Smugglers 3: The Beginning Is The End
Chapter 16: Flashbacks: Asylum Break-Out
It had been a little over a month since Bumblebee's accident. The little bot had been released from the hospital two weeks earlier and was now residing in The Asylum as it was called. Bulkhead was rather nervous; today he was going to go visit Bumblebee for the first time as he was now allowed to have visitors. Bulkhead was nervous but he was worried to. What if Bumblebee still didn't recognize him or, worse, didn't want anything to do with him? Bulkhead shuddered and firmly decided to cross that bridge when he came to it.
He didn't like the walls. They were a dull gray with some of the paint beginning to peel off. "Why don't you repaint the walls? Give it a really bright color and it'll spruce this place right up," he said to the much taller bot that was currently escorting him down the hall. The bot just grunted and didn't reply. "Hmph," Bumblebee sniffed, crossing his arms. That was just ride. Suddenly he realized that rude rhymed with prude that rhymed with brood and then mood…Cool! The cracks in the wall were actually mouth plates that seemed to be saying something. If Bumblebee was quiet then he could hear them whispering, calling out to him.
"Bumblebee, Bumblebee, run little Bee. Flee while you still can. Trust no one except for the big green one," they seemed to be saying.
He nodded his head solemnly and promised, "I won't."
"Who are you talking to?" his escort grunted.
"The walls," Bumblebee said cheerfully. The guard didn't say anything else but opened the door to Bumblebee's room and shoved the little bot in before locking the door firmly behind him.
Bumblebee picked himself up off the floor and looked around his room. It was in a word, plain. The walls were gray much like the hallways; there was only one window and it was barred. Bumblebee heaved a sigh and went to sit by the window where he usually passed several hours just staring at outside. Occasionally he would get flashes of memory and when that happened he spent the rest of the day cowering under his berth while he struggled to make sense of it all.
How long he was lost in thought he didn't know but when the sound of the door unlocking roused him he frowned. It wasn't time for them to get energon yet. So it was with no small amount of trepidation that he watched it open.
The guard stood in the doorway and said, "You have a visitor."
A visitor? Bumblebee's sensory horns perked up at the news. So far the only visitors he'd had were medics and they usually just walked right on in, not bothering to be announced as they thought their very presence enough introduction.
The bot that entered was most definitely not a medic however he was vaguely familiar…He was tall, two times Bumblebee's height and five times his size. He had dark green armor with silver around his middle. The servos were oversized as was the rest of him and Bumblebee had a sudden flash of a green wrecking ball replacing the thick digits.
"Have fun," the guard said snidely before shutting and re-locking the door.
The two bots remaining just looked at each other, engaging in a silent battle of wills. Eventually the green bot broke the silence by saying, "How ya doin'?"
"I don't know," Bumblebee replied.
The other bot smiled then an awkward silence fell between them again until, "They treating' you ok?"
"Dunno," was the reply accompanied by a shrug.
More silence. For some reason Bumblebee didn't feel scared around this bot like he did with some of the other bots here.
After about an hour the green bot sighed, sounding rather sad which made Bumblebee feel sad too for some unknown reason.
"I suppose I better go now," the big, Bulky bot said.
Bulky…the word ran through Bumblebee's processor causing memories and feelings to flash.
His visitor had almost reached the door when Bumblebee said, "Bulkhead."
"What?" Bulkhead asked, turning.
"I know that your name is Bulkhead."
Bulkhead looked especially pained when he nodded his head and whispered, "That's right. My name is Bulkhead, you're Bumblebee and you're my friend."
"Friend," Bumblebee repeated slowly then brightened. "Little buddy."
"That's right; you're my little buddy."
"Did we win the race?"
The question was so simple and innocent yet it stabbed at Bulkhead's very spark. "We sure did," he whispered. "We sure did."
After leaving The Asylum Bulkhead didn't return to his apartment, instead he headed for the impound lot, having seen the posters advertising that Bumblebee's ship had been found.
Four hours later Bulkhead discovered why so many bots (including Bumblebee) hated beaucracy. It was a major pain in the aft but worth it as he was now the 'legal' owner of The Smuggler. He been so afraid that he was going to get arrested but now he was positively terrified.
He had a plan and it was very risky but if everything worked out like it was supposed to then he would long gone from this planet with Bumblebee in tow. He supposed that he shouldn't really be breaking an already crazy bot out of an insane asylum but Bumblebee had recognized him earlier that day, giving Bulkhead hope that the rest of his friend was still in there somewhere. The medics had told him that familiar things and places should help in the recovery process and what more familiar was there other than The Smuggler. With that thought in processor Bulkhead began to make preparations for that evening.
Bumblebee had been in the middle of a very unpleasant recharge when he heard it; a sound like that of a wrecking ball knocking something over. Half-awake he stumbled over to the window and peered out into the night, his night vision automatically taking over. Bulkhead, of all bots, stood in the middle of the street looking sheepishly at an overturned waste disposal, the Cybertonian equivalent of a trashcan. "Bulkhead," Bumblebee hissed. "What are you doing?"
"I, uh, came to see if you wanted me to break you out," the green bot mumbled.
Bumblebee blinked then said, "Well if you're going to break me out I suggest that you go ahead and do it again before someone comes to see what all the racket was," he indicated the buildings where lights were beginning to come on.
"Okay," Bulkhead whispered then began swinging his wrecking ball, picking up momentum as he did so.
Hurriedly, Bumblebee backed up, crouching underneath his berth and shielding his faceplate. He flinched when the wrecking ball tore into the wall opposite to him, effectively destroying the barred window and leaving behind a gaping hole. Bumblebee rose from his hiding place and peered out the hold, judging the distance to the ground before noticing that Bulkhead's wrecking ball still lay in the room. Coming to a hasty decision he clutched the wrecking ball and shouted, "Let's go, Bulky!"
Within seconds the familiar sound of the weapon being retraced filled the air as Bumblebee clung desperately to his ride, feeling a most peculiar sense of exhilaration. His timing was perfect, mere seconds before the servo was fully retracted he leapt, landing on top of Bulkhead's cranial unit.
Once he had made sure that Bumblebee was all right Bulkhead took off even as the sounds of sirens reached their audio sensors.
A little while later The Smuggler was making her merry way as far from Cybertron as possible. Bulkhead was at the helm piloting the ship. He glanced at his shoulder strut where Bumblebee was recharging, curled up in a little ball. The big mech smiled softly and lightly ran one digit over the little bot causing Bumblebee's engine to quiet even more. The two friends stayed that way until the sun rose the next morning.
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