Silas's eyes narrowed as he heard the reports on the recent mission he sent Darkstriker and Airachnid at.
"He abandoned the mission?" Silas asked for clarification.
"Yes sir." His subordinate replied,"He escaped with Airachnid while the Autobots and Decepticons were fighting. Or at least that's what he reported."
Silas looked away from the subordinate, and stared at the scientists working on some computers, analysing some data, on the other side of the room.
The news was concerning for Silas. Especially after what the scientists had reported him earlier. Darkstriker's programming had deteriorated even more, and it was getting concerning. And he knew where all of this started, the root of this problem he was facing, Airachnid.
Silas narrowed his eyes in anger as he thought about the Cybertronian femme. It seems like Airachnid has gotten quite a bit of influence over his valued asset. Way too much influence for his liking.
"Call Darkstriker." Silas commanded,"It's about time the puppy is reminded what its master is capable of."
…
"You asked for me, Silas?" Jack questioned, as he entered the base.
Silas was standing there in the middle, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his brows furrowed and jaw clenched. His expression is unreadable, but as Jack approached him, he had a gut feeling that something was wrong. A sense of suppressed dread and danger clung to his mind.
"Yes." Silas grufly replied,"I've heard the reports of your recent mission. And to say the least, I am…….. disappointed, in your performance."
"What was I supposed to do?" Jack argued back, "Airachnid was injured and needed immediate help. Besides, it's not like we could have handled that engagement with both bots and cons getting involved."
Silas didn't say anything. He simply turned around and started to walk, motioning for Jack to follow him. Jack didn't understand what was up with Silas, but he followed after the leader of MECH, and as he did so, the sense of unease he was feeling doubled.
Their footsteps clattered against the ground as Silas led him deeper into the base. A silence lingered between them, as other MECH personnel continued on with their tasks around them, a sense of coldness lingering in the base.
Jack's thoughts drifted as they continued on with their silent walk. He couldn't help but wonder what Silas was getting at. He could understand Silas being frustrated because of the last mission, but he didn't have a choice. Continuing on would have meant putting Airachnid in further risk, after she almost died at the hands of Dreadwing.
Of course he wasn't going to let anything happen to his Airachnid. And he himself was running low on energy and couldn't keep protecting her. So the best option for them was retreating.
But now as he walked along Silas, he could feel a sense of darkness from Silas, and he felt afraid. Jack was afraid to even think what Silas would do.
Silas looked back at him, and Jack felt a shudder. The look in Silas's eyes, it was almost predatory, hidden behind a layer of indifference. Silas looked back ahead as he spoke,"You have been spending time with Airachnid."
Jack felt even more uneasy as he heard that statement. "Yes," He replied, trying to sound nonchalant, "She is my partner.Is it wrong to spend time with her?
"Oh of course not." Silas said, stopping in his path as he turned back and looked at Jack.
The teen stood there, as Silas stared him down, eyes blazing with intensity. He was a bit too close for comfort. Unease clawed Jack's skin.
"How touching you two have been spending time together. I'm thrilled to hear about your acquaintance with Airachnid." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He paused for a moment, his gaze piercing, before continuing,"How delightful."
Silas turned away, walking back on his path. Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when Silas turned away from him, and followed after him.
Just then, he heard some heavy and loud footsteps and Airachnid walked up to them.
"Silas, why were you seeking me?" Airachnid asked. She then noticed Jack behind Silas. "Jack? What are you doing here? What's going on?"
"Ah, Airachnid, Darkstriker. You are here today for a very important reason." Silas said as he moved aside so that Jack and Airachnid are both in his field of view. "There have been some new developments recently." He continued,"And tonight, we will deal with those developments."
Suddenly, from two elevated platforms, some MECH personnel operated a weapon-like device, one mounted on each elevated platform, which shot out a projectile, electromagnetic harpoon, with cable trailing behind.
The barbs struck Airachnid's back, unleashing a burst of electricity that coursed through her body. Her screams echoed through the room as sparks flared around her convulsing form. She collapsed, knee buckling, and crashed to the floor, moaning in agony."
"Airachnid!" Jack yelled out in horror.
He was about to match forward to save her, when suddenly,
"Stop!" Silas barked at Jack.
He immediately froze up in his spot and his eyes widened in shock and fear. Silas smirked as he saw it. "The program still has its effects, I see." He thought before walking over to Jack, stopping uncomfortably close to him as his mouth hovered a mere inch away from his ear.
"It seems you have forgotten your place. So I have taken it upon myself to remind you where you belong." Silas said. "You will stand here and do nothing but watch, as she's cut open in front of you."
And with that, Silas walked away, standing a little distance in front of Jack.
More personnel gathered around them. A few of them brought along another machine, a large portable machine with a manually operated robotic arm with a large circular saw at the end of it.
One of the personnel hopped on the machine and activated it. The saw buzzed in life, spinning at a high rpm as the operator operated the robotic arm, bringing the saw close to Airachnid's face.
Jack couldn't do anything but helplessly watch. Before him, Airachnid writhe in agony. Sparks crackled, mixing with her moans and screams, the air heavy with the smell of ozone, as Jack watched her struggling form, while the saw inched closer to her.
Jack felt conflicted, torn between his fear and loyalty for Silas, and loyalty to Airachnid.
Before him, Airachnid's world had become a blur of agony. She could feel her systems faltering, the electricity coursing through her systems like liquid fire. Her vision blurred as she struggled to maintain her consciousness.
She couldn't understand why Silas was doing this to her…
But then she looked up and noticed Jack. Through the haze of pain, she saw the look of horror on his face, his wide eyes looking at her with so much emotion.
She wanted to reach forward and reassure him, but her limbs barely responded.
"Jack…" She gasped out, managing to reach forward with her hand a little, but collapsed down again.
Silas watched her in amusement, feeling slightly impressed by her struggles, but otherwise his expression remained impassive.
Behind him Jack's eyes widened as he heard Airachnid call out for him. At that moment, he made his decision. He would have followed any of Silas's orders, let that be because he feared that man or felt a strange sense of loyalty towards him, but this one he won't.
He could feel as if something was unravelling in his mind, but he didn't care. A side of his vision flooded the strands of diagnostic data, but he ignored it.
Jack narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, defying the command Silas gave him.
Silas looked back, surprised by this sudden change. Jack marched forward, but just as he was about to cross Silas, suddenly he felt as if fire flowed through his body. Jack let out a pained scream, as he crumbled down on the floor, holding himself up on his hands and knees, his eyes wide and gasping in pain as electricity sparked throughout his figure.
Beside him, Silas laughed like a madman. He looked down at Jack and crouched beside him. "Sorry, does it hurt? Looks like it does." he mocked,"You really thought the failsafe won't act on you? The moment you defy my orders or pose a threat to me, you will be subdued, Darkstriker. But don't worry, I will scrub out this disobedience from you."
Silas then stood up, still glaring at the boy beneath him. "If you won't listen to my words, then I will make you obey with pain." He grunted before walking away and turning his attention to Airachnid.
"You are no longer required, Airachnid." Silas said, an evil grin plastered on his face,"But don't worry, your corpse will be of great value to us."
Jack struggled but he looked, fighting through pain as he stared at Airachnid.
"S-Stop….. Please… " He begged, "D-Don't……. Don't do this…. To her…"
But Jack's words fell into deaf ears as Silas paid no mind to him.
"Jack…." Airachnid gasped out despite her pain.
Jack looked up at her, his eyes teary. Airachnid smiled at him despite her agony,"I,... I love you…."
Just then something snapped inside Jack as his eyes widened. The world faded away around him, the sounds getting muffled and muffled until they were no more, as eyes remained fixated on hers, her smile still lingering like a bright beacon.
No, he wasn't going to let it happen. He wouldn't. He wasn't going to let her get hurt. HE WAS NOT GOING TO LET THEM HURT HER!!
HE WILL KILL THEM! HE WILL KILL THEM ALL IF THAT'S WHAT HE HAD TO DO TO KEEP HER SAFE FROM THEM!!
His vision started to glitch, parts of it fading into back and reappearing. Streams of words, numbers and codes started to flood his vision as he felt a splitting headache and screamed out in pain. He could feel his blood rushing through his body, feeling a strange pulse rippling from his chest, as something shifted.
And then he broke free.
Silas stood there, grinning like a madman, as he watched the operator slowly bring the swap blade closer and closer to Airachnid's face.
Then suddenly, the operator's head flew off, blood sputtering out from his neck like a fountain before both the body and the severed head fell down on the floor.
Silas was stunned, and a number of his personnel even gasped out in horror, some even taking a step back.
Silas looked back at Jack. The teen was still on the floor, but his arm was outstretched towards the operator's direction. No sparks could be seen crackling on him.
And then, Jack stood up, his body and arms hanging loose as he arched his back, throwing his head back like some inhuman entity as he stood on his feet. Silas felt uneasy as he saw this, a hint of dread crossing his mind as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face.
Jack straightened his back, his head flicking downwards as some of the personnel around them jumped back. And then, he looked up. He looked straight at Silas. For the first time, the leader of MECH felt fear. Jack's left optic glowed a bright bloody red. His gaze bore straight through him like a blowtorch.
Silas immediately brought out his remote and pressed the button, thinking it might activate the failsafe again, but nothing happened. His actions got desperate as he pressed the button multiple times. Still nothing.
Jack's right hand clenched as he conjured his blade, and his armour appeared around his body. And then he moved. His movements were a blur, his inhuman speed and strength out matching the armed personnel around him.
Limbs fell, blood splattered, and screams echoed throughout the place as each personnel fell to Jack's blades. He picked up their rifles, taking out the personnel on the elevated platforms too. He then rushed at Airachnid, jumping above her as he cut off the cables attached to the barbs.
Airachnid gasped in relief as she found her strength to sit back up.
"Airachnid! Are you alright!?" Jack asked, rushing to her side.
Airachnid pulled out the harpoon off her back and looked at Jack. Her eyes got teary as she watched her partner and lover. His eyes held so much emotion as he looked at her like no one before ever did. And so, she did the only thing she could. She hugged him, her tears falling as she sobbed, her emotions finally breaking through her facade.
"H-Hey,... It's okay, partner." Jack grinned, "We will make it through this together. What do you say, we go and explore each other some more after this?"
Airachnid couldn't help but giggle and she put him down. Jack stared up at her, smiling. "I was so scared Jack…" She confessed, tears still staining her face.
Jack gestured her to lean down, and as she did, he kissed her on the lips and then wiped her tears off, offering her a bright smile. "It's okay, Airachnid. I am here. I will never let anyone hurt you."
Airachnid smiled at him, hearing his words. "I know, my knight in shining armour."
This earned a chuckle out of Jack, and Airachnid giggled too.
Just then, they heard someone cough in pain. Their head snapped towards the direction the voice came from, and they saw Silas, trying to crawl away. The leader of MECH was injured and unable to stand, but very much alive.
Jack grinned as he walked over to Silas, Airachnid following after him. He had intentionally left him alive. And now, he was going to show Silas why.
Jack kicked him on his side, a satisfying crunch ringing out, as Silas dropped on the floor, groaning in pain. He then flipped him over with his foot and raised him up by his neck.
"Please….. Mercy…. " Silas gasped out, holding onto Jack's arm.
Jack smirked evilly at him, as he raised his right arm, stretching his palm open. His fingertips and palm transform led a little, and then electricity crackled in his palm.
Silas watched this in fear. "No, no,... Please…" He begged, but his words fell to deaf ears.
Jack brought his palm to Silas's face, as electricity crackled and Silas's face. The older man screamed out in pain as the side of his face burned.
Jack's smirk widened. "Sorry, does it hurt?" he said, repeating Silas's earlier mockery,"Looks like it does."
Both Jack and Airachnid relished his pained screams. Enjoying the suffering of the man that caused them so much harm.
When Silas's voice died down, him passing out due to pain, Jack threw him away. Airachnid then shot an energy bolt at the ceiling above Silas's unconscious body. The ceiling broke, the rubble and debris falling down onto him, burying him underneath.
Jack and Airachnid looked at each other, a sense of accomplishment filling them.
But their moment didn't last as suddenly alarms rang out through the base. Both of them knew what it meant. Jack conjured his helmet around his head, summoning his sword again, as both he and Airachnid prepared to fight their way out.
Soldiers ran through the base, ready to take on whatever they were going to face, but nothing could prepare them for the threat they were meant to face.
Jack and Airachnid were like a whirlwind. Jack's blade slashed through the incoming horde of MECH soldiers, blocking and deflecting their bullets and slashing through them as if they were paper.
Airachnid used her spider-like legs, using them to stab any soldier, even pinned them down with her webs before ending them. She uses her blasters, firing energy bolts at the walls, blowing them apart and making an escape route for themselves.
More and more soldiers piled on them, but they fought their way through, until eventually, they were outside the building.
But out there, another surprise awaited them.
The soldiers of MECH had set an ambush for them. Dozens upon dozen of soldiers, equipped with heavier weapons that the ones they've faced before, stood their position. Armoured cars with mounted heavy weapons on top were also present, and a handful of helicopters hovered above them in the sky.
Jack and Airachnid stared around, assessing their situation. And then, they charged forward.
Heavy machine gun fire ripped through the air, only for Jack to deflect the bullets, as he cut through the soldiers, his sword coated in glowing red plasma, and sliced through a vehicle too, which exploded soon after.
Another vehicle exploded, courtesy of Airachnid's precise blaster shots, throwing the soldiers into further disarray. The helicopters rained down hail of bullets with their autocannons, while the door gunners used light machine guns to fire down, causing Jack and Airachnid to weave through the firing.
Suddenly, Airachnid shot her web at Jack, who caught the string of web, and Airachnid web-slinged him up towards a helicopter. Jack caught onto the helicopter's landing gear, before acrobatically jumping inside the cockpit.
He made quick work of the door gunners, dropping their dead bodies out, before using one of the light machine guns to shoot at another helicopter, taking it down. He then killed the pilot of the helicopter and then jumped out, as the aircraft crashed and burst into a ball of flames, while Jack landed with a heroic pose.
He then stared around, and realised they'd need even more firepower to put an end to this. So, he did the only thing he could think of.
His body shifted, as he transformed into his cybertronian form, his hands transforming into blasters, as he shot around, destroying several vehicles and even taking out a few helicopters, throwing the soldiers into further disarray.
Amidst the chaos, Jack scanned a vehicle, his systems scanning every detail of it. And then he transformed. His new vehicle mode screeched into life as he made his escape, followed by Airachnid, who had transformed into her helicopter form.
His bonnet transformed, two blasters popping out as he shot down any adversary coming at them. And soon, they crossed the perimeter of the base, running off towards safety.
They kept driving/flying, putting as much distance as possible between them and their capturers.
Finally, at a safe distance, Jack transformed back into his bipedal form, performing a flip as he landed facing the MECH base. His arms transformed, as he slammed them together, forming his giant cannon. An energy built up inside his weapon, as he prepared to fire it. This shot being way way more powerful than the one he used on Dreadwing.
Airachnid transformed and landed beside him, watching in awe. A bright blue sphere of energy formed into the cannon, illuminating everything around. Jack's face hardened, his eyes narrowing. And then, he let go.
The beam shot out of his cannon, travelling at incredible speeds as it sped straight towards the base, and exploded. The explosion was huge, and it set off a chain reaction, causing a series of secondary explosions, accumulating into an even larger blast.
Both watched in awe as the base was blown sky high.
Jack's arms transformed back as he turned around, facing Airachnid, a big smile plastered on his face. Airachnid smiled too. It was finally over. They were now free.
But suddenly, Jack's eyes flickered, and he fell over to his side.
Airachnid gasped seeing this. "Jack!" she yelled out rushing to his side.
His body started to transform, returning back to his ordinary form, as he laid sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Airachnid knelt down beside him, concern and fear evident in her voice as she checked up on him, trying to wake him up.
"Jack,... Wake up…" She pleaded, her voice desperate,"No, no,... Jack,... Wake up please…. N-No… Jack, JACK!!"