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...the hell? How am I still alive? Jack almost sat up, but forced himself to remain where he'd fallen as the MECH soldier entered the tent and stomped up to him.

The armor, he realized. It could survive several hits from the average Cybertronian blaster, so whatever MECH had wouldn't be enough to punch through.

"Well, shit," the MECH guy grumbled, squatting beside Jack and reaching out to roll him over.

Jack punched him in the face. The armor's servos boosted his strength, cracking the man's faceplate and knocking him stupid. Panicking, desperate to get away before the guy could recover, Jack put his hand on the back of the man's neck and yanked him forward, slamming his head into the edge of the console.

The sharp, sickening crunch that followed snapped him out of it. He scooted away, eyes wide in horror at the sight of the body slumping to the floor, his neck clearly broken.

"Oh...Jesus...Christ!" Jack tried to look away, but couldn't move. His heart pounded and for a few seconds he feared he might vomit inside his helmet.

"Jack!" Arcee shouted, her thumping footsteps coming closer, the ground shaking under the impacts.

"Ar...Arcee..." Jack tore his gaze away from the body and crawled toward the entrance.

More of those crackling sounds followed, and Arcee screamed.

No! Jack burst from the tent just as she fell to her knees. The impact made the ground lurch and everyone nearby staggered.

The augmented-reality software in Jack's helmet identified Ashanti's team, labeling each of them in his HUD, and flagged the nine MECH soldiers as enemy combatants. Several of them turned their weapons on Ashanti's team and the rest kept their aim on Arcee, preparing to zap her again.

Jack charged the nearest one, tackling him from behind, and the beam from his rifle arced into a nearby tree and set it ablaze. The man regained his balance, twisted, and suddenly Jack found himself flat on his back with the rifle pointed at his head.

"No!" Arcee screamed.

The man spun toward her, taking his aim off Jack and trying to draw a bead on Arcee as she pushed herself back to her feet.

The air behind him rippled, looking almost like heat waves--and suddenly, a small electric arc appeared at the side of his neck, in the gap between his helmet and his chest armor. He convulsed, let out a strangled scream, and collapsed.

The remaining eight turned toward him, stared for a second, and scattered.

The nearest one fired, missing Jack by mere inches. Jack rolled to the side and came up in a crouch, hoping he'd be able to dodge in the right direction the next time the guy fired.

"No, you don't!" Arcee bellowed, cocking her right foot back. The guy looked over his shoulder just in time to see her foot rocketing toward him.

"Fu--"

Arcee punted him into a tree on Jack's right. His curse was cut off by the multiple snaps of her kick breaking half the bones in his body, followed immediately by the cracks of the rest shattering on impact with the tree.

Bumblebee exploded from the forest, uprooting several trees, and tried to cover the MECH men, but Ashanti's team had already engaged them hand to hand, and he couldn't get a clear shot.

Jack averted his eyes from the pile of meat and blood that Arcee had turned the MECH guy into, and took a step toward her. She shook her head and pointed at the tent behind him. He hesitated, and she said, "Jack, we need you to be our eyes and ears! Several of our support personnel are missing--we need your help to find them."

He took a breath, nodded, and returned to the tent. He froze at the sight of the body he'd left in front of the console. Shuddering, he dragged it out of his way, sat at the controls, and looked at the monitors.

On Ashanti's screen, he caught a first-person view of her jamming a twelve-millimeter handgun into her opponent's throat and pulling the trigger. She moved on to her next target and her helmet camera panned away from the body before it hit the ground.

The feed from Arcee's optics caught another of the MECH people sneaking up behind Jensen. Arcee lunged, clamped her fingers onto the sides of his helmet, and snarled, "Drop your weapons and surrender, or I'll pinch your head off like a zit."

Jensen spun around and covered him.

"And in case you think I'm bluffing," she said, "remember what I did to several of you guys the first time you clashed with us. Hell, look what I did to your buddy over there." She nodded at the guy she'd kicked into the tree.

The man hesitated another second, grumbled, and dropped his rifle. Jensen forced him to his knees and continued covering him.

Jack let out a relieved sigh and checked the rest of his monitors. He caught glimpses of Ashanti and her team taking down MECH agents while gunshots, bone crunches, and screams erupted from the speakers.

Then, suddenly, silence.

"Clear," Ashanti muttered.

"Clear," her team repeated, one by one, confirming that all enemy combatants had been accounted for.

Jack sighed and aimed the stationary cameras at the medical tent. "Come on, come on..." He found two airmen sprawled on the ground, but no other bodies.

At least that means Mom isn't-- He didn't let himself finish the thought. He scanned the area surrounding the tent, widening his search over the next few minutes, and found nothing. He shook his head, rushed out of the tent, and ran over to Arcee. She gave him a quick, relieved smile before turning to scan their surroundings.

"Hey, Jack." Miko's voice, coming from behind him.

"Yaaahh!" He spun around and the air in front of him rippled. Miko appeared a few feet away, in her pink armor. Jack sagged, bracing his hands on his knees. "Stop that!"

"That's gratitude for you." She took off her helmet, tucked it under her left arm, and held up her right hand. In her palm was a pocket-size stun-gun.

"Oh. You're the one who zapped that guy."

She nodded. "The one who was about to blow your head off. You're welcome."

"Right. Thanks. Sorry." He straightened up and waved a hand at her armor. "Nice stealth feature."

"I'm liking it. It gets me where I wanna go." Miko clipped the stun-gun to her utility belt and looked around. "Everybody okay?"

"Ashanti's team is fine," Arcee said, "but our support unit--"

"The med team's gone," Ashanti snarled, shoving one of the MECH agents toward the rest of the captives. "The security guards are all dead."

Jack stared at her, suddenly unable to breathe. "My mom..."

"The whole medical team is gone. No bodies, no trace of 'em. So they've been captured." Ashanti shook her head. "We're not getting a signal from any of their GPS locators."

Before Jack could say anything, his comlink beeped. At the same time, Arcee and Bumblebee looked up abruptly.

"We're receiving a transmission," she said.

"Me, too." Frowning, Jack accepted the incoming call. "Hello?"

"Well, hello, Jack," a man's voice said. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Silas," Optimus said from wherever he was outside the forest.

"Ah, you remember me."

"Yes. You are the man who wanted Agent Fowler's Dingus."

Jensen snickered, but cut it off quickly.

"What do you want, Silas?" Jack snapped.

"We have your mother and Colonel McKenna's medical team. We will send you coordinates for an exchange, and you will bring Arcee--and only Arcee--to those coordinates. If anyone else shows up, the prisoners die, beginning with your mother."

"You're bluffing," Arcee said. "If you kill them, you lose your bargaining chip."

"Look at my men."

Jack flicked a confused glance at Arcee and turned to face the MECH agents, who were on their knees with their hands on their heads.

He heard a series of faint, muffled snaps--and the men twitched and grunted. They collapsed and blood gushed from their ears and noses.

"Shit," Jack blurted.

"Do not question my resolve again," Silas said.

"You killed your own people?" Arcee stared at the bodies and shook her head slowly.

"A few human lives are not a great loss compared to what we could gain from this exchange."

"Bloody hell," Jensen muttered. "He's full-throttle insane."

"No shit," Ashanti said under her breath.

Arcee frowned suddenly and looked around. She tilted her head toward the sky, hidden by the trees.

Jack heard it a few seconds later--the sound of a helicopter engine starting up in the distance. He strained his ears, but couldn't tell which direction it came from. A few seconds later, it passed high overhead. He looked up and managed to catch fleeting glimpses of something black and purple through the tree branches. The helicopter's engine faded into the distance.

Silas spoke again. "Remember, you and Arcee only. If we see anyone else approaching, the prisoners die. If you try to call for reinforcements, the prisoners die. If--"

"Alright, alright! We get it." Jack gnashed his teeth. "Where do you want us to go?"

"Just start driving. Once we're certain you're alone, I'll send you the coordinates." Silas broke the connection.

Arcee kneeled beside Jack. "I--"

"I know what you're about to say. You want me to stay behind." Jack took off his helmet, shook his head, and looked into her optics. "He wants us both. Besides, he's got my mother. I'm not letting that slide."

"Jack..." She hesitated, glanced at the others, and finally reached out to touch his cheek. "Did you get a look at that helicopter?"

"Not really. Just a flash of color here and there." He held her gaze. "Airachnid's colors. For some reason, she's working with MECH. That's why Silas wants us; we must be part of whatever deal she made with him."

"You do know what'll happen if she gets her hands on you, right?"

"We'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." He stepped closer to her and motioned for her to lean toward him. When she did, he kissed her, then he stepped back and put his helmet back on. "I love you. Now, let's go."

#

Arcee headed back into town, retracing the route she'd taken upon arrival. The rain came down harder than ever, the wind whipping it sideways into Jack's faceplate, and the air around them was even colder than when they'd come out of the ground bridge. Fortunately, Jack had left his armor and helmet on, instead of changing back into his civilian clothes. At this point, he no longer cared about keeping a low profile.

Arcee hadn't needed to ponder it for more than a split-second; she had arrived at the same conclusion before she'd even shifted back into her alt-mode. It didn't matter how many people stared at him and his armor and the assault rifle and EMP gun on his back, and her own huge guns clamped on wherever she'd found room for them. She and Jack were about to face not only Airachnid, but MECH as well, so screw it all, he would need the extra protection when the shit hit the fan.

Once they reached Highway 101, she turned north and kept pace with the traffic, and waited for Silas to contact them again. Before they'd left, Optimus and Ashanti's team had agreed--reluctantly--to monitor the situation as best they could from a distance, and to maintain comlink silence in case MECH had figured out a way to listen in. Once the hostages had been freed, Arcee would signal the others and Ratchet would bridge them in to neutralize both MECH and Airachnid.

Yeah. Like it'll be that easy. Arcee kept it to herself, even though she was sure the same thought had already crossed Jack's mind.

They continued on in silence for nearly twenty minutes before Arcee couldn't let it stretch out any longer. "You sure you're ready for this?"

"You mean, I might have to use this gun on some of the MECH people as well as Airachnid, so will I be able to handle taking someone's life?" He thought it over for a few seconds. "I'd really prefer not to go down that road, but if any of them hurt you or my mom, then I'll do what I have to do."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I know you didn't want to become a killer, and I didn't want to put you in that position."

"You didn't. Airachnid and MECH are the ones responsible for all this. Besides, I've already killed one of them--accidentally, but still. I hope taking lives doesn't get any easier, but like I said, if they hurt either of you, I'll do what needs to be done, and I'll find some way to live with myself afterward."

"I meant, it's my fault for coming back for you when we first met. You wanted things to go back to normal, but you'd already started to fill a hole that had just been punched through my life, and I couldn't give that up."

"I'm okay with that." He placed his right hand on her side. "If you hadn't come back for me, I wouldn't have found my soulmate. I probably would've spent my entire time in high school trying to get into Sierra's pants, and if by some miracle I actually succeeded, I'm sure I would've regretted it."

Arcee was glad that she couldn't wince while in her vehicle mode. Once she'd realized she was in love with him, she suddenly understood the hair-trigger bursts of anger she'd felt whenever she'd seen Sierra chatting Jack up. Thinking about it still irritated her. "From what little I've seen of her, yeah, I can't see that working out."

"Right. She was popular, but that only means most of the popular guys have probably already banged her. So when I said I would've regretted it, I was talking about the, 'Ow, hey, it burns when I piss!' kind of regret, in addition to the more obvious kind."

Arcee burst out laughing. "I hadn't even thought of that. And even if she doesn't already have the clap, I can't see you getting along with someone who hangs out with that dick biscuit Vince and his buddies."

"Yeah, the fact that one of her friends was recently caught Hoovering coke into his nostrils shows what kind of a judge of character she is."

Arcee snickered.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. Without you, my life would've been completely empty." Jack smiled and patted her gas tank. "I wouldn't give this up for anything. Whatever happens today, I want you to understand that."

"I. . .thank you, Jack. It's not gonna stop me from worrying myself sick, but it helps to hear you say that."

"I worry just as much about you." He patted her again, returned his hand to her handlebar, and took a deep breath.

Before he could say anything else, his comlink alerted him to an incoming transmission.

"Oh, boy. Here we go." Jack opened the channel. "Yeah?"

"I see you've followed my instructions," Silas replied.

"We did. Everyone else agreed to stay out of it." Jack glared at the road ahead. "Where do you want us to go?"

"I'm texting you the coordinates. Be there in an hour, or there won't be anyone left for you to save." Silas disconnected.

"Did you get the coordinates?" Arcee said softly.

"Yeah, they're in my HUD." Jack read them off and Arcee plotted a course.

"Got it. Damn, that's a considerable distance from here/ We'll have to move fast to get there in time."

"Okay." Jack leaned forward and tightened his grip on her handlebars. "I'm ready."

Arcee accelerated toward whatever waited for them.

#

What...can't...can't move...

June opened her eyes slowly upon darkness. As they adjusted, she began to make out blurry shapes. She blinked and shook her head, and her eyes focused gradually.

She was in what appeared to be a hangar or warehouse.

On the wall, she realized suddenly. Near the ceiling.

She looked around, but could barely see anything. She looked down to find whatever was keeping her immobilized.

She was wrapped in a web-like substance that seemed to be metallic and organic at the same time. A lot of it. A cocoon that covered everything below her neck.

There was only one probable explanation for it.

Her heart pounded.

Okay, okay...try to stay calm. At least I'm still in my armor. But my helmet's gone. She tried to hold in a gasp. I hadn't even put it on yet. It's still in the medical tent back in the forest.

She became aware of breathing on either side of her. A glance to the left showed her the rest of the medical team; to the right was a guy she'd never seen before, with glasses and long, prematurely thinning hair. All of the them were encased in cocoons.

Past the unidentified man, June spotted a half-dozen more cocoons--empty ones.

Her pulse jumped again, and she took a few deep breaths.

Footsteps in the distance.

She faced forward. The only source of light came from a set of large monitors at the far end of the cavernous room. Under them was a bank of control panels and one office chair.

A man in some sort of green armored uniform walked over to the chair and sat. After hunching forward to take a look at one of the smaller monitors, he leaned back and said, "They're right on time."

Loud, echoing clicks followed, from the darkness outside the pool of light cast by the monitors.

June held her breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

A spidery shape faded in from the left, dwarfing the man at the console, and June clamped her mouth shut to stop a sudden scream.

The largest monitor switched to an image of Jack riding Arcee past what appeared to be a set of warehouses.

"Mmm," Airachnid practically purred, and reached out to brush her razor-sharp fingertips over Jack's image. "Yes, there he is. My Jack. We have some unfinished business."

A cold surge rushed through June, as if all the heat in the building had been sucked out in one second.

On the screen, Jack and Arcee were surrounded by two dozen people in armor similar to the one at the console. All of them pointed rifles at the two new arrivals, and Arcee screeched to a halt. Audio pickups--probably from one of the men--fed one of their voices through speakers on the console.

"Get off the bike and raise your hands."

Jack hesitated, sighed, and dismounted.

June shook her head frantically, but tried to reassure herself--at least Jack still had his armor on. That would give him a chance to reach cover if they started shooting.

"Jack," Arcee said, her voice so low that the mics almost didn't pick it up, "if I tell you to run, you run. Without hesitation. Got it?"

"But--" He cut himself off and sighed. "Yeah. Got it."

"Raise your hands!" the MECH guy snapped.

The electromagnetic clamps on Arcee's shotguns, pistols, and knife disengaged. She transformed before they could hit the pavement and snatched the shotguns out of the air. She glared down at the men and said, "Show us where the hostages are and everything will be okay."

The instant the words left her mouth, all the soldiers opened fire at the same time, hitting Arcee with something that looked like lightning bolts snapping from the end of each rifle. She screamed, convulsed, and collapsed.

"Arcee!" Jack took a step forward, but stopped when she tried to push herself up.

"R--" Her face contorted and she shook her head. "Run!"

Half of the MECH people turned their guns on Jack.

"No!" Arcee swung the shotgun in her left hand around, slamming it into them with the force of a speeding train and sending them tumbling across the pavement.

On another monitor below the main one, a set of lines representing heartbeats or EEG readouts flatlined.

Jack backed away and hesitated again.

The surviving men zapped Arcee a second time. She screamed, went limp, and twitched for several seconds--but then she tried to lift her other shotgun.

"Jack...go! Run!"

They fired another burst into her, and finally she fell and didn't move again.

June gasped. "No..." Run, Jack! Goddamn it, run!

He finally snapped out of it, turned, and bolted out of the camera's range.

Airachnid laughed and turned away from the monitors.

"Remember our deal," the man in the chair said.

"Of course. You can have Arcee once I'm done with her. But first, it looks like my dear Jack wants to play a little hide and seek." She skittered on her spider legs back into the darkness. "I'll make sure Arcee doesn't go anywhere until I'm ready to deal with her."

The man took a radio from one of his front pockets. "Once the robot has been brought in and immobilized, stand guard. Leave the boy to our...guest."

June struggled frantically, but couldn't budge even a fraction of an inch. She shook with fear and rage, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Jack!

Airachnid's voice took on a singsong quality as her clinking footsteps faded into the distance.

"Oh, Jack, I'm coming for you!"