The black-haired human teen, Jack, stared at Bumblebee's motionless body with concern. "What happened to him, Ratchet?" he asked the medic bot.
Ratchet looked back at him with a troubled expression. "I...I don't know, Jack," he replied, his white and orange frame tense. "His vitals are completely normal. No system has been compromised. It's just as if...his mind isn't there."
After finding Bumblebee's body in a cave, the team split into two groups. Jack and Ratchet carried the yellow bot back to their base for further analysis while the others searched for clues about what had happened. The sight of their usually lively and energetic comrade lying unconscious on the ground had sent shivers down everyone's spines. They had all thought he was offline, but Ratchet was quick to inform them that he was only in recharge. However, even as they dragged him through the groundbridge, Bumblebee remained unresponsive, not even stirring at the touch. Jack and Ratchet tried everything they could think of, but the yellow scout remained in a deep slumber like a sparkless newborn.
Jack looked at Bumblebee's lifeless body with concern. "Do you think the Decepticons did this?" he asked Ratchet, who was frantically typing commands on a console.
"Maybe, but I don't know what could cause this," replied the white and orange medic. "If they messed with his system, his firewall would be broken, but I found nothing. Everything in his body is still functional."
Jack's face fell. "Do you know how to fix him?"
"I don't think I can," said Ratchet, looking defeated. "This is only an empty shell. All of Bumblebee's core data is missing. I can't build a mind from nothing."
"So...what are we going to do now?" asked Jack, feeling hopeless.
"I'm afraid...we can only wait until the others come back," said Ratchet, gazing through the bright blue portal. "Hopefully, they'll have more luck than us."
"Why didn't you send her back to base with Jack?" asked the big green bot, Bulkhead.
Optimus looked at Bulkhead who had a human girl, Miko, clinging onto his neck. "Because I have a hunch that even if we sent her back, she would just sneak past the gate and make the whole situation messier."
"Hey!" shouted Miko. "I'm right here, you know!"
"Get down! Company ahead," Bulkhead whispered. They all got down on the ground, trying to hide from whatever was coming. A group of Vehicons in alt mode just drove past where they were hiding. All of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"They are patrolling around the energon mine," said Optimus.
"What are we going to do? Should we try to assault the mine?" asked Bulkhead.
The Autobot leader lost in thought for a moment. "It's been a long time since Raf was kidnapped. I don't think he can wait any longer, but we have to be prepared. We will get back to base first, form a plan, and then go in to rescue Raf and maybe Bumblebee."
Bulkhead and Miko nodded. All three of them turned back the way where the cave was, then drove off.
He had lost the bet.
He had made a foolish mistake by challenging the larger mech to a race. His creator had already returned to base when he was only halfway through, leaving him in his current predicament.
"Laserbeak: Repeating 'I'm a pathetic flyer'," the voice taunted him.
Feeling ashamed, he repeated the words in his mind, I'm a pathetic flyer.
"Laserbeak: Repeating 'I'm a starter that dared to challenge his superior'," the voice continued, a hint of a smirk evident in its tone.
I'm not that bad! At least I can fly! he protested, hoping to redeem himself.
But then Soundwave sent a vlog showing him being blown off course by the wind. He stuttered, trying to come up with an excuse, but the video played on repeat.
Wait! that's not...
...Now, with a dubstep.
Okay Okay! Geez.
The video continued to play, but the text on the screen changed to 'Laserbeak: didn't say the magic words.'
….Laserbeak: inferior. Soundwave: superior.
Soundwave stopped the video and patted his own chassis where Laserbeak's head would be. "The bet is paid. Laserbeak gets the reward."
Laserbeak's neck moved his head towards Soundwave's hand as if it had a mind of its own. In his mind, he carefully snuck into Soundwave's system and searched for the vlog file. Once he found it, he burned the data into pieces. He quickly backed out to his body, wanting Soundwave to notice. Ha! Now I don't have to see that embarrassing video again!
Soundwave lowered his head, staring into Laserbeak's eyes with a cold intensity. "Laserbeak's attempt: meaningless. Vlog file: Already been backed up," he said in his monotone voice.
Laserbeak's symbiote mouth hung open in shock. He couldn't believe it. Then, he felt his creator's presence invading his mind.
"Laserbeak: Challenging Soundwave to a hacking contest. Soundwave: Accepts," the mech's presence delving deep into the symbiote's system with ease.
Stop, Soundwave! I'm not challenging you to hack me! Laserbeak protested.
But it was too late. Soundwave had already accepted the challenge and dove deep into Laserbeak's system with effortless ease. Laserbeak felt violated as Soundwave rummaged through his personal data.
Hey, wait! That's my private data! Laserbeak shouted in distress.
Laserbeak's circuits were heating up in frustration as he watched Soundwave effortlessly break through his latest attempt at strengthening his defenses. He knew he was no match for Soundwave's hacking skills, but he couldn't just sit there and let his privacy be invaded.
Soundwave, can't you give it a rest? he protested.
But Soundwave continued to sift through his data, his fingers moving deftly over his interface as he searched for any interesting tidbits. Finally, he stopped at a particular file and raised an optic ridge.
"Laserbeak: hacked into the Pentagon?" The mech asked incredulously.
Laserbeak felt a deep sense of embarrassment wash over him as he was forced to relive his past transgressions. "I was just 7! The curiosity had taken over me," he defended himself.
"Twice?" Soundwave prodded.
Laserbeak hesitated before reluctantly admitting, A second time might have been…personal.
"And to drop a virus in his computer?" Soundwave continued, his voice laced with amusement.
He started it first! He was always boasting about his 'perfect' firewall, Laserbeak shot back, feeling a little indignant.
But Soundwave quickly moved on to the next set of data, leaving Laserbeak to stew in his embarrassment and frustration. He furiously wrote new code to strengthen his defenses, determined to not let Soundwave get the best of him again.
A picture of a girl appeared on the screen, causing Laserbeak's mindscape to turn pink with embarrassment. He quickly typed a command to keep his creator out of his secrets.
But then, Soundwave's unemotional voice asked, "Laserbeak: wanted a mate?"
Laserbeak's temperature rose with embarrassment. What! Heck no! I just…adore her. She was nice to me when the others weren't…I wish I had told her.
The mech let silence embrace them for a moment before brushing off Laserbeak's attempt to push him out and moving on to the next file. Laserbeak cursed to himself for not being able to keep his secrets hidden.
Soundwave came across a dark, black-looking file. Wait! That's… But before Laserbeak could finish, the file had already played.
I was being pushed into the corner by those two again. They never got bored of picking on me. Who wouldn't find bullying some weakling funny? especially if they were jock arseholes.
"Give me all the money you're hiding, four-eyes," said Josh the douchebag.
"I told you that's all I have," I tried to say for the freaking fourth time, but they never listened. It seemed like the things clogged in their brains were in their ears, too.
"Don't give me that damn bullshit. We want money and we want it now!" said Ryan the jackhead. His words contained no intelligence.
"What can I do? I can't make money out of thin air!" I snapped. Then I realized I shouldn't have done that. I should have stayed calm and quiet so that they would leave. Now they were really onto me this time.
A knuckle came in to my view.
I felt a sharp blow to my face, and I stumbled backward, disoriented. My glasses were knocked off, and I couldn't see where they landed. There was a sickening crunch as something shattered on the ground. I tried to gather my thoughts, but the throbbing pain in my cheek made it difficult to focus.
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" A voice sneered at me. Another blow, this time to my ribs, made me gasp for air. "You think you can make fun of us and not face the consequences? Nobody messes with us!"
"Where's our money?" Ryan's voice boomed in my ear. It was the only thing he seemed capable of saying.
"I already told you," I wheezed out, struggling to catch my breath. "I don't have any more money."
They both looked down at me, their eyes full of malice. I braced myself for another hit to land on my body. But instead, Josh spoke.
"I think this nerd told us the truth," he sneered, spitting in my face. "This piece of shit's mother maybe couldn't find her customer these days."
I tried to ignore the insult, but it was difficult to keep my composure. The pain in my cheekbone and ribs made it hard to think clearly.
"Agreed," Ryan chimed in. "That whore is too old for that kind of business. Who would want to spend his time with that old hag?"
I bit my lip to keep from reacting, but it was getting harder and harder to control my anger. Then Ryan delivered the final blow.
"No wonder why his old man dumped that bitch," he said, lifting his foot and putting it on my chest. "He must have been tired of his slutty wife and her loose pussy so much. That's why he left her with a dirty parasite in her house."
I could feel the tears streaming down my face now. I felt humiliated and embarrassed that they were talking about my mother in that way. It was beyond cruel.
"Oh, that explains why he ended up like this," Josh laughed. "A foureyes nerd that lives with his slutty whore mother. If it was me, I would have left in a hurry too and never came back to see this mistake again."
Ryan lifted his foot and put it on my chest. "Right? I told ya that this brat's father didn't really want him. He's an anomaly that nobody wants to be near. Did you see Nancy's face when she ended up in the same group with him?"
"Yeah. She's totally creeped out," Josh replied. "I bet his whore mother actually didn't want him either." He used his feet to crush my head. "See how pathetic he is. If I had a child like him, I would dump it in garbage without hesitation."
As I lay on the ground, my tears mixed with the damp earth. I could hear the two men talking above me, their voices harsh and mocking. They were laughing at my expense, their words piercing my heart like daggers.
Then, suddenly, I felt a kick to the head. "Look at this little boy," Josh taunted. "Do you want your mommy to come protect you? Your daddy to come save the day? Oh, wait, your father would probably laugh at you for being such a pathetic mistake."
The tears kept flowing, but I tried to hold back my sobs. I wanted to be strong, to fight back. And then, suddenly, something inside me snapped.
"Stop," I muttered, my voice barely audible.
"What did you say?" Josh asked, his laughter dying down.
I slowly got to my feet, feeling a surge of anger inside me. "I said, stop!"
Before they could react, before they could even process what was happening, I punched them both in the nuts. They crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain.
Then I ran.
Ran away from pain, from those jocks that squirming on the ground.
Ran away from pain, of those words that caused him.
Ran away from tears that was left behind.
Ran away from everything.
...
...
Soundwave stopped playing the data and felt the other's presence that wasn't moving or trying to do anything. Laserbeak was just there, letting the memory bring back pain to the surface. Soundwave didn't want that to happen, so he pushed them both out of the former human's mindscape and into his own. He enveloped the trembling presence in his aura, letting them know they were not alone. The trembling lessened by the second until it stopped altogether. Soundwave released Laserbeak's presence back into his own body and looked down at the symbiote on his chassis with concern.
"Soundwave: Sorry," his emotionless vocal processor couldn't express his feelings, but he knew Laserbeak could sense them through their bond. "Soundwave: didn't know."
It's alright, said Laserbeak. One day, this memory will come back and get to me. I'm happy to have somebody to share it with.
"Laserbeak: Doesn't mind?" asked Soundwave.
Why? You think I would be mad? The symbiote laughed in their minds. Mad because you helped me handle my own emotions?
Soundwave nodded. "Soundwave: cause pain. Laserbeak: hurt."
It's just a memory, The former human tried to shrug,... wishing he still had shoulders to move. And it happened a long time ago. I've already dealt with it.
Soundwave seemed lost in thought. "May I ask you a question?" he finally said.
About what? Laserbeak replied.
"Your male creator."
The air was filled with a momentary silence, as Laserbeak struggled to put his feelings into words. My dad... He died in a car accident when I was just five. The driver was drunk and my dad was crossing the street, the symbiote paused for a moment, his voice trembling slightly. He didn't want to vocalize the details of his father's demise.
Soundwave nodded his head, a gesture of understanding that didn't go unnoticed by Laserbeak. The symbiote took a deep breath and continued, My dad was amazing. He always answered every question I asked, no matter how stupid it sounded. When I was down, he would cheer me up with his funny talk. On my birthday, my mom gave me a sweater, but my dad gave me a laptop. I don't need to tell you which one I liked better. A small smile graced Laserbeak's features as he thought back on the memory.
Whenever I got into trouble, he'd just look at me in the eyes and it's like he knew everything. He helped me avoid my mother's gaze and fix the problem. When I lost him, it felt like the half of my world broke, Laserbeak said, his voice in their minds was low. I can tell you that I was not in good shape, both mind and body, those days. It took two years for me to actually get over it. But even when the pain was gone, sometimes I wished he was here with me. I mean, I love my mother too, but...sometimes it just had to be my dad to understand, to understand me. Sometimes I feel like I'm alone out there, alone in the world.
Soundwave tapped his hand onto his chassis, contemplating his words carefully before speaking. "Laserbeak: Not alone," he finally said.
The former human chuckled softly in his mind. Yeah…right. You know it can be bothersome when you're not alone in your head. No secrets, no hiding, no more lies, Laserbeak replied.
Soundwave nodded, understanding his concerns. "Helping, assisting, sharing, healing, protection," he added.
Laserbeak snorted. And totally interesting conversations with yourself on the walkway, he said, the sarcasm evident in his tone.
Soundwave looked around and saw many vehicons giving him strange looks in return. He tried to hide his embarrassment, but Laserbeak could sense it.
Laserbeak let out a loud laugh through their mental connection, satisfied that they were now even. Soundwave knew that there was no use in trying to reason with Laserbeak, so he quickly changed the topic.
"Laserbeak, your energon levels are low. Are you hungry?" he asked.
The sound of the energon level warning replaced the laughter. Well, now that you mention it... Laserbeak replied.
"Destination: Energon deposit." Without any hesitation, Soundwave hurriedly made his way to the Energon deposit.
Soundwave could feel Laserbeak's amusement in their minds as the symbiote smiled. "Sure thing, creator."
It was a typical day at the Decepticon energon mine. Vehicons were hard at work, mining tirelessly. The flying types scanned the skies, while the ground types patrolled the area. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. Mining was proceeding without a hitch, and no enemy forces had been detected. Life for the Vehicons was going well, or so it seemed.
But for one Vehicon, Bumblebee, the day was far from normal. He had been digging for nearly two hours straight, his body aching with fatigue. His shift should have ended by now, but the schedule for this body hadn't come up yet, so he was forced to continue mining. His arms were sore, and he would rather be in the heat of battle than stuck here in the mines. If this went on for another hour, he would give up and execute his plan B: blowing up the entire place. As he collected the energon he had mined, he dropped it onto the conveyor belt with a heavy sigh.
The Vehicon guard's voice echoed through the cavernous energy mine, signaling the end of the work day. Bumblebee, who had been digging for hours, was grateful for the break. His arms ached from the manual labor, and he was eager to return to the ship and find Raf. As he made his way through the line of Vehicons waiting to pass through the warp gate, a voice called out to him from behind.
"It's been a long day, huh ST-3V3?" The voice belonged to a fellow Vehicon, who had been working alongside Bumblebee in the mine.
Bumblebee's processor was still reeling from the possibility of Raf being in any number of places within the Decepticon base. Medical bay, laboratory, interrogation room, prison... or worse, a dumping ground. He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, determined to focus on finding his friend. Rafael had to be alive.
But then he heard the voice again. "Hmm... ST-3V3. Are you listening? I'm talking to you."
Bumblebee jolted back to the present and quickly realized that he was ignoring what was supposed to be his designation. He turned around and saw a vehicon standing before him. He activated his scanner and identified the bot as VT-256. It was hard to differentiate one vehicon from the other, they all looked the same with their identical frames and lack of distinguishing features.
"Err…yeah. What's the matter VT-256?" he said, trying to sound casual, and also relieved that his voice sounded just like ST-3V3.
VT-256 looked at him suspiciously. "Nothing important, just want to say hi."
Bumblebee forced a smile. "Oh, err…okay then…hi," he said, his voice trailing off uncertainly.
An awkward silence followed, and Bumblebee shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"You…look…strange ST-3V3. Are you okay?" asked the vehicon in front of him, tilting his head.
Bumblebee's red optics flickered nervously. "Yes!" he blurted out quickly, trying to sound convincing.
"I'm sorry, what?" VT-256 repeated, puzzled.
Bumblebee took a deep breath before answering, "I mean, I'm okay. Everything's fine."
"Are you sure?" VT-256 tapped him on the shoulder. "You don't look well...It seems like you don't know yourself."
Bumblebee forced a laugh, hoping to brush it off like a joke, but he could tell that VT-256 wasn't convinced. "I'm really okay, I am."
"Well, if you say so," VT-256 said with a shrug.
Bumblebee felt a wave of relief wash over him as he thought that the questioning was over.
"By the way, do you remember what I asked you for yesterday?" VT-256 questioned Bumblebee.
Bumblebee's circuits were running almost to the point of overheating as he thought about his predicament. He could access the common base data of this body, but not its personal data. In order to access it, he would have to bring the personality of this body to the surface of their shared spark, which meant that this body's owner would have a fair fight with him. There was a risk that the body's owner might win and Bumblebee would lose himself forever as a Vehicon. But, if he won, he would still be himself and could use the body's personal records to better impersonate its identity. It was a risk that could take his life, but Raf's time was running out. The longer he took to find him, the more danger Raf would be in. He didn't waste any more time and brought the presence that he had pushed down up to the surface.
The data rushed in: the day he was created, the day he received his designation, the day he fought alongside his troops, the day he lived on the Decepticon warship. The day he fought the Autobots, and yesterday when VT-256 asked him for a favor.
"Sure, man. I already have it," ST-3V3 replied, handing VT-256 the blue ore that he had been hiding in his chassis. "Be careful of GH-852. I saw him watching your every step while you were mining."
VT-256 expressed his gratitude to ST-3V3 for his help in retrieving the high-grade stuff. The red light on his mask flickered with excitement as he said, "Thanks man. He was watching my every move, I couldn't take this by myself."
ST-3V3, wearing a smile behind his mask, replied, "Just remember that you own me. Next time I'm in trouble, I will ask for your help too."
"High grade stuff definitely rare these days. With these, I can finally fix my broken arm. Thank you again." VT-256 patted ST-3V3's shoulder and went on his way.
Bumblebee finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had managed to access the personal data of the Vehicon body he was inhabiting, but he had to be careful not to lose himself in the sea of memories. He was still himself, but he had gained a little extra knowledge from ST-3V3's memory.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts, loud in his head. Wha…What happened? Why can't I move myself?
Bumblebee's face paled at the sound. He was relieved that all Vehicons wore masks, as the other wouldn't notice how pale his face had become. He felt a presence brush against his mind.
Who...are you?
