The long gashes in Wheeljack's chassis were the ghastly reminders of their last mission. As much as Wheeljack grated his nerves, Ultra Magnus didn't enjoy seeing Wheeljack lying in a pool of his own lifeblood that night. He also didn't enjoy seeing Wheeljack lay unconscious on a medical berth without a chest plate. Ultra Magnus was so used to Wheeljack's sly smirks, optic rolls, and general looks of disdain that his blank expression was completely alien.
'At least he is much more tolerable this way…' The errant thought floated through Ultra Magnus' processor as he stared down at the Wrecker in the berth.
His gaze continuously flickered to Wheeljack's concealed spark chamber. Laser core damage was a serious injury. If they weren't careful, Wheeljack's spark would burn through its spark chamber and blip out of existence. Unlike the bots of the other world, they didn't have Allspark fragments or an Allspark-powered key to resurrect Wheeljack if something did go wrong.
Rafael called out to him, "Ratchet says he might bring Wheeljack out of stasis tomorrow." The small human gave Ultra Magnus an optimistic smile. He was perched on Arcee's berth, keeping her company for the day while most of the group was busy. He typed away at his laptop while Arcee flipped through files on a datapad.
"Good. It's too quiet around here," Arcee squirmed. She looked at the space where her leg should be. Since Arcee's leg had been crushed from the mid-thigh down, Ratchet removed the entire limb. All that remained was her hip joint.
Ultra Magnus followed her gaze and then looked over to Ratchet, who was bent over a trailer of scrap metal in the center of the room. Now that Wheeljack was stable, Ratchet focused on replacing Arcee's leg. Wheeljack could go without a chassis for now, but Arcee was liable to start hobbling around the base with one leg if Ratchet didn't get her a replacement soon. The fembot was growing restless by the day.
Ultra Magnus gave a small show of support. "Hang in there, soldier," he said.
"Thanks," Arcee mumbled and continued scanning through the datapad files. "The sooner I can get back to normal, the better. If Sari, Ratchet, and Bulkhead are right about this 'Lugnut', then I want to be back on my feet as soon as possible. Who knows what other bots we'll meet?" Arcee's optics burned with determination and fury.
Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement but doubted their temporary medic could build Arcee a fully functioning leg from Earth materials. "You may be out of commission for longer than you desire. Focus on your recovery rather than returning to the field so quickly."
"You could stay here with me, Ratchet, and Bulkhead! Maybe you could help us out with the dimension travel stuff!" The teen exclaimed.
Arcee balked at the suggestion. "None of that is my forte. Also, Bulkhead is replacing me on missions if I stay under house arrest for much longer."
The blue mech bristled at Arcee's flippant words. "That is ill-advised-"
"Magnus, be serious," Arcee cut him off with a glare. "That would leave us with four functioning Autobots. That's ill advised."
"I agree," a fourth voice said from below. Agent Fowler was on the ground by Arcee's bed. Ultra Magnus bent down and offered his hand. Agent Fowler stepped into his palm and continued, "Megatron's army has grown into quite the zoo. Vehicons and Insecticons and a dragon-"
"Oh my," Arcee quipped.
A wry smile pulled at Agent Fowler's lips, "Funny."
Ultra Magnus didn't understand the reference so he ignored the joke. His frustration made it hard to keep his tone even. "Is no one else concerned we may be trusting them too soon? They've been here for less than a week."
He couldn't understand their willingness to trust these bots. Ratchet was the most useful so far, but his skills were lacking. Bulkhead was knowledgeable but also lacking. Sari was indescribable. Her hybrid nature made him uncomfortable. Optimus Prime was far more compassionate than he was, but Ultra Magnus thought the other Autobots would be less trusting. The only person who was remotely guarded was Wheeljack, who currently couldn't voice his opinion.
Ultra Magnus wanted to say more but stopped when he noticed Ratchet approaching. The bot carried three wheels of varying sizes. Agent Fowler moved beside Rafael so Ratchet could lay the wheels at the foot of Arcee's berth. Wordlessly, Arcee stretched out her intact leg, a hopeful smile spread across her face. Ratchet kept his gaze on Arcee's leg and began comparing the tires to the one in Arcee's leg. He completely ignored those around him.
Rafael returned his attention to his computer and Arcee watched Ratchet work. Agent Fowler turned his attention to Ultra Magnus. The human's pointed look was armor piercing and exasperating.
'One small act will not change my stance,' the mech shook his head.
"Oh! Hey! I think I found another Predacon bone!" Rafael cheered. He hunched over his laptop and his fingers flew across the keyboard. "It's at a local museum too!"
Everyone but Ratchet gathered around the young human. Ultra Magnus stood beside the berth, Agent Fowler stood beside Rafael, and Arcee leaned to the side to get a better look at the laptop. On the left side of the screen was the museum's official website. It displayed a photo of a long pale claw covered in a thin layer of rust. On the right side of the screen was a photo of an ancient Earth creature carved in white stone. Rafael focused on the creature's splayed paw, which was covered in long curved claws.
"Scientists were totally stumped when they excavated it in 1922, so it's been in storage!" Rafael finished with a proud smile.
"That's a mechanical claw if I've ever seen one," Agent Fowler crossed his arm and leaned forward. "And it's at a museum, huh? Shouldn't be too hard to grab. If we leave within the next few hours, we can make it there before it closes,"
"Before it closes?" Ultra Magnus parroted a confused frown. "Getting the Predacon bone at night is preferable. We cannot risk being seen by humans."
"We're not stealing it, Magnus," the man said sternly.
"It's in the same museum we got the energon harvester from," Rafael pointed out. "I doubt we'd get away with the same trick twice."
"Look, all I have to do is make a few phone calls and write an official letter explaining why we need the artifact," Agent Fowler ran a hand over his tie and huffed. "I swear, sometimes you bots are too eager to go AWOL and break the law."
Ultra Magnus held out his hand and Agent Fowler stepped into his palm again. Rather than place Agent Fowler on the floor, he moved the human to the yellow scaffolding that led to his office.
"I think they have a pretty clean track record," Rafael muttered on his breath.
The Unit:E agent heard the teen loud and clear. He loudly countered with, "Well I don't! Give me half an hour and I'll have what we need to get the Predacon bone legally."
Ultra Magnus nodded, "I will contact Prime. He can meet us there."
As soon as Optimus stopped at the curb, Sari jumped out of his cabin with her bundled-up bag from KO Burger and yet another milkshake in hand. She'd ordered the watermelon milkshake this time, which was much better than she hoped. With the sugar coursing through her, she was eager to join Agent Fowler on this mission.
"I will be positioned here while Ultra Magnus is at the south end of the museum. Please remind Agent Fowler of Smokescreen and Bumblebee's ETA and be careful," the large truck commanded. There was no room for debate.
Sari nodded but her attention was mainly focused on draining her shake before she entered the museum. She gave Prime a thumbs up as she trotted up the stairs. Agent Fowler came into view as she reached the top and he opened the glass door.
Agent Fowler's greeting was a bewildered question, "Sari? You were with Prime?"
"Mhm," Sari hummed, still trying to suck in the last of her drink. Once the straw gurgled from sucking in air bubbles, she tossed the cup and bag into the garbage can by the door. She sighed with contentment, "He took me to KO Burger. I convinced him to let me come along! You said this would be easy, right?"
The middle-aged man straightened up and cleared his throat. "The curator's acting like he's guarding the Mona Lisa instead of some prehistoric lug nut that's been gathering dust since Harding was president. Don't worry though. I've got it covered."
Sari couldn't recall who President Harding was. Instead, she focused on taking in the sights of the museum. It was now dusk and the setting sun illuminated the objects in the atrium. A T-rex skeleton stood tall in the middle of the atrium while statues from various cultures lined the walls. The bright light in the rest of the museum barely reached the atrium but lit the surrealist paintings and abstract sculptures in the hallways. With the better lighting, it was easy to see the beautiful white interior and spotless display cases. It was a shame Bulkhead couldn't visit the museum with her.
"...You know for bots who are supposed to be 'robots in disguise', they sure are finding a lot of Predacon bones all over the planet. How are they still a secret?" Sari whispered. She wasn't used to pretending giant alien robots didn't exist but knew better than to shout about it at the top of her lungs.
"Unit:E is very thorough," he responded with pride.
"Would it really be that bad if people knew about the bots? The humans in my world were shocked at first but nothing terrible happened."
"That's because your world already has supervillains and giant automatons. It's a smaller leap for them," The man countered without a second thought. "It's great that the Autobots help fix whatever damage they do to the city, but there's more involved here. Prime and his team bounce from state to state, country to country in their war. The war for your Bots ended before they even came here. The battle between the Bots and Cons in your city is more like a gang rivalry than a war with dozens of casualties. The scale is completely different."
Sari's brows furrowed. She wasn't expecting that condescending response. "That's not-"
A third party cleared their throat and the two Autobot allies stopped talking immediately. Standing a few feet away was the night guard, a young Latino man in a brown uniform. "Sorry to interrupt but my boss says y'all can't be in the hallway without supervision so…" he explained in an unexpectedly thick Brooklyn accent.
"Isn't that what the security cameras are for?" Sari blurted out with a raised eyebrow.
Agent Fowler nudged her with his elbow.
The guard shrugged, "Considering what happened last time, I don't think my boss wants to take any chances. It'll be easier if you come to my office." He turned around and motioned for them to follow him.
"What happened last time?" Sari tilted her head.
Agent Fowler cleared his throat and made an exaggerated slicing motion across his throat.
"Some teens broke in and stole the orb off that Poseidon statue. Special Agent Fowler here returned the orb and arrested the girl the other night guard caught," the guard explained. "Ever since then, our security's gotten a little bit better. More cameras, key card access, the whole shebang!"
Sari mouthed to Agent Fowler, "Some teens?"
The look he returned told her everything she needed to know.
They were led to the back of the museum. The space was wider in this section, as it doubled as a loading bay. The back of the hallway slanted upward and led to a thick overhead door. A few dollies, hand trucks, and wooden palettes leaned against the chipped walls. The guard's office was on the left wall.
Sari entered the guard's office first. The office was overstuffed and a bit underwhelming. The wall behind the guard's desk was lined with 9 screens showing grainy footage of the museum exhibits. The footage switched to different exhibits, hallways, and other rooms every few seconds. The brown desk held a computer and a phone. The wall to her left was lined with grey cabinets while the wall behind her remained bare. The worn guest chair sagged when Sari eventually sat down.
Sari tried not to look unimpressed. 'This is the better security? No wonder they stole part of a museum exhibit and got away with it…'
She watched the monitors as they constantly changed. It was a nice way to see what else the museum had to offer.
"With all due respect, Mr. Diaz, what is taking your curator so long? It's one fossil. I already signed all the release forms and gave you everything from my own superiors." Agent Fowler asked as he sat in the chair closest to the door.
"This is a museum. We have a lot of things in storage," the guard shrugged. He leaned back in his seat. "So what does Unit:E do anyway? You some sort of Men in Black?"
"That's classified," was all Agent Fowler replied.
The trio fell silent. Sari continued to watch the monitor.
It wasn't until about a minute passed that she noticed something strange in the middle screen along the top row. It was the storage room, which likely held the Predacon talon. Something in the room cast a large shadow over the tall white shelves in the center of the area. The shadow moved from one side of the screen to the other. Now alert, Sari leaned forward in her chair. The footage blipped to another part of the museum before Sari could learn more.
'Yeah, that was probably a Con,' Sari's eyes flickered to the guard, who was busy changing his flashlight's batteries. She nudged Agent Fowler and jerked her head to the monitors.
He found the right monitor as soon as the footage returned to the storage room. Now it was clear something was in the room. It's body was too tall for the cameras, but a few long, sharp, black legs slowly moved across the screen. Sari's eyes narrowed as she noticed a flash of purple at the top of the screen.
'Wait, is that-' Sari cut herself off with a gasp. She jumped to her feet, startling the two men in the room.
"We have to go!" She declared. She then remembered her recent conversation with Agent Fowler and backtracked. "I mean I have to go! To the car!" She tried to scramble past Agent Fowler but he quickly stopped her.
"Hold on, take my keys," he stood and fished around in his inner suit pocket. As he did so, he whispered, "Call Prime. I'll handle the guard. Do not do something stupid." He dropped the keys in her hand.
Sari clenched the keys in her fist and bolted. She paused when she got to the end of the hallway. She glanced back at the overhead door. 'If they load items here that means the storage room has to be close by.'
She picked the opposite direction they came from. As soon as she was out of view from the guard's office, her helmet enclosed around her head. Her pigtails were now yellow audio receptors. They twitched as Sari contacted Optimus Prime."Prime! Can you hear me?"
"Sari, I can hear you. Has something happened?"
Sari looked around to make sure no one else was around."The security cameras picked up something inside the storage room. It's a Decepticon and I'm pretty sure I know who!"
There was a long pause. "A Decepticon from your world?"
"Yes! She's a giant spider fembot named Blackarachnia."
"We will remain vigilant out here. Do you have the Predacon bone in your possession?"
"Sari!" Agent Fowler suddenly called out to her.
The yellow armor around Sari's head disappeared. She peaked around the corner and spotted Agent Fowler walking towards her. The guard was nowhere to be seen. "We don't have it yet. We're going to start looking now."
"Do not engage the Decepticon. Let Ultra Magnus through the loading bay. If this spider fembot found the fossil already, we will meet them out here," Optimus ordered.
"You got it!" Sari's eyes zeroed in on the bright red button on the left wall. She made a beeline for it, forgetting about Agent Fowler. The teen jabbed the button and the door slowly rolled up.
"Sari, what's going on?" Agent Fowler loudly asked over the door's mechanical whirring.
"Optimus asked me to let Ultra Magnus in," Sari said, leaving out the rest. Optimus might not want them to engage with Blackarachnia but she was the best person for the job. No one else here knew Blackarachnia like she did. Sari transformed the rest of her body, yellow and grey armor replacing her regular clothes. She looked at the human. "Where's the guard?"
"Mr. Noah Diaz is taking a nap," Agent Fowler stated.
The teen winced. Agent Fowler was an agent for a reason. "The nonlethal kind?" She meekly asked.
Fowler looked genuinely offended. "Of course! He'll wake up with a headache. No more, no less."
Blinding light poured into the room from a pair of bright headlights, cutting off their conversation. Sari raised a hand in front of her face to block some of the light but kept walking to the ramp.
"Might want to turn down the lights, Magnus! You're blinding us over here," Agent Fowler said through grit teeth.
The two were at the ramp's entrance by the time the lights cut off. Blotches of color danced across Sari's vision, momentarily disorienting her. She heard the bot transform. The teen looked up in time to see an unfamiliar bot lunge toward her. Sari backpedaled away but couldn't move fast enough. Sharp claws curled around her body and squeezed.
"Shhh, your Autobot friend is sleeping," a familiar voice cooed.
"You were right, Knock Out, this was an easy mission," Blackarachnia said as she turned the Predacon bone in her servos. It wasn't a very big object but that didn't matter. All that mattered was improving her standing with Megatron.
She wrapped the Predacon bone in her webs and placed it underneath her thorax kibble.
"That's great! Now would you get your aft over here?!" Knock Out shouted. Blaster fire could be heard from the other side of the museum.
Blackarachnia looked over to the two human hostages. The Vehicons held one each, but one seemed to be struggling more than the other. Blackarachnia looked at the unconscious Autobot parked against the museum's wall. "You know I think I'll stay here. Firefights aren't my thing, but I have three bargaining chips. Let me know if you want to use them."
While her spark was very much intact, Blackrachnia lacked an energy signature. This allowed her to sneak around without being detected by ordinary Cybertronian scanners. If she moved quickly, she caught most bots off guard. The blue Autobot truck was no different. While he waited for the humans, Blackarachnia landed on his alternate mode and plunged her golden spider legs into him.
"Bargaining chips- woah!" Knock Out's line went dead. A crash echoed through the air.
Blackarachnia shook her head. She took out an Autobot by herself and she was no war veteran. Why couldn't Knock Out do the same?
"Go help Knock Out!" Blackarachnia ordered. She hoped their lust for battle would make them forget that she had no authority over them.
"But the humans-"
"I can handle two fleshbags," Blackarachnia said. To illustrate her point, neon purple webs spewed from the spider legs that arched over her shoulders. They wrapped around the male human and Vehicon's servo.
"Eugh!" The purple bot shrieked as organic material seeped into the seams of his servos. He opened his servo to release the human but the web kept them linked together. He shook his servo furiously, rattling the human back and forth.
Blackarachnia rolled her eyes and grabbed the Vehicon's wrist. She plucked the human from the other Con's grasp and stuck the human to the wall. "See? I have it under control."
"You're disgusting!" The victimized Vehicon sneered at her, clutching his servo. He frantically picked out the rest of the webs.
"And you're missing the battle," Blackarachnia snapped.
She turned to the other Vehicon, who released the human without another word. The human cried out as she hit the ground. The Vehicons sprinted away with their blasters drawn.
Blackarachnia wrapped her webs around the human on the ground. The lanky organic was too injured to put up much of a fight. The spiderbot hummed curiously as picked up the injured human. "Wait, I recognize those pathetic whimpers. Don't tell me…" Her four eyes widened and Blackarachnia gasped, "You! What are you doing here?!"
Sari groaned, "I could ask you the same thing…"
Blackarachnia's brain worked overtime to try to make sense of Sari Sumdac's presence. "This is impossible! You were nowhere near my lab when the power cell malfunctioned! How did you get here?!"
"Power cell…?" Sari wearily repeated. The fall injured her more than Blackarachnia assumed.
"Who else is here with you?" The fembot leaned in so her face was inches from Sari's. Her optics illuminated the Autobot's pet in a red glow. "Is it Optimus?"
"Mn, you tell me first. Who's with you? Lugnut, right?"
Blackarachnia's optics narrowed. "Okay, if that's the game you want to play…" She slowly tightened her grip on the human.
"Ugh, are you trying to kill me?" Sari wheezed.
"Of course not. Why would I kill my new clue to go home? I'm trying to motivate you," Blackarachnia cooed, her fangs flashing in the moonlight. Her voice returned to its usual demanding tone. "Now tell me how you got here!"
"How should I know? Do I look like a transwarp energy expert?"
It was a fair statement. The odds of a little girl knowing anything substantial were low.
She loosened her grip and began a casual interrogation. "So does that mean you came here by yourself? No Bots from our world? No Optimus?"
"You already asked about Optimus, remember? God, you're so obsessed with him! I thought you hated Optimus and Sentinel."
Blackarachnia's optics widened. She thought back to her two interactions with Sari. She talked to Sari about her technorganic nature but never mentioned how she became one or who she was with. 'And just how the frag do you know that?'
Sari faintly smirked at Blackarachnia's expression. "Optimus and I talk."
The technorganic fought back embarrassment and shame, but her skin reddened a bit. "O-kay! I was thinking about taking you back to the Nemesis for more questions, but now I think I should just kill you!"
"Let her go, Decepti-creep!" Someone shouted behind her.
She turned around, annoyed by the interruption. A blue and yellow bot glared at her from a few feet away. His servo was transformed into a blaster. The sight of the weapon made her spark jump but she was determined not to panic. She wasn't defenseless. Blackarachnia still had her bargaining chips and downloaded additional strength from her latest Autobot victim.
"Ooh, I don't think so. We were just starting our girl talk," she smiled.
Sari muttered something unintelligible. Likely an insult.
She expected the bot to throw more threats at her. Instead, his demeanor changed. His weapon lowered slightly and he stared at her curiously.
"W-what are you?" He whispered. His optics roamed over her body, taking in the mix of Cybertronian metal and soft organic flesh. His face twisted with every passing second.
His reaction was expected but still stung. All Cybertronians found her disgusting. It didn't matter which world they were from.
Blackarachnia carefully lowered Sari on the top of the other blue Autobot she knocked out. She hissed, "Why don't you come over here and find out?"
Purple webs spewed from her spider legs and attached to the bot's chassis and shoulders. Blackarachnia pulled the bot forward and lunged toward him. She plunged her spider legs into the Autobot and downloaded his ability. The bot cried out and his entire body went limp.
'Too easy,' A sadistic laugh left her as she lowered him to the ground.
The fembot's satisfaction was short-lived. Blue blaster shots whizzed past her, nearly scaring her to death. A set of loud and angry beeps drew her attention toward yet another Autobot. A black and yellow bot sprinted towards her with his blaster drawn. Blackarachnia sloppily dodged another round of blaster shots, a few coming too close to her limbs. She launched herself into the air and aimed her webs. A neon glop of webbing hit the black and yellow Autobot in the face. The mech beeped with disgust and alarm.
Blackarachnia landed on the ground behind the Autobot. While he reared back to claw the web from his face, Blackarachnia swiftly roundhouse kicked his left knee joint. The Autobot fell forward onto one knee. Blackarachnia used the last of her downloaded strength to kick him again, her right pede connecting with the back of his head. A choked gasp of static left the mech's vocalizer as he fell onto his front.
Blackarachnia huffed, now thoroughly done for the night. "Okay, that- augh!" She cried out as a blaster shot hit her left calf.
She fell to her knees in front of the black and yellow Autobot.
She craned her neck to see who hit the back of her leg. She scowled when she didn't spot anyone.
Blackarachnia's audio receptor faintly picked up the pitter-patter of pedes against metal. She turned back to her front, just in time to see a small yellow bot use the black and yellow mech as a springboard to somersault in the air. The confused Decepticon watched as the tiny bot's servos split open revealing tiny weapons underneath. An energy ball formed between its servos and was quickly lobbed at Blackarachnia. The Decepticon howled as the energy ball struck the middle of her forehead. Tiny feet followed, landing just below Blackarachnia's forehead and knocking her onto her back.
"What the frag?!" Blackarachnia shrieked, more surprised than injured. Thankfully, her helmet protected her technorganic skin from the brunt of the attack. Blackarachnia rubbed at the small charred spot on her helmet, the cogs in her processor working overtime.
"Get away from him!" She heard the little bot shout.
Blackarachnia sat up abruptly and took in the sight before her. A tiny fembot knelt on the Autobot's back. Her heroic move knocked the energy out of her. The little thing had two tall audio receptors on her head, a yellow dress on her frame, and her pedes looked like little sneakers. The most alarming part was the little bot's familiar voice and demeanor. Blackarachnia knew a little redheaded brat when she saw one.
'When did this happen?' Her spark flooded with amazement, anger, relief, and everything in between. Blackarachnia always assumed any technorganic she met would be one she created in her lab. The fact that it was the Autobot's precious pet was icing on the oil cake. This was the last thing she expected to see today. 'I'd be flattered if I wasn't so- wait!'
The sound of screeching tires and a pair of headlights drew her attention away from Sari. A massive truck was careening towards them. Knock Out and the other Vehicons did not follow.
Sari threw her hands in the air and cheered, "Optimus!"
Sari, the other Autobots, and her injury disappeared as she watched the truck get closer. Her fight-or-flight response was not working properly. The fembot froze. Part of her wanted to run to the museum's roof, abandon the other Decepticons, and call for a ground bridge. The rest of her wanted to stay and see this dimension's Optimus Prime.
In the end, she managed to stand but she didn't run. She waited.
The red and blue truck quickly transformed into a truly massive Autobot. The ground shook from the weight of his steps. Blackarachnia couldn't see the weapons this bot had, but she knew he was packed to the gills with them. Everyone else was. Why would he be any different?
The technorganic was struck with awe and terror. 'I've never seen mass-shifting like this before! Why does this bot need that many weapons? Who is he fighting? Omega Supreme?'
The closer the bot drew, the more lightheaded she felt.
"Aren't you gonna run?" Sari asked mockingly. The smaller technorganic paused when she noticed Blackarachnia's tense body. She repeated the question, this time with genuine concern. "Aren't you gonna run?"
Blackarachnia ignored her. She was too focused on the bot's turquoise optics and blue helm. That was where the similarities were. The rest of him was completely foreign. She wished the sun was still up so she could analyze his frame better. 'Is that really you, Optimus?'
"Are you Blackarachnia?" The bot spoke in a deep, monotone voice.
Blackarachnia's spark skipped a beat and her optics widened. 'His voice…' She would have never attributed such a resonant voice to Optimus. He sounded older, much older. That, combined with his size, sent an uncomfortable chill through her.
Her vocalizer failed her. She nodded.
"I presume you have just arrived here. Naturally, you've aligned yourself with your faction. However, you do not know what Megatron intends to do with the Predacon fossils," Optimus Prime stated. His even tone was surprising. He was talking to her like she was a neutral party, perhaps even an ally.
Just like her Optimus Prime.
The bot opened his massive servo and held it out to her. For a moment, Blackarachnia thought he was offering her his servo. She wanted to reach out to it. But, no, the Decepticon knew what he was asking for. He wanted the talon.
"Shockwave cannot replicate more Predacons," Prime said. There was a finality in his voice, as if he was expressing a fact.
"We know you have the Predacon fossil. I saw it!" Sari interjected. Primus, she was annoying.
Optimus' expression remained neutral.
Blackarachnia found her voice. She softly began, "Optimus, I…" The fembot's fingers twitched. She wanted to hand the Predacon fossil over. There was no logical reason for that desire. She hated Autobots and handing over the talon would hurt her standing with Megatron.
"Bug! Are you alive?" A voice on her communication channel brought Blackarachnia back to reality. Knock Out sounded exhausted but Blackarachnia was glad he hadn't been killed. The medic and the Vehicons who accompanied her were probably licking their wounds after dealing with the massive Optimus Prime. "Please, tell me you have the Predacon bone?"
"Mhm," Blackarachnia said before cutting the line.
Blackarachnia's focus returned to Optimus Prime. She hesitated then softly asked, "Are you different from my Optimus?"
The bot's piercing blue optics widened. Even Sari remained silent.
"...I cannot say. I am unfamiliar with your world's Optimus Prime," he replied honestly. "Do you think I am?"
"Hmm. No, I don't," a bittersweet smile formed her black lips. "I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Optimus Prime's optic ridges rose. "...Blackarachnia, are you-"
"Here," she cut him off. The Decepticon reached underneath her thorax kibble.
She slowly pulled out the object from her kibble and placed it in Optimus Prime's awaiting servos. The Autobot's confusion was palpable as he looked at the yellow antivenom jet injector in his servos.
"Give these to your blue friends. My cybervenom will kill them within two megacycles if you don't," Blackarachnia quickly instructed.
Then she transformed her right servo into a blaster and aimed for Prime's chest.