I feel that it's necessary to say that I started writing this fic back at the start of 2013 on deviantArt. As such, it might come off as awkwardly written at first since I was only 14 at the time and just starting to improve my writing. This isn't meant as an excuse for poor quality, just to explain why earlier chapters won't be as good as more recent ones. I've considered going back and rewriting these earlier chapters so they're more consistent with later ones... but honestly, I'd rather they stay unchanged as examples of how I've improved over the years.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy this story as a whole despite its flaws, and that any mistakes won't stop you from reading further on.

xx

For someone like Optimus, solitude was a rare mercy in the regular cycle of war and battle. He was the one that everyone looked to for direction, the one who had an answer and plan for everything. The reality couldn't be further from his soldiers expectations, but it didn't hurt to let them hold hope. He prided himself most on being an approachable leader, but maintaining such illusions gave little time for recluse.

The rain was heavy, splattering thickly and streaming down his armour. The rest of the Autobots were confined to base during such weather, and Optimus welcomed the moisture even as it threatened to rust his hinges. This forest was a favourite place of meditation for him, the cover of trees shielding him from wandering Decepticons and amplifying the soothing sounds of earthly nature. Ratchet was entrusted with overseeing the base and team, as well as deflecting any suspicions about his unaccounted absence. Even so, worry constantly gnawed at his spark during his excursions, holding back any true sense of peace, but at least it kept him alert.

He may never have seen the stain of energon on the fern leaf otherwise.

It was fresh, still glowing and only now succumbing to the relentless hammering of rain. Drip drip onto the forest floor, washing away into nothing. There were no reported incidents of incoming space pods, ships or other indications of new Cybertronian arrivals recently. A rogue Decepticon. Whether the energon was from itself or any unfortunate tag-along victims, there was no doubt that it would be hostile.

Optimus engaged his guns and ducked behind a tree, scanning the immediate area for life signals. None in range. He inched forwards, aiming his barrels left and right as he stalked through the soaked undergrowth. Even if the 'Con had somehow cloaked their signal, where there was one drop of energon there was always more...

The gloom of the evening made the glowing trail stick out like a sore servo. There was evidence of someone desperately trying to rub or scratch the stains out of the rocks and plants, but obviously they were in a hurry. To get out of the rain? Decepticon reasoning was never that simple. The spread of the energon drops increased the further Optimus followed them, eventually turning to thick streaks down the side of a mountain, which held an unknown cave. The opening of which was framed in luminescent blue.

Getting down the rocky face of the mountain was hard enough for Optimus, in full health and state of mind. It was mostly due to his large frame though, so the Decepticon must have been nimble to be able to traverse the stones without falling and snapping something off. He was certain now that it was the 'Con who was injured, else he would have been ambushed by now. Even so, they were known to act desperately whether able to fend off danger or not, either fighting to the bitter end or, more commonly, fleeing from the battle. The barrels of his guns burned through the rapidly growing darkness as he approached the mouth of the cave, pausing at the energon stains to scan the black beyond.

"Back away, Prime."
Optimus swung his guns towards the direction of the voice; hissing and embedded with a venom that he'd never encountered before. Deeper into the cave, two dull pink lights barely glowed in the gloom. Their beholder had shied far back into the shadow of the cave, away from the spreading moonlight. Airachnid was alone, no detectable Vehicon escort or hidden officers nearby, and from the fizzling of her energy field, severely injured. Despite the previous warning, Optimus still advanced.

"I said BACK AWAY!" she shrieked, fangs bared fiercely and two back legs brought up, ready to slice and shear his plating when he came in range. Optimus halted, but did not retreat from her burning gaze. His optics could pick out highlighted details of her tensed frame, but the rest of her body was carefully hidden in the dark. She was taking the defensive.

Very strange. But, it seemed, conventions were changing in the rebirth of war.

"Has the damp gone to your processor, Prime?! Get away from me before I claw out-" Her cry was ended with a hiss of pain, and the pink light was suddenly extinguished. What Optimus could see of her slumped to the granite floor, servos folded in and helm dipped. Too weak to move, and the heavy loss of energon will have disabled her ranged weapons. The hunter of the Decepticons, sadism and taint incarnate, lay as helpless as a sparkling before him. His gun hummed from the ready charge of plasma loaded into it, aimed steadily at Airachnid.

One twitch of the digit would light the cavern with what was left of her energon. One simple reflex would end the centuries of murder and universal genocide.

His next actions would mean the life or death of more than just one bot.

"Where are your Decepticon brethren?" he asked, lowering the weapon to look into Airachnid's onlining optics. She made a scoff noise followed by coughing, and thick droplets of fresh energon fell to the floor.

"What does it matter to you?" she growled in reply. "They're far away from here. They won't care about my demise. So just put me out of my misery, Autobot."
"You know I cannot do that, Airachnid," Optimus said cryptically, causing the spider's dim optics to widen in shock.

"And just why not?" He noticed how she crawled backwards towards the nearest wall of the cave despite her injuries, and the sharp edge of fear in her voice.

"Because," Optimus transformed his gun back to its servo form, and stood resolute against the background of thunder and rain. "I will not create an orphan."

Airachnid's faceplate cycled through a rainbow of emotions; surprise, outrage, confusion, some that even Optimus did not recognise. Finally she lowered her helm again against her knees in defeat. "What gave it away?" she whispered, vocaliser threatening to close up.

"I know a mother when I see one. A new one especially so." When he approached this time, Airachnid did not force him away. She stared off blankly at the sheet of hammering rain outside and flashes of lightening, turning her face away from the Prime. Her spider legs lay purposefully folded in a shield around her back, joints twitching subconsciously. In the centre of that mass of razor-tipped rods Optimus could sense a tiny spark frantically ticking away. She was protecting her offspring. To see her caring for any living creature, even one of her progeny, was a jolt to Optimus.

The being before him was not Airachnid. She was a fading shadow of the Airachnid that he had witnessed just mere months ago. And something happened in those months. Something that had smashed her into a broken mess, leaving her clinging to tiny vestiges of her former self even as her personality was unwillingly rewritten. And now one question hung in the air like a viral disease; what had scarred her so much that her unbreakable core had shattered like glass?

"Need I ask who the father is?" Airachnid flinched at the mention of the word 'father', her optics shuttering from the sudden flare of anguish. Optimus' suspicions were correct then.

"There was a reason why I split from the Decepticons in the first place," she said in barely a whisper. "Megatron always held a special interest in me. Thought I was exotic... a war prize..." Her tone was mocking, but underlined with regret. "I knew it was only a matter of time before he...acted." She swung her optics to meet his, pink and blue swirling together with the intensity of her accusing glare. "If it wasn't for the Autobots, I would never have had to go back there. Back to him..." Optimus was lost for words at the inner turmoil being played out in front of him. Airachnid was always shown to be capable, adaptable, at home in any environment. That is, any except from home. The irony was as heavy as the beat of the rain outside. It was almost terrifying seeing such a strong femme struggling to even speak.

"You kept all this to yourself?" Airachnid's glare now sharpened to steel.

"Who would have listened?" she growled, claws scoring the rock beneath her with deep gouges. "Do you know how it feels, Prime? Have you ever thought you'd finally escaped something so stupid and pointless... only to be dragged right back into devil hands?" Her mouth twisted into a shaky frown, and her optics burned brighter even with her condition. Optimus remained silent, and her helm fell forwards again.

"Just go...leave me and my burden to die with some dignity." Silence prevailed, save for the constant ambiance of nature, for the next few tense moments.

"Airachnid," he began. "If the Decepticons no longer welcome you, then you are a rogue. A neutral, in all respects. And I will not allow a neutral to die if there is any possibility that I can save them." Airachnid scoffed again at his foolish noble words, refusing to meet his stare again. "Please, Airachnid...let me help you. And your sparkling." More silence. More rain. Something like a sigh pushed past her vocaliser and the legs at her back coiled out, servos reaching behind her and slowly drawing a new shape away. It was wrapped in webbing as a makeshift cocoon. She had probably used the last of her energy to make the cover. She cradled it close to her chestplates, near her spark chamber. Helm dipped downwards, optics squeezed shut.

Optimus had seen the image far more times than he ever cared to remember. Mothers desperately shielding their sparklings from whatever lay ahead, be it an advancing armada or grenade or flying shrapnel. Rarely did both make it out of those situations alive. Now Airachnid was hiding her child from the future; as dark and cold as the earthly night outside. He had seen mothers defiant to the end in an effort to protect their last link to their dying planet. And mothers-to-be shot through the spark... the thought caused his own optics to flutter. Now was not the time to be remembering...her.

"You both need energon," he said, eliciting a condescending glare from the femme.

"And you just so happen to carry cubes around with you?" she asked mockingly, frowning while still running digits down the sparkling.
"As a matter of fact, yes." From subspace he retracted two cyan cubes, their glow tearing through the darkness. His hand only barely moved out of the way of Airachnid's extended leg, the barb reaching to snatch the cubes. It pulled back and she frowned deeper still.

"If I give you this energon, I expect your first move will be to attack me once your weaponry powers online again. Therefore, you must let me manually disable your offensive systems before I give you your life."

For a second, Airachnid actually appeared to consider the offer. As if she even had a choice. Optimus edged closer, keeping his optics firmly on the irregular twitches of her spider legs. Those legs were always a cause of fascination, or at least curiosity. The Prime, like all other bots, did not know of how Airachnid evolved into a techno-organic, as they were known. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"She hasn't made a sound," Airachnid said numbly, lightly running talons down the blanket of webbing as Optimus knelt next to her."Not when she was birthed. Not even when... when her brother was shot right in front of her."

Optimus had long ago realised that one never did just accept the everyday horrors of war- public or otherwise. And just when you thought that you'd seen the worst of what your kind had to offer... a new grisly event lay around the corner.

"I'm...I'm sorry," he said dumbly as he cautiously grazed her servo with a hand, to which she growled again.

"Your apology means nothing to me," she snarled, jerking her servo away from his touch. "In the end, he's still a charred stain on the Nemesis floor..." If Optimus didn't know Airachnid better, he would have sworn that her optics were leaking coolant. Her servo fell back into place and he took it again, this time met with no resistance. A simple clip of the weaponry lines that ran through the servos to the hands and her lasers and webbing would be useless. As for her acid and razor legs... he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

"And you know what the worst part is?" A sick bark of a laugh ripped through her cracked vocaliser as her helm inclined upwards again. Her faceplates were tracked with coolant streams after all. "Deep down inside I honestly don't give a frag."

"What do you mean, Airachnid?" Optimus asked, confused from her contradictory words. She didn't care, yet she was guarding her remaining offspring as fiercely as any mother would... What else had fate done to her?

"Do you know anything of the giant spiders of Archa Seven?"

Archa Seven. It was a name that he hoped and prayed never to hear again. He could practically feel his energon lines freezing over. His digits had pinched over a line of wires inside her servo plating and it took all his strength to bring himself to twist them into breaking.

"I have...heard of the planet," Optimus answered as Airachnid hissed in pain, bringing her cocooned sparkling even closer to her chest. "Its inhabitants... I know not of." With Airachnid relatively disarmed, Optimus held the first energon cube near her, which she swiftly grabbed and brought to her lips, gulping the precious liquid down. It was empty in less than than a klick. She sighed as her systems began to recover, energon tanks refilling and auto-repairs going to work. Optimus held out the other cube, which she took more hesitantly. With a glance at Optimus, she turned her back on him, obviously uncomfortable with him seeing her sparkling. He could see that Airachnid's choice of using only two legs to threaten him with wasn't a choice at all; they were the only ones she had left.

"Marvelous creatures, those spiders," she continued as she fed her sparkling, leaking the energon down its throat through a tiny slit in the webbing. "A single hive mind, ruled by a queen. And ferociously protective of their young..." The last sentence ended in a regretful growl, and she threw the empty energon cube away in anger.

"Are you saying that you are related to the Archa spiders somehow?" Optimus asked, answered with another laugh- stronger this time, but no less mocking.

"You tell me, Prime. Am I Decepticon, rogue, organic? Am I even Cybertronian?" She turned around again, a hand pillowing the head of her cradled sparkling. "Whatever my relation to them, we both share that damned trait," she said bitterly even as she held the object of her hate so tenderly. "My instincts have never betrayed me before..." she revealed idly, helm down again.

'Even the instinct to trust this filthy Autobot?' her processor echoed as the statement left her lips. Of course she didn't trust him. Nevermind that he was an Autobot, being a Prime would have sanctioned her impulse to melt his head off its neck cables. But she was feeling...lighter of of a sudden. A weight heaved off of her shoulders and off to Primus-knows where. All from just... saying all that scrap to someone? Never mind that someone being Optimus fragging Prime.

"What will you do now? With the Decepticons willing to kill you and a sparkling to care for..." Optimus asked out of a genuine worry that had generated over the past few minutes. Airachnid shrugged her shoulders indifferently, though with her back to him again she wiped the new tears of coolant away.

"I'm a scavenger. I'll adapt. As I always do."

"There's a near zero chance of you finding energon deposits on this planet without some form of detect-"

"I can deal with it," she cut in defiantly, remaining two legs jerking in annoyance. "I've survived one war, I can make it through another."

"You've survived a war, but no sparkling ever has. Not without help." Airachnid stared at him in disbelief as she absorbed the information.

"The day I believe the Autobots would aid me is the day I kiss the Allspark," she spat in extreme sceptisism, depositing her wrapped sparkling back into the safety of her back legs connector joint.

"True, the Autobots as a whole will not help you," Optimus agreed, his blue gaze still steady. "But I will." Airachnid just shook her head with a sigh.
"You are an idiot, Prime," she groaned, with the slightest suggestion of what might have been sincerity. "I have nothing to give you that you or your Autobots would want. Why help me only to hinder yourself?"

"Because, Airachnid," Optimus began with great difficulty, his voice edged with hurt that had long lost its edge. "I lost someone on Archa Seven. Someone...who then, was my world. And when she was gone, that was when the war began. That was when I vowed to take Megatron's life as his war did Elita One's."

Elita One.

Two words that hit Airachnid's processor like twin sleeper bullets.

She felt the impact; a sudden pressure in the center of her helm. Painful, but nothing that she hadn't suffered before. It would subside, and it was dismissed.

It would arise again in time though.

"My reasoning as to why I wish to aid you is irrelevant," Optimus said in a last-ditch effort to earn a measure of her trust. "The question still remains; will you accept it?"

The common silence passed between them before Airachnid's answer. "Very well. Unless I find myself to be self-sustainable..." She had some difficulty getting her next words past the blockade of pride. "I accept whatever help you will give to me and my sparkling."

Optimus nodded towards her, and turned to face the pouring rain at the cave entrance. The moon was obscured and almost half-way though its transit. Ratchet would be worrying by now.

"Ratchet, this is Optimus. I need a Ground Bridge."

"Understood," came the medic's relieved voice at the other end of the comm line, and a green-blue vortex yawned in front of Prime.

"Wait!" Airachnid called from the cave just before he stepped into the spinning opening of the Ground Bridge. "Elita One..." She almost had to choke the name out. It felt strange on her glossa and felt like it burned her lips. "Was she... taken by the spiders?" A solemn nod answered her.

"I am sorry for that," she whispered, which Optimus picked up even through the barrage of moisture against rocks. He hmphed in acknowledgement.

"You...promise to return?"

Another silence broken only by the still hammer of rain. Then pierced by his final reply;

"I promise."