Spectre: New chapter coming up! Looks like we managed to hit a 100 follow milestone and also close to a 100 favorites!
MarioDS01: We'll get to that real soon! And I'd like to dip in my own formula at stories like that.
GrandAlanMasterPlox: Thanks! I don't see either of them taking it lightly so I took the liberty of making their reactions a bit realistic!
Hellcat1115: Thanks a lot! Love your work BTW!
ah08302004: We'll get to that soon!
Chapter 4: First Struggles
"Okay, hold still while I put this on..."
Airachnid scoffed at the human, crossing her arms that covered her chest while she sat on one of the crates and glaring at June. "I have a better idea, why don't you go and shove that up your-"
She stopped mid-sentence when she was met with narrow optics coming from Bulkhead and Bumblebee, waiting for her to go on. Begrudgingly with a twitching eye of this humiliation, Airachnid held out her arms, allowing the human insect to smoothly put the form-fitting black shirt over her torso, while stepping into the gray sweatpants, watching as June pulled them up to cover the lower half of her body and tighten the string in the middle. I can't believe this. I was on the verge of acquiring something valuable that would help me deal with Megatron and with Arcee. And here I am, having to do a human's bidding as their prisoner!?
"There!", June said in triumph, pleased that she had at least gave the woman's modesties. It wasn't exactly how she imagined it, given that the shirt was a little bit shorter in size than expected, resulting of her curves tightly pressing around the fabric. But it's better than her walking around in her birthday suit.
Rolling her eyes at the human, she glanced at the other side of the room, watching as the smaller female insect put on a shirt over the now-humanized Arcee. The former Decepticon grunted in frustration, knowing that she wouldn't be able to enjoy tormenting her now weaker nemesis if it wasn't for the fact of her new form had destroyed whatever advantage she should ould have against her.
"Okay...done!", Miko proclaimed as soon as she was finished with Arcee by putting a rather oversized baby blue sweater and a pair of shorts over body. The former bot looked over at June, before her eyes glared at Airachnid if she ever thought of doing anything that could harm Jack's mother. "Okay, you two! The coast is clear! Try not to get any weird dreams tonight!"
"What does that even mean, Miko?!", Jack blurted out of embarassment just as he and Raf walked over them as soon as they heard that they were finished. "We're not having any of it!"
"Now that we have dealt with human protocol as June would refer to it, we can go back to where we left off", Optimus spoke up, silencing the crowd as he placed the relic's remains on one of the tables. "From what I have managed to gather from the relic's remains. It appears that Arcee and Airachnid had came upon the Alteration Stone"
"Alteration Stone?", Raf spoke up in curiosity.
"An old device made by Solus Prime eons ago. Its power could change the genetic format of sentient beings upon contact. However, due to its properties, she determined that this must not be held by anyone, not even herself. And she made it her task to ensure that no one would find it"
"And it made its way to Earth", Bulkhead presumed, looking over at Arcee's disbelieving face when facing the relic's remains before turning to the medic. "Is there any chance that it could be fixed?"
Airachnid looked over to Ratchet and hoped, that he had a solution. "I...am not so certain", the medic admitted. "Given the state of the artifact, it would take a miracle blessed by Primus himself if there is any chance that it could be fixed" the medic admitted, holding the shattered pieces of the relic with his servo.
The former Decepticon turned to the boy she so wanted to put his head on a stick. "Surely, you've collected every single shard in the caverns?", she queried to Jack, in a tone evident of restrained anger.
"I...uh...", Jack looked over at Bumblebee, who pulled out additional pieces of its remains. "Bumblebee and I sort of did, but I can't be sure"
It was better than nothing, and she abstained from saying anything further. "I will continue further analysis until I could find a solution", Ratchet said. "But for now, it appears that the kids would need to return to their homes"
Optimus agreed with the motion. "Given Arcee's current condition, June will have to ride Jack home. While she will be held back from further missions until we are able to restore her of her old self"
It didn't sit well with the former two-wheeler, not when the war is still going on and the thought that she couldn't help them never crossed her mind. "But Optimus, I can help!", she protested, hoping that she could still do so..
A dry laugh escaped Airachnid's lips and all eyes turned to her. "Oh really, Arcee? How are you going to help? Being a deadweight like your 'partner' over here?"
Her snide remark was met with several glares of the people around the base, but the word went through Arcee's head like a thunderbolt struck her. She wouldn't show it, but it was clear to Jack that his partner's stupefied face and inability to talk back to Airachnid as she would had hurt her, given her terrible experiences in the past. Optimus only held a look of disappointment to the former Decepticon.
"Says the Con who's worse off than her!", Miko said back on Jack's behalf. No one gets to say things like that to her friends, and it was returned with a frown from the former Decepticon.
Deciding to step in before things could go wrong, Jack stepped in to change the subject. "Now that I thought of it, where would Arcee sleep?"
"My berth still there", she spoke, trying to brush off her earlier shock. "I'll just have to recharge over there like usual"
"I don't think you'd be sleeping soundly with that, Arcee", Raf pointed out. "Not unless if you'd like some back aches upon waking up". Arcee wanted to protest, but given her current size. She would need an alternative. And that's when the nurse stepped in.
"She could stay us with back at the house for the meantime", June stated, earning a surprised look from both Jack and Arcee. "Given that she already had for a few times, even if it was only in the garage, I don't suppose it would be an issue in sharing a roof"
"Thanks, June", Arcee appreciated the gesture, but she couldn't see herself accepting it. "But I don't want to be a burden"
If Airachnid could sneer upon hearing that, she would have done so. If it wasn't for the fact that a glare from Miko was daring her to try it that she had to remain silent.
"No one is truly a burden if it involves helping one another", Optimus spoke up, agreeing to June's proposition. "If there is any progress regarding the relic, we'll let you know"
Arcee glanced over to Jack and June, finding their approval through the form of nods of agreement. But then, the former two-wheeler asked, her head cocking at the direction pointing towards their prisoner. "What about Airachnid here?"
"Her fate will be decided after careful deliberation", Optimus said, glancing over at the woman where his optics faced her scornful eyes. "From further analysis base's layout, there is an unused office space where she could be held there for the meantime"
"Bee and I could take turns on making sure she stays there", Bulkhead spoke out his suggestion, something that the Scout wasn't so enthusiastic about but was willing to do so anyway. "Best to save time and effort in case she decides to make a run for it"
Airachnid rolled her eyes in annoyance, but she wasn't stupid enough to draw their ire further. With their approval, Arcee walked towards June's vehicle as Jack guided her onto the passenger seat of the car and was about to get in the front seat beside his mother, but not before Miko called out for him.
"Hey, Jack", the teen looked over to the girl just as he was about to close the door behind him.
"Yeah, Miko?", he asked, puzzled.
"Get along with your new cuddle buddy, okay?", a stupid grin then formed on Miko's mouth. To say Jack would be embarassed would be an understatement, and Arcee crept up her head close to her partner.
"What's a cuddle buddy?", she asked, curious.
"Nothing!", Jack quickly said, resulting of June giggling at her son before beginning the drive home
Some time later...
"Okay, I'd be laughing if you were kidding", Agent Fowler admitted through the console when he made contact with them. "But giant robots turning into humans? Little George would soon be lying to his pops for the cherry tree than that actually happening"
Optimus nodded at the Agent's disbelief, having anticipated this reaction. "Indeed we have. The Decepticon who had once kidnapped June is in our custody but shares the same predicament as Arcee"
"While I understood their situation, you can't be serious in keeping her in the base, are you Optimus?", The leader then looked over to Ratchet, taking the medic's protests to spark.
"Well, we can't exactly let her go free Ratchet", Bulkhead answered him. "Unless you'd like the Cons come in knocking on the front door"
"Even despite her transition, Airachnid is no helpless damsel", Optimus cautioned the group. "A hunter can adapt to every environment they live in. And given her abilities to survive, she would find a way to gain an advantage through any means that she could"
"And if she tries to even seek help with the Cons, they would probably just get a laugh out of it and their doctor will have a new pet for his experiments", it was Bulkhead's turn to add. He couldn't really see the Cons believing a human with such claims.
"But with spiderbot lady here, wouldn't the Cons know the location of the base through her?", the agent asked, having seen this scenario a few times over his lifetime already.
Ratchet thought over for a moment, before he dismissed the scenario with a wave of his servo. "If we couldn't find Arcee's life signal here, then I doubt that the Decepticons would know what happened to her, much less where she is right now"
"Still, all the more reason why we should keep an eye on her", Bulkhead agreed with their leader's earlier suspicions. "But can't we just throw in Airachnid in a human prison then? Shouldn't be a lot of trouble since she wouldn't be able to do much"
Optimus and Ratchet seemed to find the Wrecker's suggestion to be plausible, seeing that they have the better means in keeping her detained. But Fowler wasn't so certain. "I'd be on board with that, but I'm gonna have a hard time explaining to the folks at the government as to why I would indict her to a prison"
"How so, Agent Fowler?", the leader asked.
"Obviously I'd be on board in keeping her locked up, but trying to tell them of a lady that had no existing criminal record or file was a giant killer robot is the hard part", Fowler reasoned out. "Not to mention, I'd be more worried what she would do to her cellmates and the prison guards unlucky enough to handle her"
The group thought over it for a moment, and saw the validation of the Agent's claims. "While I am not completely on board with the idea, but if it's the only way until we can find a better solution, then we'll just have to roll with it", Ratchet commented, continuing in his analysis of the relic's remains.
"Besides now that she's here, maybe she can share any intel that'll be useful against the Cons", the Wrecker suggested.
"If she is willing to talk", Ratchet pointed out, knowing how resilient their prisoner could be. "And I do not see her coughing up any reliable intel. At worst, she just might lead us to a dead end, or even a trap", he then looked over to Optimus.
"If Airachnid is to cooperate, then we would have to be wary at what she does and to try and persuade her to lend her help. Even in spite of her past crimes, there may be a way for her to make it her convenience. By that way, she may tell us what we need to know"
Airachnid sat slumped on an old sofa, staring blankly into the ceiling around her that was illuminated by a single light bulb. She had been detained by those accursed Autobots, stripped of everything that made her who she is and transformed into a mere human. A rather cruel irony, how she had became the very being that she savored to add to her now non-existent collection, caged like any other organic lifeform that dared cross her.
As she sat there, she contemplated her misfortune and felt her anger and turmoil building inside her. She had always been a powerful being, feared by those around her. Now, she was weak and vulnerable, trapped in this dingy old office space with no way out and with the Autobots free to decide her fate whenever they please.
Thinking about it made her skin crawl. With an angered growl, she slammed her fist on to the wall, recoiling at the pain that her new body had given her when it never occured to her. She couldn't afford to be weak, to never display any semblance of weakness. Not after what had happened back at Eukaris.
But Airachnid was not one to give up easily. Despite her humiliating struggle, it was already time to plan her escape, considering every possible method of breaking free from this predicament. She knew that it wouldn't be easy, but she was determined to regain her freedom and her power.
Even as she planned, however, she couldn't shake the resentment she felt towards the Autobots in spite of Prime's treatment that, from another being's point of view, preferable to Megatron. Arcee had taken everything from her, and she will make sure she will suffer along with her fleshling of a partner. She wondered how she would ever adjust to her new body, to being human, where she bore all the vulnerabilities that they have that made them easy prey.
As Airachnid sat there, lost in her thoughts, she won't give up here nor she would ever be. She would find a way to escape, turn back the way she was, and to make sure they would pay for this humiliation.
Then something felt wrong, and she instantly knew it was coming from her organic system.
She felt a gnawing sensation in her stomach, accompanied by a growing sense of discomfort. At the moment she started to ignore it, it only made her feel irritable and distracted as it became more intense.
As time goes on, it was becoming an annoyance and more exaggerated as she try to convey her discomfort and frustration, biting her lip for this weakness. Airachnid went to the source of the problem, finding it on her new organic system at the belly. She rubbed her stomach while pacing back and forth in an attempt to distract herself from the dilemma.
Is this what the fleshlings refer to as hunger?, she seethed out in frustration. Given her current body, she knew couldn't even get close to Energon, let alone consume any if she'd like to melt from inside out. From what she had studied, humans require sustenance through various types of solid food to alleviate hunger and of liquid to satiate thirst.
But she had to hold firm. Even despite in the presence of the Autobots.
Knock! Knock!
Her new ears, as what humans refer to their fleshy audio receptors, rang in attention as she looked at the front door of the office. "Psst! Spidey! You up?", she recognized the voice belonging to that one annoying runt before the small door window opened to find her looking at her, though it was evident that she was standing through her tippy toes. Beside her was the little boy who had a strange hairdo and a pair of glasses trying to get a better look.
"The Wrecker and the Scout's little pets", she seethed, not even pretending to hide her disgust on the two children. "Now what is it that you want?", she asked, almost in a tone of a warning.
"Not exactly what we want, but what you technically need at this time", the smaller runt with a pair of glases spoke. "So we brought something for you"
The door window opened slightly, allowing a medium-sized paper bag to harmlessly drop onto the floor before quickly closing the door window. She stood up, maintaining her guard as it could be a trap set by these disgusting humans and walked over to the object.
"What is this?", the woman brought up the paper bag, unrolling the upper part and pulling out a few objects from it. One of them was a soft circular object wrapped in what appeared to be paper, while another was a small box where upon opening it, revealed six orange-like stones but were soft upon feeling its touch. As for the last item, it was a paper-like container with black liquid inside, brown like bubbles foaming around it as well as a straw that was used to aquire sustenance like that of Cybertron when consuming Energon.
"Dinner, I guess?", Miko answered her from the other side. "Since we can't really have you starving while you're staying here, we had Bumblebee drive us to the place where Jack's working at"
"A burger, some chicken nuggets and soda", Raf added on Miko's behalf. "Not really what I'd call dinner, but it's best we could do"
Airachnid stared at the items for a moment, before she dryly laughed at the gesture. "If Prime expects that I would cooperate in return for his good graces, then I'd be thrilled to disappoint him"
Miko frowned, though it was unsurprising for the two of them. "Sheesh, no wonder Arcee hates you", the girl dryly commented. "I don't know why people would enjoy making others' lives a living hell"
"Oh please, I'd enjoy making her life as difficult as I want to", she retorted, looking at both children rather threateningly. "And once I managed to get out, do expect the same will happen to the rest of her friends"
She expected the two children to be quivering with fear, as she usually does with her prey. But the girl was unimpressed of her declaration of threats and just wanted to get over it already. "Are you done yet, Spidey?", Miko asked with a quirked eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Food's getting cold or do we have to show you how we eat?"
She was dismayed that neither seemed to fear her but her face wouldn't show it to them. "I wasn't born yesterday, fleshling", she scoffed at their show of fearlessness. "For the species I've hunted down in extinction, I'm all to familiar how they acquire sustenance"
"You kind of were when you and Arcee were at the cave", Raf commented, causing Airachnid to roll her eyes at the witty remark. "We brought you those because we thought that you're already starving"
Sighing in dejection, Miko held Raf's shoulder. "Let's just go, Raf", she told him, leading him away from the door window. "It's not like it's our fault if something happens to her if we tried"
The two left, leaving Airachnid in the room alone. Even the runts have abandoned me now..., she blankly thought. She sat down, feeling the pangs of hunger that were becoming increasingly irritating and distracting. It was a new experience of going without food, and she found it difficult to focus on anything else. As she sat there moping, her thoughts turned to the taste of food and how much she longed for it.
I can't believe I'm doing this...
Just then, she unwrapped the burger delivered to her, her sense of smell meeting the scent of whatever ingredients that were put there. As she took her first bite, she was struck by the intensity of the flavor and the way it seemed to satisfy her hunger almost instantly.
Then she took another. And another. And another. Nibbling it to last as much as possible before she had consumed the last portions of it. The little box came next, consuming each of the chicken nuggets in small bites to make it last. But this time however, she was too fast and she found her throat being jammed with the excess food she consumed. Gazing over the plastic cup that contained the soda, she quickly put the straw on its hole and quickly sipped, resulting of the food slowly falling down her throat and free her from her choking.
She was glad that no one is watching her. Because she could not live at the thought of others seeing her eat like a wild animal that she had routinely hunted all throughout the known galaxy.
By the time Airachnid had finished her meal, her hunger had been completely satiated, and she felt a renewed sense of energy and focus. It wasn't the same as Energon, but it'll do for now.
Once she was done with it, she found a garbage bin on the other side of the room. Feeling not worth the effort of walking over there, Airachnid simply tossed the unneeded wrappers over there, lying against the sofa in exhaustion.
It was going to be a long day tomorrow
The ride on the way back home was quiet, with Arcee blankly staring at the window of the route they were taking. Neither Jack nor June have something to say to Arcee, feeling that she needed time alone to her thoughts and that they were unsure of what to say to her given her recent experience.
As she stared at the window, Arcee wasn't sure what to make out with her new body in order adjust to their new height and perspective on the world sbe new. She had found that things that once seemed small or insignificant now loom larger in her field of vision, while things that once seemed grand or imposing may now appear more mundane.
Because of this, she felt her loss in a personal manner. She missed the sense of power and authority that came with being a true Autobot, frustrated or resentful at being reduced to a smaller size. And worse, she couldn't do anything to help out her fellow Autobots against the Decepticons. She just felt helpless. Or for a less than stellar term, useless in her current form.
"So, Arcee", the former two-wheeler heard June's voice in front of her. "How does it feel to be riding alongside with us?"
The former two wheeler didn't answer at once away, continuously looking out of the window. "I can't say..." she replied, looking around the road. "I don't know...weird, bizarre or even..." she sighed, unable to continue on as she continued to stare at the window, noticing that they were getting closer to Jack's home.
Jack worriedly looked back at her, just feeling sorry for his guardian after all that she went through and he wanted to lift her spirits after the derogative comment that Airachnid had given her before they left. She never was a deadweight in his eyes, nor anyone else's. And it was going to be his responsibility as her partner to make sure that she doesn't think to herself that way.
"We're here!", June's voice interrupted the duo's train of thought. Getting off the front seat, the teen opened the passenger to help her out in getting off the car, holding her hand to show his support for her as she stepped foot on the front porch. June fetched her keys to the house, unlocking the door and gestured his son's partner to come in with a smile.
"Make yourself at home, Arcee"
Spectre: Pretty short on Arcee's part but I'll get to that in a continuation at the next chapter. I kinda like to write Airachnid's time as a prisoner to the Autobots and her firsthand experiences in hunger and other human emotions. Of course, being a bitch is part of her character so I went a little far at that.
Of course, Airachnid won't be coming to Jack's house for now. She's gotta earn that right somehow and I have an idea for that.
Rate and review!