Title: Flesh and Energon

Chapter: 2

Author: SomethingIDontknow

Rating: M (For violence, technically gay romance (sex?), and mentions of rape and imprisonment.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, that's Mr. Michael Bay's. (And Hasbro, I forgot them last time.) Lucky.

Author's Note: Second chapter, huge achievement. For me anyway. And maybe you, for reading this far. I forgot to mention in the first chapter, but a grand and paradey thanks to my fabulous beta, AprilRyanMyFriend. (Actually, my friend, but whatever). Please, read and review and you have my eternal, undying love. I'll also have to beg your forgiveness for my lack of technical terms. I know computers… not bots. But im learning as fast as I can.

Summary: Some questions get answered and Codebreaker's technology rouses more difficult ones.

Bumblebee knocked lightly at the door to Optimus' personal room. "Come in," came the soft response. "Hello." the smaller bot mumbled, pushing the door open and taking a hesitant step in. "Is something wrong?" the Prime asked, turning away from his monitors. "I just feel bad- bringing the enemy- home." Bumblebee said, looking up at his leader and mentor, "I should have known."

Optimus Prime smiled down at his student, resting a massive hand on his narrow shoulder. "You saved a broken bot. if you hadn't brought him in, he might be dead or worse, back in Decepticon hands." he squeezed Bumblebee's shoulder lightly, comfortingly, "he can help us. And he's proven willing so far. Why don't you keep an eye on him for me?"

Bumblebee looked up sharply, his expression a mix of surprise and excitement. "Yes, sir!" the smaller bot said enthusiastically. Optimus laughed in his deep, reverberating way. Bumblebee beamed up at him and gripped the hand on his shoulder, squeezing excitedly before running out the open door.

Bumblebee ran straight past Ratchet, before skidding to a halt. "How is the patient, doctor?" he asked, grinning at his own use of the girlish voice. Ratchet hit the back of his helmet lightly with an open hand, "He's just fine, nurse." the bigger bot laughed, "He's resting in a recovery room." "Opti-mus- put me in charge- of him!" Bumblebee grinned eagerly. "Then go check on him," Ratchet gestured back, watching the young bot hurry to the recovery rooms. He knocked on his leader's door to report.

"Enter."

"Bee's awful excited about that new bot." Ratchet noted, closing the door behind him. "He likes helping. And I think he feels bad about bringing home a strange bot." Optimus replied, navigating a series of monitors. "What's this?" the yellow bot asked, looking around, "looking for more info on that new bot?"

"Yes, but I can't seem to find any account of him anywhere." the larger bot tapped at the table, "speaking of, how is he?" "Fine." Ratchet glanced anywhere but up. "Should I speak with him?" "We need to know whose side he's on." Optimus nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Bumblebee was already at his side when Codebreaker woke up, sitting on the edge of the steel table like bed he was lying on. Bright blue optics blinked twice. "did… did he get the node off?" were the first words out of the aching bot's mouth. Bumblebee nodded, "He was- very careful. You'll be just fine." Codebreaker sighed exaggeratedly, letting his head fall back. "Thank him, if you see him, please." he said quietly, looking up into the other's curious optics.

Bumblebee nodded.

"Are you my guard then?" Codebreaker asked with a weak smile. Another nod. "Opti-mus- is not- worried you will harm- us. He just wants- to make sure- you're safe!" Bumblebee smiled brightly and Codebreaker grinned dimly. "Is… is he a good bot?" the latter asked after a moment, "I mean, are his punishments… harsh?"

Bee gave a few confused crackled sounds. "He would never hurt us!" he said, petting Codebreaker's hand, "he is- my leader- and he is the best- bot- I know!" "And 'he's' got a few questions for you, young one." a deep voice said from the doorway.

Both boys turned to find Optimus standing in the doorway, looking gently severe. "Im glad you're doing better, young Codebreaker, but I need to know exactly what you did for Megatron." "Exactly?" the small, white bot asked meekly.

"Exactly."

"What kind of code did you write for him?" Optimus asked, taking a knee besides the low table Codebreaker lay on. The smaller bot sat up with some help from Bumblebee. "I, um, I wrote code and developed… well, they weren't weapons, exactly." he looked up at Optimus, "the first thing I did for him was the bot hacking code." the bigger bot frowned, "and this was designed to-?"

"It allowed the user to force their way into the hard drive of any bot. You could retrieve any information they possessed."

"That was your work?" Optimus asked quietly. At Codebreaker's nod, he proceeded to ask, "What else?" Codebreaker looked away. "I did some weapons upgrades. A program that induced tormentive nightmares. He used my work to torture and wheedle information from prisoners."

"But that's not all, is it, young bot?" The older bot put a heavy hand on the smaller bot's shoulders. Codebreaker blinked a few times, looking up at Bumblebee, who buzzed encouragingly.

"No. He, Megatron, tested the hacking code, everything I did, on me." he shivered, "it… it's horrible. And when I realized how… traumatic it was, I wished I had used a gentler way. It… rips your mind open, bares everything in you to the user. Every secret thought and stray desire was known to him. Every fault and lie and mistake lay bare before him. I had heard a little about the human race, though he tried to limit my external access. This feeling… they had a word for it. Rape. It was mental and physical and something horrible. And I knew he knew what it did to me. It bound me to him so tightly, in my torment. In the knowledge that he had broken me so completely."

The young bot blinked his optics rapidly, gripping tight to the hand Bumblebee wrapped around his. "After that, I knew I didn't want to work for him. I didn't want to continue with any of my work. But he could force me. With what I had already given him, he could force my hand. And when the idea for the latest project came to me, I knew I had to escape. I couldn't let him have it. And he wouldn't stop until he had taken it from me." "And what was it that could possibly be so useful to him, beyond what you'd already done?" the Prime's voice held no blame, only honesty curiosity. But the words themselves laced Codebreaker with shame.

The young bot looked up into the Prime's optics. "I developed a body than ran on energon. And the devices which would allow a bot to operate the body from within. A synthetic human."

He shook his head slightly, releasing Bumblebee to clench his hands into fists, "I could make a bot human. And this bot could rally human forces, unite them. They could rip this world apart, without ever needing to fight you and your autobots. That's what Megatron really wanted from me. A way to destabilize the entirety of the human species." "And did you ever build this for him?" Optimus asked, as gently as he could.

"I started it. Enough to believe it would work. But they have no chance of building from what I left. I destroyed the lab." Codebreaker explained, his tone asking silently for approval.

There was a silence, filled with fear and hope and careful contemplation.

"I could build it for you." the small bot insisted, "You could use it to bring the humans to your side. A way to teach them that you can be as human as them. Just don't let him take me back, that's all I want. But… I'll understand… I mean, Ratchet could use the hacking code, wipe my hard drive. As long as Megatron never gets this technology." Optimus only smiled gently, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I don't mean to wipe your hard drive. Or give you back to Megatron." The older bot put a heavy hand on Codebreaker's shoulder, "all I ask is that you continue to develop technology, but that you do it for good. Help us heal and protect." Codebreaker nodded eagerly. "Of course… yes, sir." he said firmly, looking up at him, "I'll be the best bot I possibly can." "That's all we ask."