Arcee never felt right about leaving Jack alone. Despite what Optimus said, the Decepticons were still out there. Quiet or not. She leaned back on her bunk. Something didn't feel right. She rolled over to her side. Maybe she should call Jack just to make sure he was okay. She sighed. Was she being to paranoid? Probably. After Tailgate and Cliff, she was more prone to worry. She reached up to her com link. Jack had mentioned to her before that he enjoyed his moments alone. It gave him a chance to think through things.

She laid her hand down. She should trust him. If he was in trouble, he would call her. She growled. Rolling out of her bunk and into the hallway. Why did she feel like something was wrong?

"Arcee?"

Arcee jumped. She had been lost in thought and didn't realize she had wander out into the main command area.

"Optimus. Sorry. I didn't realize I had wander out here."

Optimus smiled slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Just worried about Jack, I don't like leaving him alone."

"He will be fine Arcee. As much as we want to keep the children safe, we have to remember that they have their own lives to live. I know how close you and the others have gotten with them. But they must be allowed to have time to themselves, to interact with their own kind."

Arcee sighed. "I know. I guess I forget sometimes that they are just kids… and human to boot."

Optimus nodded, the smile still on his face. "As do I. They are quite capable children."

Arcee nodded. "I just have a weird feeling. It's probably just my paranoia."

Optimus reached over to her. He placed her hand on her shoulder.

"What happened to Tailgate and CliffJumper will not happen to Jackson."

Arcee smiled with a nod. "I suppose I know that. I just worry."

…

Jack's head bobbed. He jerked it upward. Had he fallen asleep? Or passed out? His one eye was completely swollen and burned shut. His other was bloodshot, it watered making it hard to see clearly. His face was still burning, and his head hammered against his skull.

The burns on his leg seemed like pin pricks compared the knife slicing feeling in his face.

"Good you're awake."

Jack winced at her voice. She approached him again.

"How about you tell me the information and all this pain ends."

Jack spat at her, he growled as she jumped backwards. Airachnid narrowed her eyes at him.

"You'll pay for that."

She reached forward, wrapping her hand around Jacks arm. She began to squeeze it. Jack yelped, he felt his skin getting tighter and tighter until a snap sound. He yelped loudly. It echoed in the space around him. He watched Airachnid hand move from his arm. His body was screaming now. His arm was still suspended vertically but now it was crooked. The pull of the web made it worse.

Airachnid smiled at her work. Jack was clearly suffering, and it pleased her. Gave her a sense of accomplishment and joy. She ran two of her fingers over her mouth.

"Now Jack. Why suffer? Are the Autobots truly worth all of this?"

Jack bit his lip in agony. No. Yes. Maybe. He didn't know.

Airachnid took the two acid tipped fingers and ran them across his chest. His shirt burned and sparked. His skin sizzled and bubbled. The blood turned black as the acid burned it. Jack couldn't hold it back anymore. He screamed. Airachnids fingers ran from his throat down to his abdomen before stopping.

His panted, he should just tell her. Let this pain stop! No! If he did millions would die, earth would be destroyed. He had to remain strong….stay silent.

He eyed Airachnid, he was wincing loudly now. Trying to breathe through the pain. She walked around the back of him. He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as Airachnid was behind him. He couldn't do anything to stop her, to fight her, he was helpless.

His body lurched forward as a massive wave of pain struck him from his back. Airachnid chuckled as she walked back to the front of him. Acid was dripping from the load of acid Airachnid had unleased on his back.

He couldn't breathe. His lungs burned. His one eye was bugled. He looked at her. Why was she doing this? Why didn't she just kill him? His body light up with pain before he passed out. His body hung limp and crooked. Airachnid growled.

"Pathetic humans. Fainting at the smallest amount of pain."

She walked forward, lifting Jacks limp head. "You are more resilient then I figured on. But no matter you will tell me what I want to know. Any being can only take so much pain before they fall."

"Perhaps you are doing it wrong!"

Airachnid whipped around, red eyes glowed at her from the shadows.

"StarScream."

She hissed. The seeker chuckled coming out from the dark. "Torturing humans now?"

Airachnid eyed him. "Like you haven't."

StarScream waved his hand. "Had those incompetent idiots been able to secure the ship I would have gotten the information I wanted out of that pathetic lump of flesh." StarScream walked over to Jack.

"I see you have already done much of the work."

Airachnid crossed her arms. "I suppose you think you could do better?"

StarScream looked at her, his claws twitched.

"I've been known to get information a time or two."

Airachnid laughed. "You've also failed a time or two."

She mockingly waved her hand at him. StarScream growled at her. "Does Megatron know of this?"

Airachnid shook her head. "No. Which brings up the question of how did you?"

StarScream snorted. "Please. I have superior tracking skills. I noticed your little jaunts as of late and followed you."

Airachnid narrowed her eyes at him. "If you tell Megatron, I will…"

StarScream waved his hand. "Like I care about your threats, or Megatron for that matter. But that is not why I am here. You are trying to get the Autobots location are you not?"

Airachnid nodded silently. Where was he going with this?

"I wish to know too. I will assist you. And in return you and I take credit together."

Airachnid shrugged, "I don't care about the credit, only the kill. So fine. If you can make this human take. Then by all means."

She waved with a slightly bow. StarScream smiled. He turned back towards the shadows. Airachnid watched him.

Jack groaned; he was coming back around. His body was still on fire. He looked up. He could barely lift his head now. His heart rose with hope, she was staring down a dark hallway. Was Arcee here? He perked his head up more. He heard the footsteps coming. His heart shattered when StarScream appeared. A duffle bag in hand. He smiled at Airachnid before glancing in Jacks direction.

"The human is awake."

StarScream said to Airachnid. Airachnid spun around.

"Still alive?"

Jack couldn't speak, he was far to weak, in far to much pain. Dread was rising within him as StarScream sat the duffle bag down. He bent over top of the bag unzipping it. The sound seemed to cut through Jacks head. What were they up to now? Where was Arcee? Why had she left him alone? She should have been in the garage with him! His head wavered. A better question, why had Optimus allowed them to be at the base? If they have just ignored the kids and left them alone like Jack asked, he wouldn't be here. This was there fault. Maybe they deserved to be ratted out.

StarScream rooted around in the bag, his favorite torture deceive was a scalpel but as it appeared Airachnid had already cut into him he opted for the taser, an energon taser. He chuckled remembering its affect on Agent Fowler.

"Energon and human nervous systems don't mix."

He murmured to himself. Airachnid was tapping her foot.

"Get on with it!"

She hissed. StarScream just glared at her as he approached Jack. Jack huffed. "I'm even less afraid of you."

He choked out. His voice weak. StarScream lifted the taser. Jack caught the light of it fizzing. "A lot of talk for a weak, tortured creature."

StarScream tapped the taser on Jack side. Jack screamed as the current ran through his body. He felt the blood dripping from his nose now. The metallic taste in his mouth. He finally caught his breathe once the shocking stopped. Scrap this! Just tell them. The military can stop the invasion.

Jack looked up at StarScream. His body was twitching violently. He wanted to talk but couldn't something held him back. What was it, fear? Fear of what the Autobots? Fear of death? Fear of being responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths?

He felt tears stinging his eyes, his acid burned eye flamed as the water seeped into it. His body was jolting uncontrollably. His stomach was churning. He couldn't stop it from vomiting. StarScream and Airachnid jumped back.

"Disgusting!"

StarScream squeaked. Airachnid hissed. Jack felt weaker and weaker by the second. He wanted to give up. He wanted to die.