Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters - Ignition

39. Alliances

The roar of jet engines was all it took to distract Marie for that split second.

Mainframe made her move, shoving the young woman off and making a break for it.

Marie wasn't having it. Before she could open a gate, she flung a dagger for the blonde, the blade digging itself into Mainframe's calf.

The curses that flew from her mouth were obscene and none-too-happy. "How dare you!" She shouted, dragging her leg across the rocky earth. "I'll have your head!" The shadows were already snaking their way into her muscles and wiring, creating an ache that Mainframe was none too familiar with.

She closed the distance between them again, standing over the bleeding woman. "You already took it," she muttered, hatred filling her eyes. "And you're going to pay the price for everything you've taken from us."

The jet engines passed overhead again, followed by a loud screech.

Lauren cringed a bit. As defiant as she was, she couldn't combat the wiring in her systems that told her to submit to Predaking. Pressing her lips together, she glanced nervously over at Angel, hoping to see a ground bridge open any second now.

"This extraction might be turning into a battleground, Doc! Let's go!" Angel shouted into the com. The bridge opened.

The towering pair of Decepticons landed, not twenty feet away from Marie, and where she stood over the bleeding Mainframe.

"Who is this new addition?" Megatron asked, Predaking at one side, Starscream at the other, several vehicons behind him. Despite his feigned interest in the girl who appeared to have bested Mainframe, his gaze wandered over to where JewelBlade lay on the ground, optics dull.

No. She would not offline like this. If she were to die, he would take that satisfaction for himself.

Marie looked up at the warlord and scowled, her gaze quickly flicking over to the predacon, then the seeker.

Starscream only smirked at her. "Well, well, she appears to be quite similar to BlackLight, my lord. It appears the Autobots have been toying with our formulas," he said as he leaned down towards her. "However, it doesn't appear that she has armor like ours does. I guess they haven't managed to figure that part out, now have they?" He scoffed, shaking his helm. "Harmless, really."

Marie didn't give him time to second guess himself. She had armor, a miniature Cybertronian form, just like her sister, but she didn't like the clunky sensation of it.

It got in the way of her aim, she argued.

And the seeker would regret assuming she was harmless.

Another dagger flew from her free hand, flying the short distance to the condescending mech's optic, wedging itself in deep, sparks flying from the broken glass and metal.

"Wretched femme!" Starscream shouted, gripping his optic as he attempted to pull the blade out.

The distraction had worked as well Marie had hoped. Optimus and Ratchet had exted the ground bridge, the medic making his way over to JewelBlade. Optimus striding over to Marie, Angel and Lauren at his side, Arcee and Bulkhead running through the ground bridge as Ratchet vanished, JewelBlade in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Marie taunted as the Decepticons took in the wonder of the fact that the Lieutenant couldn't remove the weapon. "I thought I was harmless."

Starscream scowled, aiming his rocket at her. "You'll be a pile of scrap metal by the time I'm done with you!" He shouted, his voice reaching a fevered pitch.