A/N: Since I was gone for four days, I've decided to update Rising. EroSlackerMicha: The group Jack will encounter are not TMNT. They are from the 2003 series, but that's all I can tell you. I'm glad you all like the emotion in the last chapter. Just saw "Flying Mind" and it was awesome.

Chapter 17

The alarm in the Autobot base blared, indicating something was happening at med bay. Everyone emerged from their quarters and looked around. They gathered the humans and ran towards med bay, where Arcee's dying body lay. After locating Jack, who had gone after the latest Iacon relic on his own, Arcee was gravely injured by the Requiem Blaster. Despite Ratchet's efforts, the femme's fate was sealed; she would die.

All night, everyone thought about how much this war had affected Arcee. She had lost two partners to Starscream and Airachnid, she lost her sister, Elita-1, and was separated from her other sister, Chromia, during the Exodus, only to wind up on Earth. She had found emotional solace in Jack, who she allowed closer to her spark than anyone. And thanks to the Liege Maximo, their bond was broken and the femme lay in med bay, dying. Sure enough, it was Maximo's fault, but Jack was to blame as well (at least according to the 'Bots).

He allowed his anger to control him and berated the 'Bots and hurt Arcee. As far the 'Bots, save Optimus, were concerned, Arcee's impending death was Jack's fault. After he disappeared into the deeper parts of the base, the other went on tirades about Jack's "betrayal". Ratchet had stated this was the reason why they should not have been helping humans. Bumblebee beeped angrily about how they should just leave Earth and never return.

Bulkhead was the worst of them all; he was always quick to anger and dangerous when he reached certain levels. Jack had "poked the bear" when he struck Miko, told off the 'Bots and got Arcee hurt. The Wrecker roared for hours about how he would reduce the human a smear on the wall. Optimus calmed him after seeing the hurt and fear in Miko's eyes. The young girl had never seen Bulkhead so angry and was frightened to even talk to him.

Even worse, the events of the night had reduced June to an emotional wreck; the Prime found her sobbing for hours about where she had gone wrong. She had been staying Optimus' quarters since then, apologizing over and over for their impending loss. Now, they were on their way to med bay, the Prime hoping that something had happened and Arcee's condition had changed. When they arrived, they were shocked at what they found.

Lying on top of Arcee's prone body was a young human female, curled up like a ball. She had dark blue hair with pink highlights in them. Her hair stopped down the nape of her neck. She was dressed in black jeans that hugged her thighs and a long-sleeved blue shirt. Her skin was a creamy pale, complementing her pink lips.

She opened her eyes, revealing them to an electric blue and turned her attention towards the 'Bots. Optimus stepped forward, "How did you get in here? Please identify yourself."

The woman cocked her head for a moment before speaking, "Optimus, what are you talking about? It's me, Arcee."

Everyone's eyes and optics widened, Ratchet regaining his composure first, "That's not possible. I don't know what game you're playing, but it ends here."

"I'm not playing any 'game'." She frowned. "I'm Arcee. Don't you guys recognize a femme when you see one?"

"But Arcee's not human?" Raf blurted out. The female gave him a confused look before she scanned the room for the first time. Her eyes landed on the body beneath her and she looked surprised.

"What in the AllSpark?" she gasped.

"I believe we can explain," the voice Prima cut in as the 'Bots found themselves in the Thirteen's dimension yet again. "We know all too well the feeling of losing a sister to the Requiem Blaster, so I dispatched Zangetsu to ensure that Arcee survived. You can now repair her body while she remains in this body. If it is to your liking, you may keep it and use it to conserve energon."

"What are you talking about?" she scratched her head, trying to remember how she got like this. Memories from hours ago flooded her mind; she remembered when Jack became angry and yelled at her, her going after him when she learned his location and then blackness. She didn't know how long she was there, but suddenly, a calming energy filled her and she awoke to news that she was now human.

"To ensure your survival, I had Zangetsu look for a solution. Though this was not what I had envisioned." Prima turned to his brother.

"When Jack had come to visit her, I saw it as an opportunity to transfer her spark into a new protoform. Jack was the last person to have physical contact with her, so I utilized the human DNA and adapted it to the protoform and thus, here you stand."

"Zangetsu," Optimus smiled. "Thank you for saving the life of one our own. We are in you debt."

"You needn't thank us," Solus replied. "It was because of Liege Maximo that this all happened. We sense you anger and frustration at Jack, but know that he is not to blame for what has transpired as we have already explained."

"That still does not change the fact that he played a role in it all," Ratchet seethed.

"Tell me," Alchemist Prime spoke. "Were you this hard on the scout when he revived Megatron?"

"That was different!" the medic replied. "Bumblebee's mind had been taken over!"

"As was Jack's," Nexus said. "While he was in complete control of his body, his actions were dictated by another. You must not blame him for your setback."

"Where is Jack?" Arcee asked.

"He ran off after Bulkhead screamed at him," Miko said. The now human femme sent a glare towards Bulkhead before pressing her fingers to her temple, "Jack? Hello? Is this thing on?"

"I do not believe your new body is equipped with a communicator Arcee," Optimus stated. He placed his fingers on his temple and dialed Jack's number. After a few minutes, Optimus' expression turned grim. "It seems that we are unable to locate Jack or he does not want us to find him."

ShadowStrike Rising

(A few weeks later)

It had been weeks since Jack's departure from the Autobot base and the young man had taken refuge in a forest. He sported stubble on his face from lack of shaving and his clothes were tattered. All he carried was the sword given to him by the Thirteen, not that it held meaning anymore. He had learned to block out the Thirteen, which seemed to hide his location as no one had come to retrieve (not that he was expecting anyone). Jack sat inside of a large tree, often feeding on whatever he could to survive.

All the while, Jack's thoughts shifted to Arcee, his lost partner. Because of him, she was dead and now the Autobots hated him (though not as much as he hated himself at the moment). He remembered visiting her on her deathbed and placing a kiss on her metal lips. Though they would normally be cold anyway, Jack could feel no warmth in them. Arcee was truly gone and he was to blame.

Now, nothing mattered; not the 'Bots, the 'Cons, or their war. Not the Primes or their relics. Not even his friends and mother; they had all probably disowned him by now anyway. Jack had nothing and he felt like less than nothing. His thoughts shifted to the Shredder.

The man seemed to have some kind of plan that involved him, but that no longer concerned Jack. The man could be planning to destroy him and all Jack would do is get on his knees and make it easier. Suddenly, a noise caught his attention. He emerged from the tree and looked around. The sun was in the middle of the sky, allowing him to see everything around him.

His senses were still heightened, so he could hear the quick pitter patter of footsteps moving quickly through the grass. His eyes darted around as he gripped his sword. Several bandits had made attempts to steal the blade, but Jack cut them down as they came. In truth, he was saving them from becoming the Primes' puppet like he was. He kept his guard up as he gripped the blade tighter, "Who's there?"

Silence was all that he was met with, the sound of footsteps moving quickly through grass the only noise in the area. Before he could react, he was knocked to the ground. Jack quickly regained himself, only to be met with a kick to the face. He fell to the ground and quickly regained himself again. He looked to find himself surrounded by four figures, each looking eerily familiar.

Before him appeared four Shredders, each a different color; their armor was more streamlined, the shoulders, gauntlets, and legs lacking blades. Their helmets each brandished the trident like ornament and around their waist were sashes. Two to the right both had blue armor, though one was a lighter shade. Other two were green and orange.

"Who are you?" Jack stared at the figures, his grip on his blade tightening.

"Put down your weapon," one of them said. "If we had come to kill you, then you would have been obliterated."

ShadowStrike Rising

A/N: Sorry if it seems a little short. Next time: Who are these mysterious people Jack has encountered and what is their connection to the Shredder?