Welcome back to More Than Meets the Spy, as well as B-127/Bumblebee's first focus chapter were we're getting a look at his arrival on Earth and how he wound up with the Forger family.
But before that can I preface by saying HOLY SHIT THE RESPONSE TO THIS STORY! I was not expecting this story to blow up like it did, but wow, so many people were interested in the premise. The thread over on Spacebattles went on for over a dozen pages from the first chapter alone and so many people left reviews and comments on both Fanfiction Dot Net and AO3 about hoping to see and hear more from this story soon. Thank you for all the kind words, and I hope the story going forward will be satisfactory. I get the feeling I'm gonna screw some stuff up here and there, but I will do my best regardless of that.
Also, please let me know what you all think of B-127's point of view in this chapter, seeing as this is my first time writing for a character from the Transformers series and I want to make sure I'm using the correct terminology and everything here.
The Transformers franchise is owned by Hasbro and SPY X FAMILY is owned by Tatsuya Endo. Please support the official release.
Mission 2: Blending In
B-127 let out a whirring sound, the closest thing to a groan he could manage, as he stood up. Optics scanned his current environment and looked upon the small crater containing himself and the wreckage. All in all, definitely not one of his more graceful landings, especially considering that the ship formerly known as his escape pod was left in total ruins from the crash.
Scrap, he realized as he started searching through what was left of his pod, hoping it wasn't too damaged, or else he was in trouble. Thankfully, his servos brushed past a large part of the pod's hull and found it; his energon converter. Relieved, he picked it up and strapped the device to his back, Phew, close one. Don't know if this planet has any raw energon deposits.
Noting that there wasn't anything else salvageable from the wreckage, he rose out of the crater and slid his mask on, hexagonal patterns filling his vision and scanning the environment. As he navigated through the dark greenery, his scans came back and confirmed that the planet's atmosphere was comprised largely of oxygen and hydrogen, and that his surroundings were carbon-based.
Wow, B-127 thought in awe as he brushed a servo alongside the trunk of a large tree, I remember learning about organic planets, but to actually be on one is something else.
He let it all sink in as he traversed his given path; the chirping noises in the background, the gentle winds, the shining planetary satellite in the sky. It was all so far removed from the violent conflicts against the Decepticons. There were times of respite, certainly, but the tension of the Cons' next move or an upcoming mission past enemy lines always marred it. Here, it felt so...
B-127 shook his head and retracted his mask, realizing that he needed to focus on his mission. He walked a bit further before stopping, his optics seeing a large dirt path from left to right covered in tire tracks. As Optimus had told him that the planet, Earth, was isolated, the tracks in question couldn't have been made by either Autobot or Decepticon, meaning one thing.
Roads lead to somewhere. Maybe this one leads to civilization? B-127 thought, shifting into vehicle mode and drove down the path at his casual pace. After what felt like a good thirty cycles, turning and swerving when the road demanded it, he felt like he was getting nowhere. He wondered if he needed to turn back and go down the opposite way, but before he could, he saw a bright light emit from his right as the trees grew less in number. He wondered, swerving and driving towards the source past what few trees there were, only to see that he was about to head over a cliff.
OH SLAG! He panicked and braked like his life depended on it, mostly because it probably did. Thankfully, he stopped just in time, the side of his vehicular mode barely avoiding the edge. Not taking any chances, he shifted back to robot form and looked to the light source. B-127's optics widened in awe as he saw the bright city down below, buildings rising far and wide with bots in vehicular mode traversing its roads.
However, as he looked, he saw small moving...things either in or next to said bots on various walkways throughout the city. Wanting to know more, B-127 activated his mask and engaged telescopic mode, zooming in to get a better look and see that they were lifeforms, just like the bots. Said lifeforms were organic in structure and bipedal like him, only about the size of Mini-Cons and garbed in cloth for some reason.
Fascinating, he watched as the bots and organics all worked in unison, the former carrying the latter across long distances and even finding places of rest after the fact. With the unity that existed between the two, combined with the natural resource abundance, it was no wonder Optimus sent him here. It was practically the perfect place to rebuild before they had to return to Cybertron and retake their home.
Better introduce myself to the locals, B-127 looked down, seeing a steep incline with more dense trees far at the bottom. It took a bit, but he was able to safely climb down and remove the energon converter from his back, First things first, I need to find a good place to hide this for later.
Reactivating his mask, he scanned the stone structure he'd just climbed down from and walked along its side, hoping to find an opening of some sort. About a few cycles of scanning, he located a weak point and proceeded to pull pieces of stone away, doing so until he managed to find the opening he was looking for. As the last of the rock was pulled away, he entered and found himself standing in a small cave, ceiling just a few mechanometers over his head.
It's a start at least, he mused as he placed his energon converter down and exited the makeshift cave. After doing what he could to hide it, he proceeded through the trees yet again, stopping just before the last of them and looking past it to see a few bots in vehicle mode, an organic walking out of a building and pushing a cart of what he assumed were provisions.
As the organic opened the bot's storage compartment, B-127 saw the right opportunity to introduce himself. He walked out from behind the tree, crossing both the road and walking past the resting bots before standing in just behind the organic, a femme based on appearance. It didn't take long for her to notice him, as his looming shadow caused her to swerve and look at him with wide...optics? He didn't know what the organic term was for them. Regardless, and hoping to make a good first impression, he beeped out, "Hello Miss Organic. I'm B-127 of the Autobot Resistance! It's nice to meet you."
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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Okay, B-127 thought as he parked on the side of the road, I don't think she's going to chase after me.
Not taking any chances, he remained in his vehicular form, which was currently covered in splotches of red, green, and orange from the provisions the organic threw at him. That definitely could have gone better, he thought, trying to figure out where he went wrong in his introduction. The organic freaked out when she saw him, yelling about a giant monster before pelting him. He then swiftly drove away, almost crashing into a couple bots in the process. Actually, now that he thought of it, none of the bots back there shifted to robot mode or tried to calm the femme down, almost like they were in stasis or...oh.
None of the vehicles here are bots are they? He realized, resisting the urge to stand up and slap himself as a pair of organics walked by, both slowing down and staring at him. None of the machines on this planet were sentient, only serving as transportation. If he could shake his head at the moment, he would have, Well this certainly complicates things. I can't exactly walk around in robot mode without causing a panic, and I think I need to in order to get a base up and running. What am I supposed to do now? After some idle musing, he thought, Maybe I could just travel around in alt-mode and gather supplies that way? It'd be slow, but manageable. Yeah, I think I could-
"Mama! Look at the cool car!" His thoughts were interrupted by the small, high-pitched voice. He turned his attention to two organics at his side, a femme and a much smaller one holding her hand. The taller of the two looked at B-127's vehicular form with a curious expression.
"Wow, I've never seen a car like that," she mused out loud, "Maybe it's a new model? Or a new transport for Ostania's military? It certainly looks advanced."
Aw scrap, B-127 revved up and drove off, briefly noting the startled looked on the two's faces as he turned a corner. Looks like my current alt-mode's not suited for cover. I'll have to get to higher ground, see if I can't find something else, he thought as he swerved into what looked like an empty alleyway. After making sure no one was around, he shifted out of vehicular form and stood up, climbing the height of the nearest building. Once he was on the roof, he looked down at himself and realized he still had the multicolored splotches from earlier on his front.
"Really glad these things aren't acidic," He beeped out as he swept the globs off. With that done, he walked to the edge of the roof to survey what area of the city he was in. Once more, he couldn't help but take in the bright lights and sweeping sounds. It was beautiful to look at, reminding him of days before the war, but now there was a bitterness to it. There were no bots on this planet, he couldn't risk exposing what he really was without frightening the populace, and he didn't even know when Optimus and the others would get here. Everything sunk in all at once to remind him that he was all alone.
Better find a place to rest, B-127 felt exhaustion creep in, likely a combination of the events from earlier and lag from his pod's flight. There would be a time to muse on that later, specifically when he didn't need to worry about blending in. Returning to his search, he knelt down and activated his mask once more, scanning for any vehicular forms he could use. So far, there weren't much of any on the roads, and those that were tended to be too large or even too small for his frame. He was about to get up so he could find a different vantage point, but then his optics noticed a large sign shoot past the height of a far off building that read "Witwicky Family Dealership" and pointed a curved arrow downward at something he couldn't see.
Wonder what that is, B-127 looked down to the streets below and saw that there were no immediate vehicles or organics present. Nodding to himself, he climbed down and ran through the street as quietly as he could. Of course, running and sneaking didn't usually mix well in his experience, but he couldn't really afford to be slow right now. Thankfully, he crossed without drawing any attention and travelled through the alleyway, seeing a light just on the other side to where the arrow pointed. But just as he was about to exit, he heard the sound of an opening door and it made his Spark drop.
Slowly, he turned to the source and looked down to see a grown organic, this one a mech dressed in a loose red cloth holding a bottle and bag in his hands. He looked up at him with wide eyes like the provision throwing femme. B-127 stood absolutely still, not sure what to do.
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…
…
"I gotta stop drinking so late," The mech shrugged as he chucked the bottle and bag into the bin at the side of the steps before walking back inside the building, closing the door behind him.
Phew! Thank Primus, B-127 exited the alleyway and crossed the next street, once more making sure no one was around before vaulting over the fence. He turned and his optics briefly widened, seeing vehicles of various sizes; some large, some small, and some just right for him.
Huh, so a dealership is a storage place for vehicles. Looks like lucks finally on my side, B-127 felt excited, almost not knowing which form to go with, given the sheer amount of options. However, feeling the exhaustion grow stronger accelerated his choice as he looked to his side and saw a small, somewhat rustic, blue transport. Scanning it, he felt his body shift to match the vehicle, both inside and out, as he backed up a tad and found a comfortable place to park.
The exhaustion took hold, but before he went into a brief stasis, he thought, Tomorrow, my mission starts. I won't let anything stop me from seeing it done.
"-ow much for this one?"
Huh? Wha-what's going on? B-127 felt himself blink awake as he heard two voices; one right next to him and the other...inside him? Whatever exhaustion he still had drained away as he heard the conversation between the two organics and quickly realized what a dealership actually was.
It wasn't a storage facility. It was a shop, and he'd just been sold.
Slag.
Okay, this is bad, Was B-127's only thought as the organics; a mech dressed in green named Loid, a femme dressed in red named Yor, and a smaller femme dressed in black named Anya, sat in his new interior. From what he could tell, and based on what the young femme called them, Loid and Yor were Conjunx Enduras to each other, while Anya was their ward. He left all control to the mech, who was currently driving his vehicular form around the city, which he now knew was named Berlint.
While he had nothing against the family, him now effectively being owned by them caused too many complications to his mission, not to mention the fact that he was now someone else's property left a sour taste in his pipes. How on Cybertron was he supposed to establish a base if his movements were now being limited by these people?
Come on B-127, think! He shifted his focus to try and come up with a solution, No way you can just transform in front of them and tell them what you really are. Don't want to cause any more freak outs, and I'm starting to get the feeling that organics can't understand what I'm saying anyway. Maybe I could try waiting until tonight and sneaking away when they're not looking?
Almost as quickly as the idea entered his processor, it was scrapped, No, that might be a problem. They'd notice that their car went missing and I don't think they can buy another. But I can't just stay with them either, it'll interfere with my mission, the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he grew, ARGH! For the love of Primus, why did I have to go into stasis at that dealership? I should have just scanned the slagging vehicle and left for somewhere else to rest up!
After a few clicks of nano-kliks of silently stewing in his anger, he found it in himself to calm down, No, focus B-127. Optimus gave you a mission when he sent you to this planet. You can still figure out how to establish a base for when he and the others arrive. As a scout of the Autobot Resistance, you can't let him down. Right now, you just need to figure out how to adapt. Shouldn't be too hard. Right?
His driver stopped at an intersection, letting the cars at the side pass by. As B-127 waited, he reshifted his focus to the roads and buildings of Berlint, hoping to at least get a better lay of the land. The light above turned green, and he was on the move again, investigating all the passing scenery. Even in the light of day, B-127 found the city to be a sight for the optics, and so unlike the ones back on Cybertron. All the cities back home were either smoldering ruins or filled with endless laser fire, and all the ones that weren't were under the banner of the Decepticon Empire. But here?
Everything here was so peaceful, so untouched by war. Everyone went about their daily lives without a care in the world as they all laughed and smiled with each other, whether it be while walking along the sidewalks, or driving down the road like the family seated inside him. If he was being honest with himself, he couldn't recall the last time he witnessed anything like this, not even from when he was growing up in-
"Papa! Can we listen to music?" Anya asked, snapping B-127 out of his thoughts.
"Sure," Loid replied as a hand reached for one of the knobs on the dash, "Anything in particular?"
"Nope!"
"Alright then, let's see what's on," Loid started turning the dial as random voices and sounds started playing inside B-127. It felt...odd, hearing voices come out of him that weren't his own, yet it also didn't feel painful like when he tried to talk, even if he was numb to it at this point. As soon as Loid removed his hand from the dashboard, a song started playing.
"Wise men say, only fools rush in."
"But I can't help falling in love with you."
"Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?"
"If I can't help falling in love with you?"
B-127 found it surprisingly catchy, and conveniently learned his new form could patch into radio signals on this planet. Where they were coming from, he wasn't sure, but it was possibly good intel for later.
"Ooh! I love this song!" Anya cheered, "Can you turn up the sound?"
"Of course Anya," Yor reached for the volume knob, her hand brushing against her Conjunx's, causing the two to gain bashful expressions and pull away quickly.
Huh, that's odd, B-127 thought as he witnessed their reaction. While the only Conjunx Endurae he really knew were Arcee and Greenlight, he did know they were highly affectionate with each other, yet these two acted like a shy pair of young bots who'd just met. Maybe they hadn't been together for too long? But if that was the case why did they have a ward? Maybe I'm overthinking things, he shrugged it off, It's probably just that organic couples work differently.
Whatever the case, Anya didn't seem amused by the two as she flatly said, "Papa and Mama are flirting."
"No we are not!" They both yelled simultaneously, expressions flustered. If B-127 could, he would've laughed at the display, but he reminded himself that he had to maintain cover. Still, between the clearly loving family, the music, and the overall atmosphere of his new environment, B-127 felt an ease he hadn't felt in quite some time.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all, He thought as he and the family enjoyed the rest of the drive.
Anya moved her head to the new song while Papa drove them home. It was getting late and he said she had to study for school tomorrow. Anya didn't want to study, but helping Papa with his mission meant she had to, so she'd put up with it. Besides, she was too excited to complain, as she got to go on her first ooting in her family's new car, and the new car was a super cool alien scout!
"Looks like we're almost home," Papa said as he lowered the volume on the radio and slowed down, making Anya wonder if Mister B-127 was okay with letting someone else drive him around.
B-12...1...7 Anya frowned as she thought of the name. It was a bunch of numbers and a letter, and that wasn't a name. They were labels people put on things, and they reminded her too much of...those people. The new car was a person, not a thing, and he needed a name just like anyone else did. Anya wondered, What's a good name for Mister Alien Car? What does he have that can make a cool name? He's got a stripe, and he's yellow, so what's-
"That's it!" Anya gasped in happiness just as the car stopped in front of home.
"What is, Anya?" Mama asked, her and Papa looking back at her. She could even hear the thoughts of the car and his own wondering about her outburst.
"Nothing, I...uh," Anya tried to think of something, "Anya thinks she has one of the homework answers."
…
Papa smiled and opened his side's door, "Well okay then."
"I'm sure you'll do great," Mama said, fully meaning it as she also got out of the car. Though to be fair, Anya knew her mama was strong, but not super smart.
"Papa, can I watch some tv before homework?" Anya put on her best pleading face as she got out of the car. Papa looked down at his watch and nodded.
"It's about 4:20, so you have time for one episode," he said, "But promise me you'll get to schoolwork when you're done."
"Okay!" Anya answered before closing the door and hugging the car, "Goodnight Mister Bumblebee!"
Mister...Bumblebee? Anya heard Papa think, Is she talking about the car?
Aw, Anya already gave the new car a name. That's so cute! Mama thought.
Mister Bumblebee's thoughts, however, were more, Wait, why did she call me that? Oh Primus, please tell me she isn't some mind reader and my cover's blown!
Uh oh, Anya's face froze in an awkward, forced smile, Don't want Mister Bumblebee to run away. Think of something Anya. Think, think, think!
"So, Anya," Papa walked up to her and kneeled down, "Why that nickname for the car?"
Thank you Papa, Anya thought as she relaxed and turned to him, "Well, he's yellow and has a black stripe. He looks like a bee, and that makes him Mister Bumblebee."
Oh, it's just a nickname, Mister Bumblebee thought, Phew, I almost drove off in a panic there.
"I see," Papa still looked a little confused, but Mama walked up and put a hand on Mister Bumblebee's roof.
"I think it's a perfect name," she said, gently rubbing the rooftop, "Goodnight, Bumblebee."
"Uh, yeah," Papa stood up and put a hand to the roof too, "Goodnight, Bumblebee."
Anya smiled as she read Mister Bumblebee's thoughts. They felt a lot happier now, even when Papa and Mama stopped patting the roof and they all headed inside. Before Anya went inside, she waved to him one last time, and as she closed the door, she heard one final thought from Mister Bumblebee.
Goodnight.
It was the next morning as B-127 let Loid drive him down the roads of Berlint, which were slowly growing more familiar to the Autobot scout. The rest of the mech's family was with him like before, only now Anya was dressed in what appeared to be a uniform of sorts, likely for this "Eden College" Loid talked about earlier. B-127 wondered what it was like, as while there were educational facilities back on Cybertron, he never went to any of them prior to the outbreak of the war. From the happy expression on Anya's face, he could only assume it was a lot of fun.
"We're here," Loid stopped in front of the school, letting Anya exit, "I'll try to pick you up when class ends, but if I get caught up at work, you'll have to take the bus home."
"Okay Papa," Anya replied, but not before opening the front passenger door and giving her mother a hug, who returned it lovingly.
"See you later, Anya," Yor said as Loid rested a hand on his daughter's head, affectionately patting it with a smile.
"Hey Anya!" A young voice called out from the school. B-127 turned his attention to it and saw a young femme in the same uniform as Anya waving at her.
"Hi Becky!" Anya waved to her friend and ran off to join her, but not before turning back and waving, "Bye Papa! Bye Mama! Bye Bumblebee!"
They all said their goodbyes, Loid and Yor watching Anya walk into school before driving away, leaving B-127 to think to himself, There's that name again.
He'd never heard of a name like that before, nor had he had one like it either. Having been born from the Well of All Sparks as part of the lower classes, he was only ever given a designation and nothing more. Even when he was amongst the Autobots, despite encouragement from his newfound friends to take up a name for himself, nothing ever truly fit him, and so he just stuck with his original number. But that name that Anya gave him last afternoon.
Bumblebee.
Huh, He thought, It actually has a nice ring to it.
B-127 is now here. And he now officially has his new name, Bumblebee! I'll be referring to him as this in both his own narration and in the Author's Notes from now on.
For those wondering, the screaming woman is meant to be a shout-out to Sym-Bionic Titan and when Octus, Ilana, and Lance first attempted contact with a human civilian.
Appearance wise, Bumblebee here is, again, based off his live-action reboot version, so picture that when it comes to him in this story. Though in keeping with mixing and matching, he's already lost his voice box here, speaks in binary beeps and boops like his Transformers Prime version, and doesn't have amnesia here.
The song they were listening to is "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley.
Now that's all I'm really gonna say here, mostly because that's the most obvious stuff (aside from the Sym-Bionic Titan reference) and because I don't want to over-explain and suck the fun out of speculating for the readership. I did that a lot with my BlazBlue/RWBY fic (BlazBlue Alternative: Remnant) and I kinda regret doing so.
Next time (with this story since I'm getting back to my other story after this) we'll be following Loid's POV and the cipher he received back in Mission 1. If you're wondering what the mission is, I think the title of the next chapter should give that away. So I'll see you then with Mission 3: Investigating the Impact Site.