Mixed-Up 2: Alternate Reality
Chapter 4: Betrayal
Despite the fact that it was very early in the morning the Decepticon base was buzzing with activity. Not that they really had anything to do except for destroy what was left of Motor City.
"Are you certain?" Megatron asked with a frown. As leader of the Decepticon army he sat on a throne, reveling at being able to look down at his soldiers.
"Yes, Lord Megatron," Lugnut said. "It was those four Autobots that were Bumblebee's companions all those years ago."
"That's impossible," Starscream declared, scowling at Lugnut from where he stood next to Megatron.
"Are you calling me a liar?" Lugnut growled, his servos clenching into fists.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am."
"Why you little…!"
Megatron interrupted both of them by holding up a servo, the universal gesture of "shut up." "What did happen to them?" he asked, only slightly curious.
Starscream and Lugnut didn't answer him but stared obstinately at the floor instead.
Realizing that neither of them was going to tell him anything Megatron ordered them to be on the lookout for the Autobots and to let him know if they saw anything.
"But vhat about Bumblebee?" Blitzwing protested as he stepped out of the shadows where he had been listening in. "Von't he bring them to us like he did the others?"
Megatron shook his head. "No," he said. "He'll never turn them over."
"Yes, he will," Starscream said. Ignoring his commander's scathing glare he continued, "He thinks they betrayed him. They disappeared ten thousand years ago, leaving him all alone. Believe me when I tell you that he will not hesitate to hand them over to us."
"Then why hasn't he done so already?" Lugnut asked.
"To make them pay," Blitzwing answered. "He vants to make them suffer as much as he has and the best vay to that vould be for them to think that he vants to help them only he hands them over to us instead."
"When did the two of you become psychiatrists?" Megatron inquired, raising an optic ridge.
"Ve vere bored so ve read everything ve could find," Blitzwing explained.
When Optimus awoke he looked around in confusion then remembered the events of the previous day. He sat up and vented loudly. All he really wanted at the moment was to be waking up in his own berth in the old warehouse that they called home. Home was such a strange word he reflected; it meant one thing yet could be applied to almost anything. It was about then that Optimus realized wanted to go home, where Bumblebee didn't have the barely disguised anger in his voice or the battle scarred frame. Where Decepticons didn't rule and humans were as far as the optic could see. He really, really missed Motor City; not the burned out town it was now whose only inhabitants were ghosts.
He vented heavily and decided to get up. A few minutes later he and Ratchet exited their room, running into Prowl and Bulkhead in the hallway. Before Optimus had had time to say anything other than good morning Bumblebee emerged from his quarters. The minibot walked down the hall, one servo trailing along the wall. It was barely noticeable and the only reason that Optimus even saw it was because he had been watching Bumblebee; wondering what he was going to do. He ignored them and kept on walking, disappearing through the door at the end of the hall.
The Autobots followed him through the main room and into what was obviously a storage room of some kind. Crates covered almost the entire floor, stacked from wall to wall nailed tightly shut. Bumblebee went straight to one of the crates and slid the lid aside. Reaching inside he pulled out five cubes of energon and handed them out. After the energon was downed Bumblebee said, "Time to go," then turned and walked out of the room.
If Optimus had been confused the day before by Bumblebee's actions he was completely and totally baffled now; deciding that it might be best for him to comply, Optimus followed Bumblebee, the others right behind them. They walked out of the cave, sealing the hidden entrance behind them. The island looked as uninviting as it had the day before, the skeletons looking even more ominous in the daytime. They were all silent as they walked past the trees and over the sand until they reached the ship. They boarded it then Bumblebee entered the coordinates and they took off.
They were half-way across the water before Optimus felt brave enough to ask, "Where are we going?"
"Motor City."
"Why?" Bulkhead wanted to know.
"To search."
"For what?" Ratchet grunted.
"Decepticons," was the short, if somewhat terse, answer.
"And why do we want to find them?" Prowl asked.
"So I can hand you over to them."
There was stunned silence for several minutes then, "Why would you do that to us?"
"Why not?"
"What did we ever do to you?" Optimus demanded.
The ship stopped suddenly but none of them paid any attention, choosing instead to focus on one another.
"What didn't you do?" Bumblebee snarled. "You bots were like the family that I never had and what do you do? You up and leave me behind. I waited for over ten thousand years for you to return. Ten thousand years and you know what? You never came back," his voice, which had risen five decibels halfway through, dropped down to a whisper.
It was at this point Optimus lost it. He yelled, "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry we left you all alone again. I'm sorry that we got sucked into another portal. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry," he repeated.
Bumblebee looked at them, confusion written all over his faceplate. "What do you mean 'another portal'? You bots never got sucked into a portal before."
"Yes we did," Optimus protested.
"No you didn't," Bumblebee said firmly then re-started the ship, signaling that the conversation was over.
As they moved closer and closer to the shore the Autobots argued over what to do. While they didn't want to hurt Bumblebee they also didn't want to become Decepticon prisoners. Before they had a chance to decide, however, they reached the shore where Starscream, Lugnut, and Blitzwing were waiting. As he saw the three Decepticons standing there Optimus felt something inside of him break. Perhaps…this was their punishment; their chance to atone for leaving Bumblebee behind. Maybe they had angered Primus in some way and this was how they were supposed to pay for it…Whatever the reason Optimus was convinced that they were supposed to go along with it. So he held his head high and went quietly; Bumblebee's figure the last thing he saw before they went around a corner and he disappeared from sight.
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