Rebooted and Rewired (TFP fan-fic)

Part 14

Starscream walked out of the room, frustrated. It had been almost two hours and Jordan hadn't revealed anything. When the doors closed, Jordan smiled weakly. In order to extract information from her, Starscream had tried electrocuting her. Surprisingly, she was able to keep her mouth shut. Jordan looked up at her wrists and began to twist her wrist, trying to loosen the chains. After a few minutes, her hands were free from the chains and she dropped to the ground. She knew that there were guards outside the door. She looked around and saw a small air vent. Jordan smiled and climbed into it. She crawled through the vents, trying to keep away from the Decepticons. After fifteen minutes, she found a small space where she could hide for a while. She pulled out her phone and dialed Ratchet's emergency number. After what felt like an hour of waiting, Ratchet picked up.

"Jordan?" he asked.

"Yes, Ratchet," Jordan said quietly. "I'm here."

"What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. For now. I'm aboard the Nemesis, but there's no way off. I don't know what to do."

"Just hang in there, Jordan," Ratchet said. "I'll trace your signal and send a ground bridge to your location. Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead will pick you up."

"I'll be waiting."

She hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. She could hear metallic feet walking down the hall close by. She wanted to smile at the thought of Starscream finding that room empty, but she thought of how dangerous that could be. Suddenly, she heard a ground bridge open and feet running through. Jordan climbed out of the vent and smiled. The Autobots had arrived.

"There you are," Bulkhead said. "For a moment I thought the Decepticons had you locked away."

"Well that's most certainly where she'll end up once we're through here," a voice said. Everyone turned around and saw Starscream at the end of the hall with a small band of Decepticons.

"Not going to happen, Starscream," Arcee said, her hands turning into blasters. "Ratchet, close the ground bridge."

A moment later, the bridge closed. Starscream smiled.

"Very well. Decepticons! Restrain the Autobots! The human is mine."

Decepticons began firing at the Autobots. Bulkhead looked at Jordan, who hid in a small corner.

"Go!" he instructed. "We'll catch up with you!"

Jordan nodded and took off down the hall. She hurried down the hall as fast as she could. She froze only when she heard a ground bridge open in the next hallway. She sighed in relief. She ran towards the hallway, but stopped short when she saw who was coming out. It was Starscream.

"There is no escape," he said.

Jordan took off in the other direction. Starscream walked behind her. There was no need for him to run after her since his strides were so big. Jordan came to a large door and managed to get it open. She slipped inside and looked around. Inside was large pieces of machinery and she quickly hid. As she tried to calm down, she could hear Starscream stop outside the door, which slid open. Jordan held her breath.

"I know you're in here, girl," Starscream said. "You can't hide from me forever."

Jordan quickly moved behind and around the machinery. Starscream moved around, peeking over crates and machinery, trying to find her. Jordan relaxed a little when she heard Starscream heading the opposite way. Suddenly, someone shoved the machine she was hiding behind aside. She spun around and stared at Starscream, who was smiling.

"Found you," he said.

He reached forward and tried to grab her. Jordan jumped out of the way and hurried away from the Decepticon. She ran down the rows of machinery, weaving in between them. Soon, she found herself in a corner. She looked behind her. Starscream shoved a large box to the side.

"Nowhere else to run," he said to her. His hand transformed into a blaster. "Let's end this, shall we? I'm getting tired of this game."

Jordan closed her eyes and lifted her hands. Suddenly, she heard the door crash open and the clashing of metal. Jordan opened her eyes. Bulkhead had thrown Starscream across the room. He looked down at her.

"Go!" he said. "I'll handle Starscream. Go find 'Bee!"

Jordan nodded and hurried towards the door. She looked back at Bulkhead, whose hands had turned into things that resembled boxing-gloves. She ran out of the room and down the hall. She rounded a corner and saw Bumblebee and Arcee blasting a group of Decepticons.

"'Bee!" she shouted.

Bumblebee turned around and spotted her. His shoulders relaxed slightly. Jordan ran towards him as he turned into his car form. She quickly climbed into the front seat. 'Bee called Ratchet for a ground bridge. A moment later, the bridge opened in front of them and Bulkhead came running around the corner. He turned into his car form as well and drove through first. Bee rolled down his window.

"Arcee!" Jordan called.

The female Autobot looked at her, fired a few more times, then ran through the ground bridge after Bumblebee.