July 25, 2005

Two Solar Rotations, roughly.

He'd been stationed on this planet for, going by human terms, two years, three months, one week, six days, seventeen hours, four minutes, and twenty-three seconds; alone, and outnumbered. Three of the biggest names in the Decepticon faction – Starscream, Barricade, and Blackout – Were up against little ole' him. Were he fitted for proper combat, three against one wouldn't be too bad. He was specialized in scouting, information retrieval. Even the occasional stealth mission. But going up against those three felt more than a little imposing.

He encountered Barricade the most. Probably due to the fact that Blackout was monitoring the Eastern Hemisphere and Starscream was watching the Southern. Barricade took watch of the Western, but more specifically North America. And unfortunately those two would meet each other on the highways more than a few times. And each time they completed their fight, the immediate area was shortly surrounded by a strange group of men in black suits. Strange. Of course, he and Barricade were both long gone from the scene.

Still, searching for the Allspark and fighting off the Decepticons was a tough job for Bumblebee. He needed help, and the yellow mech became especially exceptional at the waiting game. He had sent out a distress signal to his commander, Optimus Prime, several weeks ago. He had yet to receive a response.

In the lower left corner of his cobalt vision flashed a message. His CPU automatically translated it to the English text 'Incoming Message'. With a quick mental command of 'Download', he drove off of the I-95 and onto the nearest exit ramp. With no one in sight, Bumblebee veered off of the road and into the near grouping of trees. Convinced that no one saw him, he viewed his recently downloaded message. A small video screen in his dashboard flipped out, showing the Autobot leader's face.

"Bumblebee. This is Optimus Prime. We have received your message, and we are on our way to your location. Unfortunately, we are a great distance away, and it will take us some time to reach you. In the meantime, I have arranged for Squad 068 to assist you until we arrive."

068. That's Cliffjumper's regiment. Bumblebee thought to himself.

"Judging by the Sol System's specs that you've sent us, our ETA is two Solar Rotations. I wish you and Squad 068 the best of luck, and we will see you all when we arrive. Optimus Prime, out."

Bumblebee closed the message. Last he heard, Squad 068 was somewhere in the Milky Way system. Knowing Prime, he would have sent them out then replied to the message. Judging by how fast interstellar travel is for Cybertronians, and if the reply took as long to deliver as the initial message…

They would be arriving very soon. It immediately dawned upon him that he would have to find an area with little electronic resonance so he may send 068 a clear message. The central zone of the United States, while populated, is much more open than it is on what they dubbed the "East Coast". He would have to move there if he wanted to send a decent signal to reach the stars.

Moving back onto the I-95, Bumblebee continued North until the next interstate leading West came upon him.

'''''''''''''''

"Judging by the Sol System's specs that you've sent us, our ETA is two Solar Rotations. I wish you and Squad 068 the best of luck, and we will see you all when we arrive. Optimus Prime, out."

He chuckled to himself. The idiot Autobot must have forgotten that he was in a war; your messages should always be encoded. Not that it mattered. He was one of the best in analysts the Decepticons had to offer. Even if it were encoded, he would hack it with ease. After all, he was the one who hacked the Ark's database, and learned of this Earth planet.

Still, Barricade couldn't help but wonder as Frenzy shut off the video playing Prime's message, and began researching about online acronyms such as 'LOL' and 'WTF'. Just why was Bumblebee calling in for reinforcements? There's no need for it.

… Unless…

He found the Allspark?

He opened up an encoded message to Starscream. "\Commander Starscream./" The holo-man began in Cybertronian dialect.

"\This is Starscream. What is it, Barricade?/" Came the reply.

"\The Autobot Bumblebee has called in for reinforcements./"

"\And? What does this have to do with us?/"

"\Bumblebee's been alone with us on this planet for two Solar Rotations-/"

"\Years./" Frenzy corrected with an index finger in the air. He had been adapting to the local speech patterns a little too much for Barricade's liking.

The comment was simply ignored. "\And he's just now calling for it. I don't think he would do that unless he found something of great importance./"

Starscream paused. "\The Allspark?/"

The holo-man in Barricade nodded. "\That's what I suspect. Course of action?/"

"\I'll alert Blackout and tell him to keep an optic out for any incoming Autobots. If the Allspark has been found, then without a doubt Optimus Prime is coming./"

"\What about the reinforcements? It's Squad 068./"

"\068? Why would Prime send in a steath squad?/" Starscream asked.

"\Perhaps so they are able to hide it from us?/"

"\I will take no chances. Barricade, call in the Heavy Hitters./" He ordered.

"\At once./"