Chapter 6

Over the next few weeks things had been crazy for Jack. He had fought against hundreds of small robot bugs called scraplets. He had fought a con that looked like one of Buldheads friends named Wheeljack. He had groundbridged on a moving train to help the bots get a device back. This trip however took the cake.

[mosquitoes buzzing] Jack hated bugs. Like really hated them, but he had found a way to deal with them, pushing some lightning through his body he became a living bug zapper.

"That's a neat trick. Where did you learn it?" Arcee asked looking at him.

"Vader sent me to a planet and made me kill 5 rancors without my sabers. The planet was infested with bugs, after I finished using my lightning there was electricity running through my body and a bug touched me and fried." Jack explained as he stepped over a log. Jack was dressed in his 'fighting clothes' as Miko put it. A short sleeved grey shirt with bandages that covered his lower arms, black cargo pants, grey combat boots, black fingerless gloves, and his black cloak, he also had his belt and harness with his lightsabers attached.

"What's a rancor?" Arcee asked giving Jack a curious look.

"It's a giant reptile that's as tall as Optimus and twice as big." Jack said as if he was explaining the weather.

Arcee didn't show it but she really didn't want to meet on of these creatures. Their conversation came to a close when they saw a giant trench deep in the ground "Crash landing" they said in unison.

"Autobot or decepticon?" Jack asked as they looked at the ship.

"Can't tell." she said "Wait here." she commanded as her arm formed into a blaster.

'Does she really think I can't protect myself' Jack thought looking offended.

A couple minutes later Arcce stumbled out of the ship with wide eyes and she was breathing like she was scared of something.

"Arcce?" Jack called out as he ran to her "what's wrong?" he asked as he saw her wide eyes.

"I know who this ship belongs to." she told him. "Arcee to base. I need a ground bridge asap." she said over the coms, but she only received static in reply.

"What? Why? Whose ship is this?" he asked.

"Arcee to base do you read? Scrap. The ship's got to be transmitting a high-frequency scrambler pulse." Arcee said with frustration in her voice.

"Arcee, you're kind of freaking me out here." he said, but she ignored him

"Wait here." She commanded as she walked deeper into the forest. looking at the forest she had a flashback of when she was captured on Cybertron.

"Arcee?" Jack asked as he got her attention. Arcee had a look of horror on her face but it only lasted for a few seconds before she got a serious look.

"Climb on." Arcee told him as she transformed to her vehicle form. As soon as she felt him sit on the seat she took off down the path.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Jack yelled as he held on tight. "Was that really necessary? He asked the blue femme when they finally stopped.

"Arcee to base." "Scrap" she said as she drove away, once again ignoring him.

"Look, I've been in a lot of danger before so-"

"Wait here. I mean it this time" she commanded

[scoffs] "Ok, first you shut me out and now your ditching me? I thought I was your partner." He said in disbelief .

"No, Jack, you're a kid. You're only supposed to be here because this was supposed to be no-risk. Got it?" she asked as she stood and glared at him before driving away.

Jack glared at Arcee as she drove away. Walking up to the abyss, where Arcee dropped him off, "She doesn't seem to remember who I am." he smirked to himself as he used the force and jumped across to the other side as if it was as easy as breathing.

Arcce was walking through the woods looking for her target as she thought about how she lost her partner Tailgate. She was pulled from her memories when she saw her rival Airachnid about to kill a human that was resting in his tent. Running as fast as she could she slammed into Airachnid making them both roll down a steep hill.

Finally making it to the bottom both femmes glared at each other. "Arcee. Small universe." Airachnid said.

"To small, Airachnid." Arcee said back.

"You're still holding a grudge? The war has been over for megacycles." Airachnid explained.

"Tell that to the decepticons." Arcee fired back as she charged forward trying to get a punch in.

Airachnid blocked the punch before throwing Arcee into a cliff wall. Arcee and Airachnid Started firing their blasters at each other but neither one his the other. Arcee ran and kicked Airachnid in the face before standing over her while aiming her blaster at her spark.

Both femmes were pulled from their fighting by the sound of falling rocks. Both looking up they saw Jack just standing their with his cloak blowing in the wind, he didn't move, didn't speak, didn't do anything, just watching the femmes go at it.

Airachnid took advantage of the distraction and hit Arcee in the face before using her webs to tie Arcee to the cliff wall.

"Arcee!" Jack yelled as he jumped off a forty foot ledge, only bending his knees slightly when he landed on the ground.

Airachnid looked at the human making his way towards them. While Airachnid was distracted, Arcee freed one of her arms and using her blasters and shooting Airachnid in the back making her lose consciousness for a little while.

"I told you to wait for me!" Arcee yelled franticly.

"Well, partners don't ditch partners" Jack said as he was about to use his saber to cut Arcee loose, but her next sentence stopped him.

"Get this through your head... you're not my partner. You're a liability." Arcee snapped, top caught up in her own thoughts to remember that Jack could fight as good if not better then her.

"what?" Jack asked as a look of hurt passed over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

You sure do have problems hanging on to your partners, don't you? We both know what happened to Tailgate. And I recently picked up some decepticon radio chatter regarding the passing of cliffjumper. At some point you have to ask yourself, Arcee, is it them, or is it me." Airachnid said as she taunted Arcee.

"don't you get it now, Jack? She's not interested in me. She hunts indigenous species, and she's on earth. That means humans. You! Run!" Arcee yelled as Jack started running.

[laughs] "And that's why I now prefer to work alone. It's so sad when bad things happen to those close to you." But don't get me wrong... I fully intend to snuff out your spark. And, believe me, I will make it hurt. But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel knowing I'm adding your human to my collection."

Jack was hiding behind a tree listening to what Airachnid was saying, but for some reason when she said it, Jack felt pain coming from her. but he didn't have time to think about it. Running again, Jack looked back and met eyes with Airachnid for a second. But that second was all it took for Jack to use the force and feel her feelings. She was in pain. Not physical but emotional. Something terrible had happened to her.

Using the force to run faster, Jack was quicker then any human, but Airachnid's long legs were making up for it. "That's the spirit, Jack. Play hard to get." Airachnid said as she taunted him.

Jack however wasn't listening, he was trying to figure out what had happened to make her this way. Crouching down by a fallen tree, Jack tried to catch his breath, He could hear Airachnid coming closer, staying silent he hoped she would just past by.

"Hello, Jack" Airachnid said with a smile, her face a few inches from his own. But of course nothing in Jack's life ever went like it was supposed to.

Jack back flipped over the tree to put some distance between him and her. Running 'again', Jack saw Airachnid's ship in the distance, figuring there was a place to hide, Jack ran toward it.

Jack ran as the ship got closer and closer, but came to a stop when he saw the same trench he had jumped across before. [groans] "oh, come on" He said to himself as he took a running start and used the force and pushed it out of his legs. Landing on the other side, Jack looked back and saw how close Airachnid was. He wanted to find a way to stop her with out hurting her, but so far he couldn't find a way.

Airachnid didn't show it, but she was very intrigued and impressed with this human. She was also surprised when he jumped over the trench. No normal human could ever make that jump. Jumping over the same trench she watched him as he ran away. "You're making this way to easy, Jack. And I do not enjoy being bored. " She yelled. However if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't even sure if she could catch him.

Finally making it the ship, Jack considered going in the ship and hiding there, but he threw that idea away, that would be the first place she would look.

Airachnid watched as she saw the human run to her ship 'Does he really think he could hide from me in my own ship' she thought to herself. She made to her ship and looked for the human. "Now, where did you scamper off to? she asked herself. Looking at the door to her ship, she was that it was opened. "If you wanted a tour, Jack, all you had to do was ask. Did you spot the empty space? I hope you like it. It's where you'll soon hang your head." She yelled as she went inside.

Jack however wasn't inside the ship... he was behind it. Jack was trying to figure out a way to stop Airachnid without killing her. Stepping in a puddle of blue liquid, Jack looked and was the engines were leaking. "Energon" Jack said as a smile came to his face and a plan formed in his head. If he could blow up the ship with Airachnid at a distance, the force of the explosion should knock her out. Picking up a stick, Jack threw it toward the woods so he could lead Airachnid away.

However, Airachnid didn't run into the woods. She was on top of the ship, and saw where the stick came from.

Jack was a few feet away when he used his lightning and shot at the puddle, setting it ablaze. He didn't see Airachnid on top of the engines, but he did hear her yell his name. Looking back he saw Airachnid a few feet from the engines, he saw the fear in her eyes, he knew she wouldn't survive. Time seemed to slow down as Jumped up and used the force to push Airachnid away from the blaze, however he didn't take in consideration how close he was. When the ship explode the force of the blast sent Jack flying before his back slammed into a tree.

Rising up slowly, Jack listened as his bones popped back into place. Looking around for Airachnid, he never saw her hoot him with her webbing, making him stick to the tree. He watched as she jumped from the tree she had been hiding in. Jack watched as she came closer, however she didn't attack him, it looked like she was studying him.

Airachnid was about to say something, but was cut off by a blast to one of her spiders legs. Looking up Jack saw Arcee jump from behind him and attack Airachnid. He also saw a ground bridge opening up and the rest of the bots run through. 'Arcee must have called them.' he thought to himself. Using one of his sabers, he cut himself free of the webbing.

Looking up Jack saw all the bots surrounding Airachnid as she laid on the ground. He also saw Arcee about to shoot her in her spark chamber. Running at full speed, Jack ran and put himself in front of Airachnid "STOP!" he yelled as he put himself in front of Arcee's blaster.

The autobots and even Airachnid herself were surprised as Jack stood there with his arms outstretched protecting Airachnid.

"Move, Jack!" Arcee yelled angrily.

"No, Arcee, You need to stop." He told her calmly. Turning around, Jack knelt down in front of Airachnid's face and Just stared into her eyes.

Airachnid couldn't believe it, she had hunted him, and was going to kill him, and yet this human was protecting her. She watched as Jack knelt down in front of her faceplate and stared into her optics as if he was searching for something. "Why?" she whispered so low that the bots almost didn't hear her.

Jack just gave her a small smile and continued looking in her eyes. "I felt it " He told her, confusing the bots as well as Airachnid.

"Felt what?" she asked.

"The pain you tried to hide... I felt it" He told her.

Airachnid couldn't help it, she cried. As soon as the words left his mouth, Airachnid knew what he meant.

Jack couldn't stand to watch a girl or woman cry, placing one of his hands on her face, he tried t calm her down. "What happened?" he asked her softly.

Before Airachnid could answer, she was cut off by an angry Arcee. "Who cares what happened! She killed Tailgate and now she will pay for it! She yelled as she tried to grab Airachnid by the neck.

Jack raised his hand and used the force to keep Arcee in place, only to receive a glare from her. "I care what happened. What ever happen to her scared her, this isn't the real Airachnid, it's a mask she has put in place to hide her pain. If I can help her... I will" Jack told her as he met her glare with one of his own. "What happened?" He asked as he faced Airachnid once again.

Airachnid looked in Jack's eyes and saw that he really did want to help her. "I used to run a clinic with my brother on Cybertron. We didn't care about the war, we only wanted to help our kind survive. When the war broke out we helped soldiers from both sides." She explained. "I went out one day to go get supplies and didn't see that the clinic was being raided. When I came back I saw my vrother arguing with an autobot. The bot was demanding that my brother only help other autobots and turn away the decepticons, My brother refused and the bot shot him, killing him instantly." She said. The bots were shocked but didn't say anything. "I spent the next few days crying. Megatron found me and told me he could help me get justice for my brother, I couldn't resist. She said, never taking her eyes off Jack as she watched his reactions to her story.

Jack was feeling her emotions throughout her story, and knew that she wasn't lying. "It was tailgate that killed your brother... Wasn't it?" he asked softly as he watched Airachnid nodded her head lightly.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Arcee roared as she was preparing to shoot Airachnid.

"She's not lying" Jack explained as his hand was still on Airachnids face keeping her calm.

"How can you be sure, Jackson?" Optimus asked watching the entire thing.

"I was sensing her emotions throughout her entire story... There was no deceit in her heart" Jack explained giving Airachnid a small smile, which she returned.

"Tailgate wouldn't do anything like that!" Arcee yelled. She was becoming blind with anger. "Tell them he wouldn't do that, Optimus!" She yelled staring at Optimus.

Optimus only put his head down "I can't do that" He said. Seeing Arcee's wide eyes and the others curious looks he decided to explain. Before I decided to Arcee and Tailgate Partners he was once part of a group that listened to no one. They called themselves autobots but they did whatever they felt was necessary to win the war no regardless of the consequences." He explained.

"So, what now?" Bulkhead asked

"Now she comes with us" Jack said shocking everyone once again.

"Are you serious!?" Ratchet yelled/asked "She's a decepticon!?" he yelled.

"Actually I'm not." Airachnid said getting everyone's attention. "After I got justice for my brothers murder I told Megatron I didn't want to fight anymore. Needless to say he wasn't very happy about it, he tried to kill me. I escaped on a ship but I couldn't go back so I started going around the galaxy collecting differient aliens, which led me here." She explained.

"Airachnid." Optimus said getting her attention. "If we allowed you to stay with us... would you help us?" He asked.

Airachnid thought about it before looking at Arcee's face and seeing anger and hate in her optics. Looking at jack's face she saw hope and acceptance at whatever she chose. Looking at Optimus she nodded her head, "I will" She said.

"Raf, we need a bridge" Optimus said over the comms as the others except Arcee cheered for their new ally.

When the ground bridge opened everyone stepped through. Arriving on the other side the bots saw Miko, Raf's and Fowler's shocked faces at the newcomer. While Bulkhead and Bumblebee explained what happened to Miko, Raf, and Fowler, Jack looked and saw Arcee about to walk away to her room. Jack sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, he figured something like this would happen. "Arcee?" Jack asked getting her attention, "I Know you're u-"

"Don't" Arcee commanded. "You have no idea how I feel."

"I... I just wanted to help her" Jack tried to explain.

Yeah? Well you shouldn't have! You should have killed her when you had the chance! You have the power!" She yelled getting everyone's attention.

"Where was you thinking of my power when you were saying I was a liability instead of your partner!" Jack yelled. "I will not kill anyone if I can help them instead." Jack explained.

"She killed Tailgate!" Arcee yelled while she pointed at Airachnid.

"And You were willing to kill her!" Jack yelled back. "You're so blinded by hate that you almost looked like a decepticon!" He continued "I lost everything to Vader, but you don't see me going around pushing everyone away trying to kill him, And do you want to know why? Because that would make me no better then him!" He finished

Arcee was so blinded by her anger that she didn't know what she was doing anymore. "SHUT UP!" She yelled as she swung her arm back hitting Jack and making him fly into the silo wall, cracking it.

Everyone, and even Arcee were in shock at what just happened.

Jack just slowly picked himself up, his eyes wide. He had been hit harder, but that didn't make it any better that it was his partner that had struck him. Getting control of his emotions, Jack started walking to the exit.

"Jack, I... I... I didn't mean-" Arcee tried to say. But Jack wouldn't listen, he needed to meditate before his anger got the best of him.

"I'm going home." Jack told Optimus, not bothering to turn around to look at anyone else.

Nodding his head, Optimus turned to Bulkhead. "Bulkhead could you drop Jackson at ho-"

"No" Airachnid interrupted, "I will take him home" she said looking at Optimus, to which he nodded his head. Following Jack to the exit, she never even turned to look at Arcee.

"I didn't mean to" Arcee whispered to herself after they had left, before walking to her room, she would give Jack the night before trying to apologize.

Airachnid scanned Fowler's helicopter after they left, now in the air there was only silence the entire trip. Making sure it was clear, Airachnid and Jack walked into the garage before shutting the door.

"Goodnight, Airachnid" Jack said softly, about to enter the house.

"Wait" Airachnid said getting his attention "Why did you help me?" she asked.

Taking a deep breath, Jack wondered what was the reason he helped her. "I don't know" He said confusing her. seeing her confused face he decided to try to explain. "All I know, is that you tried to sound tough, but you were in terrible pain. I knew you lost someone and it was like something was telling me to help you" he said trying to explain what happened.

"Well, I'm glad you did" she said with a smile.

"So am I" he said returning her smile. "Good night, Airachnid" He said as he turned and went inside the house.

"Good night... Jack" she said to her self as she watched him go inside. She felt something in her spark but didn't know what it was. For some reason She was excited to find out.

There is chapter 6. Sorry it took so long, I was busy with my other story and work and everything else.

Next chapter - Will Jack forgive Arcee or will his Airachnid be his new partner. Wait and find out.

Until next chapter!