The evening was approaching and Bumblebee twirled a touch pen for his data pad between his digits. He had spent part of the morning napping, most of the afternoon trying to reconcile with his teammates which did nothing for him as well as wished Bendy a happy two-week vacation, and up until this point, he was researching the other Freddy Fazbear locations trying to find a suitable new home for Gabriel and the children.
There was a park of similar size to their former dwelling in Times Beach he found that had everything they needed. It had over fifty acres, a plethora of rides and amusement games, a building for the circus instead of a circus tent, and of course a pizzeria. But also, this one had a mall attached with merchandise and other companies who used to lease from Afton when it was operational. Thankfully, it was not only inaccessible to the general public but it resided in Fairfield County near Lancaster, Ohio which wasn't incredibly far. He had paged Marionette and she agreed with him. Now it was just a matter of going about the relocation and getting the children there.
He heard humming and paused. He couldn't place the song but it sounded like something from the 80's, not the hard rock type but much more perky and upbeat like one would here at a chain store or grocery outlet. The man humming was a military night guard and it was the one he had heard about briefly this morning who fell into a rosebush and cut himself up pretty bad. Obviously, he seemed to be doing quite fine if he was humming with a smile.
"I can see your distracted. I hope it's not my humming that's bothering you," the guard said.
"Oh no, I just-your humming reminded me of something. I heard about that incident this morning. How are you holding up?"
The guard turned towards him and he was a bit surprised by what he saw. There were a lot of stitches running down his face and neck, and if reports were correct, he also had plenty across his body too. Bee didn't even know rose bushes could be that bad. There was something odd though, his eyes were a very light green when he supposedly had a darker green. Maybe his eyes were like the mood-swinging irises some people had where their emotion could lighten or darken the iris color or when they got ill, their color would fade slightly. It did exist as a phenomenon so what were the chances of him having it?
"I didn't catch your name. What was it again?" Bee asked.
The guard gave a brief gesture of apology and cleared his throat, "I'm Hurst, Jacob Hurst. I'm just a soldier, nothing fancy compared to you. Speaking of, why is the Autobot leader so distant from his colleagues?"
Bumblebee glanced off to the side, "It's not really something I wish to talk about much. I just miscalculated on a mission."
"Mmm, wouldn't happen to be about Freddy's, would it? About Circus Baby and Springtrap?"
This threw him off and he glared a little at the guard. "How do you know about that?"
Jacob shrugged, "I thought it was common knowledge? Did that motorcycle femme not tell everyone? She told my squad."
"What?! No one is supposed to know about Springtrap except a few of us! Not even Circus Baby either! Why is Arcee telling everybody?!" Bumblebee exclaimed in a fury, jumping out of his seat.
Jacob didn't respond and looked quite distraught as Bee growled and stormed past him. He was about to call Bee back but decided against it, instead adopting a thoughtful expression.
Bumblebee didn't stop until he reached Arcee in the main junction of Autobot Intelligence where she was overlooking scanners and helping the humans research peculiar energy signatures across the globe. He roughly grabbed her arm to turn her around and she almost shot him whipping out her blaster at high speed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Why have you been telling the soldiers about Springtrap?! That's not any of their business! You have no right to do that without my permission!" He scolded.
Arcee gave him a grueling stare and shouted back, "Excuse me?! There's an information leak and your assumption is automatically that I did it? Oh, that's rich and since when did I need your permission to refuel or to talk to friends?"
To the embarrassment of both of them, several humans were looking their way and watching their argument. He could tell Arcee was flushed from being yelled at in public but it was necessary.
"You know what? Fine! If this is how you're going to be, I won't hold you back in my authority any longer. You can do things your way and I'll do it mine. Just stay out of my investigation!"
"Will do!" Arcee mocked, "And by the way, I never really thought of you much as my leader anyway! You're nothing like Optimus was!"
That hit deep, even for Bumblebee and he replied simply with a dark scowl before turning away from her and leaving the building. As soon as he got outside, his scowl turned to brief distraught. He didn't want things to turn out like this but not everything could work in his favor. He left the premises without another word.
Marionette felt energy spiraling around her, surging like electricity through her body. Her power was growing and she estimated by midday tomorrow she would have enough energy to place a permanent seal over the gates of Springtrap's fairgrounds. It was unfortunate she couldn't do much to help the restless children without breaking her concentration. She was out for the night so she hoped Bumblebee could handle them.
As much as she loved the children, she felt overwhelmed sometimes by their antics and trying to get them not to kill people was a whole different matter. At one point, she gave up trying to stop them. Some parents would argue that failure to teach children not to kill was bad parenting but then again, their children weren't forty foot possessed Cybertronian bodies with not just the ability to control said bodies like their own but extend their control to the animatronics behind her back. Even the most skilled parents would not know what to do with the likes of these kids.
She never thought about ever being a creator herself. It never crossed her mind to mate for life as her species does nor to be a carrier. She just never had the instinct to do it. It was by fate, and a screw up, that she was given the children to guide.
It did occur to her: what was it going to be like once they were free? If Springtrap was destroyed and their souls finally could be left at peace, what would become of her? There was a sense of dread that she would be alone, but nobody can be there forever. Nobody could live forever either. She doubted they would stick around just for her. What would she do after that?
Marionette could hear their movement indicating it was getting closer to midnight with each minute. They would always stir, anticipate whether or not to go hunting for the night for security guards or just roam around the fairgrounds. The pattern was never tampered with...until now. Quite honestly, she had no idea how they were going to react tonight. There was a small chance they could go into a killing spree out of a panic attack from being mislocated and with no boundaries, there was no telling how far in Detroit they would go before six in the morning.
It was going to be an interesting night to say the least. She prayed in her mind Bumblebee and Knockout would manage and keep the children under wraps. But it was Bee's David against the Freddy Gang's Goliath and not all underdogs won.
Bumblebee and Knockout were poised and ready as the hands of Detroit's belltower closed in to midnight. With them, several guards including Jacob all kept a keen eye on the warehouse containing the possessed Cybertronians.
"Hey Knockout? Did you ever think what it would be like to have sparklings?"
The medic was surprised at the question. "Err...I've uh thought about it. Why?"
"I think we're about to get a taste of what it would be like to have sparklings," Bee said.
"No, I don't think this comes even close to what it would probably be like. This is more equivalent to having a bunch of Kaon drillers for pets if anything. Shockwave has one and if it doesn't like you, it is terrible to deal with."
In the distance, the clock chimed twelve and multiple roars sounded in the vicinity of the warehouse. The doors were forcefully pounded on and the guards activated them to let Freddy and his crew roam free. Hopefully, there was no problems.
On cue, Gabriel's Cybertronian body lurched out of the warehouse with a snarl before the doors even fully opened. He sniffed the air and peered around anxiously. He wandered with Cassidy teleporting in a green haze to his side.
That was new and Bumblebee gave Knockout a strange look. He had never seen any of them teleport before. In fact, he didn't know any of them could do that. However, the other possessed wandered out on foot and that made Bee suspicious how only Cassidy did that but none of the others could.
Mangle rotated one of her heads with a growl before nipping at Ennard who almost hit her in return. Ballora, who wasn't extremely active and was the rarest seen out of all the possessed, danced out gracefully avoiding all of them even with her optics covered. She gave a small laugh when Mangle jumped Michael and they wrestled across the ground.
"So, how exactly are we going to keep them in control AND get them to Ohio?" Knockout sneered.
Bumblebee didn't know how to answer that truthfully. He gave a half shrug as his processor raced to figure out something. The human guards had little confidence they could do anything either. It wasn't like tranquilizers worked on them and caging them would probably be hazardous to everyone's health.
Chica wandered a bit close looking at them with a smile, but one soldier cocked their gun by instinct. Everyone grew silent immediately when Susie froze hearing the sound. Although she didn't turn to face the guard, Bee could tell she was contemplating and her optics contracted. He suddenly got the bad feeling this wasn't the first time the children ever dealt with guns. She breathed deep with a few grunts and an animalistic growl.
Then the unthinkable happened. Someone fired their rifle. The entire squadron grew concerned and before Bumblebee could pinpoint which soldier it was, the Seeker expanded her wings upright and her optics were little more than specks of white against solid black, teeth bared with a loud roar. Freddy and company became enraged in the background and if Bee could guess, they were about to find out how terrifying the children could be and what those poor night guards experienced before they died.
Bee's optics widened. "Chica, no!"
She swiped her servo catching one soldier and flung them straight into the side of a wall killing them instantly. In a panic, the others started to fire and everything went downhill from there.
The base went on high alert as Mangle surged forward into one of the guard stations, snapping her jaws at all the humans she could see. A woman was crushed when Mangle ran mindlessly head first into the station wall and broke through while another person got caught in the unarmored head's grasp. They were torn in half. The remainder of the humans screamed as they could see nothing but teeth snapping their way through the building towards them. Mangle got caught up in some of the building's infrastructure and with no animatronic form, she could only press forward but it didn't stop of her from cornering some of her prey with blood-dripping fangs.
Freddy slammed himself repeatedly against the bomb doors that were sealed by guards, some of whom were the same who started to shoot Chica which he had chased them over. He paced endlessly in front of the doors when he couldn't break them down before making an odd call with his strained vocalizer.
The soldiers on the other side were confused until a green mist poured in and green optics appeared in the shadows. The only thing the soldiers saw was a lifeless yellow-tinted Cybertronian body limping quick at them with denta aimed to bite. The warehouse was full of noise and screams, blood splatter hit the window before it went quiet. Then the doors burst open and Cassidy walked lamely out, her claws and mouth coated in fresh blood. Gabriel gave his sister a coo and she responded with a snarl before looking for more targets. Her brother happily paced with her slower form to keep with her for their hunt.
One man ran down the corridor as he tried to go deep inside the building to lose them. He took a turn a bit harsh and hurt his shoulder as he heard cackling behind him. Large footsteps drew closer as he ducked beneath an abandoned desk terminal hoping the bot would walk by but to his dismay, it stopped. He heard sniffing and a plume of smoke hit the floor with a large release of breath.
Growling emitted from above and he couldn't see it but he knew there were small skylight on the overhead roof of the terminal. The light that beamed through from the warehouse ceiling was suddenly covered by a massive form and he winced when the sound of loud scraping tore the roof apart. He debated whether he should run but if he gave himself away, he wouldn't have a chance.
A slam beside he made him curl into a ball and freeze as a large hook was now resting on the floor, an impact mark present under it. The hook slid a few inches tensely before being lifted and he couldn't tell where it was going to land next. A creak above made him slowly peer upwards and, in that moment, he felt the dread of death lingering.
The table he was hidden under was flipped, the computers and rigging ripped from their station as he was face to face with a mad Dinobot grinning like a demon.
"Found you!"
The man screamed as the hook was brought down on him as he stared into hellbent yellow contracted optics.
Another area of the base had two soldiers running into the barracks and taking shelter under their beds. They remained quiet as a sweet medley played outside. They could see the windows and one of the almost cried out as slim blue pedes danced across the windows' exterior with a haunting laugh.
"Why do you hide inside your walls, when there is music in my halls?" A voice sang, "All I hear is an empty room. No more joy, an empty tomb."
Immediately, both soldiers saw a shadow dance across the floor from the windows behind their bedframes twirling and leaping this time meaning she had maneuvered around the building.
"Dude, we should go! We're dead!"
"I didn't sign up for this shit!"
"Sleep tight, all will be well soon."
The soldiers looked at one another. "Did you-?!"
A sharp blue claw suddenly pierced the skull of one of the soldiers and out the chin, a spew of blood pouring from the wounds. The remaining soldier gasped in terror and quickly shoved a shaky hand against his mouth. The dead soldier, with his eyes bulging lifelessly, was dragged upwards, throwing the bed aside, and through the impact hole in the roof.
The last man lying frantically could only try not to cry as the realization that he was alone with a monster he couldn't see. The bed bounced by something falling onto it and he whimpered shutting his eyes. When nothing happened, he grew panicky until a drop of blood appeared in front of him. Looking up, blood was seeping through the cot. When the blood started dropping more frequently, he had leave for the puddle was beginning to get everywhere.
Climbing out, he got a good look at the problem. His friend's body lied in a crumpled mess on top of the bed and he couldn't tell at all where the limbs were supposed to be. And the head...was gone! He backed away as fast as possible only to trip at the feet of a small pale blue Minicon with a tutu. It looked like a miniature ballerina, a Minirina.
It gave a cute laugh and swung its arms side to side like a little girl would when nervous. He tried to back away but his wrist was caught by its servo and her was pulled close. Bringing out his gun, he shot its faceplates to no avail and it angrily screeched. His arm was ripped from its socket and tossed the side. He couldn't scream loud enough as it tore into him.
On the outside, Ballora laughed and pet another Minirina, an extension of herself. She flicked the head of the soldier off her nails like a gnat before singing softly to herself as the sound bone crunching and human cries were heard in the barracks.
Bumblebee led as many humans as he could away from the base as the other Autobots appeared hearing the sirens and saw the carnage. They all knew immediately what to do and followed suit despite their conflictions with their leader.
Arcee was the first to react as Bonnie snatched a human in his servos in front of her, crushing them immediately. He gave a roar until her fist hit the side of his helm. Shaking off the impact, he stood up straight with a glare and the femme rolled her shoulder.
"Come at me, I dare you!" She taunted as several humans gathered behind her.
Charlie snarled back, "They tried to hurt her! Tried hurt Susie! We will kill them!"
"Not unless you want to go through me and buddy, I've fought Predacons bigger than you! Try me!"
The lavender mech started to back down as he recognized she was dead serious until a bullet hit his armor from the side. Immediately, his optics flared bright pink and he bellowed angrily before charging. Arcee couldn't stop him in time. The human who shot him only managed to turn away to try to run before he was flattened by Bonnie converting to all fours and his servo squishing the human in his sprint.
"Damn!" Arcee cursed.
Ennard grabbed several military vehicles, flinging them towards every building he saw. Almost all of them exploded by the force and others were merely crunched but still killed their passengers by the impact alone. His younger brother, James, kept beside him as he stormed down the runway that was for the fighter jets and Seekers. As Michael aimed for larger targets that stood in his way, the Balloon Bot tackled every individual human below, tearing out their throats and using a built-in small axe his body had to cut down the others.
Several buildings in the base were on fire and hundreds of people were either dead or currently being hunted. All Bumblebee could do was assess the damage and try to figure out a way to stop them. Nothing solid was coming up.
A hand on his throat made his fear of the situation escalate as Freddy appeared right in his faceplates. Cassidy was nowhere to be seen which was another fear on top of that.
"You think you can just tell us what to do? Remove us from our home, release our enemy and take the credit for helping us poor children? You aren't as clever as you think, Bumblebee. I knew from the moment you put us here one of you wouldn't be able to resist treating us like monsters! You're no different from the guards. You're no different from all the liars and idiots who came to the fairgrounds looking for ghosts and mysteries to make them famous. You'll die like them too."
Bee was forced to his knees by Freddy's grip. "What are you talking about?! I didn't betray you! I have no idea who fired their weapon but I didn't authorize it!"
"But you know what? I've accepted what you see me as. Let's see how you deal with us when we tear this whole city apart!"
Bumblebee suddenly began to laugh, "You're right, Gabriel. You are a monster. In fact, I would say you're on par with Springtrap. That's how far you let yourself go."
Gabriel grew furious. "I AM NOTHING LIKE HIM!"
"Really? If you see yourself as a monster, then you will be treated as one the same as we will treat Springtrap. You've killed people, he has too. You've threatened to kill people, he's beaten you by miles on that. See, what you fail to understand is that you don't want to be like him yet you have slowly become the thing you hate and you can't accept that reality because you want to be your own hero. You want to be the leader everyone expects of you but you've become blind to your own purpose so you take your rage and insecurity on others you KNOW can't defend against you."
"You don't know-!"
"Tell me, Gabriel, how does it feel? All you have to do now is crush my neck and it'll be all over. You'll win and I'll be dead. When Afton held you and you looked up at him when he had that knife in his hand, he won by killing you and now you'll win by killing me. You're right, I can't stop you the same as you couldn't stop him. What you are determines what your choices are and right now, you have a choice. If you really have accepted you're a monster, prove it."
The larger mech stared down the Autobot leader before peering at the grip he held over Bee's neck. His vision flickered as he saw blood, his own blood, seeping down Bumblebee's frame which made him grow shocked. Then he heard child-like whimpering that wasn't coming from the Autobot. The last thing he noticed was the knife in his shaking hand. He didn't have a knife...
Scared, he let go of Bumblebee and backed away, his vision returning to normal and he saw the mech cough before looking at his servos. No knife. Bee stood reluctantly but he gave Gabriel a brief touch of reassurance. The Cybertronian body looked so afraid like a real lost child.
"I...am not a monster. I am not a monster."
"No, you're not."
"You said once I had the power to take him on. Was that a clue to what I've done?"
"No, you have the power to take him on because you're stronger than he is and you still have the ability to choose what you are. You just proved you aren't a monster, Gabriel. That already makes you better than he is. Now whether or not you continue to leave in fear of him is entirely up to you as well. Monsters are only as powerful as you make them out to be. Springtrap's nothing to me, so there's nothing to fear from him aside from dying in my case."
Freddy all but bowed his head. "I was wrong. I wanted to be right, make things right again."
"Time and patience," Bee answered. "You will make things right but you have to set an example for your friends. Letting them kill people isn't a good way to go about it."
A roar sounded and Foxy came out of the brush chasing a human soldier. Freddy got in front of Bumblebee ready to call off the aggressive Dinobot but he froze peering beyond the scene. Bumblebee followed his stare and saw a man in the far distance walking up to the base. The soldier ran past the unknown figure and Foxy immediately changed targets. Bee grew concerned until a surprise shout came from the figure.
"You leave these humans alone, Jeremy!"
The Dinobot slid to a halt and stopped just before the human. He didn't attack but he also no longer looked bloodthirsty either. Foxy gave a rumble like he was saying "sorry" and backed away to let the human go past. Freddy did the same as if on instinct. Bumblebee was thoroughly confused.
The man wore a pirate-like outfit, kind of reminded Bee of the late human supervillains he had to deal with early in his career before Bendy took them out in a fit of jealousy for his attention. This man wasn't goofy as they were, armor plating and formality with an authoritive voice.
"Gabriel, you know better too," the pirate said. "Why you're acting like the rudest houseguests is beyond me unless some idiot decided to taunt you then maybe I could see a temper tantrum or two. This is unacceptable, however. Call off the others or else we're going to have a problem."
Freddy nodded with no response to Bumblebee's surprise and Foxy followed his friend. That left Bee with the unusual pirate.
Bee started, "I-I'm sorry, who are you? How do you know-?"
"Marionette probably didn't mention me but our friendship goes back several years. Bendy may have told you about me. He's the worst secret keeper in the world...but he told me about you and he gave me an insight on how you figured out Springtrap was in the fairgrounds. And yes, I heard about what you did."
"Max?" Bee suddenly realized. Bendy had told him indeed but he never would have thought he'd meet the human in person.
Max tampered with his clawed gauntlets and gave a smug smile, "Hello Bumblebee, we finally meet at last. One legend to another."
"So, you're in infamous Guardian? The one who deals with monsters and such. How do you know the children though?" Bee asked.
"Infamous implies everyone knows about me. Nobody really knows and I prefer to keep off the radar but I was called in by a distress signal Zeliria urged me to answer, got to meet Freddy and the gang as they tried to tear me apart. Long story short, I was the first to figure out they were the missing children and I befriended them, keeping tabs on Springtrap to protect them, and I made a pretty decent friendship with Marionette in the process."
Bumblebee nodded, "Sounds like something I went through albeit I messed up the latter half."
Max turned serious. "Speaking of which, why did you release him?"
"I keep telling everyone I didn't because I didn't! The chains just broke, I swear! But I guess I was the only one there with him so yeah, fine, must be true then!"
"Calm down," the human urged. "Look, whether or not you did, out of all the monsters I've ever dealt with, Springtrap took years to imprison and when I did, he managed to break free from the Devil's Den, my prison. I don't know how; I don't know why but he did, and the reason he was under that pizzeria was because I told Marionette he was coming for her so she bound him down there and was awaiting me to take him back. Of course, now I can't do that."
"You realize that his presence made the children wild, don't you?"
Max scoffed, "Of course I did! But it's not like transporting a giant robot body possessed by a calculative asshole is easy. And then you all came on scene and I definitely couldn't get in there when I did find something I could use to transport him."
Bumblebee groaned and rubbed his temples in annoyance. "I'm honestly sorry but right now, I need your help. I need to get the children to Ohio. There's a Fazbear Fairgrounds in a secluded area where they can live without being found by Springtrap. Marionette is meditating to create enough energy for an enchantment to keep Springtrap stuck in Times Beach forever but she needs until tomorrow afternoon so I am forced to babysit. She already put down a temporary spell to give her time."
"She cursed the fence to keep him in with a Verasas entrapment? She better hurry because if Springtrap figures out how to get around it, you're screwed," the human responded.
"Verasas entrapment?"
"It encases the perimeter with a charm that repels anything that gets close to it, kind of like a forcefield, but it only works on the actual fence meaning Springtrap can't leave through the fence or over it, but he can go under if deep enough. The second form, which I'm assuming Marionette is working on, fixes this flaw so unless he can fly, he will be stuck forever."
This new knowledge made Bee give a shocked expression at the Guardian. "So, you're saying he can use the underground to escape?!"
"Only if he remembers it." Max shrugged. "There's a chance he may have forgotten being so outraged that he lost, but that'll give us enough time to put the second enchantment on. If he does know, then you'll have to find a way to lure him back or he'll be free again."
"Then I have to keep him there. Tomorrow, I will go back to the fairgrounds and keep him occupied while you and Marionette fix the spell," Bee said.
The human sighed and gave him an unsure look. "Right now, we handle the children. I will help you if you promise me one thing. When this is all over, I want you to keep them a secret. Springtrap, the missing children's case, everything."
Flabbergasted, the mech scowled, "A secret? This case has been unsolved for over four decades! It won't leave government classified, just we'll mark it down in our personal logs as solved."
"Then I won't help you," he warned. "Look, only you, your team, and a handful of humans know and that is too much. Some secrets are better left alone because if the wrong people find out about this, you have no idea what can happen. I do, I've seen it firsthand."
"And if the children want to be revealed?"
"Then we'll figure something out. Right now, have someone get a ground bridge ready. You and I will corral all of them to the center of the base and I'll get them through the portal. I've done this before, was fun then too," Max said sarcastically.
Freddy was already calm but his sister was roaring at several humans still antagonized, Max assessed the situation and called to Bumblebee.
"You see how she's upset? Look at Gabriel and the soldiers. The soldiers are too close to him, even though he is perfectly able to handle himself. The key to getting both Gabriel and Cassidy to listen to you is to understand they are siblings so most of their interactions are based off of one around the other. If they aren't together, the fastest way to get through to them is to bring the other. You get a better response then talking with them one on one. Get the soldiers away from Gabriel and Cassidy will straighten out."
Bumblebee was hesitant at first but upon thinking hard about it, Max seemed to know the characteristics of the children enough to notice mannerisms down to a tee. He didn't seem like the type of bastard who got people killed on faulty advice for his own amusement. He genuinely seemed to care about the children as well as the victims.
The Autobot nodded and walked towards Gabriel who didn't react to his presence but Cassidy did. She growled at him, optics narrowed.
"Don't let her intimidate you," his comm suddenly said. Max had hacked his frequency...or Bendy gave it to him most likely, that hell spawn. "Cassidy plays high and mighty but it's out of concern. Ignore her and continue to shoo off the soldiers, she'll back off when she realizes she doesn't scare you."
"You seem to know a lot about them. Let's see how good you are then. Tell me, why does Cassidy teleport but the others don't."
"The Cybertronian body of hers, Sunlight, has teleportation powers, kind of like that Seeker Decepticon I've heard about, Skyway...Skywarp, my bad. Same principle except Sunlight gains his energy to teleport true to his name, stores it until needed. Cassidy found out she can do that and uses it as much as possible because out of all the children, she's the most damaged physically. Sunlight's body broke several pressure pumps in the legs hence why she often struggles with walking. Teleporting helps her get around the fairgrounds to her target easier which is why out of all of them, she also has the highest kill count, teleporting inside buildings to destroy unknowing guards and intruders."
"Scary."
"You have no idea."
Bee reached the soldiers and stepped in front of their line of sight towards Gabriel, ignoring Cassidy on the side eying him.
"Sorry guys, you need to leave."
One of the soldiers gave him an angry gesture. "Are you kidding?! That thing just destroyed two of our tanks!"
"Trust me!" Bumblebee urged, "You're going to make a fatal mistake if you do."
The humans were very unsure of his reasoning but after a few seconds, they acknowledged his command and left. He quickly noted it had gone quiet and he turned to see Cassidy no longer posing a threat and standing near her brother in peace. She still didn't look very pleased by his proximity but she certainly wasn't being rude about it.
Bee then asked Max, "How did you know what was irritating Cassidy?"
"Observance, that...and I've dealt with them before. Gabriel only gets aggressive when he's either opposed, Cassidy is in trouble, or the subject of Springtrap and his death comes up. He won't pursue otherwise unless ordered to by Marionette. Cassidy only comes out of hiding as a last option for the gang and is protective of Gabriel. If anyone gets close, she'll attack. Aside from that, she'll only watch and intervene if necessary.
"Pay attention to their annoyances, likes and dislikes. It will help you take control and ease them, proving you are their friend. You've been going about them wrong hence why they are always against you even when you're right. Arguing with a child is pointless. Teaching them you understand and through that showing them a better way earns more in their relationship to you. Give them what they need and they will give back in due time."
"Where were you during the Autobot-Decepticon war? You have been such a big tame-saver. You have no idea how long we spent sometimes trying to figure out some of the Decepticons being sent our way. I had a mission here on Earth as Autobot leader trainee where I dealt with a new Decepticon almost every day for seven months."
"I stayed out of your conflict, wasn't my problem. Anyways, Mangle is nearby. I'll let you know what I see and how to get her to obey. Send Gabriel and Cassidy to me in the base square. I'm sure Cassidy won't bite...much," Max chuckled.
Mangle roared at Blurr and Knockout to get them to back off and she beelined straight for a security terminal housing guards. She broke through the glass and hissed at them.
"Tackle her or at least push her away. Stephanie loves to feed off the fear of others and unopposed, she'll do anything she pleases. However, her body is damaged so she's not physically as powerful as her wits. Show her you're not afraid by fighting her and she'll back off, especially if you launch her. Dominance so to speak but be careful, her mind is split so one bad reaction might not work in your favor."
Bee tsked and sighed, "Great advice."
Knockout gave him a worried look and Bee nodded at him before running directly at Mangle from the side. He used a tactic he had seen Bulkhead do plenty of times and shifted to ram her with his left shoulder and his upper body strength. The impact pushed Stephanie out of the security box and made her fly a few feet before crashing down onto the pavement in a roll.
Stunned, the two-headed Dinobot shook and both heads held an odd expression of shock mixed with some degree of uncertainty. She gave a rumble to herself and clambered upright.
Bumblebee held his ground and pounded his fists together as a warning, showing no fear. "I suggest you go for your own good. I don't want to hurt you but I will if you charge, Stephanie. I have to protect the humans and my team."
The Dinobot snarled but didn't pursue on her anger, instead gave him a side look of irritation and walked off towards Freddy.
Victorious, Bee turned to Knockout and Blurr. "How are you guys holding up?"
The speedster spoke first, "Mangle gave us a bit of a scare but she didn't harm us."
"Yes," Knockout frowned, "but Bumblebee, please remind us never to have sparklings. If this is what human children are capable of, I don't want to know what sparklings are capable of. I can't even babysit without getting damn near killed."
"Knockout, this isn't even remotely close to how a real child or a sparkling is. There's nothing to worry about," laughed Bee.
"I ain't taking any chances and you can't make me."
"I wouldn't dream of it," he assured.
Bonnie and Chica were terrorizing the other side of the base as a tag team. While Bonnie posed as one exit of the warehouse, Chica guarded the other side, reaching in and trying to grab any of the humans that got too close. Charlie was growing agitated by the minute and punched the side creating a large dent as more screams were heard.
Bumblebee raced to the warehouse and saw Max across the way perched on the roof overlooking the runway. He had some type of Minicon with him, completely black with three blue jewels on its head but no eyes and a fanged mouth.
"Charlie and Susie are best friends. If you see one, the other will almost always be close by. They work as a team and the best way to understand their dynamic is to notice their pattern. Chica will always take your right side and Bonnie will take your left. They corner their prey together so it's harder to get away. Bypassing Bonnie is easier than taking on Chica. Draw Charlie away from the warehouse by making yourself a target. He'll leave and that will give the soldiers an escape route. Once Chica is separated from him, she can be lured with food or a soccer ball as I found she responds well to. I'll get Chica, you divert Bonnie back to Freddy and Gabriel will handle the rest."
Bee agreed and came close to the purple horned-helmed mech before giving a whistle. "Hey Charlie, guess what I have? I have your guitar!"
Bonnie whipped his helm around with a glare and slowly rose from his crouching position. He fumed, growling and walking toward the Autobot leader. He didn't know it was a bluff.
"You want it back, come and get it!"
With a bellow, he charged and Bee rounded the nearest building to at least put some distance between him and the enraged mech. He barely noticed Max jumping down from his spot and running up to Chica as he was more concerned with his own well-being when Bonnie slammed the side of the metal wall behind him.
Freddy was just beyond another building in the middle of the runway with his friends and family. All he had to do was bring Bonnie there. Unfortunately, Charlie had other plans.
The purple mech began to crawl upon the wall onto the roof and paced Bumblebee to be side by side with him. He leapt at the Autobot and caught him, tumbling them onto the ground. Bee grunted but saw Bonnie immediately through a fist at him. He caught it and twisted, hoping he could get the mech to back off in pain so he could run to Freddy. It worked kind of. Bonnie was still on top of him and began using his jaws to try and bit off the mech's faceplates instead.
"No! Charlie, no biting! Ow!" He scolded, especially pissed when the Cybertronian body nicked his digit with his teeth. "You bit me, you little-!"
He kicked the child off of him. Bonnie yelped and Bee quickly ran to Freddy, passing the possessed bear-themed mech who gave him a raised brow. When Bonnie approached in full sprinting action, Freddy realized what was happening and caught his friend by the neck, sending him crashing down to the ground hard. Charlie mad a wheezing sound and Gabriel let go standing over him with a scowl.
Bee slowed down and noted Bonnie was immobilized from the sudden defensive tactic Gabriel demonstrated. He grimaced, "Yeah I been there, buddy."
Chica appeared to his left and Max ran behind her. He caught with Bee and sighed, "I take it you had better luck than I?"
"How so? I mean Freddy just clotheslined Bonnie so he's down."
Max laughed, "Gabriel is pretty powerful. Chica didn't respond as well as I hoped. She put up a fight but I convinced her to come her once she saw Bonnie was gone."
Bee smiled, "So who's left?"
"Foxy, Ballora, Ballon Boy, and Ennard. I'll take on Ennard and Foxy. They are some of the hardest to convince but I've done it before. Ennard will go wherever his little brother goes being the protective sibling making up for his sins as he is, and Foxy has a temper on him. He won't come unless you hogtie him or you get a victim running. He's immune to most forms of desisting defense such as flashlights, to scare them off, and disguises as many poor guards learned."
"Fair, how do I go about Ballora and Balloon Boy?"
Max replied, "Simple actually, Ballora is tame compared to all of them. Just talk to her, she'll most likely just smile and follow you back. James, err, I would treat him as an actual child more than the others. The others know their children but the years have taken all that innocence so you don't have to worry about long words and cursing around them. James is the most innocent even though he will try to attack you upon occasion mainly out of fear more than anything. Just be a big brother to him."
Bumblebee nodded, "Alright, I'll get right on that."
It took a couple of minutes of searching to find Balloon Bot but when he did, he saw the younger Minicon was trembling. James kept looking around for something and if he could guess, the kid was looking for his brother. That made him paranoid because Ennard could be nearby like a bear may watch over a cub from a distance until something gets too close then attacks the unsuspecting threat.
"James, are you okay?"
The Minicon was curled in a corner and gave him a sad whimper. "I want to go home."
Bee couldn't argue with that. He would too if he was misplaced. "Yeah? Well, good news! You are going home. Your brother, your friends are all gathering in the center of the base and we are going to bring you to your new home, one where you'll never see Springtrap again."
James didn't seem sure he was telling the truth but Bumblebee held out his hand. He stared at it.
Bee gave him a friendly smile, "Would I ever hurt you, James?"
The striped bot was skittish but approached slowly. Once he was in range, Bumblebee scooped him up and held him to his chest, carrying him back to his awaiting family. Both of them peered at a sudden flash of movement as they approached Freddy and out came Ennard from the far building, roaring as Max was on his backside holding on like a cowboy in a rodeo.
The abomination grew furious as his grapple claws failed to remove Max from his back. The latter was all but taunting him until the pirate noticed Bee and Balloon Bot. Ennard tried one last time to swat him but he jumped off in time, the claws skimming sensitive wires instead. With a bellow, Ennard sank to all fours to wait for the pain to subside.
Max bolted past Bee and quickly shouted, "Might want to release James before he comes after you!"
Heeding the human's advice, Bumblebee scrambled to lower James to the ground when Ennard spotted them. The Autobot dipped out as soon as the kid touched the ground. He barely looked back to see Ennard sliding to a halt just above Balloon Bot with another roar aimed at Bee. Once he was a good distance away, Ennard coddled his baby brother and lied on the ground so James could climb onto his back. Bee still received a glare sent his way but he could ignore it over the sight of the two being reunited.
That left Ballora. Music could be heard from time-to-time but nothing confirmable on her actual location. If she was the easiest to persuade, she sure was making herself scarce.
"Run away, come and play, we will be here another day. We can't go home, we'll be alone, but we will always find our way."
Bumblebee blinked and groaned. If that wasn't the most depressing thing-
He barely turned to his right when found himself face to face with Ballora and lurched back in panic. He was so scared, he actually forgot to scream, tensing and almost ready to punch her out of reflex. He resisted though as hard as it was.
"Don't sneak up on me like that please!"
Ballora was unfazed and he grew unnerved when she was staring directly at him despite having her eyes covered by a decorative cloth. If she was blind, she was a very good coordinator, that or spirit sense didn't really require physical optics to see given he somehow forgot the supernatural part amid the chaos.
Theresa strode by him without a word and he tried to block his curiosity where she was going but eventually, he caved. Following, he noted she wasn't dancing much but she was walking on her toes like a ballerina would will brilliant balance and she occasionally did a few twirls and lighter movements to his amazement. She must have been excellent to see in person dancing as a human. Another dream crushed by a homicidal maniac.
To his confusion, she walked back to Freddy and the gang without any conflict or defiance. Bee was stunned, expecting at least some little gesture, but then he noticed she began to stare in one direction. Trailing her gaze as best he could, he saw Jacob wandering up. She moved her helm to see him as he passed by. When her gaze led her to Bumblebee, she broke concentration and peered at him with a giggle in a light echo.
Bee didn't know how to take that. Spiritual stuff was still not his thing but there was a curiousness to why she would target Jacob. Did she like him? Well, he couldn't assume all spirits lost all sexual drive, if they had any at all, when they died. She did a little rotation, a classic ballerina pose, and her foreign but gorgeous skirt tail, made of the same material as her eye covering, flowed with her. She gleamed and turned her head towards Jacob again then retreated back to Bee as if to tell him to look. He did but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"You're an odd one, Theresa, I like your style."
Ballora bowed in response.
With everything calm again and firefighters putting out the base warehouses that had suffered, Freddy and his gang were wandering nearby still slightly on edge. As Max approached however, they all came close upon his wordless gesture. Bee could tell he really did work with them before as even Ennard obeyed with little hesitance.
"Cassidy, sweetie, you too. Come here," Max said.
Golden Freddy crooned and backed away at first. Stubbornly, he approached her despite her initial lack of response and held out his hand. She drew her nasal plating close to sense him with a growl before slowly yielding and letting him pet her.
"I was hoping you would remember me. Promised I would protect you, did I not? Now, let's find your brother and get you to your new home."
Mangle was still covered in blood and Max shot her a dark look but didn't say anything.
Bumblebee watched from afar as Jacob walked up to his pede with a loud scoffing noise of obvious disapproval. "That Max guy is a piece of work. What I wouldn't give to strangle him."
"Why do you hate Max?" Bee asked curiously.
"He just can't leave anything alone. I've...heard he had the opportunity to kill Springtrap but he let the bastard go out of a moral code between killers. Did you know he has killed people? Hell, he has more skeletons in his boat than even your precious warlord friend, Megatron."
That caught Bumblebee's attention and he frowned, "Yeah? Why would Marionette trust him then? Why would the children trust him?"
"Because they're brainwashed. All it takes is a few sweet talks and something they want to bribe and he has them eating at the palm of his hand. Children are impressionable anyway. Who better to take advantage of that then someone they trust? It happened before and look where that got them. Max isn't any different, just a new face and steadier approach. You can trust me, can't you?"
"It's a lot of assumptions since I just met the guy-"
"Yes, but you could have met a rapist who was a genuinely good guy in personality to you and you would have never known until one day you hear his name on the news, finding he has raped more people than you've met in life. Same principle, different objectives. You can never be sure at this day and age."
Bumblebee was a bit suspicious at Jacob's hatred but when he actually thought about it, it wasn't a farfetched theory either. Max was unknown and his Minicon companion looked like a demonic entity from a horror movie. He apparently called in "Kia" whatever that meant.
"Bumblebee," Knockout spoke. The Autobot leader acknowledged his mate and the medic gave a nod, "Good news is the ground bridge is ready for Fairfield Fazbear Carnival and Pizzeria. Bad news is Arcee and Optimus aren't happy with what Freddy has done here. They're blaming you...again."
This didn't surprise Bee at this point. Everything that had gone wrong needed someone to blame and he was head of this mission. He still couldn't figure out who triggered their rampage. Something wasn't adding up.
"Activate the ground bridge immediately. It's time to send these kids home."
Max stroked Ballora's faceplates and playfully pushed over James who wiggled his body preparing to pounce on the man. He laughed when the Balloon Bot rolled from his fall and cooed on the asphalt like a puppy. Then the portal appeared and all the children stared at it in wonder.
"Well, I know this is sudden but you need to move on into your new playland. It's just beyond the portal and to prove it to you, I'll go first. Theresa, will you follow me?"
The blind blue and white ballerina femme hummed to herself and twirled around, the material of her metallic split tail dress piece flowing with her beautifully. He took that as a yes. Theresa was always very quiet. She did as she was asked and Max entered the portal with her swinging herself through after him.
Freddy leapt through then Foxy and Ennard. The others hesitated but with some coaxing from the soldiers on the side, they finally went in. Bumblebee, Jacob, and Knockout ran through after them to make sure they got where they were accurate in their calculations before calling off the portal.
When Bumblebee emerged, he was taken back by the new fairgrounds. The Fazbear gang was already running amok and roaring happily, scouting the rides, the buildings, and some even took control of lingering animatronics hidden for years in the storage outlets.
Various rides with much more vibrant colors lied untouched with their lights supporting the entire rainbow. The stands had some degree of weather damage but looked nicer than the previous location's game stands. The fence line wasn't dull, barely rusted, instead held a decent amount of its original coloring, a bright red, and Freddy's entrance sign was lit up with its cartoon bear gleaming with color.
There was an ice cream shop where Ennard sat content on the rooftop, a laser tag building that kind of looked like it had a retro themed video and game store inside with merchandise hanging in the old intact windows, and a mall with a former food court and retail side markets of the 80's long out of business. The pizzeria, of course, was present but it held a statue of Freddy Fazbear near its entrance, and it was an orange and white color scheme compared to the red and white the old pizzeria had. The security building was larger, there was a circus stadium, and a huge mansion-like building that held mirrors, bounce houses, and tipsy rides inside.
"Wow," Bee said in awe. A smile grew on his face at the sight and even Knockout was impressed.
It was the perfect new setup for the Cybertronian bodies, and there was even enough space, not just between the buildings and carnival rides but there was grass field with a few trees but nothing else on it. Bee's guess was the field was for flying kites, relaxing, or maybe just temporary gigs like hay rides, petting zoos, and special concerts for parents who weren't much into the games or rides. It was perfect...aside from a part of the field having a mud pit where rain made the ground mushy and there was Foxy rolling in it.
"I kind of remember this place," Max said, running up to Bumblebee. "This was one of three locations that held the largest Fazbear property value and is quite expansive for its price. Afton wanted to take out more for the clear area beyond the fence there but Fairfield restricted him because it was part of another property they had no intention of selling. He, uh heh, got a little upset by that."
Bee smirked, "Oh, I could see that. Damn, he was a good planner though."
The human nodded, "Yep, Afton is a terrible person but he knew what he was doing when it came to business and design. Too bad he used it to kill when he probably could have beaten that technology whiz, Sumdac, by several years and made a fortune. Strange thing is he knew he could do it, just didn't want to."
Jacob scoffed, "Suck up..."
Bumblebee glanced down and caught Max eying Jacob before there was a brief expression of interest. Suddenly, Max's face contorted to a small but slightly noticeable look of concern to even a dark, malicious stare down. Jacob's feelings were mutual and that was odd. It wasn't the expression someone got from an offhand comment, it was personal. Did Max know Jacob?
Without addressing Jacob, Max looked back up at Bee and any humor he had was virtually gone. "I thank you for helping the children. Now I suggest you leave so I can get them more acquainted with their home. They will be more responsive with less company around."
That made Bee concerned himself. He gave the pirate an irate look. "That's it? I bust my aft and you dismiss me like that? What did I do to you?"
"It's...nothing you've done. I just need to get everything settled before the night is over. Like I said, I appreciate your help but it's no longer needed. Now please, before your portal closes and you're stuck here with some territorial children."
"Why do you hate Jacob?" Bee asked, causing Max to flinch at the sudden question. "I barely know you and you're already ordering me around, disrespecting my friends?"
Max grinded his teeth and the children were feeling his anger. Ballora came behind him and Bee noted she also briefly looked at Jacob with a neutral frown. The fact that she pinpointed the soldier was concerning Bee even more as Max had mentioned she normally doesn't associate much with the gang or the park intruders slash visitors.
The Guardian clicked his tongue and peered at the ground for a second. "Ah, see, that's where you're wrong. I can make any judgement I want and you will listen because I've dealt with things like this way longer than you have. Don't trust everyone you meet."
"Isn't that hypocritical against yourself?" Bumblebee sneered.
"I never said for you to trust me, I just told you how to handle the situation and calm the children. Unlike everyone else, I don't particularly give a damn whether you do or not. But you choose to ignore my advice from my experiences then it's your funeral, too bad so sad," Max scowled.
The mech narrowed his optics. "You're a bastard."
"And you're an idiot. Can't see beyond what you want to see. It'll hurt you soon and I will pity you when you find out the hard way."
Bumblebee didn't say anything but gave Ballora a glare. She was frowning at him, the first time ever he had witnessed such a thing from a ghost who was supposed to be the most reasonable adult. She turned her attention from him to Jacob who was already leaving. Bee followed her gaze and was about to ask what she was playing at but decided against it. If she was concerned, there really was something wrong as much as he didn't want to believe it.
"Max, I hope you learn a bit of humility because you're not setting a great example for the kids being an ass to the people who helped you."
And with that, Bumblebee walked through the portal after Jacob and Knockout followed. When it closed, Max was left alone and he looked up to Theresa who tilted her head in the direction of their departure. Kia, the black eyeless Minicon, sat peacefully next to James as he shook his head.
"Great leader, terrible judge of character," Max chastised. He met Freddy's optics with a sigh, "He's going to die."
There were still two hours left in the night before six and Bumblebee was already aggravated enough. Jacob was being kind of quiet and Knockout was busy tending to wounded and sorting the dead.
Jacob watched him pace and held a book in his hand, interchanging between the two. After a couple minutes, he finally spoke, "You know, you could go back to Times Beach and check on Springtrap to see if he got loose. Better to know than to wait. Unlike the kids, he's not necessarily going to hibernate until midnight."
"We've been through this. Nobody is going back there until Marionette is awake and ready," Bee said somewhat annoyed.
"Okay, but if he's not there tomorrow, how will you track him? I doubt he'll stick around once free."
That was a good point. Against his better instincts, it was a really fair point and he needed to do something. Stopping his pacing, Bee looked through his desk for the map of the fairgrounds he drew at Stein Studios. When he found it, he overlooked the circle he made indicating the underground where Springtrap was kept and he added where he entered the cave leading back to the pizzeria. If he blew up the cave entrance, Springtrap couldn't get out.
"Then that's what I'll do," he muttered.
"Sorry?" Jacob asked, peering up from a book.
"I'm going to do a little mine work, explosives and all that fun stuff."
The soldier jumped up and ran across the catwalk. "You're going to blow up Fazbear Pizzeria? Wow, that's awesome! Finally, somebody's going to get rid of that stupid building. Free real estate for the next ill-gotten fool, especially now that it's not haunted and all."
Bumblebee paused slightly. He heard that phrase before from...
"But you should get going with it. Marionette will be awake this afternoon so you have five to seven hours estimated."
The Autobot leader stared for a moment before shaking out of his trance and nodding quickly. "Yeah, um, I'll get right on that."
Jacob glanced over him with a huff, "You seem worried. Are you sure you need to go alone to do this? I will be happy to assist you."
Debating the offer and the fact he couldn't exactly call upon anyone else at the moment, it would at least be nice to have some company with him. Hell, not even Bendy was available because he left on a vacation yesterday afternoon in Hawaii with Henry, Joey and most of the toons, may any god available have mercy on the staff and tourists that meet him.
"I...suppose that would be alright, yeah. I would appreciate it," Bee said softly.
Jacob smirked, "Happy to oblige! I need to get out of this base anyway, reeks like day old pork or maybe that's just me. I don't know."
Another odd thing to say but Bumblebee ignored it due to time constraints. He needed to get his task done before tomorrow night and hopefully save Marionette a lot of problems as well as re-establish his leadership and make things right again.
"Alright Jacob, let's head out."
He didn't see the giant smile the man held as they both went to the command center to open a ground bridge.
Arcee and Optimus watched as footage replayed of the incident and how much damage the Fazbear gang truly caused. Over two million in destruction and that wasn't counting the funerals for all the dead they had lost.
"I don't get it. Why is Bumblebee turning into such a jerkass? He's was loud and boisterous in his youth sure, still wouldn't shut up much when he lost his voice, but this...it's like he became a whole different mech," Arcee said.
Optimus grunted, "Bumblebee is just stressed as we all can become under similar circumstances. Why he is going to great lengths and making the wrong decisions at the last possible moments is odd to me. I fear there is something we are missing, something we are putting on him that should not be."
Ratchet peered up from his desk and raised a brow, "Missing as in something that's avoiding our detection?"
Knockout, Blurr, and Bulkhead were standing close by and turned to Optimus for explanation which the Prime gave.
"Bumblebee is not as reckless as we assume. I have known him since he was little, raised him as my own with his half-brother, and he had never done something this irresponsible willingly. He has never set free a known criminal, a dangerous one at that, for no reason. Something is amiss and we are so focused on blaming him, we are overlooking what may also be there."
Blurr cut in, "Yes, but we also weren't there in person, neither were the kids or Marionette apparently so there's not much to prove his innocence either."
"True," the Prime sighed. "But I still cannot shake the feeling we are wrong."
The Fazbear Fairgrounds in Times Beach was dead. At least when the children were there, they had a few laughs, maybe hung out around rides but kept the place decent. Now, the rides were torn to pieces, some pieces lodged in areas that certainly couldn't hold a ride to begin with.
Springtrap must have gone on a rage-induced destruction spree and tore up the place. How long ago this was may have been as early as an hour or two. He had to be close by if anything. Even the atmosphere of the park seemed to have changed drastically since the children's departure. Everything felt denser, murky and stale like death was constant. If there wasn't a real toxin spill at the beginning, Bee was sure there was one now from the smell alone.
"By Primus, he really hates this park."
Jacob scowled, "I've seen worse."
Bee didn't argue. Instead, he pressed his concern. "The cave is up ahead past that tree line and three-fourths a mile down."
Suddenly, gunfire erupted behind him and he jumped, staring angrily at Jacob. The human didn't acknowledge his reaction and unloaded about half his ammo before stopping with a grin.
"Wow, that's got a little more kick in rapid fire mode!"
"Are you fucking insane?! Now Springtrap knows we're here!" Bee yelled.
Jacob's eyes almost glowed bright green and the Autobot grew shock as he turned his head to the side with an odd cracking noise that didn't resemble any sound normal bone made. "That's the point."
Before Bumblebee could say anything, a bellow rattled the sound barrier and in the far distance was Springtrap walking inside the fence still, now trying to find the origin of the noise. That was a good sign, but Bee's concern turned to Jacob who was smiling like a killer clown on Halloween.
He gripped his chest and shot a flash of green out towards Bumblebee and the only thing he could recall before passing out was a very feminine laugh.
The dawn was approaching and all the base was exhausted from killer kids and nightmare Cybertronian bodies. Even the Autobots were becoming drowsy, all except one.
Knockout waited for Bumblebee in their home quarters but he didn't return. There was some worry to this but Bumblebee being Bumblebee, this also wasn't the first time there were late arrivals home between being the leader and dealing with human relations.
Bulkhead wandered to Knockout yawning and asked, "Are you still waiting for Bee?"
"Yes, I thought he would still be at the base but I guess he decided to take a drive or something of that nature. I hope he's not doing anything foolish trying to prove himself again or messing with those children. He needs to break away from that," the medic sighed.
"Bumblebee is a very stubborn mech for as long as I've known him."
"Oh, don't worry. I've had my fair share of that stubbornness, but I've dealt with it before in Breakdown so I can handle that ego in a spark beat no problem."
Bulkhead laughed, "I think he'll be back by the afternoon. Maybe it's best to let him have his space, you know. Well, I better get a little rest before this evening. See you, Knockout."
The ex-Con thought about what Bulkhead said and ended up agreeing with him. Maybe Bumblebee just needed some time to clear his head. Heading inside, he lied on their berth and dozed off.
The bells rang six o'clock and the children instinctively burrowed in a shaded lower patch of ground under a couple trees as the Ohio air along with the sun was beginning to warm up the area faster than their previous home, making for a comfortable outdoor nap environment. They were stretched and curled around each other like puppies under those trees which was extremely cute.
They had set up their ideal spots among the park they liked and Max noticed they were indeed much happier, less cranky among the new and improved area. Getting them to actually sit still so he could help them clean the blood off their bodies was a hassle but he managed to do it in the nick of time.
However, they weren't sleeping as he thought they would. Normally, six rolled around and they would be lights out snoring and twitching in a dreaming state of desire to be free. But instead, they were just lying in the low patch resting their heads and staring at Max as if expecting him to do something. It was unusual and after a few minutes of constant staring, he finally ran over and held up his arms.
"What's wrong? You look like I'm the bad guy here."
James yawned, "Bumblebee."
Gee, that narrowed it down. Max rolled his eyes and asked, "What about Bumblebee?"
Gabriel's blue spirit warped from Freddy's eyes onto Mangle's back right above Max in a sitting position. He didn't look at all happy now. "You're going to let him die? Just like that? You know what will happen."
"I didn't see you jumping into the conversation to warn him."
"At first, I was afraid, but then I remembered he told us: the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. He told us by giving people like Springtrap our fear, we give him power. By the time I realized that though, you let him go. I'm not afraid anymore, so why should I continue to do nothing just like we've all done up until now and have someone suffer for us who doesn't deserve it? I want to help him. He's done more for us than we know."
Max didn't know how to respond to that but the other children and even the adult spirits were all alert and nodding in acknowledgement. The more he thought about it, the more he too came to realize it wasn't fair for Bumblebee to die for them. On top of that, they left him to die. He left him to die carelessly...just like no one cared when the children were killed by Afton.
"I can take Springtrap, Max," Gabriel said, Freddy behind him standing and hitting his servos together brashly. "Bumblebee said I had a chance but only if I believed I could. I think I can and if I'm wrong, at least I can try to save him."
Foxy stood up with a rumble as Jeremy perched on the helm. Bonnie and Chica followed suit and Ennard at first leered at the grass, but then he stood in agreement. To all their shock, a blue mist erupted from Ennard's eyes, his optics disappearing, and Michael's spirit leaned against the metal helm.
An adult barely, no older than eighteen, he growled, "Gabriel is right. We need to stand up for once in our miserable lives. We can't live in fear forever and do nothing anymore. Even if we're destroyed, we have to make our second chance worth what it was meant for, whatever it is that's the right thing to do."
All of them were up and ready, even past their scheduled active time period and Max found himself somewhat humbled by this newfound confidence. Bumblebee had done a bit more than rescued lost children it seemed. Perhaps he needed to rethink that everyone needed saving and letting them die by someone who he knew was dangerous but didn't bother to stop them was an act of arrogance, something he should never resort to even for a pirate. A little humility, Max.
He finally caved and addressed them, "Alright then, are you sure you want to do this? If something goes wrong, you might not come back."
"I am."
"I am too!"
"Me too!"
"Count me in."
Cassidy stood among them and her green spirit looked down at Max with a rare smile, "Let's do this."
Max felt his heart swell with pride as much as he wouldn't admit out loud. "Then it's settled. We go back. I'll talk to the Autobots and warn them of Jacob, what 'he' may have done and the trap Bee is about to fall into if he hasn't already. Let's end this once and for all."
AN: This was fun to write for. Next: the ultimate showdown! What will happen to Bumblebee?
I decided to introduce Max here because he will be an essential character in other stories in the future of the Nightmare Universe. Keep in mind, he's younger here than in the spin-off series of Adventurous World of Max and Kia.
