"I'm picking up a strange energon signal," Ratchet announced. It had been a few weeks since the last energon mission.

           "Arcee, Bumblebee, go scout it out." Bumblebee cheered, excited to get back out in the field. Ratchet opened the ground bridge. 

           "Careful, Bee!" Raf called after his guardian, who made a quick comment of assurance before going through the groundbridge after Arcee. 

           The groundbridge took them to the middle of the woods. "This feels like a trap," Arcee said immediately, and Bee agreed. They took out their blasters, cautiously making their way through the trees toward the source of the energon signal. All of a sudden, dozens of vehicons revealed themselves from behind trees and bushes. (How they hid themselves like that, Arcee had no idea.) 

           Arcee and Bumblebee fought them off together. As usual, they were the perfect team. One after another, the vehicons were ripped apart, but they just kept coming. Arcee and Bumblebee separated, battling in separate areas of the woods, still near to each other. Bumblebee lost sight of Arcee behind some trees. 

           Suddenly, Arcee found herself without vehicons to engage and before she could question it, her entire body was coursing with electricity. She collapsed to the ground, and was quickly bound with chords and cables that she was unable to break free of. Suited operatives surrounded her. 

           "MECH," she seethed. The men knocked her out and she lost consciousness. 

~~~

           "Arcee?" Shortly after he lost sight of Arcee, most of the vehicons had fled, but Bumblebee could not find Arcee anywhere. He wandered the woods until he found an abandoned warehouse along a road at the end of the forest. It was dark and musty. He peeked inside, shoving aside the metal door. It screeched loudly as it grinded against the asphalt beneath. 

           "Hello?" he called. "Arcee-" he stopped. As light flooded the chamber, it revealed Arcee's form, shackled to the ground. Her eyes were dark. Her chestplate had been split open, exposing her internal organs. Her spark was missing. 

           "Arcee!" he cried as he rushed to her side. "Ratchet, we need a ground bridge!" Without hesitating, he plunged his servo into his own chest, separating his chest plate, grasping his own spark. In one fluid motion, he ripped it from his chest, and placed it in Arcee's. Her eyes flickered. The spark was registered, though it had not been properly transplanted. He prayed to Primus that Ratchet would be able to fix it in time. Bumblebee collapsed to the ground, lifeless, next to Arcee, who gasped shakily. 

           Smokescreen ran through the groundbidge, blasters ready, anticipating a fight. His optics fell on Bumblebee and Arcee, one lifeless and the other barely alive. He put away his blasters.

           "Ratchet, send bulkhead and prepare the medbay!" He scooped up Arcee. Bulkhead came through, also prepared for a fight. 

           "Grab Bumblebee!" Smokescreen commanded, running through the groundbridge with Arcee.