Beast Wars Prime

A Plague of Insecticons Pt.2

Happy Halloween everyone. I'm fresh out of Tricks, so here's a treat in the form of the newest chapter. Sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger, but I wanted to build up tension. So, for now, kick back, enjoy your candy and the treats of this latest chapter.

Arcee came too amidst the sounds of battle. This was nothing new to her, although she couldn't quite remember how she'd gotten there this time. It would help if her head would stop hurting so much. Then it all came back to her. Airachnid, the explosions and being trapped, the kids. She remembered being flung by Defensor and slamming through the iron grating at the top of the airshaft.

Remembering she was still in her vehicle mode, Arcee transformed. Groaning a bit at the pain she looked down at herself. The grating she'd crashed through had left some deep cuts, a couple of which were still leaking energon. She'd need to do some first aid before entering the battle around her.

"Arcee?" Came a familiar voice. Looking to her right, she saw Overdrive coming to her. Behind him was a dead rhino beetle Insecticon. "How'd you get up here?"

"I had Defensor wing me up the air shaft." She groaned, putting a servo to a deep gouge on her right arm. "I forgot about the grating." She explained as she staggered to her feet.

Overdrive looked around. "You came out right next to the lab." He said with a wince. "I'd take you to Rhinox but he's clear on the other side of the base. I'll let you in so you can get patched up, but I need to get back in the fight." With that he opened the hangar door just enough for Arcee to slip in before several locust Insecticons flew at him.

As the hangar door closed behind her, Arcee noticed that she wasn't alone in the lab.

"June?" Arcee queried. "What are you doing in here?" She figured the elder Darby would be in the thick of the fight with her children, both by blood and adopted. Instead, she was on top of the computer control panel for the "reformatting chamber", as the Maximals had taken to calling it behind the science teams backs, trying to work the controls.

June jumped. With everyone outside and the battle raging, she didn't expect anyone to enter the lab. "Arcee? I thought you were down in the." She looked over her injuries and decided against asking how she got there. "Never mind, can you help me figure out how to work this? That honorable dummy I call a son locked me in here to 'protect' me." She explained, her annoyed tone conveying how she felt about that decision.

Arcee took a Cybertronian first aid kit off the wall and began treating her injuries. "Yes, I can operate the chamber, but why?" She already had a feeling as to the answer, but was hoping to talk June out of it.

"Arcee." June stated, turning to look at her. "My kids keep getting into danger. I know they're growing up but I cannot stand to sit helpless on the sidelines anymore while that keeps happening." Her expression turned to a pleading one. "Please, let me help them."

Arcee was surprised to hear the same plea that she'd given Optimus just minutes ago be repeated back to her. She wouldn't be able to say no to this request without being the world's largest hypocrite. Pausing her ministrations, Arcee came to a decision. Walking over to the controls, Arcee held a servo out for June to sit on.

"Alright." She agreed. "I'll help you do this. I've been around this kind of equipment before and know how to use it. Thankfully, it's still connected to the Enigma of Combination." She lowered June to the floor. "Start getting ready." She added, as she stood back up.

"Thank you." June said at a tone barely above a whisper as she gave Arcee an appreciative look. Taking a steadying breath, June pulled off her shirt and reached behind her back to undo her bra.