Enter Dante, The Rev-9: Book 1: Rogue

Chapter 12: Predatory

3rd Person POV

Somewhere out in the Forest

As Dante and Arcee trudged through the forest, Dante was glad that the mosquitoes didn't seem to have an interest in him. Probably because he didn't have blood. However, they were extremely annoying, seeing as how they kept on flying into his face.

"I really wish I'd packed some bug spray," Dante complained. "These mosquitoes are annoying."

Arcee smirked at him. "Quite the outdoorsman, aren't you, Dante?"

"I don't hear you making fun of my hunting kit." He gestured to the arsenal of tools on his body. On his right leg, he had strapped his machete, and on the other hip, he had attached his tactical throwing axe. On his upper left forearm, he had strapped his hunting knife, and, on his back, he had attached his shotgun, seeing as how he liked to be prepared. Oh, and he had a combat knife hidden within his jacket, along with the throwing knives in his right arm.

Arcee shook her head. "I still don't get how you keep on pulling out all these weapons."

Dante shrugged. "I'm just awesome that way."

Arcee smirked. "Well, you have your tools; I have mine." She waved her tracker for emphasis just as it started beeping. "That's odd. Ratchet's satellite scans were accurate, but subterranean Energon deposits don't cause this kind of surge."

She walked forward, and Dante jogged to keep up. Eventually, they reached a large path of destruction.

"Whoa," Dante said, staring at all the devastation. "What could have caused this?"

"Crash landing," Arcee replied. "Stay behind me, low and close." The two of them ran forward and crouched down behind a fallen tree, roughly thirty meters from the crashed ship.

"I don't like this," Dante muttered and drew his gun. "Autobot or Decepticon?

"Can't tell," Arcee replied, constructing her blaster. "Wait here." She advanced toward the ship and disappeared within its depths.

Dante aimed his gun where she had disappeared. Something felt wrong. Very, wrong. Arcee emerged several seconds later, stumbling against the ship.

"Arcee!" Dante called, sheathing his gun and vaulting over the tree toward her. She seemed to be lost in a flashback. "Arcee, what's wrong?" he asked.

Arcee shook her head. "I know who this ship belongs to," she choked. She placed a hand to her head. "Arcee to base, I need a Groundbridge ASAP."

"Why? Who's ship is this?" Dante asked, a hint of unease in the Rev-9's voice. He had never seen his partner like this, and it unsettled him immensely.

"Scrap!" Arcee cursed. "The commlink's dead. The ship has to be blocking our signal."

"Um, Arcee, you're kind of freaking me out here," Dante said.

"Wait here." She instructed and walked further into the woods. Dante didn't listen and followed her, finding her crouching next to a set of footprints.

Dante ran a finger through the long scratch marks in one of the trees near them. "Something was here. Something big," he muttered, then walked over to Arcee, who seemed to be frozen in another flashback.

"Arcee?" he asked gently, placing a hand on Arcee's side.

She jolted slightly before glancing over at Dante with a broken expression on her face before she transformed. "Climb on."