Disclaimer:Transformers belongs to Hasbro, Takara, etc . The only thing in this that belongs to me is Arcee's sister.
"Of all the scrap ideas, taking Bumblebee into a potential chase scenario without the ability to access his wheels?!" Ratchet growled at Bulkhead, his blue optics displaying malice that would strike fear into Megatron.
"Uh…he improvised," Bulkhead shrugged casually.
"Hey, Bee's waking up," Raf said as he noticed that Bumblebee was opening his optics and sat up, he buzzed as he did so.
"You've already lost your voice box and T-Cog. Were you really trying to add your spark to the list?" Ratchet asked rhetorically, Bumblebee buzzed a reply in a sad tone.
"Don't say that, Bumblebee. You're not useless," Raf told his guardian.
"Look, I hate to break up the pity party, but the 'Cons Just added unknown Iacon payday number two to their armory," Arcee said as she stepped forward.
"Agreed, Sis, let's just hope that it's sacred rather than a weapon," Chromette said, "However unlikely that will be."
Neither blame or praise will modify past events," Optimus cut in as he too stepped forward, "But we cannot afford to take further unnecessary risks. Bumblebee, you are not allowed to leave our base, not until we can retrieve your missing biomechanism."
As Ratchet saw Optimus walk away, he made up his mind on a life changing decision. He knew the chances of Bumblebee getting his T-Cog back were slim. And he knew that the young scout would go stir crazy like him if he had to spend the rest of his existence confined within the walls of the secret silo. So when Optimus went to walk away, he didn't hesitate to follow.
"Bumblebee is right to be less than hopeful, but you and I both know there exists a way to make him whole again," Ratchet said to Optimus knowingly.
"A transplant, but that would require a donor," Optimus told him.
"You need look no further than the Autobot standing before you," Ratchet said as Optimus walked away, causing him to stop and look at him with surprise.
"A generous offer, old friend. But your solution would merely trade one Autobot's handicap for another's," Optimus objected.
"I don't rely upon my T-Cog like Bumblebee does. The ability to transform is truly wasted on me. This is where I spend my days. Where my thoughts and my hands are of value. Not my weapons or my wheels. Our team can't afford to be shy, even one warrior in the field," Ratchet continued to persist.
"You make a compelling case. But know that we will find Bumblebee's T-Cog," Optimus vowed.
"Optimus, M.E.C.H are savages. Who knows what damage they may have already inflicted on it or…if I may ever be able to repair it," Ratchet sighed sadly.
That was when Optimus figured out Ratchet's true motives behind his idea. Even to this day, he still blamed himself for not repairing Bumblebee's voice box. Despite nobody else blaming him knowing that he did everything in his power to make him whole again, he still blamed himself.
"Ratchet, you did everything you could," Optimus sighed.
"Oh! Please! Do you really think this is simply about my inability to restore Bumblebee's voice box?!" Ratchet scoffed, "I just want to do right for our scout. For the team."
"Ah, excellent work, Knockout," Megatron complimented.
"I live to serve, Lord Megatron," Knockout bowed,"But what exactly is it?"
Megatron didn't respond. Instead, he charged his canon and fired a single shot. Knockout yelped as he held the device up in front of him. Surprisingly, the device formed a blue colored shield as he moved his arm and reflected the shot.
"Now you know," Megatron shrugged casually.
"I think I leaked a little transmission fluid," Knockout confessed sheepishly.
"Source located."
Thanks to Starscream, M.E.C.H knew how to locate Energon deposits. After locating one, they moved to the location and scoured the area. Naturally, Starscream insisted on coming along. Downside for M.E.C.H is, he wouldn't shut up.
"Yes. Gratifying isn't it, Silas? I often advised Megatron to seek out human allies. After all, it seems to provide the Autobots an occasional edge," Starscream pointed out, "Despite his reputation as a brilliant strategist, Megatron is woefully small-minded when it comes to working with minds smaller than our own. …He was simply referring to head size."
"Do you ever not speak?" Silas asked impatiently as he walked off.
"Did I mention how I extinguished an Autobot?" Starscream boasted to the remaining M.E.C.H agent, only to have him walk away. When Starscream followed, he saw that they have found the deposit, "Energon in its purest state."
"Ready to be mined," Silas smirked.
"And processed," Starscream added, "My flesh-covered compatriot, to give us the edge."
"Obviously, since I'm the other patient involved, I will be unable to perform the surgery. Therefore, one of you must serve as my proxy," Ratchet declared.
Just before, Ratchet had announced his intentions to the other Autobots. While they protested against the idea – with Bumblebee protesting more than the others – the medic wouldn't back down. And they knew better than to argue. Once Ratchet had his mind set on something, there was no way to talk him out of it. However, as Ratchet stated before, he would be unable to perform the surgery due to the fact that he was one of the patients involved in the procedure. Naturally, he would choose one of the Autobots to do it for him as he had given them medical training in case a situation like this arose or they were injured in the field with no way of reaching a medic.
Ratchet walked up to Bulkhead and said, "Mm-mm. Better at breaking things."
Bulkhead immediately let out a sigh of relief at Ratchet's declaration.
He walked up to Chromette, "Chromette, I'm choosing that either you or your sister will be my proxy and the other could be the assistant."
"But-" Chromette started but was cut off by Ratchet.
"No buts!" Ratchet said.
When Ratchet walked up to the last remaining candidate, he made up his mind, "Arcee."
"Optimus has steadier hands!" Arcee objected.
"Steady," Ratchet concurred, "And much too large to be rooting around beneath my hood."
Arcee sighs as she walks away, "Arcee, you and Chromette can do this," Jack reassured her, "Your both steely as they come."
"On a battlefield, not in an operating theater," Arcee retorted.
"Same thing as long as you and your sister are behind the knife. Not under it," Jack shot back.
"Does this mean Bumblebee's gonna transform into an ambulance from now on and be all cranky? 'Cause that will be weird," Miko remarked.
Hours later, Ratchet and Bumblebee were hooked up to multiple machines and Arcee and Chromette were ready to go.
"Inducing stasis," Arcee reported.
Bumblebee buzzed a thanks to Ratchet, who was lying on the berth next to him.
"You can thank me when it's over," Ratchet murmured before slipping into stasis.
"Okay, Bumblebee. You're turn," Arcee said when suddenly a series of alarms began going off.
"What's happening?!" Raf asked.
"Ratchet's flatlining!" Miko cried.
"No, he isn't," Arcee said.
"She's right, we've detected another of the Iacon homing beacons," Chromette said, as she looked at the Cybertronian Computer system's monitor.
"If we're picking up the signal, it mean's the 'Cons just unearthed the relic," Bulkhead realized.
"Autobots, prepare to roll out!" Optimus instructed.
"Yes!" Arcee cheered quietly.
"That was a close one," Chromette remarked.
"Except for our patients," Optimus added, noticing how eagerly Bumblebee stood up, "It would be best to interrupt stasis."
A ground Bridge portal opened up in a snowy region, Optimus, Bulkhead, Arcee and Chromette walked out of the portal, the portal closed behind them as Optimus held up an energon scanner, which started beeping and moved it around to see which direction the relic was and as he pointed it at a nearby mountain, it started to light up.
"Prime! Breaking news," Fowler said on the Cybertronian Computer system as he called the Autobot base.
Bumblebee raced to answer the call and buzzed a reply.
"Huh? Where's Prime?" Fowler asked.
Bumblebee buzzed a reply.
"Look, let him know, I just received access to satellite imagery which I believe pinpoints the center of operations of M.E.C.H," Fowler added.
Bumblebee began buzzing a reply.
"Oh, for the love of- Get me someone who speaks something other than bleep!" Fowler said, not able to understand what the scout was saying.
"I can help," Raf offered.
"What?" They suddenly heard Ratchet say, groggily as he's under stasis with a cybertronian version of Anesthesia present within his systems, "Do I hear a Fuzor in need of Voice box repair?"
The eyes of Jack, Miko and Raf widened when they heard Ratchet's voice.
"What's a Fuzor?! What's going on over there?" Fowler demanded.
Ratchet sat up in his induced-stasis state, "I am able. Just ask Bantor. He was all mandrill before I put a tiger in his tank," He rambled before falling back onto the metal berth unconscious, Fowler's facial expression clearly read, 'WTF?!'
Bumblebee buzzed to Raf telling him that he'll go check it out.
"But, Bee, you heard what Optimus said about leaving the base," Raf immediately objected.
Bumblebee buzzed yet again, reassuring him that he can do this.
"Send the coordinates, Agent Fowler. We'll make sure Optimus gets them," Jack promised.
Optimus, Arcee, Chromette and Bulkhead were now scaling an icy mountain to where they picked up the relic's signal. Optimus was the first to reach the top of the mountain. Arcee and Bulkhead were quick to follow. What they saw was confusing. They saw Knockout and Breakdown standing at the site. Breakdown was beating at the ground with his hammer to reach the Iacon relic. What they unveiled was another hammer. One that Optimus knew very well.
"I don't get it. All this chipping away with my hammer just to bring Megatron another hammer?" Breakdown joked with confusion.
"That hammer is a sacred relic of the original thirteen Primes," Optimus corrected.
"Really?" Bulkhead said in surprise.
"Isn't that the opposite of Decepticon doomsday device?" Arcee asked.
"It would stand to reason that in addition to confiscation Decepticon artillery, any artifacts of great significance stored in the vaults of Iacon would also have been shipped off world. And none would be greater than this, The Forge of Solus Prime, for it possesses the power to mystically infuse raw material with working mechanisms," Optimus explained.
"As in, if we had it, we could pound any weapon we dream of into existence?" Bulkhead surmised.
"We could also transform our Ground Bridge into a Space Bridge?" Chromette suggested.
"Or possibly construct a new T-Cog as well as a new Voice box for Bumblebee," Optimus added, making his intentions clear.
"Initiate transfusion," Silas instructed.
The Energon that was in the tube disappeared through the wire and into the Transformer's body. And almost instantly, the results began to show. The response was stronger than it was on the power source MECH originally had it on. Silas couldn't help but be impressed by the results that were being presented before him.
"It's working!" Silas gasped.
"The Energon will do wonders to our future army!" Starscream decreed before noticing the look that Silas was giving him, "Your future army. In fact, we are mere moments from beholding the miracle of transformation."
Suddenly that heard banging from the walls, they then saw Bumblebee enter the room, then every single M.E.C.H agent was aiming their guns at Bumblebee. Unfortunately for him, Starscream had to make it worse.
"No T-Cog. He's unarmed," Starscream said before aiming his missile at scout and firing it at him, Bumblebee avoided the missile by jumping in the air, He grabbed a large barrel as the M. agents were shooting at him with their guns. Bumblebee grabbed the barrel before throwing it at Starscream, knocking him through the wall. However, he just now had to deal with the other M.E.C.H agents.
Things weren't going just as well for Optimus, Arcee, Chromette and Bulkhead. All they could do was stay there and watch Breakdown break away the rocks covering the Forge.
"Let's get a grip," Knockout smirked.
Without saying a word, Breakdown gripped the giant hammer and went to lift. Engines brought their attention from the hammer to the edge of the cliff. They saw the Autobots approaching them ready to battle for the Forge. Optimus, Arcee and Chromette were the first to transform and begin their attack. Knockout used the shield to block their shots. Bulkhead went straight for Breakdown, knocking him close to the cave. As Optimus, Arcee and Chromette came closer to Knockout, the Decepticon medic simply used his shield to knock them back. Optimus regained his footing first. When he noticed Arcee struggling, he immediately helped her.
"Autobots, check out my new finish protector!" Knockout smirked.
"We are not impressed, Knockout!" Chromette said, "Disable it or when we get through this shield, we'll scratch your finish to a point where you'll be unrecognizable!"
The M.E.C.H transforming robot began coming to life as Bumblebee continued to fight M.E.C.H. Bumblebee knocked one of the agents into the robot's only active optic, shattering it. Bumblebee then grabbed another barrel after removing it from its bonds and used it as a bowling ball, effectively knocking over the M.E.C.H agents attacking them.
Immediately, Bumblebee jumped up and began ripping the robot apart, much to Silas' horror. Reaching inside, Bumblebee pulled out his prize. His T-Cog. However, his joy was short lived. He was hit in the chest by a shot fired by Starscream.
"So close and yet…," Starscream smirked.
"My location and prototype have been compromised. Destroy the intruder and meet me at the rendezvous point with my T-Cog," Silas instructed before running away.
"I am not one of your foot soldiers! I am the consultant!" Starscream snapped.
Noticing that Bumblebee was beginning to come to, Starscream held his T-Cog up and aimed his blaster at him, threatening, "One step and your precious biomech is scrap."
Back at the base, Ratchet began to awaken from his induced stasis. Immediately, he sat up feeling more exhausted than he was when he went under ages ago.
"Ratchet, how are you feeling?" Jack asked.
"Fine. I feel as though nothing's changed," Ratchet answered, causing Jack, Miko and Raf to glance at each other nervously.
"Prime!" Fowler said as he called the base again.
"What is it Agent Fowler?" Ratchet asked as he answered the incoming call.
"Has Prime reached the coordinates?" Fowler asked.
"Coordinates?" Ratchet repeated in confusion.
"Possible M.E.C.H location! I sent them a half hour ago!" Fowler explained.
"Don't worry, Agent Fowler. It's all taken care of," Jack reassured him.
"Optimus had to go lock fenders with some 'Cons," Miko informed him.
"So Bumblebee went instead," Raf announced nervously, waiting for the medic to freak out.
"What?!" Ratchet roared in anger and disbelief as he immediately whirled around, "Bumblebee can't do that he's recovering from surgery!"
"...About that…" Raf began sheepishly.
Bumblebee buzzed, threateningly at Starscream.
"Or else what?" Starscream challenged, "You'll shoot. How sad to be incapable of achieving vehicle mode. Experiencing the sensation of speed. How very pathetic. To be a failure as an Autobot."
As Starscream said those taunts, Bumblebee ran up to him and punched him. Bumblebee's actions sent his T-Cog flying into the air. Without hesitating, Bumblebee jumped after it. But before he could grab it, Starscream fired a shot at the T-Cog, sending the bio mechanism hurtling towards the ground. Bumblebee was unsuccessful in catching the T-Cog.
"Time to jet! Because I can!" Starscream smirked as he took off while Bumblebee approached his damaged T-Cog and picked it up slowly as he was sad that it was possibly beyond repair.
"My T-Cog," Silas requested when Starscream met up with him.
"Yes. That… Unfortunately it was destroyed in the ferocity of battle," Starscream announced sadly, earning Silas' murderous glare, "A temporary setback. More Autobots. Other T-Cogs. We shall find a replacement soon enough."
"Not soon enough," Silas corrected with a sneer, "Now."
As soon as Starscream heard the guns charge and aim at him, he knew he was in trouble. Bright lights could be seen from the other side of the forest and Starscream's screams could be heard all over as the MECH agent attacked their former consultant and left their mark.
Starscream screamed So loud that the whole forest heard him scream the word, "No!"
Knockout was now walking forward with his shield fully operating. Optimus, Arcee and Chromette had to keep walking backwards or risk getting zapped like they did before. Knockout intended on forcing them over the edge of the cliff.
"For the most creative use of a shield generator in a supporting role, the winner is…Knockout!" Knockout smirked.
Things weren't looking great for Bulkhead either. Just as quickly as he gained the upper hand over Breakdown, he lost it. Bulkhead glanced between Optimus, Arcee and Chromette who were close to the edge of the cliff and the Forge of Solus Prime. Suddenly, an idea formed in his head. Breakdown went to attack Bulkhead again. However, he froze when he saw Bulkhead pick up the giant hammer with ease.
"Mine's bigger," Bulkhead smirked.
As Breakdown charged at him again, Bulkhead easily knocked him away. Looking up, Knockout saw in horror as Breakdown came flying towards him. The two crashed into one another, causing Knockout to lose his shield and saving Optimus, Arcee and Chromette. Knockout dove for the shield generator. However, Bulkhead smashed it with the hammer.
However, their victory didn't last for long. Another Ground Bridge appeared behind him. The first thing that came out of the portal was a single shot. This shot hit Bulkhead in the back and knocked him to the ground, forcing him to let go of the Forge.
"Bulkhead!" Arcee and Chromette both cried at the same time.
The person who fired the shot came through the Ground Bridge. It was Megatron Optimus, Arcee and Chromette began charging their blasters after activating them. There was no need to voice how pissed they were at the Decepticon leader. Their body language spoke volumes.
As he grabbed the hammer, Megatron decided to torment then as he aimed his Fusion Cannon at Bulkhead, "Nuh uh uh..."
With no way out, Optimus and Arcee lowered their blasters. It wasn't worth Bulkhead's life.
"A relic of the Prime's here on Earth?! The Decepticon cause is once again indebted to the contributions of Orion Pax," Megatron smirked as he walked through the Ground Bridge with Knockout and Breakdown hot on his heels.
"I'm fine," Bulkhead reassured the worried Arcee and Chromette.
"Optimus, we have reason to believe we have located M.E.C.H's center of operations. Bumblebee is already there," Ratchet told Optimus through the comlink.
Starscream groaned as he woke up in the middle of the forest. At first, he was dazed. He didn't know how he winded up where he was. Then he remembered.
"What?!" Starscream gasped as he stood up, walking towards the warehouse.
At first, it was quiet. He saw nothing. Then…he saw the Ground Bridge open. Optimus, Arcee, Chromette and Bulkhead were the people that raced through the portal.
"Autobots!" Starscream shuddered as he backed away and went to transform…only to find that he couldn't, "My T-Cog!"
It was then that he remembered the full details of what happened. When Starscream came out and told Silas that Bumblebee's T-Cog was destroyed during the altercation with Bumblebee, Silas wasn't too happy. Not one to wait for the opportunity to attack another Autobot and steal their T-Cog, Silas ordered his operatives to attack Starscream instead. When Starscream was unconscious, they opened him up, navigated their way through his circuits and stole his T-Cog.
There was no way for him to battle the Autobots in this mortifying manner. Sure. He could fight them and attack them with his missiles. But his advantage over them during their past battles was his ability to transform into a jet. Without that advantage, they could kill him or capture him and hold him as a prisoner of war. So he did something that only a coward was good at.
Run.
Optimus, Arcee, Chromette and Bulkhead were glancing around the warehouse worriedly. They knew that Bumblebee was already somewhere in the facility. All they had to do was find him and pray that they didn't arrive too late.
They were slightly relieved when they saw Bumblebee come out, but the relief quickly disappeared as they saw Bumblebee cradling his badly damaged T-Cog.
Bumblebee buzzed sadly.
"Ratchet, reopen the Ground Bridge and prepare for surgery," Optimus requested, as he touched his comlink.
"And thanks to me, Megatron has the Forge," Bulkhead sighed sadly.
"While we would have put the Forge of Solus Prime to valuable use, I do not have a reason to fear Megatron's possession of it," Optimus decreed.
Meanwhile on the Nemesis, Megatron was holding the Forge of Solus Prime and was banging it against one of the boxes that they stored Energon in, that was unused and was trying to turn the box into a weapon. But it only was destroying the box, beyond repair instead of turning it into a weapon.
"It doesn't look like a Fortress Maximus Grade Nucleon Shock Cannon," Knockout observed.
"It is as I suspected. Without the power of a Prime to activate it, the Forge is merely another addition to our tool chest. One we must, nonetheless, keep as far as possible from the reach of a Prime," Megatron decreed.
Back at the Autobot base, everything hung in the balance for Bumblebee. Raf was on his knees by right side of Bumblebee as he came to from the induced stasis Ratchet had him under after having the surgery to transplant the T-Cog back into him.
"I did what I could," was all Ratchet said to Optimus, Arcee, Chromette, Bulkhead, Jack and Miko.
"Our scout could not have been in better hands, old friend," Optimus decreed as he laid a hand on Ratchet's shoulder.
"And we didn't stick with Plan A and let Ratchet donate his cog why?" Miko asked Jack.
"Bumblebee wouldn't accept it," Jack answered.
Bumblebee buzzed as he sat up and Ratchet went over to him. "Bumblebee, easy," Ratchet warned as Bumblebee got up and did some flexes, "Please. Recovery takes time."
Instead of trying to transform into vehicle mode, Bumblebee checked his blasters. However, they wouldn't work, causing Bumblebee to look at Ratchet with sad optics.
"The damage was…severe," Ratchet sighed sadly.
Bumblebee whirred sadly at the aspect of spending forever without his wheels or his blasters. Then he did something that surprised everyone in the room. He transformed into his vehicle mode. Jack,Miko and Raf cheered in relief while Ratchet wore the biggest smile anyone has ever seen him wear. After doing a doughnut in the base, Bumblebee opened his door bleeping his horn.
"Anywhere!" Raf said eagerly as he raced to Bumblebee's alternate mode, "Just drive!" The door closed behind him and Bumblebee sped out of the base, leaving everyone behind in a cloud of dust.
"Go easy! Adhere to standard breaking procedure!" Ratchet called after him, laughing in his voice.
"Whoa! Bee's T-Cog looked like it was ready for the scrapyard," Bulkhead remarked.
"Hard to believe the Doc repaired it," Arcee sighed.
"That is not all Ratchet repaired today," Optimus corrected with a smile.
"As I've learned since coming to Earth," Chromette started, "Today, he got his groove back."
Next is Loose Cannons
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