Jack awoke to the sound of a female cheer. "He's waking up!" The air was forced out of his lungs, as a fleshy cannonball connected with his midsection, and he yelped as his ribs creaked painfully.

"Miko, off!" Arcee's tone was similar to that of a dog owner's. "You're going to hurt him more!"

"Jackie can handle it!" Miko protested. "He totally kicked psycho general's butt, didn't he?"

Arcee's optics burned, and the saying if looks could kill flashed through the teen's minds.

Luckily, Ratchet intervened before Miko lost her arms (or her tongue). "Perhaps Jackson "kicked the general's butt", but he may end up "kicking the bucket" if I have missed anything important."

It seemed that Miko would protest, but another glance at Arcee told her to for once follow Ratchet's advice. Pouting, she released Jack. "Fine. Where's Bulk?"

"Right here," said the deep voiced titan. Miko squealed in joy as her savior came into view.

"Bulk! Did you finish trashing MECH?"

"Yup." Bulkhead smashed his fists together. "We took all their tech and weapons and scrap till the place was emptier than a consumed energon cube. Fowler's guys are taking care of it now. "

"How is Fowler anyway?" Arcee inquired while taking the opportunity to slip around Ratchet's bulky frame to her partner's side. Ratchet shot her a dirty look but said nothing.

"He is fine," the medic grunted. "He passed out from pain and blood loss, but he regained conscience a few hours ago apparently. The doctors are already looking him over to begin the measurement for his new hand."

Jack, who had been eagerly drinking a cool glass of water thoughtfully provided by Arcee, spat part of it out. "Wait, new hand? He lost a hand?"

"Indeed," Ratchet confirmed firmly, yet gently taking the glass from the teen and pushing him back onto the hospital bed. "It was cut off when he and June encountered an elite MECH soldier."

Jack swallowed. "My mom?" he managed weakly.

"She's fine," said Miko dismissively. "She's really upset though. Think it was because she had to run over the jerk before Fowler bit the dust." She winked suggestively at Jack. "Or maybe it's because her beloved almost missed the chance to spend more time with his potential son-in-law."

Jack and Arcee were left speechless; Ratchet, unsurprisingly, was not. "That's enough, already. Bulkhead, take her away already."

Bulkhead opened his servo. "Come on Miko," he chuckled. "I need to go stretch out my joints. Their still stiff from those bindings."

"Dune bashing?" Miko implored her eyes wide with excitement.

"Wouldn't dream of anything else."

With a squeal of excitement, Miko leapt onto the ex-Wreaker's servo and took her place on his armored shoulder. "See you later Jack, Doc-bot." It did not go unnoticed by Arcee that Miko had not said anything to her. Mentally she shrugged, filing the observation away for a later time. Turning back to her partner, she watched as Ratchet continued to answer Jack's questions.

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over a day. It's just as well. Your biometric readings indicate that you were far overdue for rest, even without you injuries."

"What are they going to replace Fowler's hand with?"

"Oh, they will not be replacing his hand." Ratchet began to unwind the bandages around Jack's waist. "I will."

Jack jerked in surprise, and then hissed in pain. "What? Why?"

Ratchet was silent for a minute. "Your mother has taught me much about this world that I would not have thought possibly interesting before. Your medicine, your bodies. It is far more fascinating than I initially believed" He looked Jack in the eye. "And she is a nurse, a helper of people, a preserver of life. It is a role that I too vowed to uphold. And in almost every profession, "birds of a feather stick together" as you humans say. "

He turned away. "Fowler was injured defending a friend. This is the least I can do for him."

Once again, Arcee and Jack were left speechless. As far as either of them could remember, it was the longest speech Ratchet had given without a distraction or yelling bloody murder at said distraction. It was an almost disturbing change.

Jack resumed his interrogation. "What about MECH?"

"Silas has been captured. Some of his followers escaped, but their bound to be captured soon. Silas actually made it easier for us. He secretly put trackers on all his men. Coupled with the bios of his soldiers, the human army should have them all rounded up within a few days, at most."

"And Silas himself," asked Jack, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

Ratchet hesitated before saying, "It was decided that Silas would be more secure at base."

Jack's head snapped up, but his eyes were suddenly unreadable.

Ratchet suddenly felt nervous. "It was believed that since MECH has been unable to find the base before then perhaps there will be no one looking to free Silas, since it's unlikely that anyone will want to associate with him again…" he trailed off awkwardly. Fumbling around, he seized the scanner and began running it slowly down the boy's body.

After a moment, Arcee said slowly, "He's locked up, you know. It…it shouldn't be too dangerous to see him, so long as you have an escort."

Jack looked at his robotic partner gratefully. She nodded back. There was no need for words.

Airachnid snarled as she paced the area around her berth. Her extra legs ached as the few but irritating bullets that had made and maintained contact continued to make themselves known. They were the remaining echoes of the lives she'd taken. Those officers had never stood a chance.

A whimper of pain drew her briefly from her dark brooding. She could not help but smile slightly as her optics rested on the bloody police officer hanging upside down from the ceiling. His long dark hair, free from its former ponytail hung like a shower of crow feathers around his head. His crushed leg had been cruelly pierced by a bar which hung from the rusty chains she had found.

Her smile faded back into a snarl. Her prey had evaded her claws once more, thanks to Arcee. That femme made her digits twitch and the acid well in her throat. Her mind continued to create all types of torturous scenarios to put the Autobot through. That movie series the humans called Saw was very interesting…

Turning to a wall, her sparkbeat slowed slightly as gazed lovingly at her shrine. Jack's face was strong-jawed and powerful, and his blue-grey eyes made him seem so much more than the boy in a fast-food company hat that he wore in the largest picture that adorned the wall. There were several other pictures that showed him going in and out of work, standing at his window, and going to and from school. One of her favorites was Jack without his shirt, his skin shining with sweat as he played "basketball" with his class.

Taking a smaller, close-up picture of Jack's face from the shrine, she walked back to her prisoner, taking up a piece of wire as she went. Carefully, she punctured a hole on either side of the photo and tied the wire on either side, so the picture resembled a mask.

She shoved the mask on her prisoner's face, talking to him all the while. "Do you want to live, human?"

He sobbed and nodded. Airachnid frowned. The real Jack wouldn't be like this. Oh, well.

"Beg for Arcee."

"I-I don't e-even know wh-who that is!"

Airachnid casually broke his other leg. He screamed. "Well perhaps you need your memory jogged, hmm?"

With a choking sob, the man began to speak. "H-help," he begged weakly.

A flash of metal and suddenly the man's hand was gone. He screamed and wailed. "Arcee! Help me! Please! Arcee! Anybody! HEELLPP!"

Airachnid settled back contently as the screams washed over her like music. She may have missed her prey. But she was ever the patient hunter.

Silas shifted painfully. His broken ribs were aching in the cold room. He had a feeling the air conditioning was high in this room on purpose. He was currently strapped down on an old army cot, probably so he could be treated later on when human authorities came to get him. He hadn't been fed, and his stomach growled angrily.

So much for the human-loving robots, he thought.

His door opened suddenly, and he craned his neck as much as the bonds would allow, expecting to see a small group of army soldiers ready to cart him away. Instead a smaller figure limped in. Darby.

He chuckled nastily. "Came in to get your revenge before it's too late?"

There was silence before Jack said quietly, "Then I'd be like you."

Silas howled with laughter, then abruptly cut off as his ribs twinged in pain. "Look at me boy. Do you think you could ever end up like me?"

Jack looked him in the eye, and as he did so, echoes seemed to haunt the air around him.

"No…no. I-I won't tell you. I won't!" And then there agonizing pain. The smell of burning flesh, the feel of bodily oils burning under the terrible heat…

"Anyone can change."

"But not you," the terrorist sneered. "Face it kid, as much as a soldier you want to be-you're soft. When you have to face your enemy on the battlefield, you're the kind who'll give mercy. YOU. ARE. WEAK."

Jack did not argue against Silas's declaration. Instead he gazed upon the man with what almost appeared to be pity.

Turning away, he stopped just short of the door's threshold. "You're wrong. I can change, just as I'm sure you did."

Before Silas could respond, the boy was gone. A moment later the thunder of heavy boots echoed through the hallway, and several green-clad men came through the door.

Pretty heavy handed, I think. This is part one of the ending. I hope to have the rest up by the end of the week, so I can end this story.

Read and Review, Please!