Hey, it's been a while. I apologize for the long wait; a lot of stuff has happened. First, my family came to visit for a couple weeks, and I wasn't able to write much while they were here. Also, writers block hit me like a truck with this chapter. I don't know why, but for like two weeks, I couldn't seems to write anything. I did it though. We are here. Its a little shorter than my usual chapters, but its an exciting one at least :D

Please note: I do not own Transformers. I do, however, have my own OC's which I have inserted into the story. My OC's include Reese Shields and Chase Sanders. Electra Belongs to my sister.

25. From Bad to Worse

This chapter sort of corresponds to the episode "Hurt"

Numerous sensations assaulted Reese's senses as she woke up from her post-arctic nap. First, was the burning sensation in her arms and legs. She was pretty certain that metal couldn't get frostbite, but this was probably the closest cybertronian equivalent. Still, the burning and tingling was a welcome change to the numbness she had felt before.

The second thing she noticed was a heavy weight on her chest. She cracked her eyes open enough to see a large patch attached to her chest. She was still in her cyberform, which meant this was likely the patch used for defrosting.

The third and most concerning sensation she noticed was the sound of life support systems and hushed anxious voices. She strained to hear what was being said, but it was difficult to distinguish anything of substance.

She grunted as she tried to shift into a more comfortable position. The patch on her chest made it a little difficult to move. As she moved, she felt a hand gently land on her shoulder. She turned to see that it belonged to BlueStreak's holoform.

"Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, actually. My arms and legs burn a little bit, but otherwise I feel fine."

"That's good! I was a little worried we may not have gotten you and Chase warmed up in time, but Ratchet said you two would make a quick recovery," BlueStreak patted Reese's arm.

"Where is Chase?" Reese looked around, spotting an empty gurney next to her.

"He's already up and about. I told Ratchet I would stay with you until you woke up. His attention is a little preoccupied with Bulkhead."

"What happened to Bulk?" Reese's eyes widened. She tried to peer past BlueStreak to see further into the medbay, but he leaned forward to block her view.

"He's in bad shape. Apparently, the relic he came across was Tox-En, an extremely toxic form of energon. It caused internal system failures throughout his body, and then he was attacked. Ratchet can't perform surgery until Bulkhead has gained a little more strength, which could be a while. In the meantime, he has had to induce stasis. So far, Bulkhead is stable, but not even Ratchet is certain if he will fully recover."

"No," Reese gasped, covering her mouth. "How is Miko taking this?"

"Not so great. She stormed out a while ago. Agent Fowler took her home."

"That's probably for the best. I can't imagine that sitting around, seeing Bulkhead in such a state, was doing her any good."

"Yea… another bot named Wheeljack came by too, but he didn't stick around long. I have a bad feeling he is probably going to do something reckless."

"Probably. He and Bulkhead are like brothers. From what I know about Wheeljack, he is probably trying to get revenge on whoever attacked Bulk."

"Sure seemed that way… Well, at least you and Chase are okay. That's one bright side to all of this. Oh, and we have access to the rest of the Iacon database now. Apparently Ratchet and Rafael made a virus and uploaded it into Soundwave's drone.

"Hey, that's great! Now Optimus can decode it! Speaking of Optimus, was he able to get the relic?"

"Unfortunately, no. Somehow, Starscream got his claws on it and escaped with it. Optimus said it was some kind of armour. It's a shame really… our team sure could use a relic like that."

"You win some and you lose some I guess…"

"It sure seems like we are losing more than we are winning though," Bluestreak sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly.

"Yea, it's like the universe has it out for us," Reese mumbled. "

"Well, Let's try not to dwell on it too much. Surely our luck has to turn around at some point. In the meantime, now that you are awake, I guess I can unhook you from the defroster," BlueStreak leaned over and pressed a few buttons on the machine, then turned to unhook the patch from Reese's chest.

"Thanks," Reese rubbed her chest idly where the patch had been.

"Don't mention it. Feel free to get up and move around, if you feel strong enough for it. I would probably stay out of the medbay, though. Ratchet is pretty hesitant for anyone to get too close to Bulkhead right now."

"Makes sense…" Reese swung her legs over the side of the gurney and eased her weight onto them. The burning and stinging intensified a little, but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't walk.

"If you want, I think the kids are watching a movie in the other room. They would probably appreciate the company. Chase is already in there with them."

"I don't know that I'm up to being around the kids right now… To be honest, I think I need to just go for a nice long drive… alone."

"Bumblebee or I could take you for a drive if you want," BlueStreak offered.

"Thanks, but it just wouldn't be the same. I want to be in control… There isn't a whole lot that I can control right now, but driving a car is one thing that I can do. It's something I find really cathartic. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to go for a proper drive since I started living here at the base…"

"I see. Well, I can respect that. Perhaps I can see if Agent Fowler will let you borrow his car for a bit."

"No good, I'm pretty sure his car is still at the bottom of a ravine. It got pushed off a bridge during one of our run-ins with Nemesis Prime."

"Oh, you mean the clone that MECH built? I heard about that. Well, apparently Fowler got his car back somehow, because I saw it parked in the vehicle bay close to the exit tunnel."

"Huh, that's news to me. Well, that definitely would work, that is, if Agent Fowler is willing to let me borrow it."

"Why don't you ask him? He left for a meeting with the pentagon a while ago, but he said he would keep his phone on in case we needed to contact him."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't want to bother him if he is in a busy meeting."

"Could always text him. If he can't answer now, he will when he gets a free moment."

"That's true…"

"Alright, now why don't you skedaddle out of here before Ratchet blows a gasket."

"Okay, but what about you?"

"I'm leaving too. I asked Ratchet for some datapads on Cybertronian medicine. It's about time we had someone else on the team who could do more than general first aid. Ratchet agreed, so he has instructed me to read these. There's a lot of information to get through here, so I'm probably going to be in my quarters for a while." BlueStreak lifted a stack of datapads off the table.

"I'm sure that Ratchet will appreciate all the help he can get. Alright, I will leave you to your reading then," Reese nodded and walked out of the med bay. Her arms and legs felt like lead, but she pressed forward anyways. She was careful to be quiet as she made her way to her room. She didn't want to attract the attention of the kids.

Once she had safely arrived at her room, she sat down on the bed and pulled out her phone. She sent a quick text to Agent Fowler, asking to borrow his car, then laid down to await his response. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling while a tumult of thoughts swirled in her head.

"It's not fair…" she muttered, squinting angrily at the ceiling. "Everywhere we turn, we are outnumbered. Why is the enemy always so much stronger? Not only is our team small, but with Bulkhead down, we are at an even greater disadvantage. I wish there was something I could do… If I were stronger… If I could help fight… would it make a difference? Surely anything would be better than the situation we are in right now…" She trailed off. A ding from her phone interrupted her quiet monologue. It was Agent Fowler.

"Hey Reese, sure you can borrow my car. I think I left the keys in the glovebox. I should warn you though, the engine has been a little finicky since the fall. If it stalls on you, just let it sit for a few minutes. Once it has had a chance to cool down, it should start right back up."

"Thanks Agent Fowler," Reese quickly texted back as she got up and headed towards the vehicle bay.

Lo and behold, Fowler's little sedan was parked in the back corner of the bay. The room had probably been where all the humvees were parked when the base belonged to the military, but now it only served as a place for Fowler and June to park their cars when they came to visit.

Reese made her way over to the unlocked car and climbed in. She rooted around in the glovebox until she finally found the keys hiding among scraps of paper and old candy wrappers. She put the key into the ignition and turned it. The engine sputtered a couple times before finally turning over.

"I'll keep the drive short. No need to overexert this car's poor engine." She mumbled as she pulled out of the vehicle bay and into the exit tunnel. "Just a leisurely drive into Jasper and back should be enough to clear my head. Maybe I can pick up some soda while I'm out."

She pulled the car out onto the road that led into Jasper, and let her mind go into autopilot. Something about just getting out on the open road was relaxing to her. It was already evening, so traffic was pretty light, and she could just let her mind wander. She rolled down the windows and let the breeze blow through her hair.

In the rearview, she noticed some rain clouds gathering on the horizon. The smell of rain hung in the air, and there was a cool dampness to the breeze. "Looks like we will be getting some rain tonight. It's about time. We haven't had rain in over a month," She breathed in deeply. "I love the smell of rain."

She pulled up to the convenience store along the side of the road. "Might as well pick up those drinks and head back. Wouldn't want to get caught in the rain." She climbed out and headed into the store.

"Good evening, Ma'am. Sure looks like we are gonna get some rain, don't it?" The man behind the counter greeted Reese as she stepped inside.

"Yea, it will be a nice change of pace."

"Indeed. Well, just let me know if there is anything I can help you with."

"Thanks," Reese smiled and nodded. She headed towards the aisle with the soft drinks and picked up a case of cola off the shelf. She also grabbed a box of popcorn and some mm's before heading up to the register.

"This everything?" The man asked, shooting Reese a slightly wary glance as he eyed the enhancements on her arms.

"Yep," Reese nodded, pulling her wallet out of her bag.

"Alright, your total is $8.50… Uh… maybe this is rude to ask, but what's all that metal stuff on your arms?"

"It's uh… it's a long story," Reese glanced at the floor awkwardly as she handed the man her card, which he took hesitantly.

"I'm sorry. It's just not everyday you see someone with robotic arms, you know?"

"It's fine. I was in an accident, that's all."

"Oh, I see," the man awkwardly nodded and ran the debit card through the scanner. Reese was about to reach for the card back when her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. It was Chase. She pressed answer and carefully balanced the phone against her ear with her shoulder. "Hey Chase, what's up?"

"Reese, where did you go? I went to check on you in the med bay, but you were gone. Ratchet said you left a while ago."

"Oh, sorry. I borrowed Agent Fowler's car to go for a little drive. I will be on my way back soon."

"Ma'am, here's your card back, and your groceries," The man at the register handed Reese her items.

"Thanks," Reese gratefully took her things and gave a brief smile as she walked towards the exit.

"Are you at the store?" Chase asked.

"Just leaving. I thought I would pick up some drinks and snacks while I was out."

"Gotcha. Well, I'm glad you're alright. I was really worried about you, you know. We all were."

"I know, and I'm sorry for worrying you. I will see you in a little bit, alright? I gotta drive now."

"Alright, see you when you get back…"

Click

Reese shoved her phone back into her back pocket and climbed into the car. She put the groceries in the backseat and stuck the key in the ignition. Once again, it took two or three tries before the engine would turn over, and when it finally did, it sputtered a little.

"That's probably not good. Let's get you back before you decide to give out on me," She patted the dash gently, before pulling the car back out onto the main road. As she drove, raindrops sprinkled onto the windshield. "Looks like I didn't beat the rain after all," she sighed. "Well, that's okay, a little rain never hurt anybody."

The raindrops that pitter-pattered against the windshield grew steadily in number as Reese drove. Soon, it was a complete downpour, and she had to turn the windshield wipers to the highest setting just to see the road clearly. "Goodness, that picked up quickly."

Then, the engine stalled. A rattling sound came from the engine, followed by silence. It had completely died. "Scrap," Reese sighed, turning the key and pulling it out of the ignition. "Fowler said this might happen. He said to let it sit for a minute. Might call the base and let them know I'll be delayed getting back." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed the base.

"Cannot complete the call. Please try again later."

"That's odd…" She mumbled, hanging up. Instead, she tried to call Chase.

"Cannot complete the call. Please try again later."

"Dangit, I don't have any cell reception. I must have hit a dead zone. I know there are a couple along this road," Reese groaned. "Well, here's hoping the car starts back up." She stuck the key back in the ignition and turned it. A loud cranking sound came from the ignition. She tried again and got the same reaction. On her third try, a loud sound came from the engine, and thin tendrils of smoke came rolling out from under the hood. "Uh oh, that can't be good." Her eyes widened at the sight of the smoke.

She climbed out of the car and closed the door behind her so the interior of Fowler's car wouldn't get soaked. She made her way over to the front of the car and lifted up the hood. Wafting away the smoke, she tried to get a closer look at the engine, but it was difficult to see anything with it raining so hard. Not to mention, it had gotten pretty dark too, and she didn't have a flashlight. The fact that there was smoke, though, probably meant that the car wasn't going to start up again anytime soon.

"Now how am I going to get home?" Reese sighed as she made her way back to the driver's side. She pulled on the door handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Don't tell me…" She peered into the windows and her heart sank. She had locked herself out of the car. "SCRAP!" She slammed her hand onto the roof of the car, leaving a small dent. Oops.

She ran her hand down her face. This little drive was turning into a big pain in the neck. By now, her clothes were soaked, and they clung to her body uncomfortably. She reached for her phone again, only to remember that it was still inside the car. "This day couldn't get any worse."

Big mistake. Never, under any circumstances, challenge Murphy's Law(1).

Her energon cloaking device sparked a couple times as it short circuited. "Ow ow ow," Reese grit her teeth as she ripped the device off her wrist. "That's not supposed to happen!"

She carefully inspected the device to see that it had several cracks in it. Enough for rain to get in and mess up the inner components. "Slag, it must have gotten damaged in the arctic. I can't take this anymore. If one more bad thing happens, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Universe: Challenge accepted.

On the Nemesis, Soundwave closely monitored all sensors and frequencies, as always. His long, thin digits danced across the control panel as he searched for anything out of the ordinary. As he did so, a unique energon signature appeared on the screen. He turned and beaconed Megatron to come see.

"What is it, Soundwave?"

Soundwave pointed to the anomalous signature.

"Ah, so it has appeared again. First it showed up in the arctic, and now it shows up here. Do you have any idea what could create such a signature?"

Soundwave shook his head.

"Perhaps our medic might know. Fetch Knockout, would you?"

Soundwave nodded in compliance and left to retrieve Knockout.

"Interesting… very interesting…" Megatron mused, inspecting the signature closely.

"You summoned me, my liege?" Knockout asked as he followed Soundwave onto the bridge.

"Indeed, I did. Tell me, Knockout, what do you make of this?" Megatron pointed to the signature on the screen.

Knockout inspected the signature closely for a moment or two, then turned to Megatron with a puzzled expression. "Well, it looks like an energon signature at first glance, but there is definitely something off about it. It is like it's been corrupted somehow."

"Do you know of anything that could produce such a signature?"

"Perhaps, though it's not quite the same. The only thing I can compare it to would be Airachnid. She produced a signature that was uniquely different from other Cybertronians. However, this one is even more anomalous than hers. I too am curious to know what's causing it."

"In that case, why don't you retrieve it for me. Whatever it is, I will not allow the autobots to get to it first."

"With pleasure, Lord Megatron."

Reese leaned against the front bumper of the car, debating what she should do. It would take her a good half hour or so to walk back to base. She couldn't just hitchhike back, since that would be leading a stranger directly to where the base was located. She debated walking back to the store and borrowing their phone, but it would take her another 20 minutes just to get there. She really was in quite the pickle.

"Maybe I'll get lucky and someone at the base will notice my energon signature…" Reese muttered to herself. "Scrap, I sure hope the bots notice before the cons do. Running into one of them is the last thing I need, though I wouldn't be surprised if they did show up, seeing how my luck has been today."

No sooner had the words left her mouth did a groundbridge swirl to life on the other side of the road. Reese eyed it warily, edging her way behind the car. There was no telling who could be on the other side. "Please be the bots, please be the bots, please be the bots."

It was not the bots.

Knockout, in all his flashy glory, stepped through the bridge, instantly spotting Reese peeking out from behind the car.

"You," his optics narrowed as he recognized Reese.

"Me?" Reese squeaked.

"You're the little she-human who ruined my paint. Do you know how long it took me to fix the damage you caused to my finish?"

"Oh, yea… I did do that, didn't I? My bad…" Reese held her hands up placatingly and slowly backed away from Knockout. "You know, I've kind of had a crappy day, so if you could just pretend like you never saw me, that would be great."

"And why would I do something like that?" Knockout raised an optic ridge, seemingly torn between being annoyed and amused.

"Oh, you know, cuz it's the nice thing to do," Reese said, then she swiftly pivoted and started running in the opposite direction.

"You think you can get away by running? How cute," Knockout smirked as he transformed into his vehicle mode. "Alright then, give me a good chase, why don't you."

Chase paced back and forth for a bit. It had been about 20 minutes since he had gotten off the phone with Reese. She should have made it back already. He impatiently dialed her phone again.

"You've reached Reese's cell phone. I'm sorry that I couldn't answer your call. If you leave your name and number, I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!"

"Straight to voicemail… that's probably not good."

"Dude, chill. Her phone might have died, or maybe she hit one of the dead zones between Jasper and here. Give her another five minutes and she will probably show up," Miko rolled her eyes at Chase's behavior. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think you had a crush on her."

"What? No, I'm just worried, that's all. It shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to get here." Chase waved his hands frantically, though there was an unmistakable pink tinge in his cheeks.

"You do have a point, Chase. She should have arrived by now… I don't know why, but I'm getting a really bad feeling right now," BlueStreak agreed.

"Well, if we can't get her on her phone, is there another way we can contact her?"

"Let me see if I can contact her comm link directly," BlueStreak suggested, turning to the computer.

"Can you do that if she's not in her cyberform?" Chase asked.

"Not sure, but it's worth a shot…" BlueStreak tapped a few keys on the console. "Uh oh, change of plans."

"What is it?"

"Reese's energon signature is showing up, which means her energon cloaking device has either been damaged or turned off. Either way, that's a bad sign."

"Well, then we have to go find her! She could be in danger!" Chase practically flew down the stairs to the groundbridge.

"If the cons show up, we might need some help. Bumblebee, can you come with?"

"Absolutely," Bumblebee whirred, jumping into action.

"Alright, I'll fire up the bridge to her coordinates. Let's just hope we're not too late," BlueStreak said as he plugged Reese's coordinates into the groundbridge controls. "Please be okay, Reese."

Reese sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, which unfortunately wasn't as fast as she would have liked. Her legs hadn't fully regained their strength after what happened in the arctic. The pounding of her feet against the ground matched the pounding of her own spark. Despite the slight speed boost she got from her cybernetic enhancements, Knockout easily gained on her. It was like he was toying with her, hanging just far enough back to make her feel like she actually had a chance at outrunning him.

"Alright, enough fun and games. There's no need to keep Megatron waiting any longer," Knockout said as he revved his engine, pulling up alongside Reese. The door on his driver's side opened and several sets of seatbelts shot out from his interior, wrapping around Reese's arms and waist.

"Hey!" Reese screamed as the seatbelts pulled her towards Knockout's interior. She grabbed the edges of the door frame to keep from being pulled in entirely. "What do you want from me?"

"Megatron told me to retrieve the source of the anomalous energon signature, and my sensors are saying that it's coming from you, so that means you're coming with me," The center of Knockout's steering wheel glowed red when he spoke, and the seatbelts gave another forceful tug, causing Reese to almost lose her grip on the door frame. She gripped the frame so tightly that it began denting under the pressure. "Hey! Watch it! You're going to ruin my paint!

"I wouldn't be scratching your paint if you weren't trying to kidnap me!" Reese screamed back, increasing her grip again. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on for, though. Already, she could feel her fingers starting to weaken a little. Not to mention, the rain didn't exactly make it easy to keep a solid grip.

Just when she felt like she couldn't hold on much longer, the familiar blueish-green light of a groundbridge appeared behind them. Much to Reese's relief, and Knockout's annoyance, BlueStreak and Bumblebee came barreling through the bridge, making a beeline right for them.

"You're here!" Reese gasped, but her surprise loosened her grip just enough for Knockout to fully pull her inside. The seatbelts pinned her tightly to the driver's seat of his alt-mode. She vaguely noticed a couple blaster shots shoot past either side of Knockout, but neither of the shots hit. The bots were probably too afraid to shoot Knockout directly, for fear of accidentally injuring Reese.

"Knockout to Megatron, I need a bridge STAT! I've got a couple bots on my tail!"

"Did you find the source of the anomalous energon signature?" Megatron's voice came in over Knockout's speakers.

"I did, but we will lose it if the autobots catch me!"

"Understood, sending a bridge now."

"No, no no no no no," Reese struggled against the seatbelts. She couldn't let herself get taken to the warship.

"Give up girly, there's no use trying to escape," Knockout sneered as a ground bridge swirled to life about 30 meters in front of him.

"Not if I can help it!" Reese hissed as she slammed her foot onto the brake pedal. Knockout's vehicle mode lurched violently, forcing him to swerve to keep from losing control entirely. Thankfully, this caused him to swerve out of the way of the fast-approaching groundbridge.

"You little glitch!" Knockout shrieked as he struggled to regain control. He adjusted the seat as far back as it could go so Reese could no longer reach the pedals. "Knockout to Nemesis, I'm going to need another bridge! This time a little closer, please!"

Reese glanced in the rearview mirror to see Bumblebee and BlueStreak shoot a couple more blaster shots. They were close. She just needed to buy them another couple seconds. She frantically looked around Knockout's interior for anything that could slow him down, but with her arms pinned by the seatbelts, and the pedals no longer in reach, there wasn't much she could do.

"Come on guys, you can do it. Just a little closer," She whispered, quietly urging the bots forward.

Suddenly, another bridge opened, this time just a couple meters in front of Knockout. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the threshold, and Reese could see her surroundings change from the rainy nightscape of Nevada to the inside of the Nemesis.

"No!" She screamed, but it was too late. The portal closed right behind Knockout, meaning that she was trapped on the warship with no way of getting back home.

1) Murphy's law basically states that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong, which is honestly the premise of this whole chapter XD

Alright guys, thanks so much for reading! I know it's a pretty short little chapter, but it's better than nothing, right? I will try to get the next chapter out in a more timely manner, but considering that I haven't even started writing it yet, I can't make any promises. Anywho, hope you all enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think! I will see you all next time. God Bless - Lucy