Arcee stumbled as she dodged another laser. Falling to the ground, Arcee climbed back onto her feet, and fired back at the Vehicon, knocking him down with a head shot.

" Autobots, fall back!" She heard Optimus cry. Bumblebee came up beside her, firing while cautiously stepping backwards.

" We're leaving?" Bumblebee enquired as he continued to fire.

" One lesson of war for you 'bee- sometimes you can't win!" Arcee called back over the laser fire, ensuring they had enough time to turn back through the energon cave and leave via the ground bridge, without getting shot in the back. Seeing their chance, she signalled 'bee to follow her, as they caught up with Optimus and Bulkhead, already disappearing through the ground bridge.

The two Cybertronians took a second to catch their breath as the ground bridge closed behind them. A small silence descended over the base. Normally, the kids (namely Miko) would be hounding them with questions of what happened, but thankfully, Raphael had family coming to stay, and Miko had her parents from Japan visiting for a few days. Since the base would have been quiet, Jack opted to spend the evening at home.

Ratchet looked dismayed from one Autobot to the other, sharing the same disappointed expression.

"Are any of you injured?" Ratchet asked, ready to assist any of them in need.

" No, but a couple of 'cons back their could use a vacation." Bulkhead joked. Ratchet rolled his optics.

" I take it we have lost another energon source?" He said, as he turned to look at their leader.

"I'm afraid so, old friend." Optimus seemed to sigh.

" We could have taken them!" Bumblebee chirped. Optimus shook his head, turning to the young scout.

" Attempting to do would have been suicide, Bumblebee. There numbers were too great."

The young mech sighed heavily. Clearly there was much he still needed to learn.

" Well, at least we got some energon out it. I shall begin looking for other deposits." Ratchet said, trying to uplift the mood, as he turned back to the monitor. Arcee shot Bumblebee a sympathetic 'I told you so' look and left to rest for a while in her quarters.

" Arcee?" She looked back as Ratchet called to her.

"What now? I could really use a recharge." She sighed, just wanting to take a break. The battle hadn't exactly been the usual few drones' that were easy to take down.

" Well, this shouldn't take long." Ratchet said, with a slight tense of curiosity within his voice, as he approached the monitor, and keyed in a few commands. The screen lit up with a encrypted message, addressed to her. What was worse, was it was a decepticon encryption. She felt everyone's optics fall on her, but she remained composed.

" It was sent not long ago, and the encryption is somewhat flawed...whoever sent this clearly isn't very skilled; I could easily open it." Ratchet said, more as a suggestion.

" So you didn't open it yourself?" She questioned.

" It's not addressed to me, is it?" Ratchet retorted.

" Well, go on then." She said, a little insure of why a decepticon encrypted message would be addressed to her. Ratchet quickly opened the message, and played an audio sound file, with a male cybertronian voice.

Arcee. I request an audience with you, alone. And to make sure you do so, any other who tries to follow you to the sent coordinates, will endanger you human pet's life. I do not wish to hurt anyone.

Meet me at sunset at the following coordinates.

On the screen, a series of co-ordinates appeared, as the message finished, short and sweet. Arcee stood aghast, wearing the same face and thinking the same thought as everyone else. Jack was in danger. It seemed to take a moment before the Autobots seemed to accept what they just heard.

" Ratchet, can you identify the voice print?" Optimus asked, curious to know who the sender was. Ratchet sighed.

" No. I can't find any cross correlations with decepticons we know. And even I have never heard this decepticon before." He said. They both turned to Arcee, still standing slightly in shock. The voice was smooth, and quiet sounding. There was no menace or threat laced in with the words, only a mild sense he was serious. Something inside felt like she could guess who it was, but she didn't actually recognise the voice at all. What would they request an audience for? She thought. It had to be something important. Perhaps Intel on the location of the Autobots base? In exchange for Jack's safety? And sunset was in less than half an hour. Optimus's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

" Arcee, is this decepticon familiar to you?" Arcee looked back to the screen. The coordinates. She then turned to Optimus.

" No. Not at all."

She quickly dialled Jacks cell, walking away from the group slightly. After waiting what seemed like forever, their was still no answer. Panic slowly began to rise within her spark. She paused as she considered calling his mother, but that would make June paranoid...but what if his phone got broken? Or it was out of charge? She quickly dialled his home, and prayed to primus his mum there.

" Hello, June Darby speaking."

" Hi June, It's Arcee."

" Arcee, its great to hear from you. Jack said you-"

" June, is he home?" Arcee interrupted.

" No... He left to pick up some groceries for dinner tonight. Come to think of it...he should be home by now...long before now.. What's wrong? Is he hurt?" Arcee could hear the panic rising in her voice, matching her own mood.

" I just tried his cell...and he's not answering. And, we received a message from a decepticon, claiming he has Jack...I just needed to make sure it wasn't a trap..." Arcee heard June gasp, and Arcee quickly spoke to reassure her.

" June, there is no need to panic. I'll bring him back safe and sound, I promise." Determination fuelled her words, and June heard them.

" I know you will Arcee...I have faith in you." Arcee thanked her and ended the conversation. She turned back to others, who waiting, dreaded the news they all feared it would be.

" Jack's not home."

" Then at least we know where he is." Ratchet said with little relief, turning to look at the coordinates again.

Arcee took one more look at the coordinates, and began to walk to the ground bridge. "Ratchet, open a ground bridge-"

" Hey, wait a sec Arcee. You not actually going are you? On your own? You don't even know who the 'con is!" Bulkhead said worriedly, stepping front of her, with hands raised to stop her.

" It's bad enough when you it's a 'con you do know. And what if he has back up and you don't?" Bee chirped in agreement

" Look, if Jack's in danger, I'm going. And none of you will follow me. If it is a trap, I'll deal with it." Arcee said, speaking with a fierce determination. " Ratchet?" She asked questionably, putting the autobot medic on the spot. He looked unsure at her, and then turned his gaze to Optimus.

" Arcee. You understand the risks you will be undertaking by accepting this. ..Invitation?" Optimus asked her.

" Yes." She hardly waited for him to finish.

" Then I can not stop you, and since any intervention from any of us may result in harm being brought to Jack, we shall not follow."

Bee, Bulkhead and Ratchet made to protest but Optimus silenced them by raising his servo.

" Arcee, Jack's safety is your first priority. But, if you encounter hostilities-"

" I'll call for help. I know." Yet, they guessed she probably wouldn't unless the situation fell into dire straits. She had spoken with an irritated voice. They were wasting time. She walked passed Bumblebee and Bulkhead, who looked nervously at each other. Optimus always stressed that one should never fight a decepticon alone. Arcee looked back at the two.

"Don't worry, I'll return in one piece, with Jack as well." As she turned to leave, Optimus spoke.

" May Primus watch over you, Arcee." She turned to smile, and then hurried through the ground bridge.

Arcee stepped out of the ground bridge. She quickly aimed her blasters, looking around her surroundings. Nothing. She took another look round, and satisfied, she relaxed a little. She looked to the horizon, the sun was setting with a warm amber and orange glow embracing the forest below her.

" Arce-re-"

" Ratchet? Can you hear me? Ratchet?" Her comlink was suddenly met with static.

" Scrap." She cursed, as she looked around. Who ever wanted to see her, didn't want her to leave as quick as she came.

" Best start walking." She spoke softly to herself. Raising her blasters, she began to walk forward, at a fast steady pace. The shadows grew as she treaded silently through the forest. She looked left and right, but their was no sign of Jack, or the adversary that had summoned her. It was silent. A light breeze brushed through the trees, swaying lazily. Small sounds of animals could be heard, scurrying and settling down for the night. But no sign of Jack.

" Jack!" She tried calling out. Nothing. She paused as she emerged from the forests, into a small clearing...with a pile of rocks scattered at the base of a small cliff. The place where she fought the decepticon Soundwave... could it be him?.... She thought. No. He never speaks. I doubt he even can...but then I never thought he actually had optics...As she looked around, she wondered who the decepticon was. A part of her wanted to claim it as Soundwave, but she warily regarded her judgement. It could be any decepticon. New Cybertronians were arriving every now and again; it could easily be a new decepticon desperate to prove his worth. But who know her?

The sun sent darker shadows splaying across the landscape, and as she stepped forward to look around, she paused. At her feet, was a pool of dried energon, staining the ground. Her energon. She was about to move when the last rays of the sun caught the metallic green glint of a small insect. As she knelt down, she found it was the very one that had almost blew her cover. Lying dead within the dried energon. The very same one... She stared sadly at the small creature. Her energon had obviously been poisonous to it, and it had paid the price, perhaps innocently mistaking it to be water. It reminded her if she made a mistake here, Jack could end up the same as the small insect. And she wasn't about to lose another partner. She sighed as she stood up. But where to go? Who was here? Were they watching her, or elsewhere?

" I know you're here, 'con. Show yourself!" She shouted out. Her voice seemed to echo back.

" Soundwave!" She tested, a part of her hoping it would be, if only to have an adversary she knew to some degree. No answer.

Jack!" She shouted out again. No answer. She growled in frustration. This was getting her nowhere, and every second put Jacks life in more peril. She looked to the rocks that had fell upon her, and approached them. She rested a servo upon one of them, remembering how they had caught her of guard....when the small sound of falling debris caught her audio processors. She paused. She heard the same sound again. Coming from behind the rocks. She walked around, and her optics were met with a cave. Small bits of debris fell, signalling the cave was not perfectly stable. Her optics narrowed. They had to be inside. She quickly climbed over the remaining rocks, and came to stand outside the cave. As she took a step forward, she remembered words of warning...

" Leave what belongs in the darkness, in the dark, Arcee."

"Well I'm not about to leave Jack in the dark with Soundwave either." She muttered darkly, as she steeled her nerves and walked in, her blasters ready.