Transformers: Prime

Disclaimer: Because I own Transformers: Prime, I have a shifting chest that I can pull the matrix from. I'm serious.

"What's 'breathe'?"

-BumbleBee (Animated)

Chapter 5

"What have you found, Soundwave?" The dark lord questioned once his third in command approached him. Soundwave stepped forward in order to face Megatron's front. His visor crackling to life, A chart materialized, detailing his findings. Then he procured the TransWarp device.

"Ah, a TransWarp device. Only cybertronians with a knowledge of GroundBridge technology are familiar with it's applications," he said approvingly, looking away from his gaze of the viewport to acknowledge the graph displayed on Soundwave's visor, and the device in his hand. But to his suprise, there was another message. His visor displayed an Autobot transmission in the process of being deencrypted.

"You're suggesting, that the TransWarp device can pinpoint their hideout's location?"

Soundwave nodded.

Megatron threw back his helm to laugh knowingly. "Excellent, Soundwave. And with the DarkStarSaber in my possession, total conquest for the decepticon cause is only megacycles away."

Miko was about to ask another question, before Bumblebee interrupted with his own beeping.

"Bumblebee says it might be better if we give the guys some privacy right now," Raf translated. The yellow scout nodded appreciatively, and the three humans filed into the hallway, with Jack trying to push Miko along, who continued to protest. Once they were gone, Optimus spoke up.

"I am curious as to how you arrived here. There is no cybertronian record of your designation anywhere on either Iacon or Kaon records," he explained, opening a column in the database where her name should be in the alphabetical list of individuals.

Blackarachnia sighed. There was no way she could be on Earth, or at least the one she was standing foot on merely an earth hour ago.

"I don't think i'm from this...dimension," she explained with a lazy roll of her hand. She proceeded to cross her arms before continuing.

"I was finalizing the start-up for a TransWarp portal-"

"A TransWarp portal?" Ratchet asked dumbfounded.

"You're familiar with them?" Blackarachnia asked curiously. The medic she learned to be Ratchet sounded as though they used an alternate energy source.

"A long time ago, the main energy source used was TransWarp energies, but these days, GroundBridge technology is commonly used, based through an Energon Power Source." The medic looked down and rubbed his chin momentarily before returning his attention towards her, realization showing right through on his face.

"You ended up here through a TransWarp's ionization portal." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. Apparently, It was more than just space and time that was manipulated when I crossed through," she confirmed before turning to Optimus.

"Optimus," she said, still trying to see this one before him as the Prime she was familiar with, "I'll need an energy source comparable to the TransWarp portal." She turned back to Ratchet. "Your GroundBridge have any juice that adds up?"

"No," Ratchet answered curtly. He turned back to his computer to pull up energy statistics between a GroundBridge, TransWarp portal and a SpaceBridge.

"A GroundBridge uses only a quarter of the total ratio of a common TransWarp portal. There is only one other option," he concluded almost hesitantly. Optimus answered for him.

"You will require schematics of a SpaceBridge." Optimus surmised. He turned his back to them, obviously in thought.

"The only possibly accessible source of acquiring information of energy on par with a SpaceBridge's energies..." Optimus turned his gaze to Blackarachnia.

"The decepticons' warship, the Nemesis."

That was definitely a name she was familiar with. "There is a Nemesis where I'm from. So we just go there and steal his info, right?"

"You say you're a scientist, correct?" Ratchet asked, obviously impressed.

"And a hacker."

"Then you should have no problem retreiving the information," Ratchet replied. Optimus agreed with a nod of his head.

"A comrade and I can escort you there. But this will need to be a quick retreival mission," he decided. He'll be the distraction while Blackarachnia and someone else can stealthily go in and out with the information. Activating the comm on one of his audio receptors, he relayed his commands.

"Arcee, please come to the briefing room," he said before turning to Ratchet.

"I have taken the liberty of planting a tracking device on Megatron in our last encounter with the DarkStarSaber," Optimus began. Ratchet raised his brows in surprise but fif not comment.

"So there is a Megatron in this...dimension also? Is he self righteous here too?"

"The Megatron that we are familiar with embraces his tyranny," Optimus answered. Blackarachnia only grunted in response. Their conversation was cut short with Arcee's arrival.

"What's up Optimus," she said. Then she noticed the other femmebot in the room. Both of them started on the wrong foot back in the desert, so understandably, they were sore of each other's presence.

"Blackarachnia," Arcee forced herself to say, lest she sound outright rude.

"Arcee," the other responded in kind, but with less effort. Optimus had noticed the tension between the two, and figured that the only way for closure was for them to be forced into cooperation.

"I have called you here for a raid on the Decepticon's warship, Nemesis," The Prime briefed. "I will act as the distraction while you and Blackarachnia will make your way to the archival database to retrieve schematics to a SpaceBridge," he said calmly, gauging Arcee's reaction. Expectedly, she frowned at the mention of her and Blackarachnia having to work together.

"Can't Bumblebee do it?" she asked after a pause. It did not escape Optimus that she was not concerned about the fact they were raiding the decepticon flagship, but who she had to raid the ship with.

"Out of the five of us, you are the most nimble and stealthy. The most recommended for a mission such as this."

Although Arcee was flattered, she clearly was not happy about the line-up.

"You know Arcee, you still haven't apologized for jumping me back at the desert," the spiderbot said nonchalantly, inspecting one of her servos. Arcee would have used some choice cybertronian curse words if Optimus wasn't present.

"Don't push your luck," she stressed. Ratchet activated the GroundBridge and Arcee nearly stomped through the portal, while Blackarachnia strolled behind. Optimus came last and the bridge winked out after all three passed through.

"That one is something else," Ratchet muttered.

Optimus, Arcee, and Blackarachnia were now standing in an empty corridor of the decepticons' flagship. Readying his gun with his left arm, Optimus used his right hand to motion them in the general direction of the Archival Database. He activated his internal commlink so that they would be able to communicate silently.

Focusing on the mission, Arcee was able to ignore the fact that she was cooperating with an infuriating spiderbot. Traversing through the hall quickly, Blackarachnia followed easily, and they were now only feet away from the room that Optimus laid out in a floor plan from when he was stationed aboard with lost memories. Since the door was half opened, Arcee craned her head to check if there were any presences. Seeing none, she waved Blackarachnia over. With ease, they were able to slip through the ajar door and make it to the computer undetected.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"You barely know me, and you already doubt me. Just let me work," the spider femme retorted hotly. Rushing over to the keyboard, she began her work, and in seconds, data was streaming across the screen.

"Easy," she boasted, to Arcee's annoyance. Arcee stood near the wall on the lookout for any passing cons. A BOOM had sounded in an adjacent room, and she could tell that Optimus was definitely doing some distracting.

"Fine, have you got the data?" Arcee questioned, keepnig her eyes on the hall outside for any moving shadows or hints of a presence.

"Have you retrieved the information?" The comm came from Optimus, and background noise could be heard as the customary zing of flying laserbeams could be heard.

"We have it," Arcee confirmed. Both of the femmes were out of the room and on their way to Optimus.

"Intruders!" came the shout of a Vehicon. They had been spotted. Before they could wonder how, a Decepticon had appeared from the hallway they were heading towards.

"Soundwave," Arcee announced. The visored decepticon did not respond but regarded Blackarachnia momentarily. Arcee's temporary partner had to chuckle.

"That's Soundwave? He's defeinitely cuter here," she said half-jokingly.

"Focus. We need to get past him and to Optimus before we can activate the GroundBridge," Arcee said seriously, readying both her hands as blasters. Blackarachnia rolled her optics.

"We can't just come back for him?" She said, as they began to charge forward.

"No soldier left behind," Arcee replied without skipping a beat. B;ackarachnia rolled her optics. Obviously, the Autobots' dumb ideals remained the same wherever she went.

"So how do we take this one down. The Soundwave i've seen uses a giant guitar."

"What?" Arcee was forced to say incredulously. "He has hidden extendable arms and a drone on his chest. We need to get past him.

Megatron was furious when he heard the news.

"How did he even know the location of the ship?" Megatron demanded angrily. The vehicons before him did not have an answer to that, but one spoke up.

"We are unsure, Lord Megatron. But their is a breach alert on the Archival data. SpaceBridge technological schematics were extracted."

Megatron turned his back, hands crossed behind them. "Activate the hall serveillance."

In front of Megatron, the monitor came to life, revealing Optimus Prime in a shootout with a squadron of vehicons. Megatron cackled, the Vehicons seeing his shoulders rising and falling in mirth.

"Dreadwing!"

Megatron's newest second-in-command materialized immediately and bowed before straightening.

"What is your will, Lord Megatron?" The flyer asked with a bowed head. Megatron turned around to face his Liutenant.

"We have company," he said, and a second screen popped to life, showing Arcee and another cybertronian attempting to bypass Soundwave, and having a hard time.

"I will confront Optimus. I need you to engage the scout, Arcee, and our guest," Megatron briefed, gazing at the strange cybertronian on the screen. She had a slight resemblance to Airachnid, but there were major differences in their basic form. Whatever they were planning with the SpaceBridge technology, it wouldn't be leaving this ship.

A Parallel universe

The Nemesis was quiet on the inside, as troopers and other officials were busy working at their stations.

"Where is Airachnid?" Megatron asked after pressing the comms button on his command chair.

Blitzwing responded curtly from his station at the front area of the ship.

"Her signal has...winked out of existence. There are trace amounts of TransWarp ions in the area she was in," Blitzwing's voice said calmly. Over the audio, his voice was crackling slightly, but otherwise easily understandable. At this point in time, Blackarachnia was to be finalizing the TransWarp device's schematics so that he may transport the ship to an important Energon deposit, but it seems she has ran from her work station. Which wasn't so surprising for him. She was not one to be invested in the dececpticon cause and was a complete opposite to Lugnut in his opnion. Even though overzealousness was just a tad annoying.

"Take Lugnut and search the area. Do not return until you have found her, and the schematics," the decepticon leader ordered. He cut the transmission and exhaled forcefully. He would not allow a rogue decepticon to slow down the decepticons' progress.