I don't own TF.

A/N: This is TF The Animated Series, as seen on CN some-years ago.

As the team came upon the site where they had their last contact with BumbleBee, eveyone could feel a dread coming upon them. Even as they tried to contact their friend and teammate, he was unresponsive.

When they arrived, what they saw shocked them. BumbleBee was nowhere to be seen. There were obvious signs of a struggle. The ground was cracked and broken. The gaurdrail was bent into the shape of something that had run into it. There were also smaller signs, like yellow paint scuffed on the concrete and bits of black and purple auto-bot-like metal scattered.

"This..." Prime didn't know what to make of it.
"BumbleBee!" Sari cried out into the night, her warm breath making whisps form in front of her face.

...She receved no answer, save for the howling wind. It was the loneliness sound she had ever heard.

-XX-

When I became aware that I was online again, it had came as shock. I almost didn't believe it. The area around me was nothing but smooth metal and a cage-like door...It reminded me of a jail door that I often saw on Tv. There was a door and some sort of lock on it. My arms were cuffed above my head, the cuffs being fused to the wall itself, my wrists connected. I wasn't entirely unconfortable, since I was sitting on the floor. I tugged at my restraints, testing them.

My memory hadn't failed me this time. I knew everything that had happened, which made things look a whole lot worse.

There was a single light above my head, casting a halo light around me. Unfortuinantly, it did not reach farther out so I couldn't see what was beyond the gloom of the darkened room. Suddenly fearing I was alone, I called out, "H-Hey! L-Let me out!"

No one answered.

Whatever hope I had of someone answering, even if it was an enemy, wilted. My head dropped and I closed my optics, sighing. Optimus was soooo going to have my head for this screw up. But how was I suppose to know that I was going to be ambushed? Then again, if I had stayed at the warehouse, I probably wouldn't be in this horrible mess. But how could I have? There was nothing to hold my intrest. I needed to ride, to have some taste of freedom, no matter how stale.

I strained harder against them. I could feel my bolts and gears grinding against the metal of my armor, but nothing happened. My jopints sent sharp stabs of pain through the undercarrage of my chestplate. I tried to stand, but that turned out to be an awfully painful and awkard position and there was nothing I could even attempt to do in it. I grumbled and dropped back into my sitting position, drawing my legs into the position Sari calls...Criss cross apple sauce? I never understood that one...But she also called it the "Indian-style", whatever that means...

Footsteps echoed, sounding the approch of someone, though they were still a ways off by the sound of it. It was enough to draw me away from my musing and try to think of some other means of escape.

...Nadda...Nothing...

Glad that they hadn't heard the origanal tremble in my voice, I tugged on my restraints. They were sterdy, strong. It wouldn't be easy to break through these. But...Even if i make it outta these, how would i get past the bars? My optics traced their vauge outlines in the darkness.

Lights turned on, blinding me.

I winced, suddenly wishing I had just kept quiet and kept my head down. In this line of fire, being right in my enemy's hands, was going to get a little messy...Well, probably a lot.

"Are you confortable?" It was the bot I didn't know. He was nearly as tall as Megatron. He had broad shoulders, their metal gleeming eerily in the light. He was jet black, with trimming of crimson and gold. He was lean around the stomach, which was black with a red metal plate going around his waist. His legs were a bit on the bulky side, with gold trim running down his legs, two of them, in paralell lines.

"Whatever it is you want, I'm not givin' it to ya!" I glared defiantly at him, even though my servics were shaking. Starscream appeared at his side, just behind him. He didn't look pleased. Perhaps he was disgruntled?

"I only asked a question on your well-being, BumbleBee, not a question as to wheather or not you would cooaperate. Your cooaperation is not needed, just so you know." He gave me a fearl smile that sent shivers down my circuits.

My optics widened in horror.

I have no clue as to why I'm here. I don't know who this bot is, or what his intentions were. I don't understand why Starscream is with him. Working with him seemed likely, after all they both attacked me. But what were they planning on doing to me? Growling, i strained against my bonds, before an idea hit me.

Using my stingers might break these bonds and get me outta here. Charging them, I watched as he turned his back on me. I let the energy flow from my circuits and into the palms of my hands, before letting them trasform. I put eveything i had into it...

...Only to have it backlash. I felt the energy rebound and force its way into my body. The pain resounded through my being. I could feel it lossening my circuits, bringing on more pain. I howled in the agony.

After what seemed like hours, it stopped.

Panting heavily, I slumped againmst the cool metal of the cell's wall. My vision was coming and going, but all I saw the Decepticons smiling from outside the bars, at my expence. I glared, not caring how weak it seemed to be. My voice controler was frizzing, making me sound more like static. "What...in the...All-Spark's name...was that?"

"Oh, nothing much." Starscream seemed to sing.

"It is a machine I designed myself." Suddenly self-important, the bot smiled and chuckled, as though it were an inside joke, "It takes your energy and uses it against you so long as you're chained to it."

"And ...just who do you think you are?" In better control, my voice somehow sounded even and low.

With a quirked eyebrow, he said, "Well, this is awkward. I have yet to introduce myself..." He cleared his throat, "I am known by many names, across hundreds of galaxies. Here, I am called Shadowmaker."

"Shadowmaker?" I knew that name from somewhere...When it hit me, my optics widened in sickening horror."Weren't you a general in the-?"

"Yes. But, as you must know, an Optimus Prime had left me behind, leaving me at the hands of Megatron." There was a bitterness in his voice that soon went to a fondness. "He saw a greatness in me and saved me from my futile exsistance as an Auto-bot...Just as i will do with you, Shadowhawk."

"My name is BumbleBee!"

"Not for long..." He turned back to Starscream, who was fiddling with the controls on something I couldn't see clearly, "Begin the process."

With that, volts of electricity coursed throughout my mainframe. I couldn't stop my vocalizer from making the screams of agony and terror i was feeling. I didn't know what was going to happen, what was happening in these moments. I could feel my energy being drained, and suddenly feared for my spark. Could it withstand what was happening?

...too soon it didn't matter to me...

...Everything was going dark...They smiled down at me...my chains were released...Nothingness...

-XX-

It was already dawn, and the team was scattered throughout the city.

"I have a fix on his signal!" The med-bot shouted over their Comm. link.

It had been all night before he was able to locate down Bumblebee's tracker. The signal was undeniably weak and extremely small. He was lucky he hadn't accidentally skipped over it when scanning the areas for the frequency. Glad their leader had ordered these trackers be installed, he contiued, "Its on the other side of town, near the construction sites."

"What are we waiting for?" Demanded Bulkhead, making an illegal U-turn. He was seething with rage at those who had attacked Bumblebbe and was using that to fuel his temper, he was able to push aside the concer for his friend so he could focus on getting to him and not about what could be happening to him...

"We'll regroup then spread out." Optimus decided, turning left and headed twoards the construction site. Sari twisted in her seat, squirming with fear for her friend, knowing full well that he may be in serious danger.

"On my way." Prowl said through their link.