Chapter Sixteen: Licking Wounds

"Look on the bright side, Shatter. At least you're still in one piece. Although if it were me, I'd rather not have any blemishes on my paint job."

Shatter glared at the source of the voice, resisting the urge to stick her arm-blade against the mech's voice-box. Knock Out may be their Chief Medical Officer and engineer, but his comments had been increasingly annoying, and she wanted nothing more than for him to shut up and leave her be.

"A pity," he continued, hefting a polisher with a smile, "yours was as good as mine. But don't worry. I can still fix that."

Shatter growled. "I'm not asking for your opinion on my paint job, Doctor. What I want you to do is fix my circuits because those pesky insects damaged my targeting systems."

She was lying on a steel bed in the medbay, an infusion line connected to her spark chamber, pumping energon into her frame. She had no need of it—her injuries were superficial despite the beating she had received—but their vain doctor had insisted.

Said doctor simply shrugged, his smile still present. "Whatever you say, my dear."

Sighing in exasperation, Shatter leaned her head back and closed her optics while the doctor worked on her systems. She did not activate her pain blockers, she was used to pain and even relished it, but she had to turn off her audio receptors because the damn fool kept babbling about detailing and polishing.

Eventually, she felt a tap on her head, and she opened her optics to see him staring at her cheerfully. She reactivated her audio receptors just in time to hear him say, "All done. Now you can continue blowing up the fleshies to your spark's content."

Shatter rolled her optics. She pushed herself off the table, watching as the mech moved on to his other patients. There were two others with her, with varying degrees of damage. To her immediate right was her partner, Dropkick. He was still under power down, but Shatter could tell that he was fine despite looking more battered and dented than she was. His systems were fully repaired, and it should not be long before he was walking again.

Next to Dropkick was Swindle, and it was here that Shatter sighed. The mech was blanketed in wires and infusion lines. Burns covered his frame, and his right leg was missing. But the worst was his chest, riddled with so many holes that Shatter was surprised that the Combaticon's spark chamber was still intact.

She hopped off the bed and strode toward Swindle's, where the doctor was checking his vitals. His levels were steady, as far as she could see. But his optics were dim and lifeless.

"Will he survive?" she asked. The doctor chuckled and turned briefly, the light from the monitors reflecting in his vibrant red paint.

"Do you even have to ask?" He shook his head and returned his attention back to Swindle.

Shatter grunted. Silly of her to think of that. Of course, the fragger would survive. The Combaticon, what was left of them anyway, was a tough unit. It would take more than those Knights and their squishy allies to kill one.

The sliding doors hissed, and a hulking mech stepped inside, his footsteps shaking the floor slightly. "How's he, Knock Out?" he demanded.

"You asked that question about five minutes ago," Knock Out drawled. "Do I really have to answer that again?"

"He's stable," Shatter answered for him, noting the narrowing of Onslaught's eyes. "Relax, Commander. Your scout is in good hands."

"I can only relax once he's better," Onslaught said with a growl. He crossed his arms and paced around. "How could this have happened? The plan was flawless! We were supposed to take that Key and destroy the Custodians." He glared at Shatter. "You and your partner were supposed to complete the objective."

Shatter met his gaze evenly. She was itching to punch the mech in his brutish face, but she knew better than to mess with the Combaticon leader. She didn't want to end up back in the bed with far worse injuries. "There will always be complications, Onslaught. You should know that by now."

"Bah! We have the beast with us. Any complications would have been dealt with easily."

"The other side have their own beasts." Knock Out had a bored expression as he inspected one of the energon tanks.

Shatter nodded. "Unexpected interference. It happens sometimes."

"Do not dare lecture me," Onslaught said with a scowl. "I know more about warfare than any of you does."

"Well then, there you have it." Her shoulders rose and fell. Conversing with Onslaught was like trying to have a chat with a wall. She wouldn't win no matter what she does. "Where's the beast, anyway?" She changed the subject.

Onslaught waved a hand. "Skulking somewhere in its den. Wouldn't let anyone approach, not even Thundercracker."

"Wouldn't dare to." Knock Out glanced at him. "He nearly chewed my head off when I tried to repair his horns. To think that someone could do that to him."

"The Oracle would be pissed if she finds out about this," Shatter said. She could think of several ways that this mission would backfire on them if the femme learned of their failure. "Any word from Lord Megatron?"

Onslaught shook his head. "None. Our benefactors are tough. They still don't want to give the relics unless we present a result from this mission."

"Which you two butchered," Knock Out commented with a sigh, earning him a glare from both Shatter and Onslaught. He raised his hands defensively. "It's the truth, isn't it? You tw—"

He ducked as Onslaught lunged, hopping backwards with a yelp. The mech's fingers barely grazed his chest. "Hey, watch the paint!"

"You'll get more than that if you don't keep your mouth shut!"

"Fine, fine. Sheesh, can't you take a joke or two?"

Shatter watched them for a moment, wondering why she had even bothered to join Megatron in this foolishness. She was content being just a bounty hunter, earning credits in some rich galactic empire's sprawling territories, living a life of luxury while she killed rebels and fugitives. She even had her own servants, for Primus's sake!

But now here she was in an ancient ship with what remained of her race, following her leader on his promise of more money and power—two things she already had before being recruited. She expected an easy job in a nice world where she could continue her profession; she did not expect a backwater planet with primitive lifeforms and a quest to find artifacts.

And she was surrounded by fools.

"All officers, report to the bridge," Thundercracker's voice blasted from the speakers outside the medbay, bringing Onslaught and Knock Out's squabbling to a halt. Shatter sighed in relief and started for the door.

The corridors were dark and looked empty, but Shatter knew she was being watched. She didn't pay the unseen eyes any attention, having grown accustomed to them ever since she had boarded the ship.

"What do you think it could be about?" Knock Out asked, falling into step beside her. Onslaught was not far behind.

"Probably a new mission," said Shatter. And she would make sure it would be successful this time.

They were joined by Vortex and Blast Off along the way. The two flyers asked about Swindle, which Knock Out answered wearily as best as he could. Shatter tuned out the rest of their conversation. She did not dislike the Combaticons—on the contrary, she welcomed them and their prowess in the battlefield. But their attitudes often rub her in the wrong way.

After reaching the bridge, Shatter finally relaxed. Guards saluted at their approach, which she ignored as she entered the massive room. Tempered glass windows circled the bridge, giving her a view of the Earth below them. They were orbiting near the United States, far enough from any energon satellites, but close enough that they could deploy a unit with a Groundbridge.

She looked around. Breakdown was leaning against the wall with a bored expression, his arms crossed. Knock Out raised a hand in greeting, which he returned with a curt nod. The communications area was empty, thankfully. Shatter would certainly leave if their Communications Officer was present.

Thundercracker stood near the star map alongside Brawl, occasionally nodding as the Combaticon demolition expert pointed at a hologram of the Earth. They seemed to be deep in discussion, though they stopped once Onslaught and his team had filed in.

"Why did you call us?" Onslaught said gruffly.

Thundercracker strode around the table while Brawl took his spot next to his team leader. The air commander swept his gaze, his face serious as he stood in front of them. Shatter noted the slight tension in his shoulder. This must be important.

Finally he spoke, "We will be at full deployment. Wyoming."

The rest of them stiffened, and Shatter raised an optical ridge. A full deployment meant a massive operation. An operation of this scale would mean…

Shatter smiled."You've found their base." It was not a question, and she could feel the excitement coursing through her frame. At last she could redeem herself from that humiliating defeat she had suffered.

With a nod, Thundercracker gestured at the hologram. The officers gathered around, looking at a glowing red circle with interest. From what Shatter knew of Earth geography, it was the Rockies. "Intel confirms that the humans have a base set up within one of these mountains. Barricade is already scouting the area, but it'll take time to ascertain where it is."

Knock Out snorted. "He's getting sloppy, eh? He can confirm where the fleshies are hiding, but he couldn't tell us exactly where?"

"Who says he was the one who provided the intel, though?" a voice, smooth and sweet, echoed in the room.

There was a collective sigh, and Shatter felt her excitement ebbing, replaced with cold anger and annoyance. Click, click, click. The sound drifted into the air, slow and deliberate. It was the sound of footsteps, light and gentle even for Shatter's enhanced sensors.

"My, my," the voice, unmistakably a femme, continued, "I'm deepy hurt, boys. I've been doing my job diligently ever since Lord Megatron recruited me, but all I ever got were insults. Now where's the gratitude in that?"

Shatter cast her gaze around. Her internal radar told her that she was nearby, but her optics were not registering anything in their range.

There was a quiet scuttle. Instinctively she looked up, her face twisting into a scowl as something sleek and violet crawled across the ceiling on eight spindly legs that ended in sharp talons.

"Airachnid," she hissed. "Finally out of your lair?"

With a chuckle, the femme dropped down, her body twisting and shifting as she landed lightly on her robot form, her appendages folded behind her. Shatter had not seen much of the spider, and never wanted to, but she could never forget that mocking smirk or that arrogant visage.

"My lair is getting boring, and Thundercracker called. Who am I to refuse?" Airachnid sauntered over to the communications console. The other Decepticons gave her a wide berth, more out of irritation than fear, though Shatter could tell that some of them felt uncomfortable in Airachnid's presence.

"Where's your sister?" Thundercracker asked. Airachnid shrugged as she sat on the chair, crossing her legs with a lazy air about her.

"Who knows? I don't keep my sister on a leash," she drawled.

The air commander grunted. "Very well." He brought his attention back to the front. "As I was saying, Barricade is searching around Wyoming. Once he locates the base, we will be launching an assault."

"Why can't she just look for it?" Shatter glared at Airachnid. "That's part of her job."

She smiled wickedly. "Would you trust me, Shatter? What if I betray all of you and alert the humans of the attack?"

Shatter growled. "You wouldn't dare, you insolent frag." She took a step, her blade sliding out of her right arm. But Onslaught held her back by the shoulder and shook his head.

"She's not worth it," the commander said. Shatter scoffed, then retracted her blade and stepped back with a deep scowl. If she could only have her way, Airachnid would already be in pieces by now. It was a mistake to have her within their ranks.

But Airachnid was needed, Shatter hated to admit. With Soundwave dead, she was the only one who could fit the role of a Communications Officer. Shatter would never deny her skills. However, that didn't mean she would just tolerate Airachnid's attitude.

"That's enough, both of you," said Thundercracker sternly. "We are here to discuss the mission, not fight amongst ourselves. And if you can't follow that simple rule, you may leave the bridge and count yourselves out of the assault. Am I clear?"

They nodded, some with reluctance. Shatter listened as Thundercracker began to lay out the plan. It seemed that they would be indeed attacking the base in full force—even the Doctor was going—which was only expected now that the Autobots have acquired powerful allies. Megatron would be joining, obviously, but only after he returned from wherever he and Blitzwing went off to.

Onslaught asked several questions regarding the finer parts of the mission while also making adjustments of his own. Most were accepted, a few were revised to fit into the plan, until Thundercracker was satisfied.

Throughout the discussion and briefing, Airachnid had remained silent, inspecting her talons with interest. None bothered to pay her attention.

When they finished, Thundercracker reviewed the objectives one last time then said, "Any questions?"

Knock Out raised a hand and pointed a thin finger at Airachnid. "What about her?"

"Oh, don't mind me," she answered nonchalantly without even looking at them. "I'll just remain here on the ship. The Decepticons will need a new leader once this is over."

Something inside Shatter snapped, and she charged with a wild cry, her arm-blade sliding smoothly out of her forearm. Twenty meters, maybe thirty. The distance between her and Airachnid was not too great, but Shatter couldn't let her guard down. Airachnid was far too cunning to be defeated easily.

Fifteen meters. The others didn't interfere. Good, Shatter thought, lunging forward. She saw Airachnid sigh, and she immediately knew that this was a trap. But it was too late.

"Ah, ah, who told you that you can attack my sister?"

A sticky substance caught Shatter's right leg first, pulling her back toward the floor before she could finish her attack, and slamming her hard. She snarled, clawing in futile as she was dragged away. It didn't come from Airachnid, she knew.

She passed by Knock Out, who simply gave her a look of pity, before she was hoisted high up on the ceiling, dangling upside down on a silver strand. She tried to sever the disgusting material, but another blast restrained her arm, plastering it across her side. A third did the same to her other arm, while the fourth wrapped around her left leg, gluing it to the other.

Shatter struggled against her bindings, but it was futile. Every time she moved, the substance seemed to harden even more. At last she sagged in defeat.

"Told you I was the better assassin." The awfully cheerful voice echoed somewhere to Shatter's left. "When will you ever learn?"

She was in an uncontrollable spin, so she could not dictate which direction she was facing. But as Shatter spun to the left, she came to face the shadow in front of her, identical to Airachnid, but black and slightly smaller. A spindly leg caressed her face.

"Aw, don't be sad," the spider cooed. "I could let you go if you say, 'please'."

"Go scrap yourself!" Shatter spat as she spun in the other direction. Airachnid was still sitting in her chair with a smirk.

"There you are, Blackarachnia," she said. "Where have you been?"

"Doing my job." Airachnid's sister dropped to the floor and altformed. She looked up, grinning. "Well, you look better up there, Shatter. How does it feel to be so high? You didn't even have to fly!"

Blackarachnia laughed. To Shatter's horror, there were a few snickers from the other Decepticons. Rage filled her spark. She was being humiliated! It was common within the Decepticon ranks to mock someone, of course. But not once did Shatter expect to be at the receiving end of it.

"I will crush you and your sister's spark someday," Shatter vowed with as much hate as she could muster. "Mark my words!"

"Suuure." Blackarachnia strode toward her twin without a glance. "But get out of that first and we'll see. Oh, wait. You can't!" She laughed again.

"That's enough," Thundercracker shouted. "Blackarachnia, let her go."

"But what if she crushes my spark?" She placed a hand in her chest with an expression of mock fear.

"No, she won't." Thundercracker fixed a stern gaze at Shatter. "Do you understand, Shatter?"

Shatter glared at him. She could say no; she wanted to say no, consequences be damned. But she knew it wouldn't make a difference. Worse, she could be sent to the brig for insubordination. And as much as she hated the twin spiders, tolerating them would be a far better alternative than being stuck in a holding cell.

"Yes, Commander," she said evenly.

"Can she say 'please'?" Blackarachnia said, smiling. "Please say it."

"No," Thundercracker snapped.

Blackarachnia pouted, but did as she was asked and approached Shatter. With two swift strokes of her appendages, Shatter was freed and she fell to the floor. Fortunately, she managed to land on her feet, rising immediately to her full height and sending Blackarachnia a venomous look.

The fragger simply smirked before returning to her spot beside Airachnid. Shatter stood next to Onslaught, who leaned in to whisper, "It's a good thing Lord Megatron isn't here. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to do that."

Shatter scoffed and remained silent. If Megatron was here, none of this would have even happened. Airachnid and Blackarachnia were far too rebellious, and it was only a matter of time before they tried something in their bid for power. She had hunted these kinds of people before, many of whom simply laid in wait until the time was right and they sprung their trap.

The sisters were very much like those people, only magnified tenfold. Shatter had to be careful around them while she watched. One wrong move could end in disaster. While she was only here for the money, she was still loyal to Megatron and the Decepticon cause.

Shatter was brought out of her thoughts when Thundercracker asked, "How did the mission go, Blackarachnia?"

She grinned. "Accomplished. What else did you expect? I'm just that good. The Autobots and their human pets should be leaving soon." She hummed in thought. "You know, we could actually attack them en route. Would make things easier for us. Less defenders when we attack their base."

"Negative," said Onslaught. "Sure, we can thin out their ranks that way. But if Barricade fails to find the base, we won't have a backup plan."

Blackarachnia chuckled. "Smart as always, Onslaught. And that's why I already did the initiative." She pressed on a panel in her left arm. The same hologram of the Earth appeared on the star map, but this time there was an additional marker bearing the red symbol of the Autobots.

Shatter grudgingly acknowledged the ingenuity of it even as Blackarachnia smirked. With this they could locate the base faster. "How did you do it?" she asked with a slight grumble.

The younger spider shrugged and winked. "Well, what can I say? I'm just really that good."

Thundercracker nodded, impressed. "Excellent. Now we won't have to wait until Barricade finds it. But it might be best if he remains in the area." His gaze raked across the room. "I will contact Lord Megatron and inform him of this development. You all know your objectives, so review them before the mission starts. Onslaught, ready the squadrons. Shatter, you'll brief Dropkick once he is fully recovered."

"What about Swindle?" asked Brawl. It was Knock Out who answered.

"He'll be fine," he said assuringly. "By the time Lord Megatron and Blitzwing return, you'll have your teammate back in tip top shape."

The relief was plain in Brawl's expression as he nodded.

Thundercracker spoke. "All right. That should be everything. Get some power down, resupply your ammos and repair anything that is damaged. I will contact all of you again twelve hours before the operation. Dismissed."

Thus, the mission briefing finally ended.

###

It was an hour before sunrise, but the camp was already bustling with activity. Everywhere Grimlock looked, there were groups of human soldiers hurrying to and fro as they readied the transports that would carry the Autobots back to the United States.

For creatures so tiny, they certainly could do so many things, and quickly. They have progressed quite a lot, too; Grimlock remembered them back in days long gone when they rode on horses and camels, and when their cities merely spanned less than a kilometer instead of hundreds.

But, he feared, it was still not enough. He had traversed the cosmos for eons once, and the various races he had encountered would make Earth's inhabitants seem primitive. Except for terribly few nations, most would succumb to greater threats from outside this world.

He looked up at the dawning sky at that. Threats. Somewhere up there was Predaking and his new masters, licking their wounds, biding their time until they could wreak havoc again. He still couldn't believe that the Dragon King had survived his demise. It shouldn't be possible; Grimlock had crushed Predaking's spark in his own hands. He could still remember the energon that had flowed when he did so.

Resurrection? Impossible. Primus could not bring back the dead. A twin? Not likely. Predaking had no equal, and they would know if he had one. The only explanation then was a clone. But who could have achieved that feat? It had to be someone with a galactic empire's worth of resources.

His optics narrowed. He could think of one empire who had that much power, and the more he thought about it, the more everything made sense. It would explain much of what that bounty hunter had said when he had captured him and his brethren years ago.

"Thinking too much will overload your processors, Grimlock."

Grimlock turned at the playful tone with a glare. A grinning Slag stood behind him, his arms crossed. Rolling his optics, Grimlock huffed in annoyance. "Grimlock, not thinking."

Then he caught himself and swore in Ancient Cybertronian. There he goes again, using this difficult human language. Why did he even bother downloading this? He could not even communicate properly without sounding like a brute.

Grumbling, he switched to his native language. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

Slag raised an optical ridge. "You seem grumpy," he noted.

Grimlock grunted and looked away. "Just… troubled."

"About what Steelbane said?"

Nodding, Grimlock returned to gazing at the sky. The blackness was now splashed with streaks of orange and pink, and the camp was beginning to stir as the rest of its denizens awoke to sunrise.

"Windstorm," Slag murmured. He approached until he stood by Grimlock's side. "Who could have done it, you think?"

Shaking his head, Grimlock sighed. "I have no idea. But I know this is no mere coincidence. They are all connected."

When Steelbane and the Custodians had reported Windstorm's demise, Grimlock was shocked, but not surprised. After all, Scourge and Cyclonus were missing from their stasis pods as well. It was a bewildering discovery, and Grimlock and the other Grandmasters spent the last two years searching for the two Knights, to no avail. It was as if Scourge, Cyclonus, and the relics they were guarding had just vanished into thin air.

Or rather, someone had tampered with the pods. There were signs of a forced deactivation. Whoever did it knew what they were doing.

"We should check on the others," Slag suggested. "Dragonicus could know what had happened."

"And risk revealing the location of the Omega Lock to the enemy? No, Slag. We have to do this without them. I don't want any more of our apprentices dying."

"We don't even know if they are still—"

"They are. The old human told me as much, and Steelbane confirmed it as well. Dragonicus, Stormreign, and Skullitron are protecting this nation's leaders."

The relief was evident in Slag's expression. "That is good to hear, then. What about the rest?"

Grimlock hesitated. "We'll have to find Stormwing first. If he's still protecting the third Omega Key, that means the rest are still safe. If not…"

He didn't want to finish the sentence. It was an unpleasant thought, one that was plaguing his processors for the last two years. Were the rest of the Apprentices still even alive?

The sound of approaching footsteps drew their attention. "You two might want to get ready," Strafe said. Scorn stood behind him. "They are getting ready to leave."

A short pause as Grimlock glanced at the aircrafts where the Autobots were being loaded. The three apprentices stood nearby, Steelbane bidding farewell to his friends. Grimlock had ordered him and the twins to protect the two Omega Keys, and that would mean Steelbane had to leave his charge behind.

An idea struck him then, and he turned back to Strafe. "Tell them that we'll join them later. I want to check on the twins' pods again. There must be something we have overlooked."

Strafe and the other Grandmasters exchanged glances. He shrugged. "As you wish. I'll inform them." He and Scorn strode away.

As they retreated, Slag patted Grimlock in the shoulder and followed after them. Grimlock stared for a moment, wondering if he was even making the right decision. There were just so many things they didn't know, a web of mysteries that could not be unraveled. He hoped that returning to the stasis pods would at least give them a single clue they had missed, but he had this feeling in his spark that something terrible was about to happen.


A very happy New Year to all of you!

This chapter is quite short compared to the previous ones, but there are a lot of setups and foreshadowing here. And I must say I actually enjoyed writing Shatter's POV, giving her a little backstory and some motivation for joining Megatron's army.

Airachnid is finally introduced! But once again, I made some tweaks and made Blackarachnia her sister, sort of like how Dreadwing and Skyquake are twins. I kinda loved Blackarachnia's version in Netflix's War for Cybertron trilogy, but I wanted to make my own take on her.

Shatter and Airachnid's rivalry is another original thing that I loved to incorporate. Maybe because I wanted to show how Decepticons like them will never get along at all, and it adds some flavor to the story.

Now, to answer some of the reviews.

In response to Wacko12's review: Rest assured, Autobot flyers will soon arrive. :)

In response to Autobot-Wolfsketch's review: A good question. Miko definitely exists in this fanfic, but unfortunately, she wouldn't be appearing anytime soon. As for Elita-1… well, I have plans for her. But I don't want to spoil it. One thing I can say though is that she won't be appearing here either.

In response to Julien Caeg's review: A bit more info about Prime Minister Charles will be revealed in the next chapter. I was actually going to put a scene here, but I felt that the pacing would drag too much even though it's a short chapter. Unfortunately, as I've said in the first chapter, Optimus will not be appearing in this story at all. However, I can guarantee that he'll be the main character in the sequel.

Anyway, that should be it. The next chapter will definitely longer, so expect quite an interval in the update schedule.

Please Read & Review! Until next time!