A Can of High-Grade and a Party Pack of Reefs

"It's strange that Miles didn't come in," said Sam, "but at least he's left us a bag of stuff. Hey, alcopops! I shall drink these upstairs!"

"Sam!" called Bumblebee from outside, sounding the horn.

"What - don't be a party - pooper, there's some for you too, 5 litres of Castrol GTX!" called Sam. He took the can out and waved it out of the open upstairs window to show it to Bee, along with the drinks, a PartyPack of orange Reefs.

"Yes, I can consume all that. I don't think you can drink all the others."

"You're challenging me to a drinking contest? You're on pal!"

There was a beep.

He turned around and his computer had switched itself on. By itself? No, surely Bumblebee must have known how to do it via a signal.

Why was his Autobot friend so anxious to speak to him? He opened up a page with a password, typed Bee's com-signal and typed:

"What's up?" on an e-mail. A reply came back.

"Sam, you're in danger! That bag's alive!"

"What, you think it's a Decepticon? I don't think so. It says "Currys" on it," he said to Bee who had transformed in broad daylight and appeared at his window, cannon at the ready.

Well, no-one was about. It was Sunday and they were all watching a movie or the big game. He dropped the can into Bumblebee's waiting hand.

"There's a signal coming from it."

"O.K." Sam looked in the bag. "There's an X-box 360 in it. They use signals." He took it out and plugged it in.

Then he remembered about Simmons saying, back at the Hoover Dam, how all their technology was engineered from Megatron and the All Spark had affected an X-box similar to this one when he had run into a car and dropped it in Mission City. Possibly it was the same one. This thought made him back off a bit.

He knocked the cap off the bottle on the edge of his computer desk as he'd seen his Dad do downstairs and had a drink. It was like orange soda.

"What're we gonna do?"

"Talk to it." Bee fired off a databurst of greeting in clicks, whirrs and beeps. "I won't shoot if you don't, please don't, high energy sources here."

"Won't it start firing missiles at you?" Ridiculously, Sam was spreading out his hands to stop them hitting his friend. The alcohol was taking effect already.

"I sincerely hope not. I'm talking Sparkling."

Sam looked at his drink. "Mine def'nitly is, but I don't think yours is buddy. Bubbles're not great in fuel lines, Mikaela says."

"No Sam, 'Sparkling' is the word we use for a baby robot. Which I think this is. Still dangerous but it seems to understand - it's not firing."

X-bot made the wake-up X-box noise and showed a missile on a tiny launcher, along with its little arms and legs and a red light.

Sam gasped and his eyes widened "Nononono, I'm not your enemy!"

"Please don't hurt my young human friend, he's soft, he could play games with you," Bumblebee sent. It put the missile away.

"What're you saying to it?" Sam asked, and Bee translated the last two databursts into English from Cybertronian for him.

"He could?" said X-bot. "Could - you - play - games?"

It had interfaced with the computer and learned English in 5 seconds.

"Yes I can" said Sam, trying to think what games he had. Were PC ones compatible?

"There are some in there." It indicated the bag.

Sam cautiously approached the bag and found Halo 3, Medal of Honour, Ace Combat 6, Black Hawk Down, Grand Theft Auto and Batman Gotham.

He put the bottle down and attached X-bot to the T. V. and the controllers. They started playing the first game, Bumblebee via computer link, and Sam passed out some party food from the bag, donuts, party pizzas, Jalapenos, chilli cheese nuggets, peperamis Oreo cookies and home-made brownies.

Bumblebee only had one Jalapeno as they were slightly gooey and no cream donuts, only a rainbow sprinkle one and a chocolate one with his can of oil, then he transformed back into being a Camaro. Sam called Miles:

"Hey bro I need your ass back here pronto, the bag you left me has got an alien X-bot in it and he wants to party!"

This brought Miles rushing back.

Craig said he had some chores to do and some things to chase up and enough party food at home.

Bumblebee was glad, he had met Miles but Miles had told him Craig was conspiracy sensitive and he did not want his cover blown to the whole neighbourhood by a panicked teen yelling that the government was sending a secret weapon against them. That way lay the police and possibly the ice-guns, and anyway he did not want to upset a young boy and a sensitive baby X-box.

They settled down to some serious gaming, eating and drinking. By the time Miles got back Sam was on his third bottle of Reef and all the colours from the games were coming back to his eyes prismed and bright like rainbows and sunsets.

It was like he really could fight giant robots, jump off a skyscraper, find the magic sword, save the world single-handed - and that they could win a war together.

X-bot was happy to go off with Miles, led by his hand down the stairs, for more X-box games and a promise to meet up with his new Cybertronian friend later, as Miles had chores to do as well, and home-study and he wanted to tell everyone in the group about the new crop circle and write it up.

Sam went out front to wave him off. 'Now why were there two figures of Miles and two yellow and black Camaros? Come to think of it, why have I chosen a car in such bright colours?' he thought.

He put out a hand to the hood to steady himself.

Ah yes, he hadn't. It had chosen him.

"Sam?" Bumblebee opened his door as Miles faded out of view. Sam didn't nearly fall on him like this when they were not in battle.

Sam got in. It seemed the right thing to do. Or was it? Somewhere alarm bells were going off. He shouldn't be in the car like this. He backed off from the steering wheel.

"Sam, are you O.K?"

Suddenly Sam realized he wasn't. He couldn't stay upright and he was going to be sick. He opened the window, stuck his head out and blew chunks all over the lawn.

Bumblebee called Ratchet emergency-wise. He didn't feel too well himself but he had to save Sam. Being able to analyse the atmosphere inside and outside his cab he lowered the other window to get rid of the smell. It was acidic and overpowering.

Ratchet's voice came over the radio on speaker.

"What's the emergency Bumblebee?"

"Sam's leaking and I think he's going off-line."

"Breathing?"

"Uh-" Bumblebee tried to get at the data from his scanners.

"Concentrate soldier, do you detect any chest movement? Is there more carbon dioxide near him?"

"Yes." Now able to access his scanners, Bumblebee databursted Sam's life sign stats to Ratchet.

"See if you can get him to lie on his side."

"Sam, lie on your side!"

Sam did. It seemed strange but an easy command to obey, and he drained out.

"Sorry Bee," he gasped out as everything seemed to be spinning.

"Are you crashed?"

"No."

"Thank Primus for that! I'm coming!"