Chapter Ten: Freeloader
When I told the Prime that I wanted to switch sides, well, the thing was, I meant it. And that scared me. I lay on the berth in Wheeljack's room, thinking through the day's events, and pulled my legs closer to my chestplate when it became clear. I wanted to stay. The 'Bots made me feel cared for. And yeah, I'd been cared for on the Nemesis, but… Breakdown was gone now.
The thought brought a fresh wave of grief crashing down on me. Breakdown was gone, and Knock Out had told me not to come back. So here I'd stay. Which wasn't so bad, really. Bulkhead hadn't been hostile at all once Wheeljack got us talking. Even when Breakdown came up, he was so… so happy to reminisce about his former Amica. Now that I knew Knock Out wouldn't be willing to talk about, well, anything, really, it meant a lot that there was still someone I could open up to about it. Not that I was going to do that any time soon. I had business to take care of first. Justice to bring about, like Wheeljack said. Airachnid was still out there. I'd find her and take her out. I'd rip her to pieces like she did to Breakdown.
First, though, I'd have to get access to the Autobots' ground bridge. I was lucky Prime had let me out of my cell. I had my alt, but no weapons. But if I could get Upwash to help me…
I realized that I hadn't heard Wheeljack move in almost a breem. Showtime. My optics onlined. I eased myself off of my berth, wincing at the scrape of metal across metal. The recharging Wrecker between me and the door didn't stir. I moved slowly, placing my pedes so that the tires in my heels touched the floor first on every step to muffle the noise.
The door presented a problem. It didn't require a passcode to get out, but it would make a pretty loud sound as it opened. I glanced back at Wheeljack. He was still out. I could risk it. Hopefully he was far enough into a recharge cycle that it wouldn't wake him.
No response came from my self-proclaimed "handler" to the rumbling of the door moving up on its treads. Thank Primus. I hurried out, hunching my shoulders at the sound of it rolling back down behind me. Well, that was one potential problem averted. On to the control center!
Upwash jumped in suprise when I tapped her hip. She whirled around, wings dipping into the threatened position. "Freeloader!" she hissed. "What are you doing out here?"
"I need to use the ground bridge... please." I felt like the "please" wasn't enough to make up for my threats before, but I could explain to her later how my feelings about her betrayal had changed. For now, I just needed to get her on my side, whatever side that was. Currently, I supposed, it was the opposite of Airachnid's side. You know, 'cause I was going to offline that glitch. Speaking of which… "And I need you to deactivate my stasis cuffs the rest of the way. Also please."
The flier glared down at me. "You've got to be kidding me. You're trying to escape?" She paused. "Well, okay, it's perfectly plausible that you'd still be trying and that what you said to Prime was complete and utter slag, but why the frag are you asking me?"
"Um… because you're the one with access to what I need? And you're—"
"On probation!" She flung her servos in the air. "Freeloader, you've just barely started talking to me again as of today! And I'm guessing that was as a cover for this escape attempt! Which isn't going to work because, while you were busy scheming and lying through your denta about wanting to be an Autobot, I was being completely and utterly sincere!"
"Upwash, would you lower your voice, please?"
"Hah! As if!"
"You can berate me all you want, just do it quieter. Then hear me out," I pleaded.
"Fine." She lowered her volume. "You know what your problem is, Freeloader? You haven't spent enough time on the Nemesis to know what the Decepticons have become. You're perfectly content to think that things are the same as they were at the start of the war: that we're freedom fighters liberating our fellow Cybertronians from a corrupt system; that our leader is a wise, capable, and honorable mech who intends to lead us to victory; that we are united and loyal to one another to the very end, all of that slag. Well, we're not. Not anymore. This war isn't about the old system anymore. It's about a vendetta. Megatron's vendetta. He's going insane. I could see it happening, even from a distance, back before I was captured, and I'm sure it's only gotten worse in the time since. And between him and Starscream and Soundwave, Decepticon high command is ridiculously unstable. Everyone on that ship is doomed. And you? You've got the same chance I have. The chance to get away from that and join a side that consistently triumphs, not through numbers or supplies but through the kind of things that keep mechs online. Good leadership, capable thinkers, strong links between teammates… That's why the Autobots are going to win. And I'm going to be right here when they do."
"Right here with Ratchet?" I couldn't resist the jab.
She looked away. "Maybe. I don't know. It's not important." She crossed her arms as she refocused on me. "All right, say your piece."
I reset my vocalizer before beginning.
"Okay. First of all? I've heard all that stuff about the 'Cons already today. From Knock Out."
"What? When did you speak to—"
"Earlier. Not important. The point is that he told me. The only reason I'm here and not on the Nemesis now is that he said I shouldn't go back, since I had a shot at getting away."
Her optics cycled repeatedly in shock. "Wait, why would he—but if you could have gone—Knock Out's been looking after you for—and Breakdown, what would he—"
"Breakdown's dead."
"—what?"
The words were surprisingly easy to say now. They still hurt, but more of the pain was turning to anger each time I thought about it. "Airachnid killed him. That's why I need to get my stasis cuffs deactivated and use the ground bridge. Knock Out told me where she is. Well, roughly. Assuming she hasn't moved much since then. It's a slim chance, but it's all I've got."
"He's—she—" It was Upwash's turn to reset her vocalizer. "So you're going after her?"
"Yeah. Are you going to help me or not?"
Cue the conflicted expression. She was right to be uncertain. I mean, letting me out could get her in trouble. She seemed pretty serious about wanting to be an Autobot.
"Look," I said quietly, "I just want justice. For Breakdown. After that, I'll come back here. I promise."
"...How did she kill him?" There was a sharp edge to Upwash's whisper.
I ex-vented. "Knock Out said… He said she tore him to bits. It—it would have been painful."
Delicate servos clenched into fists. For a scout with limited weaponry and low combat capability, she looked downright dangerous.
"Hold out your servos," she ordered.
I complied. She unlocked and removed the stasis cuffs entirely before turning back to the console.
"Now, where is the murderous fragger hiding?"
"It happened in Bolivia, south of… Tarjita, Knock Out said. With an alt like hers, it's possible that she's halfway across the planet by now, but…"
"But it's your only lead. Fine. But first let me try something." She typed furiously for a moment. "If her Decepticon signal's been deactivated, it may still show up on an altered frequency. I accidentally discovered it when Ratchet and I were working to deactivate mine and looking for new energon signals at the same time." A blue dot flickered into life on the holo-screen showing a map of Earth. "There. If that's her, she hasn't moved too much. Maybe she's injured."
"Or maybe she's waiting for more victims," I muttered.
"There's only one way to find out," she replied, transforming out the blade in one of her forearms and entering a set of coordinates into the ground bridge's console. "Breakdown was my friend, too. If there's a chance we can bring down his murderer, we're sure as Pit going to take it, right?"
"Well, duh. Two against one improves our odds, anyway."
The ground bridge swirled into existence before us. I shared a look with Upwash, who raised her blade and did her best—and not very good—impression of either Optimus Prime or Megatron. I couldn't tell which.
"Transform and… Hmm. You roll out, I rise up?" she joked, attempting a grin over the cold anger radiating from her frame.
I nodded, processor too occupied with thoughts of Airachnid to return the failed banter. "Let's go."
We transformed at the same time and headed through the ground bridge.
The forest we appeared in was cloaked in darkness and silence. Tall trees loomed over us in every direction. It was the ideal hunting ground for Airachnid's dark color scheme and webbing tactics. The white parts of Upwash's plating almost glowed in the faint light from the stars above us, and my bright green paint job didn't fare much better. We were, as Upwash so eloquently articulated it—
"Slagged sitting ducks. As the humans would say." She groaned. "At least I placed us a ways from her signal. Maybe we can still sneak up on her… once the ground bridge closes."
As soon as she spoke those words, the ground bridge indeed closed, causing a thought to cross my mind. It bore repeating out loud.
"Hey, Upwash?"
"Hmm?" She seemed busy examining the organic growth around us.
"How are we going to get back to the base?"
"..."
"Oh my fragging—"
"Primus alive, Freeloader, calm down!" She paused. "I'll just call Optimus when we're done. He'll understand… I hope."
I twisted my tires back and forth, the alt equivalent of shaking my helm, while ex-venting in resignation. It was a little late to start planning this thing. "Whatever. Which way to the psychopathic spider-copter?"
"North. Follow me." Upwash took off, and I kept pace with her on the ground as she wove through the treetops.
The further we went, the more nervous I got. White strands of webbing seemed to gleam at me from every side. I had to remind myself to keep checking Upwash's position in the sky above me so I didn't get distracted. My comm link beeped at me, and I answered as I drove.
"Caught sight of her yet?"
"We're at the coordinates of her signal," the scout replied. "I can't see her, but she should be—" She cut herself off with a pained cry. I heard the clang of metal on metal first through the comm link and then from above.
"Upwash!" I yelled, turning off my comm link and transforming before leaping into the nearest tree and climbing upward in an attempt to catch sight of the aerial battle.
Upwash's biplane alt wasn't suited for a dogfight in the tree canopy, that was for sure. She wasn't doing a great job evading the treetops, and she couldn't pull up into the open air without making herself an easier target. Airachnid was hard to spot until I realized that she wasn't using her helicopter alt. She'd folded into spider mode and was jumping from tree to tree, shooting energon blasts and webbing at Upwash.
I reached into my subspace and pulled out the acid pellet gun I kept for ranged combat in place of having blaster mods installed.
"Hope this burns, you glitch," I muttered.
The first pellet flew wide and hit the next tree over from Airachnid's current perch. She didn't seem to notice me, though, and continued her branch-hopping pursuit of the flier. I lined up my next shot and squeezed the trigger again. This time, it splattered over her flank and made the metal there bubble and steam.
Airachnid whirled around. Instead of looking angry when she saw me, her expression positively radiated self-satisfaction.
"Look who's come to join the Ex-Con reunion," she drawled. "Freeloader, isn't it?"
I shot again. She dodged it by jumping to the tree beside mine, still talking, her optics bright with amusement.
"You're Soundwave's little saboteur! Or you were, I suppose, if you've been hanging around with Washout here. Dear, dear, what would Breakdown think of that?"
"Don't say his name," I growled, firing another shot. This one caught one of her spare legs. She hissed in pain and shook away the acid that hadn't gotten into her plating right away.
"You know, he was so upset when word got back that the Autobots had captured his little protegé. I rather think he was stepping on Soundwave's pedes for a while there in his attempts to find you, but that's all in the past now, isn't it?" Her voice was sickly sweet. She knew we knew what she had done, and she was proud. The spider-mech opened her mouth to keep going, but a white blur crashed into her from the side while her attention was on me.
"Shut the frag up, you demented trophy-hunter!" Upwash transformed to her root mode mid-tackle, and they crashed down through the tree branches. Her blade was out, and she slashed at the mech beneath her as they fell.
I slid down the trunk of my tree as quickly as I could manage. The two had separated when I got to the ground, and they were circling one another from opposite sides of a clearing, gazes locked.
Upwash charged just as I transformed out my servo blades and took a stance. She swung at Airachnid, who twisted out of the way and snagged a bit of webbing on one of the flier's wings. The strip wrapped around Upwash's chest, pinning her arms and wings to her sides before she could react. She struggled, but the webs kept coming until she was thoroughly cocooned. That fragger was fast. I leapt at Airachnid, snarling. The spider-mech caught hold of my servo and used my momentum against me in order to throw me to the ground. She looped a ropy strand of webbing around Upwash, and, suddenly, the scout was hanging upside down from a branch.
I pushed myself back up on my pedes. Airachnid grinned at me.
"My, my, aren't you a glutton for punishment. But you'll have to catch me if you really want it!" She took off through the trees with a lilting laugh that scraped at my audials. I ran after her, ignoring Upwash's stifled yells behind me.
Airachnid twisted back and met me head-on before we'd gone a mile. "Why, Freeloader, what have I ever done to you to be met with such vehemence?"
"Smelt you," I hissed. "You know fragging well what you've done."
"Such language!" She slashed at me in a lazy fashion with one spindly leg. "But you know, memory fails me. You'll have to be more specific."
I grabbed the leg and dug my servo blade into it. She hissed in pain and pulled it back towards her, bringing me with it. I let go just as I reached her, and the force of the pull slid me between her legs to stand up behind her. Fine, I'd play her little game, just so it was obvious exactly why I was going to tear her up until only scrap metal remained.
"You killed him." I stuck my blade into another of her legs and dragged my servo down, rending the metal with a loud screech. Airachnid kicked out at me. I dodged, and she rotated herself to face me again.
"Oh, Breakdown. Of course. And that bothers you, little saboteur? What a strange Decepticon you are. Infighting is infighting, after all." She hooked an arm around my neck and pulled me in so that her mouth was by my audial. "Would you like to hear something amusing?" she whispered.
I kicked at her, pushing off her midsection until she had to let me go, but she slashed at me as I fell, leaving a long gash across my back plating. A pained grunt escaped me. I scrabbled at the ground to drag myself out of her reach, but she scooped me up with two of her legs and tossed me against a tree.
"I suppose I'll tell you anyway. It's a lovely irony."
Energon. Energon everywhere. How deep had she cut me? I managed to get back on my pedes just in time for the scorching pain of a shot from her blasters to wash over my shoulder. And she kept talking as she got closer.
"He did exactly what you've done, little saboteur. He foolishly left his backup webbed to a tree and followed me to his dismemberment like... oh, what's that human term I found so clever? Right: a sheep to the slaughter."
She was looming over me now, and I almost offlined from the pain when she stabbed the pointed end of a leg through a gap in my armor to the tank below. Energon sprayed from the wound, glowing pink across her dark armor. She laughed again.
"I can't decide which method of offlining I like better," she said conversationally, ripping a plate from my arm and examining the energon dripping over her servo. "With Breakdown, I caught him in a bit of webbing and took him apart. I may have set a new record for speed. It was very fast, but no less painful, I should think. His screaming certainly gave that impression."
Another stab, this one tearing through my chestplate, missing my spark chamber by only a small distance. I screamed static.
"Yes, rather like that. Lovely sound. Anyway, in your case, I'm more in favor of letting the energon drain from your body. There's a kind of poetry to it: the siphoner becoming the siphoned."
Primus, no. Don't let it end here. Not like this. "I have—"
"What was that, Freeloader?"
I realized the last bit had been said aloud, coughed through the energon flooding my intake from the wrong direction.
"—I have—"
"I'm listening, sweetspark. Have you come up with some last words?"
"—I have—" I have to tell Breakdown I'm sorry I couldn't avenge him. I have to tell Knock Out he was right. I have to tell Upwash she deserves to be happy. I have to tell Wheeljack I'm sorry for—
An explosion lit up the night. Airachnid's weight disappeared from my frame. I heard someone speak, low and threatening.
"Get out of here while offlining you is my lowest priority." The sound of a heavy body skittering away reached my audials.
My vision was getting blurry as energon loss shut down my body, but the white paint and audial fins that came into view above me made my spark leap in recognition. I was lifted into the air and held against a warm chestplate. Warm… My cooling frame instinctively curled closer to the source of warmth.
"I got you." The voice from earlier rumbled through my chassis. "You're gonna be fine, short stuff. You're gonna be fine."
