The group stopped at a 24-hour gas station, mostly because Sam had to go pee. He was apparently not bright enough to keep from drinking three Red Bulls before leaving the Autobot base. It annoyed the two Decepticons and Velocitronians (Blurr and Knockout being tired of curious humans wanting to touch them) but the other humans and Autobots didn't seem to mind. The Autobots were used to it, and the humans wanted something to snack or sip on anyway. It was warm but humid after the rain that morning, so something to put pep back in the seated human's step was wise to obtain. Something cold and fresh to return their road trip faring spirits.

         :Another six hours and we should arrive within the time specified.: Ratchet hummed through the open comm-link. :Even with this added stop.:

     The aliens had parked side by side as to not be separated and keep their formation once they left. The original line up of Optimus, Ratchet, Ironhide, Knockout, Barricade, Blurr and Bumblebee. All were parked facing the gas station's doors, watching as the humans mingled with each other about what snacks to bring for their night journey, the sun lowered enough that the lights from inside illuminated their charges enough to see from the outside in.

         :I'm surprised you Autobots haven't found a way to recreate Cybertron's Groundbridge technology.: Starscream chuckled cruelly, far above the parked group. :It would save you the energy it takes to drive as you barbaric grounders do.:

         :Watch it, Seeker.: Barricade warned, knowing the commander was insulting him as well.

         :Play nice, the both of you.: Knockout huffed. :We don't need a scrap fight in the middle of a gas station.:

         :Worried they'll scratch your paint?: Ironhide chuckled.

     Ratchet hit the pick up truck with his door, quickly closing it before the humans around noticed, though there were few. The weapons specialist growled, not daring to retaliate. 

         :I may be self-absorbed but it results in my survival!: Knockout defended himself. Several bots would have rolled their optics visibly if they could, including the two Decepticons. :In this case all of yours as well. A scrap fight between two Decepticons could only result in disaster and the use of explosive magnitudes!:

     Everyone's attention was suddenly pointed at the gas pumps. There was likely enough gas beneath the concrete to blow the entire rest stop and then some. No one would survive at ground zero, and whoever managed to make it to the edge of the site would likely be severely injured. No, a scrap fight would not help anyone. It would either incinerate Vector Sigma or he'd just be lost all over again. Not to mention covered in human remains. 

     The sudden thought of Marissa and her ancient friend made the aliens, grounded and sky high, cringe at the thought of losing both. 

     Starscream simply went quiet, disconnecting from the open communication link and mumbling to himself about how preposterous his anxiety filled thoughts had become over such a puny life form. 

     Barricade remained on the line, listening to the others talk of useless things in an attempt to ignore the sudden want to have the human femme trapped in his cab again, maybe playing a card game quietly.

     Blurr's engine pulsed quietly with a practiced anticipation, as if the gas pumps would simply explode without an outward cause. 

         "Hey guys!" Mikaela returned with a bag of snacks and drinks. Her smile let the group know all was well. "Marissa with you, Prime?"

     All was not well.

         "I'm afraid you are the first to return." Optimus spoke lowly as the teen neared his cab. Mikaela quickly stepped up and in the massive vehicle. "Was she not in the gas station with you?"

         "Yeah, and then she disappeared." The young woman set her goodies at her feet, the frown on her face showing her worry. "I'll see if she just went to the bathroom."

     Barricade watched the human jog back into the gas station. His engine tickled to life as expressions of worry and panic spread like a disease to the other humans. Starscream had become wary as well according to the closing in roars of a jet. The open link was no longer as free to join as invitations to a group link tapped at every bot's consciousness. 

)-/\-(

         "Let me go!" Marissa growled at her captor, who expertly ignored her as she delved deeper into a cavern, revealed to the world by a massive sink hole. 

     The human femme remembered a short clip of it on the News before leaving Tranquility. She thought it was just the Earth shifting, as it often did, but it clearly was not if the drill-like tunnels could reveal anything.

         "Let me go, you have no idea what you're doing!"

         "No?" The spider-femme hummed, four ruby optics narrowing at the dark tunnel in front of her. Her strange, gold head piece was the only definite thing Marissa could make out after being caught from behind.

     A light suddenly flooded the woman's vision, forcing her to close her eyes tightly. When she opened them again, a ball of dread sunk deep into her stomach. Brown orbs stared at purple, the sickening smile of Arachnid meeting her gaze. Waspinator cackled as he fell from the lighted ceiling, the source an energon-fed lamp that attracted moths, only for them to evaporate like water. Turning to look back at her captor, Marissa saw a gold helmet covering a black, fanged faceplate. Both femmes in the cave had massive, spider-like limbs behind them, only the taller one, the unnamed femme, was mostly gold and black with purple accents. Arachnid was practically the exact opposite, and far more angular in appearance. 

         "We meet again." Arachnid cooed. "A shame I'm not in a merciful mood. Unless you tell me what exactly is on your wrist." A sharpened digit pointed at the hand without a brace, only to flinch back at the bare flesh. "Where is it?"

         "With the Autobots." Marissa frowned, trying to push her captor's digits loose. Once she was convinced it was a fruitless ordeal, the woman stopped, rubbing her sprained wrist. "You think they'd let me keep it once they knew what it was?"

     The entity was amused, sitting safely in the pocket of her green cargo shorts. He could feel Arachnid's lividity, the pure rage that could coax her into beheading the human in her sister's servo. She wasn't passed her limit of patience yet, however. He didn't alert the Autobots of his and Marissa's location, knowing he would not need to if Marissa played her cards right. It was a gamble, but Vector Sigma hadn't done such a thing in a very long time.

         "I had told you before, Arachnid," the unnamed femme shook her helm, "that it was not likely the energy was meant to be found by us if the call to our sparks had stopped after those two buffoons found the Autobots."

     Arachnid only hissed, twisting on the heel of her pede to stalk away. 

         "I know as well as you do, Black Arachnia." She sighed, a change in mood that made their prisoner suddenly prickle with anxiety. "But that doesn't mean we can't get it. Waspinator!"

     Said mech, like a loyal dog, perked from his perch in a hole in the wall that he had crept into.

         "Find those Autobots. Let them know we have one of their humans."

         "Waspinator do as the kind Arachnid says!" He scurried to the exit behind Black Arachnia, only to freeze as Arachnid called his name sharply, again.

         "Tell them: the trinket, for the human femme. Black Arachnia, why are you still holding that disgusting organic?"

     The bigger femme watched behind her as Waspinator scuttled away before transforming into his giant, black and green wasp alt. and buzzing away. She then set Marissa in the same hole in the wall Waspinator had curled up in. It was far too high from the ground for the woman to just jump. 

         'Unless I wanted to break my legs.' Marissa stared down from her new vantage point, feeling rather small in the presence of the giant femme and her smaller sister. At least, that's what the human assumed Black Arachnia to be after remembering Starscream's field report to the Autobots.

         "So this is the pest Starscream and Barricade protected?" The mostly gold femme huffed. "Hardly intelligent enough to be worth their while, even as a pet."

     Marissa crossed her arms at the comment, a sour expression forming on her face. 

         "I think there's something in the soil of this dirt planet." Arachnid gagged, picking up a pede and shaking it off as if she wasn't putting it back down on said soil. "It makes these squishy little organics grow on you. If you're as simple minded as Starscream and Barricade, anyway."

     The two lapsed into a series of clicks and hissing. Marissa guessed it was their natural language. Reaching into her pocket, the woman fished for her hair band, tying the mass of hair up as she thought of a plan.

         'Can you still hear me?' She asked the entity in her pocket.

         'Of course.' He answered, a strange, excited aura accompanying the usual 'plip'.

         'Do you know what they're saying?'

     Vector Sigma answered 'yes', as he was not privy to lying. He had an inkling of an idea as to what his holder was implying she wanted, however, he wasn't sure he wanted to play "translator". It wasn't that he felt insulted by it, but it was an intrusion on his creation's lives. Then again, he did partially lead his new friend into the trap laid for her just to gamble.

         'Do you wish me to tell you what they're saying?' Vector Sigma offered, only receiving a simple 'yes' from the woman. He then focused on the two Arachnicons in the cavern. 'They are speaking of their plans to force the Autobots to tell them what the "trinket" is. They plan on using your life as a bartering tool.'

     Marissa only nodded before observing the edges of her temporary prison.

         'If they find out who you are, will they try to find the Allspark?'

         'Naturally.'

     Vector Sigma felt the woman pat her short's pocket, where he had told her to put him before she had walked behind the unlit gas station building in search for the trash bin on the other side. She hadn't questioned his request, but Marissa was likely drawing her own silly conclusions that he couldn't hear. 

     Looking at the rocky surroundings, Marissa determined that climbing down wasn't an option. So, she decided to retreat deeper into the hole in the wall. It was deep enough to hold Waspinator, so she guessed it was the size of a small, one-story house with an attic. The big bug was a lot smaller than Starscream and Barricade, and they reached the window of an attic on a two-story house, maybe even had to hunch over. With that ballpark estimate in mind, Marissa glanced over her shoulder before jogging to the end of the hole. 

     Not worrying about whether or not the two spider-ladies saw or heard, Marissa inspected the walls of her prison, finding that they were mostly rock. Only one area held promise: a deep crevice gauged out by a claw, most likely Waspinator's when he made the hole. Marissa glanced towards the two aliens, ensuring they weren't looking that time, before attempting to wedge herself into the space. It wasn't deep enough if she was standing but squatting down into the widest part of the crevice proved promising as she curled her knees close to her chest. 

     There she waited until someone noticed. Her foot had fallen asleep when enraged clicking met her ears and someone scratched at the edges of the large hole. Marissa kept herself from chuckling when Vector Sigma informed her that the two were arguing about who should have been watching the human. When their pedesteps had retreated from the hole, Marissa quickly un-wedged herself and crawled as quietly as she could to the ledge. She then waited once more for the two to notice her. 

     Black Arachnia was watching the ground like a hawk when a flash of blue crossed her peripheral. She looked up to find the human watching her and her sister passively. Sneering, the bigger spider stomped toward the fleshling, causing her to lurch back as the edge of the hole crumbled under her hands.

         "What tricks are you playing?"

     Arachnid, having noticed her sister had found the human on its original perch, glared from behind.

         "No- no tricks." Marissa shook her head, scooting back on her butt to avoid another close call to falling off the ledge. She felt her heart racing, and not in the delighted way she felt when Starscream had taken off into the skies.

         "How did you get back on this ledge?" Arachnid demanded.

         "I couldn't leave if I wanted to!" Tightening her ponytail, the woman stood up. "There aren't any hand-holds to climb up or down."

         "You're sure these creatures lack technological abilities?" Black Arachnia gave Arachnid a quad-opticced, pointed stare, earning a confident nod in return.

         "I've been studying them for over three months already. This one is no different."

         "Never mind I've been with the Autobots?" Her question came out curious rather than mocking. It confused the two Arachnicons in front of her, though they only showed suspicion in their expressions. "Look, I can tell you what that thing is, but you have to get me out of here and in the open air."

     Vector Sigma began to wonder if he made a mistake in gambling with Marissa's abilities. He thought perhaps she was waiting for the two to leave in search for her so she could escape somehow. Instead, she just used the opportunity to gain their full attention. 

         What on Cybertron was this human thinking?