Chapter Twelve- Flashbacks of Pain

In the deep space, a bizarre space ship was travelling through the stars, but its route took it right to Earth. Upon arrival in the dead of night, the ship crash landed in a forest. At the next morning, Airachnid and Jack were scouting near in the area, but it seems that Jack was having problem with some creatures.

"Really wished I packed some insect repellant. The mosquitoes on here on these routine recons are the size of vampire bats. And they drink just as much blood. Ow!" Jack said trying to keep away the mosquitoes.

"Hahaha, quiet the outdoorsman, aren't you Jack?" Airachnid teased.

"You wouldn't be making fun of my survival kid." Jack said.

"Maybe." She smirked.

"I may not have proof metal skin, extra legs and shoot webs, Airachnid. But in a pinch, I can use my multi-function pocket knife and magnesium fire-starter to cook up some freeze-dried Mac-and-cheese." Jack boasted proudly.

"You have your tools, I have mine." Airachnid said before the scanner detected something. "That's odd. Shockwave's satellite scans were accurate, but subterranean energon deposits don't cause this kind of surge."

Airachnid walked faster through the forest, with Jack following her. When they reached the end of the clearing, the scanner began to beep rapidly, and they saw a ditch, which trail lead to the top of the mountain.

"What happened here?" Jack asked.

"Crash landing. Stay behind me, low and close." Airachnid instructed Jack before continuing walking.

They followed the trail until they reached to the crash site, where they saw a cybertronian ship.

"Autobot or Decepticon?" Jack asked.

"Can't tell. Wait here." Airachnid said.

Airachnid changed to her spider mode and she walked cautiously to the ship. She climbed to the top and aimed her hands to the entrance, and next she entered the ship. A few moments later, Jack saw Airachnid walking out of the ship, wobbling at her knees.

"Airachnid?" Jack asked worried.

She held out her arm against the ship to stay balanced, and then she had a flashback. The flashback showed a dark room with two unknown robots, one of them female, who were torturing someone, and in the end, one claw, similar to Airachnid's splattering energon over the wall. Then Airachnid shook her head, trying to get rid of the memory.

"Airachnid! What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I know who this ship belongs to." Airachnid said as she activated her com-link. "Airachnid to base, I need a ground bridge, ASAP."

"Wait, why? Who ship is this?" Jack asked.

"Base, do you read?" She asked again, earning static in response. "Scrap! Com-link's dead! This ship gotta be transmitting a high-frequency scrambler pulse."

"Airachnid? Okay, you're kinda freaking me out here!" Jack said.

"Wait here." She said before walking into the forest.

As a good hunter she was, Airachnid examined the ground, analyzing some footprints, which looked to be done by something big, and female. That brought her another bad memory. Airachnid was trying to struggle against her bounds. The electrical cuffs held her hands. The male Autobot approached her, with bad intentions. The only things heard next were sounds of punching and Airachnid's screams. Then a voice pulled her from limbo.

"Airachnid?" Jack asked.

She turned to see Jack looking at her with fear and worry. Without saying anything, she immediately transformed into her alt mode.

"Get in." She ordered.

Jack got inside her, and she immediately blasted off and flew through the forest at high speed, making evasive maneuvers and making Jack scream, until she landed after a couple of seconds.

"It was that really necessary?" Jack yelled as he got out.

"Airachnid to base." She said again, but she received static only. "Scrap."

"Look, I've seen danger before, whatever this is…" Jack said before Airachnid interrupted him.

"Wait here. I mean it this time." She instructed.

"Uh, okay, first you shut me out. Now you're ditching me?" He said as Airachnid transformed to her original form. "I thought I was your partner."

"No Jack, you're a kid. You're only here because this was supposed to be no risk. Got it? Now please, wait here until I come back." Airachnid said before transform and fly away.

Nevertheless, Jack decided to follow her and tried to figure out what was worrying her. After made some distance from Jack, Airachnid transformed and continued tracking her prey. She activated her spider legs to walk more silently, but when she saw a tree cut by some kind of sharp weapon, she experienced another flashback. There was a big battle in a cybertronian city, with blasters, explosions and rockets heard from the distance.

"This is Airachnid. Speaking to any unit who can receive this message. I request rendezvous coordinates. Anyone read me?"

"Breakdown here, I read you. What happened, Airachnid? Did you lose your sense of direction?"

"As same those Vehicons lost their aim. If they tagged that sniper back at the artillery depot I wouldn't had to break rank and engage the enemy hand-to-hand." She said as she heard the explosion impacts getting closer.

"From the sound of things, I'm guessing you came out ahead." Breakdown said.

"Try to find me and I'll give you the play by play. What's your position?" She asked.

"About half a click from the depot due north. Think you could find it?"

"Trust me, Breakdown. My navigation abilities are…" She said when someone hit her from behind.

She tried to stand up and see who attacked her, but before seeing nothing, another Bot knocked her out. When she woke up, she was chained up by stasis cuffs, even all her spider legs. She struggled to get lose, groaning in effort.

"Well well, seems like you came back right now. I was beginning to lose all hope that you can help us, right partner?" A female voice said from behind her and walking around her.

"Piece of advice? Make yourself comfortable. You're going to be here awhile. And unless you tell us what we want, you're going to experience great suffering." Another voice said this time was a male Bot, who approached and began to punching Airachnid.

Airachnid gulped as she recognized the mark of the cut. In other part of the forest, there was a family on camping inside a camp tent having a good time. But they didn't noticed that they were being observed by a sinister cybertronian: a female purple Autobot with red touches and eyes, who appearance showed that she currently transformed into two wheels vehicles, like motorcycles. The evil female looked to the humans with interest.

"My first locals. Time for humankind to fell the strength of my wrath." She said as she began to approach them very silently.

When she believed she was close enough, she launched at them, but she didn't reach to them. Instead, Airachnid tackled her and they rolled down a hill. When they reached the bottom, Airachnid crashed into the wall while the female Autobot fell to the ground. She slowly got up and smirked.

"Airachnid, small universe."

"Too small, Arcee." Airachnid sneered.

"You're still inside the fight? The war has been over for mega cycles." Arcee said calmly.

"Tell that to the Autobots." Airachnid said preparing her spider legs.

"Now I travel solo, thanks to your doing." Arcee said with anger. "I'm in pursuit of my new hobby."

Airachnid remembered what she saw inside Arcee's ship: a collection of heads from different species was hanging alongside of the wall.

"I got a look at your souvenir case." Airachnid told her.

"You mean my trophies? I collect endangered species. Of course, they aren't really endangered until they meet me. And I have a slot reserved for human." Arcee smirked.

"Not gotta happen." Airachnid growled before she launched herself to Arcee, but she was fast enough to evade her and tackled Airachnid to the ground, but Airachnid smacked Arcee and she collided with the rock.

While Airachnid clutched her throat, Arcee activated her blasters and fired. Airachnid jumped onto a tree and fired her webs at Arcee, tying both hands together. As Arcee began to struggle, she pulled the connection to Airachnid, causing her to fall to the ground in surprise. Then Arcee activated her wrist blades and cut through the webs. She continued to fire at Airachnid, but she fired too. Arcee dodged the shots and jumped high to grab a tree branch.

"I learned how to pass all your tricks, Airachnid." She said as she flipped once before she jumped off with intention to pin Airachnid to the ground.

"Not all." Airachnid said before caving an underground tunnel.

Arcee tried to hit Airachnid shooting at the hole, but Airachnid jumped out the ground behind her and pinned Arcee to the ground wand put her claws at her throat. Suddenly, they both heard a crumbling noise and turned to see Jack slowly coming down the hill. Taking the opportunity, Arcee kicked Airachnid off of her. Next she grabbed some of her webs and launched them at Airachnid, pinning her to a rock. She tried to break free, but her webs were too strong.

"Too bad to get stuck with your own tricks, no Airachnid?" Arcee said.

"Airachnid!" Jack yelled running toward her.

Arcee turned her attention to him, and Airachnid, realizing she would attack him, used her acid from her fingers to cut through the webs and shot Arcee's back, sending her flying to a rock, falling unconscious.

"I told you to wait for me!" Airachnid told him as he tried to pull the webs to set her free.

"Well partners don't ditch partners!" Jack retorted as he pulled on a particular web.

"Get this through your head. You are not my partner, you're a liability."

"I don't believe you. I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid, Airachnid. And you're never afraid." Jack said.

That made Airachnid remembered another horrible memory. She was still in the room, but her body showed a lot of dents and marks, caused by the constantly interrogation technique the Autobots were using.

"You know, for a Decepticon, your resilience is quiet impressive." Arcee said as Airachnid didn't say anything.

"In fact, I'm guessing that no matter what we do to you, you'll never crack. Am I right?" The other Autobot asked.

Airachnid looked at him menacingly. "That's what I thought." He said after going to speak with Arcee in private.

During that break, Airachnid noticed that one of her extra legs was free, so she had a chance to get out of there; she only needed to wait the right moment. After a couple of seconds, the male Autobot returned to her.

"Okay, shall we continue where we left it?" He said crunching his fist.

But before he could start to punch again, Airachnid attacked him with her claw. A few moments after, he began to leak a lot of energon, and fall to Airachnid's foot, who was shocked for what she had done.

"Tailgate!" Arcee said as she run next to her partner, now dead.

"It wasn't my intention to kill him, only to take him away." Airachnid responded.

Arcee looked at her with anger, and released her wrist blades, shouting in rage. After that, Airachnid returned to the real world.

"You're right, Jack. I am afraid, of losing you!" Airachnid blurted out, causing Jack to freeze in shock.

"Oh, so you have a partner now, that's new in you, Airachnid. But I recently picked up some Autobot radio chatter regarding the passing of some Vehicon named Steve." Arcee said walking towards them, while Airachnid saw where this was going. "At some point, you really have to ask yourself, Airachnid; Is it them or is it me?"

"Do you get it now, Jack? She's not interested in me! She hunts indigenous species, and she's on Earth! That means humans, you!" Airachnid said to Jack, who showed a horrified look. "RUN!" She yelled at him.

Jack began to run for his life, while Arcee made sure Airachnid were totally stuck.

Arcee approached Airachnid as she laughed. "And that's why I now prefer to work alone. For a long time I wish to make you experience the same suffering that I had when you killed Tailgate, but what you know? We are now tied. It's so sad when bad things happen to those close to you. But don't get me wrong. I fully intend to snap out your spark, and believe me, I will make it hurt. But that won't compare to the pain you'll feel knowing that I'm adding your human to my collection." Arcee smirked looking at Jack, while he took a last view to them before get into the forest, before she began chasing him.

"JACK!" Airachnid screamed.

It was already night when Jack ran through the forest. He looked back to see that Arcee wasn't too far behind and she was approaching very fast, so he had no choice but to keep running.

"That's the spirit, Jack. Play hard to get." Arcee said joyfully.

Airachnid continued to struggle against her bounds when she remembered a last flashback. She looked at Arcee, who was approaching to her with her blades ready.

"You've taken my partner, now I'll take your spark!" She said furiously.

Airachnid closed her eyes, waiting for the end, when suddenly the door exploded as smoke made its way into the room. Arcee growled and escaped while she had the chance. Then Breakdown ran into the room, activated his shoulder's turret and fired at the troopers. Then he and another Decepticon freed Airachnid and took her out of the room.

"Hand in there, soldier. We're going to make you feel better." The Decepticon said as she went off again.

Airachnid closed her optics and hung her head sadly.

"Jack, I'm sorry. I never should have looked back. I should have…kept flying." She said softly.

Airachnid began to walk so she could try to stretch the webs and rip them off. When she had enough distance, she transformed into her alt mode and tried to rip the webs from the wall. Meanwhile, Jack was starting to get tired, and he didn't know where Arcee could appear. So he decided to hide under a tree trunk. Arcee stooped and pulled her servos on the fallen tree trunk where Jack was hidden, looking around. Jack watched in horror as Arcee stepped over him, but then she stopped.

"Hello, Jack." She said turning at him immediately.

Jack screamed and began to evade Arcee, who tried to grab him, and pass the tree trunk, running from her again. Arcee tried to shot at him, but he dodged in time. Airachnid continued flying at her highest speed, and after a couple of minutes she finally broke free. Now she needed to look for Jack, who was still running from Arcee. He reached to the gap, and the only thing he could do is went down and climb up on the other side. Arcee discovered him at the other side, but she jumped the gap very easily. Jack hid behind a tree and pulled out his multi-function pocket knife and pulled out all the blades, which all were useless against Arcee.

"Oh who am I kidding?" He groaned before keep running.

"You're making this too easy, Jack. And I don't enjoy being bored." Arcee expressed.

She continued following Jack until she saw him heading for her ship, making her smiling sinisterly. She walked near the ship's entrance, knowing Jack was hiding behind the door, but she played it off.

"Now, where did you scamper off to?" She saw before walking away.

Jack released his breath when she was gone. He saw the ship's entrance and decide to take a way. Arcee walked by the top of the ship and jumped off, believing he went inside the ship.

"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 said entering the ship.

But fortunately, Jack was still outside the ship. Now he was going near to the engine thrusters. He heard a splash, and he recognized the blue liquid below his foot which was leaking from the engines.

"Energon."

Then an idea came to his head. He grabbed a stick, pulled out his magnesium fire starter and his pocket knife and started to scrape the metals together, sending sparks.

"Jack?" Arcee said inside her ship, noticing something wrong.

As she ran outside and climbed to the ship's top, Jack continued sending spark to the stick, until a small flame appeared. Then he threw the stick to the engines and he ran off. When Arcee reached there, with her wrist blades ready, she saw the fire spreading on the energon.

"JACK!" She yelled.

The ship exploded as Jack kept running, but the explosion sent him flying back to the forest. He saw how the ship ended, now turned into scrap, so believing that the explosion killed Arcee, he decided to go back and look for Airachnid. But then he saw a tree trunk coming at him. He evaded it at time, but then he saw Arcee, covered in flames, running at him. This time, she managed to catch him. But when she was ready to terminate him, they heard a flying sound, and Airachnid descended very fast. She engaged Arcee, hitting her with a couple of moves, until she used her spider legs to launch her, knocking down dozens of trees. When Arcee stopped, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Jack! Are you okay?" Airachnid said freeing him.

"Yeah, of course. Survival kid." He boasted as he held his pocket knife.

Suddenly they heard the sound of fast steps, and they looked Arcee running away.

"ARCEE!" Airachnid cursed as she tried to shot at her, until she disappeared inside the forest. "So much for closure." She said with disappointment

"Now Arcee's stuck on Earth. I'm not sure that is such a good thing. Airachnid, I know that you're still affected but, I want to know what is between you two. Just to understand what you feel." Jack said.

There was a silence moment.

"Okay. If you don't want to tell me, I will understand." Jack said.

"No Jack, you're right." Airachnid suddenly said. "You know that Autobot's name is Arcee, don't you? Well, before the war I didn't even know Arcee, the name had no meaning to me. But, during a battle on Cybertron, Arcee and her partner Tailgate captured me, got me from behind. I woke up in stasis cuffs, unable to move any of my limbs. Tailgate got cocky and started teasing me, punching, kicking, to get me to talk about something I had no knowledge of. One of his swings got wild enough to break one of the cuffs binding my legs. And, well... a girl has to do what a girl has to do. I did attack Tailgate, but with no intention of killing, only to stun. But I did, accidentally, hit him in the spark. He fell to my feet, so Arcee went mad with rage and was going for the kill. If Breakdown and one of his comrades didn't show up, I wouldn't be here." She explained.

"Whoa, that's quite a story. Now I understand all this." Jack said surprised.

"I'm sorry you had to face my demons today. You were pretty fearless there, Jack." She apologized.

"Actually I was terrified, mostly for you." Jack admitted.

Airachnid smiled at him. "Soundwave, requesting ground bridge." She said while Jack squished another mosquito on his chest. "I need to get my partner far away from any untrusted two-wheeler vehicles."

"Partner, huh?" Jack smirked.

"Junior partner. I can still pull ranks." She corrected while the sun was rising.