Capítulo 68: Lost memories Part 5
Meanwhile back at the base, Ratchet was trying to get Arcee's location but the storm in her current location only made things more difficult.
"Arcee? Arcee, do you read me?" Ratchet tried again but static can only be heard and that there wasn't going to be an answer from the femme.
"That doesn't sound good." Miko said.
Cliffjumper couldn't take it anymore as he looked at the ground bridge.
"That does it. I'm going in there and I'm bringing her back." Cliffjumper said but Ratchet stopped him.
"If you go in like that, you're bound to be killed by the cold temperature." Ratchet told him as Smokescreen stepped up.
"But, Ratchet, can't you build some sort of warming tech or something?" Smokescreen asked as Wheeljack agreed with him.
"Kid's right. All we need is something that will keep our bodies warm enough to reach the factory." Wheeljack said only to get a deadpan look from the grumpy medic.
"Oh yeah? As if it were that simple. We can't build a warmer device powerful enough to sustain us in such cold temperatures." Ratchet told him as he will seriously grab his wrench and whack Wheeljack with it for even suggesting that. It's not that easy to even make that kind of device.
"And nor do we have the time." Optimus said as he agreed with Ratchet. They won't have time to make something to help them resist the cold temperature of Siberia.
"If you want, I can give you a vehicle that will protect you from the cold. But if Russia finds out that an American vehicle has been sent into their territory, things will get ugly." Agent Fowler suggested before everyone turned to Optimus to see what his answer would be.
"What do we do, Optimus? You're the leader, it's your call." Bulkhead asked as Optimus looked at them as he hummed thoughtfully.
"Hmm." He let out softly.
Meanwhile back in Siberia, Arcee was coming out of her unconscious after getting hit from behind that she received earlier that knocked her out.
"Ah... where... what... ugh..." Arcee groaned as she tried to shake the pain that was on her helm.
After Arcee woke up, she realized that she was tied up by Airachnid's web fluid again from the ceiling. She tried to get free from it but it was no use as she slumped down slightly just as Airachnid's voice was heard as she came out of the shadows.
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." Airachnid said nonchalantly as she approached her.
"What are you doing here, Airachnid?" Arcee asked with a glare as Airachnid just smirked.
"You haven't figured it out yet? What a shame. I guess you are not as smart as I thought you were." Airachnid said as this only made Arcee to grit her dentas at her angrily.
"We'll see who's smart when I get out of this." Arcee warned her as she struggled a little.
"If you're smart as you say you are, you'll stay put and listen to a little story I've been meaning to tell you for a long time." Airachnid said as she turned to her with that sadistic smile still on her face plate.
"What makes you think I'm interested in what you're going to tell me?" Arcee questioned but was confused on what she was talking about.
"Because it's a certain something or more like someone from a past event." Airachnid said as her smirk widened more as Arcee looked confused. What did she mean by that?
"What are you talking about?" Arcee asked in confusion.
"Curious I see. I could tell you. And see how you start crumbling down when you get to look at your greatest failure in the optics. It's okay, you can come out." Airachnid said before telling whoever it was to come out.
The strange figure that was hiding in the shadows started to come out. Little by little, the strange figure could be seen as clear as daylight and when Arcee saw him, she could not believe who it was as her spark dropped cold. She saw who it clearly was but she's having a hard time believing it. It just couldn't be... she saw him die right in front of her!
"No... It can't be... That's impossible." Arcee muttered in shock, horror and disbelief as memories of that fateful day flashed through her optics.
When the mysterious came out of the shadows, it revealed to be someone that she had thought died and gone for a long time as lubricant started to form in her optics as one single name came out.
"Tailgate...?" Arcee asked as her voice cracked.
Back at the base, everyone was still waiting for Optimus' answer.
"Time is running out, Prime. Whatever you decide, I'm with you all the way." Agent Fowler said which Optimus appreciated.
"I appreciate your help, Agent Fowler. But I cannot condone this action if it will bring war in this world." Optimus said. He'd rather avoid the planet that he had his team grow to call a new home in a war like theirs.
"With all due respect, Prime. If the cons had one of your soldiers in a tin can, we have to do something now." Agent Fowler said before Miko spoke up since the whole thing was confusing her as well as the one from the Stasis Cell.
"Back it up a moment. Are you telling me that this Autobot who was inside that Stasis Cell was Tailgate? Didn't he die on Cybertron?" Miko questioned them as Cliffjumper nodded as he looked at the picture again. It's Tailgate alright and there was no mistaking it.
"Trust me, kid. I don't even get what's going on. But what I do know is that we have to go help Arcee right now before it's too late." Cliffjumper told her as he was having a hard time processing this but Arcee needed help.
"I hate to admit how dangerous this is but Cliffjumper is right. We gotta go help Arcee." Jack said. Optimus had seen what the others wanted to do.
"And so we shall. Time is running out. The risk is very high. We have no choice. We will have to go through the storm." Optimus told them all after finally coming to a decision.
"Great, another chance at getting frozen to death." Bulkhead said as Bumblebee whirred in agreement but Arcee needed their help.
"Don't worry. I think I know how you guys can get there while avoiding the storm." Emily said as she stepped up.
"And just how are we gonna do that?" Wheeljack asked as he and everyone turned to her.
"Simple, we'll open the ground bridge inside the factory." Emily said as Ratchet looked at her like she grew two heads.
"Are you out of your mind? Without the precise coordinates, we cannot use the Ground Bridge to get inside the factory." Ratchet told her as Emily just crossed her arms.
"We'll use Arcee's signal." Emily told them but that only confused them more. How are they gonna use her signal to get inside the factory?
"But how? Her signal's gone, remember?" Bulkhead asked her as Emily rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Yes, I have something that will help us. Not long ago. I worked on a device that could register every single coordinate of anyone's movements. Including you guys. When I finished the prototype, I asked Arcee to test it for me. Since she agreed, I implanted the prototype in her Autobot shield. And now the time has come to put it to work." Emily said with a grin but inside, she knew that Ratchet was about to explode just by hearing that.
"Hold on a minute. Are you telling us you worked on a coordinate register and you didn't tell anyone?" Ratchet asked her once he registered what she said.
"Uh, yeah, pretty much." Emily said with a nervous laugh.
*Do you have any idea of what you have done? If the Decepticons found a way to hack your prototype, who knows what could happen. They might even figure out the location of this very base." Ratchet scolded her sternly but she came prepared.
"Did you think I would create a prototype without adding some security protocols?" Emily asked her as she put a hand on her hip while looking at Ratchet who looked dumbfounded.
"Well, uh, I was under the assumption..." Ratchet said and mumbled the last parts quietly.
"Right. All I need to do is access the prototype's system. This might take a moment." Emily said as she turned on her holo-computer which was now connected to the computer of the base.
"Question." Agent Fowler said as he stepped up while Emily just worked on the coordinates registration but she spared him a glance.
"Yeah?" She asked as she didn't look up from what she was doing.
"Does this gadget of yours work with car keys?" He questioned only to be met with silence as Emily looked at him like he was crazy.
"You're kidding, right?" Miko said with a look as she was trying not to laugh.
The team was exploring the new option that Emily had created for this kind of situation, hoping it could allow them to go help their friend in need.
Meanwhile back in Siberia, Arcee was still in shock after she found out that her old partner, Tailgate, was still alive after all this time and she didn't even know it until now.
"Tailgate... Is it really you?" Arcee asked him as tears threatened to well up in her optics. But Tailgate just gave her a weird look as there was no recognition in his optics.
"Who are you? Why are you calling me that?" Tailgate asked her in confusion and it made her turn to Airachnid knowing that she had something to do with this.
"What did you do to him?" Arcee demanded but Airachnid didn't do anything but let a sinister smile appear on her face plate.
"Answer me. WHAT DID YOU DO TO TAILGATE!?" Arcee exclaimed in rage and desperation. She needed answers now!
"Stop calling me that. It's not my name." Tailgate gritted his dentas at her. Why does she keep calling him Tailgate?
Airachnid puts her servo on Tailgate's shoulder to stop him from doing anything damaging.
"Now, now, stay calm and don't listen to what she says. And to answer your question, I didn't do much. Compared to you." Airachnid said coolly as Arcee has a confused look. What did Airachnid mean by that?
"What are you saying?" Arcee asked in confusion.
"Do me a favor and leave me alone. It's time you had a talk between ladies." Tailgate said before walking off somewhere in the factory and leaving the two alone when Airachnid ordered him to.
"What kind of mind trick is this?" Arcee turned her angry optics back to Airachnid who just looked at her.
"I can assure you, dear Arcee, that this is no mind trick. This is real." Airachnid told her as she examined her claws.
"This can't be real. Tailgate was killed during the war. It can't be him." Arcee muttered as she was having a hard time processing this. Tailgate is dead... isn't he...?
"My guess is that you saw a ghost of the past, your past. Do you remember our first encounter?" Airachnid told her before questioning her.
Arcee clearly remembered the first time she was captured by Airachnid and how she tortured her when she was captive during those times. It scarred her deeply even now.
"Yes... I remember..." Arcee said with a small glare directed to her nemesis.
"Good. And do you remember the little story I told you about what happened to your old partner?" Airachnid then asked her again with an evil smile.
Arcee stayed silent at this as she remembered what Airachnid told her when she was a prisoner back then.
"Yes... you told me he was dead." Arcee said.
"Oh, yes I did say that." Airachnid said as she sent her an evil look. Arcee wanted to kick that look off her face but she needed answers first.
"Please tell me what happened. Why did he look at me like that? As if he didn't know who I was. And don't you dare lie to me." Arcee told her and Airachnid could sense the desperation in her tone. She could spare her for a little bit before finishing her off.
"Well... seeing how you won't live long enough, I might as well tell you. I have always been watching you. Your technique, your skills, your capacity. I was the one who watched from the shadow on the day you and Tailgate had found one of Energon reserves. So it was no coincidence that I was there to capture you." Airachnid started to explain as Arcee clearly remembered how Airachnid caught her by surprise with their first encounter.
"My mission was simply to capture an Autobot for interrogation and seize the attack of the coordinates. But little did I know, my prey was tough to break, even for someone like me. Seeing how you wouldn't cooperate, I had a plan to capture someone I could use as leverage to force you to talk and give me the information I needed. My soldiers had been watching Tailgate's team for a moment. And when the time was right, we attacked them. They all fell in a matter of seconds. All except one. I think you can guess who it was." Airachnid continued to explain as Arcee knew who she meant by that.
"Tailgate..." Arcee muttered the name but loud enough for Airachnid to hear.
"Yes, after the attack we found him severely damaged." Airachnid finished but this just confused Arcee more.
"And you didn't kill him? Why?" Arcee questioned as Airachnid smirked.
"He didn't remember anything. His memory was lost in the battle. Poor Tailgate, he had no memory of who or what he was. His misfortune became our advantage. His amnesia had allowed us to extract the information we needed to win the war. There was only one process on all Cybertron that could do this." Arcee knew what she meant by that as she glared at her.
"You didn't..." Arcee started but Airachnid just shrugged.
"Yes. Unfortunately his amnesia was very deep for us to get any useful information. All his memories as an Autobot had disappeared. Including his memories of you." Airachnid said and this caused Arcee's optics to widen as she felt crushed by this. Tailgate doesn't remember who he is... even her. This can't be real but the way Tailgate looked at her like she was a stranger was proof enough.
"There it is. The look in your optics. I told you this would happen after you saw your greatest failure in the optics." Airachnid said with an evil grin. Arcee snapped out of her reverie as she glared at her.
"You can consider yourself lucky that I can't touch you right now. But when I get out, I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to him." Arcee sneered weakly as Airachnid just rolled her optics and turned her back to her.
"Blame me all you want. But we both know that what happened to Tailgate was your fault. All this is your fault. Yours and yours alone." Airachnid said. Arcee wanted to retort and told her that it wasn't but deep down she felt guilty deep inside her as she lowered her helm to hide the broken look that appeared.
"Do not worry. I'll take good care of Tailgate. And when he finally remembers you, I'll make sure he joins you in the Allspark." Airachnid said with a sinister smile as she glanced at her enemy.
Meanwhile back at the base, Emily was helping Ratchet crack the code of her new prototype that blocked Arcee's location registry.
"How is the decoding going?" Ratchet said as Emily was typing away on her holo-computer.
"A bit slow but it will be over soon." Emily said as Raf was helping.
"At least that proves that we did a good job on building the code." Raf said as he typed away at his laptop.
"Yeah, no kidding." Emily said as she, Raf and Ratchet continue to work on the coding to get the coordinates.
"So what is this new gadget thing of yours supposed to do?" Miko asked curiously as she looked at what their friends were doing.
"Basically it's a tracker. But unlike ordinary trackers, it can register every coordinate. And if it goes offline for a reason, I can access the coordinates registered through a specific code created for each one of you." Emily explained as Jack became curious. If Arcee volunteers to let Emily try her gadget, does that mean they each have one too?
"Just out of curiosity. Did you make one for all of us?" Jack asked curiously as Emily nodded.
"Yeah, I did. In case you were caught by the Decepticons. Better safe than sorry." Emily said with a small grin as he rolled his eyes playfully.
"When were you going to tell us about this?" Miko asked her in disbelief.
"I was going too." Emily told her as Jack looked at Raf.
"And you knew about this, Raf?" Jack asked as Raf nodded.
"Well, considering that I help her build the codes. Yeah I think I did." Raf said with a sheepish grin.
"You two were able to keep that secret for so long? I'm impressed." Agent Fowler said as he watched the trio work.
"There's one thing that I still don't get. Decepticons never keep prisoners, so why keep Tailgate alive for so long?" Smokescreen stated the obvious question.
"No idea, kid." Bulkhead said with a shrug.
"Maybe he knew something that the Cons wanted." Wheeljack guessed as Bumblebee turned to him and whirred to ask what it could be. Cliffjumper suddenly remembered something as he turned towards everyone.
"I think I know. Back on Cybertron, our squadrons had received the coordinates for an attack. Most of the teams had the info. Turns out, Tailgate was one of them." Cliffjumper told them as everyone looked at him.
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why the cons kept him in a Stasis Cell." Smokescreen said as he crossed his arms but Optimus figured out why the Decepticons kept him in a Stasis Cell.
"It's quite simple, Smokescreen. They wanted to extract information from Tailgate. There was only one way to do so." Optimus said and Ratchet sighed since he knew what Optimus was talking about.
"A Cortical Psychic Patch." Ratchet said with a heavy sigh as Optimus nodded gravely.
"I'm afraid so." He said.
"To think the cons would stoop so low." Wheeljack gritted his dentas together at that.
"Shouldn't surprise you considering that they're willing to do anything to win." Bulkhead said with his arms crossed.
"Excuse me, but you kind of lost me here. What is a Cortical Psychic Patch?" Agent Fowler spoke up with confusion. What's a Cortical Psychic Patch anyway?
"A mischievous procedure, created eons ago by the Decepticons. This procedure would allow someone to enter the mind of a Cybertronian and access all his memories. The two minds would share a connection however that procedure was very dangerous, for the ones whose minds were invaded." Ratchet explained since he studied it even before the war started.
"Which is why the procedure had been declared illegal by the Autobots." Optimus said.
"Too bad. We could've used it to get some info from one of these cons." Agent Fowler said while crossing his arms. That could be useful.
"A Cortical Psych Patch might've been made illegal by the Autobots; however, the medics had the right to use that procedure if it was necessary. We used it back then when Optimus was infected with the Cybonic Plague. Which was also created by the Decepticons as a biological warfare. A virus created by the hands of the Dark Lord itself." Ratchet finished explaining.
"I'd be surprised if it weren't." Agent Fowler said before Emily spoke up since what Ratchet said caught her attention.
"So wait, you're telling us that you did a Cortical Psychic Patch connection?" Emily asked in confusion as Raf spoke up this time.
"Yes, when Optimus got infected, we had the coordinates of the Nemesis. Back then, the ship was suffering a malfunction." Raf said as Jack remembered that incident.
"I remember, Bee and Arcee went there to find the cure for the virus. But they found something worse than the virus. They found out that Megatron was still alive." Jack said as this made Emily look at them in shock. Just how many adventures did the Autobots have with Jack, Miko and Raf and Fowler and June before she came along?
"Still alive? You mean he was dead back then?" Emily asked in confusion.
"That's what we thought until that day. However, since he was still alive, we were able to make a Cortical Psychic Patch and find the cure." Ratchet said as Raf nodded but his eyes held what looked like fear and disbelief.
"Yeah. I only wish we knew what would happen after." Raf said as Emily was curious to know what happened.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Bee's the one who dared to get inside that Rust Bucket's head to get the info. He got it, but something worse came out of it." Bulkhead explained as he turned to Raf who said one name.
"Megatron." Raf said.
"What do you mean?" Emily asked as she looked at them
"When we found out he was still alive, he was in some sort of coma. And when Bumblebee got out of his mind, Megatron followed him." Jack told her as she stared at them in shock before looking at Bumblebee who nodded to say that it was true.
"Can we skip that story for a moment? There's something that doesn't add up. The Decepticons used the Cortical Psychic Patch to see what Tailgate knew." Wheeljack said as he paced slightly.
"Where are you going with that, Uncle Jackie?" Emily asked curiously.
"Think about it. If the cons had a way to get any kind of information, why was Tailgate put on stasis?" Wheeljack stated the obvious.
"Yes you're right. It would be illogical for the Decepticons to keep an Autobot alive that could give up information that easily unless... it didn't work." Ratchet said as he realized something but he's not sure if I'd true.
"What do you mean by that?" Smokescreen asked in confusion.
"I'm not entirely sure but I think that when the Decepticons entered Tailgate's mind he might not have the information." Ratchet said as he put a servo to his chin as he thought.
"That's impossible, Ratchet. Tailgate knew the details of the mission. I should know, I'm the one who told him." Cliffjumper said.
"What are you saying, Cliffjumper?" Jack asked him in confusion.
"Well you see... When Arcee disappeared, Tailgate contacted me to see if she had talked with me. And all of the sudden there was a huge explosion and suddenly, there was no more communication." Cliffjumper explained as he grew saddened at the end of his explanation.
"It would seem that at this moment, Tailgate was attacked by the Decepticons and possibly captured." Optimus said as he voiced what they all guessed and they grew worried.
The computer started beeping, meaning that the code was opened as Ratchet smiled.
"Ah-ha. The code has been cracked." Ratchet said as Emily looked up.
"All we need to do is enter the password of Arcee's tracker. It's 217XDY-3GH23. All the letters in capital." Emily told him as Ratchet entered the password.
When he finished putting the password in, a huge number of coordinates appeared on the screens as Wheeljack whistled in disbelief.
"Whoa, that's one tracker. You've outdone yourself, kid." Wheeljack said as Emily just grinned.
"The one on top is when Arcee entered the factory. Copying now and transmitting through the ground bridge." Raf said as he quickly copied the coordinates where Arcee is and uploaded it on the ground bridge.
"Autobots, prepare for immediate departure." Optimus said as everyone got ready.
"Now that's more like it." Wheeljack said.
"I'm going too." Cliffjumper said as he stepped up but Optimus stopped him.
"Cliffjumper, I believe it's best for you to stay here." Optimus told him as Cliffjumper looked at him.
"I can't do that, Optimus. If Tailgate's there, I must be the one to bring him back." Cliffjumper said as he looked up at him as Smokescreen looked at him.
"Why you?" He asked.
"Because he's my brother." Cliffjumper admitted much to everyone's shock.
"Whoa, Cliff has bro? Talk about a huge spoiler." Miko said.
"I understand your concern, Cliffjumper." Optimus said.
"Then you know I have to go. I almost lost them once. I won't let it happen again." Cliffjumper said with determination in his voice.
"I know that you feel the need to help them both. But I'm afraid that you will have to stay here until we come back." Optimus told him. As much as Cliffjumper wanted to protest and insist that he should help, he can't disobey an order from his leader.
"Fine..." Cliffjumper said as he walked back and couldn't believe that Optimus told him to stay back at the base and do nothing.
"Poor Cliffjumper, this isn't easy for him." Jack said sadly as he watched the Mech that he grew to view as a friend and father.
"Yeah, it's not easy to find out your brother is still alive." Miko said as she pitied Cliffjumper.
While the team was preparing, Ratchet was entering the coordinates of the factory so that way the team could directly get inside and avoid the storm. In a matter of seconds, the coordinates were in and the ground bridge was ready to be activated.
"Coordinates are in. I'll prepare the ground bridge." Ratchet said.
"Get ready, boys, we're going in." Smokescreen said with a grin.
"I'm coming too. I just need to find something. Ah, there it is." Emily said and put what she was able to find in her bag.
For a moment she had a hard time doing so but she was able to put it on after a few seconds of struggle.
"A winter coat?" Miko asked in confusion.
"For protection from the cold. You never know when you could catch a cold." Emily said as she fixed the buttons on her coat.
"Okay?" Miko said in confusion before starting to whisper to Jack.
"Is it just me or is Ems acting a bit weird?" Miko asked in a hush whisper as Jack looked at Emily and shrugged.
"I really do not know." He said.
Back in Siberia, Tailgate continues to walk around. When suddenly he started to see memories going through his mind. It felt very disturbing for him since he didn't know what it meant. He saw himself doing things he didn't clearly remember with people he didn't remember. But the one that struck him the most was that he saw the blue femme who called him Tailgate earlier.
"What is this? Why am I seeing things? Why is she appearing in my mind? Could I know her? No, my mistress said that she was with the ones who did this to me." Tailgate said as he looked back to where his "mistress" is with the femme that they both captured before stopping when he heard a strange noise.
"Huh?" Tailgate followed where the sound came from and hid behind some crates and peered to the side.
When Tailgate saw what it was, he saw some sort of portal appearing out of nowhere as dread settled in his spark.
"Oh no." He muttered before running back to warn Airachnid what he just saw.
Meanwhile back at the base, the Autobots were all getting ready to leave and go help Arcee and rescue Tailgate.
"I'll keep the channel open in case something happens." Ratchet told them all.
"It's gonna be fine, Ratchet." Smokescreen reassured him.
"Yeah nothing two wreckers can handle. Just some good old wrecker style and one grenade and this mission is not gonna take long." Wheeljack said and ignoring the glare Ratchet gave him as Smokescreen just snickered.
While the team were getting ready, Cliffjumper sneaked from behind and got through the portal without anyone noticing. Emily saw him and quietly went downstairs toward the ground bridge completely unnoticed as she followed him.
"Just make sure you don't blow the factory sky high." Agent Fowler told him.
"We'll make sure to keep collateral damage at a minimum. Autobots, roll..." Optimus nodded and was about to tell the team to roll out before he noticed that Cliffjumper was gone.
"Where is Cliffjumper?" He asked as everyone looked around and didn't know where the red meh ran off to.
"That's weird he was just there a minute ago." Bulkhead said before they realized something as Smokescreen looked to the open ground bridge portal.
"Do you think he...?" Smokescreen asked as Ratchet sighed. He's going to give Cliffjumper an audiofull later after this.
"Oh no. He went to help Arcee." Ratchet said before Miko spoke up after noticing a certain blonde wasn't present as well.
"Uh, guys, Emily is gone too. She must have followed Cliffjumper." Miko said as Optimus grew worried for the two.
"Well what do you know? This just got a whole lot better." Wheeljack said with a chuckle.
Inside the portal, Cliffjumper was running as fast as he could to get there in time and save Arcee and possibly his lost brother. He was not gonna lose them again. Not this time.
"Hang in there, guys, I'm coming." Cliffjumper said before a voice called out to him.
"Hey, wait up!"
"Huh?" Cliffjumper stopped and turned around after hearing the voice and saw that it was Emily.
"Kid? What do you think you're doing?" Cliffjumper asked in shock as Emily stopped just in front of him.
"Ain't it obvious? I'm coming with you." Emily said as she looked up to him.
"Oh no you're not. If something bad happens to you, Arcee will hold a grudge on me forever." Cliffjumper said as Emily put her hands on her hips. She won't change her mind.
"Well, good luck trying to convince me not to go. Arcee is like a mother figure to me. And if it was me who was in danger, she would do everything to save me. She's part of my family and we never turn our backs on our family. Please, Cliff, let me help you." Emily pleaded as Cliffjumper thought about it and decided to just let Emily come with him.
He kneeled down and put his hand down so Emily could get on so he could keep an eye on her.
"You're pretty convincing." Cliffjumper said with a small grin which she returned as she got on his hand as he stood back up.
"Arcee taught me that." Emily said.
"No kidding." Cliffjumper rolled his optics in amusement as they both continued to go through the portal.
Back at the base, everyone was literally in disbelief that their two friends were able to slip past them unnoticed.
"What do we do now?" Bulkhead asked.
"The only thing we can do. Bring our comrades home. Autobots, roll out!" Optimus commanded as the whole team all ran through the portal and disappeared from sight as Ratchet, Fowler, Jack, Miko and Raf all hoped that everyone would get back in one piece.
"Good luck." Ratchet said.
Meanwhile back in Siberia, Cliffjumper and Emily finally came out of the portal. When they got out, they started looking around and saw how the factory had been abandoned for ages.
"This place looks huge. How are we going to find Arcee?" Cliffjumper said as he looked around.
"Beats me. Maybe we ought to turn on the lights." Emily said and saw her breath in a puff of smoke when she breathed.
"Any idea of how we can do that?" Cliffjumper asked as he made sure to watch where he was going while carrying Emily on his servo.
"Yes, I do. All I need is to find an electrical panel and see if I can reactivate the energy around here. It shouldn't be too hard. Just be sure to watch where you're-" Emily said but was cut off when Cliffjumper hit his helm on a low hanging pipeline before she finished warning him.
"Oww." He winced slightly as Emily laughed sheepishly.
"Going." She finished as he rolled his optics at her playfully.
"Yeah, thanks for the update. Where are we gonna find that panel thingy you're talking about?" He asked as they kept looking around.
"I think I see one right there." Emily said when she noticed a box looking panel.
Emily points out at the electrical panel that she was able to find. Cliffjumper went to where Emily pointed and put his servo down so that Emily could get off. When she got down, she inspected the panel and saw that most of the circuits were a bit old. They were still functional but they needed a huge amount of energy to work again.
"Okay, It's a bit tough but luckily I came prepared." Emily said before she unzipped the zipper of her winter coat so that she could use some of the energy of her suit to turn the lights back on.
She connected some wires of her suit into the electrical panel and with her holo-computer, she started to check the rate of the charge. It was at 80%. It was a little low but enough to get the power back on.
"The charge is a bit low but it should be enough to get the power back on, here we go." Emily said before turning the power on and at the same time the lights inside the factory started to come on again.
Meanwhile Airachnid was still talking to Arcee as the Autobot Femme was still struggling on what she just heard.
"Now that you know all the story, it's time for you to die. I'm very tempted to claw my way to your Spark but this time I'd rather go for a nice slow death. Nothing would make me happier than to see you melt on my acid." Airachnid said with a deadly hiss.
Airachnid started to produce some acid that was coming from her claws while approaching Arcee. Arcee closed her optics so that way she could withstood the pain of the acid from Airachnid a bit before it could even happen, Tailgate came running back.
"Mistress, mistress! There's something weird going on." He informed her as Airachnid turned towards him while Arcee reopened her optics.
"What is it?" She asked in confusion.
"A huge portal appeared out of nowhere." Tailgate told her as Arcee hummed at this. Looks like the Autobots figured it out as well.
"I see. I take it that your allies have come to save you." Airachnid said before they were a little surprised when the lights came back on.
"And it seems that they turned the power back on. Hmm." Airachnid said as she turned to Arcee who was watching them cautiously but she could see that the femme was worried about Tailgate.
Seeing that Arcee was tied up on an assembly line that was leading to a shredder-like machine, Airachnid found a way to kill Arcee once and for all. She could just turn on the machine and let Arcee get torn up to bits by it.
"You know what? I think I have a better idea. Tailgate, listen to me, those called Autobots are here to capture you. They wanna lock you up so that they can experiment on you." Airachnid started to tell Tailgate another lie and it seemed to have worked as he looked desperate and scared at the idea.
"Please, help me. I don't wanna go back into that pod." Tailgate voiced his fears as Airachnid had to stop herself from laughing.
"Don't worry, my dear servant. Just do what I tell you to do and you'll be free. If you wanna be free, you're gonna have to defeat the Autobots one by one." Airachnid cooed as she stood before him while putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, mistress. I am in your eternal debt for freeing me. Use me as you see fit." Tailgate said before he kneeled down on one knee and in front of Airachnid.
"And save me from those who erased my memories." Tailgate pleaded.
"Very well. Let us face the enemy." Airachnid said as she smirked at this.
With that said Tailgate got up and was about to leave with his new mistress Airachnid but Arcee chose that moment to speak up to try and get Tailgate to remember who he is as he turned to her.
"Tailgate, wait. You have to listen to me. You may not remember who you are and on whose side you're on right now. But you know inside your Spark that I'm not your enemy, she is. I don't know what she told you but whatever it is, it's not true. She's the one who-" Arcee started to tell him but was cut off when Airachnid shot some web fluid at her lip plates to make sure that she doesn't say anything that might make Tailgate have some doubts about all of this.
"That's enough for you. And now it's time for you to die." Airachnid said as Arcee started to struggle with renewed strength as Airachnid went to where the levers are.
"I wonder what would happen if I moved this lever. I hope it's not the one that activates this machine. Let's find out, shall we?" Airachnid said before pulling down the main lever and turning the machine on.
"Hmm?" Arcee looked confused but felt the thing that she was tied to started to move and noticed that she was slowly going towards some sort of shredder.
"So long, dear Arcee." Airachnid said as Arcee let out muffled cries as she struggled to free herself from the predicament but the web fluid was too strong to even switch her arm blades on.
"Let's go." Airachnid said as she started to lead the way.
At the moment Tailgate was about to go with Airachnid, he turned around and saw how Arcee was about to die and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He felt as if something was not right about all of this. As if there was this deep sense of honor that was telling him that killing an enemy who didn't have the chance to fight was wrong and the way this Arcee femme was talking sounded like she knew him but he doesn't knew her.
"Let's go, dear servant." Airachnid's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Unfortunately he had to put that feeling aside and leave with his mistress to whom he had swore allegiance for freeing him. Poor Arcee felt crushed deep inside her spark as she just watched helplessly as her once thought dead friend left with the enemy that traumatized her. It's as if she was severely hurt by a very deep blade. She was reliving the trauma of losing a partner once again. But what truly hurt her more is that when Tailgate was still alive, she never had the chance to tell him something important. She started to remember the time that before she was captured, she and Tailgate were getting ready for the mission their squad had been assigned.
Flashback starts
Most members of the squad had left and the two were the only ones that stayed back to get ready for their assignment.
"How are you feeling? Nervous?" Tailgate asked as he readied his weapons.
"Not really. And you?" Arcee asked back.
"I'm a bit excited." Tailgate said with a grin.
"I'd be surprised if you weren't." Arcee couldn't help but roll her optics at him.
Arcee started checking her guns and blades to see if they were fit for an incoming battle against the Decepticons as Tailgate started to apologize.
"Arcee, I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened earlier... I didn't mean for you to see this." Tailgate apologized as he looked at her.
"Look, I get it. You and Cliff used to have so many plans before the war. And it's not that I'm on his side or anything but you have to realize that this war requires absolute focus. The minor distraction could bring us towards death." Arcee told him as Tailgate looked at her like she grew two helms.
"Are you being serious now? You sound just like Cliffjumper. Why don't you just say what you really think? That I'm dangerous and immature and you think my brother is right." Tailgate deadpan as he rechecked his weapons again as Arcee sighed.
"That's not what I'm saying. We both know that Cliffjumper can be immature from time to time. To be honest, you're both immature. And you both have a point. We should do more to win this war and bring back the old Cybertron that we know. But we can't go on acting like a bunch of rookies." Arcee told him as Tailgate saw her point.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I'm sorry for what I said. I was out of line. I know things have been pretty hard. But trust me, one day when this is all over, it'll be just you and me." Tailgate told her as Arcee smiled but knew that she had to tell him something important before they could leave for the incoming battle.
"Tailgate, there's something I need to tell you." Arcee started but was stopped by Tailgate.
"Say it when we come back from this mission." Tailgate said.
At the moment that Tailgate told Arcee to hold what she wanted to say, it was time for both of them to be on their way. Arcee remembered that day as the last time she had seen her partner and as the day that she wasn't able to tell him the truth. And just like that Arcee came out of her own thoughts.
Flashback ends
She didn't know how she was going to get out of this situation. The only thing that she could think about was that this might be the last thing she ever sees as she hangs her helm as a lone lubricant falls from her optic but starts to struggle more to get herself free.
Meanwhile the rest of Team Prime had finally arrived at the factory. And as soon as they came out, the portal closed up behind them.
"Optimus, do you read me? Have you found anything?" Ratchet comm him as he answered
"Not yet, Ratchet. But there's something weird, it would seem that the power was turned back on. No doubt that it was Emily and Cliffjumper who did this." Optimus said as he noted that the lights were on and Agent Fowler did say that the factory was abandoned for years so maybe their two allies must've figured out to give the whole place some light.
Back at the base, Optimus then asked Ratchet if he knew where their friends were located.
"Can you confirm their position?" He asked as Ratchet was trying but the storm was interfering with the scanning.
"Barely, the storm is jamming their readings." Ratchet said.
"Very well. We'll have to look for them on our own." Optimus said just as the scanners started to notify those at the base that it detected something.
"Hold on, I think I've found something. Two signatures. Correction, 4 signatures." Ratchet said in surprise.
Back in Siberia, that was good news to the team.
"Are Cliffjumper and Emily part of these signatures?" Optimus asked and was hoping that their two friends are okay.
Back at the base, Ratchet was checking the scanners to determine who was there as well but the fourth signal was confusing.
"Yes, I believe so. Although the other two signatures are alarming. I count one Decepticon. Hmm strange. The other signature is weird. I can't read if it's an Autobot or a Decepticon." Ratchet said as he was trying to figure out who the last signal was.
Back in Siberia, that was at least something. But it was still worrisome since the third signal was a Decepticon.
"It must be due to the interference caused by the storm." Ratchet said as Optimus nodded while the others looked around but stayed put whole waiting for orders.
"Very well. Keep me posted if something comes up. In the meantime we shall look for Arcee." Optimus said as Bumblebee poked the snow and beeped when it left a hole.
"Be careful, Optimus. Who knows what Decepticon you might face." Ratchet warned him as he nodded.
"Thanks, old friend. Prime out." Optimus said as he turned the comm link off as Smokescreen spoke up after they heard the conversation.
"Four signatures?" He asked curiously.
"One of them is a non-Con. Any guesses?" Bulkhead asked as Bumblebee whirred to tell them that the non-Con might be Tailgate.
"That must be it. Either way, that con is going down, whoever he is." Wheeljack said as he took out his swords.
"Patience, Wheeljack. We have to be careful." Optimus said as Wheeljack just sighs and puts his swords back.
"Fine. What do we do now?" Wheeljack asked as he crossed his arms.
"We find Cliff and Emily, save Arcee, and bring Tailgate back with us." Bulkhead said but Smokescreen knew another thing.
"That is if the Decepticons haven't found him first." Smokescreen said as he was worried for their friends as well.
"Don't worry, kid. We will bring him back for sure. You'll see." Bulkhead said as he pats his shoulder but Optimus watched them but deep down he was worried as well.
Meanwhile deep inside the factory, Cliffjumper and Emiy were walking around to see if they could find Arcee or even Tailgate. During the whole walk, Emily had seen that Cliffjumper was staying silent which worried and concerned her. He didn't even say a single word. Emily kept on asking herself what was on his mind. Maybe she thought that she could help him as a friend to get his mind off his worries.
"So Tailgate is your brother?" She started as Tailgate nodded as Emily walked beside him
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Is he like your average brother? Or more like your twin brother?" Emily asked curiosity as she looked up to him.
"He's my twin brother. Why are you asking so many questions?" Cliffjumper asked as he was confused why Emily was asking.
"I'm sorry it's just that you didn't say anything that I thought would help you to talk about it." Emily said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Hmm." Cliffjumper didn't answer.
"If you don't feel like talking about it, it's okay. I shouldn't get involved in your business." Emily said as she looked forward as they kept walking to find Arcee.
"It's okay, I don't mind." Cliffjumper reassured her as she smiled slightly.
"Okay if you say so." Emily said with a small shrug.
Both stay silent for a moment until Emily grows a bit curious and ask Cliffjumper what happened eons ago before the Autobots came to Earth
"So what happened?" She asked as Cliffjumper looked at her in confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asked as Emily looked up to him.
"I can see in your optics that something's bothering you about finding out that your brother is still alive. What is it?" Emily asked as Cliffjumper sensed curiosity and concern in her voice. Maybe telling someone might take some burden off his shoulders.
"Well… before Arcee got captured by Airachnid, Me and Tailgate got into a fight. We both said hurtful stuff to each other. Ever since it happened, I kept blaming myself for what happened. And what made things worse is that I didn't get a chance to fix things. I wished I told him how I regretted saying those things before it all happened. You have no idea how it is." Cliffjumper said with heavy sadness in his voice as Emily remembered the argument she and Jack had during the whole street race thing but she was glad that both of them worked things out.
"You're right. But there's one thing I do know. Brothers often fight with each other. But no matter what happens, you're always there for each other. That's something someone dear to me taught me a long time ago." Emily told him as she remembered her before that day.
"That's nice. Thanks, I'm glad I could talk about it with a friend like you." Cliffjumper said with a smile as she smiled back.
"Anytime." Emily giggled before they were surprised by a voice that was all too familiar to them.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Airachnid hissed as the two of them jumped in surprise but quickly raised their guards up.
"You two came here to help your friend in need and share shameful secrets. How sweet." Airachnid said as she came out of the shadows with that deadly smirk on her face.
"So sweet that it makes me wanna kill you both where you stand." Airachnid said as she examined her claws.
"Airachnid." Emily said as she got into a battle stance with Cliffjumper.
"Hello, dear Emily. It has been a while. I see you've changed." Airachnid said as she noticed that Emily seemed to change when they last fought.
"You have no idea." Emily said as she narrowed her eyes.
"Alright, Airachnid. Where are they?" Cliffjumper said as he stood in front of Emily protectively as Airachnid decided to play confused by what he meant.
"Where's who? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific." Airachnid said as she tilted her head.
"Don't you dare play dumb with me. You know who I'm talking about." Cliffjumper said as he could feel his anger rising as Emily looked at him in worry.
"Sometimes a lady needs a little reminder." Airachnid said as she put a servo on her hips.
That did it as Cliffjumper switched on his guns as he aimed them at Airachnid as he glared heatedly. No wonder Arcee hates her.
"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE! NOW! WHILE YOU'RE STILL FUNCTIONAL!" Cliffjumper exclaimed angrily.
"Fine, if you insist. Come on out. Show yourself." Airachnid shrugged before telling her companion to come out.
Both Cliffjumper and Emily spot a strange figure walking out of the shadows. And when they saw who it was, Cliffjumper could not believe it. He saw his brother right in front of him as he could feel sadness and the guilt from eons ago started to resurface but he was just happy that his brother is alive.
"Tailgate… it's you…" Cliffjumper said but was taken aback when he saw there was no recognition in his eyes as it only held confusion.
"Who are you? And why are you calling me that?" Tailgate asked in confusion as he stared at the red mech that looked exactly like him.
Why was he calling him that? Sure his name is Tailgate but why is the red mech spoke his name like he knew him for so long just like the femme Arcee.
"Huh?" Emily saw what was going on and figured out what's happening.
"Who am I? It's me, Cliffjumper. What's going on with you?" Cliffjumper asked in confusion as he was getting worried for him.
"Oh no…" Emily muttered as Cliffjumper turned to her.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I think… he doesn't remember you. Because he lost his memories." Emily told him as she looked at Cliffjumper who felt dread fill his body. Tailgate... doesn't remember him? This can't be possible… Can it?
"What? No! It can't be! Tailgate, you know who I am. You remember me, I'm your brother." Cliffjumper turned to Tailgate as he was desperate. Tailgate has got to remember him, he can't just forget about his own brother!
Tailgate didn't say anything as he just looked at him in confusion.
"Don't bother, what your friend said is right. Your brother has no memory in him. And that's all because of you. You Autobots are to blame for all of this. Especially you, you're the one who betrayed your brother and made him a prisoner. All his memories are gone because of you." Airachnid said as she got to hand to the human girl to figure out what was going on. What Airachnid said made Tailgate almost stumble back. This red mech, Cliffjumper, betrayed him?
"You… You betrayed me?" He looked at Cliffjumper with slightly widened optics and Cliffjumper felt himself break at this.
"No. That's not what happened. She's lying to you, Tailgate. She's the enemy." Cliffjumper told him as Emily couldn't do anything but watch with worry.
"He's the one that's lying to you. He betrayed you to join the Autobots. If you fall into his lies, you'll never be free again. You swore you would serve me. So do it now, finish him. But leave the human to me." Airachnid told him as Tailgate didn't say anything as Airachnid continued to fill his mind with words.
"Brother, please, don't do this!" Cliffjumper said desperately.
Tailgate thinks about it before coming to a decision as he punches Cliffjumper out of nowhere as Cliffjumper stumbled back in surprise as Emily gasped in shock.
"Stop, you don't know what you're doing…!" Cliffjumper tried to reason with him but he wasn't able to finish what he was going to say as Tailgate continued to punch him.
Emily couldn't take it anymore. Tailgate lost his memories and it wasn't Cliffjumper's fault. She needs to help them both.
"Cliff!" Emily exclaimed in worry as she quickly switched on her plasma cannons so she could help Cliffjumper before he ended up getting killed.
When she was about to shoot, she stopped for a moment. She might hit them both or Tailgate by accident.
"What are you waiting for? Go ahead, shoot him. By doing so, you'll prove to him that everything I said was true and that you're the enemy. But if you don't shoot, your friend could get killed. If this happened, can you imagine how Arcee would feel? She would be devastated. And we both know that you would never kill anyone." Airachnid, who has been watching the whole scene, spoke up as she smirked when Emily stopped.
What Airachnid said was true. Emily couldn't shoot another who she views as her friend and family.
"You're right. I wouldn't dare to shoot at an Autobot. But for a Decepticon like you, that's a whole other thing." Emily said as she turned around quickly and charged her plasma cannon and shot at Airachnid who dodged it quickly.
"Nice shooting. But I'm afraid that it won't be enough to take me down." Airachnid smirked but let out a pained cry when she got shot from out of nowhere.
"That's enough for you, eight legs." A familiar voice said and Emily felt herself grinning.
"Good job, Jackie." Another familiar voice said.
Emily turned around and saw that the rest of Team Prime was here to help her and Cliffjumper to bring Tailgate back and rescue Arcee.
"Guys, you're here." Emily said in relief as she ran up to them.
"We wouldn't miss it for the world." Smokescreen said with a grin as she grinned back as Optimus looked at Airachnid as they surrounded her.
"Airachnid, you're completely surrounded. Surrender now and tell us where Arcee and Tailgate are." Optimus told her firmly as Airachnid just smirked.
"Oh? Arcee? She's enjoying a visit to this abandoned factory." Airachnid said as if it was no big deal but Bulkhead stepped forward with angry optics.
"You better tell us where she is before I squash you like a bug." Bulkhead said as Bumblebee whirred in agreement.
"Okay, fine. If I were you, I would hurry up before she gets killed." Airachnid said and everyone knew what this meant and were all shocked as Optimus turned to Emily.
"Emily, go find Arcee and help her. We'll take care of Airachnid." Optimus ordered as she nodded.
"You got it."
Emily activates her earth mode. After that, she used the cement of the floor to transform into a rolling boulder and started to roll in a certain direction to find Arcee.
"Oh no, you don't." Airachnid glared as she started to use her web fluids to stop Emily from saving Arcee but Emily is able to avoid every shot.
"See ya, eight legged freak!" Emily exclaimed as she rolled away from the potential battle.
"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Airachnid switched to her spider form to go after but was stopped by Optimus who quickly stopped her from going after his charge.
"Your fight is against me." He told her as the others could sense the protectiveness that he held in his tone.
"Very well then. I've always wanted to rip the spark of a prime." Airachnid hissed as she started to get ready to attack and Optimus had to order the others quickly.
"Bulkhead, Wheeljack, go help Cliffjumper, try not to harm Tailgate. Smokescreen and Bumblebee, you stay with me." Optimus quickly sent out orders.
"We got your back, Optimus." Smokescreen said with Bumblebee in agreement as they activated their weapons.
"On it. Let's go, Jackie." Bulkhead nodded.
"Right behind you, big guy." Wheeljack said.
Both Bulkhead and Wheeljack go help Cliffjumper while Optimus along with Smokescreen and Bumblebee were taking care of Airachnid to make sure that Emily gets to Arcee.
"Do you really think you can take me on? Last time you did, it did not go pretty well for you." Airachnid said as she remembered the time she captured the bots at the canyons months ago.
"We will not fall into your trap this time, Airachnid. Autobots, attack!" Optimus ordered with their weapons drawn as the three of them started running towards Airachnid.
They started attacking her all at once which made it harder for Airachnid to defend herself.
Meanwhile Cliffjumper and Tailgate were still fighting but Cliffjumper was only blocking and dodging the attacks.
"Tailgate, listen to me! What Airachnid said to you is a lie!" Cliffjumper tried to make him see reason but this only made Tailgate to continue to attack him.
"Stop it!" Tailgate exclaimed as he punched Cliffjumper right in the face plate and it. sent Cliffjumper to the ground
"Stop talking to me. I may not remember who I was once. But if there's one thing I do know is that you're to blame for all of this. You rid me of my past. And now I'm going to make you suffer." Tailgate said with a glare.
When Tailgate was about to hit Cliffjumper again, flashes of memories started going through his mind which made him halt his attack as he gripped his helm from the sudden pain.
"Ahhh!!!" He exclaimed from shock and pain just as the pain subsided.
"Hey!" A voice exclaimed.
After hearing an unfamiliar voice, Tailgate turned around and saw two unknown Autobots standing behind him but something similar to fear and confusion flashed through his optics.
"Wanna try your luck with two wreckers?" Wheeljack smirked as he brandished his two swords.
"Leave me alone!" Tailgate yelled as he switched on his guns and started to shoot like crazy.
"Look out!" Bulkhead exclaimed and pushed Wheeljack to the side to avoid getting shot.
"Thanks for saving my tailpipe there." Wheeljack said.
Tailgate was shooting like crazy which made it harder for Bulkhead and Wheeljack to get close enough to pin him down as Cliffjumper took cover.
"That guy is shooting non stop. There's no way we can get close enough to stop him." Wheeljack said as he and Bulkhead took cover.
"Maybe we don't need to go in together." Bulkhead suggested.
"If you have an idea, I'm all ears, big guy." Wheeljack said.
"Here's the plan, I'll distract him. And while I keep him busy, you get behind him." Bulkhead said but Wheeljack gave him a look.
"You got any better idea? Optimus said not to hurt the poor guy." Wheeljack said. As much as he would like to join the battle, he can't hurt Tailgate.
"When I start shooting, you start going around." Bulkhead said.
"Got it." Wheeljack nodded as he snapped his mask on to get ready as the shooting stopped.
"Show yourselves, cowards!" Tailgate exclaimed.
"I'll show you who's a coward, horn head!" Bulkhead exclaimed and started to shoot from where he was.
He was missing his shots on purpose so that Tailgate would focus on him and that way Wheeljack could go around and get on his back without him noticing. While Bulkhead kept Tailgate busy, Wheeljack started to go around.
Meanwhile, Emily, who was rolling on as a boulder, was looking for Arcee. She was so stressed and nervous about what would happen if she didn't find her in time. She stopped rolling and got out of her boulder mode and looked around worriedly.
"Where is she? Arcee! Arcee, can you hear me?!" Emily called and hoping to get an answer
Meanwhile Arcee was trying to free herself from Airachnid's web fluid before she got crushed by the machine when she suddenly heard Emily's voice calling her name as she looked up instantly.
"Arcee!" Arcee was so glad to hear a familiar voice.
"Mmmmmmm…!!! Mmmmmmmm!!!" She started to move and let out yells that were muffled but she was sure that Emily would hear her.
Back at where Emily was, she was still looking around but she could have sworn she heard something.
"Arcee?" Emily stopped talking for a moment.
By doing so she was able to hear yells and the sound of a machine working. She had figured that the weird muffled yells was probably Arcee calling for help indicating that she was in trouble.
"Hang in there! I'm coming!" Emily exclaimed and activated her hover boots and started heading to where she heard the weird sound coming from at full speed.
Back there Arcee was getting closer and closer to get shredded to bits of scrapped metal. Luckily Emily got there in time. When she did, she turned off her hover boots and went to help her friend.
"Arcee! Oh, I'm glad I found you." Emily said in relief but became baffled at what she was seeing.
"Mhhhhmmmm! Mhhhhhmmmmmmmm!" Arcee yelled out but it came out muffled.
"What in the name of Primus?" Emily muttered.
"Mmmmmhhh!!!" Arcee tried again.
"What?" Emily looked at her in confusion. What was Arcee trying to say?
"Mmmmmmhhhhh!!! Mmmmmmhhhhh!!!" Arcee tried again as she looked at the machine and back to her as Emily figured out what she was trying to say.
"Oh right, the machine! Give me one second." Emily said as she quickly went to where the levers are.
She saw that a lever had been moved and she started to put it back to its original position by pulling it toward her. After the lever was put back to his original the machine was turned off and Arcee was saved.
"Mmmm…" Arcee couldn't stop the relieved sigh that came out.
"Phew, that was a close call." Emily said with a nervous laugh.
But Emily leaned her hand on the lever by accident and by doing so she put the lever in the direction that activates the machine and on top of that she broke it by accident as she stared in shock.
"Uh oh." Emily muttered as the machine started again much to their dismay.
"Mhhhhmmmm!!!" Arcee let out a muffled exclamation.
"Oh man, oh man, this is bad. Uh, just give me a moment." Emily said as she then used one of the levers to see if it would stop the machine. But that lever didn't stop the machine. It didn't even do anything.
"Wrong lever. Okay, let's see about this one." Emily muttered as she tried the second one.
The second lever did something but it didn't turn off the machine. What it did was make the assembly go and stop over and over again. Emily bought Arcee sometime but it wasn't enough.
"Okay that's not it. Maybe that's the one." Emily said as she tried another but it only made the assembly line go faster.
"MMMMMMMMHHHH!!!" Arcee let out a cry that sounded like 'hurry!'
"No, no, no, stop. Oh, what do I do? What should I do? I got an idea. I just hope it works." Emily said and started activating two different levers. And all of the sudden the shredder starts going super fast and the assembly line isn't stopping at any point.
"GRRRR MMMMMMMMM!!!!!!" Arcee exclaimed in frustration behind the web around her mouth.
"I'm doing what I can, you know?! And your attitude is not helping at all." Emily exclaimed back as she was equally frustrated but doing so she had to make a call for help.
Meanwhile, Optimus, Smokescreen and Bumblebee were keeping Airachnid occupied. So occupied in fact that she was completely cornered with no way out. The three Autobots had her pinned down. She was on the floor after getting hit too much, but Optimus knows that her wounds aren't that severe, so it possibly meant that she was planning something sinister.
"Stop. I surrender." Airachnid said.
"Not so tough now huh, eight legs?" Smokescreen taunted as he made sure that he has his weapons still on just in case she tries anything funny.
"Stay on your guard. It might possibly be a trap." Optimus said just before his comm-link alerted him that someone was calling.
"Optimus, this is Emily." It was Emily. He quickly answered to see if she found Arcee.
"Emily, have you found Arcee yet?" He asked and could hear some kind of machinery was on and Arcee's exclamation in the background.
"I did. But there's one problem. She's tied up into a machine that's gonna kill her and I can't stop it. The main lever is broken. I could really use some back up." Emily said as it sounded like she was doing all she can to get the machine to stop but she needed help.
"Understood. I'm on my way." He said just as he turned off the commlink.
"I wouldn't count on it." Airachnid started to chuckle.
"Aren't you a fine one to talk to? How do you plan on getting away with three Autobots aiming their guns at you?" Smokescreen remarked and regretted even asking as she had a smirk.
"Like this." Airachnid said and with one swift movement she shot a web fluid right into Optimus' optics which rendered him blind temporarily.
"AHHHHH!!!!!" He exclaimed in surprise and shock as he tried to get it off.
"Optimus!" Smokescreen shouted worriedly but that was all Airachnid needed and shot her web fluids at Smokescreen and trapped him against a machine.
Bumblebee beeped with alarm just as Airachnid shot a web fluid straight into his arm, trapping him right beside Smokescreen as she stood back up.
"Now that you two are out of the way. It's gonna be a whole lot easier to kill you now, Prime." Airachnid said with a sinister smile.
Optimus was trying to get rid of the web in his optics but with no success. Airachnid was able to get close enough to use one of her spider legs and damage one of Optimus legs so that it would be easier to kill him but also send paint through him as he let out a pained yell.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" He yelled from the pain and shock as he was sent down.
"No!" Both Bumblebee and Smokescreen cry out in alarm.
After Airachnid was able to damage Optimus' leg so that he couldn't move, she started shooting some web fluid at his shoulders to pin him down. Optimus struggles to get free but Airachnid wasn't planning to let him go that easily.
"Now, now, now. You're not leaving so soon are you? The fun is just about to begin. Now you won't have to worry about Arcee. You will soon join her in the Allspark. And I'll be sure to send Tailgate after that." Airachnid said. Even though he was temporarily blind due to the web fluid against his optics, he narrowed them to send her what looked like a firm yet angry look.
"You won't win, Airachnid." Optimus almost growled as Airachnid just hummed.
"On the contrary, Prime. Today I have won something great. The Spark of a Prime as my new trophy." Airachnid said with a sinister smile.
Back at the Nemesis, Soundwave was monitoring Airachnid's mission as ordered. He was seeing what Laserbeak, who he sent out to keep an eye on things with Airachnid, is showing him while recording live when something struck his attention as he visibly tensed. He saw that Airachnid was about to kill Optimus Prime. At that same moment, Starscream came and asked Soundwave if he had anything to report.
"Soundwave, do you have anything to report?" Starscream asked but Soundwave merely turned to him and didn't show him anything.
"Silent as always. I take it you have something to say. If so, please tell me. I do hope it's wonderful news." Starscream said and Soundwave showed him through his visor that Airachnid was about to kill Optimus Prime much to the Seeker's shock. Megatron is going to be livid when he learns this.
"What? That wretched Airachnid about to kill Optimus Prime! Ah, uh, well that is… splendid. Very splendid, hahaha." Starscream exclaimed but quickly composed himself in the presence of the other Decepticon.
Starscream could not believe that Airachnid was about to kill the last of the Primes, well that would be a downfall for the Autobots.
"We must inform Lord Megatron at once." Starscream said as Soundwave just nodded. Megatron needs to be informed quickly.
Starscream and Soundwave went to the main room directly to tell Megatron the huge news. They went in and Starscream called out to get his attention.
"Lord Megatron." Starscream called as Megatron turned around after monitoring the computers to see two of his comrades standing before him.
"What is it, Starscream?" He asked with mild annoyance.
"I have news, my liege. Splendid news. Wonderful news. Marvelous news." Starscream babbled which caused Megatron to let out a small growl.
"I guess I talked too much." Starscream stopped quickly at that.
"Someone's gonna get a dent on his chassis very soon." Knock Out whispered to Breakdown who let out a snicker at that.
"Hahaha." Breakdown let out a laugh.
"Be quiet. Let the fool speak." Dreadwing said as Skyquake just watched silently.
"Well, you see, master, Laserbeak just sent us footage of Airachnid. I think it will interest you." Starscream said and gestured for Soundwave to show the others.
Soundwave shows a picture of Airachnid about to kill Optimus Prime which was a surprise to all of them. Dreadwing, Knock Out, Breakdown and Skyquake glance at Megatron. They as well as the whole Decepticon faction know that the only one who can finish Optimus is Megatron himself.
"Optimus Prime?" Megatron asked as Starscream nodded.
"Yes, my liege. Optimus' demise is finally at hand. With his death, it will only be a matter of time before the Autobots are destroyed. To think that Airachnid would be the one that would kill Optimus Prime once and for-" Starscream started but was cut off when Megatron grabbed him by the throat.
"Starscream, I seem to recall. That I once told you that the only one that can kill Optimus Prime. Is it me and me alone!" Megatron reminded him before throwing straight at the computer.
"Master, please forgive me. I didn't mean to-" Starscream pleaded as the others just watched.
"Silence! I couldn't care less about your pathetic excuses." Megatron sneered before Dreadwing spoke up.
"My liege, do you want us to send a squadron to arrest Airachnid?" Dreadwing asked as Megatron thought about it for a moment. He knows Optimus and himself were evenly matched. And maybe this might teach Airachnid something.
"No, Dreadwing. As a matter of fact, I think we shall let her continue." Megatron said as he turned to them all.
"But, sir, if she does that, she will kill Optimus Prime." Skyquake protested.
"From my experience, Optimus can be very resourceful. Today shall be the day Airachnid will pay for her foolishness. Soundwave, transmit the footage in our main scream. I wanna see it with my own eyes." Megatron said before telling Soundwave what to do as he nodded and connected one of his tendrils to the main computer for them all to watch what was about to happen.
"Oh goody. Some entertainment." Knock Out said with an amused look. He should have grabbed a cube of Energon if they were going to watch what was going to happen.
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