Well, hello there, my dearies. I don't seem to have any reviews yet, but I'm going to update anyway.

This chapter is mostly a set up chapter for the story's plot. Sorrry. :(

And, Alphatron-3 is one of my OCs, apparently. Honestly just came up with her right as I was writing this. She probably needs some work, but she's just in this story to be the gossipy yet very wise in the relationship department Aunt to Bumblebee. Because, face it, he needs some real help if he's going to ever get Sentinel.

Also, this story's rating is probably going to get bumped up soon. And it'll probably be sticky, too. :C I know some of you have issues with that, but I honestly can't write plug-n-play or sparkmerging as well as I can write sticky stuffs. :C I do think PnP and Sparkmerging is cute, but this story isn't exactly supposed to be cute yet. Well, I think it won't be cute. Haven't gotten that far in the planning yet. xD

And, my version of the Cybertronian newspaper is the Cybertronian Live News Feed, because they don't have paper and it would only be logical that news would be on the internet, then.

DISCLAIMER: Don't own Transformers, but I do own Alphatron-3! Who I just came up with tonight! xD


Chapter Two

There was one thing about monitor duty that Bee liked, and one thing only. Usually monitor duty at graveyard hours was grueling and aimlessly boring, but, since Megatron was safe inside a high-security prison in Kaon and the Decepticon threat was basically eliminated, no one expected much of the bots assigned to monitor duty. Slag, being put on monitor duty was usually a punishment, not a necessary job. To say that the victorious Autobots were smug was a big understatement. But, anyway, the one thing Bee liked about monitor duty was the fact that he could do something completely different and that had nothing to do with staring blankly at security monitors and get away with it.

Bumblebee scowled, wondering just who he pissed off to have to go through with this inhumane torture. His processors felt like they were jelly, and his neck hurt like the Pit. Behind this all, though, he knew exactly who he angered. Sentinel had never showed up to deliver Bee's punishment, but he had been assigning the yellow bot to all of the mentally-torturous jobs around the headquarters. Bee'd been terrified out of his processors as he waited for Sentinel's furious lecture back at his room, but, after he realized Sentinel wasn't coming, he couldn't help but to giggle about the situation. Especially how Sentinel said that Bee was "assaulting his commanding officer." If that's what they call it these days, Bumblebee thought with a lazy smirk.

He had not found any information about this "Elita" femme, either, and it was bothering him like no other juicy bit of mystery had before. There was nothing on her on Cybertron's Live News Feed, or in any of the datapads he'd poured over. The yellow racer sighed again, slumping in his chair to rest his head on the main computer's keyboard. My processor is going to melt if I have to go through any more of this, he thought rebelliously.

Bee found his processor slowly wandering back to Sentinel. He hadn't seen the Magnus since their, um, incident, and Bumblebee couldn't help but to think back at it with fondness. It seemed like, Bumblebee thought with horror, that he had developed a new attraction to the arrogant chin-bot. If someone told him a vorn ago that he'd have a crush on Sentinel Prime, he would've laughed harder than he'd laughed in a long time. But, here he was, daydreaming about those huge servos stroking his hip seams, those powerful arms holding him tightly, that warm glossa tangled up with his own… Bumblebee shivered, pushing down that train of thought before it got him into some real trouble. Monitor duty was hardly a good time to get aroused.

Bee sighed, glancing lazily at the monitors. Still nothing, he noted. Bee's faceplates soon found the keyboard again, and he effortlessly flicked at a random switch.

"Welcome to the Autobot Main Headquarters in Iacon. I am Alphatron-3, this facility's main battle computron. What would you like to do today?"

Bumblebee yelped when the robotic female voice boomed from the main console, pounding on random buttons to try and shut it down. Only officers were allowed on the battle computer!

"I would prefer it if you did not pound on my keys like that, sir. Is there anything you needed?"

Bee stared blankly at the screen, his mouth openly gaping and processor about to glitch. This computer was sentient?!

Alphatron-3 continued, "It seemed you were looking for information about a femme earlier? With your permission, sir, I can search my databases."

Bee continued to stare at the computer, astonished. After a few nanokliks, his faceplates formed into a wide grin. This was perfect! Iacon's Main Battle Computron was widely known as the fastest and most reliable computron in all of Cybertron! Alphatron-3 had been a marvel since before the war and had gained fame as the most expansive record library in the entire world. If anyone knew about Elita, it would be Alphatron! "You'd do that for me, Alphatron-3? That would be so helpful, you have no idea!" Bee exclaimed, his smile stretched from cheek seam to cheek seam. "… Wait a second. How did you know I was looking for info on her? I didn't say it out loud."

The computron made a strange clicking noise, almost like a chuckle. "My Processor Wave Detection and Analysis System allows me to translate your processor waves into the thoughts they create. With your head pressed against my keys like that, I could hear you perfectly." She paused as Bee gave her a horrified look. "Oh, don't be embarrassed. It was quite refreshing to listen to your budding romance with the Magnus. Quite scandalous, dearie. I'm impressed."

This is the weirdest battle computron I've ever met, Bumblebee decided. Hearing Alphatron-3's robotic femme voice talk like a gossipy femme Alpha was slightly processor-damaging. Bee opened and closed his mouth a few times, before he replied incredulously with a hint of an energon blush, "Thank you, I guess?" He paused, trying to word his next statement in a way that made him seem not interested in Sentinel. Wisely, he figured this would only prompt Alphatron-3 into saying bawdy, embarrassing, things. Not that he knew it yet, but these bawdy statements would be said anyway, the poor gossipwhore computron hadn't heard of something this scandalous in megavorns. "Um, have you found anything about this Elita femme yet?" He questioned lightly.

The femme computron observed his energon blush with an internal chuckle. "Only her military records, I'm afraid. Apparently she was in the Autobot Academy, until she unexpectedly offlined. There are no details about her deactivation, though, and, in my experience, no details on a terrible thing like that usually mean she was breaking some very important rule, and that resulted in her deactivation."

A wave of disappointment washed through the yellow compact, and he slowly slumped back to his earlier position, his faceplates on Alphatron-3's keyboard.

"Oh, don't look so down, dollface. It also says that she was grouped together with Sentinel dearest and a mech named Optimus Prime. His file says he was a top Elite Guard prospect, but they threw him out because of some random and unfiled discrepancy. And at about the same time as your little femme's deactivation, too! I spy with my little optics a little connection here."

Bumblebee visably perked up. "Optimus, really?! I know him! We were on a team together for a super long time! I'll go ask him!" The yellow subcompact stood up quickly, knocking is chair over in his haste and completely forgetting about his monitor duty. Alphatron-3 didn't feel the need to remind him. Young mechs like him deserved to be out having fun and enjoying their youth, not rotting away during boring monitor duty. Plus that and the computron had been waiting a long time for Sentinel to hurry up and get 'faced to unwind a little. His constant arrogance was grating on her processors, she noted with a sigh, pulling up her favorite romance datapad and settling down with a content whirr.


As Bumblebee sped down the major highway out of Iacon, he couldn't help but to notice the stares directed at him. They had easily recognized him because of his Earth alt. mode. The subcompact was very different from the sleeker, more angular Cybertronian alt modes. Bee huffed, and sped up a little more.

Optimus lived in New Praxus, the booming industrial city built above the ruins of its namesake. About an hour away from Iacon, it was quickly becoming the 'in' place to live. All the businessmechs lived there, this hip and new crowd influencing Autobots all around the planet with their sleek and colorful paint jobs and quick, efficient manner. The Alpha nobility looked down their noses at these nouveau riche, despising anything new and different. Instead, they sneered at the public as they slowly rebuilt their beloved Crystal Towers and ignored the growing force right beneath their noses.

Everyone knew that the New Praxian businessmechs were slowly overtaking the all-Alpha Senate. Their fair and just morals and concern for the lower class was a fresh, enlightening breeze to the regular voters. The question here was, when the New Praxians take over, how would the Alphas take it? Or would they try and snatch that power back by force?

Bee shuddered at the possibility of another war, because that's exactly what it could develop into. Alphas were rich, and all those displaced bounty hunters were screaming at the bit to get their hands into some more credits. Bumblebee wished the day that Lockdown and his followers were his enemies once again would never come. Quite frankly, the mech scared the slag out of him.

Speeding up, Bee erased all pessimistic thoughts from of his processer and raced his way to New Praxus.