Chapter 12- Lost.
When they had left the Witwicky house, the Autobots had driven to a slightly quieter street, before transforming back to their bi-pedal selves, and from there they had been able to watch the Witwicky house being invaded by the Sector Seven agents that Ratchet had picked up. Bumblebee had felt the sense of worry creep into his spark as soon as he'd watched the agents enter the house and swarm around it, and when he had seen Sam and Mikaela being dragged from the house by the agents, it had escalated to full-blown panic. Both Ironhide and Ratchet had been hard pressed to hold the younger 'bot as he struggled against them, chirping furiously. However it was Ironhide that had finally calmed Bee slightly by telling him, in a far softer voice than many thought the weapons specialist capable of, that "You will be no good to your femme if you go after her now youngling. Just have patience, Optimus will have a plan to help the sparklings, I promise".
However despite Ironhides faith in Optimus, it had still taken every ounce of strength Bumblebee had in his spark not to transform back down to his alt-mode there and then as he'd watched the earthlings in the dark clothes push Sam and Mikaela roughly into the lead SUV, and race after it as it had sped away down the road; and as he watched the tailights disappear into the night with concerned optics, Bumblebee promised to himself that from now on whatever the cost he would keep Sam and Mikaela safe, no matter what his orders were.
oOoOo
Meanwhile the black SUV's and their occupants swept through the dark streets of Tranquility. In the rear of the lead vehicle, Mikaela was still thinking about Bumblebee, wondering concernedly where he was; and Sam was doing his utmost not to freak out. However Sam couldn't help the squeak of panic that emerged from his lips as he saw Simmons holding up a plastic bag that held something that looked suspiciously like his mobile, that Sam suddenly realised with a jolt he'd dropped in the warehouse yard the first night he'd seen Bumblebee. Mikaela heard the squeak and looked over at Sam, before whispering to him "Whats up?". Simmons turned slightly but the two teens had been honing their whispering skills for years. Sam looked at Mikaela, "He's got my phone. I sent you that message when I first saw Bee, and took pictures of him. I must have dropped it in the yard of the warehouse in my panic to get away". Mikaela saw the dejected look in Sam's eyes, knowing full well Sam would be blaming himself for the situation especially if anything had happened to Bumblebee, or the others; "Sam, I'm sure these fruit loops had their eyes on our guys long before you found Bee".Sam smiled crookedly at Mikaela, "I guess". Mikaela then continued, "And I'm pretty sure our big guy and the others are okay". Sam looked at Mikaela and squeezed her hand as he heard the wobble in her voice, "Bee will be fine, 'Kaela". Gazing gratefully at Sam, Mikaela returned his smile, "Thanks Sammy".
However their whispering was soon interrupted by the sound of Simmons' voice from the front of the SUV, "So LadiesMan Two-Seventeen, that is your e-Bay user name isn't it". Both Sam and Mikaela felt identical sinking sensations in their stomachs as Sam's e-Bay account was mentioned again. Before he answered Simmons, Sam leant over to Mikaela and whispered in her ear, "Next time I need some quick cash, I'm selling my organs"; before looking at Simmons, and replying as innocently as he could, "Yeah but it was a typo, you know. Never got round to changing it". Simmons looked at him for a second before holding Sam's now slightly battered phone in his hand. Sam hoped and prayed that the phone wouldn't be working when he saw the crack on the screen, but that hope was soon crushed as his panicked voice filled the car. Sam shared a defeated glance at Mikaela, as Simmons looked at them with a triumphant smile before asking "Is that you?".
"Yup that sounds like a LadiesMan alright", Mikaela said with the faintest trace of sarcasm in her voice. Simmons looked at her briefly, before turning his attention back to Sam, "Last night at the police station, you informed the officer that it had.. transformed. Enlighten me". Sam and Mikaela shared a swift glance at each other as they saw the determined look on Simmons' face, and Sam looked back at Simmons with what he hoped was an expression of confused innocence, "That's not what I said at all, this has been like a total misunderstanding. I told the officer that my car had been stolen". Mikaela nodded encouragingly, as Simmons raised an eyebrow and commented "Really". Sam continued his story, "Yeah it was stolen from me, but its okay as its back now. It came back". Mikaela swung her head round, as did Simmons. Fixing Sam with an icy stare, Mikaela then turned to look at Simmons with a completely fake smile on her face, "Well not by itself obviously, as cars don't do that. That would be crazy". Mikaela then began to chuckle in a 'as if' manner, with Simmons and Sam joining in.
The fake laughter filled the car for a couple of minutes, before Simmons stopped suddenly and turned his full attention to both the teens, "So what do you kids know about aliens?". Sam stopped laughing a little too quickly for Mikaela's comfort and looked back at Simmons, "What like Martians, like ET? There's no such thing". Mikaela nodded in agreement, "It's just an urban legend", sounding more confident than she felt. Simmons gazed at them for a moment longer before pulling out his badge, "You know this is a 'can do whatever I want and get away with it' badge". Mikaela felt Sam's sharp intake of breath as Simmons continued with, "I'm gonna lock you up forever", and as she saw the panicked look in Sam's eyes compared to the almost gleeful look in Simmons' eyes, something inside her snapped. Nobody was going to bully her best friend, secret government agent or not, she'd made that promise years ago; and Mikaela fixed Simmons with a cold stare, "Look take no notice of him Sam. He's just pissy as he's gotta get back to guarding the mall".
"You in the training bra, do not test me. Especially with your daddy's parole coming up". Mikaela felt her head spin for a second as she heard Sams sharp intake of breath, hurriedly replying it was nothing, before fixing Simmons with a look of pure loathing, when he filled a now confused Sam in on the rest of the stories details; "Grand theft auto, that was nothing". As Sam looked at Mikaela questioningly, she looked down at the floor before she quietly replied, "You know those cars I told you I helped my dad with, that he taught me to fix, well they weren't always his. We couldn't always afford a babysitter so he had to take me along with him".
"She's got her own juvy record to prove it". As Simmons continued to rant on, neither he or his driver were aware of the small device that had gone off so loudly when passed over Sam and Mikaela, now almost going crazy. However Sam had noticed it, and nudged a still down hearted Mikaela. As she lifted her eyes to meet Sam's, Sam smiled at her reassuringly, "It just means my best friend got even more bad ass than I thought she was". Mikaela looked at Sam and although the smile she gave him was on the reserved side, to Sam it was thanks enough. As she too noticed the instruments going crazy, her timid smile turned into a beam of real joy, and the look was reflected on Sam's face as they both had the distinct feeling the rescue cavalry were very much on their way.
oOoOo
Bumblebee felt his whole spark fill with relief as Optimus finally informed him over the comm-link that the SUV's had been located. The hour that had passed when he'd not known where Sam or Mikaela were, had been the longest of his life ever, and when his optics finally saw the SUV they were in for himself, Bee finally felt his shredded nerves calming a little. As he watched a transformed Optimus stop the lead vehicle with a strategically placed foot, Bee and the others quickly transformed into their bi-pedal modes too. By this time several of the other SUV's were slowing to a stop, a couple of them had crashed into each other as the drivers had been blinded by the lights all the Autobots had fired at them, and Optimus had hold of the lead vehicle by its roof, though only for a moment before he pulled the roof off and allowed the car to bounce back onto the road. Bumblebee was relieved to see Sam and Mikaela in the back seat of the SUV, and as he heard Sam telling the still squealing agents in the front of the car that they were in serious trouble now, Bee allowed a sigh to escape. Sam quickly grinned up at his guardian, which Bee returned with a happy chirp, before Sam continued speaking by introducing Optimus in a very satisfied tone of voice, "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my friend. Optimus Prime". Optimus then warned the agent that seemed to be in charge in a serious tone, that "taking the children had been a bad idea", which was confirmed by the unnoticed nodding of Ratchet, Jazz and Ironhide, the latter looking pointedly at Bumblebee with raised eyebrows. Bee shrugged as he looked over at the other 'bots before he focused his optics on his girl, who was still sat in the SUV next to Sam, chirping at her concernedly. Mikaela looked up and when she saw Bumblebee's bright blue optics gazing at her, and heard his concerned chirping, she felt her heart do an excited flip as she looked back up at him, "Hey big guy, you miss me?". Bee chirped quietly at her, watching as she quickly hopped out of the ruined SUV and raced over to him, her face alight with a smile that was all for Bee. Kneeling down just as Mikaela reached him, the blue of his optics somehow intensified as his radio flared into life just loud enough for Mikaela to hear, "More than you'd know sweetheart... I thought I'd lost you". Mikaela felt her heart swell at Bee's words as she whispered back "I thought I'd lost you too big guy". Bee gently stroked the side of her face with a huge finger and Mikaela felt herself shiver contentedly. It was at that moment as she gazed back at Bee that her head finally caught up with what her heart had been telling her for several hours, and Mikaela felt her heart begin to beat in double time. Somehow she'd well and truly fallen for the big yellow 'bot, and although her head was screaming at her that she'd gone crazy, her heart knew that it was so very, very right. Bee noticed the faraway look in Mikaela's eyes, and chirped a question at her quietly. Mikaela gazed up at her 'bot, a smile spreading across her face as she reached up and placed a hand on Bee's face, chuckling as he almost purred in response to the touch of her hand, before meeting his bright blue optics with her own blue eyes, "I'm fine big guy, in fact I'm feeling just great thanks to you". Bee looked at her, his spark quietly flaring as he saw the look in Mikaelas eyes, before his radio flared once again and Mikaela heard an old rock song playing "..baby let the moment take your heart away...have you ever wanted someone so bad.. have you ever wanted someone you just couldn't have..". Mikaela heard the words and when she saw the look in Bumblebee's optics; in that moment she knew that, crazy or not, her heart was lost to the 'bot in front of her. Slowly tracing her familiar patterns on the side of his face, Mikaela met Bee's optics again and as he heard her reply, "If you want me, I'm all yours big guy", in a soft but very certain tone of voice, Bumblebee felt his spark almost explode with joy as his Mikaela gently kissed the tip of his finger before she shyly smiled up at him.
oOoOo
Both Optimus and Sam had watched Bumblebee chirp concernedly to Mikaela, and they'd shared a smile with each other when Mikaela had run straight to Bee. Optimus chose not to reproach the young scout as he'd been well aware of how much being away from Mikaela had hurt the younger Autobot, and Optimus was sure that even if an army of Decepticons descended upon them, Bumblebee would have ignored them. Looking out of the corner of his optics and sharing a wry smile with Ironhide, who was looking at Optimus with an 'I told you so' kind of look, Optimus quickly looked back over at Bee before turning his attention to the agent in front of him, who had now regained a sense of balance within himself, and seemed completely unfazed by the sight of the Autobots. The other agents around him however did not share the same sense of calm, and as they drew their weapons, Optimus just looked over at Jazz, "Relieve them of their weapons". Sam watched as Jazz activated a magnetic field, causing all the agents weapons to sail towards him and stick themselves to his metal skin. Sam couldn't help the exclamation of "Cool" that escaped his lips and Jazz grinned back at Sam, "Pretty cool huh?". Sam nodded enthusiastically, before he laughed out loud when he heard several of the agents whimpering when faced with Ironhide's arm canons charged and ready to fire.
Simmons finally regained his ability to speak as he waved slowly at Optimus, "Hi there". Optimus leant down to look at Simmons, "You don't seem afraid. Are you not surprised to see us?". Simmons faltered slightly as he looked into the narrowed and very pissed blue optics of the giant red and blue robot, "Uh yeah. Look there are certain S7 protocols that need to be observed here. I'm not authorised to communicate with you, except to tell you that I can't communicate with you". As Optimus thundered "Get out of the car" at Simmons and his driver, Sam turned round as he heard Mikaelas soft chuckle in response to a chirp from Bee, and saw that Bumblebee was now moving nearer to him and the other 'bots. Sam looked confused for a second as he was unable to see Mikaela, however as he heard her calling his name, Sam laughed as he saw her sitting up on Bee's shoulder. Bee reached where Sam was standing and knelt next to him as he had done with Mikaela earlier, allowing Sam to meet his optics as he chirped at him. Sam patted Bee on the arm, "Its okay Bee, I'm fine. Really". As Sam nodded up at Mikaela, he grinned back at Bee, "Guess you're okay now too". Bee nodded, "I'm good... I got my girl". Sam laughed as he saw the blush on Mikaelas cheeks as she climbed down to stand beside Sam, "Guess the girl got her 'bot too". Mikaela slapped Sam lightly on the arm but her smile said it all as she looked up at Bee, "I guess so".
Mikaela then stood by Sam as he confronted Simmons, "What is Sector Seven? And where did you take my parents? Answer me". Simmons looked back at Sam and answered defiantly, "I'm the one who asks the questions, not you young man". Mikaela then spoke, her tone of voice alerting Bee to the fact Mikaela seriously disliked this earthling for some reason, "So what do you know about our guys here?".
"I am not at liberty to answer that question". Sam reached into Simmons' pocket and removed his badge, ignoring Simmons' protestations as Sam held it up, "Do what you like and get away with it badge huh. We want to know where Sector Seven is" Simmons looked at both the teens and glared at them furiously, especially Mikaela who was grinning broadly at Sam's newly found confidence, before answering "Wouldn't you like to know?". Bumblebee saw the glare the grey haired earthling was giving his charges and felt a mischievous urge surge through his spark. Next thing Simmons knew he was being drenched in lubricant that Bee was spraying over him, causing Sam and Mikaela to burst into delighted laughter, before Optimus gently rebuked Bee. Mikaela grinned up at Bee, who's innocent chirp did not match the smile on his face, "Nice one big guy".
oOoOo
A few seconds later, all the agents were joined together by their handcuffs, and only Simmons was left standing. Mikaela stood in front of him and met his glare with one of her own, grinning to herself as an idea crossed her mind. Sam and Bumblebee saw the grin on her face and shared a puzzled look as Mikaela demanded that Simmons remove his suit. As Simmons questioned why, Mikaela replied in a very firm tone of voice, "For threatening my dad, you jerk". Bumblebee chirped at Sam, who quickly filled him in, and then wished he hadn't when he saw the battle light fill Bee's optics as the yellow 'bot glared at Simmons, the agent already pissing Bee off as he ranted at Mikaela. Sam hurriedly laid a hand on Bee's leg, "It's okay Bee, Mikaela will deal with it, just watch". Bee chirped crossly, but as he watched Mikaela handcuffing Simmons to the lamp-post with a smile, Simmons clad only in his underwear; Bumblebee felt his spark dance with joy. However his joy was short-lived as he heard Ratchet shout, "Optimus we have incoming".
The Autobots, Sam and Mikaela all looked up worriedly as they heard the sound of approaching sirens and rotor blades. Ironhide blasted a pulse of energy from his cannon onto the road, which slowed the approaching vehicles by shredding their tyres. Optimus looked round at the others, "I will keep Sam and Mikaela with me, you all need to roll out and get to safety". He was unsurprised when he heard Bumblebees angry chirp, and he looked over at him; "Bumblebee, I will keep them safe". Bee continued to chirp and chatter in Cybertronian at Optimus, until Mikaela crossed over to Bee, "Bee listen to me. I need you to go and keep yourself safe". Bee leant down and chirped at her sadly, "I don't want to lose you". Mikaela reached up and rested a hand on his face, "I know, but Optimus and Sam will keep me safe, won't you?". Optimus nodded, and Sam crossed over to stand beside Mikaela, "I promise Bee". Bee chirped at them both before reluctantly transforming back down to his alt-mode, however before he drove off, Mikaela ran her hand down his shiny bodywork, "Stay safe for me too big guy".
As she watched Bumblebee drive away, Mikaela felt a lump lodge in her throat and found sudden tears springing to her eyes. "Bumblebee will be fine Mikaela. He is well-trained in looking after himself and has done so on more than one occasion". Mikaela looked up at Optimus through her tears, "He'd better be, or I will find a way to make you suffer. A pissed mechanic is never good". Despite the seriousness of the situation, Optimus chuckled "Bumblebee has chosen well, Mikaela", before he picked up the two teens, Sam yelping with fright as he was raised into the air. Optimus waited until they were settled on his shoulder, before he began running. Sam and Mikaela clung on as Optimus ran through the streets, followed by the pursuing helicopters. Unable to shake them off with speed, Optimus switched to stealth and hid himself underneath a wide metal bridge over an old drainage channel. Sam and Mikaela finally let out the breaths they had held during the chase, "Did we lose them?". Optimus shook his head, "I fear not, but this may give us some time to regain our breath".
oOoOo
Bumblebee however, had been unable to leave Mikaela, or Sam, and as he raced back towards where he had seen Optimus hide himself, Bee felt his spark jumping uneasily within his chest. It was nothing however, compared to the leap it gave when he heard Mikaela's scream of terror. Quickly scanning with his optics, Bee saw Mikaela desperately trying to hold onto Sam's hand, and gunned his engine to speed towards the bridge.
"Please Sam, you promised. Please don't let me fall". Sam looked down at Mikaela, and when he saw the fear in her wide blue eyes, he put all he had left into holding her as best he could. In spite of his best efforts, Sam's own tired muscles finally gave up and as the second helicopter passed under the bridge, he kept hold of Mikaela but lost his grip on Optimus. His own shout of fear echoed Mikaela's as they fell towards the ground, Optimus swung himself down to try to catch the teens on his foot, but that just slowed their fall, it didn't stop them and they both prepared themselves for the impact of the ground.
However the hard impact of the concrete never came as they were caught by Bumblebees gentle hands as he somersaulted before skidding to a stop, wincing as he felt the concrete scuffing against his skin. However every single scuff was worth it when he saw Mikaela and Sam safe in his grasp, even though Sam was still screaming. Mikaela looked at Bee gratefully as she inhaled some much-needed breaths, before shouting at Sam. Sam screamed for a second longer before stopping abruptly when he realised he hadn't turned into a smear on the ground, and he too looked at Bee with gratitude, "You are the best guardian ever. I mean that". Bee chirped happily at Sam, before turning his optics back to a now much calmer Mikaela, "Are you okay? I saw you fall... had to save you". Mikaela smiled up at her knight in shining yellow armour, "I'm very glad you did, big guy". Bee smiled as he watched her climb off his hand, and chuckled as he watched Sam do the same with slightly wobbly legs. Sam looked back at Bee and was about to reply when suddenly a helicopter seemed to appear from nowhere and fired what seemed like a harpoon with a metal cable attached to it at Bee.
Bee tried his best to avoid the incoming object but as he turned, another harpoon flew towards him and he chirped loudly in pain as he felt it pierce his armour. As he spun round to try to dislodge it, more were fired and Bee could only try to ignore the agony it was causing his circuits. As the metal cables wrapped themselves round him due to his frantic spinning, Bee heard Mikaelas shouts of distress, "Leave him alone, can't you see it's hurting him. Just stop it". Bee tried to chirp at her that he'd be okay but all that came from his vocaliser were more chirps of agony. Finally the cables proved too much for him, and Bee felt himself collapse to the floor. Mikaela watched as Bee tumbled to the ground, and broke free of the agent that had tried to hold her when Bee had first chirped in pain. Another tried to stop her but Sam flattened him with a swift punch. Mikaela looked at Sam briefly, the surprise clear in her eyes. Sam grinned at her, "You taught me that. Now go help Bee if you can". Mikaela sprinted towards Bee, but upon reaching him she realised there was no way she could free him. Mikaela reached up to stroke Bee's cheek, uncaring of the tears that rolled down her face as she heard the low chirp of pain as Bee did his best to meet her gaze. He tried to talk to her through his radio but that circuit had already switched off, so he chirped softly at her and managed to move his head so it rubbed against her palm. Mikaela sniffed back her tears, "Come on big guy, you have to get up. Please". Bee tried but it hurt far too much and as more agents swarmed towards them, he knew he was in real trouble. When he felt the freezing cold spray hit him, Bee shuddered and let out several loud streams of pained chirps, his optics slowly dimming as the pain shot through his spark; and as he stilled, Bee found himself thinking sadly that he couldn't keep his promise to Mikaela, that he would stay safe.
"Stop please, he won't hurt you. Just leave him alone". Mikaela screamed loudly at the agents but nobody took any notice, they just kept advancing and Mikaela felt the spray cooling her own body too. As she shuddered with cold, she looked at Bee who had almost stopped struggling, but agonised chirps were still coming from him at regular intervals, and as Mikaela saw the pained, scared look Bumblebee gave her before his optics dimmed, one of the agents grabbed her cold body dragging her away, and she felt her tears fall even harder. As she was bundled into a waiting SUV, Mikaela saw Simmons standing nearby, grinning triumphantly. However she couldn't find the will to even say a word to the smug looking agent, and just sat next to Sam in silence as they both watched a now still Bee being wrapped in cargo netting before being transported away into the night. When the helicopters and Bumblebee were out of sight, Mikaela was unable to stop the shakes that took over her body. Sam wrapped her in his coat and pulled her into a hug. However as Mikaela thought of the missing warmth of Bee's hands, yet more sobs escaped from her and even though Sam did his best to comfort her, Mikaela was sure she could feel her heart breaking as she realised she had lost her love, her Bee.
oOoOo
A/N: Well this chapter has its ups and downs doesn't it ?!. I hope you liked Mikaela's moment of realisation, but poor, poor Bee at the end. I haven't gone into major detail of Bee's capture (it makes me wanna cry every time) but I think it works the way I've done it. Anyway enjoy... oooh and had a lovely holiday, so normal service should be resumed shortly with the updates :) x