Author's Note: Oh, wow! This is a bittersweet moment for me. The moment when I post the last chapter and have to write "The End". On the bright side, I actually finished the story. I hate to leave a story unfinished, and fortunately that didn't happen this time. I just want to thank you all for accompanying me on this journey. What started as a simple character study became a fully fleshed out story! I hope you will check out my next story when it comes out. It will be another multi-chapter fic that takes place in the G1 'verse. Well, this author's note is too long. Sorry about that. Thank you all for your support and reviews! I love reading them :)

Chapter 14

A Part of Me

The Decepticons had just returned to the Nemesis with Thundercracker in tow. He didn't seem too beat up after his encounter with the Autobots. Skywarp kept asking him why he would do something as stupid as taking on the entire Autobot fleet by himself. Thundercracker just shrugged and said he was bored.

Thundercracker could never tell them the real reason he allowed himself to be captured. Not even his best friend Skywarp would understand that in a moment of weakness he felt pity for the young Autobots.

Deep inside, despite all of the horrible things he had done in his career as a member of the aerial elite, Thundercracker was still a warrior with principles. Bumblebee had looked at him with wise understanding optics. He had looked into Thundercracker's soul and realized the shame this Decepticon felt inside. Despite that he had still spoken kindly to him, and had even wished for Thundercracker's survival in a moment when the Autobot's own survival wasn't even worthy to be a pipe dream. It was a rash decision, and one that Thundercracker likely would not make twice, but even now he couldn't say he regretted it.

"So TC, you wanna get some energon in the rec room?" Skywarp asked, "I got this great story about a prank I pulled on Brawl while he was recharging!"

"Sounds great," Thundercracker smiled as he walked side by side with his trine brother, "After that I'll tell you about this fighter jet I shot down 3 orns ago."

Megatron had released the prisoners! This was a nightmare! Starscream tried with all his cunning and might to kill those Autobots, and yet they survived! He had shared his most closely guarded secret with them in their final moments as a way to forge a twisted sort of closeness with his new frenemy, but that slagging Autobot would live to tell others about Starscream's first betrayal!

Oh well, no matter. Megatron was eager for the information about the Autobots' weaknesses, and thanks to his infiltration of Teletran I he would be able to please his tyrannical master. Starscream had played this perfectly. He would say that he gathered the information from the 'torture sessions' he had with the Autobots, and therefore never have to reveal his latest secret; that he had been forced to live as a filthy Autobot.

Megatron summoned him forth with an expectant look on his silver face. Starscream smiled and bowed slightly. He knew this information would be crucial to eradicating the Autobots and would make the rest of the Decepticons see him as a leader worth following. Then he could soon be rid of Megatron once and for all!

"Well, Starscream," Megatron drawled, "Tell me all that you have learned of the enemy."

"Of course, Lord Megatron," Starscream somehow even managed to sound sarcastic when he was doing obeisance to Megatron, "There was too much information to commit to memory, so I downloaded everything onto this disc…"

Starscream then started rooting around in his subspace looking for that orange disc containing all of his enemy's secrets. He searched and searched, but couldn't find it. Megatron was growing more impatient with Starscream's display as the Seeker tried to locate his treasure.

Then, that's when a cryptic thought suddenly hit him…

Uh oh...I left it in my other subspace… Starscream realized with dread that he had stolen the disc when he was still Bumblebee, and therefore Bumblebee had the disc! Oh, scrap!

"Um, Lord Megatron, sir, I seem to have...Misplaced the disc…" Starscream stammered.

"STARSCREAM!"

Bumblebee and First Aid were returned to Autobot Headquarters and were greeted by the relieved voices and loving arms of their friends and colleagues. First Aid's Gestalt unit surrounded him and held him close to them; their brother finally safe with them once more!

"Are you okay, First Aid? Did those Deceptiscums hurt you?" Streetwise asked as he looked over his brother's chassis for signs of visible injury.

"Starscream rearranged my wires," First Aid admitted, "I was able to get most of them put back in place myself, but I probably will go to see Ratchet after I get settled in. I feel so violated! He just pushed me down and started ripping open my helm! If it weren't for the prisoner exchange we would've been executed in a crushing machine! I guess we were just lucky you guys captured a Decepticon or else we would've never seen this place again."

His brothers voiced their sympathy and anger over what was done to their brother. Bumblebee knew they wouldn't seek petty revenge, however. The Protectobots were some of the most level-headed mechs he had ever known. Even their combined form Defensor was reasonably intelligent; a real rarity for Gestalt units.

Bumblebee also knew that it was more than blind luck that saved them when he discovered the identity of the Decepticon prisoner. Ever since the day Bumblebee saw Thundercracker show mercy to those humans he knew there was a decent mech under all that posturing and cold weaponry.

As Bumblebee sat down on his berth in his own room his thoughts of the time he spent in Starscream's body swirled in his head. While it had been scary and he was definitely glad to be home, he had to admit to himself that he would never look at the Decepticons the same way again.

Bumblebee had been a soldier for 5 million years; for most of his existence, actually. He even spent 1 million of those years conscious! He had fought the tyranny of the Decepticons and had seen many things. He had seen bodies lying in the street, he had seen former neighbors turn on each other just for the chance to function another orn, and countless other horrors. One thing Bumblebee always thought he could count on though was the integrity of the Autobot cause.

The time living as a Decepticon, however, taught him something about himself. He was not incorruptible. He too would do dangerous, degrading, and vile things just to survive another orn. He also discovered that not every mech that joined Megatron was a mindless sparkless drone that enjoyed killing. They had feelings, thoughts, and desires beyond their cause.

There were the Reflectors. He didn't ask why they joined the Decepticons, but the answer was obvious. They wanted protection. Sadly all they found was more pain, but at the time it had probably seemed like a good idea to join the strongest side of the war. They crawled in the shadows and waited for orders from their master in the vain hope of surviving to see the war end.

Then there was Thundercracker. He was proud, arrogant, and had a higher kill rate than Bumblebee could count. Yet, despite all that, he was capable of mercy. How the little scout wished he could've asked Thundercracker what possessed him to join Megatron and harm his fellow Cybertronians. He also wondered why Thundercracker was best friends with Skywarp. Skywarp was a trickster and a sociopath. He was also apparently as much of a drunk as Trailbreaker! Bumblebee would have to find Trailbreaker and let him know he didn't blame him for what happened.

Bumblebee also learned something about Starscream...It just wasn't what he thought he would learn.

Starscream led one of the loneliest existences on the Nemesis. It was his own fault. Starscream used lies, threats, and force to ensure his own power, but in doing so he had alienated every other member of the crew. Even his own trine, which was the closest thing to family for Starscream, didn't seem to care for him.

Family...Starscream had told him that he killed his own father. Was it true? Or was Starscream just trying to use psychological warfare to intimidate the yellow mech? Then again, Starscream did say Megatron was like a father to him, and he was always trying to kill Megatron…

Ugh! Megatron! That was another thing Starscream had to deal with! Despite being the second in command of the Decepticon fleet Starscream was often treated as the designated whipping boy for Megatron every time he was in a bad mood. Bumblebee would never excuse Starscream's actions, but in a sick sort of way he understood them. Bumblebee had to wonder...If Optimus Prime treated Bumblebee the way Megatron treated Starscream, then how would he view his leader? Would he try to overthrow Optimus, or would he cower in fear of such a violent warrior? Starscream did both at the same time, and Bumblebee at least understood why now.

There was a soft knock at Bumblebee's door, and Bumblebee opened the door with a voice command so he didn't have to get up from his berth. First Aid walked in with a small smile on his face and a bright purple cube in his hand.

"I thought you could use some energon," First Aid said as he handed Bee the cube, "I just wanted to check on you after...Well, you know."

"Yeah," Bumblebee nodded as he gratefully took the cube, "I don't think we should tell anyone about the processor swap. I know it's weird, but in a way it feels like it should stay private. I don't know...I guess I'm still embarrassed."

"I understand. It was a traumatic experience," First Aid replied consolingly, "I have to admit though, you were pretty convincing as Starscream."

"Gee, thanks a lot!" Bumblebee replied sarcastically.

First Aid laughed at Bee's annoyed reaction and then sat down on the berth next to his friend. Bumblebee drank up the contents of the cube as they sat in amiable silence.

After a few minutes, Bumblebee finally said "Did you know the prisoner they exchanged was Thundercracker?"

"No, I didn't," First Aid replied, "So?"

"So, I think he did it on purpose...To help us," Bumblebee explained, "I know you won't believe this, but after living as Starscream for two weeks, I saw a different side to that mech. He spared the lives of some of the humans in that village that was attacked, he broke up fights between Skywarp and other Decepticons...He even played a hilarious prank on Skywarp where he laced an energy net over the other Seeker's entrance and waited for him to walk right into it and get lifted up in the air! It was hilarious!"

"Wow, I wish I could've seen that!" First Aid laughed.

"Hey, you can!" Bumblebee remembered, "Thundercracker gave me a photo of it and…" As Bumblebee rooted around in his subspace, he realized something, "Oh, darn it! Starscream has it in his subspace!"

"Yeah, and he's probably using it to blackmail Skywarp as we speak!" First Aid joked, "After all, you got to use his last piece of blackmail material."

Bumblebee smiled and laughed easily with his good friend. He knew they would be closer after having experienced yet another horror of war together. Of course, the scout knew First Aid wasn't the only one he was closer to now. As much as he still hated Starscream, and as much as he wished he could forget everything that had happened to him, Bumblebee knew he would never be the same. Starscream's life and the loneliness that came with it was lodged in his processor forever. Like it or not, it would always be a part of him.

The End