Disclaimer: Transformers: Animated and everything related belongs to the rightful company Hasbro. I am in no way shape or form making money off this.
Author's Note: Here we are another chapter! Two new chapters in the new year and it's February! … I better pick up the pace! Nothing much to add since I have no idea what to say but below if the most updated poll results:
Prowl: 20
Starscream: 16
Optimus Prime: 4
Other: 5 (Bulkhead: 1; Skywarp: 1; Sentinel: 2)
Ninja bot is still in the leader, followed by 'Screamy in second. Will this continue on or will someone else take the lead? You tell me! Please, enjoy the chapter!
"Nightmare"
Written by: Beloved Shadow
Inspiration by: JazzTheTiger
No one said this new living arrangement was going to be easy, though more than one bot had strong hopes that it would. Arguments were always flying around between the Dinobots and the jet fleet (who refused to be called Starscream's Personal Seeker Armada) and any unfortunate mech that tried to separate them. Even Ratchet was not spared so he gave up but not before swearing up and down that he was not going to repair them and they could rust for all that he cared. This day, for once, was actually peaceful and Bumblebee was outside enjoying it. That was another thing that he changed; ever since the sparkling moved from Bee's spark chamber down into the protoform his gestation tank was growing bigger. He had asked repeatedly if perhaps he was carrying more than one but scans confirmed it was just one sparkling. Ratchet had brought up it could be because half of the CNA was from a seeker, the protoform was taking on that frame. It just confirmed the carrier's dreams.
'Wonder who she'll resemble more in the faceplates,' he smiled as he lightly traced his digits along the malleable mesh. He smiled softly as he felt a gentle pulse, closing his optics and leaned his helm back so it connected with the warm bulk of Snarl.
The femme Dinobot cracked an optic open but seeing that the minibot carrier wasn't moving closed it once more. Since he had come to the island to stay she had been keeping an optic on him much to the chagrin of Grimlock. The other femme, Psyche, had said some femmes and carriers do that, help a carrier and watch over them so there was nothing wrong. Even Swoop wanted to help, but the de facto leader of the Dinobots-
'Grimlock glitch,' she thought to herself and pushed that annoying thought process away. She decided to follow the carrier into a brief recharge, enjoying the warmth of the planet's sun as it warmed their plating.
Watching from his tree-top vantage point Swoop was enjoying the warmth from the sun along with the slight breeze that drifted over his sensitive plates as well. He and Snarl were acting as the carrier's protectors and they were proud to do so. The yellow car was nice and they let him go where he wanted as well as keeping their distance. The planes were not so nice but the yellow car would yelled at them to be nice which made the Dinobots smile. He didn't think of them for long, feeling the urge to slip into a light recharge as well but he felt something on the wind and lifted his helm. He carefully sat up, feeling the wind once more his optics shuddered as he focused off in the distance. He saw a plane heading for them but from so far away he couldn't tell if he knew it or not.
'Me Swoop, find out,' he thought, seamlessly transforming he took to the air, letting the planet's wind currents lift him into the air, wings moving silently.
On such plane Psyche was sitting at the cock pit, skimming the data pad in her servos. There was no need to be there since Skyfire was doing the flying but she also knew the two Primes still had much on their processors. Not to mention she didn't want to be reminded that no one trusted them, not even her.
'And yet here I am, bringing them to the one bot who has the most reason not to trust them,' she thought and subspaced the pad, taking a moment to rub at her optics. "Primus…"
"Are you alright, Psyche?" came the soft rumble over the speakers.
"Yes and no." She inhaled air deeply then released it, slumping in the pilot's seat in an undignified heap.
"… Your backstrut is going to be sore later."
She frowned and slouched down even more, crossing her servos over her chassis. "And your point?" It took her a few kliks to realize she was acting like an immature sparkling and vented softly, leaning her helm back and closing her optics. "I'm sorry, Sky… am I doing the right thing? Bringing them with me? To see Bee?"
"Do you trust them not to do anything?" She didn't answer and he took that as a cue to continue talking. "Sentinel admitted aloud that the sparkling should be deleted, never asking Bumblebee what he wanted to do. Optimus took advantage of said mech and actually caused him harm and then tried offlining you. Both are mechs who normally would be in custody but on the same account so would Bumblebee and his sparkling removed from his custody."
"And you are clearly dodging my question. I want a yes or no answer."
"What do you believe?"
"You do realize I am in the perfect position to make you barrel roll until we arrive," she threatened.
"Then you must realize you do not have your safety harness on and you dislike the vertigo that affects both of us," he calmly reminded. Being a seeker Skyfire enjoyed flying as much as he could, but the few acrobatic skills he could do he did not enjoy quite as much as his sleeker counterparts; barrel rolls were ones he did not have the tanks to support them. Oh he had tried once, and it ended up badly with him hurling his empty tanks.
The aqua blue femme frowned as she slowly straighten in her seat. She remembered the first and only time she had been in the shuttle when that had happened and that was something she never wanted to experience again. "Point taken," she whispered and leaned her helm back once more. "I won't lie, I don't fully trust them, but it's not my place to judge and the longer we keep them from doing patrols, the sooner the Decepticons will realize something is wrong and will use that to their advantage." But it didn't mean she wasn't going to keep an optic on them, she wasn't that soft-sparked.
"You just answered your question. And I agree." The larger mech was the type to apologize for the littlest thing, but the thought process never passed his processor and he did not care whether or not the two mechs agreed. Skyfire was taken from his thoughts when his scanners picked up something. For a moment he thought it was one of the seekers but the scanners were not picking up the smooth flying he had come to associate with them. It was similar to the winged organics he had seen but this was far larger and contained a spark signature. He felt like smiling (if he could). "I believe we'll be having an escort soon."
"Hmm?" Psyche blinked, peering down at console before looking out the window. She couldn't see anything and was about to ask what he had picked up when a figure flew past the window, moving too fast for her to catch. "What was that?"
"The Dinobot known as Swoop." The mech in question let out a low cry, flapping his wings harder as he followed along with the large shuttle, happy to see him but also happy to see the femme inside wave to him. Letting out another cry he flew around them once more before heading for the island, no doubt to tell everyone about their arrival. "The beings of Torkulon would enjoy seeing him in his element."
"You can have all the skies and space you want, Sky. I'll stick with the ground beneath my treds." Even if Primus were to grant her wings in addition to her tires, she would gladly give it back. She murmured something under her vents as she gently traced her digits over the console before heading to the back where the other two passengers were waiting.
Optimus and Sentinel were silent as they sat in the back of the shuttle, sitting opposite of one another. Both had been silent from the moment they left Sentinel's ship, not even asking where they were going as they followed the femme onto the large seeker's cargo bay. They wordlessly strapped the safety harness on and remained silent. They didn't look up as the femme came in and wordlessly sat next to Sentinel.
'… this is awkward,' she thought. The tension was so thick it couldn't be cut with a plasma blade. Venting softly she wordlessly tugged at the harness and buckled herself in. "We're almost at Dinobot Island," she spoke up, immediately catching their attention. "Just a fair bit of warning, don't upset the Dinobots. They're taking their role as Bee's caretakers very seriously."
"We're going to see Be-Bumblebee?" Optimus asked quietly.
"I thought I just indicated that."
"The both of us?" Sentinel brought up.
"Yes, the both of you, including Skyfire and myself. So the four of us will be going to visit Bee." She paused and looked up at them before they could ask the dreaded question. "We're going because Bee has been asking about you and rather than make him relive what happened, I'm going against my objective and bringing you both to see him. Bee, is a sweet mech, sassy as the Pitt but he's got a good spark who was forced into a situation none of us could have predicted. He didn't have to go through this, he didn't have to say anything, but he did and right now he needs as much comfort and support as possible. If you two can't do that or at least be civil, then tell me now and you can wait here."
Neither of the Primes said anything for several long kliks, processor running through continuous loops before stopping. They looked up at one another, different shades of blue optics searching the other for an answer before turning to the stern-looking femme.
"We promise to be as supportive as possible," Optimus said with a slow nod.
"… I'm holding you both to it." She looked up as the shuttle began to shift, feeling the pressure as Skyfire began his descent. "By the way, if either of you do try something, anything I do will be considered merciful compared to what the Dinobots will do to you instead." The Primes said nothing, waiting for the shuttle to land.
"Me Grimlock no want cars and trucks!" the t-rex growled stubbornly, standing on the beach with the grumpy medic, servos crossed over his chassis.
"I actually agree with the oversized lizard," Thundercracker said, a frown on his faceplates. "We don't want them here."
"Listen here you slaggers, I am sick and tired of lying to Bee and if he wants to see them he can see them," Ratchet seethed behind clenched denta. To be honest he agreed with them as well but the scout would not stop asking and Psyche had promised him they would visit him in a few solar cycles.
"I don't say we send them to the Pitt if they prove to be a threat," Ramjet muttered to which the others were quick to agree.
The medic could only stare at them as they not-so-subtle discussed ways the Primes could have an "accident" while they were here he could feel his oil pressure rising. There was a dull clang as he smacked his servo onto his faceplates, wishing he was anywhere else. They needed to keep up appearances that everything was fine but there was a nagging feeling of worry. There had barely been a peep from the Decepticons and something in his struts was telling him something big was happening, and he didn't like it one bit. He removed his servo when he heard something land next to him, the sounds of gears transforming and plating folding back. "Now what?" he murmured.
"Big plane flying!" he said excitedly, pointing to where he had just from. "Me Swoop see nice femme!"
"Psyche?" Oh now he remembered, she had gone to New Detroit to get the two Primes and bring them. He was not happy about it but he had meant what he said that he didn't want to keep lying to the kid. But he wasn't looking forward to telling the seekers and Dinobots that two mechs who had basically threaten Bumblebee's spark and that of his still underdeveloped sparkling were coming to visit. "Here goes nothing," he muttered to himself as he watched the shuttle coming in.
The clearing they had created was large enough for the larger mech to land and take off, which was perfect as they didn't want to bring in any unnecessary attention to themselves. It was a miracle in itself that none of the humans seemed to notice them flying back and forth but then again they usually flew high above the clouds to be safe. Skyfire came in low, cutting back on his thrusters he landed on the short landing strip, opening the cargo bay doors even as he cut the power to his engines. As soon as it was open they could see the femme standing there, slowly making her way down the ramp. She nodded to the mechs waiting for them, stopping halfway down but turned to the cargo bay.
"You might as well come out," she called out.
The mechs were confused, wondering who she was talking to when they heard heavy ped steps. They watched as two larger, bulky frames slowly made their way out from the shadow of the cargo bay and down the ramp. When the seekers saw who it was, they instantly went on tense, null ray guns powering arm, wings arched high on their back struts and tense. Optimus froze as did Sentinel, unsure whether to continue moving forward or retreat.
"Still think this was a good idea, Psyche?" the medic asked, crossing his servos over his chassis.
"Don't you start either," she grumbled, making her way down the ramp and moved to the side. Listening to the Primes following her she nodded to Skyfire who transformed into his primary form. "Look, I invited them to can see how Bumblebee was doing. They both promise to be nice and not do something stupid like threaten Bee or the sparkling."
"I trust them," Ramjet sneered, the others murmuring in agreement.
Skyfire chuckled as he nodded to the seekers but looked around, not seeing the carrier or the femme Dinobot. "Where's Bumblebee and Snarl?" he asked in slight concern.
"They went for a walk," Skywarp said quietly, looking away from the two Primes as one of his wings gave a slight twitch. "Bumblebee, yelled at us for hovering and stormed off. Snarl followed him."
Psyche nodded and looked around before gesturing to the pterodactyl. "Swoop, I want you to go find them and bring them to the caves. Ratchet and I need to check on his sparkling and his spark as well."
"Me Swoop find!" And with no further explanation jumped into the air, transforming as he took off.
Psyche took the lead and led the two Primes to the cave that had been set up at Bumblebee's temporary home for the time begin as well as discussing things such as patrols and how things were doing in New Detroit. One of the most concerning things was that there was hardly any sign of the Decepticons lately and it was making everyone nervous. No one understood why they were laying low and when Sentinel thought to ask Starscream the seekers admitted that he was not around and was usually gone for days at a time.
"But he comes back," Skywarp said quietly, trying not to flinch when all optics were on him. "He-He always co-comes b-b-back."
"Why haven't you said anything?" Optimus asked with a frown.
"Last time we checked, we didn't follow your command, Autobot!" Thundercracker sneered, wings fanned out, trying to be intimidating.
"Has he mentioned anything when he comes back? Like what he does or where he goes?" Psyche asked but the seekers shook their helms. "Have you tried following him?"
"Our lovely sister Slipstream tried once, but even at her fastest she wasn't able to catch up to our elusive creator," Sunstorm spoke up brightly.
"Something isn't adding up," Ratchet grumbled, not liking it one bit. "I say we make him tell us what's going on."
"Can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I agree with the outdated medic," Sentinel said with a frown. "What if he's secretly meeting Megatron?" Not the wisest thing to say as all the seekers rounded on him, yelling at him, calling him a "monstrous glitch" and saying that their creator would never betray the carrier like that. The navy blue Prime argued back but they were just yelling back and forth, looking ready to have an all-out brawl when the seekers immediately stopped and turned as one to face the opening of the cave.
"What's with all the yelling?" Bumblebee asked sleepily, pausing to stretch his servos high above his helm, feeling his backstrut release a soft pop. Behind him Snarl and Swoop were bringing up the rear.
"Nothing just a hissy fit," Psyche said and nodded to him. "You look like you had a good recharge."
"It was a really nice day out, I almost didn't want to wake up," he admitted. He looked around the mechs and smiled when he saw Ratchet and didn't hesitate to walk over to the white and red medic. "Hey docbot! You finally made it!" he grinned happily.
"Somebot's gotta make sure you're still functioning," he smiled and paused momentarily when the smaller mech hugged him briefly. "Also here to check your sparkling. Any pain or discomfort?"
"No. Not really, I mean my backstrut kinda hurts now and then but according to the data pad Psyche left me that's normal, right?"
"It is, but just to be safe I'll perform a thorough scan." Patting his shoulder he made to lead him into the cave where they had set up a small examination room, but he grunted when the scout suddenly stopped and he walked into him. He opened his derma plates to ask what was wrong but he realized he was staring at the two Prime, frozen where he stood. 'Scrap,' he hissed to himself.
Optimus knew what he had done was wrong, there was no excuse for it, and he had hoped he could talk with the yellow minibot but the way he was looking at him showed he was terrified. He took a step forward, to ask him how he was doing but he watched as the scout actually stepped back, running into the CMO, flinching in fear. He quietly took a step back, looking away. Vents seem to have stalled, the air tense and stifling, but the CMO gently guided the carrier to the examination room with his servos on his shoulders, placing his bulkier frame between him and the red and blue Prime as they walked past him. It didn't escape anyone's notice as yellow servos moved protectively over his extended stomach plates.
'… maybe this was a bad idea,' the femme neutral thought to herself, resisting the urge to rub the back of her neck cables, knowing they were stiff from tension. "Grimlock, I would like you and the Dinobots patrol the island. Seekers, I would for you four to do the same but try and get a hold of Starscream. Please." Normally she was met with arguing and complaining but the mechs in questions nodded and moved out of the cave, transforming silently as they obeyed her orders. She turned to the two primes and gestured to the entertainment room where the entertainment screen and communication center was located. "You two, have a seat in the meantime while we check on Bee and his sparkling."
"Alright." For once Sentinel didn't try to argue that a neutral had no right to order him around, that he was a Prime and demanded to be treated as such; instead he moved towards the room, guiding a still quiet Optimus into the room. It didn't take long for the entertainment screen to be turned on to a random channel.
Skyfire was silent, having watched everything going on. He could also tell his friend was conflicted but he knew better to say anything. Psyche was the type who hated to admit when she made a mistake and pointing it out was never a solution. He moved towards her and reached out to gently squeeze her shoulder. She looked up at him for several kliks before giving him a weak smile, reaching over to cover his servo with her own, squeezing briefly. "I'll be outside if you need me."
"Thanks, Sky." Watching him go she silently headed into the examination room.
Bumblebee was sitting on the end of the simple berth, idly kicking a ped back and forth lightly. Ratchet was going over the small scanner in his servo, making sure it was working as he also prepared the instruments needed. Psyche came over, holding up a data pad with his medical files encrypted on it. "So what are you two docbots gonna do?" he asked them.
"We're going to check on the protoform as well as your spark. Now that the sparkling has moved down, the diagnostic scans are going to become more frequent," Psyche explained. "So be prepared for more visits."
"I don't mind. I mean the Dinobots are cool and the seekers are really trying, but I miss everyone back in New Detroit," he admitted, affectionately rubbing at his stomach. He winced when his backstrut gave a twinge of discomfort. "Was kinda hoping she would take after my frame, but long as she's healthy I'll be happy."
"Isn't that the most important thing? Here, lay back so you're more comfortable." Helping him lay back Psyche reclined the berth then helped place Bee's peds into the stir ups she pulled up. She could tell he was embarrassed about it, the way it left him just slightly exposed but it was better than having everybot in here for this. Seeing that he was comfortable as could be Psyche moved to the side and picked up another piece of machinery with several wires hanging from it. She moved back to the yellow mech's side and inserted the wires into the medical ports where they belonged. "Vitals are looking good," she read on the screen.
"Alright. Let's begin then." Ratchet was professional as he instructed Bumblebee to spread his stabilizers further and moved his frame farther down the berth. "I'm going to insert this tool inside and it'll connect to your gestation tank," he explained as he showed the carrier a flexible and semi-thick cable in his servos. "It's gonna show us how the protoform is going."
"Is it gonna hurt?" Bee asked, trying to relax and looking away as the docbot applied lubricant to the cable and his valve, trying very hard not to move.
"It shouldn't, but I rather do this first." The CMO never thought he would be doing this for a member of his own team, but he was still a medic and he was not going to just leave this to chance. Once he was sure Bee's valve and the cable was well lubricated, he removed his digits and carefully, slowly pushed the cable inside. Psyche took over speaking to Bee to distract him from the cable, explaining that she was also going to check his spark and his systems to make sure he was taking in plenty of energon to support both him and his sparkling. Even though the end of the cable was buried deep into the minibot's valve, there was a barely audible click as it connected to the gestation tank and an image was slowly clearing up on the screen. "How ya feelin', kid?"
"Really weird," the minibot admitted, resisting the urge to snap his stabilizers close. It didn't hurt, but it did feel weird and he wanted it out, like, right now out!
"It's okay Bee, just continue cycling air slowly and stay relaxed," the femme smiled, covering his servo with her own and giving it a squeeze. He nodded but clutched at her servo tightly. They waited and soon they could see Ratchet's optics widen as he started at the small screen on the device the cable was hooked up to. "Ratchet?"
"… I can see it," he whispered, sounding in awe before he let a small smile grace his derma plating. Looking at his patient and friend he turned the screen so they could see what he was seeing. There, curled up in the tank was a small form, limbs curled up, a dark silver gray color and with a few taps on the screen they were presented a 3D image of the developing sparkling, and could see two tiny nubs on its back plates. Bee wanted to ask what that was by a voice spoke up, startling him and everyone else in the examination room.
"It's a seekerling," Starscream vented quietly, slowly moving forward, optics never leaving the screen. He stopped at the carrier's side, his clawed servo curling around a yellow one as it reached for him. "You were right… we're, going to have a seekerling…"
Psyche moved closer to the medic, reading the medical jargon he was reading and smiled at one piece of data from the thorough scans. "You're gonna have a femme seekerling," she said and smiled at the two creators. "Looks like your dreams were on point, Bee; you are definitely going to have a femme." He just smiled even as he squeezed the servos tightly.
"Bitlet's getting bigger, not sure how much bigger she'll get but I'll count that as a good thing," the medic said as he save multiple images, running more scans to make sure that there were no abnormalities that he could detect. "I'm gonna detach the cable, so don't move until I tell you."
"Okay." Bee barely noticed as the cable was removed, then pushed himself up (when he was told to do so) so he was sitting comfortably but he was still looking at the image on the screen. There wasn't a lot of fine detail, but he was committing it all to memory and smiled. This was his sparkling, and his little femme was going to a flier like her sire, a true seeker.
"Okay Bee, I need you to open your chest plates so I can check your spark," Psyche spoke up, nodding to him. "And before you ask, I'll upload the images for you to view whenever you want."
"I'd really like that," he smiled. Giving the command his chassis slid open and his spark was in full view. He squeezed the clawed servo even tightly and felt a sense of security as the digits tightened around his own. The scanning was faster and soon he was allowed to close his chestplates, once more hiding his spark from view.
"Good news, your spark is still feeding energy to your sparkling. There's still a connection but it won't break off until the actual birth. By then the sparkling's own spark should be strong enough to sustain a proper life cycle but that doesn't mean she won't need you."
"What exactly does that mean?" Starscream asked with a slight narrowing of his optics.
"It means the bitlet will still seek out the carrier's own spark for security, comfort, everything," Ratchet explained where he was cleaning up the tools and his servos. "Sparklings are heavily dependent on their carrier for their needs, but should anything happen to the carrier, those duties fall onto the creator. Its how family units create bonds to one another." The seeker said nothing but he did have a very pensive look on his faceplates even as he continued to hold the yellow servo in his own.
"You're done, Bee. But I don't recommend transforming since the sparkling is larger than we anticipated and rest when you can," Psyche said, rubbing his shoulder she and the CMO left, leaving them alone. Neither of the mechs said anything and Bumblebee was concerned. He was also conflicted about his feelings for the seeker but was afraid to say anything to him about it. He still hated him for using him, for treating him like he had been a pleasure drone, that would never go away, but there was still some lingering fear that he might change his processor one cycle and kill the sparkling. But then he felt feelings of genuine like to him when he did something sweet and unexpectedly kind, seeing to his needs and letting him curl against him in the same berth. The femme had explained it happened to bots in his situation and that the humans had called it Stockholm syndrome where the captive began to develop feeling for their captor; but she had also firmly explained that just because Starscream was the creator of his sparkling, it was his choice whether or not he wanted the seeker in his life cycle as a bond mate.
"But, we merged sparks, aren't we already bonded?" he asked, optics wide.
"Despite what everybot thinks, if two bots merge their sparks it doesn't make them bonded, or sparkmates I've heard it be called, not in the traditional sense," Psyche explained. "Tell me, have you ever heard the term "conjunx endure"?"
"I… don't think so," he said with a frown. "What is it?"
"It's a powerful bond between two bots that nothing can break, not even death some say. You are able to sense the spark of your conjunx even if you two are not together, you may even be able to tell how they are feeling and can calm them down if they are upset or frighten without having to speak. It's a strong bond and so far I've only witnessed it with my creators."
"Oh. How did they do it? Become, each other's conjunx?"
"It starts with the Conjunx Ritus, four ceremonial acts which include the Act of Intimacy, the Act of Disclosure, the Act of Profference, and the Act of Devotion. If the two bots complete all the acts and truly want to, they exchange their inner most energon drawn directly from their spark. I guess that's where bots believed that if you merge your sparks that would make you sparkmates."
'But, do I really want Starscream as my conjunx? Does he want me to be his? We're, we're having a sparkling together, but I don't think I love him like that…' He wasn't even sure if he could think of him in such a way but he was taken from his thought process as he felt a damp cloth being pressed into his servo. Shuttering his optics he took it and cleaned up the excess lubricant from his valve, feeling his faceplates flush brightly that his panel never slid close after the examination. "T-Thanks."
"You must be processing something of great concern, I was calling your designation for almost a full breem," the dark colored seeker said as he slowly swiped through the images of their sparkling still on the machine.
"You can say that." Bee didn't bother to elaborate and watched as the panel slid close and carefully slid off the medical berth. He kept one hand on his swollen abdominal plates, opening his lip components to speak up. "I'm glad you made it, to see the sparkling," he said quietly. He refused to look up at the seeker, biting down on his glossia when he wanted to ask him where he goes for mega-cycles at a time but he was here now. The scout didn't fight it as the warm frame stepped up to him, didn't flinch when servos wrapped around him; he vented softly as he embraced the other mech back, offlining his optics as he felt the unsteady pulse of the seeker's spark resonating through his chassis, feeling his own and that of the sparkling reaching out to it despite the protective layers. "Thanks," he murmured quietly.
"Mmm." Starscream could make him promise not to say anything, to keep it a secret no matter what, but what if he couldn't and told someone? What if the Autobots found out? What if Megatron found out? He winced as he felt the conflicting thought processes in both his spark and processor. He wouldn't lie and say he didn't care about the minibot, and that he didn't find him attractive and his personality reminded him so much of his own, but love? Willing to give up his spark for him? … the seeker wasn't sure. He would still leave everyone behind if it meant he got to live another day, but could he do that to the yellow scout? To his own sparkling?
'I don't know what I want… but, I know I don't want Megadolt anywhere near either of them and if I have to be treated like scrap by him, then I'll do it,' he thought to himself, even as he pressed a kiss to Bee's forehelm, still holding him close as they continued to stand there.
In the living room Sentinel and Optimus were looking at the image of the developing femme sparkling. Neither could remember the last time they had seen a sparkling but both had agreed that it was indeed a new hope for Cybertron and was so innocent. Even when the dark blue Prime noticed the wing nubs on its backplates he didn't say anything about its Decepticon coding.
'The High Council, wants me to—eliminate it—her… but, she's an innocent spark.' At first he wouldn't have hesitated, and he knew others would feel the same, but the sparkling knew nothing about this war, she never asked to be created or formed. He knew he had orders and priorities, but he did not think he could ever raise a servo against her in harm.
Optimus was speechless and once more he felt a twinge of anger at himself. He had come so close to hurting both his friend, he was driven to remove the sparkling from Bumblebee and wanted to force him to carry his. What kind of monster was he becoming? How could he think of doing something like that? He could feel the dark voice trying to call out to him, could hear Nemesis whispering how easy to be to just take what should rightfully be his but he ruthlessly pushed the voice back, swearing he would rip it apart if it tried speaking ill of those he cared about once more. It was an empty threat but it gave him a blessed moment of silence.
"Prime? You alright?"
His helm snapped up and he shuddered his optics when he realized that Ratchet was talking to him. "I-I'm fine. You were saying?"
"… The Decepticons have been too quiet lately and I don't like it. There hasn't been a single klik of data anywhere but I know they're planning something. I can feel it, right here in my spark."
"Mmm… What do you suggest we do?"
"Why you asking me? I'm just the chief medical officer," the medbot snorted but he did have a serious look of deep thought on his faceplates. "If Megatron knows Bumblebee's carrying, then he's gotta be thinking of a way to use it to his advantage. I would suggest moving him somewhere else but the sparkling is getting so big, and I don't want to give the kid any addition stress."
"Don't move him." Sentinel didn't have to look up from the image he had been staring at to know they were looking at him in surprise. "Bumblebee's safety and that of his sparkling is important, and those Dinobots have taken to protecting him so let him stay." He slowly looked up and nodded to them. "But, I think we shouldn't let the seekers come and go as they please. The organics may not notice them repeatedly coming and going, but that doesn't mean the 'Cons haven't."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"… do what we've been doing, but have them spend a few solar cycles at your base and switch out just as this planet's sun rises," he said after a few kliks of processing. "Maybe even increase patrols but don't go actively looking for them just in case they are up to something."
"That, sounds like a reasonable plan, Sentinel," Optimus said with no small amount of surprise. "But I think we should warn everyone to keep an extra watchful optic out, just in case. It wouldn't be unlike Megatron to try and sneak something past us."
"… 'bout you two slaggers tried working together," Ratchet said with a crooked smile. "Keep this up and we just might win this blasted war without me having to keep the two of you from tearing out the other's spark." Without waiting for a response he left, no doubt to speak to the others. For the two primes they were, just slightly stunned at the harsh critique, but secretly they were happy that they were able to talk without one insulting the other. Perhaps, this could be the first step into mending their friendship after a millennium of fighting.
At times it was easy to forget his life cycle was not his own, that the former SIC of the Decepticon forces was not on borrowed time or that he had a leash that he was forced to obey every time it was yanked. The seeker was happy to be ignorant of the danger he was in, but he wasn't stupid. As soon as he received the communication ping he knew he had no choice but to obey. No amount of lying would let him be free and there was no place on this organic planet that he could run from. Even if he were to leave where would he go? This night was no different as he felt the tug once more and no amount of ignoring or blocking would stop it.
'Not a single comm in cycles and now this. Why?' He ignored his processor and asked the dreaded question only to receive a response of "do it or else." There was no need to ask what he meant by that and had silently agreed. He felt the frame atop of him shift and looked down, servo affectionately brushing over the mech's abdominal plating.
Bee pressed into the warm frame of the seeker beside him, his recharge cycle deep. His chassis rose and fell as he cycled air in and out, his own yellow servo came down and covered the clawed one resting on his stomach. It had been a fun day for the carrier, playing video games and watching the bots train and seekers flying; he wasn't allowed to do much but they still tried to include him. But the best part had been when he had felt his sparkling let out a pulse, the equivalence of a human baby kicking. It had been exciting and once more he couldn't wait for his little one to come out and meet all the bots he considered his family. However, the warm frame next to him moved and he shifted towards it, trying to get closer as digits gently trailed over his plating.
Starscream let out a low trill, leaning over the smaller Autobot he watched as he rolled onto his backplates, venting softly in response. The seeker remained still, looking down at him and wondering just how differently his current cycle could have been if he had done so many things differently. But he was still determined not to let Megatron get his servos on this innocent spark no matter what. Moving silently, he lowered his helm and pressed a kiss to his derma plating; it would be so easy to just lay with him and fall back into recharge, even the thought of just flying them out of here, as far as the moon was lingering but there was no possible way. He trailed his servo over the mesh plating, smiling softly as he felt the pulse and it made his own spark clench.
"Be safe," he whispered and slowly withdrew. Tucking the blanket over Bumblebee, he gave him one last look before leaving. He had to tell himself repeatedly this was the only way to protect them and that he hoped he would forgive him for what he was about to do. Stepping out of the cave he continued walking, wanting to be as far away as possible so he didn't wake anyone up but he stopped when his audio receivers picked up rustling behind him. He paused and frowned when he heard the oh-so-familiar sounds of gears whirling and metal plates shifting. "I know you're out there," he called out.
"No you don't!" came an annoyed vocalizer. It was quickly followed by the sound of metal hitting metal followed by a pained yelp. "How dare you hit me!"
"Shut up!" The bushes rustled and Slipstream stepped out into the open, followed by a scowling Thundercracker and a worried Skywarp. The femme said nothing but as she planted her servos on her hips, optics narrowed dangerously at her "creator". "Why in the Pitt are you going to Megatron?" she demanded.
"After all I've done to get away from him, why would I go back to that glitch? I want to live for another orbital cycle than go back to him," he scowled at her.
"Oh is that so." Moving up to him the femme turned him around and reaching for a spot just under his lower wing withdrew a tiny transmitter and showed it to him. "Last time you went out for a flight I planted this on you and used it to follow you," she explained at the shocked look on his faceplates. "I lost you for a while, but imagine my surprise when I find you again, talking to Megatron himself in the middle of nowhere."
Starscream frowned and snatched the item from her, crushing it easily between his digits. "You don't know anything about me or why I'm doing this, but I don't have a choice," he hissed angrily. Looking at his chronometer he realized he didn't have a lot of time left. "I care about Bumblebee and the sparkling-"
"You have a funny way of showing it," Thundercracker muttered under his vents.
"-but I am doing this to protect them. But I know how Megatron works, I know what he's capable of." He knew all too well what he was capable of, but even with what he knew it was only a fraction of what the warlord wanted others to see of him. "You all care for them, I've seen it. So consider this my last command as your leader: if Megatron comes after them, protect them with your spark. Even if it means running away, do it." He could see the shocked look on their faceplates but he didn't bother to wait as he transformed and took off into the air, never looking back.
The flight was silent and before he knew it, Starscream was back in New Detroit but he didn't head straight for the caves where Megatron was located. No, he had to prove his word and his forced loyalty by bringing the warlord something he needed. And why should he bother getting his own servos dirty when he could have him do it for him? He hovered over a quiet part of the cityscape, not a single organic in sight though he wished there was. Anything to distract him from what he was about to do.
'It's not as though they truly trust me anyway,' he thought to himself, trying to make some sense of his actions but even he didn't fully believe that. He felt lights upon him, soon followed by the familiar sounds of parts transforming and only then turned to face the bot walking towards him.
"Starscream? What are you doing here?" Bulkhead asked, very confused as he looked around the area. "Did something happen? Is it Bumblebee?"
"… you could say that," he said calmly, purposely being vague as he reached into his subspace.
"What? Did something happen to Bumblebee? Is the sparkling okay? We-We gotta comm everyone!" the large green mech and was prepared to do so he never noticed as the seeker got close and struck him with something that produced enough electricity to short out his system and processor. The last thing his optics recorded was the seeker looking at him calmly as he held a servo-held gadget that was smoking.
"…" It was on the tip of his glossia to say he was sorry but this was not the mech he really wanted to apologize for. Subspacing the item he had invented he reached up to open his comm link. "This is Starscream. Tell Lord Megatron that I have what he has requested." He paused and frowned as he looked over the bulky mech. "And sent someone to pick the Autobot up; I'm not going to throw out my back strut dragging him back."
The following morning Bumblebee woke up alone in his berth and tried not to let it get to him, but he felt as though something terrible was going to happen and he did not like it. He tried asking the seekers where Starscream could have gone but they were just as clueless so he tried to keep his processor busy and not think about him or wonder when he would be back. Things were getting even more complicated when the Autobots in New Detroit realized bulkhead never came back from his late night patrol and his comm link had been blocked.
"This isn't like Bulkhead, could it be possible that he was taken by the Decepticons?" Prowl asked.
"But for what reason? And why Bulkhead?" Optimus asked as he rubbed his optics.
It was on the tip of Sentinel's glossia to say something crude but he held it back. "What about that organic that always comes around, could he be with her?" he offered instead.
"He would never go so late, but then again Bumblebee used to do something similar. I'll go talk to Sari and see if he stopped by or said anything. Prowl, I want you to go and check the last place we picked up Bulkhead's signal, maybe there's a clue. Sentinel, you-"
"I can search the streets and see if I can't find the big lug. I'll also comm Jetstorm and Jetfire to keep an optic out just in case," he said even as he transformed into his Earth-based vehicle mode.
"A-Alright. For now, don't let anyone know that he's missing. With any luck, we'll find him before anything else happens." Transforming the three of them drove off. But as they search for the soft-sparked Autobot they failed to realize the Decepticons were on the move. They were soon picking up police reports that construction materials were being stolen only to discover it was the Constructicons, but before anybot could get any of their questions answered Blitzwing and Mindwipe flew in, distracting them long enough for them to escape. A few times even Cyclonus appeared and he was strong enough to keep even the combined form of Safeguard from going after them. No one could figure out why they would need so many raw materials but the concerns and confusion grew when Bumblebee asked them if they had happened to have seen any of the seekers.
"What do you mean they're missing?" Ratchet asked from the communication center at the factory a short cycle later.
"I didn't say they were missing! But they all said they were gonna go do something and next thing I know I can't reach any of them!" He was trying not to worry but first Starscream leaves, then Skywarp disappears, and soon followed by Thundercracker and just earlier, Sunstorm. "They never ignored a comm from me before!" He winced as he felt a sudden pang of pain and nearly doubled over, holding a servo to his chassis and the other to his swollen stomach.
"Kid, don't stress yourself out, we'll find them," the medic quickly said even as he watched via the screen as the white seeker Ramjet led him off screen and watched as the femme sat before the screen. "How long has Starscream been missing?"
"Cycles. He's never been gone this long before and Bee's right; anytime he's comm'ed any of us we always response back." She didn't like this and she knew this had to have something to do with Megatron but even if she said something would they believe her? Or would they think she was in on all these disappearances?
"Something's not right…" That was saying something but Ratchet didn't know what else. They had all been all over the city and there was no sign of their missing comrade not the Decepticons. Equipment and materials were still going missing but no one knew by whom or why. "Look, you and Ramjet need to get over here right now."
"And what, leave the carrier and his sparkling unprotected? Those processor challenged glitches can't protect him like Ramjet and I can!" she argued.
"We need more optics if we're gonna find out what happened to our missing teammates and the last time the Dinobots ran around the city they nearly burned it to the ground. But I see your point… look, I'll have Skyfire go and watch over Bee but as much as I hate saying this, we need your help."
"… Fine. But tell that shuttle to hurry up, we don't have all stellar cycle to be waiting for him!" Turning off the comm the turquoise femme was frustrated and worried, but she would never admit it. 'Where in the Pitt are you morons?' she wondered before getting up to see the carrier.
Still hidden away and completely unknown, the pocketbot that was still controlled by Megatron was watching and recording everything. It watched as the two seekers tried to get the Autobot minibot calm down, trying to get him to refuel. He accepted the cube of energon but he didn't take a sip, just stared into it.
"This isn't some elaborate prank you're trying to pull on me, everyone isn't hiding somewhere and will jump out and say surprise, right?"
"How did you find out?" Ramjet lied and winced as Slipstream reached out and smacked him upside his helm. "That didn't hurt!" The femme hit him even harder the second time.
"We won't let anything happen to you," Slipstream said, sitting next to him. She still wasn't used to physical contact so when the carrier leaned into her she froze. She had seen him do the same thing to the other femme countless times before; she lifted a servo and slowly, hesitantly, wrapped it around him. Bumblebee tensed for a moment but didn't pull away as he finally took a sip from his cube.
"Thanks, Slipstream," he murmured quietly.
"… it's nothing," she answered back but it made her smile ever so slightly as she continued to hug him close.
"Such sentimental garbage," Megatron muttered to himself as he watched the recording happening live. But seeing how the two remaining seekers were acting he was beginning to have doubts about whether or not he could fully trust these seekers, especially that of his traitorous second-in-command. So, what better way to ensure his loyalty than by showing that he was not to be taken lightly? He stepped away from his console and made his way deeper into the caves, taking a moment to watch the captive known as Bulkhead directing the idiotic newly-sparked mechs from the Earth-based construction machinery. Or tried to but the mechs were much more interested in drinking their combined mass in oil.
"Ey yo, Mix, this is the life!"
"Ya said it, Scrapper!"
"C'mon you mechs, we gotta finish setting this up!" Bulkhead vented, feeling his processor ache .
"Ey, we need an oil break!" the excavator pointed out as he emptied another oil canister. "Ey, check it out, Mix!" Lifting the empty canister, he crushed it easily against his helm.
"That's nothin', watch this!" the shorter cement truck said as he lifted two empty canisters and crushed them easily. "Beat that, Scrapper!"
There was a loud crash and everyone turned to see Lugnut buried under a pile of steel support beams that had been dropped by Thundercracker and Sunstorm. The two seekers were too busy arguing that they had dropped the thickly constructed materials and were still arguing in the air.
"I told you to stop talking!" the blue violet seeker snapped angrily.
"I was merely complimenting you on your strong frame! Surely no one else can lift so much with such ease," the yellow seeker continued to praise heavily.
It was utter chaos but before the arguing could get any louder or destructive they all froze as they felt a menacing EM field projecting a murderous intent that demanded complete obedience. Moving as one they turned to face the Decepticon warlord who's arm-mounted plasma cannon was ready to obliterate everyone there. It was a true test of prowess as he resisted the tempting urge to turn them all into scrap but there was a hard edge in his vocalizer as he gave his orders.
"Constructicons, finish building the space bridge before I rip out your sparks and use your lifeless frames as new oil drums," he growled out. Both mechs were quick to obey his command, scrambling to their peds and pushing the other out of the way. "Autobot, I expect my space bridge to be fully operational by the end of this solar cycle, or else."
"Yeah, I got ya." It would be so easy to ruin everything but one look at the dreaded Headmaster Unit off to the side of the caves made him quickly think against it.
"Blitzwing, make certain they continue working on my project, or else," he ordered the triple changer.
"Yes, Lord Megatron," he said simply, barely listening as Lugnut threatened the seekers for their actions to which they taunted him, making him even angrier and ignoring the crushed and numerous empty oil drums that two earth-created mechs had laying around; ever since he spoke to the neutral femme he had been out of sorts. He only hoped that the warlord didn't notice.
Seeing how things were finally continuing with his plans he turned to the rest of his meager troops. Mindwipe was hanging from a stalactite, apparently recharging, but at least he was quiet. Starscream was sulking in the corner and would glare at him once in a while but said nothing. No doubt he was trying to find a way to overthrow him but he was not one to be without a failsafe. He noticed the one mech he knew could be trusted and gestured for him to follow him. "Cyclonus, I have a mission for you."
"Anything you command, Lord Megatron," he said as he crossed his servo over his chassis.
"I want you to retrieve the Autobot carrier from his "home" and bring him here. Preferably unharmed but alive."
The grayish mech looked up but slowly nodded. "You do not believe Starscream will keep to his promise to serve you loyally if you spare the carrier and the sparkling."
"He has tried numerous times to eliminate me and has failed. I have not gotten this far as to let anything go to chance nor will let myself be bested by several rather pitiful clones. This will also teach them that I am always watching and to never underestimate me," he smirked.
"My lord," he said with a nod. "Shall I leave immediately?"
"Yes. And bring one other with you if you must, but remember my orders."
"Of course." The seeker received the coordinates of where the carrier was located and waited under the lord left he turned to look at the mechs available. There was only so many mechs he trusted to assist him but he knew it had to be another seeker. He headed to the one he needed and grabbed his shoulder. "Come with me," he ordered and began dragging him out towards the entrance.
"W-W-What'd I do-do?" Skywarp stuttered as he was nearly dragged along, trying very hard not to trip over his own peds. He glanced nervously at the others, silently asking for help but yelped as the clawed digits dug painfully into his seams. Once outside he winced as the bright sunlight hurt his optics but he yelped in pain as he was slammed into the rough wall of the mountain, looking at the other seeker fearfully.
"Listen well, you pathetic bot. We are going to capture the carrier and bring him here as per Lord Megatron's orders," he hissed to him lowly. "You may be able to teleport, but if you try to communicate with the Autobots or the other glitches, I will make you watch as I rip their wings from their backstruts and I will tell the carrier it was you who betrayed him as the sparkling is forcefully removed."
Skywarp's optics grew impossibly huge, unsure what to say but Bumblebee's welfare and that of his sparkling came first and foremost. And if to protect them meant working with a mech far scarier than anything Starscream could threaten him with, so be it. He couldn't speak but he nodded and watched as he back up before taking to the air. he followed a klik later, both transforming. Soon they were gone, heading straight for Dinobot Island.
Skyfire did not understand what he was doing wrong, he was pressing the buttons as he had been taught and yet the avatar on the screen was not performing as well as he had hoped. Frowning he tried to get the small pixelated character to jump but blinked when the opponent he was fighting attacked with a blast of light, stunning his avatar before the other pixelated character charged forward with a rapid attack, taking away the rest of his health.
"K.O.! Winner: Player 2!"
"I… I lost?" he blinked and looked down at the controller in his servos. "But I did exactly as you showed me. How did I lose?"
"What combo did you use?" Bumblebee asked the much larger seeker.
"Right, right, right, right, right, right, release, circle, start. Just like you told me."
"Didn't you hold down the R1 button the entire time?"
"I-!" Looking down he realized he hadn't and vented softly. "-did not… I-I only tapped it once."
"Don't worry about it! First time I played this game Sari beat me big time, but I spent a whole Earth week playing it and next time she came over I beat her," he grinned. "You just gotta practice!"
"I suppose so." The shuttle did find the game enjoyable and it seemed to be helping the Autobot not think about the situation of the missing mechs. He was also shown the images of the sparkling and he was in complete awe. "Jetfire and Jetstorm talk so much about this game, I can see why they enjoy playing it so much."
"Oh yeah, they always wanna challenge each other, I've been keeping score of how many times they beat each other," Bee grinned. "Ready for round 2?"
"Yes. This time I will defeat you," he smiled. This time he would remember to hold down the required button and win this round.
"You and the jettwins are getting along fine, they told me they like flying with someone else for a change," Bee spoke up, easily dodging the punches and countering with some of his own.
"I admit, they are quite pleasant mechs to be around. They even expressed a desire to visit Torkulon if they are allowed," he said with a small smile.
"I wouldn't mind a visit, myself." For a few kliks the sounds of their video game avatars trying to beat the other filled the room. "Does that mean you really like them?"
"I do."
"And I bet they really like you."
"They've told me."
"That's good. I like seeing my friends happy." It was a happy moment even when the round ended in Skyfire's favor, making Bee groan it was still in good fun. "Okay, this round decides the winner."
"Then what are we waiting for?" As soon as the screen said 'Fight!' both their avatars tried to gain the advantage. Both tried using their avatars' special moves, breaking through guards. "I do wonder, why Cybertron has never thought to create games like this."
"Me too! I asked Psyche that once and she said that's all we'd be doing," the yellow mech said, narrowing his optics as his avatar jumped out of the way. "I think she's mad that she keeps losing. Even Grimlock beat her!"
"Is that so? Oh that could not have set well with her," the shuttle chuckled softly, studying the entertainment screen intently. "I admit, I have seen several other games similar to this, but you can select up to two characters to fight as one."
"You mean how the jettwins took you down and tried 'facing with you?" Bee said with a grunt, taking the sudden pause to deal a powerful blow to his opponent but he blinked when he realized just what he had said and looked at the frozen shuttle. "Um, Skyfire…?"
Skyfire's optics were huge, his faceplates darkening as energon rushed through his cables and his plating suddenly felt too warm. He sat there frozen on the couch, controller in his still servos. He swore his processor suffered a glitch but as he replayed the scout's words he found himself just, well, just a tad bit embarrassed. "H-How did you find out?" he asked quietly.
"… it was several solar cycles ago. I was walking around the island when I saw the three of you flying around. I thought you were training before I saw the twins ram into you and you were all heading for the ground pretty fast. I thought something happened and went to see if you needed help or something but when I got closer I heard—noise." Well this was embarrassing; Bee should have stopped but he had moved closer and what he saw was completely unexpected and once the realization hit him, the Autobot left as quickly and quietly as he could.
"Oh." He couldn't blame the scout, to anybot else no one would have known what the tree of them were doing, not unless said bot was a seeker themselves. It had begun as a game between them, the lithe twins encouraging the shuttle to try and catch them in the air, but the way they were flying around, flying close enough to stroke at his wing tips and faux glass was enough to stir up his deeply-coded instincts. He tried calling a stop to the game, explaining they didn't know what they were doing, tried to leave, but they both grabbed at him suddenly causing the three of them to nearly crash onto the island. Even though they were sparked as grounders, they still had CNA coding in their systems and theirs was telling them that he was a suitable mate, they desired him, and they would not take no as an answer.
"I—We—" Skyfire tried saying only to vent heavily, releasing all the air as he took the time to compose his thought process. "It's something seekers do, when they wish to show their affection to another they are attracted to. If the other feels the same, it becomes a kind of game and ends with-"
"I get it! You don't have to explain!" Bee quickly interrupted. He didn't stay for everything but he had seen where it was going pretty quickly. "I'm really sorry, I just thought something happened but I swear, I won't say anything."
"It's alright, Bumblebee. I admit, perhaps it was not the best time but I do care about them very much." He knew he shouldn't, they twins didn't know anything about being a seeker or the culture, but they kept repeating how much they cared for him, and he could feel it in his spark they meant everything. "It may sound selfish, but I want to enjoy my time with them as much as possible."
Bumblebee didn't say anything for several long kliks but he leaned forward and rested his servo on the shuttle's arm, giving him a sincere smile. "I think you can stand to be selfish just a little bit, and I bet they can stand to be a bit selfish themselves."
"… Psyche said something similar." Actually, she had said to just enjoy it and to the slagging Pitt what anyone said. Reaching up he covered his servo, giving him a smile as he let out a soft vent of relief. "Thank you for your understanding. And since you won at an unfair advantage, I challenge you to another round of Ninja Gladiator."
"You're on. Best two outta three," the yellow mech nodded as they restarted the game with new characters.
Elsewhere on the island, the Dinobots were training though to anyone watching them they would assume they were trying to destroy one another. All three were in their root forms, brandishing their weapons with superior strength. It was far from graceful and the destructive power behind it would have scared a number of beings off, but it was what they knew and their frames were able to withstand their brutality. They had no idea they were being watched from the skies.
"So these are the Dinobots I have heard about, they are nothing more than processor-challenged beasts," Cyclonus sneered.
"B-but look at them!" Skywarp cried out in fear, wincing as Snarl swung her club, shattering the boulder she had struck into rumble. "I don't wanna be smashed! Why am I here?"
"Because while I am dealing with those glitches, you will grab the carrier and teleport him back to Lord Megatron." Banking on the air the two jets flew close enough to transform and land. The grayish jet pierced the darker jet a cold look but before he could say anything he unleashed one of his swords and pressed it threatening to the other seeker's neck cables, snarling lowly as the whimper of fear. "Or would you rather I bring him back as well as present Lord Megatron your wings?"
Skywarp tried to say something, anything, but he just shook his helm and watched as he slowly pulled back but not before the sharp edge of the blade nicked the cables, drawing a bit of energon. He continued to stand there, trembling so badly he was certain he was going to shake something loose before he forced himself to move. He knew that jet's threats were not empty and no doubt he was going to make sure it was as painful as possible, but how else was he going to protect Bumblebee and the sparkling?
'M-Maybe, I can get him to contact the Autobots?' He wasn't sure how he was going to do that but, right now it was the only option he could think of! He nearly lost everything in his waste tanks when he heard a furious roar and immediately bolted for the caves. He winced as he ran through so much organic material, feeling his wings getting scratched up, but he had forgotten he could fly until he broke through the clearing and saw the caves a short distance away. Finally! Now if he could get to the carrier and get him to send a message to the Autobots, no one would get hurt! '… I-I hope, anyway,' he thought to himself.
Skywarp wasn't known for being stealthy, but his cowardice nature was having him move silently, freezing every time there was a sound, and trying to meld into the shadows so far was working. Though he was wondering why Slipstream and Ramjet hadn't noticed his presence-
"I'll be right back, Skyfire," Bumblebee said as he headed for the main room of the caves, the same place where a terrified seeker was frozen in place. "You sure you don't want a cube?"
"No but thank you for the offer," came the pleasant response as the shuttle settled on the couch, going through the channels on the entertainment screen.
'Hide hide! I need to hide!' the 'Con panicked, wings nearly trembling he looked around for some place to hide. He was in the main room and before him were several smaller caves. One of the caves was out of the question, seeing how the much larger mech was coming out of it, and he wasn't about to go the storage cave where the energon was kept. He was running out of places to hide, seeing the broad shadow of the shuttle coming larger the black and violet seeker swallowed back a wail of fear and bolted into the nearest cave, nearly slamming the door on his wings.
Bumblebee hummed softly as he walked out of the living room, rubbing his lower backstrut. His steps were short on the account that Sunstorm in his overly flattering wisdom, one cycle mentioned how he made a wonderful impression of an earth-based mammal called a penguin. After looking it up he berated the seeker for calling him fat (while struggling not to cry) and locked himself in his berth room all cycle. When he emerged Sunstorm begged for forgiveness, saying he didn't mean anything by it. He forgave him but since then he took the extra effort to watch how he was walking.
'Though I can't be mad at you, little one,' he smiled as he gently rubbed his midsection. He moved past his berthroom, heading for the storage where all the extra energon and extra items he might need were kept.
From inside the room Skywarp had sealed all his vents, afraid to let out a single gust of air but he felt his wings tremble in relief. He was safe, but as he looked around he swallowed back the whimper when he realized he was in the carrier's berthroom. He shouldn't be in here, not alone, but he couldn't go back out and talk to him.
'I-I can tell him I was botnapped! But why did I wait so long to get back to him? Or may-maybe I was trapped, and I was just now able to escape!' But no matter how many excuses he came up with the more he was getting worked up. He found himself pacing the berthroom, wings twitching and hiking up and down his backstrut, worrying himself into a frenzy he failed to notice the door to the room opening until it was too late. His helm snapped up (and possibly snapping a cable in the process) and his frighten red optics stared in surprised blue ones.
"… S-Skywarp…?" Bee whispered so softly he had to strain his own audios to hear himself. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and reset his optics but the dark purple seeker was right here, right in front of him! He opened his derma to say something but he heard the shuttle calling out to him and turned to no doubt answer him. He made the mistake of turning his backplates to said seeker. Then again, he never thought he would grab him from behind, pulling him away from the door and deeper into the room. The cube of energon he had been holding dropped to the ground, the container too strong to break so easily but the fuel was rapidly spilling out.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" the jet former pleaded, even with one servo over the minibot's lip plates and the other having reached across his chassis and grabbed the yellow and black servo, pulling it across his extended stomach. He wouldn't dare say the carrier was too heavy to lift but he was still taller and like this he couldn't get away. "I'm sorry, Bee!" he hissed softly.
Being grabbed from behind, held back like this brought back too many bad memories and Bee's first instincts was to get away. The servos weren't being painful, the seeker wasn't trying to force him to the floor or the berth, and his EM field was projecting fear and sadness. He continued to try and twist his servo free but it was held in an unrelenting grip. The other tried pulling the servo over his mouth plates off but instead it forced his helm back, letting it rest against the warm chassis. He didn't think to unsheathe his stinger, all he could think of was to protect his sparkling.
"Bumblebee? Are you alright?" Skyfire had heard something and was already up but he didn't see the Autobot anywhere. Frowning he saw a brightly colored liquid coming from beneath a door and knelt, reaching out to touch it. It was energon but why was it on the ground? He stood and immediately knocked on the closed door. "Bumblebee? Is something wrong?" No answer but it didn't stop him from raising the volume of his audio receivers, focusing intently on the door. There was nothing but he was startled when he heard something akin to air being displaced suddenly. Something was very wrong so he reached out with his comm link. ~Bumblebee?~
There was no answer but he knew something was very wrong. He reached out for the panel to open the door but it was locked from the inside. "Bumblebee, please open the door." There was still no answer and he was beginning to worry. "Primus, please forgive me." Moving before the panel Skyfire entered the override code that allowed anyone inside in case there was an emergency, something he swore not to use but his worries only escalated as the panel beeped, allowing the door to open but the berthroom was empty. On the floor was a transparent container with energon spilling freely. The Autobot carrier was gone and he knew it had not been willing.
Nearly on the other side of the island the air seemed to ripple and two metallic forms appeared, one tall, dark, with wings, the other shorter, brightly colored, with a rather large stomach. He was also struggling against the other mech, digging his yellow digits into seams until the servo was removed from his lip components. The seeker was afraid he was going to call for help but instead he held him up when he began to purge. This was not what he expected but he continued to hold the minibot up. Thankfully he finished soon but he could hear his vents struggling to cycle air.
"Bee-" he began but the minibot immediately pulled out of his grip, taking a few steps that separated him and looked at him with angry/hurtful optics. Skywarp felt his wings lower even more.
"What the slag is your malfunction?" Bumblebee hissed, running the back of his servo over his derma, ignoring the feel of the fuel as it irritated his intake cable and upset his tanks. "I told you, I purge easily! And I thought you were missing! Why didn't you let me tell Skyfire that you're here?"
"I-I'm sorry-"
"Stop saying that!"
The seeker flinched, wing tips trembling as though he had just been slapped. "I—was taken, along with the others, but that's not the point! You're not safe here anymore. I-I wanted to warn you before he came."
Bee blinked, finally taking in the rapid twitching of the wings. "What are you talking about? What happened?"
"… Me-Me-Megatron, had all of us captured, and he's forcing us to work for him," he said lowly, even as his optics darted around in case anyone was listening in. He moved closer, reaching out to try and comfort the Autobot but flinched once more when he slapped at his servos and took another step back. "I was hoping—if I warned you, you could tell the Autobots! They can stop him!"
"Why didn't you just go to them first? I've been worrying myself sick!" Bee snapped. He knew he should calm down, his spark was racing painfully in his chassis and his tanks lurched he couldn't help but press his servos to where his sparkling was still developing. Fears of his nightmare came to his processor but he was quick to push it away. "I thought… you were my friend."
"I am your friend!" Skywarp moved in and this time grabbed the carrier by his shoulder joints, wanting nothing more than to wrap his servos around him and hold him close. "I want to tell you! I want to take the both of you far from here, away from any both who wants to harm you! I-I-" He didn't know why he did what he did, but the next thing he knew he was pulled the scout close and kissed him.
Bumblebee's optics grew huge, frame stilling even as his fans sputtered to kick online. The kiss was hard and rough, painful but as quickly as the violet seeker kissed him he pulled back. His derma was tingling painfully, certain they were bruised, but he was a bit shocked when he felt a familiar heat begin to spread through his frame. Now he had a whole different set of questions to ask him-
"BUMBLEBEE!"
The small cry of terror was the least mechly thing ever, but it didn't stop the seeker from hiding behind the carrier, holding onto him tightly from behind, the both of them watching as a broad white shuttle came flying down, transforming and landing with enough force to shake the very ground beneath their peds. Skywarp had only seen the other seeker mad once and the way he was looking at him was nearly enough to make him want to leak waste oil all over himself. So he did the only thing he knew what to do in a situation like this.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry-y!" he said pitifully, clinging to the bright frame before him like a living shield.
"You," Skyfire fumed angrily, blue optics burning so brightly they were nearly white. "Have a great deal of explaining to do. So start talking."
"I-"
"NOW!"
Bee could feel the frantic beating of the spark behind him, the violent tremors threatening to shake him apart. The seeker was going to suffer a painful and offlining spark attack and soon unless he did something. "Sk-Skyfire, wait! Skywarp was trying to protect me!"
"By botnapping you from your own room? Did he tell you he also badly damage the Dinobots?" he asked in a low rumble, wings arched high on his backstrut, taking slow, deliberate steps towards them. "I just saw them and they are in need of repairs or they won't survive."
"What?" The Dinobots were hurt? He made to go towards the shuttle but Skywarp continued to cling to him, refusing to let him go. "We-We gotta comm Ratchet!"
"I've been trying but the distance is too far away. Bumblebee, please come with me, I need to make sure you and your sparkling are safe," the large mech said softly, holding his servo out. He could easily pull him away from the other seeker but so far he wasn't hurting him in the slightest.
"But… Skywarp wouldn't…" had he somehow tricked the Dinobots in maybe attacking each other? But why? Bumblebee was so confused, but his optics noticed the air rippling behind his appointed guardian and saw a flash of metal glinting in the sunlight. He tried to warn him but the shuttle cried out in pain and fell forward with a massive crash. His backplates were brutally slashed, causing oil and energon to leak heavily, straining the soft ground.
Cyclonus said nothing as he flicked his blades free of the fluids, looking at the yellow scout calmly. "Lord Megatron has requested your presence, carrier. It would not be wise to keep him waiting."
The Autobot was shaking and he could feel his system glitching, trying to make sense of what was happening but he was dimly aware that he was struggling to get free from Skywarp's grip, reaching out for the fallen mech groaning on the ground, screaming over his comm link for help to anyone who could hear him. His nightmare, was slowly becoming a spark-breaking reality.
Author's Notes: Sweet Solus Prime… This, has been one of THE hardest chapters I have written! And I've been doing a lot of thinking as well… I had told myself that if I posted a new story, I would see it to the end regardless because I am tired and leaving stuff as incomplete. And yet going back I'm noticing a lot of errors, clichés, and then I get ideas for new stories that don't ever pertain to this one. In other words, I guess I'm burning myself out.
Before anyone panics I am not going to abandon this story. Pitt, I was thinking of just starting over but that would mean getting rid of everything I worked hard on and losing all those wonderful reviews. So, I came to the conclusion I will complete this story and not stop or post anything new until it is done.
Sure I'm still working on 'Slutty Bee' but that story is just a series of PWP short stories that don't really tie in with each other. In other words, it doesn't really count. So that's still going to continue on as long as I can manage.
I intended to add more to this chapter, but I need something for the next chapter. And I'm sure those of you that watch TF: Animated know where this is going, but again I think I kinda went off-back-on-back-off-cramp-plots-together a long time ago. So! Fellow readers and writers, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review!