Old Friends, New Problems

Chapter 11

#Laurentian Abyss - Nemesis II med bay#%Bumblebee's POV%

Bumblebee wasn't sure what hit him, but whatever it was, it must have been bigger than Grimlock to make his helm hurt this much. It felt like he had been hit the Forge of Solus Prime six times over. Groaning, Bumblebee onlined his optics and tried to sit up, only to find out that he couldn't. Sitting up as far as he could, Bumblebee looked down at his servos, which were barely visible at this angle, and gasped when he saw that he was bound by energon cuffs, like the ones they used in hospitals. Somewhere, he heard a door open, and pede steps coming towards him.

"Good to see that you're finally awake."

Bumblebee relaxed, and looked into the darkness where the voice had originated from. "Knock Out?" he asked.

The red medic stepped out of the shadows, smiling. "In the metal! Miss me?"

Bumblebee chuckled and leaned back on the med berth. Suddenly, a thought struck him. If he was here, then where were the others? All he remembered before blacking out was running into a group of Vehicons while on patrol, Sideswipe's and Grimlock's requests to engage, and then that strange metal disk flying in from nowhere. Bumblebee looked at Knock Out, and said, "Where's my team?!"

"They're safe. The Dinobot woke up not too long ago, had to get that cadet to calm him down before he wrecked the med bay, but the other one still has yet to rise and shine." The ex-'Con walked over to the console by 'Bee's berth, and typed in a command. The cuffs on Bumblebee's wrists snapped open, Bumblebee sat up and rubbed his wrists.

"What happened?"

Knock Out folded his arms over his chest and cocked his helm to the side. "M.E.C.H. happened. Hit your team and ours with what we could identify as a modified EMP bomb. Knocked everyone clean out. You're all lucky that we got Jumpercable's distress message."

Bumblebee looked at him curiously. "Jumpercable?" he asked, sliding off the edge of the berth.

Knock Out just waved him off. "One of the Vehicons you ran into." Then turned, and motioned for Bumblebee to follow.

The two of them walked out of the room, and entered what Bumblebee could guess what the med bay. Which meant that the room he was in previously was one of the ones they used when the med bay was full. Bumblebee looked around the med bay, two Vehicons lay unconscious on med berths on the far side of the room, with Sideswipe no too far away from them.

"How long before Sideswipe wakes up?" he asks.

Knock Out hummed then shrugged. "No idea. EMP blasts effect everybot differently." A wicked smile suddenly spreads over the red mech's alabaster faceplates. "Of course, though, if you want have him wake up now, I give him a few good jolts."

Bumblebee's optics widened, but before he can say anything, a familiar voice interjects.

"Knock Out! You are doing no such thing to MY patient!"

Bumblebee blinks and whips around, smiling when he sees familiar red and white paint.

"Ratchet!" Bumblebee walks over to the medic, smile widening. Ratchet returns the smile and pats him on the shoulder.

"Good to see you, 'Bee." he says. "How do you feel? That bomb did a pretty good number on you and your team."

"I feel fine, Ratchet." he assured. Suddenly, the med bay door flies open, letting a two large blue-gray fly in, fire on their heels. The med bay shuddered when the two slammed to a wall. At first, the unidentifiable blob looked like a pile of body parts, then it moved and the parts went to their respective owners, forming two familiar Predacons.

"Darksteel! Skylynx!" shouted Ratchet, stomping over to the two mechs, wrench raised. "What did you do to make Predaking mad this time?!"

The two of them looked up at Ratchet, then at the med bay doors, as if expecting their leader to come storming in and offline them. "All we did was take Bloomburst out for a flight outside! We didn't drop her or anything this time!"

Ratchet narrowed his optics, turning the wrench around in his servos. "Did you tell either him or Soundwave what you were doing with their daughter?" The two of them looked at each other then at Ratchet, and shook their helms. Ratchet groaned. Next thing anybody in the med bay knew, there was a Clang! And Darksteel and Skylynx were on their backs with sizable dents on the sides of their helms. Bumblebee blinked, surprised. Ratchet's sure has gotten scarier.

"Is Ratchet always like this when they do something stupid?" he asks, looking at Knock Out. The former 'Con nods.

"Yes," he says, walking away from Bumblebee. "Now if you excuse me, I have work to do."

#Laurentian Abyss - Nemesis II Science Lab#%Rem's POV%

Rem was just finishing her report on her recent project when it happened - a scream splits through the base, and the red Autobot - Sideswipe, if she recalled correctly - came running into her lab, looking as if he's seen a ghost. Then he goes and screams, again, when he sees Shockwave and her. Having enough of the screaming, Rem takes out her gun, setting it on stun, and shoots him.

"Finally!" says Shockwave, turning back to his console, and tapping in a command. A minute or two later, Stan and Brix comes in and takes Sideswipe out of the room.

"Young bots. No respect." he grumbles.

Rem nods in agreement with her creator. "No argument there. No argument at all..."