Everything felt so heavy, her body oozed pain as she laid their at the bottom of the ravine. She looked around as she groaned from the intense pain of it all. Loud explosions rang off in the distance as her head pounded from the mass headache she gained from both the fall and nearly being vaporised by the nemesis's laser cannons. Cannon after cannon blast slammed into the earth long away from Arcee. The sounds grew fainter witch each passing minute till dying suddenly. They must have gotten away, or died. She shivered at the thought of her being the only one left to fight. Taking a deep breath she sat upwards, luckily she wasn't leaking and had landed in water only a foot deep which cleaned away the blasted black dirt. Keying her comm nothing came but pure static and pulses of small tiny solar flares from earths sun. Scrap it's out. She thought as the bombardment must have knocked something loose aside from her processor. Dents littered her body as she did a quick visual scan of herself. She never threatened about her appearance often, she was tomboyish in that regard. She was often called "A mech in a femmes body" mainly out of respect or jokingly. Standing she looked around, cliffs on both sides went up for 78 feet or so. Water ran over he peds or as humans call them "feet" which to her sounded so odd at first, but over time it sounded less so.

"This is gonna be rough" She muttered as her headache subsided.

She saw a large opening on her right down stream. She turned and began walking. She shoved her worries down as there was little need for it. She had to be calm if she was to make it out of this forsaken woods alive. Let's hope I don't get spotted. She hoped as she neared the edge. Water ran off the edge down into a small pond 12 feet down. Leaping down with a large splash she found herself up her waist in water, lucky she couldn't rust from water or this trek would be over real quick. Pulling herself up and out she looked around to see woods for miles around. A frown quick formed as she sighed in dismay. If my memory serves me right their should be at town 50 km south of here. She mused as she checked her internal compass Ratchet had installed years ago. It was 34 degrees off on her right and she aligned herself. She moved to Transform when a shrill male scream sounded from the north. Sharply turning she saw a figure running her way in pure terror, behind him in pursuit was a con drone. The human broke off after seeing her and she drew her blaster and blade. The con noticed her and brought his hand up to his comm. Arcee fired and the blast of blue plasma tore through the drones chest and breached his spark. He fell forwards and began pooling energon. Quickly looking around she saw no one else including the human. She sighed again out of inconvenience. The poor boy was terrified for sure. Seeing the foot prints of the man she saw they ended behind a log. Nice try Frodo. She thought as abs began approaching quietly. Reaching 6 feet away she stopped and saw him trying to avoid her optics.

"I can see you" She said making the kid jolt as he looked her with terror in his eyes. Folding her weapons away she kneeled and smiled warmly. "It's alright I'm the least of your worries" She added.

He slowly rose to run again. Arcee in a blinding motion of unbelievable speed grabbed the human by the waist and pulled him close. Arcee was only 15 feet tall and compared to Optimus's 28 she was the shortest in the base. The human squirmed in her hand as she made sure not to squeeze too much. She noticed his body was stained in blood and was suddenly understanding why he was trying to break free like the way he was.

"Please just let me go I won't tell anyone I swear on my life" He begged as his dark blood stained hair contrasted with the dimming light.

Arcee looked on in shock as he looked absolutely fearful and ready to breakdown completely.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya, I'm with the government" She said in an effort to ease tension. The human still fought making her sigh deeply. "Primus sake" She muttered in a low tone. Still trying to loosen her hand the human finally gave and sobbed deeply in defeat.

"I'm the only one left" He let slip thinking she was part of the ones who had done the killing.

In confusion Arcee tilted her had and looked at him and then the blood. It clicked in a spark beat and she suddenly saw a dark mirror of what Jack could have become if she hasn't saved June those months ago.

"Just breathe and calm down. I'm never gonna hurt you ever" She said with a genuine truth and comfort to her voice.

Looking up at her the human looking deep into her optics stopped struggling as he grew calmer with each passing second. Her approach to it shifted as she could just feel the distress and pain emanating off the human. The human breathed deeply as he began winding down more and more. Noticing the difference in the colour of her optics and the symbol on her little wing it began clicking together.

"So your an autobot they've been taking about?" He asked as he ended his struggle.

"I am. How did you end up this far out?" She asked taking a quick look around. She knew the drones Comrades would come looking and she stood and Realigned herself with south.

"I and my father were out hiking, we were captured and he was Executed for possession of blue crystals we found. I managed to sneak my way out that was a day ago" He explained and Arcee's optics widened.

It wasn't a god damn ambush it was a simple mining op. Arcee realized as she saw the blood was indeed dry and crusting. She in a leap of faith she lowered the human and transformed into her alt mode, it didn't seem to faze the human he must've seen it enough times to have the effect of it dulled. He reluctantly mounted her and grabbed both handle bars as tight as he could. Sucking in a deep shaking breath she began driving. She made sure to avoid trunks and other nasties that could throw the kid off, he looked no older than 18 years. Jack's only 16 and has seen my worst nightmare. She reminisced darkly.

"Gonna have to clean ya off, I can imagine the look on everyone's face when you come back in the town with that amount of Blood on ya" She remarked with a mild bit of sass. A mild chuckle escaped his lips as they road along.

"I'll keep an eye out for a lake. Names John, John Floyd" He introduced himself with a tone of sorrow laid deep within his state of mind.

"Arcee. Keep your optics sharp I don't wanna end up blind sided" She replied and saw him nod in the mirror.

She peeled hard right to avoid a wide Burch tree and evened out as the two blazed into a grassy clearing. Reducing her speed as the grass was tall and tick enough to hide anything the could send them both over. Looking up towards the sky John watched out like a hawk. He used one hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he continued looking skywards. A low rumbling sound rang off in the distance and was drawing closer. John suddenly gasped and slammed the breaks and tipped Arcee over in rapid speed.

"Down now!" He yelled out as the rumbling now resembled jets engines.

Arcee felt her spark freeze as her and John laid hopefully hidden in the tall grass. John trembled beside her as she remained in her alt mode. The droning noise of the loud engines over powered all other noises as it suddenly died as the distinct sound of a transformation rang out 12 meters away. The ground shuttered any of them as a dark voice Arcee and John we're far too familiar with rang out.

"You've got the instincts boy, but your timing is off yet again" Megatron's deep heart stopping voice boomed.

"Fuck" John muttered as he rolled away from her. "Stay where you are" he added out of earshot of Deceptacon warlord.

Rising to his feet The first thing to come to Arcee's mine was. He's fucking insane. With a brave face John faced the dark energon bonded tyrant as he laughed darkly.

"I'm not blind boy. If you wish for the human to live Arcee I recommend you surrender" He said much to the dismay to John who looked at Megatron in pure hatred.

Arcee cursed inwards and shifted back into her bipedal form. Standing at full high she was tiny compared to him. Her optics moved to John who looked ready to kill on sight. Megatron saw the building hate as he keyed his comm.

"Ground bridge my coordinates" He called with a stone cold tone.

Suddenly and without warm the bridge opened behind him and Arcee hissed out a curse towards the silver titan.

"Unfortunately for me your friends escaped my grasp, but i shall find them and will have my hands on earth once and for all!" Megatron said as two drones exited the green swirling portal and immediately flanked her and John. She saw the nemesis off in the distance and drawing closer. If only may comm wasn'tfired. She lamented as this looked to be the end of the road.

(1 hours earlier)

John felt the the blood splatter onto his face and body through the shirt and pants he wore. He trembled in the grip of the drone who forced him to watch his fathers demise. Airachnid as she was called stood at 17 feet and had spider like legs mounted on her back which made her mobility much more versatile. Her black and purple paint job now stained again with human blood was far from satisfied. Megatron who stood on the drones right looked to the small child who stared directly at the body in pure shock. Such a pitiful race, but perfect to use againstOrion. He mused darkly as the nemesis's cannons suddenly began going off in the distance. Suddenly the drone yelped out as he staggered back energon and leaking from his finger. Megatron saw the human fleeing and sighed deeply and grabbed Airachnid by the arm before she could pick up a pursuit. He looked to the screw up and the con began the chase. Morons all of them!. He thought bitterly as he got a nasty glare from Airachnid.

"I have plans for that boy, knockout needs an experimental test subject and he soon shall have one" He told letting her know that she would do no good in the situation.

End chapter