A/N: Alright, this chapter has a faster pace than the previous chapters, mainly because the story is going to start picking up.

Anyway, here's chapter 15. Enjoy!

By the time the electric shock wore off, Arcee found herself pressed into the ground with her arms held behind her back. She managed to look up to see her aggressor and she froze. It was the Decepticon from the shuttle, Barricade. She was about to gasp in shock, but Longarm spoke first.

"That's the problem with you Autobots, put a little bit of hope right in front of you, and you go for it without a second thought." He said. But as he spoke, his voice and appearance changed. The most notable changes were his five index fingers were replaced with three talons, the respirator part of his chin flipped up to form horns on the side of its head, its face was completely replaced with the red orb, and his blue and gray color scheme was replaced with purple and black.

"Shockwave," Arcee gasped in disbelief. The mad scientist was infamous throughout Cybertron for creating abominations and weapons for the Decepticons.

"I don't believe we've ever met face to face," Shockwave said, "though, I do believe you're acquainted with my colleague, Airachnid."

"Oh, we have," if hearing that name didn't make a feeling of dread well inside Arcee, hearing that chilling voice did. "Yes, we have," Arcee turned to see the top half of the Grimm transform into Airachnid bipedal form. "And the expression on your face says you remember me too. I'm touched. And I see you found a new friend as well." She looked down towards Jaune. He was shaking in fear, too afraid to even whimper.

"No!" Seeing Jaune afraid like that sparked something within her. "You get the hell off of him you- gah!" a heavy fist hit her hard in the head.

"Watch that mouth of yours, Autobot," Barricade growled, pressing his knee harder into her back.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" She asked rhetorically.

"Perhaps," he grinned. Arcee didn't buy it though. If they wanted to kill her, then why go through all the trouble to capture her? The answer was obvious, they needed her for something.

"Try it, Con, there won't be enough left to use you for spare scrap," she smirked in a way just to agitate him. It worked, but before he could retort, the sound of jet engines reached their ears. It cut off as it got right on top of them and a blue Decepticon, a seeker, landed next to them.

"We're clear, none of us were followed," he said.

"Good work, Thundercracker," Shockwave said before turning back to Arcee. "Now, you are going to be a good little Autobot and help us."

"Like Slag I am!" Arcee shouted in reflex. She instantly regretted it when she remembered who had Jaune in their grasp.

"I can respect a fighter to the end, but I think you'll find-"

"I think I hear more of those Grimm creatures," Thundercracker said suddenly, snapping his head to the side.

"Of course," Shockwave sighed. "Watch her, we shouldn't be long." He transformed into a cybertronian tank and rolled out. Thundercracker transformed and joined him.

'Primus must be watching me,' Arcee thought. She had no hope of escape with the four of them here, but with two of them gone… she got an idea.

"Hey, what are you smiling about Autobot?" Barricade growled.

"Oh nothing, just wondering how your face would look smashed into the ground," she retorted.

"A-Arcee, p-please don't make them any madder p-please," Jaune pleaded fearfully.

"No no, let her, I want an excuse to make you pay for what happened on that shuttle," Barricade grinned.

Arcee matched his grin. "What a coincidence, so do I."

She brought her foot up and hit him in the back. Just like she thought, it hooked onto something on his back. She brought it back down, dragging Barricade with it and forcing Arcee back on her feet. She stomped on his head as she quickly brought out her blasters and rapidly fired at Airachnid. She blocked the blasts but it blinded her to Arcee's quick advance and roundhouse kick, sending her flying back.

"Hold on!" She picked up Jaune and ripped off the webbing before sprinting away. After a distance and dodging a few retaliatory shots, she transformed and sped off as fast as she could safely. "Jaune, just hang on!"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Jaune shouted repeatedly, holding on to Arcee for dear life as she swerved to dodge trees and blaster fire. Eventually, the gunfire ceased.

"I think we're clear," Arcee said but didn't slow down.

"What were those things?!" Jaune shouted. "Were those Decepticons?!"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What are they doing here?! What's going on?!"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?!

"Jaune, you're hyperventilating. You need to calm-"

"I can't calm down! There are giant robots that want to kill us, and one of them's a Grimm, and- and-..." Jaune was quiet for several moments as he breathed heavily. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize." Arcee wanted to say more, but she focused on the path and was lost in thought. Decepticons, here. That had too many implications and asked too many more questions.

"What do we do now?" Jaune asked quietly, fear present in his voice.

"... I honestly don't know," she replied, "but-" the rumble of jet engines filled the air.

"The flying one's back!" Jaune held on tight.

"Hold on!" Arcee sped up.

Thundercracker's strafing run thankfully went wide and missed them. They didn't have any time to feel relieved as a tank blast just barely missed them, obliterating a nearby tree. Arcee quickly transformed and jumped, just in time to dodge what would have been a direct hit. She held Jaune tight, firing blindly into the forest and dodging another blast before taking cover behind a mound of soil.

"What do we do?" Jaune covered his head as an explosion sent dirt raining on him.

Arcee was quiet for several seconds. "Jaune," she kneeled and put a hand on his shoulder, "run. Just run as far and as fast as you can. I'll distract them and then meet back with you."

"But-"

"Do you still have your scroll on you?"

Jaune tapped his pocket. "Yeah, but-"

"Then I'll use it to find you as soon as I lose them. If there's trouble, call me and I'll come for you. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, just get out of here." Arcee then hopped over the mound of dirt guns blazing.

Jaune waited a few seconds before taking off. Every few seconds he would look back to the sounds of battle grow faint. He didn't know where he was anymore or where he was running to, but he didn't stop. He hoped Arcee was ok as his mind was racing on so many things at once. Then suddenly, as he rounded a tree, something big and blunt hit him and he went flying.

"Oomph!" he hit a tree and slid down onto his but. Despite the force of the impact, his aura kept most of the pain away. His eyes were blurry for a moment. When they focused back in, they widened as he gasped in fear.

"There he is, boys," The Grimm Decepticon said as two more walked towards him. These two new ones were human-sized. "Frenzy, Rumble, he has aura. Break it." They grinned as one's hands turned into drills while the other's arms turned into pile drivers.

Meanwhile, Arcee blind fired before taking cover. She was having more trouble than initially thought. The tank blasts were missing, but they were close enough that they kicked up enough dirt and debris to give her trouble seeing. She wasn't sure if the path was still correct as intended before doubling back. All the Autobot knew was that Shockwave's attention was her's. Meaning the others wouldn't be too far behind, and away from Jaune.

Thundercracker flew in for another strafing run. As Arcee leaped out of cover to dodge the attack, she saw that the tank was speeding towards her. It took her shots without trouble as it transformed into Shockwave. The turret on his back morphed into a power hammer and he struck the ground in front of him. Though he was at a distance, Arcee was still tossed into the air.

"Your resistance is pointless Arcee," Shockwave said. "Stand down and you will be shown mercy."

"Mercy? From a Con?" She spat out as she got back up. "Don't make me laugh."

"Not so unreasonable as one might assume. You still have information I need, and… it's not just your life at stake here, is it?"

Arcee then suddenly got a call from a scroll.

"Jaune," she gasped in fear. "Jaune!" She quickly transformed and sped to him as fast as she could. "Jaune! Where are you?!" When she got close, as she was transforming back, she was hit from behind. "No!" Her arms were restrained behind her in Airachnid's webbing.

"Glad you can finally join us my dear little Autobot," Airachnid teased, dragging Arcee over to her and forcing her to face a certain direction.

"Jaune," she said above a whisper. Jaune was forced to his knees and was being held by Frenzy and Rumble.

"Arcee!" Jaune shouted and tried to break free.

"Quiet!" Frenzy punched him in the gut and a sickening crunch was heard. Jaune cried out in pain and struggled to breathe. "Pathetic Fleshling."

"No!" Arcee struggled against the webbing but it was no use, she couldn't even get her blades out. "Get your slag-fickling hands off of him-"

"Rumble, if you please," Airachnid said. Rumble chuckled as he grabbed Jaune's arm and bent it in an unnatural way. Jaune screamed.

"No!"

"Frenzy." Frenzy did the same thing to Jaune's other arm. He was more forceful and bone broke through the skin and began to bleed. Rumble's grin grew and he pushed his arm further to get the same effect. Jaune screamed even louder.

"Stop! Stop! I give up! I surrender! Just stop!" Arcee screamed.

Frenzy and Rumble didn't stop there. The grabbed areas of Jaune's arm where there weren't joints. Seconds later, the air was filled with sicking cracks and screaming.

"Stand down!" Thundercracker flew in and landed next to them. "What in Megatron's name are you doing?!"

"Teaching the Autobot a lesson about what happens-" Airachnid started to explain.

"This will kill him, you idiot! Shockwave needs him alive!"

Airachnid sighed after a moment. "Very well. Hold his arms still." She walked over to Jaune and applied webbing to patch the limbs up.

Arcee's body shook as she looked at Jaune. He apparently couldn't scream anymore because the pain was too great. All he could do was hang limp and cry. She couldn't help but feel dread as she realized that his suffering was all her fault.

"These humans are weaker than us," Thundercracker said as he lifted her up. "While a Cybertronian can recover from that, he… might never do so." The true meaning of those words hit her hard. Jaune might permanently be crippled for the rest of his life, and it was her fault. If she wasn't entirely focusing on Jaune, she would have noticed a hint of remorse in his voice. "My comrades won't kill him, but they won't hesitate to make him suffer if you don't cooperate. Do you understand?"

Arcee was silent, the horrified expression refused to leave her face.

"Arcee, your ship. Shockwave needs you to lead us to it. For the boy's sake, do it." Arcee slowly complied, not daring to disobey them.

Arcee was sitting cross-legged on the ground against a cliff. Two Vehicons stood over her blasters raised and ready to fire. She glanced to the right. The Decepticons have blasted part of the cliffside away to get easier access to their ship. They were unloading and going through everything. All of that energon was in their hands now. It irritated her to no end but there was nothing she could do.

It seemed like a curse. No matter where Arcee went or did, everyone she considered a friend or was partnered with suffered. Hubcap, Outback, Pipes, Swerve, Firestar, Greenlight, Rook, Lancer, Stripes, Ironfist, Moonracer, Topspin and Twintwist, Chromia, Swindle, Cliffjumper… it was a long list. And now, Jaune Arc, the first human she encountered, is on it. The only thing she could be grateful for was that Jaune was still alive.

They dragged Jaune into the shuttle when they started looting it. She had no idea if he was still alive. His injuries were severe. Even held together by the webbing, one could see the unevenness of it where the bones poked out, and some blood leaked out between the tight webbing. If he was a Cybertronian, Red Alert and Ratchet would likely have to amputate and replace the limbs with such injuries.

As far as she knew, humans and faunus didn't have that possibility. Jaune might never recover from this and would have to live the rest of his life without his arms. But this was all assuming he wasn't dead already.

That brought another question that scared her. If he thankfully didn't succumb to his wounds yet, what reason would they have to keep him alive? She was already forced to show them the location of her ship. What more could they want with her? What was to stop them from killing them both now?

"Autobot," she was torn from the thoughts with a jump. Thundercracker and Barricade approached her. "You need a hand with her?" Thundercracker asked as they lifted Arcee to her feet.

"No, I got this," Barricade said enthusiastically.

"If you say so. Still, take a Vehicon with you to be cautious."

"Sure thing," he waved for one of the Vehicon to follow him and shoved Arcee forward. "March."

Arcee didn't resist, knowing she'd be gunned down if she tried to run. She looked back at the shuttle, hoping Jaune was still alive, and was rewarded with a hard punch across the face.

"Optics forward!" Barricade growled as they exited the clearing. Arcee tried weighing what few options she could think of, but they all quickly died in her mind. It was all futile. There was nothing she could do that wouldn't result in Jaune getting punished for her actions. Suddenly, she was struck in the back of the head and fell down. "We should be far now so no one will hear us. I'm going to take my time with you."

Barricade proceeded to take great pleasure in beating Arcee down. Punching, kicking, stomping, head butting, even picking her up and tossing her around. Arcee was helpless against the onslaught. She was able to get a defiant kick or body check in here and there, but ultimately she was at his nonexistent mercy. After several long minutes, it ended with Arcee being lifted up and brought down on his knee before being kicked into a tree.

"That felt good," Barricade said happily. Arcee moaned in severe pain, struggling to roll over onto her back. Her entire body was cracked and bruised and the vision in one of her optics was blurry. It hurt so bad. She wanted to plead, to beg him to stop. A kick to her head prevented her as she fell to her side.

The Vehicon said something but Arcee couldn't understand it.

"Alright alright, fine. I've had my fun," Barricade said as he stood right over her. "Well Autobot, this is where we say goodbye." He revealed in her shocked expression. "What, did you expect any different? We needed you alive to find out how you got here, and then to find your ship. After that, we thought we needed you to access the ship's computers and systems. But since it turns out we can access that on our own," his arm turned into a blaster, "there's no point putting in the effort to keep a useless prisoner. Arcee glared up at Barricade in defiance, still restrained and barely able to turn her head, wincing at the blinding pain if she moved it even just a fraction in any direction. Barricade leveled the blaster to her head, making Arcee realize that she was helpless to stop him. This was it. Everything she did, everything and everyone she fought for… it didn't matter anymore. Her last thoughts turned to Jaune, hoping he was still alive.

Suddenly, a wire came from above, latched on to Barricade's arm, and yanked it up, causing Barricade to shoot the Vehicon instead of Arcee.

"Wha-" was all Barricade had time to mutter as a dark-skinned human with a warhammer came down from directly above and hit him hard, forcing him down to the ground. Barricade quickly recovered and threw a punch at her, but her feet started to glow and she pushed both fists forward, stopping the attack dead in its tracks. She grabbed the fist and held it down tight. Then, two long, stretchy arms reached out of nowhere and pulled his other arm with the cable as a quick, familiar blur quickly zig-zagged across his arm as a boomerang-like object flew to it as well. Barricade yelled in pain as his arm was torn off, but his cries quickly turned to anger. He broke free, sending one of the humans flying as he brought out his buzzsaw and charged forward to attack.

Arcee finally managed to turn her body so she could sit up against a tree. There were now four humans engaging Barricade in close quarters combat. Arcee's optics squinted as she tried to focus on one of them in particular. "Is that… no way..." It was the same dark-skinned human with the speed semblance that attacked her and Jaune earlier. The others were wearing similar uniforms to hers.

She suddenly felt weight tug at the webbing restraining her arms. "Don't turn around!" A human voice said quickly in a hushed voice that almost made her jump. "Just… don't move and I'll get you free." Her optics slightly widened at this as she heard a muffled buzzing and the weight of the webbing started to dissipate slowly. She watched the huntsmen fight Barricade and realized that they weren't trying to win, they were stalling for time trying their best to hold Barricade back and play the battle defensively. She then realized this wasn't a kill op, this was a rescue one and they were stalling time for her.

"And… there… we go." There was a snap and Arcee was finally able to move her arms again. Despite the pain, it felt good to move them again.

"Thank you," she rotated her servos.

"You're welcome. Name's Marrow," the human behind her said. She was going to turn around and introduce herself, but noises from the fight drew her attention.

Barricade gained the upper hand. His buzzsaw-now-hand tightly gripped the hammer huntress before violently slamming her down to the ground,

"Die, insect!" Barricade raised his foot to stomp her for possibly a killing blow. None of her comrades were close enough to intervene in time. But before the foot could connect, the side of Barricade's neck exploded and he fell to the ground on his side. He raised his arm and attempted to say something, but it was an unintelligible mess of noises. Several more explosions tore his chest apart, and then his whole body went limp, the light in his optics faded.

As the huntsmen helped their friend up, all eyes turned to the Autobot, specifically the smoking blaster still aimed at Barricade's body.

"Nice shot," Marrow said.

"Good kill!" The Huntress that was almost crushed gave her a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Arcee said before grunting as she tried to get up. She stood above them, slouched over and clutching her chest. "Who are you?" she asked them.

One of them walked forward. "My name is Clover Ebi. I think you and I can help each other."

A/N: Well, if they weren't in a bad spot before, they all now. Let's hope the Ace-Ops even the odds and that Jaune's injuries aren't too permanent.

Thanks for reading, have a good day :)