Origins: Bumblebee
Chapter 2: What Now?
Bumblebee stood in the middle of the room, his optics shuttered as he slowly, gracefully moved through a kata that Yoketron had taught him. It had been a little over a year since Yoketron had taken him in. During that time period Bumblebee had learned everything there was to learn about ninjitsu, including the 'processor over matter' technique. Yoketron had called him a protégé; saying how much Bumblebee reminded him of Prowl, another student who had been sent away to learn to do the 'processor over matter' technique. Bumblebee had no desire to take over the dojo or become Yoketron's replacement so he listened to the stories about Prowl; nodding and asking questions sometimes but refused to linger over them. He had no hopes of finding a family with Yoketron; knowing that he would always be along. It was his lot in life; destiny had cast the dice and he accepted the cards. It might sound harsh to another bot but Bumblebee didn't mind. Well that's what he liked to tell himself anyway.
"Bumblebee," a voice intruded into his thoughts.
Startled, the minibot turned to see Yoketron standing there, his faceplate unusually grim. "What's wrong, Master Yoketron?" Bumblebee asked worriedly.
"You are doing well with your training. You have mastered everything that I have endeavored to teach you. You are a true ninja in almost every way."
"What have I not yet learned?" Bumblebee asked, having picked up on Yoketron's choice of words.
"You have not yet learned who you are," Yoketron replied. Seeing the look of confusion on Bumblebee's gray faceplate he began to expound on his statement. "Prowl had not fully learned who he was which was one of the reasons why I sent him away. I fear I must now do the same to you."
Bumblebee stared at Yoketron for a minute then, "You're kicking me out?" his voice was calm, steady. Exactly the opposite of what Yoketron had been expecting.
"In a way," he answered. "Once you have figured out who you are then you may return."
Bumblebee nodded, acceptance quickly replacing that had shown briefly in his blue optics. "I'll be going then," he said and walked out of the dojo.
Yoketron watched him go, feeling sadness creeping upon him. "Take care of yourself, Bumblebee," he whispered then began going through his moves.
Bumblebee walked down the street, not paying much attention to his surroundings. His processor was weighed down heavy with memories of abandonment and thoughts of vengeance. How could Yoketron do this to him? Bumblebee had done nothing wrong; in fact he had done everything right. He had not lied, cheated or stolen ever since he had come to live in the dojo. He had even stopped a robbery once! And how could Yoketron say that he didn't know who he was? Bumblebee knew exactly who he was! He was a half-Decepticon who had been trained in the art of ninjitsu. He was so focused on his thoughts that he walked right into another bot.
"Hey, watch it!" an infuriated voice yelled.
"Sorry," Bumblebee apologized, looking up at the much taller black and orange bot. The bot just growled and, shoving Bumblebee aside, continued on his way. Bumblebee could feel a familiar calmness settling in, the kind of calmness that usually preceded someone dying. It was with great difficult that he managed to get himself under control. He slowly relaxed his fists which had tightened so much that he almost couldn't uncurl them. He sent a flare after the bot then almost ran into another one. "Sorry," he sighed.
"No problem," the gray and blue mech said absent mindedly. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who would be interested in killing him, would you?"
Bumblebee blinked. "I might," he said cautiously. "But only if you're serious."
"I am," the bot said eagerly. "Very serious."
"How much are you willing to pay?" Bumblebee asked, crossing his arms.
"The credits will take care of themselves," was the quick assurance. "He's rich; his money is hidden in a safe. You shouldn't have much trouble finding it. I have no idea what the combination is but…"
"I can take care of that myself," Bumblebee said. "All I need from you is his address and yours so I can contact you when the job's over."
His new employer nodded. "That's fine."
He told Bumblebee the information then left. Bumblebee stood there for a minute, stunned. He couldn't believe it. Had he really just agreed to kill somebody? What would Yoketron say if he could see him now? He shook his head furiously. He would NOT think about Yoketron right now; he had a murder to plan instead.
Later that day, after the sun had gone down and dusk set in, a dark figure slipped out of the shadows and closer to the house. Bumblebee watched carefully, optics narrowed. When he saw no one either coming or going he darted out of his hiding place and into the house, using the access codes he had 'retrieved.' He made sure that he muffled his footsteps as he tiptoed through the house. Knowing that he and his target were the only ones in the building he didn't bother looking around to see if there were any potential witnesses but continued on his way, undeterred. He soon found himself outside the door of an office. From inside he could hear the sound of datapads being moved around. The door slid open silently and he slipped behind his target; the sound of his servos transforming into swords the only warning his target had before his head fell to the floor with a loud clang.
Several hours later Bumblebee sat in an abandoned warehouse simply staring at the pile of credits in front of him. He had collected his fee and told his employer then retreated to this warehouse. Tumultuous thoughts ran through his process, forcing him to think. Earlier that day he had been desolate, abandoned but now? Now he had several options; he could use the credits to find himself a place to stay while he tried to get a job or else he could do what he had done earlier and kill bots. He sat there for hours, debating over his options. It was nearly morning when Bumblebee finally stood up, his decision made. He would go and he would become the best assassin that ever lived.
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