Ch. 72

Starscream felt his frown relax a little as Arcee stared back. She seemed just as confused as he was. But considering the condition they were both in, there was little chance they would be getting some privacy to talk the situation over.

"Start from the beginning," the silver mech hummed, interlacing his claws, "Where did things start to get..."

"Hairy?" Knockout interjected.

Starscream hissed, "Quiet, I'm not talking to you!"

The red mech scoffed, "Well, sorry, Mr. Nice Guy."

The seeker grumbled angrily and turned his attention back to Arcee, "Well?"

The femme was staring down at her servos, picking at them, "I don't know how else I can explain this, but I'm going to try. I followed her out into the forest, like you said, and I stopped her... maybe two or three times from making her way underground. She seemed pretty desperate to get to the rest of the Insecticon hive."

Starscream nodded, "Yes, just as I said... Go on."

"That's what's frustrating me!" Arcee growled, standing to pace, "All of a sudden, in the middle of the fight, I just drop! I felt my vision go first and then my legs gave out and I was just... just out!"

Ratchet gently took the femme by the arm, sitting her down, "Wait until I have examined you then. I can find out if there's a problem if you are just patient."

Arcee wrenched her arm away, her optics bright, "Ratchet, I could have died! Instead, I wake up to find Airachnid gone, the rest of my team standing over me as though I've lost my mind, and my chassis as sore as I've ever felt! ... Starscream?" she looked at him in confusion as the seeker slumped forward with his servos covering his faceplate, "Was this supposed... Do you know what happened to me? To Airachnid?"

Optimus watched the silver mech carefully, delicately placing a servo on his shoulder when the smaller mech didn't answer, "I believe Starscream may have a theory, but perhaps now is not the time to bother him by requesting his insight."

Starscream grumbled, "No, no, I can pretty much guess what happened. What irks me is knowing this is most likely my fault for tampering with this plane of existence or past time line or... whatever this is as much as I did."

Knockout tsked and snapped his digits, "You did too much. You should've realized you couldn't take it all on."

The seeker snarled, "Yes, Knockout. Thank you. Thank you for reminding me that I enjoy the torment of my own mistakes and inclusions."

The red mech put his servos up quickly and said nothing more, going to Breakdown's side quickly as though to seek protection.

Starscream looked back at Arcee, "Before I... divulge any predisposed inclinations, I will need to know some things first. Otherwise, it's all just useless guesswork."

Arcee nodded, "What do you need to know?"

The seeker gestured lightly to Optimus, "How far away were the rest of your teammates? Half a click? More?"

Arcee shook her helm and Optimus smiled softly, "We were two clicks away from her location."

Starscream hummed gently, "Did you notice a buzzing sound? Electrical in nature?"

The femme sighed, "I was really focused on Airachnid... but I think so? It was sharp and fast."

The seeker grimaced and struggled to ask his last question, "... Did it burn?"

"What?"

"Did it burn?" he asked again, "When you felt your vision going and the rest of your systems offline, did it burn?"

Arcee frowned then widened her optics as she remembered, "Just as my vision was going and my audials began to ring... I felt a burn in my side and then I was out."

Starscream groaned loudly and covered his faceplates again, shaking his helm.

Arcee stared at him, sighing, "Is it really that bad?"

"... Rather worse, as you can imagine," the seeker huffed, "It's MECH."

"You're sick," Airachnid hissed tiredly, a long gash on the side of her helm and injuries all over her chassis leaking energon.

A man in a lab coat pulled away from his examination only to study the progress he had already made, "'Sick' is not the word I would use. 'Innovative', 'brilliant', 'glorious'. Are not our studies and ventures through those studies one of the greatest achievements in life?"

The man took a sharp tool from a nearby table and pushed it hard into a slice in Airachnid's side, the femme screaming loudly as she struggled against her bonds; the man turned to his colleagues, each taking notes, "Notice how the probe stimulates the robotic nervous systems. It's as though each nerve is sending enough data to not only process the pain, but react accordingly as well," the man gave the tool a twist, allowing a gush of energon to escape and Airachnid cried out, but her anguish went unnoticed, "This is the future of our kind. Evolution through another species from another world. One that, sad to say, can only have its imperfections corrected through our own influences."

Airachnid's intakes became pained, "'Corrected'?! I a-am one of the most... prolific hunters, interrogators, and feared Decepticons of my kind! How dare you think you can 'improve' me with your own faulted and dated equipment!"

The man stood above the femme, examining her faceplate, and simply shook his head, "You? What makes you think we are interested in improving your broken and useless chassis? You're simply a means to our final goal!" the man stepped aside, revealing Silas's beaten and damaged body on heavy life support, along with the towering and broken frame of a destroyed mech's chassis, to Airachnid's confused faceplate.

The man took a large saw from a small table of tools and checked the blade, "You're also the generous volunteer who donated their chassis for spare parts, which we really need to start working right now."