OMG! I'm such an idiot! Gomen nasai ppl. I was re-reading my fic to make sure I had something straight and I realized I had skipped a chapter! I skipped chapter 8. I posted chapter 9 and labeled it as 8. So here's the real chapter 8. I suggest you re-read chapter 7 before reading this one so you know what's going on. Again, sorry. I was wondering why someone asked how Spike escaped when it was pretty clear in the writing...THE WRITING I NEVER POSTED! Forgivness please!

Chapter 8

"It's stupid," Sunstreaker snorted at Optimus Prime's plan. Gathered around the table besides Optimus and Sunstreaker, were five other specifically chosen Autobots; seven in all. Each of them was chosen to aid in the ransom/rescue of Spike. Optimus Prime, Hound, Mirage, Ratchet, Jazz, Sunstreaker, and his twin Sideswipe stood around the table that laid out a hologram of the plan.

"Shut it 'streaker." Jazz snapped.

"It's still stupid." He stated. "Too many things can go wrong."

Prime looked at Sunstreaker and nodded.

"It's true, yes. There are many things that could go wrong, but in this circumstance I feel it best to do the snatch as discreetly as possible."

"No, I mean it's stupid that I have to take Ratchet's place!" He growled. "Why can't Sideswipe do it? We're both the same size!"

Sideswipe laughed. "Because we can't trust you to do what it will take to get the kid outta there in one piece. One scratch on you and you'd blow the whole thing open."

"We can't risk exchanging the real Ratchet." Jazz explained. "If Hound disguises you as Ratchet with his hologram projector, we'll exchange you for Spike and when we have the kid you'll use the jet pack to fly off."

Sunstreaker didn't look enthused as much as the others, in fact he revolted the fact that he had to risk himself for that no good brat.

"Fine, but if I get even one scratch-"

"…someone's head will roll…" The rest of the group finished Sunstreaker's catch phrase with their optics rolling.

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Starscream walked briskly through the dirt with vile thoughts of conquest and death on his mainframe. Megatron was irritable which caused him to yell and that in turn made Starscream irritable. He dreamed of the day he'd rise against Megatron's banner and raise his own. The Decepticon forces would blossom under his command and the Autobots would crumble under his might.

The sun was well into the sky when Starscream came to do his routinely check on the Human's 'condition'. As he pulled the rock from the cave the human's sleeping body lay in the middle of the ground. Rumble and Frenzy had beaten him to the point that they thought he had expired. But after Starscream had done a human 'diagnostic's he told the other the human had merely lost consciousness.

Starscream snorted.

The human stirred.

"M-m…mo..mom…" The boy's eyes flickered open and he sat up quickly, causing a stream of pain from yesterday's 'treatment' to race through his body. "..augh!"

The boy looked up and saw Starscream. The Decepticon's eyes narrowed and the human's eyes went wide. Starscream merely stared back then rolled the large rock back over the cave, but without realizing he left a small opening large enough for a skinny young boy to crawl out of.

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The dream wasn't like anything he'd experience in a long time. The vivid memory of March 14 of last year was all too much in his mind. You never heal from something like that.

The dream started off peaceful enough, just like that day itself.

He raced down his street, a piece of paper flapping wildly in his hand. His house lay just a few hundred feet away and his wonderful announcement was waiting. His heart raced with excitement. He was going to pass 10th grade! His GPA was 3.5! The scare of last semester was over! He'd successfully brought three failing grades into perfect A's! His mother would be so proud of him!

He jumped the hedge into his front yard and was in view of his front porch. The door was open.

Spike heard a scream and a loud bang. A gun shot.

He stopped. In the doorway of his home was a man standing over a bleeding body. The man walked up to the body and pointed his shot gun and fired. Blood spattered onto Spike and the small piece of paper fell from him limp grip. His mother lay hopelessly bleeding on the ground, her beautiful day dress stained with her beautiful crimson blood. Her eyes were wide and her lips trembled as the last bit of life in her body melted away into oblivion.

Spike's eyes watered and small drops of moistures fell down his cheeks, over his shivering lips and shoulders.

The man panicked when he saw Spike. He aimed his Shot gun at the boy and fired.

Nothing happened. No more slugs.

He bent down and grabbed something off the ground and ran at Spike. Spike grabbed the man's wrists and wrestled with him for an instant. The man ran off, leaving the 6 inch blade on the ground, stained with both Spike's and his mother's blood. A large gash bled on Spike's arm, but he didn't notice it. He ran to his mother's motionless body and buried himself in her stained blood hair.

"Mom!" He screamed. "Moooooooom!"

He was startled out of his nightmare, and he was glade for it until he found out what had awoken him. There in the light of the sun stood the Decepticons' second in command, Starscream. His gaze was iced over with maliciousness and contempt.

He rolled the boulder back into place then left.

Spike broke down and cried into his hands. It seemed like hours before he raised his head. He saw his foot and stared at it. Wait! He could see his foot! His foot!

Spike looked up and saw in the grim darkness of his prison, a ray of light. He crawled hopeful over to the opening and pushed his head through. There was no sign of any Decepticons around. He pushed and pulled his body through the rest of the way, despite his muscles screaming in protest. His arm was still caked over with blood from the bullet wound and had formed a radical looking scab, which was scrapped off as he pulled himself the opening, allowing the fresh blood underneath to flow.

He picked himself up and stared blindly around him till his eyes adjusted to the light. After he could see he ran off and started trying to find his way out of the valley. He was walking around what he recognized as part of the ridge around the valley when he noticed the activity in the valley bed bellow.

Megatron and Starscream stood and watched as the rest of the Decepticons cut through the hard rock with seemingly ease. The picked up the slabs of thick rock and placed thick round devices in the hole. They then placed the slabs of rock back onto the hole, gently, and covered in the cracks with loose dirt.

"You don't need to be so cautious!" Megatron snapped. "They aren't even active yet. You can be cautious when the Autobots are standing on them!"

'Bombs!' Spike thought to himself. 'I need to get to Bumblebee…'

Spike carefully started walking back the way he'd came to turn around and find a route away from the valley. Spike panted in the hot sun.

"I have to get to the Autobots…" He breathed.

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The convoy of Autobots raced down the desert highway to the specified place provided by Megatron's earlier transmission. The dust flew around them in violent whirls and small waved of dirt; each carried on by the next car. Leading them in the front was a bright red Semi followed by a long silver trailer. Tailing behind that was an army. Not really, they were more like a platoon. Prowl used his appearance as a human police car to get the other cars off the road to allow them to pass without incident.

It wasn't long until Optimus pulled off the pavement and headed down an abandoned stretch of dirt road.

"T-this i-is s-stupid!" Sunstreaker complained, his voice shaken by the bumpy road.

"S-hut i-it!" Jazz snapped.

Sunstreaker remained silent until they arrived at the bottom of the hill that would take them to the valley's edge.

"No way!" He said transforming. "I'm not going to-"

Ironhide whacked him on the side of the head.

"Hey!" Sunstreaker snapped. "You could have chipped my paint!"

"Quite!" Irohnide shushed him and pointed for him to start making his way up the steep incline to the ridge.

Pouting, Sunstreaker reluctantly followed his comrades. 'This is stupid…'

Optimus Prime, Hound, Mirage, Ironhide, Jazz, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe made their way up the incline. The rest of the Autobots stayed below for reinforcement if anything got too messy.

Hound placed the image on Ratchet over Sunstreaker, making it appear as if Ratchet was among them, and Mirage turned on his cloaking device disappearing as they continued to climb. As they appeared on the ridge they could see the Decepticons standing at the bottom of valley.

There was no sign of Spike.

The gathered Autobots slid down the slope and stationed themselves at the opposite side of the valley bed.

"Have you brought the ransom, Prime?" Megatron hollered,

Prime motioned for Sunstreaker- rather Ratchet to step forward.

"Good…" Megatron cooed to himself. "Hand him over!"

"Not until we see Spike!" Optimus growled. He wasn't going to give Megatron any advantages it he could help it.

Megatron nodded

"Very good Prime." Megatron said. "Go get the germ."

Thundercracker nodded and turned to go get Spike.

"He's off to fetch the human. Now, hand over the doctor."

Prime knew what Megatron was up to. He'd wait till he had Ratchet and Spike then turn on the deal. He would probably even kill Spike there and now as long as the Autobots didn't get him.

"Not until I see Spike."

Megatron didn't seem to like what Optimus was saying, but he knew this was what Prime's response would be regardless.

Thundercracker came back holding a large canister, big enough to hold a human, and looking rather skittish, whispered something into Megatron's audio sensor. Megaton's face almost changed from relaxed expectation to utter rage, but he caught himself.

"Don't worry master Megatron," Thundercracker explained. "Just give them this and say the brat is inside. I put a nasty surprise inside just for them. Just in case anything…should go astray."

"Very good, Thundercracker." Megaton smiled and turned to face the gathered Autobots . "Here he is Prime!"

Optimus saw Megatron hold up the canister.

He wasn't sure weather to believe Spike was actually inside, but he couldn't afford not to. If they were to keep up this sheared long enough for Mirage to secure Spike then they would be one step closer to ending the whole mess.

Prime nodded for the Ratchet disguised Sunstreaker to walk forward and the exchange would begin. Optimus walked behind him as the two sides met in the middle of the valley bed.