The dark blue Decepticon checked the duty roster outside of Vilnacron, in the training square. It was a few hours from 'dawn'; or the Cybertronian equivalent. Since Cybertron didn't revolve around a sun, it was virtually night all the time. Everyone just used Earth time because it was convenient. JackHammer hated the humans, so he rarely went by it. He finished checking the roster and started his brisk walk towards the command center, where he started his rounds. A light mist started gathering around him, cooling the area around him. JackHammer frowned; there was no mist on Cybertron.  

He decided to check the area, summoning his weapon from subspace. He glanced in all directions, trying to pinpoint the origin of the mist. He felt a slight breeze on his right side, but when he turned to see what it was, it was too late. He felt something grab him from behind, and he was yanked backwards. He fired off a shot, but it went up and hit an old guardpost. He felt something tilt his head to the side, and then..... 

His screams echoed into the night for many minutes. 

"C'mon, Spring, we've got to report to the command center ASAP. Now get your systems on-line and let's go!" Springer grunted and sat up, rubbing his face with one hand as he swung his legs over the bed. "Fine time they pick for a damn briefing," he grumbled, standing up and checking his paint job. "Move it, Spring! They're expecting us!" Arcee was out the door before Springer even realized what was going on. He rushed out as well and hurried to catch up with her. 

"The spy, whose name is JackHammer, was completely drained of energy. A normally correctable condition, but for some reason his body couldn't absorb any energon. Without it, his central processor went off-line and he died. There were some reports of a mist that gathered near the murder site, but those are unsubstantiated. All we could get was that the Decepticons have heavily secured Vilnacron and all the other Decepticon bases." First Aid began to sit down, but then he stood up again and said, "Also, there were small puncture wounds somewhere on the body, but we don't know where." First Aid sat down and gestured to Optimus. 

"Thank you, First Aid. Now, I want you all to notify you're staff to this situation. I want security tightened and more elaborate scans around the perimeter of Iacon. What happened to JackHammer could also happen here, something I want to avoid. Kup, start an investigation and see what you can come up with. If this does happen here, I want all available information on it. That's all for now. Dismissed." Everyone got up and went to their own areas, notifying personnel and security forces of the situation. Arcee got up and turned to leave when she noticed something: Springer was sitting with his shoulders somewhat slumped and his optics dim. She also noticed that his normally rich green color was faded to a dull green. She nudged him in the shoulder and said, "Hey, Spring, are you okay?" 

Springer slowly looked up and gave her a small smile. He slowly stood up, wobbling a bit, then steadied himself and smiled even more. "I'm fine, Cee. Just tired, is all. I haven't been recharging very well lately." He glanced at her and caressed her cheek, his optics still half-lit. A small feeling crept its way into her processor, and uneasiness wound tightly in her stomach. "I'll be okay." Arcee put her hand on his face and said, "Are you sure? You don't look so good. Maybe you should let First Aid check you over..." Springer's posture suddenly tensed and his optics flashed briefly. "I don't need to be looked at, Arcee. I told you I'm fine. Now let's get going and get some work done. It'll be dark soon, and I want to get some recharge tonight." He left the briefing room, followed by a puzzled Arcee. This was not normal for him, not normal at all. 

Springer didn't respond, continuing to stare out the window. Rodimus frowned, then a bit louder he said, "Springer, any ideas?" The triple changer slowly turned to look at Rodimus, his optics darker than last Arcee saw. "Hm? Ideas about what?" Rodimus glanced at Arcee then said to Springer, "About sending a recon team to gather information about the murder. What do you think?" Springer shrugged slightly, turning back to the window and saying, "I don't care. Do what you want, you're in charge." Rodimus and Arcee looked at each other, and then at Springer. "Are you all right, Spring?" Springer stared intently out the window, his optics narrowing a bit. "I'm fine," he said, his voice distant and quiet. Rodimus warily glanced at his friend, then he turned back to his reports. "All right, I'm sending Blade, Kup, and Rodania, they're the most qualified. Arcee, you can go as well. I'll let the others know." 

Arcee stood, looking at Springer who was still staring out the window. "Spring?" she whispered, and the triple changer looked at her. "I'll walk you to our quarters. You need some rest." Springer glanced out the window again, then nodded. He stepped away, walking past Rodimus with so much as a peep, past Arcee, and out the door. Arcee glanced at Rodimus and shrugged, then went off after her mate, who had almost ran into Rodania. "Hey! Springer! Phoenix wants to know if you'll drop by tonight! Springer?" He just kept walking, as if on automatic. Arcee put a hand on Rodania's shoulder and said, "He's just tired, Ro. He hasn't been recharging well. Ro, can you contact Blade and Kup and tell them to meet me in the conference room in 20 minutes? Rodimus is sending us on a mission." 

"Sure, 'Cee! Meet you there! Bye Spring!" She didn't wait for his answer, which never came, as she dashed towards the nearest comm. Arcee jogged up beside Springer and looked at his face, which was somewhat haggard, and she noticed with surprise that fine lines were etched on his face, making him look older than he was. His metal was also grayer, and some of the paint was flaking off. She touched his shoulder, and he jerked it off as if it were burning him. Arcee stared straight at him, worry creasing her normally relaxed features. This was really starting to worry her. "Spring, are you sure you're all right?" Springer looked at a spot somewhere above her head as he said, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just tired." Arcee stroked his cheek, then stopped as his optics glowed bright for a split second. As soon as her hand was gone, they returned to their dark state. Arcee shuddered; he looked half-dead. 

"Be careful, 'Cee," he said, still staring above her head. Then he walked off towards their quarters. Arcee watched him for a few minutes, then headed off towards the conference room. After all, she had a recon mission to do. 

"Pardon me, Arcee, but why are we investigating a Decepticon death? There is so much more we could be doing then helping those bunch of killers." Arcee nodded at Blade's question, understanding her reasoning. "Normally Blade, I would agree. But this is no ordinary death." Arcee looked at her hands and took a deep breath before continuing. "The victim was one of our spies; his name was JackHammer." Kup cursed silently as Blade absorbed it silently. Rodania's optics widened and her hands gripped the table. Arcee punched a button and all the information First Aid collected popped up onto the viewer. "His body was found about 18 meters from Vilnacron's main building. There were no signs of foul play, no signs of a struggle. Keep in mind that these details were taken from the Decepticons' database, and it may be inaccurate. 

"There were no obvious wounds or damage that would indicate cause of death, except for two small puncture wounds, which we don't know where. The only other thing we could get was that all of his energy was drained, and he could no longer absorb energon into his circuits. Prime wants us to go in and see if we can find out any more." Kup looked at Arcee and said, "What exactly are we supposed to do? By now Vilnacron is sealed up tighter than an Arkathian mine!" Arcee nodded, punching up another document on the viewer. It was a map of Vilnacron and its surrounding area. "This is the last bit of information JackHammer sent us before his death." She pointed to a small area just outside of Vilnacron's main hall, located in the center of the map. 

"This is where his body was found, so this is where we'll start. We'll do some energy scans, see if we can pick up an energy signal that might identify the killer or killers. We'll also check the surrounding area, see if any Neutrals were around to witness anything. Any more questions?" Blade looked up and said, "When do we leave?" Arcee switched off the viewer and stood up. "We leave tonight." 

"Thanks, Rodimus. I'm taking the recon mission to Vilnacron now, so just let him know that I want to talk with him when we get back." A pause. "Will do, 'Cee. Good luck. Rodimus out." Arcee left her quarters, locking the doors again and walked towards the rear exit. She met up with the others and left, letting Optimus and the others know that they were leaving. She looked behind her as Iacon sped away, her thoughts resting on her mate as worry bubbled up inside her. 

Springer shook his head, trying desperately to get rid of the voice as well as his craving. But it didn't work. It only got worse, and soon the hunger would be replaced by terrible pain. 'Come to me, Springer. I will help you.' 'Yes', he told it, his resistance fading as the hunger grew. 'Help me. I can't live like this. Please help me.' 'Come, child, and I will ease all of your pain.' "Yes," he said aloud, then he tensed his legs and leapt into the air, following the voice as he sped through the night. 

"I think so. There's an awful large quantity of dried particles here, some of which I've never seen before. It looks like it was frozen so quickly that it bonded to the surface of the metal. You want me to take a sample?" Arcee nodded. "Yes, maybe Perceptor or First Aid can identify it. We've got to hurry this up; I don't like being this deep inside Decepticon territory without heavy backup. Where's Blade?" Something shimmered right beside Kup and Blade appeared, a couple of data disks in her hands. "I took this from Soundwave's files. It contains the autopsy results of JackHammer, along with some....interesting theories." 

"Good work, Blade. Now let's get out of here before we're-" 

"Caught?" The four Autobots simultaneously turned as two Decepticons aimed their weapons at them. Blade sneered and crouched into a fighting stance, a small dagger appearing in her hand. One of the Decepticons reached for the alarm while the other aimed at Blade. "Don't do anything stupid, girlie, or I'll drill ya a nice set of holes right between your optics." Arcee held out a hand, signaling all of them to not move. The Decepticon moving towards the alarm paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then all hell broke loose. 

A thick layer of mist rolled upon all six robots, sending chills throughout all of them as it quickly engulfed them. There was a slight green blur, and then one of them screamed, which turned into a gurgle as the mist grew thicker. Arcee looked around for the others, summoning her weapon from subspace as mist blocked her line of sight. There was another scream, the sound of weapons fire, and then.......nothing. Eerie silence followed as the mist started to dissipate. As quickly as the mist appeared, it was gone. There was only four of them now, the two Decepticons lying on the ground with their weapons still in their hands. There was a large hole in one of their chests, and strangely enough, no energon was leaking out. The other Decepticon also had a gaping hole in his chest, but energon was pouring out of him, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. 

Rodania stared at the bodies with wide optics, her body beginning to tremble as the recent events started sinking in. Arcee wasted no time. "Let's get the hell out of here before.....whatever that was comes back. Blade, engage your cloaking field and scout ahead. Kup, take one of those bodies there and haul butt back to Iacon. We just got into something bigger than we can handle. Rodania, stay close to me." Blade shimmered away, and Kup gathered the Decepticon with the empty chest into his arms and transformed, gunning away at top speed. Rodania numbly walked over to Arcee and both femmes transformed, following Kup out of Vilnacron. All of them kept silent all the way back. 

"Surely you do not regret your actions, Springer. They are no longer your kind; they are merely sheep, whose deaths insure our survival. You should have fed on the others, young one; such an opportunity is rare." Springer turned towards the newcomer and said, "I will not kill my fellow Autobots. Despite what you think, I am not one of your kind. I'm going to find a cure for this 'condition' and then I will resume my life as I left it. I'm not a killer, Edasia." 

"Nor am I. I kill to survive, Springer, as you will soon learn." A tall femme, whose once brilliant color of sapphire blue was now a faded shade of blue and gray, stepped into view, a cloud of mist surrounding her feet and puffing out with each step. Her optics were a brilliant red, captivating any mechanism with a hypnotic gaze. She stood a few feet from him, a small smile spread over her lips as the mist curled around her body, adding a slight chill to the air around them. "One thing you must understand is that we hunt to survive; if they must die to insure our continued existence, then so be it." Springer turned away from her, shaking his head in denial as he curled his hands into tight fists. He felt her presence all around him, soothing him, comforting him. "I know you care for them, but you are no longer one of them. You must hunt in order to live, Springer, in order to continue our race." 

He whirled around in anger, his optics burning a deep blue. "Not at the cost of innocent lives! I would die first than to harm innocents!" Edasia shrugged, her smile still in place. "You will learn, young one. Years after this day you will look upon this incident with a smile and you will wonder how you ever survived with that mentality. I know; I did." Mindwipe stepped forward and whispered, "Edasia, you both were seen. They will go back and tell Prime of what they saw, and he will immediately investigate." Edasia gave him a dismissive wave of her hand. "Then you will proceed as normal and erase them of this incident." Mindwipe persisted, stepping closer yet again. "But they have evidence of our existence; evidence which cannot be destroyed. We must get rid of them, and fast!" Springer growled low in his throat, his glowing dangerously bright. "You will not harm them, Mindwipe. Do you understand? If so much as a paint chip is on them, then-" 

"You'll do nothing. He is of our kind, and such warrants my protection. Do not cross me, young one, or I shall be forced to punish you severely. It must be done; if they are allowed to survive than our existence is in jeopardy." Edasia glanced at the triple changer, a look of cold determination in her gaze. "Tell us how to enter Iacon safely, Springer." His face darted up, optics wide and mouth slightly open. "You've got to be joking. You want me to tell you how to kill my friends, how to kill my mate? I'll die first before I tell you." Edasia held his gaze with her own as she said, "You will show us how to enter Iacon, Springer. You will show us exactly where the four Autobots are located, and you will do so freely. There are many ways to die, Springer, but out of respect to you, your friends will die painlessly." 

Mindwipe moved beside Edasia, his gaze locked on Springer's as well. "There is only one way to help them, and that is to tell us where they are. If you do not, we will be forced to kill you and look for them ourselves. And when we find them, which I assure you we will, they will become vampires as well." Springer whirled to face them, indecision and rage clearly on his face as Mindwipe continued, "A fate I am sure you would wish to spare them." Edasia stepped forward, mist wrapping around him as she caressed his face almost lovingly. "What is your decision, child?" Springer looked away, his chest aching from the pain of what he had to do. Finally, he looked up, his optics showing every bit of agony he was feeling. "All right. I'll tell you everything; just please.....make their deaths painless." Edasia smiled. "Of course, my child. Of course." 

Optimus nodded. "I was thinking along those lines myself. Rodimus, do you agree?" The young second nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, Megatron might have more information about this. It sounds more like some Earth horror movie than actual reality. Not that I'm doubting any of you, that is," he added quickly. Blade stepped over to Prime's desk and clasped her hands behind her back. "Prime, I must ask you not to contact Megatron. This could be a ploy of his to lure us into a sense of uneasiness, becoming suspicious of everyone around us. I don't entirely trust the information I picked up from the computer; it was too easy to retrieve." Optimus nodded thoughtfully. "True, Blade. But still, as bloodthirsty as he is, I have a hard time believing that even Megatron would kill his own troops. He needs all he can get, even inexperienced ones. No, something bigger lurks behind this, and I intend to find out what." 

Blade nodded curtly, stepping back near the door. Optimus was about to speak again when the entire base rocked from an explosion. Blade took out her weapon and left the room, running into the hall and running a security sweep. Rodania cried out and gripped the armrests of her chair, looking around the room in terror. Arcee and Kup stood, also summoning their weapons from subspace and looking around in confusion. Rodimus and Optimus started fielding reports and giving out orders, complimenting each other beautifully. Another set of explosions rocked Iacon and Kup cursed in some obscure language. "What's goin' on out there? Decepticon attack?" Rodimus glanced over a few status reports and shook his head. "No, not Decepticons; it looks like a small group of Neutrals, headed by Mindwipe." Rodimus gripped the desk as another wave of explosions shook the base. "This is not good," he said. 

Optimus grabbed his rifle and headed towards the door. "We need to stop their attack before we're breached. Rodimus, head up to the command center and start working on repairs and injuries. Everyone else, come with me." Arcee and Kup followed Optimus out of the room and out to the perimeter. Rodania slowly stood up and began to follow when Rodimus grabbed her arm and said, "Come with me, Ro, I'm gonna need your help." The red femme smiled tightly and nodded, following Rodimus to the command center as the explosions became more frequent. They met up with Blade and continued to the command center, barely able to keep upright as the attack progressed. 

She charged directly at Optimus, landing right on top of him and ripping his chest armor to shreds, the Autobot leader grunting in pain. He tried throwing her off, but she was stronger than she looked. She easily absorbed his blows, continuing to rip his metal skin away from his chassis, revealing delicate circuitry and exposing sensitive relays. Arcee fired a shot at the femme's chest, sending her flying off of Prime with a shriek. She ran up to him and guarded him, firing shot after shot at the invading robots. Out of the corner of her optic she noticed someone standing in the background, not participating but not helping either. She turned to get a better look at him, and when she did, she gasped sharply and she almost dropped her weapon. 

Standing near Iacon's gate was another robot, watching the battle with mournful optics. But this was no ordinary robot. It was none other than Springer, watching as Mindwipe's team killed and maim his fellow Autobots, some good friends. Springer turned and noticed Arcee's gaze, and his optics widened in horror. "Cee?!" he cried, stepping back with small steps as his mate gaped at him as she held Optimus in a protective grasp. "Springer, help us!" she said, aiming and shooting at the invaders. Despite the heavy damage they were taking, they kept on rising and attacking, taking on damage that would've killed any other robot. Including.....the femme! She had gotten up and was now moving towards Optimus again. Arcee raised her weapon and aimed at the femme's fuel pump, fierce determination in her optics as she cradled Prime's limp form closer to her. The femme smiled as thick mist gathered around her. Her optics were an intense red, glowing brightly as she flashed her fangs at the trembling Arcee. 

"Have you not learned by now that you cannot kill us? We keep coming back, feeding on your pathetic troops as our moment of triumph nears. And you can thank Springer for your defeat." Arcee once again glanced at her mate, who was moving towards them as well. Arcee's mouth dropped as his optics turned the same red as the femme's, flashing his own set of sharp fangs as he approached them. She gripped Prime even tighter. "You're one of them, aren't you Spring? Why, why did you do this? Why?!" When Springer spoke, his words sounded different, his speech impeded a bit by the fangs. "I'm sorry, 'Cee. I didn't want to tell you what I've become; I didn't want to hurt you." Arcee violently shook her head, tears brimming her optics. "Oh, it's better to just kill me and your friends then to let us help you? Then why don't you get on with it. If you are one of them, then you are no longer my Springer; he died the moment you were created." 

The femme smiled, her fangs glistening in the starlight. "I was hoping you would say that." She kneeled down, Arcee switching off her optics as the female vampire moved in for the kill. Springer snarled and hurled the femme away, hissing at her and charging with every ounce of speed and strength he could muster. The femme hissed back at him, dodging his charge and kicking him in the side. "You fool! I offered you strength and immortality, and you dare reject such a precious gift?!" Springer charged again, knocking her to the ground and slamming her head into the metal as hard as he could. "You're the fool, Edasia. What good are such things when you have no one to share them with? I should have killed you the moment you made me into this.....abomination!" Edasia hissed and threw Springer off, immediately jumping to her feet and charging him. She was too fast, and this time she knocked him to the ground and punched him in the face. By this time Arcee had switched her optics on and was watching raptly, along with everyone else. All the other 'vampires' had either stopped the attack or had been knocked out. 

Springer pushed her off, sending her through a wall with a crash. He ran towards her again, a long metal pole thrust out as he charged the dazed femme. He rammed it right through her, her head arching up and she screamed, filling the silence with her dying scream. She slumped to the ground, the light in her optics fading as the mist dissipated for good. Springer straightened up, panting heavily as he continued to stare at her limp form. He panned around the battleground, locating the rest of his 'kind' as they stood up and stared at their dead master. Mindwipe melted into the shadows, along with the other two robots as Springer made his way to Arcee and Optimus. He knelt down and gazed mournfully into her optics. "Forgive me," he said, his voice heavy with regret as he took her hand into his. Arcee smiled sadly at him. "There's nothing to forgive. There was nothing you could do; you were helpless against her." She looked down at Optimus and took a deep breath. 

"What will you do now?" Springer shrugged. "I don't know; go to Earth maybe, watch the sunrise for the last time." Arcee opened her mouth to speak, but Springer silenced her by placing his hand over her mouth. "We both know that I can't stay. Maybe someday, there'll be a cure to this and I can come back. But until then, you're all be safe if I'm not around." Springer leaned over and kissed her forehead, then stood up and gazed at her one last time. All the other Autobots started checking their wounded, counting their dead, and beginning to approach the small group near Springer. First Aid tended to Optimus as Arcee stood up and reached out to her mate. "Don't go, please. Maybe Perceptor can help you, give you some kind of substitute until he can find a cure. Just please.....don't leave me." Springer looked towards the others, who were giving him a wide berth. 

"And how long would the substitute last before the hunger overwhelms me? And how long would you be able to trust me? No, it's better that I leave now, before the need returns. Tell Optimus and the others, that I'm truly sorry." Springer leaned over and kissed her again, breaking it off before she could respond. Without another word, Springer walked out of Iacon's gates, not hearing Arcee's agonized cry as he disappeared from her view. He kept on walking, never stopping or looking back. Because if he did, his fuel pump would break in agony at what he left behind.