It's been a week since Optimus confronted Jack. The situation in the base hadn't changed much. Arcee and Jack had seemed to have grown more distant. In the past one week Jack had also visited Airachnid quite a few times. Even vented about his current situation. He didn't know why he was so comfortable at doing that around the frozen Spider-bot. He figured out, maybe it was because she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it since she was frozen and possibly couldn't hear him. Jack was currently resting in the human area at the Autobot base. Miko and Raf, as always, were trying to beat each other in a video game. Jack on the other hand was lazily staring at everything happening around him.
"That's weird." Ratchet suddenly said.
This caught everyone's attention.
"What happened Ratchet?" Optimus asked as he approached the medic.
"I have been doing some rechecks on the base and it seems like there's a problem in one of the vaults in corridor D." Ratchet informed.
"I can check it out." Smokescreen offered.
"That will be appreciated. Just don't mess with anything." Ratchet told him
"Sure Docbot." Smokescreen said as he proceeded to leave.
Ratchet grumbled something inaudible and returned to his work. As Smokescreen walked past the human area to enter the corridor leading to the vaults, Jack got up from his seat.
"Hey, can I tag along? I am kinda bored right now." Jack asked Smokescreen.
"I don't see why not. Let's go." Smokescreen happily told him.
Jack then got down from the area and started walking beside Smokescreen as he led him to the place. Once they reached the corridor, Jack instantly recognised it. It was the very same corridor where Airachnid is kept in one of the vaults. They cautiously walked around, trying to find which vault Ratchet was talking about. They soon found it. To Jack's horror his predictions came true as it was the very same vault where Airachnid's stasis pod. Smokescreen and Jack nervously looked at each other as they both knew about the reputation the Spider-bot had earned both during the war on Cybertron and during the time she was on earth.
"This can't be good." Jack grimly thought as Smokescreen carefully opened the door of the vault.
Smokescreen activated one of his energon blasters as a safety measure and then entered the vault, Jack following close by. The vault was dark inside and it wasn't easy for neither the bot nor the human to make out anything. Luckily Smokescreen had brought a flashlight along with him. He turned it on and pointed it around the vault, illuminating certain areas with the flash light. But when the light fell on the stasis pod, Jack felt his heart dropping. Most of the ice in the stasis pod had melted and the front portion of it was badly damaged. And worst of all, Airachnid wasn't inside it. Suddenly they heard a noise coming from above them. They looked up and found none other than Airachnid herself, hanging on the ceiling with her extra spider-like legs. She lunged at them, the moment the light coming from the flashlight illuminated her figure. Jack managed to avoid it by jumping away as Smokescreen tried to fight Airachnid, while Jack tried to crawl away. But the rookie was no match for the Deception femme and in matter of moments he was pinned against the wall and had a damaged shoulder which was already leaking energon. Airachnid didn't waste another moment and quickly used her webs to secure him on the wall and even used some of it to cover his mouth so he couldn't alert anyone. Jack, who was still in the room, saw it all with a horrified expression on his face.
Airachnid turned her attention towards the human this time, as a smirk formed on her face.
"Ah, Jack. We finally met again." She said,
Jack hastily got up from the floor and tried to make a run for it, but he couldn't run away from her as Airachnid got in front of him in one jump and quickly grabbed him with her left servo.
"Where do you think you're going?" Airachnid asked in a teasing manner.
"Let me go, you wrenched Spider-bot!" Jack yelled at her as he struggled to get out of her grasp.
"My my Jack, that hurt!" Airachnid dramatically said as she placed her free servo on her chassis and continued,"But we can figure that out later. For now, you're gonna help me escape."
And with that Airachnid left the place with Jack as Smokescreen was doing his unsuccessful attempts of freeing himself. Once Airachnid reached the main area of the base, all the attention was quickly drawn to her. All the Autobots present at the base, including Tailgate and Arcee quickly pointed their blasters at her.
"Put down your weapons or else.." Airachnid threatened as she showed them Jack in her grip.
Arcee gasped at that.
"Jack!" Arcee wailed out.
"Don't worry about me Arcee. Just stop her." Jack yelled back.
"Awe, you two are so cute. But I don't have time for all this." Airachnid said. Just then her optics fell on Tailgate.
"Tailgate…" she growled "I thought I killed you."
"Well, it looks like you weren't that good at doing that." Tailgate sarcastically told her.
"I will deal with you some other time. For now I have some important matters to take care of." Airachnid said.
"What do you want, Airachnid?" Optimus asked as he stepped forward.
"Oh, nothing more than access to your ground bridge for a little while."
Jack watched in horror as the Prime reluctantly agreed to her demand as long as she didn't harm Jack. Airachnid carefully made her way towards the console of the ground bridge and tipped in some coordinates and activated the ground bridge. The machine powered up and opened a portal. Airachnid carefully made her way towards it while facing the Autobots. She still had her blaster aimed at Jack.
"Next time you won't be so lucky Airachnid." Arcee growled at her.
"Oh Arcee, we will see about that." Airachnid slyly said.
Just as she reached near the ground bridge, she crouched down and carefully placed Jack down on the floor. Once assured that he is safe she quickly got up and in a speed beyond their understanding, she shot an energy blast at the console of the ground bridge and quickly dashed towards the portal which was about to close. The Autobots seeing this tried to shoot at her but she managed to avoid them and lunged in the portal, teleporting away in the nick of time as the portal closed behind her.
"Ahhhh! That. Wrenched Spider-bot! I should have finished her off when I had the chance!" Arcee screamed out in frustration.
"Arcee…" Jack tried to say something but was immediately cut off by her.
"Why did you have to be there! She wouldn't have escaped if it wasn't for you! It's your fault!" Arcee yelled at him.
Suddenly Tailgate suddenly hugged her from behind and held her like that until she had calmed down. But the damage was already done. Jack was crushed with guilt and sadness. He just looked down at his feet as Tailgate took Arcee away.
"Jack, are you okay?" Optimus asked him as the giant bot kneeled beside him.
"Ye-Yes Optimus. I am fine. But you should go and help Smokescreen. Airachnid had trapped him in the vault." Jack quickly said.
"Hmmm. We will do that. But it's not safe for you and Raf and Miko to stay here for the time being." Optimus told him.
"We are lucky Optimus that she chose some random coordinates. Or else this base would be swarming with Deceptions by now." Ratchet told them as he worked on the damaged console.
"Can you repair that Ratchet?" Optimus asked, pointing at the damaged console.
"Yes I can. The console isn't nearly as damaged as I expected. I am more concerned about the bridge. I hope those energy blasts didn't do anything to it." Ratchet said.
The kids present at the base were quickly sent back to their homes with their respective partners. But in Jack's case he was provided a ride by Sideswipe as Arcee was still venting. Optimus had reported the situation to Agent Fowler. Smokescreen was released from the webs and was provided medical treatment. June was also informed about the events that happened at the base. June had hugged Jack out of concern and had ordered him not to go to the Autobot base for some time for his own personal safety. Jack had accepted this and went back to his room. But as much as he tried he couldn't rest. Jack took his self harm kit and went to the bathroom, without being noticed by his mother.
Once there he rolled up his sleeves and took out the razor and began making cuts on his arms as Arcee's words rang into his ears.
"My fault. It's all my fault. I really am useless and pathetic." Jack thought as he made more cuts.