A/N: This week was a slow one for writing. It definitely reinforced having a schedule to post and allowing myself to have a multi-chapter lead on writing. Though every time I go back through the last posted chapter and the one coming up it's always interesting to see how I feel. I sometimes make some small adjustments, often have to fix typos from my phone being weird, some of which still make it through until I get to going through it on here to make sure it's in order and yet I still miss some that I notice later when going through for the next chapter. At which point I tend to leave it unless it's a really bad typo. Someday I may go through and fix all of the typos that made it through the hand full of read-throughs and adjustments, but maybe not. Even published books often have small typos that make it through editing. Some of the adjustments I make cause me to go through the chapters following to adjust a thing or two accordingly, but not often, but I still usually go through all my unpublished chapters periodically to decide if I'm still happy with them and remind myself where I'm at with certain things that I may not have taken notes on yet. At one point, I wrote a couple chapters and decided I wanted to put some stuff in place before them and I had to do a lot of checking back to remind myself what was from before chapters and what was from after chapters so I didn't accidentally do some weird time shenanigans unintentionally. Lol.
Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 18: Interrogations and Insects
My optics tracked the Seeker as he perused the amalgamation of torture tools laid out on the table within the cell I was strung up in.
"Now, which tool will be most effective in dragging information out of you for Lord Megatron?" Starscream wondered, sounding rather chipper.
My optics shifted from the Seeker to the blue mech standing behind the table. Soundwave. The mech was silently watching, always watching whenever someone was interrogating me. Probably to record anything I might reveal.
"Ah yes, this one," Starscream said, plucking a tool from the table.
I shifted slightly as he turned toward me, not looking forward to what was coming.
"Ah, I see you are familiar," Starscream said, starting to circle me as my optics tracked him. "This will be a lot less unpleasant for you if you just tell me what you know."
"Heh," I said, lifting my pedes slightly against the weight of the chains wrapped around them. I let them drop. "Not likely."
Starscream sneered and then jabbed me in the side with the prod, sending a shock through my systems. I clenched my denta against the pain, wings reflexively contracting to press tightly against my back. It was a minute before my frame relaxed even after he pulled the prod away.
"If I were you, I would rethink that," Starscream warned icily, one of his claws running along my jawline.
I just glared at him and then shifted to bite at his digit as it lingered on my chin.
He squealed, pulling away just in time for me to miss his finger. He growled and jammed the prod back into my side at the same spot and I wasn't sure if the fact it hurt more was that he increased the setting or the repeated strike in the same spot.
Prowl frowned at their silent prisoner from the outside of the jail cell. Steadishift, as previously proven, was stubborn as always.
Steadishift laughed at Prowl's frown. "What's the matter, Autobot?" He spat the word like a curse. "Your code not allow you to pursue more effective means of extracting information?" His tone was mocking.
Prowl didn't react, merely waited. He had spent the last two hours asking questions and getting nowhere. Now that he had fallen silent Steadishift had finally spoken. Nothing important, but spoken.
Steadishift smirked. "I guarantee you Megatron isn't extending the same courtesy to whatever Autobot he's got in his grasp this time."
Prowl almost tilted a doorwing. The only thing that betrayed him was a tiny shift in his left doorwing.
Steadishift chuckled. "That's why you're here, isn't it? After you'd given up on me. Because one of your precious brethren has been captured again. Well I'm not giving you squat. Can't say the same for your compatriot. You see, the Decepticons are quite the interrogators. And Barricade has no problem causing pain to squeeze out every ounce of information from his subjects."
Prowl remained silent. Steadishift was unusually talkative. Eventually he would give something useful. And Prowl was a patient mech. Sometimes waiting patiently was the best tool in an interrogator's toolset.
Steadishift's amusement turned into a frown. "Aren't you going to ask anything? You realize you are running out of time."
"Am I?" Prowl asked. "Or are you?"
Steadishift raised an optic ridge. Or what Prowl thought was an optic ridge.
"I know how you shifters function," Prowl said. "You can only go so long without changing shape. Makeshift could only go a couple days. How long can you go before you perish, I wonder? It has already been a little over a month since we have locked you up and you have yet to change shape. I have no problem leaving that cuff on you to prevent you from doing so until you perish if you do not provide us with any useful intel."
Steadishift looked suddenly nervous. "You wouldn't," he said. "It's against the Autobot Code."
"Is it?" Prowl asked, raising an optic ridge. He glanced around at the otherwise empty room. "I don't seem to recall."
"You're bluffing," Steadishift said.
"Am I?" Prowl asked.
Steadishift eyed him warily, clearly uncertain.
Prowl wasn't about to let him know one way or the other. Let him think he was in danger of offlining. Let him believe the Autobots were capable of such cruelty. Prowl would take every guard shift if that's what it took to push this tactic until he broke. Carefully, of course.
Starscream growled, grabbing me by the chassis and I hissed in pain. He was about to speak when the door opening interrupted him. He shifted and I saw a familiar black and white mech walking in. The one Ratchet had faced in Manhattan. The one I had gone feral on by Ratchet's description.
"What is it, Barricade?" Starscream asked in irritation.
"Megatron wants you on the bridge," Barricade replied, walking up. He snatched the tool Starscream had in his servos from him. "Which means it's my turn with the prisoner."
Starscream growled. He shoved me, causing the chains I was hanging from to clang loudly. "Try not to offline her, will you? She's useless to us dead."
Barricade smirked as Starscream walked away, optics glinting dangerously. "I won't kill her," he said. "I do owe her for mangling my arm, however."
Over Barricade's shoulder I thought I caught a glimpse of sympathy on Starscream's faceplates just before he disappeared. Given how harsh he was, I was pretty sure that spoke volumes to what I was in for from Barricade.
Barricade paced around me, much like Starscream had done multiple times during the course of our session. He tapped the tool in his palm.
"Starscream is quite fond of the prod, isn't he? I see it's all he's used so far, am I right?" Barricade asked.
I didn't reply, but Soundwave nodded when Barricade glanced at him.
Barricade tossed it over his shoulder. "Foolish to stick to one tactic for so long, wouldn't you say? It's clearly not loosening your glossa," he said. He reached out and stroked the edge of my left wing with the back of his fingers. "There are much more painful ways to torture. I've not worked with these kind of wings before. But I can find how sensitive they are easily enough."
His fingers wrapped around a feather and unceremoniously ripped it off, splattering energon from the disconnect, causing me to hiss in pain I wasn't quite prepared for. I hadn't had a feather ripped out since that day Arcee had found me, when that cloaker had ripped one out and I had promptly used it as a makeshift sword and stabbed them in the spark.
Barricade smirked. "I wonder how many I can pluck out before you can no longer feel," he said conversationally. He ripped another out, spilling more energon. "It must hurt. Wings are always the most sensitive." He ripped a third one and I bit back a scream.
My frame was shaking with the effort of holding myself up with the chains. The pressure on my shoulder joints was painful. The lingering pain from the energon prod was a lot. Now the pain from the feathers being ripped out, the energon loss. It was a lot.
"There is a way to get this to stop," Barricade said. A fourth and I flinched, grinding my denta to keep a scream from escaping, pulling hard against my bindings in a vain attempt to cope. "Just tell us what Megatron wants to know. Tell us what the future holds. Tell us about Unicron. Tell us Autobot secrets. Tell us something we can use to destroy Optimus."
"Never," I said forcefully, angrily.
Barricade smirked, a glint in his optics. He glanced at Soundwave. "I do love it when they resist," he said. He reached up to the base of my right wing, grabbing a hold of two feathers at once and yanking them forcefully.
The scream I let out was not loud by overall standards, but given most of the time high emotions made me shut up, it was rather impressive.
"Come on, Bulkhead! Hup to it! March!" Miko drilled.
"Ugh," Bulkhead sighed as he dragged his pedes across the medbay floor. He may have complained about taking it slow at first, but Miko's workout regimen was borderline pushing it. His frame hurt. "Miko, I need to rest." He sat down.
"The 'Cons aren't gonna let you rest, Bulk'!" Miko argued, stomping her foot. "You think they're letting her rest?!"
"Ugh," Bulkhead replied, shifting as he flinched at her words. He knew she was speaking from a place of worry and stress, but it still stung.
"Bup up up," Ratchet said, walking over. "If Bulkhead's frame is telling him he needs rest, he needs to rest, Miko. If you push a patient too far, you will set them back."
"If you take it too slow he won't get back out there!" Miko argued, crossing her arms.
"Miko," Bulkhead said as Ratchet helped him back to his pedes. "Ratchet knows what he's talking about. He got Shadebreaker on her pedes, didn't he?"
Miko looked up at him, heartbreak in her eyes and he felt Ratchet stiffen.
"Sorry," Bulkhead said, suddenly realizing that was the wrong thing to say. He rubbed his helm. The both of them had been touchy about the subject of Shadebreaker the past several days since the femme's capture. "I'm sure we'll get her back. Like you did me."
Medbay fell silent as Ratchet helped Bulkhead back to his bed for rest and Bulkhead sighed heavily. He hated not being in the field even more ever since learning of the femme's capture. She'd put herself at risk to get him back and in return the Decepticons had clearly pushed harder to retrieve her. He should be out there looking for her with the others.
"I'm sorry, Ratchet," Bulkhead said heavily as the medic ran some scans.
"For what?" Ratchet asked.
"It's my fault Shade' got captured, isn't it?" Bulkhead asked. "She put herself at risk, she confirmed she knows things in order to rescue me."
"Tsk," Ratchet scoffed. "It's not your fault." He admonished, waving the scanner at Bulkhead. "And if you don't want a lecture on why, I suggest not even suggesting that it is again. Shadebreaker made her choices and the Decepticons would've gone after her on their own eventually. Megatron already suspected her of knowing things because of Shockwave. And that was something none of us could do anything to prevent. Primus knows what all he knows about her from that-that…"
"Monster?" Bulkhead finished for the medic.
"...yeah," Ratchet agreed with a heavy sigh.
"I hate this," Sideswipe complained as he drove down the interstate, his brother trailing behind him.
"You've said that already," Sunstreaker said long-sufferingly.
"Well I do!" Sideswipe said with an angry rev of his engine. "The 'Cons have Shade' and all we can do is wander around and hope they show up?! It's a bunch of slag!"
Sunstreaker sighed heavily as his brother went on about what they were probably doing to the poor femme. "Shadebreaker's resilient," he reminded his brother when he had a chance to get a word in edgewise. "And stubborn. She won't tell them anything and she will hold out for us."
Sideswipe gave another angry rev. "It's still not fair," he said. "She's not even been that big of a pain to the 'Cons to be such a target!"
"She knows things," Sunstreaker said, remembering Chromia's words in that cave. "And she's related to one of the Thirteen. Not to mention her portals. Those things combined-"
"I get it! Doesn't mean I can't be mad about it!" Sideswipe growled.
Sunstreaker inwardly smirked. His brother had been jealous about Shadebreaker's quick inclusion in meetings, but after delving into that structure with her, he had come out with a different viewpoint. His brother didn't exactly have feelings of kinship with her, but Sunstreaker knew if he spent time with the femme the two would become fast friends if Shadebreaker could move past their actions from when they'd believed her to be a traitor. And evidence suggested that she would.
If whatever the Decepticons were doing to her didn't cause her to shut herself off from friendship completely like what happened to Prowl.
Sunstreaker let out a growl himself at the thought. He may not view the femme with warm fuzzy feelings himself, but she was still a fellow bot and obviously a dedicated one. And one who had gained his respect. To a degree. He did not like to think about what the Decepticons were doing to her anymore than Sideswipe did.
"Something's coming up on my radar," Sideswipe said suddenly.
"Decepticon?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Yes," Sideswipe replied.
"Let's check it out," Sunstreaker said.
After waiting a minute for the few cars around them to disappear around a curve, they pulled off the road, driving into the dense trees on the side. They transformed only once they were well enough away from the road and crouched low to maintain stealth. They moved as quickly and as silently as they could, but they couldn't avoid the snaps and cracks of branches and twigs as they moved through the dense trees.
They searched for some time before they found evidence of what had appeared on their sensors.
Sunstreaker knelt down and examined the liquid on the forest floor. "Life-en," he said.
"A trail," Sideswipe said, pushing back some bushes to reveal more splotches.
They shared a look and then pulled their blasters of choice from subspace. Sunstreaker sent a quick message to base to update about the situation so they could be on standby in case they would need reinforcements.
They followed the trail carefully, optics and sensors on high alert. Every noise called their attention in case it was the source of the Decepticon signal they had picked up. Or, by some chance, an Autobot that had escaped. It was hard to know, after all, the source of the spilled life-en.
"Sunny," Sideswipe said quietly as he came to a stop. He held a hand to stop the yellow twin.
"Oh slag," Sunstreaker cursed upon seeing what his brother did.
Sitting in front of them, having crashed through the trees, was a ship of significant size. A ship of Decepticon origin. It was clearly non-operational now, but it was concerning how large it was.
"How many 'Cons you think it holds?" Sideswipe asked quietly.
Sunstreaker was about to answer when something prickled on the edge of his perception. He paused and then whirled, firing his weapon into the trees behind and above them.
A hissing and scuttle was the confirmation that he aimed at someone.
"We're not alone," Sunstreaker said lowly.
"Comms are jammed," Sideswipe reported, having tried to contact base as soon as his brother had whirled to shoot at something.
Sunstreaker growled, optics searching the trees as a feminine laugh echoed out from them.
"My, my," a voice echoed through the trees. "What interesting prey has stumbled upon my nest."
"Show yourself, 'Con!" Sunstreaker called.
They laughed again. "Why should I spoil the fun?"
A scuttling sound said they were moving and then a thwoop was all the warning before something flew out and hit Sideswipe's hand that was holding his weapon. A web encased Sideswipe's hand, preventing him from being able to pull the trigger.
Sunstreaker fired in the direction the web had been shot from immediately as Sideswipe began trying to tear at the webbing.
A cry of frustration said that he must've clipped their assailant, but not got them directly, and a quick scuttling indicated they were repositioning.
"Frag it," Sideswipe said, struggling with the webbing.
"Just leave it, you still have one hand," Sunstreaker advised, shifting. "We need to keep our focus on the enemy."
"Right," Sideswipe said, taking a different weapon out.
They moved from their position then, following the scuttling sounds, listening.
"Interesting things are being talked about across the comm chatter," the voice said and the mechs turned, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. "About a femme who knows the future."
The twins didn't react. They weren't about to confirm anything of the sort to a Decepticon. They kept their weapons up, optics scanning the trees and ground for any sign of the Decepticon, or potential other enemies.
"Aww, not so talkative?" The voice crooned, making Sunstreaker snarl in disgust. "That's ok. I have ways to make bots talk."
A hissing and branches cracking alerted them just in time for them to dive out of the way before a large spider-bot came falling out of the trees on top of them.
"Slag that's ugly," Sideswipe said, finally managing to get the webbing off his hand as some of it had been caught by the tip of the spider-bot's leg.
"I'll have you know I was the most beautiful in my hive," the spider-bot said, making a bow.
"The bar must've been in the pit, then," Sideswipe said, making a face.
The spider-bot hissed and lunged at him, but Sunstreaker grabbed hold of two of her legs.
"Now brother," Sunstreaker said as he grunted with the effort of holding her back. "It's not fair to pick on our lessers like that. Not everyone can be blessed with such glorious bodies such as ours."
The spider-bot hissed again and made to spin around to attack Sunstreaker, but the yellow twin heaved, pulling her off balance and then throwing her. She broke through several trees and came to a stop against an especially large one, making a large dent in it.
She got up and started to scuttle back toward them, but stopped as they fired at her. A shot hit her shoulder and she hissed. Then she suddenly jumped and started spinning and burrowed underground.
"Should we chase her?" Sideswipe asked as they gazed down the hole.
Sunstreaker considered for a moment and then looked toward the crashed ship. "No," he said. "We don't know if she has backup. We should report back to Optimus about this. He'll want to know."
Sideswipe nodded in understanding.
The twins made their way carefully through the forest, heading away from the ship, trying their comms every five minutes. They kept their optics and sensors alert for the spider-bot, but she didn't make another appearance. They doubted it would be the last they would see of her, however.
"Airachnid," Aree said with venom in her voice when she heard the twins' report of what they found.
The twins shared a look.
"You are familiar with this Decepticon, Arcee?" Jazz asked.
"She's the 'Con who killed Tailgate," Arcee said, fury in both her voice and optics. "She's a sick and twisted arachnid-bot who makes a hobby out of collecting endangered species. Doesn't matter if they were endangered before or after encountering her."
"Typical type for Megatron to recruit," Sunstreaker said dryly. "That ship of hers looks large enough to support a small army."
Arcee snorted. "Unlikely," she said. "The Airachnid I last encountered split off from the 'Cons and worked alone. Of course, things could've changed again. If-" She cut herself off from saying it, but everyone knew what she was about to say.
Shadebreaker might know more.
"Something on that ship might help us find her," Sideswipe finally said what he'd been think since laying optics on it. "She mentioned picking up Decepticon chatter about a femme who knew the future. What if…what if we could use the comms system to tap into that chatter?"
"Assuming Airachnid didn't decide to call in the calvary after you discovered her?" Arcee asked. "Or finding out the 'Cons have this future telling femme and wanting to see for herself?"
The present Autobots were quiet for a long moment.
"I believe," Optimus spoke up for the first time. "It is worth a try. Arcee, you are most familiar with Airachnid. I expect you to keep a level helm despite your history with the Decepticon femme."
Arcee bowed her helm slightly, but kept her mouth shut. She knew she couldn't promise anything, so she didn't.
"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, you will be our guides in," Optimus turned to the twins next and waited for them to each nod in agreement. "And Jazz, I expect you will handle our hacking needs."
"You got it Prime," Jazz said.
"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus said.
Every muscle cord in Arcee's frame was tense, coiled and ready to spring into action. Airachnid. Her arch nemesis. Tailgate's murderer. Decepti-creep extraordinaire—that one was Cliffjumper's name for her. Here. On Earth.
And if that wasn't enough, they might find a lead to saving Shadebreaker on her ship. The anticipation mixed with fear and rage was enough to make Arcee's life-en boil.
"How far to the ship?" Optimus asked of the twins quietly.
"Not far now," Sunstreaker replied, optics darting around the trees.
A scuttling alerted them to the presence of Airachnid and Arcee reacted quickly, pointing her weapons in that direction. Only nothing was there by the time she was facing it.
"Stay alert," Optimus said. "Airachnid may very well have called for backup."
They moved carefully through the trees, each facing a different direction to cover all vantage points. They heard Airachnid scuttling about occasionally, but the insecticon didn't fire upon them or approach. It wasn't until they were nearly within sight of her ship that anything happened.
Airachnid scuttled out into Arcee's view, looking her directly in the optics and smirking. Smirking. She gave a little wave and then scuttled away.
Arcee growled. "Airachnid!" She took off after her.
"Arcee! Wait!" Optimus called.
Arcee ignored him in favor of chasing after the spider-bot. She leapt over fallen logs and dodged around trees and bushes in an effort to keep up with the fleeing spider-bot. She fired the occasional shot, trying to slow the Decepticon femme down. If she could take down this dangerous menace, maybe Airachnid could share what she'd heard directly.
"Arcee!" Optimus's voice wasn't far behind, but because of his frame he was having a hard time catching up himself.
Arcee growled, pushing herself harder. She had to catch Airachnid.
"ARCEE STOP!" Optimus ordered, voice booming.
Arcee froze suddenly, optics wide. But she'd stopped too late. Her pede tip caught on a string of web stretched across the ground and the momentum from her enraged run carried her frame forward, careening over an edge. Directly into a web strown out across a ditch.
She would never admit to the scream that escaped her throat as she fell into the web, struggling.
Airachnid's gleeful laughed filled the ditch as she scuttled across the web. "Oh, Arcee," she said. "What a pleasant surprise!" She skittered around her lightly, legs adjusting the web to hold her more firmly. "Now, now. Don't struggle. You sit tight here while I go take care of your friends."
"You leave them out of this!" Arcee spat with venom. "Your fight is with me!"
Airachnid chuckled. "Oh don't worry, dear Arcee," she said, running her long fingers along her jaw. "I'll be back for you."
Airachnid scuttled out of the ditch then and Arcee heard her head in the direction of Optimus.
"Great, Arcee, good job," she grumbled to herself. "You compromised the mission."
Sideswipe shuddered as he looked around the ship. "Primus, Arcee wasn't joking," he said. "This femme's sick." He flinched at the disembodied head of something floating in some kind of liquid ooze.
Jazz frowned, optics landing on what appeared to be some form of mechanical lifeform not unlike Cybertronians. Offline. Hung on the wall like a trophy.
"Yeah, she's fragged up alright," he agreed. "Let's find the comms and get out of here."
Sideswipe agreed and they moved on through the ship, alert for any signs of trouble. They still didn't know for sure if Airachnid was alone. They stepped carefully over webbing that stretched across the floor, unsure if it was a trap or a warning system.
They stopped as the doorway to the bridge was suddenly blocked by a large mech dropping from the ceiling, filling the entire space. Insectoid legs wrapped around his midsection and hung over his shoulders and a scorpion-like tail protruded out behind him.
"Hello, Autobots," he said, smirking at the way they took a step back in defensive positions. "Come to join the party?" He motioned at the dismembered creatures lining the walls of the ship.
"So much for Airachnid working alone," Jazz said, aiming his blasters.
The mech laughed, the sound sending chills down Jazz's spinal strut as it reminded him of his time spent in the Sea of Rust looking for Grimlock and his team just before leaving Cybertron.
"You know my partner? Allow me to introduce myself, then," the mech said and gave a mocking bow. "The name's Scorponok."
Instead of coming out of the bow, the mech transformed into a beast of a scorpion. Jazz and Sideswipe fired on him, but he skittered easily out of the way of their shots, crawling along the walls. He hissed and jumped on Jazz, pinning him to the ground and trying to impale his helm with his giant stinger.
Jazz tilted his helm to either side to avoid, even as he struggled to knock the mech off of him.
A well aimed shot the scorpio-bot's shoulder knocked him off balance enough Jazz was able to escape.
Scorponok hissed and skittered across the floor to the walls again, darting quickly along them to avoid each shot. As he came back around to the doorway leading to the buried bridge, one of Sideswipe's shots caught him in the back leg and he hissed, falling from the wall.
"Keep on him," Jazz said, firing a shot into the joint of a front leg.
Scorponok hissed again and then skittered quickly through the doorway, a blast door closing behind him.
The two Autobots moved to flank the door on either side and shared a look. They could press on or they could wait for backup. Optimus and Sunstreaker had gone after Arcee after she had gone after Airachnid. It was clear the goal had been to separate them. And they already knew the ship was jamming comms.
After silently confirming with Sideswipe that they were thinking the same thing, Jazz reached for the control panel. Only for it to beep a denial, reading "LOCKED" in large, Kaonic lettering.
"We'll see about that," Jazz said, subspacing his weapon, intending to start hacking into the controls.
"Uh, Jazz," Sideswipe said uncertainly. "What's that noise?"
Jazz paused to listen closely, trying to hear what Sideswipe was hearing. After a moment he did and a sense of dread came over him. A low whirring sound and skittering of a thousand tiny servos.
"Oh slag," Jazz said, crouching low as he recalled his time sneaking through Shockwave's lab. He and Cliffjumper had barely made it out alive. "Sideswipe, we gotta go. Now!"
Sideswipe didn't take time to argue. He had never seen Jazz scared. Not since the Dark-En infused super soldiers had torn through their fellow Autobots at the Battle of Iacon.
The two Autobots made their way quickly back toward the rear of the ship, even as Insecticons started crawling out from the rooms on the sides.
"Ewww, where were these things when we entered?!" Sideswipe asked, shooting rapidly to take several out. Green splattered whenever one was shot, but for each one they shot on their way out it seemed like ten more were crawling out.
"Don't know, don't care!" Jazz said, blasting any that got in their way, batting away a couple that dared to jump at him. "Just go!"
Jazz almost transformed to speed up his escape. The only thing that stopped him was the webbing they had needed to step over before getting this deep. There was no way they would be able to just drive through it. It would certainly slow their escape.
"How do we deal with the webbing?" Sideswipe asked as it came into view.
Jazz took out his grappling hook and then reached a hand out for Sideswipe. The red mech took it without hesitation and Jazz aimed at the ceiling of the cargo bay as they grew closer. He fired, not ceasing his advance even as Sideswipe fired at an Insecticon that had latched onto his pede.
The grapple latched onto a beam and pulled taunt as Jazz retracted the rope. He kept retracting, pulling the two mechs into the air, helping Sideswipe in closer to his frame, holding him by the waste now as the mech clung onto him.
"Gah!" Jazz cried as an Insecticon landed on his extended shoulder and dug its pincers into the joint in an attempt to severe it.
"Off you go," Sideswipe growled, firing his weapon point blank into the bug's helm.
Jazz felt the heat of the shot and the energon splatter across his face and torso, getting his arm as well, but he ignored it as they swung over the intricately laid webbing beneath them.
"Get ready to jump!" Jazz said. "3…2…1!"
He told his hook to release and the momentum carried them the rest of the way. They landed with a loud CLANG and Sideswipe let him go to hit the ground running once more.
As soon as they were outside, Sideswipe transformed, driving away from the ship, toward where they'd last seen Optimus and the others. Jazz glanced around and saw an energon leaking from the engine.
"Sorry, Shade', we'll find another way to locate you, I promise," he said, lining up a shot as the sound of the swarm of Insecticons behind them got louder. He fired.
Before the shot even made contact, Jazz was transforming and following after Sideswipe.
Optimus watched Arcee fall into the ditch with a sense of dread, seeing another form dip into it from the other side. He continued to push through the trees, Sunstreaker slightly ahead of him thanks to his smaller size, but also not fast enough to stop Arcee's descent into the trap he had seen laid out before her.
"Slaggit," Sunstreaker cursed as he shoved a thick branch out of his way, snapping it so it wouldn't hinder Optimus when he passed. "Damn trees."
Airachnid emerged from the ditch and Optimus narrowed his optics, trying to discern Arcee's fate. But there was no life-en sullying Airachnid's frame. She looked smug and victorious, but it was unclear whether that was because she offlined Arcee or merely trapped her.
Sunstreaker growled as the spider-bot languidly moved toward them, taking a somewhat sideways route, laughing all the while.
"You look like you're having trouble moving in this forest, Prime," Airachnid said, voice dripping with mockery. "You really think you can save Arcee in these conditions?" She climbed a tree sideways and then disappeared into the leaves.
Optimus paused his movements, Ion Blasters at the ready as Sunstreaker moved to stand at his back, his own weapons pulled and ready. His optics roamed the trees, seeking out their opponent.
"Airachnid," he called out, voice booming. "You are outnumbered. You cannot win. Surrender and we will treat you gently."
Airachnid laughed. "Surrender?" She said, voice echoing a little bit against the trees. "You think I'm the one outnumbered? How quaint. Once my friends deal with your companions at the ship they'll be here very soon. And then we'll see who's outnumbered."
Optimus glanced back and shared a look with Sunstreaker. Clearly Airachnid was no longer working alone, or she had called for backup. They had to finish this, help Arcee and return to Jazz and Sideswipe quickly.
Movement had Optimus pointing his Ion Blasters toward the sound, but Airachnid had already moved before he could get a bead. He paused, listening, waiting, feeling with both his sensors and the Matrix. More sounds, fire as Sunstreaker tried to get a shot off at her then…
"Gahh!" Airachnid cried out as Optimus fired upward as she passed overhead and she came crashing down, the two mechs parting to avoid her frame.
"I will ask one more time, Airachnid," Optimus said, warning in his tone as he and Sunstreaker pointed their weapons at the Decepticon femme. "Surrender."
Airachnid hissed at him and her legs moved. Just as Sunstreaker was squeezing the trigger on his weapon, she was suddenly burrowing into the ground. Sunstreaker's shot caught one of her legs, dismembering it at the joint.
The two Autobots looked down the hole for a moment.
"Do you want me to pursue?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Negative, you-"
An explosion in the direction of the ship cut him off and both mechs looked in that direction. They looked at each other and Optimus nodded permission to Sunstreaker, who transformed and drive back through the trees they'd damaged on the way here.
Optimus moved toward the ditch Arcee had fallen in, hoping to find her still alive, dreading that she wasn't. He found himself feeling more relief than he'd felt in a long time when he saw she was functional. Very much trapped by Airachnid's web, but functional.
"Optimus," Arcee said, relief clear in her voice. "You're ok."
Optimus was silent as he carefully slid down the side of the ditch, subspacing his blasters. He took out his sword as he grew close to the webbing and cut it free from the ditch wall, careful not to let Arcee fall. The ditch wasn't much deeper, but there was no need for roughness.
"Optimus…look…I'm…I'm sorry," Arcee said. "I didn't keep my cool. I saw Airachnid and I- I…" Her optics wavered as she spoke even as he carefully cut through the webbing. "I compromised the mission."
"Airachnid's goal was to separate us," Optimus said, tone conveying the weight of his words.
"And I played right into it," Arcee said as Optimus cut the last of the webbing from her wrists and let her down gently to stand on her own pedes.
"We will talk about this further back at base," Optimus said firmly. "We must regroup with the others."
"If they're still alive," Arcee said, looking angry with herself.
Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jazz and Sideswipe are both resourceful. I have every confidence they made it out before the explosion."
"You'd be right there, Prime," Jazz's voice reached their audials and they looked up to see the mech grinning down at them.
Optimus nodded, then turned to Arcee to help her climb out of the ditch while Jazz called for a Ground Bridge. They were going to have a long talk when they got back, but for now they could be grateful no one had paid with their lives.