A/N OK OK, I should be working on 'Wormhole', but this has been nagging me since my third day of school, and I want it out of my way. Basically, it's a little back story between Bee and Wasp in 'Wormhole', with some of BlackArachnia's in there just because...Enjoy.
--
"Out of my way, squirt!" The yellow mech stumbled as a larger green mech shoved him aside. Laughter peppered the oil ration line as Bumblebee hauled himself out of the dirt for the fourth time in the last hour alone.
The yellow mech was considered a 'new mech' amongst the Autobots, and they were treating him accordingly. Naturally, this meant he was at the bottom of the pecking order and ANYBOT could push him around. Dusting himself off, he tried to squeeze into his old spot in line, but was shoved away again. "No cutting in line, scrap heap!" An orange mech growled at the intruder before turning to get his ration.
"B-but…" Bee stammered, but gave up. Hanging his head, he trudged to the back of the line for the fourth time.
--
When Bumblebee finally got his ration, it was lukewarm from being at the bottom of the barrel for so long. Taking a sip, he sighed. This wasn't exactly how he'd pictured his welcome into the Autobots. Trudging to the nearly empty mess hall, he took another sip of oil…before it was splattered all over his faceplates and armor. "H-hey!" The yellow mech said indignantly, only to come face to face with three bots, two mechs and a femme. The red and blue mech grinned haughtily.
"Whoops, my bad, tiny!" He said, while his two companions laughed. "I just tripped, y'know?"
"No you didn't!" Bee said angrily. "You made me spill it on purpose!"
"Yeah, well, what are you gonna do, pipsqueak?" A muscular blue mech asked, prodding Bee's chest armor for emphasis. The yellow mech stumbled backwards and tripped headfirst into a garbage disposal unit. The bots in the room laughed as the three stalked airily away, laughing as well. Bumblebee struggled to free himself, but to no avail.
"You ok?" A voice asked from outside the cylinder.
"Do I look ok?!" Bee snarled.
"Jeez, sorry. I was just wondering."
"Oh please. I've been made fun of since I got here," Bee responded miserably. "If you're just here to poke fun, go right ahead." Suddenly, he felt a tug on his legs, and he soon slid out of the container. A green mech roughly his height strode to his side and crouched down beside him.
"I ain't here to poke fun. Those two, Optimus, Sentinel and Elita, they're nothing but bullies. I'm just here to help a fellow new guy out." The mech said, holding his hand out to Bumblebee. "The name's Wasp."
"Bumblebee." Bee replied, taking his hand and standing up. "So, you're new to the Autobots too?"
"Yep." Wasp responded. "I take it you've been bullied to an extreme. Well, oddest thing is, I haven't. I don't quite know why, everyone just gives me this look and shuffles off." He crossed his arms. "The Pit if I know why."
"Lucky you." Bee replied enviously. "Ever since I set foot on the property, I've been bullied nonstop."
"That's a damn shame." Wasp shook his head. "Why not hang out with me for a while? Maybe they'll leave you alone for a while."
"You think so? Well, I've got nothing to loose."
"Alright then, I guess this makes us friends."
--
As Bee and Wasp strode down the hallway, chatting contently, they were unaware of a certain Cyberninja keeping an optic on them. Jazz grinned as a group of Autobot recruits looked over at the pair, suspicious looks on all their faces. Darting off into a side corridor, he made is way through several dark and secretive hallways until his came to a door labeled, 'Ultra Magnus' Office'. The doors slid apart, revealing a dimly lit room that was sparsely furnished. The only things that weren't shrouded in darkness were a large desk and chair that sat in the center of the room and were lit by a large spotlight from somewhere high above the floor.
"Yes, Jazz?" A deep voice said from the chair, as it swiveled around and two piercing blue optics looked at the ninja.
"Ultra Magnus, sir," Jazz said, saluting before continuing. "It would appear that the recruit known as Wasp is developing a friendship with another recruit."
"Ah, good. He's ahead of schedule," The large mech said, standing from his seat. "He'll be able to do the Initiation Ceremony sooner than I thought. Splendid."
Jazz nodded. He knew and remembered what the Autobot Elite Guard Initiation Ceremony was…Those two, Optimus and Sentinel, were scheduled to perform theirs soon. "Shall I speak to him the next time I get the chance, sir?" Jazz asked.
"Yes, yes, the next time he's alone, pass the information and this along to him, will you?" The Autobot commander handed Jazz a small, invitation-like data pad.
"Yes, sir."
"Very good. Dismissed. I must get Optimus and Sentinel's Ceremony ready. They've decided to do it as soon as the scientists give them the green light."
Jazz grinned, and as he strode off, he commented, "I almost feel sorry for their little pal, Elita…Almost."
--
"So, Wasp, what's your excuse for joining the Autobots?" Bee asked. The two were seated in the Mess Hall, happily ignoring the stares they were getting from the bots around them.
"Well, my creators told me they knew that I'd be a gunner from the moment they got me my first weapon unit, and they wanted me to be able to get out there and experience the galaxy, so they suggested I join up. I'm training to be an Elite Guard Marksman, y'know."
"Really? I'd be shocked if I was ever recommended for that." Bee replied. "I'm just here to get some status, y'know, become somebot who's harder to push around."
"Well, if you need any help with that, let me know." Wasp said, grinning and looked up. "Hey, isn't that Optimus and Sentinel? Where's Elita? She never goes out without those two." Indeed the two mechs appeared more sullen than usual as they shuffled around, looking a little lost without their female friend.
Bumblebee shrugged. "Who knows? Not like it concerns us."
"Hmm. You're probably right." Wasp replied, but he couldn't get this nagging suspicion in the back of his processor that something was up…
--
After the two friends went to their respective rooms, Wasp flopped down on his recharge berth. Tossing and turning, he finally sat up and strode out of the room. Sentinel was bunked next door, and Wasp wanted to know what was going on.
As the mech was about to knock on the larger mech's door, it slid open unexpectedly, causing Wasp to stumble back a few paces. Sentinel stood in the doorway, a solemn look on his faceplates. "Oh, it's you," The blue mech grunted. "That one mech. Wasp, right?"
"Yeah…"
"What do you want?"
"I wanted to say that I noticed Elita wasn't hanging out with you guys today. Something up?"
"How's that any of your business?" Sentinel asked angrily, but with a remorseful expression on his face.
"It's not, but call me a busybody. Hey, why are you up so late anyway?" Wasp asked.
"Huh." Sentinel snorted. "Well, in case you were wondering, Optimus and I were recently promoted to the Elite Guard, so we're both moving our stuff up to our new rooms." He gave a half-hearted smile. "Ultra Magnus'll be announcing it tomorrow."
"Oh. Well, congratulations!" Wasp replied. "I'm thinking I'm going to be right behind you on the Elite Guard thing."
Sentinel frowned. "You're friends with that loser, Bumblebee, right?"
"He's not a loser, but yes."
"If I was you," Sentinel growled, turning back into his room and grabbing a box before facing Wasp again. "I'd forget about getting into the Elite Guard if you really cherish your friends." The blue mech strode off with the large box before Wasp could get another word out of him.
'What was that all about?' Wasp asked himself as he leaned against the wall. 'If I cherish my friends, I should forget about the Elite Guard?' He shook his head. 'No, he's just trying to get to me! I'll never stop trying to get into the Elite Guard! That's my goal in life! But still…' He pondered. 'Why did he look so sad when I mentioned Elita?'
--
Indeed, Ultra Magnus did announce Sentinel and Optimus' ascension to the Elite Guard, and there was talk amongst their numerous friends that there was to be a party in their honor. However, there were many questions to Elita's sudden disappearance. While Sentinel refused to speak of the matter, Optimus had told everyone Elita had been transferred to another Autobot training facility on another planet, but Ultra Magnus had sworn them both to keep her location secret, so as to deter her multiple friends from interrupting her studies. Almost all the bots Optimus told this to were convinced by this claim.
Wasp had just gotten out of recharge, when there was a knock on his door. It opened to reveal Jazz standing in the doorway. "Commander Jazz, sir!" Wasp said, springing up into a salute. "What brings you to my room?"
"A message from Ultra Magnus." Jazz replied. He handed Wasp the invitation. "Ultra Magnus expects you at his office at the time printed on the invitation. Let no one follow you." The ninja stalked out without another word.
--
"Wow, Wasp, you really got accepted into the Elite Guard!" Bumblebee said, slapping his friend on the back. "I knew you could do it!"
"Thanks, Bumblebee." Wasp replied. "Wow, I can't believe it either…" Wasp frowned.
"What?" Bumblebee asked. "I thought you'd be happy, now that your life's goal is about to be realized."
"I am, but…" Wasp said. Should he tell Bee about what Sentinel had said?
"But what?"
"Well…" Wasp explained what the latest Elite Guard mech had said to him a few recharge cycles back.
"Oh, he's just trying to scare you, Wasp!" Bee replied, waving the issue away dismissively. "He's just scared you'll just become Second in Command, and you'll be able to pay him back for his past deeds!"
"Hah, I guess you're right, Bee." Wasp replied, grinning. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."
--
Later that day, Wasp stood in front of Ultra Magnus' office, nervous and excited right down to the core.
It was Jazz who met him at the door. Looking up and down the corridor, the mech pulled Wasp into the office. Seating the green mech down in a chair, he backed off into the shadows. "Welcome, Wasp." A voice said, as the chair turned to reveal Ultra Magnus sitting in it. "I trust you are satisfied by the appointment time?"
"Yes, but is it really necessary to make it so late, sir?" Wasp asked.
"It's an extra precaution, Wasp. You need not worry about that."
"Sir?"
"Well, here's the truth, Wasp: The Autobots have a little…tradition. In order to join the ranks of the Elite Guard, you must pass a simple test." Ultra Magnus looked straight at the mech's optics. "Think you could handle that?"
"I'm sure I'd be able to do that, sir. What's the test?"
"Well, it differs from bot to bot, but we're taking care off the details. All you need to know is that when you and some other recruits go on a routine training mission, all you need to do is heed my advice: Leave him behind or, better yet, finish the job. Don't question the words, just do it. Also, this meeting is classified, so no telling anyone anything that went on here. Am I clear?"
Wasp gave the mech a confused look, but nodded.
"Excellent. You are dismissed." Ultra Magnus said.
As Wasp stood to leave, he said, "Sir?"
"Yes?"
"How did Optimus and Sentinel get into the Elite Guard? You said we had to pass a test or something…What was theirs?"
Ultra Magnus merely smiled. "That's classified, but I will say this: they passed their test with flying colors. Don't worry, Wasp, when the time comes, you will know what you must do."
--
As Wasp strode back to his room, a whirlwind of thoughts filled his processor. Sentinel's voice mixed with Ultra Magnus' in his head, and their words echoed throughout his mind…it was all so confusing.
As the door to his room opened for him, he stopped in his tracks. "Bumblebee? What are you doing in my room?" He asked, striding over to the mech who appeared to be dozing off in a chair.
"Huh? Oh, I was going to give you a little something before you moved to the Elite Guard bunks, but you weren't here, so I waited for you." Reaching into his subspace, he pulled out a shiny metal object.
It was the Elite Guard insignia, welded neatly together from several smaller bits of metal and painted very neatly. "That crazy Medic Ratchet gave me the idea for this." Bumblebee said modestly. "Like it?"
"Wow, Bee, you did this?" Wasp smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem." Bee replied, grinning. "I did sorta hurt myself while welding though." He held out his other hand where there was a large burnt area on his palm.
"You klutz!" Wasp laughed, slapping Bee on the back of helm playfully. "You went and injured yourself just so you could get me a present!"
"Yeah, well, as long as you like it, it's worth it." Bee chuckled in response. "So, are you moving out soon?"
"Naw, my acceptance into the Elite Guard isn't officially yet. I have to pass some sort of test."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it." The mech gave a small yawn. "Right, I should be getting off to my bunk. See you later, Wasp." The yellow mech strode sleepily out of the room.
--
The next day, Sentinel Minor, as he was now called, approached the two. "Oi, you two." He growled. "Ultra Magnus wants you both on my squad for combat practice. Meet me outside after you guys are done fueling up. Don't be late."
"Man, what a pushy jerk…" Bee muttered as soon as the mech was out of hearing range. Wasp nodded, but thought about what Ultra Magnus had said. 'He'd been right about the training exercise, but…'
--
Soon enough, they were out in the training area, milling around with several other recruits who, not surprisingly, weren't giving Wasp strange looks as they were in the same boat as he was.
"Alright, you slags!" Sentinel snarled from the head of the group. "Ultra Magnus put me in charge of whipping you little scrap heaps into shape! So we're doing a little combat exercise in the form of a free-for-all mêlée match! You'll be divided into groups of two, and each group must try to tag their opponents with as many of these paint grenades!" He passed out ten grenades to each recruit. "There will be refills scattered around the field should you run out of ammo. The team with the least amount of paint on them by the time I say stop will NOT have to do one hundred transform-ups. Now get into partners!"
Naturally, Wasp and Bee stuck together.
As Sentinel passed the two, he grinned evilly at Wasp, as if he knew something he didn't. Wasp frowned. Ultra Magnus' words were coming back to him… ''Leave him behind'? How odd…I wonder what he meant by that.' He thought as Sentinel informed the groups of recruits to scatter throughout the playing field.
As the pair trudged through the ruins, the tell tale alarm that signaled for them to begin sounded off from where they had come from.
--
The session went on without much incident, save for the two tagging several unsuspecting pairs before ducking out of sight. As they sat huddled behind some debris, a loud voice sounded from somewhere. "Attention all Autobots!" Sentinel's voice came on the loud speaker. "We are under attack by three Decepticon fighter jets. This is not a drill! Report back to the starting point as quickly as possible. Do not engage the enemy, repeat, DO NOT ENGAGE THE ENEMY!"
"Slag!" Bee said, irritation and awe in his voice. "I wonder how those Decepticons found us?"
"Well, once we get out of here, we can figure that out." Wasp replied breathlessly, shoving Bee forward. Looking back, he could hear the hum of jet engines. "Quick, in here!" Wasp said, pointing Bee towards a partially ruined building. It was wrecked, but it was enough to provide them with cover, at least for now.
Poking his head from behind a pile of rubble, Wasp spotted a shadowy form scuttling on eight legs a short distance away. Four red optics shone as it looked around. " Hmmm…" It hissed. "Nothing here." Wait a minute, its voice sounded so familiar…But Wasp couldn't ponder any more, because an ominous rumbling had filled the structure.
Diving out behind a large slab of metal, he suddenly realized Bumblebee was nowhere to be found. "Bee? Bee, where are you?!" Wasp called, not caring if the enemy saw him. Dashing into the collapsing structure, he dodged falling bits of debris until he heard a loud crash and a cry of pain. "Bumblebee!" Wasp yelled, narrowly avoiding a chunk of metal that nearly crushed him.
"Wasp!" Bee called. "I-I'm stuck!"
Wasp soon saw that Bee was right. The mech's legs were caught under a pile of collapsed metal that appeared to have come from the roof. "Wasp, a little help here?" Bee said, trying to pull himself out from under the massive pile.
As Wasp stepped forward to help his friend, he froze and Ultra Magnus' words echoed through his mind. 'This is what he meant when he told me to 'leave him behind'!' He thought in horror.
"Wasp, what's wrong? Bee asked frantically, yelping as he was peppered with shrapnel. "Please, Wasp, help me!"
"I…I can't."
"What?! Why not?!"
"This," Wasp said, voice cold. "Is what Ultra Magnus told me must happen if I want to join the Elite Guard."
"You mean," Bee gasped. "THIS was your test?!"
"I didn't know, Bumblebee, honest…" Wasp replied, remorse in his voice. "I'm sorry." He ran out of the collapsing building, never once looking back, even as the building came tumbling down on the mech that was once his best friend.
--
It had been nearly a day since the building had collapsed. Bee had been presumed dead, and Wasp was admitted into the Elite Guard a few days later.
However…
A lone jet circled the desolate ruins the Autobots used as a training ground. 'Starscream to Megatron', the jet said over his com-link. 'I'm picking up an energy signal. It's faint, but there.'
'Very well, Starscream. Dig the poor bot out, and I'll send Lugnut and BlackArachnia over there in case you need backup.'
Landing, the mech began sifting through the rubble, looking up and around in case there were an Autobots about. 'I wonder…' Starscream though. 'Is this another casualty of that sick 'test' the Autobot Elite Guard thought up?' After a few more minutes of digging, Starscream heard a faint whimper come from directly below him. Shifting several large bits of rubble, he soon came face to face with a very battered mech. His armor was covered in dried energon and dust, his optics were offline, and he was very still. Gently, the mech pried the smaller mech free from the rubble. "Hey…Hey, wake up." Starscream said, shaking the mech slightly. He gave a sigh of relief as the mech groaned and his optics flickered to life. "Oh good, you're still functional."
"Huh?" Bee groaned, and his optics fell on the mech's insignia, which was a red Decepticon symbol. "Y-you're a Decepticon…"
"Well, yes, I know that." Starscream replied, grinning. "And I'm guessing you were left for dead."
"Yeah…" Bee coughed. "W-wasp, he…" The mech was cut off by the crackle of electricity. Starscream looked up, to see two sad blue optics looking at him from the shadows.
"Hands off my friend." Wasp snarled, as he stepped into the light, his stingers at the ready.
"Ah, so you're the one who discarded your friend to get a spot in the biggest farcical group in history. Bravo." Starscream growled, null rays at the ready. The jet stood protectively over Bumblebee, who looked ready to pass out due to exhaustion at any moment.
"Well, I came to get him back, now move it!" Wasp snarled.
"I don't think so." A female voice hissed, and a large glob of webbing ensnared Wasp.
"W-what the-?" Wasp turned to see a femme striding towards him, a huge green and purple mech right behind her. "You!"
"Yes, me." She replied, smiling. "The name's BlackArachnia, ah, but you remember me as Elita-One."
"Elita?!" Wasp gasped. "What happened to you?"
"The same test you took." BlackArachnia said. "Optimus and Sentinel 'volunteered' for me to be a test subject for the Autobots' latest experiment, and I became this. The Decepticons took me in, despite my appearance." Her optics narrowed. "The victims of this horrendous test, I feel, are free game."
"No! I came back for him! I went looking for him!" Wasp snarled, trying to break free of the fibers.
"Tough!" BlackArachnia spat. "Megtron's orders are to recruit any bots that were victims of this initiation ceremony, so too bad!" Striding past Wasp, she transformed into her alt mode. "Let's go. I'm sure that this little guy needs medical attention."
Wasp could only watch at the one known as Starscream picked up his unconscious friend and flew off, followed by Lugnut with BlackArachnia following them on the ground.
--
Bee awoke in an unfamiliar Med Bay. His injuries had been patched up, and he lay on a comfortable recharge berth. Sitting up, he saw he wasn't alone. Another mech stood nearby, looking over a clipboard. The jet looked and Bumblebee and smiled. "Ah, you're up. Good."
"W-What happened?" Bee asked.
"Well, we took you back to our base for repairs." The mech said, walking over to the younger mech. "The name's Starscream."
"Bumblebee." The yellow mech replied.
"You just rest. I'm sure you'll be wanting to get back to the Autobots soon."
"Oh no, I'm not going back there." Bee replied bitterly. Wasp had betrayed him…there was no point in going back there where he'd never have another friend…
"Ah, well, that's your choice. Let me know if you need anything, then." Starscream said. "I have some business to attend to, but let me be the first to welcome you into our little family." The jet strode out of the room.
Bee lay back down on the berth, sighing contentedly. So he was going to be a Decepticon now, huh? They seemed a lot nicer than the Autobots, and even went as far as to treat him like family. "I think I'm gonna like it here." He muttered, powering down his optics and falling into recharge.
--
A/N ACK. This is longer than most chapters in 'Wormhole', which I have to star working on, as in, NAOW.