Author's Note: I made a Neko happy! (: yay. Yeah, sorry that this takes a turn for the worse. I don't think there's going to be much sunshine from here on out. My bad.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the Transformers, or Sam Witwicky, or any other human characters either. I just own the story.
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A year passed since the Autobots' trip to Hawaii. Sam was officially a sophomore at Princeton, which astounded him. He didn't think he'd survive long enough to get to his second year. The Decepticons hadn't made a single move since the car incident. They hadn't been heard from, NEST didn't have any new targets, nothing. Earth was...peaceful. Sam thought he'd never see the day. But sure enough, he'd managed to live through six months without getting assaulted a single time. The calm made him...uneasy. It seemed too good to be true.
Of course, other things hadn't gone as well for Sam Witwicky. Upon returning back to his dormitory the first night, Leo told him a package had been delivered for him several days earlier. It was addressed to him, signed by Mikaela Banes. He thought it would be a Christmas present or something like that when he opened it. A note sat tied to the box inside the package, folded and taped. Sam unraveled it and read.
"Sam, I'm sorry things have to end up this way. I can't deal with robot wars anymore. I'm trying to help my dad out and trouble seems to follow you wherever you go. I know I said nobody else could possibly be your girlfriend...but things aren't changing like I thought they would. I'm giving you back a few things. I'm sorry. I love you." The paper looked like it had water stains on it—had she been crying when she wrote it? They could quite possibly be from Sam though. He felt tears running down his cheeks. The box shouted, "C'mon, let me out!"
You're kidding me, Sam thought. Hesitantly, he undid the lock on the box with the key Mikaela had included in the package. The most annoying blue RC car burst from the box, shouting cuss words. Sam shook his head and groaned. "Not you."
Wheelie spilled out onto Sam's bed, "Hey, what the hell does that mean? Warrior Goddess didn't have to give me up, you know. We were perfectly happy together, unlike the two of yous."
"Why'd she send you?"
"She didn't want anything to do with the Transformers no more. She also stuffed me in there with this crap." He began chucking out cords, the webcam Sam had given her, among other things. "Boy, it must be rough. You got dumped by one of the hottest dames on this planet. I feel for you, man, I do."
"Shut up. You can stay with me, I guess. Just don't let my roommates see you. You might freak them out."
Since then, nothing much out of the ordinary had occurred. He actually took being dumped better than he thought he would. It certainly made him feel more comfortable (and a little less guilty) doing what he'd been doing with Prime. But being stuck with Wheelie certainly wasn't what he had in mind of his relationship's aftermath.
Sam had to take Bumblebee to the Auto Repair shop to replace every single one of his windows (he lied and told the mechanic that someone had thrown rocks through them). Optimus constantly need Bee back at the Autobot base (which was now much more local, in an underground storage facility by Lake Carnegie in the woods), so in the meantime, Sam simply told his friends his Camaro was in the shop and that his rental car was a Corvette Stingray.
He grew awfully close with Sideswipe over the months, even so far as to consider him a best friend. When he wasn't posing as his 'rental car', he was walking with him around campus. However, every single day Optimus Prime would show up in Christian Bale form to walk Sam to his classes. He hadn't seen Bumblebee for a while but Optimus attempted to calm his worries by claiming that Ratchet and the others needed him at headquarters.
Sam lay on his bed and ignored Wheels' complaints about his dorm. Leo came in from the other room and jumped at his computer, probably putting some stupid video on or some other propaganda website. "Hey, Sam, what are you doing sitting around? Don't you have class?"
He kicked a kitten calendar off the foot of his bed and sighed, "No, I don't. Sadly."
Wheelie began to complain in Leo's ear, but he simply pushed him away and continued to mumble "FTJ" to himself. "Aww, missing your robo-buddies? I'm up to my neck in videos from that stuff in Egypt a year and a half ago, dude."
"Sounds like fun." Sam rolled over and stared out his bedside window. He began to fall asleep before his cell phone buzzed in his pocket and snapped him awake; he had a new text message. He flipped his phone open—it was from Optimus.
"Come to the base."
Sam had no idea how to get inside the new base; he didn't even know where it was. Thankfully, he had Sideswipe with him. The Stingray brought him out into the woods by the lake where a small shack stood. It looked pretty unstable, like it could fall on them any second. His Robert Downey Jr. friend winked at him and lured him inside the hut to the center of the floor. His blue eyes flickered and Sam heard a confirming beep from somewhere below.
The floor underneath him began to give way, and a section of the wooden boards broke apart and lowered.
"An elevator?" Sam asked just to be sure.
Sideswipe nodded. "It can only be activated by an Autobot's energon signature. You won't be able to visit us anymore if one of us isn't with you. Sorry."
"Oh." The disappointment echoed in Sam's voice. To appear so ancient, the elevator descended quickly into a dimly lit chamber where it slowed to a stop. Two glass doors remained sealed in front of them and Sam looked to Sideswipe for what to do next.
"Oh right. Sorry, I'm still new at this." Sideswipe said. He bent over to a small panel by the door where a tiny camera quickly scanned one of his eyes. A chirp from the system echoed through the speaker and the doors slid open. The next room was much taller, the ceiling being about fifty feet high or so, and had a little more lighting than the one before. Sideswipe no longer looked like his famous counterpart, now standing at fifteen feet tall clad with Cybertanium arm blades. He was still shorter than Bumblebee and couldn't frighten Sam even if he tried.
"I hate all this procedure crap." Sam heard him mutter. "Optimus wants us to be checked for bugs every time we come in. Secrecy and confidentiality and all that."
After about five minutes, the next door opened (which was certainly tall enough for an Autobot to go through) and Sideswipe led Sam into a room that resembled a conference hall. There was a large table in the center, with an enormous chair at the head. Eight other chairs surrounded the table, the bigger ones toward the head and the smallest at the end. A door was on either side of the room across from one another. Sideswipe led him towards the right door, but Sam stopped him.
"What's past that door?" Sam asked pointedly.
Sideswipe looked over his shoulder at the other insanely large door and chuckled. "That's the way to the research bay and ammunition storage. Ironhide and Ratchet's playgrounds. This door goes to the Ratchet's medical ward and our recovery rooms."
"What does Optimus need anyway?" Sam continued to press Sideswipe for answers.
The Stingray didn't look very happy when he responded. "Well...he, uh, needs to talk to you about something."
Sam could tell that he was lying. Sideswipe was a terrible liar. After being led through a few more doors and empty rooms Sam thought weren't even being used, he was brought into a hall where all the Autobots awaited their arrival. Well...everyone except Ironhide, who Sam hadn't seen or really talked to since the events back in Hawaii. They were all in robot form, definitely using the tall ceiling to their advantage in Sam's mind. Bumblebee seemed upset and when Sam came in, his optics suddenly became interested in his feet.
"So what did you need? You texted me, right?"
"Sam, I'm concerned for your safety. This past year has been...quiet; too quiet." Optimus said, his rich voice melting Sam's insides. "The Decepticons haven't done anything in a while—I fear that they may be planning something much more dangerous. If they try to target me again, they will most likely focus on you as well."
"Okay, and? You guys have handled them before. Why is it such a problem now?" Sam asked, not bothering to look at Optimus. Even as a thirty foot tall robot, Sam's heart missed a beat when he stood face to face with the Autobot leader.
"Bumblebee has received many injuries while being your guardian. I believe it is in his best interest, as well as yours, that you receive a new protector."
He didn't see that coming whatsoever. Sam felt anger welling up inside. "What! What make you think that?"
"Sideswipe is knowledgeable in almost every single form of martial arts on Cybertron and returns from every battle unscathed. The others and I agree that he would be able to guarantee your safety in any situation. Bumblebee needs more practice, more training. Maybe after a few years with Ironhide, Bumblebee can be your guardian again." His voice remained calm although he could tell that Sam was getting angry.
"No." Sam spat. "No, no, no! I don't want another guardian, Optimus! I want Bumblebee!"
"You don't understand how fatal the situation may become, Sam. If we lose you..."
"No, Prime. I understand perfectly how serious things may get. Bumblebee has protected me up until now; I'm not dead, am I? Then he's doing a good job! I'm not willing to change up guardians. Sorry to turn down your offer."
"Sam." Optimus called in that same tone that Sam found difficult to resist. Somehow, he had the ability to ignore it. "Bumblebee has sustained too many injuries, requiring too many repairs. You've almost died in several battles. We—"
"I don't want to hear any more of this. I'm going back to school." Sam growled, turning towards the door.
"At least let Sideswipe drive you." Ratchet suggested. Sam was too angry to consort with any of the Autobots—they had all decided this together? For some reason, he felt betrayed. Optimus sighed. He had a feeling Sam would take it badly. Bumblebee warbled guiltily.
"No thanks, I'll walk. See you guys later."
None of them seemed to make an effort to stop him as he stormed out.
