The group of Earth protectors were in a heated discussion, trying to come up with a plan to attack the Decepticon base and rescue Raf. Bumblebee was still recharging, leaving them with limited time.
"How about we groundbridge onto their mothership?" suggested Jack.
"It won't work. The ship has a signal that protects against us pinpointing a groundbridge portal. The nearest one we can open is near the energon mine," replied Optimus.
Bulkhead disagreed, "Why don't we just go straight in? Even if we get on the ship unnoticed, they'll probably find us right away when we get onboard. So what's the difference? Hell's gonna break loose eventually."
Ratchet countered, "That 'eventually' might cost us our friend's life. They might kill Raf if they know we're coming to rescue him. We need a plan that gives us the best chance of success while keeping Raf safe."
The group fell into a tense silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they considered their options.
Optimus turned his attention to Bumblebee, who was still unconscious. "We also need to find out what happened with Bumblebee," he said. "And it will be safer if we can get on the Decepticon ship without being detected."
Miko spoke up, voicing the concerns they all shared. "But how?" she asked. "We're not exactly specialists at stealth, and you guys are all huge robots with bright colors. We'll be seen the second we step through the groundbridge."
The group fell into silence as they pondered the problem. They all knew that a stealth mission was nearly impossible for them. That's when Jack spoke up with an idea: "What if we just charge through their door? If we're fast enough, the Decepticons won't know what hit them."
Optimus nodded in agreement. "It's risky, but it may be our only option."
Ratchet agreed. "Yes, Infiltrating the Decepticon base without being detected? I don't think any of us can pull that off."
Bumblebee was on his birth.
No...It's ST-3V3's birth. He told himself.
Bumblebee lay on ST-3V3's berth, feeling sore and exhausted from his work as a Vehicon. He couldn't believe how difficult the work was and how much it took out of him. As a scout, he was used to being in the middle of the war zone, but this was a whole new level of physical labor. What surprised him, though, was the fact that the other Vehicons around him seemed to be happy and proud of their job.
Because we are, a voice in his head said.
Bumblebee sighed to himself. Ever since ST-3V3 had returned from the depths of his mind, the Vehicon had been constantly talking, demanding that Bumblebee give his body back. When that didn't work, he switched tactics and started annoying Bumblebee with his voice. Even in recharge, ST-3V3 didn't stop talking. It had been two long hours and Bumblebee was at his wit's end.
Bumblebee was attempting to recharge, but ST-3V3's voice was driving him crazy. Primus! Can't you please stop? I'm trying to rest here, he pleaded.
The vehicon continued to rant. Ha! Such a speech from an Autobot scum that steals other bodies! I will not stop until I chase you out or burn my circuits down so I can take us both offline.
Bumblebee rolled his optics. He and ST-3V3 knew that the Vehicon couldn't do anything with this body anymore. Bumblebee had already cut the connection between ST-3V3 and his body and connected the body with himself, so he knew that it was only a bluff. The only thing that ST-3V3 could do now was to stop him from recharging with his noise. I know, and you know that it won't work, so why don't we not bother each other and stay quiet?
ST-3V3's anger was evident in his voice as he spoke. You stole my body and now you want me to keep quiet? Why don't you just offline me then? It would be more honorable for me to be offline than to be a tool for an autobot to use.
Bumblebee scratched his ST-3V3 neck, contemplating the question. Well first, I need your personality to perfect my impersonation and avoid detection. Second, I need data from your mind about the base's routine and map. And lastly, I don't know how to delete your consciousness.
ST-3V3 was puzzled. But you just blocked me from accessing my own body. It would be easy for you to wipe me out, right?
I just forced your mind into recharge, Bumblebee explained. It's like a default command that will keep you in your recharge state forever until I'm forced to wake you up to use your personality data. Wait, why am I telling you this? I have no reason to answer your questions, you con!
Bumblebee felt the other lost in thought for a moment before he sensed ST-3V3's smirk through their mental connection. We are using the same mind, remember? When I ask you a question, you automatically think of an answer in your head. I can hear every thought in your mind, so I also know your answer before you can even think to stop thinking about it. In short, there are no secrets between us, Autobot.
Frag... Bumblebee thought to himself.
Yes, frag indeed, ST-3V3 laughed.
Have you ever seen a human on this ship before? Bumblebee asked.
Hmmm...I did hear about an officer dragging a human with him about a week ago. Hey! You are using me as a rat! ST-3V3 shouted in their shared mind.
Well, what can I say? There are no secrets between us, Decepticon, Bumblebee replied with a smirk.
You piece of...
BOOM!
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion that cut ST-3V3 off mid-sentence. Bumblebee stood up and readied his blaster cannon, surprised by the sudden sound.
"We have been compromised," the sound of Soundwave's voice rang through Bumblebee's communicator. "All units prepare for entering groundbridge and engage the enemy." Bumblebee recognized the voice, but he couldn't remember ever hearing Soundwave speak before. Wait a minute, how did I recognize Soundwave's voice? he wondered.
It wasn't you, it was me, came ST-3V3's response. You recognized his voice through my data. Looks like you've got more of me than you realize, Autobot.
My designation is Bumblebee! Bumblebee snapped, pushing ST-3V3's presence out of his mind. He needed a few moments to think, to process the situation. He stepped out of his quarters and saw a line of Vehicons standing before the blue portal.
Knockout waved his hand frantically, calling out to Bumblebee. "You, Vehicon! Hurry up and get in line! Four Autobots are attacking our energon mine. Prepare yourself and jump through the portal!"
Bumblebee didn't want to raise any suspicion, so he obediently joined the line of Vehicons and jumped through the groundbridge portal. As the blue light enveloped him, he braced himself for the upcoming battle.
When he landed on the battlefield, he quickly hid behind a giant rock to assess the situation. From his hiding spot, he could see Optimus slicing Vehicons to pieces, Ratchet providing cover fire, Arcee delivering swift roundhouse kicks, and Bulkhead crushing Vehicons like soda cans.
Bumblebee couldn't bear the thought of fighting his friends, so he decided to lay low and wait until the Decepticons were defeated. If I hide back here, I won't have to battle my friends and no one will get suspicious, he thought to himself. I'll wait until they've wiped out all of the Decepticons, then I can continue with my search.
Bumblebee watched in horror as more and more vehicons fell to the ground, both ground and flying types. Despite the fact that his friends had the upper hand in the battlefield, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Strangely, ST-3V3's spark began to itch painfully as he watched the vehicons fall. He clutched his hands to his chassis, hoping to lessen the sensation, but it only grew more painful with each passing moment. The pain intensified when he saw his comrades' bodies being torn apart.
No, they aren't my comrades, he reminded himself. I'm not a Decepticon. I'm an Autobot. Decepticons are my enemy. Vehicons are my enemy. I'm not one of them.
Feeling overwhelmed, he closed his optics and sat down with his head to his knee. He tried to close his audio receptors to block out the sounds of the warzone, but he couldn't. The sounds only made the itching in his spark grow stronger, and eventually, the pain replaced the curiosity he felt earlier. He couldn't help but wonder who was being sliced, squished, or shot. Despite his best efforts, he opened his optics and continued to watch as more and more vehicons fell to the ground, offline.
What's with all the noise? ST-3V3 emerged from the depths of their shared mind, disoriented and confused. What's happening? Oh, Unicron! What the frag is going on?
Both ST-3V3 and Bumblebee shared their optics, witnessing the terrible battle before them. Vehicons were falling like raindrops, and the Autobots were too strong for them to handle. Having been through many battles, Bumblebee and his friends were far more experienced than the average Vehicon miners. Even with only four of them, they were easily able to beat 100 Vehicons to pieces, and ST-3V3 and Bumblebee had witnessed it all.
"Please," ST-3V3 pleaded, his voice trembling. "Please, I beg of you. Help them!"
"I'm an Autobot," Bumblebee said, his voice betraying his feeling. "We're enemies. It's normal for one side to be vanquished in a war."
"I beg of you, please," ST-3V3 implored, his presence wavering like a choppy cloth. "I won't bother using my body again, just please help them!"
"I...I can't," Bumblebee said, biting his lip as energon seeped from his wound.
Bumblebee felt ST-3V3's circuits were on overdrive as the Vehicon tried to process the chaos happening around them. The sounds of explosions, gunfire, and the screams of their comrades filled their audios, and they could feel the ground shaking beneath them.
But it wasn't just the external chaos that was overwhelming ST-3V3, it was the internal turmoil as well. The vehicon's mind were experiencing a flashback to a past battle, one that had ended in tragedy for their squad.
ST-3V3 could see the faces of their fallen comrades, hear their last words, and feel their spark extinguish. The pain of loss was so real that it felt like it was happening all over again.
Bumblebee tried to focus on the present, to remind himself that those feelings and memories were not his own, but it was difficult. The chaos of the current battle was only triggering ST-3V3's spark even more.
ST-3V3's screams in his mind echoed in the desolate battlefield, triggering a wave of memories that surged through Bumblebee's mind like a torrential flood. The vivid recollections of his past experiences in the war left him reeling.
He remembered the day when he was first introduced to his troop, the camaraderie and brotherhood that they shared, and the times when they laughed and celebrated together after surviving battles.
But the memories soon turned dark, reminding him of the painful losses they had suffered. The time when one of his comrades never returned alive, and the time when he couldn't find his friend after the battle. The haunting feeling of being alone in the midst of a warzone engulfed him, and he couldn't shake it off.
Something in Bumblebee gave up.
ST-3V3 burst out of cover, taking aim at Optimus Prime who was about to take out one of the Vehicons. His shot forced Prime to dodge and leave the Vehicon unscathed. ST-3V3 then transformed into his alt mode and sped towards Arcee, who had the Vehicon in her sights. With a swift impact, he collided with her and sent her flying into a nearby rock. Transforming back, ST-3V3 aimed his blaster at Ratchet, who was focused on taking out Decepticons from afar. In an instant, Ratchet was shot in the stomach and fell to his knees, grasping his wound in pain.
ST-3V3 deftly dodged the bullet thrown his way by Prime, and advanced towards the giant green Bulkhead. Bulkhead noticed the incoming Vehicon and hurled the Decepticon he was holding to the ground, running towards ST-3V3. But ST-3V3 was too quick, jumping over Bulkhead's head and landing perfectly behind him. Charging his cannon, he leapt up once more to gain a perfect line of sight and fired at the gap between Bulkhead's neck. The explosion enveloped them in smoke, obscuring their vision and leaving Optimus unable to provide cover for his team. As the smoke cleared, the Vehicon had disappeared, leaving behind only Bulkhead with a gaping hole in his shoulder.
Retell this scene with improved grammar and more details:
Optimus surveyed the scene in front of him. His team was battered and beaten, with Arcee lying unconscious, Ratchet clutching his stomach wound, and Bulkhead struggling to maintain control over his left side. All of this damage, caused by just one vehicon.
"Autobots, fall back!" The groundbridge materialized behind him, and without hesitation, Optimus scooped up Arcee and Bulkhead and tossed them through the portal before helping Ratchet to his feet. As soon as they all safely made it through, the bridge vanished, leaving nothing behind but the destruction of the fight.
ST-3V3 emerged from behind a giant rock formation, his red visor scanning the scene in front of him. He surveyed the carnage with a mix of satisfaction and regret.
Vehicon offlined: 78
The number made his spark chill like he had gone through the North Pole. So many losses. So many bodies. But what terrified him the most was his own actions.
Bumblebee remembered it all. He was the one who shot at Prime, the one who knocked Arcee out cold, the one who made Ratchet fall to the ground, and the one who put a hole in Bulkhead's shoulder.
He was the one who had done all of that.
With these servos.
What's happening to me?
After Soundwave sent commands to all the vehicons, he transformed into his alt mode and flew out of the base to observe the fight. He landed atop a mountain near the warzone, watching as many vehicons fell to the ground.
Why won't you help them? Laserbeak asked.
Soundwave withdrew his visor from the fight and looked at his symbiote. Laserbeak: wanting Soundwave to interfere?
The former human frowned. Well, they are your comrades, aren't they? I don't want to fight my friends, but your troops are dying out here.
Soundwave tilted his head. Laserbeak: Allowing Soundwave to fight the Autobots?
The symbiote was taken aback by the question. Err...well, if you put it that way, I would prefer that we watch the fight and not risk getting any of my friends or you hurt.
The dark blue mech leaned in closer to his chassis. Laserbeak: worried about Soundwave?
Of course, why would I not be? Laserbeak answered frankly.
Soundwave was taken aback by those honest words. He didn't expect such emotion from his creation. Thank you, Laserbeak, he replied.
What for? Anyway, I don't see Bumblebee down there. Wonder where he is… Soundwave, look out! Laserbeak warned.
Laserbeak detached from Soundwave's chassis and flew above his head.
Suddenly, a blaster shot came out of nowhere, aimed straight at Soundwave.
Without hesitation, Laserbeak positioned himself in front of the blaster's path, using himself as a shield to protect his creator.
BAM!
Smoke gushed out from his body as he fell from the air. Soundwave quickly caught him before he could crash to the ground, holding him close to his chest plate.
Laserbeak?
No answer from the symbiote.
Laserbeak? Soundwave called out again.
But there was still no response from his little bird robot in his hands. Soundwave's mind was running through their link, trying to reach the symbiote's mind.
Suddenly, the sound of a voice interrupted his thoughts. "Didn't fancy to meet you here tinman," said Wheeljack, as he jumped out from behind a tree. "How's about a rematch?"
Unknown to the red and white color scheme Autobot, Soundwave's visor shifted from its purple tint to a menacing red.