"Mikaela?" Sam whispered. He lifted himself out of the dirt and debris. There wasn't much to see in the darkness around him so Sam looked up. A dim beam of sunlight shined down from the outside. Sam smiled at their seemingly bad fortune. Sure they must have fallen a few stories deep into a hole, but they weren't trapped. No. They were in! A pair of blue optics' glow lit up the room. When Sam noticed his head's shadow against the blue light he got up to his feet and spun around. Bumblebee's big blue optics starred back at him. Sam smiled and patted Bumblebee's head. "You okay?" Bumblebee nodded. He didn't show it, but inside him Bumblebee was battling with a whole sea of emotions. NEST had suspected previous S7 members being involved. But Bumblebee never imagined this! He'd come so close to reliving that dreadful night under Sector Seven's microscope all over again, and he was struggling to hold himself together. But he never let Sam see it. Sam's voice quickly brought Bumblebee back to the present when called for Mikaela again. Seconds of dead silence seemed to pass by excruciatingly slow. Bumblebee scanned franticly for her body. Mikaela finally gave a soft moan and Bumblebee located her instantly. He and Sam came to her side across the room. Sam hugged her and combed his fingers through her hair. When the light of Bumblebee's optics illuminated Mikaela, Sam shuddered at the sight of her bruises she earned from the fall. But Bumblebee was more concerned about her bullet wound.
The bullet was meant to shoot through her torso, but at the last second Mikaela held up her hand in a sideways fist. The bullet still fired through her hand and shattered every phalanx bone, but its speed slowed down tremendously. The damage was much less serious than it could have been. Mikaela was extremely lucky. Bumblebee's scan showed no internal bleeding, but there was much damage to the center of her rib cage. She had a huge crack in the two bottom ribs. Now they were divided in the middle where large fragments of the bone broke off. Mikaela wasn't showing any signs of pain. Her breathing was normal and she was clearly aware of the situation as she hugged Sam back. (No confusion or dizziness.) Bumblebee moved in for a closer look. He poked at Sam's shoulder and Sam scooted away.
"Bee?" Mikaela squeaked. Bumblebee didn't look up at her. He continued scrutinizing her rib cage area. He reached two fingers for her shirt. Mikaela stopped him with her good hand and pushed him away. Bumblebee looked stunned. He only wanted to examine the wound from the outside. Didn't she know he would never do anything to offend her? Didn't she trust him not to examine more than what was necessary?
"Wounded." Bumblebee replied from a Little Big Town song.
"I'm fine Bumblebee. Really." She lied. Mikaela carefully stood up with Sam close by her side. Mikaela stumbled a bit but regained her balance. She rubbed at her wound with a half smile and half pained expression on her face. Bumblebee shook his head. 'She's too brave.' Bumblebee thought. "Bumblebee, now that we're in here, can you find Wheelie?" Mikaela asked. Bumblebee's scanners searched down the corridor. He found several humans armed with weapons, probably looking for them. Bumblebee scanned farther until he finally found what he was looking for! 'Yes!' Bumblebee cheered inside his mind. No doubt, Wheelie was alive! Not in good shape by the distress Bumblebee sensed his spark was in, but definitely still alive! They still had a chance! Bumblebee copied the scanned route and saved it inside his processor like an internal map. Bumblebee couldn't contain his excitement any longer, and they couldn't afford to waist any more time.
"He's alive!" A young boy's voice exclaimed. Sam and Mikaela perked up as well.
"Wait! You know where he is?" Mikaela shouted.
"We have far to go and little time to get there!" Bumblebee said while in transformation. Bumblebee swung his doors open for both of them. Sam and Mikaela eagerly climbed in. Bumblebee floored it out of there, off to the rescue! Moments later, Bumblebee swerved around a tight corner and made an unexpected halt. When Sam and Mikaela got out they looked for...anything. Wheelie wasn't here. It was just a dead end corridor. Bumblebee flashed his right blinker. Sam and Mikaela just stared. Bumblebee's blinker blinked faster. Sam and Mikaela still didn't get it. Bumblebee made a loud groaning noise and transformed into his human holoform. He marched over to a door on his right and with an overly dramatic attitude, waved his hand for them to enter. Sam opened the door and stepped inside the small closet space. Mikaela followed him inside and Bumblebee closed the door behind them. The tiny space was way too crammed for the three of them. While stumbling around for a light switch, Sam walked over Mikaela's feet and Mikaela pushed him into the wall several times. While the two humans fumbled around in the dark, the alien robot who could adjust his visual senses from day vision to night vision, stood back in a corner and patiently waited for Sam and Mikaela to move out of his way. When they tripped and collapsed over each other, Bumblebee walked to the center of the small room, reached above his head, and pulled on a small beaded string hanging from a light bulb. From the floor, Sam and Mikaela looked up. They both sighed. Sam knew they were all gonna laugh about this someday. 'How many humans does it take to turn on a light bulb?' He thought.
Bumblebee helped them up and directed their attention to the wall opposite to the door. He kneeled down and pulled a drawer out of the wall. There was only space for one person to peek into the next room. So Bumblebee spelled Mikaela's name, waved his hand from her to him, and pointed his middle and index fingers at his eyes, and then pointed them through the space in the wall.
M.I.K.A.E.L.A. Come look
Mikaela didn't have the slightest idea that those first hand signs were her name, let alone letters. But she did understand the universal motion for "come here". She kneeled beside Bumblebee and looked through the hole in the wall. Mikaela gasped at what she saw. She sat there petrified by the horror she was watching. Sam shook her shoulder and asked what was happening, but Mikaela couldn't respond. Bumblebee stood up and told Sam what his scan could see beyond the wall.
W.H.E.E.L.I.E. He is hurt. A human has a hold on him. There is another C.Y.B.E.R.T.R.O.N.I.A.N. captive. Humans threaten to kill her and Wheelie both.
"Who's this other Cybertronian?" Sam asked.
Not one of ours.
"Oh." Sam said. Clearly it was a Decepticon. "What are we gonna do?"
Something crazy. Are you with me?
"Of course." Sam answered. Bumblebee grabbed a lab coat and a MONEE uniform form off a hanger on the wall. He placed them in Sam's arms and responded,
Good. You and M.I.K.A.E.L.A put these on. I have a plan!
Outside Wheelie's room, Mikaela prepared herself to burst through the doors. She was fully dressed in her disguise, with her hair pulled back in a braid, a long lab coat hiding her street clothes, and orange safety goggles over her eyes. Mikaela thought Bumblebee's plan through one more time, but her thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream! 'Wheelie!' Mikaela remembered. Why was she still standing there? She had to save him NOW! Mikaela swung the doors open and slammed it behind her with raging fury! The first thing she saw was Wheelie trembling in the cruel hand of a stranger. Mikaela hardly looked at the man before she started yelling.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN'!" Mikaela's disguised voice was nasally and annoying. (She really thought she'd out done herself this time!) "Nothin'! That's what you're doin'! Nothin'! There are intruders inside the perimeter, and you are doin' nothin'?"
"Excuse me, but I don't remember hiring you. Who are you?" MONEE's superior replied.
"Excuse me, but I am your Alfa! Your best player! Your queen! YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE!" The man stared at her. "That's right! I'm bad. You get on my nerves just once, and this boot will be the one kicking you out the door!" She stomped her foot twice to make her high healed boot make a 'clunk, clunk' noise. Wheelie smiled at that. 'Yes! Please! Please Primus! Anything to make him leave!' He begged.
"What makes you think you have the authority to throw me out? I created MONEE! Me!" He threw Wheelie on the floor! Wheelie whimpered and curled up in a ball. The man kicked and rolled Wheelie over! His foot thrusted down on Wheelie's fragile arm! Though the pain was unbearable, Wheelie wouldn't scream anymore. He was tired and ready to die. 'What's the point of screaming?' he thought. 'You're a dead mech. You and Mayday are goners! Just let them kill you already! No one is coming for you! Its hopeless!' Mikaela had to stop this!
Mikaela leaned in really close, and then WACKED the man with her good hand across the face. "You wanna do somethin' about that?" Mikaela taunted. That perked Wheelie up. He hadn't seen another woman in the MONEE organization til then. At the moment, Wheelie didn't care if the lady swore to kill him. There was something about her that comforted him. He liked her, whoever she was. Wheelie laid his head back down, dead tired. "Go wake up your lazy security guards and find those kids with their big yellow thing! I'm not you're problem! They are!" Mikaela ordered. Wheelie didn't even hear it. He was already drifting into recharge. He'd finally reached his limit of abuse and couldn't take anymore. When he awoke again, his first thought was why was he still alive? His next thought was, maybe he really was dead! Leaning over him was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen! He could have sworn she was an angel. Then she spoke with that nasally annoying voice that wrecked Wheelie's angelic daydream.
"I hope ya sure had a lousy time here, because once you're out of here, you're never comin' back!" She laughed. Wheelie just stared at her. She put her hand behind his back and helped him sit up. She laughed again, but this laugh was different. It matched her beauty and made her smile seem to glow. Wheelie knew that voice. 'Couldn't be!' he thought. "What?" She teased. "Doesn't Wheelie miss his Warrior Goddess?" Wheelie jumped up, hugged her around her neck and burst into tears.
"I can't believe you're here!" Wheelie cried. Mikaela hugged him back and picked him up. "Warrior Goddess?"
"Hmm?"
"I just wanted to thank you and..." Wheelie sighed. "I'm really gonna sound like a sparkling when I say this."
"Wheelie, you can tell me anything." Mikaela said. Wheelie lost it there. He hid his wet optics in the collar of her coat and just started bawling! Mikaela felt awful for the poor shaking body in her arms.
"Don't let them hurt me anymore! Please!" Wheelie gasped. Mikaela hugged him a little tighter and massaged his dented armor.
"I promise, Wheelie. You're safe with me." Mikaela whispered. Wheelie's cries softened. They stayed there, wrapped in each other's embrace, for what felt like hours. When they'd both settled down, Mikaela remembered how crucial it was that they get out of there as soon as possible. She started to carry him towards the door, but Wheelie caught a glimpse of the back of the room and started to squirm in her arms.
"Wait! Wait! Where is everybody?" He said, looking at where he'd last seen Mayday.
"Its okay. I sent him away for Sam and Bumblebee to take care of." Mikaela reassured him.
"No! I mean May-... hey wait! What are you talking about?"
Down the hallway the angry MONEE superior was on a mission. The first part of his mission was to find those kids with the yellow thing. The second part was figuring out how in the world that psychotic woman passed as one of MONEE's employees. As he passed by his office, he saw someone sitting at his computer. He noticed from his angle, the boy looked way too young to be working for him. Now that he thought about it, the strange girl looked a little young too. Then it dawned on him! The intruders! Those kids tricked him! But now he had one alone. He crept into his office real quietly. Just as he'd hoped, the boy didn't even look up from the computer and kept his back to the door. MONEE's superior walked closer. Every couple of steps he would stop, but the boy never looked up at him. When he decided the boy was totally distracted, he confidently walked up behind him and raised his fist! The boy noticed a change in the room's atmosphere. The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he sensed the man's presence but he didn't turn around. Instead he smiled and calmly waited. 'Three...two..' CRASH! Bumblebee lunged at the man and tackled him down on the ground! Sam waited for the sounds of struggle to die down. When things were quiet again, Sam turned around.
"Thanks Bee." Sam said casually. Bumblebee released the man from a choke hold and dropped him face down on the floor. Before he could get away, Sam tossed Bumblebee the pair of handcuffs which he conveniently found in his 'borrowed' security uniform. MONEE's superior, a.k.a Lucius Clawsen according to his ID, never stood a chance against Bumblebee. Before he could even think to dodge or attack, Bumblebee pushed him into a corner and locked his wrists behind an iron table leg. The look on Clawsen's face was priceless! He couldn't believe that a teenager, maybe sixteen or seventeen, brought him down and trapped him with such bruit strength! He yanked at the table leg, but it was nailed into the floor.
"I don't know what you want!" Clawsen yelled at Sam when he saw the other teen rummaging through his wallet. Sam put the ID back in Clawsen's wallet, and set it back down on the desk. "But if you're here for the robots, you're too late! They were destroyed this morning!"
"You hear that Bee? Wheelie's been destroyed. Should we just go home?" Sam joked. Bumblebee pretended to be deep in thought about the question, before shaking his head with a goofy smile. The boys laughed.
Did you contact Major L.E.N.N.O.X? Bumblebee signed.
"Yeah. He's on his way. Oh, wait!" Sam turned back to the computer, deleted the history, and logged off the computer so no one could trace the web address back to Autobot HQ. Then he took Lucius Clawsen's wallet again and started walking out the door. Clawsen gasped, but Sam ignored him. It was Bumblebee's stare that stopped Sam in his tracks. "What? Its evidence!" Sam insisted, showing Bumblebee the ID.
And the cash?
"Think of it as our paid reward for rescuing Wheelie." Sam said. Bumblebee still starred. Sam groaned. "If the three of us split it, can we keep it?"
What could I spend money on?
"Drive in movies, New CDs,...hot wax?" Sam gave a mischievous smile. He already knew what Bumblebee's answer was going to be! Bumblebee considered Sam's offers.
Thank you for the money. Bumblebee signed with a straight face. Sam laughed as Bumblebee greedily snatched the wallet from him and counted out his fair share of the money. The two boys took off down the hallway to reunite with Mikaela.