A/N: So this is based on a plot bunny I had in my mind for a few years now. The idea of "We've seen what happens when Autobots are endangered, but what about humans?" As such this fic is going to be very, very dark but I hope will go to some interesting places. Either way I hope you'll enjoy.

My other plot bunnies just weren't working out so hopefully this one will! The others will be down shortly but don't be alarmed.

Also note: in this fic, Bee has gotten his voice back.

TRIGGER WARNING: This story will feature abuse of various kinds, slavery, and the like. So if you're super sensitive to this type of fic you have been warned.

PAIRINGS: Mentioned OptimusxElita, IronsidexChromia, SideswipexArcee, probably more in the future.

CHAPTER 1

The full gravity of what the Decepticons had done to humankind didn't hit them until it was too late.

It was such a small, backwater planet that it had nearly gone under the Autobot radar during their own excursion from their dying planet. But for their part, Decepticons mined it for its energy, stripped it, and enslaved its people in the blink of an optic. Hardly long enough for them to get a distress signal that was so faint it was barely heard.

Where they said cities once stood, there were now graveyards. Where fields were as far as the eyes could see, were work camps. And somewhere in between - there were nurseries and pet shops where human children were a hot commodity. A status symbol.

The day they liberated Jasper, Nevada wasn't the first time Bumblebee felt sick to his proverbial stomach.

Killing the Decepticons running the nursery hadn't been a challenge. After all, there was no general to meet them. But the difficult part had been arriving to find that their enemy had seen them coming: they'd made sure the humans had paid for it.

Bumblebee has to avert his optics from the pile of dead organic bodies. He couldn't bare to look at the faces of the human children - the innocent, any longer if he had to. They shouldn't have to die because of their war, not when they'd been trying to help. Yet here they were.

"This place smells slagging awful," the yellow scout turned to his partner for the day, Bulkhead. Who could only scrunch his face. "Kids lived in this? Sparklings... Maybe they're better off gone."

Bumblebee hated to say it but he agreed. After all the smell of raw sewage, mixed with a familiar metallic taste was not welcoming. Couple it with the dark, dingy hallways, metal beds, and literal cages and... Well, the scout couldn't help but shudder.

"If we had gotten here a few hours sooner," Bumblebee mused quietly. "We could have helped them... Gotten them to a refugee camp."

"We can't save them all Bee," Bulkhead mused quietly. "Let's -."

Then they'd heard it; the quiet drop of an object. Bumblebee had his canon out and ready, optics narrowing as he gave a small nod to Bulkhead. The bigger, green Autobot went around the side to block off the other end of the hallway while Bumblebee stealthily approached the main source of the sound.

If he had one fragging shot at blowing some Con scum up, he'd take it.

Keeping his optics peeled, he'd nearly thought they'd simply been hearing things when a light "oomph" got his attention again. He spun, cannon raised, optics narrowed and found...

"Oh Primus." Bumblebee managed.

The little human couldn't have been older than six of their years. Not even old enough to remember when humanity wasn't under Decepticon occupation, and so thin Bumblebee would almost call him skeletal. He was blocking the dim light of his optics with two tiny hands and his green eyes stared at him in pure terror.

"A survivor," Bumblebee breathed. He lowered his canon quietly, kneeling down to greet the human. "Hey, hey it's OK. I'm not one of them - I promise. I'm a friend."

The boy didn't seem to speak - but Bumblebee knew what might coax him out of the crevice he'd been hiding in. Carefully he reached for the human rations - food, crackers they called them from his sub space. Reaching out to offer them. "Hey, are you hungry?" He asked his soothing voice continuing to be as soft as possible. "Where I come from, there's even more."

The boy stared blankly at the scout for what seemed like an eternity before finally braving the gap between them. Delicate hands met the food before Bumblebee's own hands cupped around him in a gentle, protective embrace. "Bee did you find the source?" Bulkhead's voice interrupted his thoughts through their comments link.

"I did," Bumblebee assured him. "I found a survivor. Probably six... So thin... We need to get him to a medic, stat."

"He hurt?" Bulkhead's concern shown even through the link.

"Hard to tell. But I've got him now," Bumblebee noted. Primus knew he couldn't have been in safer hands. "I'm headed back your way now. Let me know if you find anything else."

When he'd turned off the communication, his optics lowered to the boy. Who seemed terrified, but had yet to put up a fight. "You're safe now, I promise. We came here to help you all," Bumblebee told him - the boy's face fell. "My name's Bumblebee. Can you remember yours?"

Of course, the scout knew Decepticons stripped their slaves of their names but he hoped the boy may be old enough... "Scott," he managed with a soft, remarkably hoarse voice. "Are you an Autobot?" He asked.

"Course I am," Bumblebee replied proudly. "Now, try and stay awake for me, kiddo. Alright? Least until our medic can take a look at you."

There was a silence again as the boy wrapped his arms around Bumblebee's finger. And honestly, in that moment, the scout wasn't sure if he'd ever let go.

"I feel like we're coming up empty handed more and more these days."

It was glum announcement, but Bumblebee definitely agreed. While he wouldn't call his excursion to Earth terrible, bringing back only one child compared to the hundreds intel said were there? Well, it was honestly the worst feeling in the world. One that had been weighing on him for the last few days since he'd gotten back.

The way he understood it, Scott was still with them for now. On board The Ark, one of the many vessels the Autobot used that was for now docked near one of Jupiter's moons. "Has he even talked since we got back?" Bumblebee asked Ironhide as he sat up from his computer terminal. "I hear he was in pretty bad shape."

"Too thin, lots of bruising. Says the Con in charge called him his "favorite"," Ironhide snarled as his vents gave a hiss. "He wasn't even six by the way. According to him, he's ten."

Ten!? Bumblebee's optics widened in pure shock. "He was so tiny..."

"That's what it looks like when they ain't fed properly. And kept in tiny little cages," Ironhide motioned with his hands for emphasis. "He's got a lot of healing to do, especially in his position. Ratchet did an analysis of his blood and traced it through Con records. Parents were -."

"Casualties," Bumblebee gave a deep sigh. "That figures."

They sat there, eyeing one another for a good twenty minutes before Bumblebee said what was now on his mind: "Does he have a guardian yet?"

Ironhide raised an optic ridge, turning to face Bumblebee with a look of uncertainty. "He ain't a turbo fox, Bee." He told him very calmly - but with firmness in his voice. "That kid watched two families die. The one he came from, and the one he made in that hellhole. Probably seen things..."

"He needs a guardian," Bumblebee replied just as firmly. His voice tense. "And as someone who watched my own home get firebombed? I can relate."

Ironhide stiffened a little, arching his shoulders as he attempted to tell how serious the scout was. When they'd sat there for long enough, he spoke. "Alright, you can talk to Ratchet about that. He was looking for volunteers before we looked at refugee camps run by our kind," he explained honestly. "Least with this one."

Bumblebee's interest was peeked at that, optics softening. "Why not try a fully human one first? I mean, I get he was traumatized but they always say we try there first."

Ironhide was silent, as if he wondered if he should breathe a word of this. But after a moment, he replied softly. "Kid says he wasn't always in the nursery. Says one of the refugee camps... The human ones, sold him for supplies," Bumblebee's spark ached. Humans wouldn't do that, would they? "And for peace. They said they'd leave them alone if they gave them all their young."

"That's... Disgusting," Bumblebee managed after the full gravity hit him. "You don't think any of ours...?"

"Of course not, it had to be one run only by humans," Ironhide replied. "We don't make deals with Cons. But the kid is too scared to go back - and we ain't handing him over. Not unless we know which scumbag did it."

"He'll be safe with me." Bumblebee reassured.

Ironhide simply patted his shoulder and resumed his work. Leaving the scout to his thoughts. Could he really do this? Was he jumping the gun? Would he... Could he... As he felt his thoughts quietly tracing back to the little boy. The one that held his finger so tightly and had been so afraid. He had his answer.

He just hoped the kid didn't mind a roommate.

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this beginning!