Worlds United

The cards will treat me well

Bumblebee looked around at the nothingness that surrounded him. A vast desert, not uncommon on Earth. He'd been to one or two in his lifetime after all. This one felt different though. Something felt off and out of place. Bee turned back to the babbling bot in front of him. He seemed out of sorts as he looked over the landscape.

"Lost…" he mumbled.

"No kidding," hummed Bee, hands on his hips.

Surveying the area was easy enough. There was a whole lot of nothing in every direction. The other bot began drawing his circles in the dust. Bee sighed, looking up at the sky. Visual was leading to nowhere, moving to plan B: radio signals. Bee tapped his comms, greeted by static. He groaned, tapping again.

"This is Lieutenant Bumblebee. Fixit, do you copy? Strongarm? Sideswipe? Anyone?" Static continued to blare. Bee sighed, glancing down at the other bot. Another tap on the comm. systems. "Time to throw the net a little wider…This is Lieutenant Bumblebee playing on Autobot frequency, if anyone can read me, please respond."

Silence. Somehow it was worse than static. Bee sighed, shaking his head down at the bot with hands on his hips again.

"Looks like it might just be the two of us," offered Bee, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "Time to get up, buddy."

"Time…running out…" he muttered, shaking slightly.

"I know, I know," nodded Bee, helping the other do his feet. "I wish I knew what you mean by that."

"Autobot…" the bot pointed up.

Bee spun around, peering up at the sky. It was a clear day, making it all the more obvious at the bright red jet shooting across the sky. Instinctually, Bee reached for his holster. The other bot gripped onto Bee's arm, fingers tightly wound around the latter's arm.

"Hey!" gasped Bee, trying to shake the other off.

"Autobot! Friend!" shouted the bot, shaking Bee.

"Friend?" whispered Bee, looking up again.

The plane was circling back around, lowering itself. Coming into view, Bee grinned. The reds blended with blue and black into a familiar alt mode. The blades whirled down as she transformed, skidding toward Bee. Keeping with the momentum of her landing, she skipped forward, embracing Bumblebee in a hug.

"Bumblebee! You're here!" she cheered.

"Windblade!" Bee chuckled, gently pushing her back.

"What are you doing…here?" she seemed to hesitate, taking Bee in. "You look…"

Bee glanced down at Windblack. While she was still Windblade, her colors, stance and even her optics seemed…different. She looked over Bee in the same manner. The height, colors, his voice…it was Bumblebee, but at the same time it wasn't. They stepped away from each other. Bee watched as Windblade drew her blade.

"You're not Bumblebee," she snarled.

"I am!" gasped Bee, hand nearing his holster. "I don't want to fight you, Windblade."

"You sent a distress beacon on the Autobot frequency?"

"Yes. I couldn't contact my team."

"The Ark?"

"The Ark? No…there seems to be a huge misunderstanding here," offered Bee, raising his hands. It was at this moment he noticed the mystery bot still clinging his arm.

"Then explain it to me," Windblade ordered, stepping toward them. "Who are and who is your friend here?"

"I'm telling the truth. My name is Lieutenant Bumblebee. I think I've been transported…somewhere or when, I'm not sure. It didn't feel like a Ground Bridge or a Space Bridge but something different."

"And him?" Windblade gestured to the clinging bot.

"I think he's the one who transported me. I'm not sure how. I don't know who he is…I'm not sure heknows who he is."

"Hetransported you?" Windblade hummed, lowering her sword as she approached. "He doesn't…"

She reached out a hand toward him. Bee felt the bot's hand tighten as he pulled away from Windblade's reach. Seeing his response, Windblade withdrew her hand. She looked solemnly up at Bee. He shrugged.

"He's…not all there," chuckled Bee.

"So, you don't know anything about him? About how you came here?"

"I'm sorry, Windblade. I wish I had more answers," sighed Bee, trying his best to get the bot to stop clinging to him.

"Maybe," grinned Windblade, stepping back. "We could try something else."

"Like…?"

Windblade dug into a compartment, pulling free a large cord. Bee felt the flash of memories before jumping back. The bot staggered to keep ahold of Bee, pulling the arm close. Windblade held up a hand, trying to calm the two of them.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!" she prompted. "It's just a…"

"Cortical Psychic Patch!" gasped Bee, holding up a hand as well. "We are not using that thing!"

"It's the best way to get both of us in his head. You use the patch and I can use my city speaker ability to…"

"No!" shouted Bee. "I am…not doing that again."

"What's the worst that could happen?" hummed Windblade, stepping closer.

"Their mind could cross over into my body, slowly seizing control under I am left a prisoner in my own body as I watch him destroy my friends…" muttered Bee, giving direct eye contact with her.

"Wow…like, just, wow. Did that happen to you?" gasped Windblade.

"I don't want to talk about," whimpered Bee.

"I promise, Bee," Windblade sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I won't let anything happen to you. I mean, we're…" She paused, slowly pulling her hands away. "Right, you're not…"

"And you're not…" mumbled Bee, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "This…is confusing."

"No kidding," chuckled Windblade. "But…you know me. I mean, you called me by name."

"And you know me," Bee smiled. "So clearly we're friends in this reality."

"And yours."

Bee nodded. Windblade chuckled. The mysterious bot hung between them, looking at each carefully. Eventually, the smaller bot tapped the cord.

"Mind?" he muttered.

"Yes," Windblade nodded. "Exactly!"

Bee watched as Windblade connected the cord to the back of the other bot's head. He felt the need to run as she waved the other end toward him. He grimaced. Windblade offered a warm smile as well as a hand on his shoulder.

"I got you, Bee," she smiled. "Nothing could possibly go wrong this time."

"If you say so," sighed Bumblebee, taking the cord from her hand.

He felt the cord connect to his central processor. It whirled in the back of his as the two ends of the cord connected. He felt the patch taking effect. Windblade held him up long enough to ease him to the ground. She continued to offer him a warm smile.

"Last time I did this…it did not end well…" Bee groaned, shutting his optics.

"This time, I got your back," Windblade nodded.

Bee tried to smile but everything faded out quick. He knew he was should trust her, but that memory was hard to ignore.