Airachnophobia (Airachnid X Male Reader)

19. Freedom

     "Could someone explain to me, with utmost clarity, how a pair of Vehicons on patrol captured an image of Airachnid's holoform?" Megatron, the gray warlord and leader of the Decepticons asked Knockout as he arrived in the bridge of the Nemesis. The red mech stopped in his tracks, stammering in front of his superior. "Last time I checked, one had to be ONLINE to be able to USE IT!" Megatron yelled at the medic.

     "I- I am unsure, my Lord. I was certain we had terminated her before she was disposed of." Knockout explained, the warlord's wrath looming above him. The bigger mech growled in frustration.

     "You have one solar cycle to remedy your failure, or your paint will not be the only thing you need to worry about." Megatron threatened the medic in hopes it would motivate him to succeed. The smaller mech just stammered his reassurances and left quickly, a few of the Vehicons in the halls staring at him as he ran.

     As peace returned to the bridge, Megatron's third in command and communications officer, Soundwave, approached him. The silent, slender mech re-displayed the image of Airachnid's holoform sighting.

     "What is it, Soundwave?" The gray mech asked, a brow raised. His officer pointed with a slender finger at the image, zooming in simultaneously. There was a second human in the image, one that wasn't Cybertronian. Megatron grinned dangerously, understanding exactly what the silent mech was suggesting.

~~~~~

     "Was it really wise to let her go?" Jack asked his partner Arcee as she drove him to school. The wind blew his hair around, but it wasn't long enough to be uncomfortable or get into his eyes. As he thought about his own question, he heard Arcee vent from under him. It made sense that she was frustrated. Optimus had given Airachnid the freedom to leave the base, an offer she had taken instantly, disintegrating back into her Cybertronian form and flying out of the abandoned missile silo. She hadn't even taken her new pet with her, but he hadn't seemed bothered. In fact, he smiled as she left, watching her fly away.

     "I'm not sure, Jack." Arcee finally spoke. "As much as I trust Optimus' judgement, I obviously don't trust that snake when she's off her leash." The boy could almost taste the venom in Arcee's voice as she spoke about her enemy. He understood where she was coming from. He had been there for Airachnid's exploits on Earth, though he missed all of her crimes back on Cybertron.

     "I wonder if she's actually any different or if she just acted like she had changed to get off easy." Jack wondered aloud. It would have made some sense, and it also would have been something he would expect the ex-con to do, given her history. At the same time, he would have expected her to fight every step of the way. She had fought at the beginning. Her attitude towards Y/N was nothing short of hostile. Earlier that day, however, Jack had seen her act friendly with the man firsthand, and everyone had witnessed the video feed of the two of them on the bench. The man had still been at the base when Jack and Arcee left for school, drawing something on a tablet. He hadn't shown anyone what it was, but given his art education, it could have been anything.

     "It's completely possible either way, but I almost want to believe she's still a venomous creep so I don't feel bad about the next time I pummel her." The two-wheeler admitted, a hint of anger in her voice. Jack laughed. It was exactly what he had expected. The pair arrived at the school far too soon and Jack had to leave his partner in pursuit of knowledge.

~~~~~

     Y/N: So, you finally get to stretch your... propellers?

     Airachnid: Legs too. Leaving my body cooped up that long does horrible things to my joints.

     Y/N: I'm glad they're letting you go. I know it was sort of my fault, but hopefully you can just forget about that part. ;)

     Airachnid: I might be willing to, if you joined me for an overnight flight.

     Y/N: I'd love to. Let me pack some water and snacks, and I'll meet you in the forest. I'm observant enough to know you still haven't removed my tracker, so no need to give you my coords.

     Y/N quickly stashed his phone away in his pocket as he stood up from the table he was sitting at. A bit of adrenaline fired through him at the prospect of a flight in Airachnid's alt form. A helicopter ride at night sounded absolutely wonderful, and if it helped her stretch, it would be a double win.

     As he packed up his laptop and drawing tablet, folding cords and unzipping pouches so that everything fit into his backpack, he heard loud metal footsteps approach him. The man looked up for a moment as he closed the final zipper, acknowledging the medic Ratchet with a tilt of his head.

     "Where to?" The bot asked him. Y/N swung his backpack around his shoulders, adjusting it to fit around his hoodie before answering.

     "Airachnid wants to fly me around for a while, get a bit of exercise in after being stuck in here for three days." The man explained, beginning another round of shifting his backpack straps as they slid down one of his shoulders. Ratchet looked astounded.

     "I'll be honest, I figured she would just leave and never think about you again." The old bot admitted. Y/N smiled, shaking his head.

     "If you spent the time with her that I did this week, you would trust her a little more, even if it could never be all the way." He felt a little cocky, actually, about the fact that Airachnid still wanted to talk to him once she had been given back her true form. There was no looming threat or incentive for her to do so other than her own interests.

     "Before you go, could you sate my curiosity?" The medic asked, expression serious. Y/N hesitated for a moment before answering, weighing the possibility of questions he wouldn't want to answer. There were none, at least about Airachnid, he decided, so he nodded in response.

     "I don't mind. What's eating you?" He asked the red and white mech, smiling in hopes that it would boost his confidence.

     "What do you think of her, honestly?" It was both a very simple and very complex question, loaded with a minefield of biases and assumptions to be made if Y/N didn't explain everything properly.

     "I'll answer in two ways, because I'm not sure which one you're curious about. First, as an enemy in the war, I think she can be dangerous, especially as a rogue, since it's unpredictable what she will do. I do, however, think that she has had enough fighting, and will only resort to violence when it is necessary. I say that because she told me two nights ago that she had lost the will to fight like she had in the past." Ratchet nodded for him to continue. "Second, on a personal level, you know her as a sadistic torturer and huntress of endangered species. The half of her you're missing because of your faction affiliation and lack of personal connection is that she is truly entertaining to interact with. Even before I had considered trying to become her friend, I liked her aura of dry humor and impossible threats, and it made me want to talk to her more. She also displays a lot of her emotions when she is pressed by her own thoughts. Her feelings seep out uncontrolled once she is bothered enough, and the pure honesty that came with it was clear to me. While she is a psychopath, I don't mind." It was a long winded explanation, but Y/N hoped parts of it would be what Ratchet had been looking for.

     "I think I understand now." The medic smiled at him, his optics shining in a way that unsettled the man.

     "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked the old bot incredulously, crossing his arms in mock agitation.

     "Don't worry about it, just get in the damn Ground Bridge."