Alright!" Arcee said reluctantly leaving the Ex-Con out to deal with the attack helicopters as she ran into the underground passage way. "Are you alright Jack?" she asked looking at her human partner, Jack checked himself over and looked up to her.

"Yeah I seem to be okay, we need to find that power source and call Ratchet asap, you need to be fixed." Jack looked her over, by now her blue armor was all but shattered showing the metallic alloy underneath.

"I'll be fine Jack, I'm more worried about you." Arcee went further into the complex talking over the sound of gunfire, missiles, and Dynobot yelling Cybertronian profanity.

Arcee unsheathed her right arm blade as she kept herself close to the wall hugging it as they got close to a corner, carefully and quickly she peeked round before pulling herself back round, slowly she looked around the corner again then walked around,

"This facility is huge, it could be anywhere" Arcee whispered to Jack still in her grasp in case of an ambush.

"I know Arcee." Jack whispered back "But it's the best I could come up with" he sighed, it wasn't the best plan ever, but they didn't have much choice either.

"Look Jack you took what was available to us and you made something with it. Can't expect gold when all you got to work with is scrap." Arcee told him. Jack smiled and rubber her hand.

"I don't think your scrap Arcee" he whispered gently. Arcee looked at Jack chuckling.

"Maybe not but I look like scrap" she replied before looking around another corner.

"Scrap!" she whispered "MECH." She groaned looking at Jack. "This is going to be tough. Stay here!" she knelt down placing Jack on the floor as she unsheathed her blades.

"Arcee no, you're too low on Energon" Jack called up to her worried about her condition

"It's either I use up some Energon or we don't get out of here. And I promised June I'd protect you till my spark is vanquished" she said in determination and rushed off before Jack could get in another word.

The MECH forces turned seeing Arcee running towards them and started opening fire with automatic weapons and heavy artillery. The bullets pounded at Arcee's metallic body as she dodged the heavier damaging artillery fire, she looked on as another tank took aim at her and fired off a large explosive shell, Arcee gritted her teeth waiting for the last second before jumping over it landing she was struck by a second shot knocking her back and sending her rolling across the ground.

"ARCEE!" Jack called out from behind the corner, the tanks continuing to fire shell after shell at her, Arcee's armor began to buckle and break under the repeated heavy fire. She cried out forcing out her blasters from within her arms and fired precise shots at the tanks causing them to explode killing the MECH operatives around them.

Arcee's body let out a low groan as her mechanics slowed down, painfully she stood up, her pieces around her head destroyed but she was in whole, intact.

"Come on Jack" she held her damaged side. "We have to find that power source"

"Arcee you should rest"

"No time for that Jack, there could be more coming, and my Energon reserves and hitting the red light." She frowned to Jack whose eyes showed signs of worry, though she could see further than just the outer layer, he was terrified for her, and too for him. If she went offline, only Dynobot, if he was still functioning could save him, she wouldn't allow Jack to come to harm.

"Let's just hope old scale belly is doing better than us" Arcee quipped as they walked along the corridor, Arcee putting her internal repairs to another use, though there was little they could do at this point.

Outside Dynobot roared out in pain struggling to get to his feet, most of his synthetic skin blown off of his body, his armor chipped and cracked, he looked at the wreckage of the helicopter before him and smirked.

"You, do NOT challenge a warrior of my calibre" he snarled forcing himself to his feet wobbling slightly as he regained his centre of balance. He walked carefully placing his hand on the structures of the base to keep himself steady. He scanned the area for any form of generator, or sufficient power sauce, a generator, an electrical conductor.

'…a really big potato' Dynobot thought to himself, after he and Arcee had spoken previously about human technology while he carried them across the desert region, she had explained how humans for some science "projects" could light a light bulb with a potato which he learned was a consumable on Earth. Dynobot reached down to the ground and picked up his sword, his shield was still too damaged to fully function and his sword's spinning blade had only just stopped after destroying the final helicopter. He was beginning to lose a lot of Energon, the Choppers having blasted him in the torso with a barrage of missiles causing him to leak, he would fight on, stay online and complete his objective.

Stomping further on around the complex he was met with no resistance. He knew it couldn't be so easy, he refused to believe it was so easy, he kept his optics open for another trap, anything he could set off.

The he heard something, a low pitched buzzing noise, it had a rough feel to it like it was using a lot of power. "The power source?" Dynobot thought out loud as he moved towards, the sound originating in some form of large hangar. Looking for an entrance Dynobot gave up and tore through the front of the Hangar with his sword, a big mistake. He looked inside his optics opening wide at the obvious ambush and multiple tanks fired off shells at Dynobot in unison sending the large Cybertronian off his feet and crashing through the hangar behind him.

MECH units marched forward firing the heavy loaded ammunition into the downed Dynobot, the bullets tearing away at his fake raptor skin and denting the armor underneath. Struggling to get up Dynobot felt his Energon levels decrease further, the tank shells tear his bleeding wound open further. He eventually rolled over just managing to get himself onto his hands and knees before the tanks fired into his metallic rear knocking him forward causing him to roar out. Dynobot snarled in rage pushing past his pain as he forced himself up, one tank reloading early fired into his torso, Dynobot held his ground the shot cracking his armor and damaging the raptor head in the process, he roared coming down on the tank with his clawed hand picking it up as the others prepared to fire and threw it at the others causing them to buckle and break the shell fired only to explode inside the bent turret causing the two tanks to explode, Dynobot narrowly rolled out of the way of the other shell shots, scrambling to his feet he proceeded to stomp on the tank and impale them with his sword, the human soldiers and their automatic weapons doing less to slow the Cybertronian in his rage.

Dynobot covered his head from the automatic fire and looked inside the hangar he had ripped open. A generator, as Jack had guessed, that was the power source, smirking he stomped up to it and impaled it with his sword the fluctuating electrical energy surging through his sword and through Dynobot causing him to cry out in pain his body smoking from the electrical discharge as he fell to his knees, his power system overloading from the electrical charge. His systems telling him to go into stasis to allow it to fix.

"Override" he demanded as he postponed his stasis lock. He pulled his sword from the generator the blade partially melted and blackened, he stood up and pressed his intercom with two fingers.

"Arcee?" there was static. "Scrap! That must mean there is more than one generator" he snarled and continued to look around the surface area.

Arcee and Jack were still looking for the generator unaware of the fact there was more than one, there had been a silence between the two of them, both not sure what to say to the other in this circumstance, the feeling of their seemingly inevitable defeat felt close by.

Arcee's Energon was nearly depleted, if she was going to resort to blasters she was going to have to make every shot count, otherwise it could mean the difference between life and death, and not just for herself, her cybernetics and circuitry were highly damaged leaving her vulnerable, leaving her less manoeuvrable, it'd take her more concentration to dodge more of those shell attacks.

'If I can get Jack out of here, it'll be worth it!' Arcee told herself mentally as she glanced a look down at him, he was looking straight ahead, he was upset, she could tell, his shoulders were slumped, his expression was miserable, he'd done his best so far to keep up the moral, but even now he was finding it hard to do so. Perhaps it was her turn.

"Hey cheer up Partner" she said to him doing her best optimistic voice she could, Jack looked up at her as she forced her best smile. "WHEN we get out of here, how's about you and me relax on top of the base?" she asked. She was happy as Jack smiled nodding.

"That'd be great Arcee just you, me and the world before us." Jack could see it now, hopefully they would see it. Arcee's mind slipped away as she thought of it, it was a nice mental picture, but right now she had to focus. Find the generator and destroy it then radio for a ground bridge. Something caught her attention, she turned and placed her head against the wall near her, there was a strange buzzing noise with a roughness to it.

"Jack" she called out quietly as Jack walked up to her. "I think I've found the power source, but it sounds like there are soldiers in there."

Jack listened in best he could placing his ear to the concrete slab, he could hear something but his inferior human ears could barely hear it, he looked further down the hallway seeing a large door, that lead into the room.

"Wait here, till I give you the signal" Jack ran off before Arcee could grab him

"Jack, stop where are you going?" Arcee yelled in her most quiet tone of voice, trying to sound demanding at same time. He looked at her then opened up the door, multiple MECH soldiers turning and aimed their weapons at him, Arcee watch him enter shaking her head.

'Frag it Jack you're going to get yourself killed' Arcee thought to herself.

Jack gulped holding his hands in the air.

"It's just me, don't shoot" he said as the MECH operatives lowered their weapons.

"Where is the robot?" one of them demanded to know.

"Which robot?" Jack asked looking at the soldiers one by one.

"Arcee!" the same operative demanded to know.

"Arcee's here somewhere" Jack smiled as they raise their rifles, Jack looked at them and coughed into his hand.

The wall behind them came crashing down without warning as Arcee broke through, she put her foot under one of the tanks positioned near the wall and flipped it up into the sky and punched it across the room skidding against the floor crushing MECH operatives under it and putting the tank itself out of commission.

The operative near Jack turned to fire, only for Jack to grab the rifle of one of them and wrestle him with it.

"YOU'RE NOT HURTING HER!" he yelled out getting Arcee's attention.

Arcee ran forward as the men opened fire upon her, the man wrestling with Jack managed to turn his gun and pull the trigger firing a few bullets into Jack. Arcee stopped in sheer horror time slowing down as she saw Jack stumble back in shock then fall to the ground, she watched as his body bounced off the ground.

"JACK!" she screamed in terror, which soon was replaced by rage, the MECH operatives beginning to fall back only for Arcee to bring her large metal fists down directly upon two of them crushing their skeletons under her fist. She turned to look at the remaining operative.

"YOU!" she snapped her words venomous and she picked him up the operative aimed his rifle at her as he lifted him into the air before swatting it out of his reach and placed her hand around his head, squeezing it slowly she heard him scream, scream for mercy, scream for his life, she felt his skull crack and shatter under her grip as she crushed his head leaving behind a bloodied mess of skin and bone. She threw the body away, her rage still pent up, grabbing one of the damaged tanks she threw it at the power source, causing it to explode on impact.

It didn't matter to her now, she'd failed Jack, after everything, she'd failed him. Arcee slumped to the ground her knees against her chest and leaned over putting her head into her hands, she tried to scream but nothing came out, she wanted to cry but couldn't she knew if she could her tears would be falling off of her like a waterfall. How could she let this happen? How could she let this happen to another partner, no. Not just another partner, to Jack, how could she fail him, he trusted her with his life, and she let him down, how could she have failed him. She loved him.

'What?' she thought to herself. She closed her optics, she couldn't believe it took this to realise it. 'I'm so sorry Jack, I love you.' She curled up best she could just wanting herself to go offline.

"A… Arcee?" came a weak voice near her, her optics turned immediately. Jack was looking up at her .

"JACK!" she cried out changing position getting onto her hands and knees and looked down at him "Hold on Jack, I'll get you out of here I promise just hold on!" she pressed her finger to her intercom.

"RATCHET. RATCHET YOU BETTER FRAGGING HEAR ME!" she yelled out in panic. Nothing again just static. "SCRAP!" she yelled out in fury punching the wall beside them, after all this, after what happened to Jack still nothing.

"It's, okay Arcee!" Jack struggled to say as he pushed himself back against the wall, "Th…that just means there may be another, g… generator!" he coughed, Arcee looked down at him

"You were so stupid to that Jack, look what's happened and ... It's all my fault!" Arcee looked over him still panicking.

"NO!" he snapped back wincing in pain Arcee recoiled slightly. "It's NOT your fault, it was MY decision, mine to make, it's my fault for being careless" he held onto his side blood trickling out of him and onto the floor. "We've just, got to go find it!" he gritted his teeth as he tried to push himself onto his feet.

"Wait Jack, don't struggle" she reached out and picked him up carefully as she stood. "We'll find it, then we'll get you to a Hospital you'll be okay I promise" Arcee looked at him tenderly, her eyes looking over him with a sense of dread but a sense of longing. She wanted no NEEDED him. Her life, her existence would be ruined if he were to die.

"You just rest conserve your strength, we'll find it" Arcee ran off holding Jack as carefully as she could. She looked around then ran right, she'd find that generator she had new purpose to find it not just for herself but for Jack more than anything, she diverted more Energon from herself to her audio receptors trying to find the sound again.

'Come on frag it COME ON!' she screamed mentally hoping for anything. None stop she charged ahead running from hallway to hallway she had to find she HAD TO!

"THERE!" she screamed out suddenly Jack jumping in her hands from the sudden loud noise. He felt her sprint faster than she had been caring less for herself as she smashed concrete with her damaged body to move faster through the labyrinth.

Down the final hallway she could hear it the generator, running towards it her thoughts entirely on saving Jack she didn't quite hear the sound of the loading turrets as she reached the door it blew open with a hail of tank shells blowing her back across the Hallway she cradled Jack in her hands holding him his life too important, she held him safe not allowing him to be hurt any further her body skidded across the ground shard of her body buckling and tearing off leaving exposed circuitry to be seen to the world.

She cried out in agony, and looked down at Jack, he was unconscious, from shock, blood loss she didn't know, the final generator she could see it, with multiple tanks infront of it, after all this, it was over, they were defeated.

'Not yet!' Dynobot's words rang out in her mind. She heard more shell fire come from behind seeing the one Ex-Con himself stumbled towards her a shell barrage knocking him off balance and landing next to her.

"For what it's worth. It was…" Arcee began accepting their defeat. "…it was an honour fighting against and with you" she cradled Jack hoping to keep him warm and safe as long as she could. Dynobot looked at her than at the unconscious Jack and the human blood dribbled from her palm. His optic went wide with shock then looked at the generator, feeling his rage renewed. He would not fail.

"We are NOT done YET!" he snarled grabbing Arcee and pulled her under him as another barrage hit them, blocking most of the damage with his own body. "when I say run you RUN like Unicron is after you" he demanded, Arcee rolled out from under him as he got onto his hands and knees, his optics flickering green as he growled in pain.

Arcee then saw his leakage he was running out of Energon fast.

"Dynobot…" Arcee began before Dynobot yelled out in agony firing a painful blast of Energon from his optics at the generator causing it to explode.

"RUN!" he yelled clambering to his feet, Arcee's optics opened wide as she dragged herself across the floor before her feet caught grip pushing herself up onto her feet.

"RATCHET!" she screamed down her intercom

"ARCEE!? WHERE IN PRIMUS HAVE YOU BEEN!?" the medic yelled out in surprise and concern.

"NO TIME EMERGENCY GROUND BRIDGE NOW!"

Ratchet could hear the sound of shell fire from Arcee's intercom.

"Oh by the matrix" he huffed

"Arcee! Where's Jack?" called out June Darby, Jack's mother.

"HE'S BEEN SHOT I NEED THAT GROUND BRIDGE!" Arcee yelled out, June gasped in horror her hands covering her mouth, Ratchet punched in the codes as Arcee saw the vortex open up before them a shell just missing her shoulder.

"KEEP GOING!" Dynobot roared as he turned around to face the tanks. Arcee glanced back stopping momentarily

"DYNOBOT COME ON!" She yelled back to him.

"NO. GET THE BOY OUT OF HERE! I SHALL SUPPLY COVER!" he roared as a shell hit him making him stumble. "GO!" he snapped. Arcee watched the Cybertronian, leaking Energon, his body battered as much as her's now charge at his enemy.

"A Warrior's Sacrifice" Arcee said softly before turning to the ground bridge and sprinting through it her servos beginning to give way as she ran.

Finally she landed back in base everyone stunned and horrified by the sight, just as Arcee's leg servos gave way causing her to fall she cried out turning her position as much as she could landing on her side her grip loosening on Jack as he rolled out of her hands.

"RATCHET GET ARCEE TO MED-BAY. JUNE GET JACK TO A HOSPITAL!" Prime's voice called out in a hurrying tone. Arcee reached out for Jack as June ran up to her son and held him.

"June I'm sorry, I, I tried, I. I couldn't, I…" she felt herself being brought up by her larger allies Bulkhead and Bumblebee. She reached out still for Jack staring at him.

"Jack. Jack! Jack! Jack." Her servos weakened as she finally went into stasis.