Author's Note: Wow, another long chapter! I actually managed to do this one pretty quickly. The story is coming together now, and I owe a big thanks to everyone who has left reviews and comments! You guys keep me motivated :)


Chapter 8

Prisoner

Bumblebee was plotting a way to get his old life back, or at least to see if it was possible. He needed answers, and he needed to get out of Starscream's body! Still, as he stared down at the helpless humans he knew he hated this plan, and he knew he would hate himself after it was done.

Bumblebee didn't want to disturb the peaceful scene of a woman protecting her child, but he knew he needed her attention. That problem solved itself, however, when she looked up and saw his blood red optics staring back at her.

"Aaahh!" The woman screamed the instant she saw the Decepticon's face staring at her with a hard determined expression.

"Silence!" Bumblebee barked; already regretting the harsh tone he had with her.

Then Bumblebee aimed his null Ray at the humans and only by sheer force of will managed to keep his poker face.

"No!" The woman cried out, "Please, don't shoot! I beg you!"

"Calm down!" Bumblebee snapped, "You are now my prisoner. Do as you are told and I promise no harm will come to you or your child."

Bumblebee's spark ached when he saw the trembling form of the woman trying to shield her sleeping youngling. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. He didn't want to be such a brute. Still, he knew that her fear might work to his advantage. He needed her to appear to be in real danger if he was going to make this plan work.

He rooted around in Starscream's subspace and hoped he could find what he needed for the next phase of his half-baked plan. He found a small cage. That could be useful for making the humans look more pitiful.

He ordered the woman to get inside, and fortunately she obeyed without complaint. With that taken care of he just needed a way to transmit the image. Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps from a few feet away in the cave, and he saw a light! Uh oh! He couldn't afford to have the other Decepticons snooping around now!

"Commander Starscream!" He heard Reflector shout; his voice echoing in the cave, "Commander Starscream! Are you here…? In this spooky cave? Preferably without any organic monsters that hide in the shadows and eat metal…"

When Reflector finally made it to where Bumblebee was he looked up at his face and screamed! Reflector thought it was a monster.

"Ahh! Oh, Commander! Thank goodness it's you!" Reflector said in relief, "Why are you all the way back here in a cave? Everyone else left already. They made me stay behind and wait for you. Not that waiting for you isn't a privilege, sir!" He quickly added to avoid Starscream's ire.

The way the little camera cowered in fear at him made Bumblebee remember the way the poor little triplets were treated back on the Nemesis. He hated it that the Decepticons toyed with the weak like that. It wasn't right. After that thought though, Bumblebee got another idea…

"Say, Reflector, do you remember when I gave you and your brothers those cubes of high grade energon?" Bumblebee asked.

"Y-yes, sir…" Reflector answered warily; knowing there had to be a reason why he brought it up.

"Well, I was just wondering if you could do a favor for me?" Bumblebee asked as politely as he could, "I would really appreciate it, and it's for something very important and top secret."

Reflector took a deep breath and wished he could run away. He knew Starscream was probably going to ask him to do something painful or something that would get him in trouble with Megatron. He still remembered the space bridge incident. He honestly thought he was going to die that day just because Starscream wanted a guinea pig to test that stupid bridge!

Still, he was alone in a dark cave with Starscream. He knew that if he dared refuse the commander anything in here then they'd never find what little scrap remained of his body. He had no choice.

"Yes sir," Reflector replied; resigned to his fate, "Whatever you want. Top secret."

"Great!" Bumblebee exclaimed happily, "All I need you to do is film me while I send a message to the Autobots."

"The Autobots?!" Reflector practically choked on the words, "But why?"

"Shh! Top secret," Bumblebee whispered as he held a finger to his mouth plates, "Begin the video feed as soon as there's a connection. Oh, and make sure to keep that cage in the shot. I need them to see it."

Reflector looked over at the cage to see two humans softly whimpering and holding each other close. It looked to be a mother and son. What the slag was Starscream planning?


Optimus Prime looked at the footage with a sickening feeling in his logic processor. There was no denying what they had just seen. The Decepticons went into a peaceful village with no way to defend itself and demolished everything in their path.

Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, Inferno, and Red Alert were watching the feed live as the Protectobots broadcasted their rescue efforts. There were many wounded, and several dead.

Optimus lowered his helm in grief. Megatron had gone too far this time! They had to find a way to stop the Decepticons once and for all!

Just as these and more thoughts raced through his processor, Optimus noticed a distress call coming through on Teletran I. The odd thing about the signal was that it was both encoded to prevent location lock and also contained a visual feed; something the humans weren't capable of doing.

When he opened the channel he was both surprised and disgusted to see Starscream's smirking face staring back at him. The Decepticon had a spotlight on him, as well as on a cage with two hostages inside. The room they were in appeared to be very dark. After what had just happened, Optimus knew they would need to tread carefully; for the sake of the humans.

"Hello Prime," Starscream purred as he stared back from the other side of the screen, "I am calling about a very urgent matter concerning some humans I found while I was out."

"Spare us your games, 'Con!" Red Alert snapped angrily, "We know about the village you razed! You're all going to pay for this!"

"Alright then, I'll get to the point," Starscream said curtly; his smile gone and replaced with a look of fierce determination, "If you want these humans to survive then you will bring me 30 cubes of energon at the location of my choosing. I warn you, try anything against me and they will not survive. They are from the village, and they can attest to the seriousness of the situation."

Starscream then turned back to look at the humans, and the woman instantly cowered away from his intense gaze. The Autobots could all feel their energon boil from the anger they were feeling toward the Decepticon Seeker! Still, they couldn't formulate a plan until they knew what they were up against.

"Alright Starscream, you win," Optimus said solemnly, "30 cubes of energon. No tricks and you give us the humans...Alive."

"But of course, Prime. I am a mech of my word," Starscream promised ostensibly, "That being said, I have one more condition. I insist that the cubes be delivered by Bumblebee!"

Now that one caught the Autobots off guard! What in the universe could Starscream want with Bumblebee?

"No way!" Red Alert snapped at the Decepticon.

"No Bumblebee, no humans," Starscream's reply was sharp and left no room for argument, "I'm transmitting the coordinates now. I expect your scout to be there in 2 earth hours. Oh, and make sure the energon isn't high grade. No sense in the troops getting spoiled…"

With that the transmission was abruptly cut off. The Autobots now had an important decision to make. Should they allow Bumblebee to go off on this mission alone? It had to be a trap. This whole thing screamed trap! Still, the Decepticons had already killed today and would have no qualms doing it again. They had to at least try to rescue the humans.

With no choice left to them, Optimus and the rest of the group decided. They had to allow Bumblebee to do this.


Starscream was with Wheeljack, Skyfire, Sparkplug, and Spike working on a new fuel pump that would recycle partially degraded energon and allow mechs to function for longer periods of time without refueling. It was going well, and Starscream knew the Decepticons would be able to make full use of this once he was back on the Nemesis and away from these Autobots.

Truth be told, he wasn't in too much of a hurry to return to the Nemesis. Not in this body. The conundrum was that he needed his lab to figure out how to return to himself again, but if he tried to sneak aboard the Decepticon ship he would be blasted into little pieces of scrap metal. He didn't trust this weak little body in a fight. He needed the skies to be most effective.

He would never admit it to himself, but he was also enjoying his time with Skyfire. It had been so long since they had consistently worked on projects together, and their ability to complement each other's work seemed as strong as ever. It was nice to be respected without the threat of someone coming along to take your position (and your life).

The door to the lab opened and Optimus Prime came in. Starscream couldn't help but be a bit nervous. Even though he wasn't the Slag-Maker (as Megatron was often called) Optimus Prime was a worthy foe and not one to be taken lightly.

"Hey, Optimus!" Wheeljack greeted him amiably, "We were just about to finish up this fuel pump! I can't remember the last time I had so much help! Uh oh, that face means something's wrong. What is it, Prime?"

"Starscream has just contacted us," Optimus said gravely.

Starscream? Starscream thought in shock. But I'm right here! Wait! That yellow idiot really is in my body! I'll kill him if he's done anything to embarrass me in front of my fellow Decepticons!

"Starscream?" Skyfire asked; concerned, "What did he want?"

"He has taken two humans as hostages," Optimus replied; omitting the slaughter of the village for the time being, "He has demanded 30 cubes of energon for their safe return."

"A ransom negotiation for energon?" Skyfire asked skeptically, "That doesn't sound like Starscream. He's too ambitious to stoop to something like that."

What is that Autobot doing? Starscream thought; confused. He surely wasn't ordered to do this by Megatron. That tin-plated blowhard doesn't care if we all starve.

"I believe it is a trap because of one stipulation," Optimus replied carefully, "He demanded that Bumblebee deliver the energon alone. Now Bumblebee, I don't want to ask you to do this if you're not up for it. We will rescue the hostages whether or not you accompany us."

"I want to go! I accept!" Starscream said immediately after Prime finished speaking.

Starscream had finally figured out what was going on. The Autobot was as sick of this arrangement as he was, and wanted to meet up with him so they could figure a way out together. This was perfect! He would have his old body back, 30 energon cubes all for himself, and the disc with Teletran I's most confidential information! He was so happy he felt he could fly around the room without his wings!

"Optimus, may I speak to you for a moment?" Spike requested in a hushed tone so no one else would hear.

"What is it Spike?" Optimus asked once they were in the hallway.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I don't think Bumblebee should be left alone," Spike replied pensively, "It could be nothing, but I think Bumblebee might be working for the Decepticons."

"What makes you believe this?" Optimus asked without dismissing Spike's concerns.

"I think they might've done something to him during that fight a couple weeks ago," Spike clarified, "Ever since then he's been acting strange. At first I just thought he was having trouble with his repairs, but yesterday he asked me if I would join the Decepticons if he did. I'm not saying he's a traitor, but I am saying that we can't be too careful. At least send someone to watch him."

Optimus listened to Spike patiently. He didn't like to admit it, but he too had seen the changes in their little scout. Bumblebee was a changed mech. Maybe the Insecticons got to him, or maybe Megatron had something to blackmail him with. Whatever the reason, Bumblebee wasn't the same, and he actually might betray the Autobots.

"Alright, Spike. I'll send Trailbreaker to keep an optic on him," Optimus conceded, "I just hope he doesn't find anything incriminating. At the very least, Bumblebee will have some help if this is a trap."


Bumblebee paced nervously outside the cave. Reflector was allowed to return to the Decepticon base after the broadcast, and the only sound Bumblebee could hear was the wind over the cliffs and the soft lullabies the human mother was singing to her sparkling.

This was going to be the moment of truth. If his body was still alive and inhabited by Starscream then maybe he could convince the Decepticon to give him back his old body. He didn't know if he would survive, or what would happen to him afterward, but he just didn't care anymore. He would die if that was what it took to be an Autobot again. He only hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Another chilling thought also crept into his processor. What if his body was dead and the Autobots just didn't tell him to avoid giving out negative information about their position to the Decepticons? He supposed if the cubes were delivered by another Autobot instead of Bumblebee then he would know.

It was getting hot. The wind didn't so much cool things down as it did punish those who were already too hot with dust and blasts of heat. Bumblebee could see the two humans were dehydrating. He looked at his internal chronometer. He still had time before the rendezvous. He flew to a nearby river and filled an empty cube with water. He hoped the water was clean enough for them to drink.

When he flew back the woman flinched when she saw him. He understood why she was still so afraid of him, but it still made him feel terrible.

"Here," Bumblebee said as he opened the door to the cage and set the woman on the edge of the cube, "You and your son can drink this."

The woman looked back at him from her perch on the cube. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but no words came. After a few seconds she reached into the water and grabbed a handful. Bumblebee wasn't surprised when she gave her handful of water to the child so he could drink first.

As soon as they were both satisfied, Bumblebee looked back at their empty cage. He knew he should put them back. He needed them for the trade, but he hated to cause the poor things any more distress.

"Excuse me?" Bumblebee addressed the humans as softly as he could, "I need you to go back into the cage. The Autobots will be here to get you soon. It won't be long before you get to go back home."

The woman's face was pure confusion. She didn't know what to make of this mech. Why was this monster pretending to care about her? Why would he bother to show her any kindness after destroying her town and killing her husband?

"Sir, why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" She asked gingerly; hoping to avoid the mech's wrath.

Bumblebee didn't want to get into the confusing details that he barely understood. He couldn't talk to a stranger about being in another mech's body. Instead, he went with the more technical explanation.

"The Decepticons will starve without energon," Bumblebee explained, "I'm trading your freedom in exchange for energon from the Autobots. They have agreed to my terms, and you will be set free shortly."

"Yes sir, but...Why did you destroy my home?" The woman asked miserably, "What did we ever do to you?"

"Nothing," Bumblebee's answer was barely above a whisper, "Megatron orders an attack, and his troops attack. That's all there is to it. No grand ideals, no heroic reasons, and in most cases no remorse. Just soldiers obeying the orders of their tyrannical king. I wish this senseless war would just stop. I'm so tired of this…"

Bumblebee then offered his hand to help the woman and her son get down from the cube. She slunk back to the cage without another word. It was clear that neither of them wanted to talk about this anymore.

Just then, Bumblebee heard engines in the distance. It sounded small. Yes! Maybe this was Starscream in his old body!

He ran to the edge of the cliff and saw the glorious sight of a little yellow Volkswagen chugging along down the dirt path!

His excitement soon gave way to nervousness. What if Starscream had planned this all along? What if he refused to help Bumblebee get back into his own body? What if he asked a steep price to cooperate? If he was asked to betray the Autobots he would have to refuse and stay trapped in the gruesome Seeker's form forever!

Starscream stopped in front of Bumblebee and turned back into his root mode with 30 glowing cubes of energon appearing behind him from subspace. He walked closer, and suddenly Bumblebee was at a loss for words. It was so surreal to watch as his body walked toward him; as his own face stared back at him.

"Well Autobot, I'm here," Starscream said without preamble, "And I see you actually managed to keep the humans restrained for more than 10 minutes. Nice job."

Starscream's sarcasm underlined the tension in the air, and the most obvious question: Now what?

"Starscream, please, whatever you did to make us switch bodies you have to reverse it! I can't live like this anymore!" Bumblebee surprised himself with just how desperate he sounded in that moment.

Starscream then snorted derisively and said "You seriously think I would sacrifice my beautiful body to go slumming around in this yellow trash can? I don't know any more about this than you do, but I can probably reverse the changes if I go back to the Nemesis and study this phenomenon with my own equipment. You have to take us there!"

Bumblebee, however, wasn't looking at Starscream anymore. He noticed a small black shadow up on the horizon of the cliff. He tried to not look like he was looking, but he surreptitiously scanned the silhouette above them. Sure enough, it was Trailbreaker, and he was watching them.

"I can't get us out of here," Bumblebee whispered, "Trailbreaker is right above us, and he's watching…"

"Hm…" Starscream thought for a few seconds before he spoke again, "I've got it! Take me prisoner!"

"Wha-?" Bumblebee asked obliviously.

"Stupid Autobot! Throw me to the ground, and point the null ray at my helm. Then yell out to him and tell him that you'll blow my processor to bits if he tries to follow us."

Bumblebee had to admit that it was a pretty good plan. Also, threatening Starscream would be easier than threatening humans. Of course, he knew he could never go through with it. It wasn't that he liked Starscream or anything, but he didn't want to damage his own helm. Besides, he had lived as Starscream, and his life was slag! Being a Decepticon was punishment enough.

Bumblebee inhaled an intake of air, steeled himself for another test of his acting skills and then roughly pushed Starscream to the ground!

Trailbreaker was about to fire, but Bumblebee shouted "Not so fast! I see you up there, Autobot scum!"

Bumblebee then pointed the deadly null ray to Starscream's borrowed helm and hollered "If you make one false move I'll frag Bumblebee from here to oblivion!"

It sounded really weird to say his own name in that context, but it seemed to work. Trailbreaker backed off, and Bumblebee finally had the advantage.

Bumblebee then grabbed Starscream's waist and pressed the blaster against his helm. It made him feel like a mugger, and he did not like this feeling. He just hoped he didn't misfire due to ignorance or something.

"Alright, Trailbreaker!" Bumblebee shouted to the top of the cliff, "I'm leaving, and Bumblebee is my prisoner! If you try to follow us, I'll kill him!"

"Good," Starscream whispered, "Now fly away before he calls for reinforcements."

Bumblebee had to stay in root mode to fly off and carry Starscream at the same time. He was slower this way, but he preferred it that way. Going too fast just meant getting bugs in his optics.

They flew away, and Trailbreaker ran down to rescue the humans. He noticed that Starscream had forgotten to take the energon cubes with him. So, he really was just after Bumblebee...but why?