Chapter 5
Airachnid stood easily atop one of the few buildings on the island waiting for the Autobot to arrive. The human girl had fallen asleep from exhaustion after complaining for several hours about the need to purge her tanks. She didn't have much physical stamina the femme thought critically, but her spirit appeared unquenchable. It would make it all the more satisfying when she finally broke the child.
The green swirl of a groundbridge portal opened on the beach about half a mile off. Airachnid focused on the sleek blue form that leapt through the event horizon. Almost before she had landed on the sandy soil a wave of earth erupted and threw the Autobot femme onto her back. The spider-bot smirked as Arcee staggered to the side triggering several low level electro-magnetic pulse devices. Airachnid had not been idle in the months she had been trapped on this world. It was amazing the number of powerful weapons that the humans just left lying around, mostly underground, especially on these backwater little islands. She wasn't even sure if she could call most of her acquisitions stolen. It was as if someone had been in the middle of a war and them just walked off and left it.
Her revere was broken by the light of the rising sun striking the roof where she perched. The golden rays would soon strike her obsidian hide and reveal her location to the searching
Autobot. Moving stealthily the spider bot slipped down the side of the structure and made for the water. She paused at the edge of the surf to refill the nutrient sac for her pet and then leapt high into the pale morning light. She dove into the waves at an angle. The long spindly, spider legs transformed into a set of blades and began spinning. Within moments she leapt out of the surf on to the smaller island of Enyu.
Arcee would find them. Sooner rather than later no doubt, but she would be weakened from running the gauntlet of traps the ex-Decepticon has set for her. The femme strolled along the water line as she waited.
"Now what to do with the time I have?" Airachnid mused out loud. She turned her attention to the rounded pod of her thorax. "So my scrappy little cyber-cat," she purred, "are you ready for another day of training?"
"First item on the agenda; from this moment forth you will call me Mistress Airachnid and I shall call you Starlight; a fitting name for such a bright pet."
"Oh, like the pit I will!" the human snarled."My name is Miko and I'll call you freak or creeper or whatever I want!"
"Really," Airachnid leaned over her face smirking, "is that your final answer?"
The diminutive human only hissed at her defiantly.
"Last chance Starlight."
"It's Miko you freak. I am not your pet! Aghhh!" The girl's muscles tried to arch as a flow of energon laced over her body but the webbing held her immobile. The forced stillness seemed to make the pain even worse. The child went limp whimpering softly.
"Starlight?"
"Creeper," came the weak but defiant whisper.
A satisfied smile passed over the grey faceplates as the black and gold femme sent another pulse of energon through the girl. This was going to be fun.
"Oh but wait," Airachnid gasped out dramatically, tinting her voice with regret. "How could I be so selfish? I must remember to share this moment."
Through the pain Miko wondered what she was talking about, but another wave of agony stole the thought.
"Airachnid!"
The spider bot twitched at the rage filled voice. She hadn't expected the Autobot to run the gauntlet so fast, but the distraction was not entirely unwelcome. Starlight was proving to be more difficult than she had predicted to break. Hours later and the human had yet to let the word Mistress cross her lips. To complicate matters the child's physical weakness meant half the time had been spent pumping stimulants into her to keep her alert enough to actually feel the pain. So it was with some relish that the spider-bot turned from playing with her new toy to face the approaching Autobot.
"Arcee, you made it. I was thinking you forgot about our little appointment."
"Shut the pit up! Where's Miko?"
"Who?"
"Don't play games! Where is the girl?"
"Oh, the human," Airachnid said with a smirk. "You must mean my pet Starlight. Don't worry. She's safe."
The femme patted her round sparkling chamber and Arcee felt her spark lurch. With Miko within the femme the Autobot warrior would have to hold back, further diminishing her chances against the Ex-Decepticon. Airachnid gave a knowing laugh as she began to circle.
"Now if you want the little organic to live I'd suggest putting these on."
The spider-bot tossed a set of stasis cuffs at the Autobot's peds.
"I'm certain you know what to do with them."
Slowly, furiously, the blue femme bent to pick up the cuffs. She was about to attach them when a weak voice called out.
"It. Is. Miko. You. Freak!"
Arcee glanced up sharply, relief flooding her at this sign that the girl was still alive; alive and fighting.
""Silence Starlight!" Airachnid snapped.
The Autobot watched in horror as the black and gold femme sent a wave of pulsing energon along her thorax. The capability had been designed to provide for the needs of the growing sparkling. To see the demented femme using that near sacred ability as a torture device made the Autobot's energon lines twist. This time there was no scream, just a gasp, then nothing. A funny look crossed Airachnid's faceplates and she glanced at the round chamber in surprise.
"Whoops," she said with a careless shrug of her shoulders, voice tinted with casual disappointment. "I guess that last one was a little too much. Feels like that central pump stopped. " Gears whirring she ejected the cocooned form from her chassis. "Ah well, better luck next time. Good thing I recorded her screams to remember her by."
"No!" Arcee gasped out.
"Oh, don't worry Arcee," the spider-bot smirked at her. "You'll be joining her soon enough."