Jack sat and watched as Miko and Raff stood, Optimus still hadn't told them the news, he'd told the other Autobots about Jack's death but that was it.
Right now they were focusing on finding Arcee, and they would find her.
Jack would find her, he'd bring her home…and then what? What happens after this crisis is averted? Did he just continue?
Of course he did, he was Riptide now. At least until Sasha or Silas revealed his secret to the Autobots…wait. Sasha knew his secret, did that mean that Megatron knew it as well?
Oh I am fragged…I am fragged to Primus and back…
Optimus watched Riptide carefully, he knew the mech was hiding something but he just didn't know what. Riptide watched the humans with sadness, maybe because they were blissfully ignorant of Jack's fate, or maybe for some other reason he just didn't know.
"I don't trust him" Bulkhead muttered and Bumblebee had nodded in agreement.
"We need to give him a chance, he's done nothing wrong" Ratchet grunted in response, scanning once more for Arcee's signal or a decepticon signal.
"That we know of" Bulkhead muttered and Bumblebee chirped in agreement.
"No, I trust Riptide…whatever it is he hides…he will tell us in time" Optimus scorned them and Bulkhead grumbled something.
They had all been foul tempered of late, Jack was gone, and they were all dreading telling Arcee, and June, and everyone. Bumblebee had locked himself into his room for an hour before feeling ready to come out, he had to stay strong for Raf.
Bulkhead had just stood silently for a while, waiting for his allocated time to go pick up Miko, Ratchet had just continued on the search for Arcee.
Optimus had continued as normal, though every one of the bots knew he was hurting the most. Jack had become something of a son to Optimus, and Optimus had already lost his children once, now he was losing his son.
"Optimus, I have a signal" Ratchet called and he turned, noting that Riptide's head snapped up when the medic spoke, clearly interested.
"Arcee?" He asked simply and Ratchet nodded and frowned at the signal.
"It's weak, not moving either…" He muttered letting the sentence drag off, and Optimus frowned turning to the Autobots.
"Ratchet, Riptide and Bumblebee come with me, Bulkhead stay here" Optimus ordered and Bulkhead gawped at him for a moment before nodded.
"Autobots, roll out"
Arcee ached, her whole body screamed at her. Energon was leaking from every joint, even places that she didn't know had energon. Her legs wouldn't move, though she suspected that was to do with the fact they were lying a few feet from her, connected to her body by a single energon line.
Megatron was talking discretely behind her to Arachnid and the femme called Rosestorm was watching her with bright, horrifying violet coloured optics. Arcee's fingers were clenched together, gripping the sand and then releasing it, so it poured between her fingers and back onto the ground.
"Arcee…you're the Autobot that protected Jack aren't you?" Rosestorm asked crouching down in front of her and Arcee wanted to reply, but she didn't have the strength.
I still protect him…I will always protect him…
"I have a secret to tell you, my real name is Sasha…I'm seventeen years old and I'm in Jack's general studies class" She told the Autobot sitting and running her fingers through the sand.
Megatron was watching her, but said nothing…if anything he looked almost gleeful at the femmes actions.
Liar…
"Jack is dead sweetheart" She grinned and Arcee blinked, the words didn't quite make sense…dead? What…what the pit did that mean?
"They call him Riptide now, he's with the Autobots, but he and I are two of a kind. He will come to me, or I will come to him…it does not matter" She grinned at her and lifted her head, holding her chin between her thumb and forefinger.
"We are two sides of the same coin, he is the light and I am the dark. One cannot exist without the other…remember that when you recover darling. You want him you have to live with me" She smirked, Rosestorm was enjoying this, tormenting the femme with a secret very few knew.
Jack is alive.
"Oh, looks like your ticket home has arrived, oh and there's my precious Riptide…" She stood and grinned over at the four Autobots, saving an especially wide grin for Riptide.
"Figured it out yet Riptide?" She asked him but he didn't reply, he merely continued to glare at her.
Optimus didn't even want to look at the mangled form of Arcee, and he could feel anger radiating off the other Autobots…but mostly from Riptide, even though he had never met or even scene Arcee before he seemed to be the most furious at her condition.
"Give Arcee to us and you may leave unscathed" Optimus offered her and she grinned and looked down at Arcee, before kicking her in the face.
"That does it" Riptide snarled and shot towards Rosestorm, but her grin just grew and she ran to the side to lead Riptide away from the other Autobots.
"Bumblebee, go after him" Optimus ordered his scout who chirped and then sped after the lithe mech.
"Well Optimus, it seems as though I have the upper hand" Megatron smirked and Optimus glared at him and charged.
Jack shot after Rosestorm snarling as he ran. No one did that to Arcee, she was like an older sister to him, and he would die before he allowed anyone, human or otherwise, to harm her.
"Come on Riptide! Your supposed to be fast!" Rosestorm laughed as he lunged and grabbed her shoulder, pushing her down onto the ground.
"Why are you doing this! What did I do to you?" He demanded angrily and she grinned at him.
"Nothing, you didn't have to do anything. We are one…our sparks are eternally connected" She told him in a soft, somewhat soothing voice.
"Maybe we are, but I am nothing like you, Sasha" He hissed her name and she snarled at him.
"We are so alike, Jack" She hissed in response and then grinned gleefully.
"Oh, oh this is sweet" She laughed and Jack span, and came face to face with a wide eyed Bumblebee.
"Cats out of the bag"
Hey! Have a chapter peeps! This took a big long to write but I quite like the way it turned out. I realised the last chapter or two had no Arcee, so here she is! Back and…sort of okay?
Lionfire, huh…never looked at it that way, but now you've pointed it out I can't help but see this image of Jack with a beard…
Foxbear, huge affect, ma-hoosive! But not yet, haha.
JazzGirl221, Ah, the predicament with the corpses will be explained, I promise! I have it ready for a later chapter so all will be explained!
Read and Review guys.
Tulip Out.
