Jack hung from the ceiling in chains, unable to resist or fight back as Airachnid began her work. She started with her claws, dragging them across his body. Her venom came next, dripping from her fangs, seeping into his wounds like that very first night they met. Screaming, the pain in his chest amplified as her venom worked its way through his body. His blood felt like it was boiling, burning his insides as he wailed in agony. Hours went by as the Decepticon interrogator had her fun, commenting on how sweet her revenge was. When she finally stopped, Jack sighed in relief, grateful for a second of rest; even if it was only for a moment.
Airachnid lowered herself from her spot on the ceiling. Speaking in a sweet tone that contradicted everything about herself and gently lifted his chin. "I could make this so much worse for you Jack. Make you beg for the sweet release of death as I pick you apart bit by bit. Organic life can be so fragile. Easy to take apart, but not so much in putting back together." She tsked as she let his head drop back down. Turning away, she stepped toward a nearby medical table, grabbing a piece of equipment. "But that isn't what Lord Megatron wants. Give him the information he wants, and this will all be over."
"Go frag yourself." Jack wasted no time replying. The next moment though, he was screaming.
For ten agonizing seconds, Airachnid held the energon shock prod against his inflamed skin, grinning sadistically at the sound of Jack's screams.
"My my, what have those Autobots been teaching you?" Airachnid teased.
Jack took in deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. Every breath was shallow and raspy as he tried to ease his bruised ribs. But it was little use, every movement brought him nothing but pain.
"How about we skip what Megatron wants, and instead have you answer some of my own questions, hmm?" Airachnid asked as she slyly tapped her chin. "How's Arcee doing? Is she still mourning the loss of her last partner? I bet she is. It took vorns for her to get over Tailgate. I mean really, that femme should just take a hint. Two partners already lost under her watch. It should make you think about whether she's qualified to be trusted with someone's life if she loses them that easily. Personally, I don't think your odds of seeing her again are very high."
"Shut up."
Airachnid laughed at the boy's response. "Oh I'm sorry, did that make you upset? Can't stand to see Arcee slandered? Well, no need for her to worry, you're here to protect her honor. Her valiant insect pet came to her rescue in his knight of armor. How charming." She mocked, roughly shoving her finger into his chest. He loosely swayed around the ceiling. "Where is Vector Sigma?"
She received no reply, as the human hung limply from the swaying chains. Frustrated, she took hold of the chains and brought him in close to her face. "Delay all you want, the Autobots are finished. They're not going to be able to save you from this. They're down to their last numbers and they're stuck on this speck of dirt defending your pathetic species. They've failed you. They'll be dead and humanity will be open season."
Jack's vision was fuzzy and the room appeared to spin. He could barely keep his eyes open. But still, he murmured his reply. "They risk their lives every day protecting us. Arcee has put her life on the line multiple times for my safety. The least I could do is keep a secret and protect them from you."
Airachnid scoffed as she released the chains. "It's you that needs protecting, Jack. I have all the time in the universe to squeeze the information out of your brain matter if I must. This is only the beginning for you, Jack. In fact, I think it's time I move onto much more.. effective methods."
The screams started again once she resumed her work.
Arcee sat alone in her quarters, brewing in her thoughts as she stared at the walls. The gray concrete stared back and offered no relief for her frustration. Frustration that had only grown over the past few days. She'd locked herself in here and only left the room for her daily energon ration. She took far less than what was recommended. Ratchet had gotten upset at her for that. He explained that she needed the energon for her recovery, but she didn't care. Jack was still missing, and she couldn't help. She didn't need a full ration.
She hated it.
She hated just standing around doing nothing while her partner was likely suffering unimaginable pain. She was his guardian, she wasn't supposed to have let this happen.
She was supposed to prevent this from happening in the first place.
She failed him, and she failed June. The two had hardly spoken to each other, and Arcee could hardly blame her. June had entrusted Jack's safety to her and Arcee utterly failed.
The first night, Arcee listened to June's sobs throughout the night. She didn't know humans could cry for that long, that their wails could reach such a volume. She had contemplated rolling through the garage door and into the home. Like she had during their movie night to try and comfort her, but decided against it. What would she even say? That she was sorry? It was her fault, she was the reason for June's misery. Why would June want to speak with her?
Arcee huffed in frustration and began pacing the room. She was better now, she could help. Randomly searching around the globe for the Decepticon warship likely wouldn't lead to anything, but at least it would be something.
As if the universe pitied her, she received a message on her commlink. "Arcee, it's Ratchet. Agent Fowler will be here shortly to discuss a few updates with us. We'll be in the command center if you want to attend."
'Better than wasting my time doing slag all.' Arcee thought to herself.
Slowly, she stepped out of her room and down the empty hall. The silo's dreary walls did nothing to curb her mood.
Entering the command center, she noticed that everyone was there waiting for her. Even June was here, standing behind Fowler. The dark bags and red eyes meant these past few days hadn't gotten any easier. The children were in their designated area, though the usually playing TV was noticeably silent. Agent Fowler leaned against the railing closer to Optimus, who noticed her arrival.
"I'm glad you decided to join us, Arcee." Optimus greeted, then looked down toward the liaison. "Agent Fowler, if you could begin?"
Agent Fowler cleared his throat as he loosened his tie, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "First thing I want to say is to June."
The nurse slightly lifted her head at the mention of her name. "I haven't been able to say it sooner, but I'm sorry this happened to you. You can believe I'm doing everything I can to bring Jack back home. And I know returning to work may be difficult for you right now, but don't worry. The government is going to cover your expenses for the time being. Compensation for what's happening and keeping quiet about it. It's all I've been able to do so far, but I hope it helps."
June quickly wrapped her arms around him as she tried to back her tears. "Thank you so much. I've been worrying so much about Jack, that I didn't even think about going back to the hospital or how I would pay my bills this month. Thank you, Agent Fowler."
"Please, call me Bill." He said as he handed her a business card. "This is my personal phone number. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions."
June accepted the card and with her nod of confirmation, Fowler resumed the meeting. "The cover story I've been spinning for the last few days is that Jack went missing on a camping trip at Great Basin over the weekend. Search parties have been coordinated to try and find him in the area where he reportedly went camping, but obviously, they're not going to find him."
"And what good is that?" Bulkhead asked.
"It's an explanation for why Jack is missing that the general populace will be more likely to believe. Plus it could explain any… injuries that Jack may return with."
Arcee bristled at the last part of that sentence. She knew that it was a likely possibility that Jack wouldn't return unharmed, but it was a possibility she didn't want to think about.
June looked ready to break down as Agent Fowler softly placed a hand on her shoulder. He continued when she was ready.
"I know we don't want to think about it, but he's been their prisoner for four days now. With no word from ol' bucket head himself, it's clear they're keeping him for a reason. And I don't exactly think he's living in paradise over there."
"So you think they're trying to get information out of Jack?" Arcee asked. Though deep down, she already knew the answer. She'd hoped that Jack wasn't being harmed, but if Megatron wanted secrets, he had one of the best Decepticon interrogators on board his ship. If she had laid a finger on Jack, it would just add to the list of reasons why Arcee was going to rip out her spark.
"I hate to say it, but that's what I'm thinking. He knows where the base is and although I don't want to doubt Jack, this place could be compromised."
"We can't just abandon the base!" Ratchet cried out. "We have nowhere to go. How will we watch over the children if we're not here in Jasper?"
The medic's voice was filled with sorrow. Arcee had always known that Ratchet had cared for the children, even if he didn't outright show it. It only took Jack getting kidnapped for the medic to start expressing himself.
Miko stood up from the worn-down couch and shouted. "Yeah, what about us?! You can't split up the band! I'm not leaving Bulkhead!"
Raf pitched in too, though much quieter and more respectful. "Yeah, Optimus said that the government agreed to let the Autobots keep watching over us. And I don't want to stop hanging out with Bumblebee."
Whirls, beeps, and shouts from Bumblebee and Bulkhead cemented their agreement with their charges. Fowler simply sighed and shook his head as he tried to reign everyone back in.
"I was about to explain why that wouldn't be happening. It in part, has to do with the general's plan to set you up with a special task force. You're not abandoning the silo, just setting up a second base of operations. A place to meet with and strategize with the strike team in between missions since it'll be easier to have them on an actual military base to support them. The location of this second base hasn't been decided but when it is, I suggest building a second ground bridge there for faster transportation between the two bases. Consider it a fallback base for a worst-case scenario. But in the meantime, I suggest everybody be ready to move at a moment's notice if this base is compromised."
Arcee hoped Fowler hadn't come all this way just to tell them this. It could've easily been a video call.
"It's great to hear that your government is wanting to help, but how? How are they going to help us find Jack? How are your primitive weapons going to help in our war against the Decepticons? Because I'm tired of sitting around on my aft waiting for the chance to bring back Jack. If it turns out the new team you're building can't help, then what's the point?" She asked irritably.
Optimus shot her a disapproving glare over her foul language, especially with the children present, but Arcee ignored him as she stared down Agent Fowler.
"We've been experimenting with the technology we captured from MECH. And weapons of our own have been in development for a while." Replied Fowler, but he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Partly from Decepticon remains."
Optimus frowned at the news. "Agent Fowler, how long has this been kept from us? We agreed with your human government that we would protect your home, and share our knowledge, but not our weapons. I have seen humanity's capacity for war, and I do not want your people to face the same fate as mine."
"I only just found out about this today, Prime. But believe me, I'm beyond grateful for what you've done for all of us. The sacrifices, the technology, it's helped us all. Improvements in medical research and better forecasting for our weather satellites have saved lives. But it's not just the general who's been itching for a fight, the president wants to make it clear where we stand with the Decepticons. No more tip-toeing with the bureaucrats who don't want us getting directly involved in an alien civil war. It's time we got our hands dirty and fully support you. But we can't do that with no weapons."
"Oh yes, I'm sure your military has everyone's best interests at heart." Ratchet said sarcastically.
A gentle, but firm hand on his shoulder stopped Ratchet from adding any more remarks. The rest of Ratchet's anger dissipated as Optimus began speaking again. "I do not support the decisions your leaders have made, and I fear that continuing down this path may only bring destruction if left unchecked. I'd like to speak with General Bryce on the matter. Weapons of this caliber must not be allowed to fight in your human wars."
"I'll try to set up a meeting between you two as soon as I can." Answered Fowler.
Arcee didn't care to listen to the rest of the meeting, uninterested in hearing what more the agent had to say if it wasn't about the newly discovered location of the Nemesis. Eventually, Fowler left and the room slowly the room emptied as everyone went their separate ways. Arcee watched as June slowly trekked toward her car. Like her, she'd been hoping for better, more worthwhile news regarding Jack. Opening the door and stepping in, June started her the car and the two locked eyes for a moment. Arcee was contemplating approaching her but the car began rolling forward and soon it was in the tunnel leading out of the base.
She was alone in the command center. The usual sounds of Ratchet clacking away at the terminal or attempting to repair another tool broken by Bulkhead were sorely missed. Arcee left the empty room, ascending the large elevator to the top of the silo. The Nevada sun greeted her on the outside, resting low on the horizon. She sat on the edge near Cliffjumper's grave and watched as the Sun sank lower and the stars broke through the darkness.
"Ugh! Absolutely disgusting, you organic pests!" Knockout shouted as Jack emptied his stomach.
He laid on the table breathing heavily and tried to piece together what had happened before this while ignoring the smell. The last thing he remembered was Airachnid's disgruntled face and then suddenly waking up, with Knockout hovering over him.
Jack ran his hand across his body, feeling bandages wrapped around his torso and arms. It seemed like the Decepticon medic had attempted first aid, but the bandages were too loose, and much of the gauze wasn't even applied correctly. Knockout had also tried giving him food, leading to his current predicament. There were canned goods, but no can opener, leaving just the fruits and vegetables. But eating a cucumber by itself didn't exactly seem appetizing to begin with.
"What is the matter with you boy? I thought humans were supposed to like that stuff."
"Told you I wouldn't keep it down." Said Jack.
"I'm supposed to be keeping you alive you know. I don't know how I'm supposed to do that if you die of starvation before Airachnid decides she's bored playing with you." Knockout muttered.
Jack paid him no mind, trying to breathe and ignore the pain in his stomach, but that was proving increasingly difficult. He tried sitting up but quickly discarded that idea when the pain intensified. He couldn't breathe normally, and each rise and fall of his chest was bringing severe pain. His ribs were definitely broken now, a much bigger problem than the bruised ribs he had before.
How much more of this would he have to endure before it was all over? He'd either be rescued or succumb to his wounds. Considering how unlikely it would be for the Autobots to find him, and how bad of a human medic Knockout was, Jack believed the latter was more likely. Despite what Airachnid may have promised him, he hoped it didn't drag on for too long if it came to that.
But Jack couldn't continue to ponder his fate as Knockout broke the silence between them. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the energon and other weird stuff I found in your blood would it?"
"The what?" Jack asked bewildered.
"The. Energon. In. Your. Blood." Knockout repeated irritably. As if saying it slowly explained anything. "I barely know anything about human biology but even I know that neither energon nor CNA should be in your blood. I noticed it when you first got here and I took more samples while you passed out. What even caused this?"
Claws that left their mark, fangs that dripped venom. It all started that first night he met Airachnid when he was pinned against a tree, unable to do anything to break free from her webbing. It was killing him, and Ratchet had tried helping. The energon burned his throat as he drank but he did always feel a bit better afterward. He no longer felt as hungry and didn't feel as weak.
Then there was a bright flash of light at Vector Sigma. The pain in his chest had been steadily growing ever since then. Though to be fair, Jack couldn't rule out that the broken ribs were responsible for that.
'Airachnid's venom, the energon, and Vector Sigma are all likely connected, but what would the Decepticons do with that information? It's unlikely Knockout will help me, Airachnid would be thrilled to have her revenge. Could Megatron somehow use this information for his nefarious purposes?'
Jack stayed silent as Knockout continued to work on his monitor. However, it didn't last long as a sudden tone came from Knockout's terminal. Jack turned his head to watch as the screen was filled with the appearance of a familiar one-eyed Decepticon. In the background of the live feed was a berth, occupied by an unfamiliar cybertronian.
It was difficult to tell, but they looked like they might have been around Ratchet's height and their armor was a dark gray, with blue trim. They had wings like Starscream, but it looked like their chest had the hood of a futuristic car. It was probably some kind of cybertronian vehicle if they didn't have an Earth one as their alt-mode. Though, Jack had never seen or heard anything about cybertronians with two alt-modes. That's at least what Jack was assuming the wings and car features on the bot meant. What was Shockwave doing with them?
Knockout seemed irritated by the interruption to his work and made no effort to hide the displeasure in his voice. "What do you want?"
"I require your assistance with the Autobot."
Autobot? Jack's hope glimmered for a moment as the chance of escape seemed feasible for a moment. It was soon crushed as he realized something. The Autobot was a prisoner too, they'd have to break free first, and they didn't even know that Jack was a prisoner with them. If the Autobot managed to escape, they'd leave without him.
"I'm busy with our guest at the moment." Replied Knockout as he gestured to Jack on the table.
Shockwave stepped closer toward the camera, his single red optic unnerving. It loomed over him, inspecting him and all his traits. Not like how a child would watch an insect that they thought was interesting, but how someone observes a lower life form that disgusts them. "This is the species that populate the planet?"
"Yes. Not very impressive is he? But Lord Megatron's orders are to keep him alive, which I'm trying to do by the way so you're going to have to bother someone else to help you."
"Is he at risk of suddenly dying from his injuries?" Shockwave asked.
"...Not exactly?"
"Then you are available as my assistant."
Knockout sighed in defeat. "What do you need me for anyway?"
"I am about to perform the last necessary changes to his T-cog. An assistant would make the operation proceed more quickly." Explained Shockwave.
"Just give me a cycle, I'll be there." Knockout grumbled.
Jack watched as Knockout moved across the medical bay, shutting down his workstations as a vehicon entered the room.
"Don't try anything fishy while I'm gone. Behave yourself." Knockout said to Jack before facing the vehicon that now stood guard at the door. "Make sure he doesn't leave this room. Megatron would want my helm for that and I'll convince him to take yours instead."
"Yes sir." The vehicon replied.
Knockout seemed satisfied with the answer and exited the room, leaving Jack alone with the vehicon.
Although the feeling of being watched by a massive robot that would not hesitate to kill him was unsettling, Jack took the opportunity to try and rest. Passing out after being tortured didn't count. As he closed his eyes, thoughts swirled through his head; old memories of a more pleasant time, how he was going to get out of this situation. Would he even see his mom again? One train of thought of its repercussions latched onto this brain though. Why did Knockout hesitate for a moment and what did he mean when he answered "Not really?" to Shockwave's question about him dying?
Megatron stood off to the side of the laboratory, reviewing the data as Shockwave and Knockout were finishing the operation on the test subject. The notes were extensive and provided great detail on the work Shockwave had done. "How long have you been working on this project?"
"The entire project has been ongoing since I was left stranded on Cybertron. This particular test subject though, has been in progress for two deca cycles." Shockwave answered as he finished adjusting the T cog of the unconscious Autobot.
"Impressive. I would've thought completely rebuilding one's frame and heavily modifying their T cog would take longer." Megatron commented.
"The transformation cog is a difficult organ to work on but I gained much experience working with them on Cybertron. Both before and after the war." Said Shockwave.
"Oh yeah, this isn't the first time you've done something like this to someone. Wonder what happened to those dinobots." Knockout remarked.
"Unimportant," Shockwave answered as he finished the weld. "The T cog should be fully functional, though the Autobot currently has no alt mode as a result of the operations and additions I've made to the frame."
"And what might those additions be?" Megatron inquired.
Shockwave moved to the nearby terminal, bringing up schematics of Crankshaft. "The frame was one of the first upgrades I made. Flight components were added to increase combat capability with the upgraded T cog. This has resulted in a larger frame, he will be stronger than before and more durable. Weapons have also seen an upgrade. Blasters have increased firepower while consuming less energon. The Autobot previously had no weapon for hand-to-hand combat. They've now been fitted with an energon sword."
"Where did you even get all of that?" Asked Knockout as he stared at the schematics on the screen in front of him. Even onboard the Nemesis, he doubted he had enough items in storage to make an upgrade quite like that. If he had that kind of selection, maybe Starscream would've accepted his offer of an upgrade when he lost his arm.
Taken from previous test subjects and scavenged from the wastelands of Cybertron." Shockwave answered simply. Knockout looked to be at a loss of words but the scientist continued with the discussion of his work. "With this phase of the project complete, it is time to move forward with the next step."
Though Knockout was still dazed by what Shockwave had said before, his new statement equally puzzled him. "Next step? I thought this was the final procedure. What else did you have in mind?"
Shockwave grabbed a nearby cortical psychic patch and scalpel off the table near him. "Erasing his mind. I realized long ago on Cybertron that the perfect soldier does not need both sentience and strength. He will be the first of many. Though it will take time to completely erase his mind. I do not intend on making the same mistakes I made with Grimlock."
"I look forward to witnessing the fruits of your labor do great things for the Decepticon cause." Said Megatron, grinning maniacally as he imagined what he may be able to do with just a small squadron of soldiers like these. He then turned his attention toward the other Decepticon in the room. Who currently had their full attention on a datapad in their servo. "Knockout, I trust our guest enjoyed their time with Airachnid?"
Knockout startled for a moment, dropping the datapad he was reading. "Uh, I wouldn't say he enjoyed it, but he's currently still breathing if that's what you meant."
Megatron hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Yes, he will likely perish under Airachnid's 'care' but she will get the information I desire. After that, the boy will have no use other than reminding Prime of his failures."
"That's not exactly what I meant." Knockout replied nervously.
Megatron's optics narrowed. "What do you mean?"
Picking up the datapad, Knockout presented the files he had started on Jack, detailing the blood work and small tests he had performed so far. "I haven't had time to fully investigate it, but it looks as if there are traces of energon in his bloodstream. There's something else affecting him that I can't pinpoint yet. I'm no expert on organic biology, but I can tell you that this isn't good for him."
Shockwave halted his work with the cortical psychic patch. "The human has energon in his system?"
Knockout nodded. "He does."
"Then it will not live long." The scientist replied simply, returning to his work. "I've performed experiments with energon on organic beings. It doesn't end well for them."
"How long do you suppose he has then?" Asked Megatron
"Based on all of my past data on the subject matter. No longer than a week." Shockwave answered.
Megatron considered the news for a moment before he spoke. "Then Airachnid does not have long to obtain the information from him. Knockout, keep me updated on his status. And have Airachnid meet with Jack soon. I do not want to wait long to discover Optimus' secrets."
Another update! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one shouldn't take too long. I'm really excited about it. Thank you for the comments too. It's nice to see that you enjoy the story. Keep commenting! It's a good motivation and it helps let me know what you may like or dislike about what I've written. I can't get better without feedback.
Review Responses
Hellcat115- Yeah, Jack's not in a good position.
Juxshoa- He'll be going full cybertronian. And yeah the military really should have gotten a lot more involved.
RocKHord- Thanks, buddy.
bwmixo134- I'm glad to see you've been enjoying the story so far. Hope you stick around to see what I do.
NemesisPrimal86- You got part of right. They'll be using a mix of MECH and cybertronian tech. And I never thought about incorporating GI Joe into the story but that sounds interesting. And don't worry! Your English is very good.
Caballero- ¿Esto es lo suficientemente pronto para ti? ;)
3/28/2024