Chapter Sixty
Living Nightmares
Back in the woods In California, Arcee was still looking through the woods trying to find whoever or whatever was there.
She couldn't see anyone or hear anything, but she knew there was someone dangerous there, and she wasn't going to let it lie.
After a few minutes of stalking with her blaster up and at the ready, she soon heard a sizzling sound, almost like a hot frying pan under a cold tap as well as a nasty smell and she looked to her right to see a tree had been freshly felled.
Yet it wasn't felled with a sharp object like an axe or even a chainsaw, but the stump was covered with a green substance that had melted it and thick green and yellow smoke wafted up from it.
Arcee stared at it in horror, and she thought she was going to suffer a short fuse from the shock as there was no doubt in her mind of who was there in the woods with her...
Flashback
Cybertron, The Great War, over Millenia ago.
Gunshots and loud explosions echoed around the ruins of the Metal city as the War raged around it, Arcee was running through some ruins trying to find her way back to her team and safety.
"Arcee to Delta Team, requesting rendezvous Co-ordinates, do you copy?" she called into her com-link.
"Arcee?" a male voice was heard "You lost again? Your sense of Direction could use some improvement!"
"So could your aim Tailgate!" Arcee quipped back "If you'd tagged that sniper back at the artillery depot, I wouldn't have had to break rank and engage the enemy hand-to-hand!"
"From the Sound of things, I'm guessing you came out ahead?" Tailgate asked.
"Try waiting for me this time and I'll give you the blow-by-blow!" Arcee promised "What's your position?"
"About half a click from the depot due North." Tailgate reported "Think you can find it partner?" he teased.
"Trust me Tailgate." Arcee replied "My navigation abilities are..."
But Arcee didn't have a chance to finish her sentence as something struck her hard and sent her flying into a wall!
Shaking off the shock, she tried to free herself, but whatever had hit her had now fixed her to the wall and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get free!
As she struggled, she looked up to see a female cybertronian coloured black and with four extra limbs behind her then shot another piece of sticky material in her face knocking her out cold.
After a few minutes, Arcee came to, only to find herself hanging by her wrists in a dark room and her legs were wrapped together with the same sticky material that had pinned her to the wall earlier!
Realising she was in some sort of interrogation cell, the Autobot femme struggled madly, yet as she did, she heard a voice that made her energon run cold.
"Piece of Advice? Make yourself comfortable."
Arcee stopped struggled and looked in front of her to see a sinister looking femme with two horns on her head and four stick like limbs behind her.
She then walked up and held up her clawed servo and her front digit to Arcee's face.
"You're going to be here a while!" the femme hissed before placing her clawed digit on Arcee's cheek and the autobot femme felt a sharp burning sting on her cheek as her torturer dragged her digit down it and left a deep mark!
End Flashback
"No..." Arcee whispered "No...not here..."
Meanwhile, Raphael and Monalisa were moving along trying to see where Arcee went, both had their weapons ready and up to the level of their eyes.
Both being ninjas, they kept quiet and stuck to the shadows as they listened hard.
"There's something in these woods hun." Monalisa said in a scared voice "I just know it!"
"I feel it too." Raphael said, "Yet what?"
The couple walked on a little more until suddenly they both heard a sound, like footsteps, but nothing like that of a human or an animal, and it sounded metallic, and most concerningly, it sounded like more than two footsteps, but rather more than two or even three at the same time!"
"You hear that?" Monalisa asked.
Raphael nodded and put his fingers to his lips before looking to the left then he gave a yelp before ducking down and pulling Monalisa with him!
Monalisa was shocked but as she looked at her husband, she saw how pale and scared he looked and she also looked where he was watching and she felt her heart beat faster when she saw what it was!
Stalking a few meters ahead of them was a cybertonian femme, she was large and coloured in black and grey with a hint of purple as well giving off the clear indication that she was a Decepticon.
Yet what stood out to the couple was that she had five long spindly legs on her back like that of a spider!
"A Cybertronian Spider?" Monalisa whispered.
"What could possibly be worse?" Raphael hissed.
"Stay quiet." Monalisa said "We better watch and see she's doing."
As the couple observed they saw the Spider Femme prowl through the woods then she stopped when she came to an open area of the woods and observed as if something within had caught her attention.
"What's she doing?" Raphael asked to which Monalisa put her finger to her lips and she stood up to get a better look.
"My first local!" she heard the spider femme say with a sinister chuckle "Time for Humankind to feel my sting!"
She then did a slight move, and her body was lifted by the extra legs very much like a proper spider and started to move forward a little faster!
Monalisa stood up and tried to see what she was doing only to realise with horror that there was a tent in the middle of the small clearing where someone was camping, and the spider femme was going to attack whoever was inside!
Monalisa opened her mouth to scream in horror, yet as she did, the Spider femme jumped ready to pounce on the insuspecting human in the tent!
At the same time, a yell from the side was heard and Raphael and Monalisa looked over to see Arcee had arrived and had tackled the Spider femme away from the tent and they started to roll down a hill!
"Arcee!" Raphael shouted as he jumped up and he and Monalisa instantly ran down after their Autobot friend.
Meanwhile Arcee tumbled down the hill with the Spider femme struggling and scuffling and before long they were at the bottom and collided with a large rock formation!
Arcee then kicked the Spider femme off who jumped up ready to attack who had spoilt her hunt.
No sooner had the Spider Bot seen the blue femme than she smirked sinisterly.
"Arcee!" she sneered "Small universe!"
"Too Small Airachnid!" Arcee glared.
"You're still holding a grudge?" Airachnid asked as she started to move around Arcee "The War has been over for mega-cycles."
"Tell that to the Decepticons!" Arcee spat getting into a fighting stance.
"These days I travel solo." Airachnid informed "In pursuit of my New Hobby."
Arcee felt sick as she remembered when she first discovered the Ship only a short while ago, there was glass jars lining the walls of heads of different alien species, showing that this evil femme wasn't just a rogue Decepticon, but a trophy hunter!
"I got a look at your souvenir case!" she hissed.
You mean my trophies?" Airachnid asked with a smirk "I collect endangered species, of course they aren't really endangered until they meet me!" she added "And I have a slot reserved for human!"
"Not gonna happen!" Arcee shouted before racing towards Airachnid leapt on her pinning her down, her rage and sickness taking over as she lifted a servo to strike, but Airachnid having an advantage of extra limbs pushed her off and threw her back into the Rocks formation!
Airachnid sat up rubbing her neck and looked over to see that Arcee had recovered and started firing her blasters at her!
Airachnid jumped up and moved around to avoid the blasts then shot out some sticky webbing from her hands which wrapped around Arcee's arms binding them together!
It was then a case of tug of war as Arcee and Arachnid pulled against each other, but Arcee managed to pull Airachnid down to the ground!
Arcee then activated her arm blades and sliced the webbing off before starting to fire again at the Spider Femme who in turn started firing her own blasters!
Arcee leapt through the trees then grabbed a branch before swinging on it like a gymnast on the bars before flying towards Arachnid and doing an air kick at her sending her flying to the ground!
As she pinned her down, Arcee took out her blasters and pointed them at Arachnid's face, yet as she did, she heard a crumbling sound, Arachnid as well looked over as she heard it.
Arcee then saw to her horror that Raphael and Monalisa were running over!
"No!" Arcee gasped.
Seeing her enemy distracted, Airachnid struck Arcee off her and as she was distracted she sprayed webbing at her and pinned her to the rock formation!
"Arcee!" Raphael shouted running over with Monalisa not far behind.
Hearing their voices, Airachnid turned to them and hissed, the couple her horrified seeing her but they wanted to help Arcee who used her armblade to cut her arm free and used her blaster to shoot Arachnid as she was distracted!
It worked as the blaster hit the Spider Femme and sent her flying into the hill and a couple of trees where she lay motionless.
"I told you to wait for me!" Arcee shouted at the two mutants both in anger and panic.
"Well partners don't ditch partners!" Monalisa snapped.
"Yeah!" Raphael agreed as he started to pull on the webbing to free the Femme "What she said!"
"Get this through your heads!" Arcee shot back "You're not my partners, you're a liability!"
"I don't believe you!" Raphael shouted.
"Neither do I!" Monalisa chimed in as they both attacked the web with their weapons.
"I can see it in your eyes!" Monalisa continued "You're afraid Arcee!"
"And you're Never afraid!" Raphael added.
At those words, Arcee felt the same nightmare come back to her when she was prisoner of Arachnid back on Cybertron, one the few moments in her life when she truly was terrified.
Flashback
Cybertron, The Great War, Airachnid's Lair
Arcee stared back at the Spiderbot who looked back at her with a sinister look and her poisonous purple eyes that bore into hers and straight into her spark which pulsed in fear as she hung there helpless and in pain from the torture Airachnid had inflicted upon her yet refused to speak.
"You know." The Decepticon femme said, "For an autobot, your resilience is quite impressive."
She walked around her prisoner analysing how she hung there covered in scratches and acid burns.
"In fact." She continued "I'm guessing that no matter what I do to you, you'll never crack! Am I right?"
Arcee lifted her head and glared daggers at the Spider Femme yet said nothing.
"That's what I thought!" Airachnid smirked.
Just then the doors opened and a couple of Decepticon guards walked in with a blue and white mech who groaned as he was dragged in.
Arcee's eyes widened as she saw him.
"Tailgate?" she gasped.
Tailgate didn't answer as he was dragged to another part of the cell and hung up by his wrists like Arcee.
He was covered in dents and cracks and covered with energon showing he had been beaten up badly.
Arcee turned to Airachnid.
"What have you done to him?" she demanded.
"Not much!" Airachnid chuckled evilly "Yet!" she added before walking in front of Arcee with a smirk.
"Just tell me what I want to know or..." she clenched her fist then looked up "Well, you're a smart bot!" she snarled.
"I think you can imagine what happens to Tailgatenext !"
Arcee's spark beat faster when she realised the Femme's intentions, but she didn't know the answers to what Arachnid wanted to know and shook her head.
"I don't know the attack co-ordinates!" she said.
Arachnid bared her sharp teeth then strode over to Tailgate.
"I swear on the All Spark! It's the truth!" Arcee pleaded.
But the merciless Spider bot scoffed.
"We shall see!"
Arcee struggled and shook her head.
"No! Please!" she wept as the Spider Bot stood before Tailgate and snarled before lifting one of her extra spider legs that had a sharp blade on it and Arcee could only watch helplessly as she brought it down on her partner and slashed him across the throat spilling his energon so it splashed over the walls!
"TAILGATE!" Arcee screamed in horror and devastation.
End Flashback
Arcee turned to the couple as her emotions started to spill out.
"You're right Raph, Mona!" she admitted "I am afraid! Of losing you two!"
Raphael and Monalisa were shocked to hear those words from Arcee yet before they could say anything, they saw Airachnid had gotten back up and was crawling over to them.
"You sure have trouble hanging onto your partners, don't you?" Airachnid chuckled "We both know what happened to Tailgate, but I recently picked up some Decepticon radio chatter regarding the passing of Cliffjumper."
Arcee went rigid as she heard that, and she felt her spark break over the loss of her recent partner.
"At some point, you really have to ask yourself Arcee." Airachnid said "Is it them? Or is it me?"
Arcee looked down at the turtle and Monalisa.
"Do you get it now?" she asked "She's not interested in me! She hunts indigenous species! And she's on Earth!"
Raphael and Monalisa went pale as they listened, and they looked over to Airachnid who was looking at them hungrily.
"I've never seen such creatures like you before." The Spider bot mused "You don't look human, nor like any other animal I've seen recently here..."
Arcee shook her head.
"Raph! Mona!" she shouted "I mean it! RUN!"
Raphael and Monalisa didn't want to, but they knew Arcee wasn't sugar-coating anything regarding the Spider Femme and they instantly started to run.
At the same time, Airachnid shot another piece of webbing at Arcee's free arm and walked up to her on her spider legs cackling.
"And that's why I prefer to work alone." She hissed before driving one of her spider legs into the rock face behind Arcee.
"It's so sad when bad things happen to those close to you."
She placed her sharp digit under Arcee's chin making her look into her eyes.
"But don't get me wrong, I fully intend to snuff out your spark! And belive me! I will make it hurt!" she promised.
As she spoke, she moved over Arcee so she was hanging from the rock formation above her and Arcee was looking at her upside down.
"But that won't compare to the pain you will feel knowing I'm adding your freakish friends to my collection!"
So saying she looked over to Raphael and Monalisa who were starting to run back up the hill and into the forest.
Airachnid watched the two mutants run up the hill then left Arcee pinned to the rock formation before starting to stalk after them.
Arcee could only watch in fear and helplessness, just like that day when Tailgate was killed before her eyes and there was nothing, she would do to help her two mutant friends as they merciless Decepticon femme was going to hunt them down and kill them!
"MONA! RAPH!" she screamed.
So here she is folks! the Evil Airachnid has made her offical appearance!
For those of you who've seen the show, you can only guess how things will go from here!