Author's Note: Here is the next installment of the story! ;) Please leave me a review!!
Chapter 2
The sky on the horizon gradually grew brighter as colors of pink, orange, and yellow blended and melded together to create a beautiful sunrise. The frozen crystals left by the frost melted away as the sun gradually peeked over the world's edge, bathing the earth in a soft, golden glow.
The humans remained tucked snuggly in their bedrolls or covered under thick blankets on their cots, completely oblivious to their much larger companions that had been up before the crack of dawn to do individual tasks. Sleepovers were so much fun, Bumblebee mused as he checked on his smaller companions before sneaking back out of the rec room.
He headed out… it was his turn to go scouting.
The cons had been quiet lately and Optimus had suspicions that they were planning a possible attack. Time to go see what they were up to! Bumblebee drove at top speeds away from base, unaware of the mayhem that he was soon going to miss out on…
The twins were ready. They spent the majority of the night, gathering their supplies and plotting their revenge prank to the letter. All they had to do was remain completely unseen.
"Alright…his monitor duty ends in half an hour."
"What are we waiting for?"
They left their quarters and snuck down the hallway to Jazz's room.
"Frag…he changed his door code!"
Sideswipe looked at his brother with a smirk.
"I think our dear friend is a just a little paranoid…"
"You think he knows we are planning to get him back?"
"Most likely…hence the door code change."
Sunny worked on hacking the door code but swore when he tripped some sort of hidden alarm. He continued hacking and switched the alarm off.
"I'm pretty sure Jazz knows we are here."
"All we need to do is plant this holo-emitter and make a run for it!"
The door slid open and Sideswipe ran inside to plant their device while Sunstreaker stood guard just outside, feeling a little agitated the longer they stood there.
"Hurry up!"
Sideswipe raced past his brother with a short laugh.
"What are you standing there for? Let's go!"
The other twin swore beneath his breath and ran after his brother, both making it back to their room without incident. They immediately turned on their monitors, careful to hide their tiny cameras where Jazz would never find them…
About fifteen minutes later, their target ran down the hallway and slid to a stop outside of his door. He all but kicked the door down and flattened himself against a hallway wall, cringing as if expecting something to leap out at him. When nothing out of the ordinary happened…he proceeded to enter his room.
"Begin the countdown…"
Sideswipe hit a button on a remote controller and snickered to himself.
"5…4…3..."
"I can't wait to see the look on his face!"
"…2…1…"
The twins gawked at their video monitor in utter shock to see Jazz standing there in front of one of their hidden cameras with a triumphant grin, holding their now crushed holo-emitter in one of his clawed hands.
"No slaggin way…"
"This wasn't supposed to happen!"
They froze when they heard Jazz speaking through the ship's comlink system.
"Hey posers…you jus' failed epically! Prepare to feel terror like neva' befo!"
The camera was taken offline when Jazz reached up and ripped it from the wall.
"Well…"
"At least we have a plan B."
The twins shared a grin and snickered at the inside joke. They raced down the halls, careful to avoid Jazz and left the base.
:: Sunstreaker to Bumblebee…come in!::
Radio silence greeted them for a good two minutes before the scout responded back to them.
:: Bumblebee here…I'm currently engaged in a recon mission…what do you want?::
He didn't bother to keep the annoyance out of his voice as he crept closer to the Decepticon's last known location, which happened to be an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of a neighboring town about seventy miles out from base.
:: We need you to help us with something!::
:: Well you will have to wait until I finish my mission::
:: What if we HELP you finish it faster?::
Static answered back for a few seconds before Bumblebee spoke again, in a flat tone.
:: No slagging way. Bumblebee out::
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe pulled over to the side of the road.
"What are we doing parked on the side of the road?"
"Waiting"
"…for what? There is nothing out here!!"
Some cows "mooed" nearby, almost as if they were insulted.
"I stand corrected…there is nothing out here…but GRASS….and TREES…and COWS!!!"
"Just chillax, bro…Bumblebee is sure to finish within the next five minutes or so"
"How can you be so sure?"
"I just know these things…it's my gift!"
"You are such a retardicon…"
30 minutes later…
"That's it…I'm gone!"
Sunstreaker drove around the parked vehicular form of his brother and did a U-turn to head back to the base. Sideswipe honked at him to get his attention.
"I have Bumblebee on my scope!"
"Good job…you were only 25 minutes off..."
Sunstreaker drove away, leaving Sideswipe sitting there all alone.
Bumblebee soon appeared, driving at top speeds as if the entire Decepticon army was chasing after him.
:: SIDESWIPE RUN!!::
:: What? Why?!::
The growing sounds of police sirens soon reached his audios. Sideswipe swore and sped after the fleeing Camaro.
:: YOU BROKE THE SPEED LIMIT AGAIN?!::
:: I HAD TOO! The Decepticons caught on to me and I had to make a quick getaway!::
:: Wow…so they are STILL out in that dump they call a base?::
:: More or less…::
:: Prime won't be happy when he hears you broke the speed limit again…::
:: You won't tell him…right?::
:: Hmm…that all depends::
:: WHAT?! On what?!::
:: Helping us get back at Jazz for the prank he pulled last Halloween::
Bumblebee fumed for a few minutes, not at all pleased with this blackmail.
:: And if I say no?::
:: I think you know the answer to that…or shall I just call Prime now?::
:: NO! Okay…I'll do it!::
:: That's the spirit! Meet us down in the detention level…::
They reached the base and transformed, shutting off their comlinks since they no longer needed them now that they were walking side by side.
"Why are we going down to the detention level?"
"Security reasons…"
Bumblebee's optics lit up in understanding and he smiled mischievously.
"See you there!"
Sideswipe cackled maniacally the moment the young Autobot scout was gone and rubbed his hands together in anticipation before hunting his twin down to tell him the good news.
About an hour later, the three younger Autobots convened secretly down in the detention level, escaping the notice of their comrades. Fortunately, they had fifteen minutes tops before Ironhide went on shift for monitoring duty…which meant that the cameras were currently in standby mode.
"Alright…so here is what we are going to do…"
Ten minutes later…
Bumblebee shifted uneasily not at all enthusiastic about this plan of theirs.
"I don't know about this. It just doesn't sit well with me."
The twins exchanged a guilty look before looking back at their younger friend.
"Come on buddy…at least it isn't YOU we are scaring this time!"
"True…but I don't know if I can be that mean to Jazz…"
"Are you sure about that?"
Bumblebee looked confused for a moment.
"What?"
Sideswipe confidently pulled out a data-pad and began to play old security footage they had found in the database archives when Jazz was preoccupied 'plotting' who his targets were going to be before he pulled his 'zombie-mech' prank on the twins the previous year.
"And let me see…Bumblebee would make an excellent target…I never did pay him back fo' puttin' that bucket o' paint ova my doorway!!"
Bumblebee stood stunned.
"He…he planned to prank me back last year… all along! THAT IS WHY HE NEVER TOLD ME BEFORE HE SCARED ME!!"
One of Bumblebee's optics started twitching as both shock and anger collided together in a furious storm.
"Payback will be mine…err…ours!!"
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Sunstreaker grinned triumphantly while his brother put the data-pad away.
The three left the detention level and snuck into Wheeljack's lab and set to work.
Fortunately, the scientist was currently overseas to observe the Japanese's new release of 'AI' robotics to the public, so his lab was all theirs.
5 hours later… (At 2 AM)
Jazz sighed as he returned to his quarters after his briefing with Optimus concerning his next mission based upon Bumblebee's most recent intel.
He went immediately to his recharge berth feeling rather drained and went to lie down for a while. He slipped into a heavier recharge than he had originally planned and awoke to the sound of…something…odd. It sounded like…BREATHING…and scratching and squeaking noises…
"Wha' in the…"
Jazz turned on a light so he could see just what was in the room with him.
He didn't get a chance to finish his confused statement since some freaky THING flew at him from the ceiling…no wait…multiple THINGS!!!
Jazz shrieked uncontrollably and ran for the door as tiny, screeching, LIVING, creature things swarmed around him.
"SWEET PRIMUS!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Jazz opened his door and ran out screaming shrilly as he hurried through the corridors of the ship as the dark swarm chased after him.
"SOMEONE HELP MEEEEEEE!!!!" Jazz shrieked as he transformed back and forth between car mode and robot form to try to outrun and outmaneuver the screaming creatures that were flying blindly around him in a panicked frenzy, now that they were out in the brightly lit hallways of the ship.
The helpless Autobot's shrieks and cries for help did not go unnoticed since Optimus, Ironhide, and Ratchet all stepped out from their quarters to witness the scene.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!!" Optimus shouted as both Jazz and the swarm of fuzzy brown mammals flew past his face.
"OPTIMUS!! GET THEM AWAY FROM MEEEEEE!!!!"
Jazz stopped, dropped, and rolled managing to lose the creatures for a moment and then began to run back the way he had just come from.
The twins and Bumblebee sniggered hysterically from where they were watching Jazz's panicked antics from one of the base's security monitors in the command center.
"I have to say…adding the bats to this prank, was a stroke of pure genius!"
"Yes, I am the evil mastermind behind this part of our plot, thank you."
Bumblebee laughed and took a bow.
"And to think…this is only phase one!"
"I wonder how he and the others will like the rest…" Sunstreaker sniggered wickedly from where he was currently leaning against one of the walls near the screen.
"It's OUR turn for payback!!"
Meanwhile…
Ratchet did a scan on Jazz while the saboteur ran past him and clicked in disgust. He followed after the panicked soldier and pulled a welding torch out of subspace and tackled the shrieking mech to the ground.
With a quick swipe of the welding torch, he destroyed the mini sonic-emitter that was planted on him. From what he could guess, the little gadget created some sort of frequency that spooked the bats into attacking Jazz…
"There now, all better."
Ratchet helped Jazz up to his feet with a small growl in his throat.
He knew who was behind this one.
With the help of Ironhide and Optimus, they managed to safely capture and then release the bats outside where they flew back into their natural habitat.
"Has that cave always been there?"
Ratchet grunted at Ironhide's question and turned to go back inside. Before he did he turned to look at Optimus with a deep frown.
"Sir, with your permission I will now go and give the twins a slow…torturous death"
A smirk appeared on Optimus's face and for a moment, the CMO thought he might actually grant him his request.
"Denied"
Ratchet swore and continued back inside but stopped with Optimus's next words.
"You may however…hunt them down and then throw them into the brig."
"I will help you!"
Ironhide and Jazz both volunteered simultaneously and ran after Ratchet who was already on the hunt. Optimus sighed and opted to remain outdoors and took solace, looking up at the stars in the sky.
He was a little surprised when Bumblebee came out to join him. The scout said nothing.
"Is there something you wished to discuss with me?"
"Not right now"
Optimus remained quiet, unsure of what to say.
"Are you alright, Bumblebee?"
He hesitated, as if he had a lot on his processor.
"I…suppose so."
"That did not sound very convincing," laughter was in Prime's voice as he turned his gaze on the youngling.
"I just…I had a question I needed to ask you…"
"Of course, ask anything"
Bumblebee hesitated, almost as if he was afraid to say what was on his mind.
"Umm…is that scary legend true? About Rawfist…and him getting turned into a vampire-mech?"
Optimus blinked a few times, completely taken by surprise.
"What?"
"The legend…the story the twins told me all those years ago…is it true?"
Optimus sighed heavily and looked back up at the stars.
Bumblebee fidgeted nervously next to him, afraid of what his leader was going to say.
"To a degree…yes, part of it is true."
Optimus shook his head as if trying to shake off a bad memory.
"There really was a scientist named Rawfist…and he did make an evil pact with unicron. And yes, he was transformed into something out of the ordinary but that is all that I know to be true. I believe most of that tale was twisted way out of context…so you need not worry yourself about such…troubling things. No one knows what happened to that mech…he disappeared mysteriously a few years before the Great War on Cybertron began"
"Oh…"
Bumblebee nodded in understanding, feeling a little better.
"Thanks Optimus"
"Anytime…now why don't we return inside to check on the others?"
The two walked quietly back in, side by side, neither aware just how true that nightmarish story really was…
TO BE CONTINUED!!