Was a bit surprised I managed to get this one out quicker than my ever-growing norm, but I'm pretty satisfied with how everything turned out.
Anyway, onward to Eden Academy's chapter!
Special thanks and shout out to SwapAUAnon, Matrix Dragon, and Quantum01 for Beta Reading this chapter.
Mission 9: Introducing Bumblebee
Anya looked all over the student ballroom of Eden Academy, where she and the rest of her classmates were gathered. Right now, she was trying to find her best (and only) friend, Becky, but that was kind of hard with how everyone's thoughts were giving her a headache. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but that didn't mean Anya had to like it.
Becky, where are you? Anya wondered while wiping a food stain off her Eden uniform. It was usually pretty easy to find her (then again, Becky always found her instead of the other way around), but they got lost in the shuffle on the way here. How am I supposed to help Papa with his spy stuff if I can't find her? Anya put on her thinking face, remembering what she'd read from Papa's mind.
She didn't remember everything, but she knew that Becky's mama and papa were doing something involving weapons (she still wasn't sure if they were supervillains or not) and that Papa was going to do his spy thing on them while he and mama were with all the other grown-ups. While he was doing that, Anya would help by learning what she could from Becky, for she was the Forger's own super special agent: Starlight Anya!
Okay, she wasn't an actual spy (yet), but still, her helping meant Papa would get double the knowledge. And just like her unkie (much as she didn't like him) once said, "Knowledge is a swole Chiwawa!" Either that or he said, "No leash is power!" but Anya couldn't remember exactly.
But that wasn't the only reason Anya was looking for Becky. She also wanted to-
"Hey, Anya!" Becky's voice called out and Anya turned just in time to get hugged by her. There you are! Thought I lost you for a second, she thought right as Anya hugged back.
"Hi Becky!" Anya smiled at her friend, who smiled back with a happy giggle. Though Anya had to blink for a bit when she saw Becky. She looked mostly the same; same Eden uniform, same brown eyes, same brown hair. But for some reason, she didn't have it in her two ponytails, instead having it in a single ponytail on the back of her head. Anya stared with a blank look and pointed, "You look different."
Becky's smile grew really positive as she flipped her ponytail, "Thank you! Was hoping that my darling Loid would notice it," she pouted, Too bad students and parents got separated before I could even see him. Stupid grown-ups and their stupid rules!
Anya blinked again, I don't get it. At the same time, she found herself pulling her own hair in front of her eyes, Does different hair get people's attention? She now thought about Damian and her attempts to befriend him, If I changed my hair, would Sy-On Boy want to be my friend?
And if he did, then that meant he'd want to take her and Papa to his house so she could meet his Bad Guy Boss of a dad. Then she could read his mind and help Papa complete his mission! Maybe she could get it styled like Mama's? She'd have to ask her later, but first...
"Hey Becky, there's something I wanna show you!" Anya grabbed Becky's hand and bolted out of the room, her friend yelping in surprise. She made sure no adults' eyes were on them so they wouldn't get in trouble.
"H-Hey! Anya, where are we going?" Becky asked when they were in the halls, doing her best to keep up with Anya, who simply looked back with a finger to her lips.
"It's a surprise!" she answered, For you and Mr. Bumblebee! Anya was hoping to be able to sneak out and introduce Becky to Bumblebee now that she had the chance. Sure, Anya couldn't actually introduce the two, since that would blow his cover and ruin his secret space mission for the Autobots. But that didn't mean she couldn't help Bumblebee get to know her best friend, plus she could show Becky what a cool car he was. That last thought made Anya smile even more, Becky's gonna think he's so cool!
But then they got to a corner, and Anya ran into something that yelled, "OW!"
"Ugg..." Anya was dazed, hearing Becky ask if she was okay and helping pick her up, What happened? she shook her head and looked down to see who she'd bumped into, "Oh! I'm sorry, Sy-On Boy."
Damian Desmond, dressed in his now dirty Eden uniform, glared and refused to take her hand as he got up, "Whatever. Just watch where you're going, Stumpy."
"Yeesh, it was an accident, Damian!" Becky made some kind of harrumphing noise and looked away, "Ugh, boys."
"What are you two even doing out here anyway?" Damian asked, raising an eyebrow at them both.
"Anya wants to show me something cool. What about you?"
"Got bored and decided to go to sleep. It's just a dumb Parent-Teacher meeting anyway," he looked away, Besides, father isn't even here. He just sent his people to see how I'm doing. Not like any of this thing even matters, so I might as well go back to my dorm.
Anya tilted her head at Sy-On Boy's thoughts. Annoying as he could be, he also looked really upset. Sure, Papa needed to meet with Sy-On Boy's dad for important spy stuff, but it didn't seem fair for everyone else's parents to be here while his wasn't. Maybe there was a way Anya could cheer him up?
Then she got an idea, "Hey, why don't you hang out with us?"
"Wha?" Damian's face started growing red, Did she really just offer that to me?
Becky gasped, Oh my God, she's asking her crush to spend time with her! And I'm the third wheel! Her face suddenly looked like Papa after Anya got her first bad Toni-something Bolt, Oh God, I'm the third wheel... But then it brightened back up, Which means I can play matchmaker!
Not knowing what any of that meant, Anya ignored it and looked at Damian, "I'm taking Becky to see Bumblebee. You wanna come?"
"...who's Bumblebee?" Damian and Becky asked, making Anya slap her forehead. It was supposed to be a surprise and she forgot.
"Bumblebee's Papa's new car," And a giant robot, she pointed to where she knew the nearest exit was, "I wanna show him to you guys!"
"Oooooh. You know, I never did get a good look at your dad's car. Sure, I'd love to see it!" Becky chirped as she started skipping after Anya, her thoughts saying something about cars being super romantic that Anya didn't get.
"Fine, not like I got anything better to do," Damian huffed, hands in pockets as he followed them, Probably some lame hunk of junk though.
Anya looked back at him with a flat glare, with him glaring back, before huffing and keeping her eyes forward. She'd make Sy-On boy eat those words when he saw how awesome Bumblebee was. Then he'd stop being a big dumb meanie and want to be her friend!
Leading them outside, she retraced her steps, remembering where Papa parked Bumblebee. But then she heard talking up ahead and saw two security guards come up from around the corner and turn to head their direction. Oh no! We're gonna get in trouble! Anya looked around, seeing a bench, the sidewalk, and bushes behind lampposts before whispering, "Guys, quick! Hide!" She ducked behind the bush and waited for the security guards to go away, but noticed that Damian and Becky weren't joining her. Looking up from her hiding spot, she saw them look at her in confusion, Why aren't they hiding?
What's Anya doing? Becky wondered, tilting her head.
Tch, weirdo, Sy-On boy, however, narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't glaring, instead looking... annoyed? It was the kind of look Papa gave Uncle Scruffy when he was making a lot of jokes. But Anya didn't have time to think about that, turning to see that the guards were almost there and already saw Damian and Becky.
No! Now they're gonna get in trouble and it's all my fault! But if I step out, I could get another bad bolt! What do I do, what do I do!? Anya took a deep breath and prepared to step out and grab her friends, hoping to run away before they could get recognized. She could still get spotted and in a lot of trouble, but Papa took risks all the time as a spy, so she would do the same. But before she could even move, however...
"Hi kids!" one of the guards said as both of them stopped in front of Damian and Becky, "Out for a late afternoon stroll?"
...Huh?
Becky shrugged, "Sort of," she pointed to Anya's hiding spot, "Anya wants to show us her dad's car. She's really excited about it."
"And being a stumpy weirdo too," Damian huffed, but Anya wasn't paying attention to that, being more focused on how Becky blew her cover.
"That wasn't very nice. You shouldn't say things like that about fellow students," the second guard scolded him, though he was really gentle about it. It even made Damian sigh.
"Sorry."
"It's fine," the first guard said before facing Anya's direction, "Hey miss, you can come out. No need to hide."
Anya briefly hid back behind the bush, not trusting the guards. But she didn't hear any footsteps coming after her, so she poked her head out again and saw they were still looking at her. Nervously, Anya read their minds and saw they were being honest, so she walked out and joined at Becky and Damian's sides.
"You kids have fun! Just make sure to stay on campus," the guard said before he and his friend walked away, waving goodbye and leaving Anya very confused. She tried reading their minds again for answers, but the first one was just thinking about sports games and the other was thinking of how his grandma was doing.
"Did you seriously not know we could just leave the student area to explore the school?" Damian asked.
"..."
"That was the first thing they said when we got to there!"
"Yeah, so long as we don't leave campus without our parents, it's all good," Becky added with a nod.
"...I wasn't paying attention," Anya admitted, being distracted by the food they had set out. Sure, she'd already eaten the food Papa cooked before they got here, but it looked so tasty!
"I swear, you are completely hopeless," Sy-On boy grumbled, Becky glaring at him for a bit before looking at Anya.
"Anyway, I think we should keep going." Grumpy as Desmond is, Anya's clearly smitten with him. Gotta be a good friend and help the two get together.
Anya wasn't quite sure what "smitten" meant, but if it meant Becky was going to help her get an in with Sy-On boy, which meant she'd be better able to help Papa with his mission, then she wasn't going to stop her friend. It still bothered her (the word alone left a weird feeling in her chest), but she put it aside, instead continuing to lead them to where Papa parked. They walked around a few corners, passed a few more guards (and waved hello), which made Anya feel a bit peeved, since she couldn't do any super spy sneaking like she wanted.
Finally, they were getting close to where Papa parked at the front curb of Eden, but as they were about to turn the corner, Anya heard what sounded like a loud radio. Poking her head out to get a better look, she saw Bumblebee and heard the sounds coming from him.
"-Williams trying to protect himself-can't do it! Left to the face-left or right put him down! He may not get up!"
Frag yeah! Kick his aft, Cass! Bumblebee's thoughts cheered as he made whirring noises. From what Anya could tell, it sounded like he was listening to a... a boxing match? She couldn't make out all the details since the entire thing was going way too fast for her. The most she knew about boxing was from that one Spy Wars episode where Bondman had to fight in a boxing tournament.
"What is that?" Becky asked, looking around as Anya flinched.
Sy-On boy started looking around too, "Sounds like a car radio."
Shoot! Can't let them find out Bumblebee's secret! Anya ran ahead slightly and turned to them, "Nothing!" They looked confused, to which she cleared her throat, "I-It's probably nothing. I'm going to check on Papa's car. Please stay here for a bit!" Before they could say anything, she ran ahead and around the corner, straight for Bumblebee, How do I get him to stop before-
Wha-SLAG! Anya's here! Bumblebee quickly shut off his radio and engine right as she got there, Please suspect nothing, please suspect nothing.
"Phew!" That was close, Anya sighed in relief before patting Bumblebee's door, "You're funny, Mr. Bumblebee."
Uh... thank you? I guess? At least she doesn't suspect anything, Now Bumblebee sounded relieved, making Anya giggle. Sometimes, her powers were fun when people had these thoughts.
"Hey Anya?"
"EEP!" Anya jumped and turned to see Becky and Damian right behind her.
"Where you just talking to a car?" Sy-On boy crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"...n-no, I was... I was talking to Papa's car?" Anya almost slapped herself for how suspicious she sounded. Papa would never slip up like that!
"You were talking..." Becky looked like she was trying to process that, "To your dad's car?"
"Y-Yeah."
"..."
"..."
"... his name is Bumblebee," she turned to the disguised alien, "Bumblebee, this is Becky," she pointed to her before doing the same for Damian, "And Sy-On boy."
Becky tilted her head, "Huh, it's... actually a lot smaller than I remembered. My little Wiesel's personal car is way bigger than that."
Wait, Becky's dog has a car? Dogs can have cars!? Does Sy-On boy's dog have a car? Anya blankly stared at her friend, wondering if Bond could get his own car someday. Oh! It could be a spy car just like Bondman had in the tv show!
Ignoring that "small" comment for now, what's a Wiesel? Is that her pet? Anya heard Bumblebee's thoughts, which sounded really annoyed, as she saw one of his side mirrors move, showing Becky's reflection, And she has a separate car for them? Is this kid Mirage levels of rich or something?
What's a Mirage? Anya wondered before shaking her head and focusing on her friend, "Becky, please don't call Mr. Bumblebee small. He isn't small." She defended before hugging the Autobot's side, "He's the best car ever, and perfect just the way he is."
At her words, she felt Bumblebee's thoughts become happy, though there was a weird sadness to them that Anya didn't get. For some reason, they were focused a lot on his... voice box? That's what he called it, which was probably his version of a throat. Now that she thought about it, and as he started shaking those thoughts off, she hadn't actually heard him talk once except through his radio. At first, she thought all those whirring noises he made when he got drunk was just alien speech, but now...
Can Mr. Bumblebee talk at all? Before Anya could think about that any further...
"Okay, sorry," Becky relented, holding her hands up as Anya's musings were broken, "I'll admit, the nickname's kinda cute. Huh, y'know, he really does look like a bumblebe-"
"Ugh! Who talks to a car like that? It's just a stupid car!" Damian piped up, sounding super annoyed. Anya glared at him for insulting Bumblebee while his thoughts kept going, Seriously, that's weird even by her standards. I grew out of imaginary friends when I was three. Do middle class girls stick with that habit for longer or something?
So, this is the "Sy-On boy" that Anya keeps mentioning, Bumblebee wondered, Anya almost feeling him focusing on Damian, Yup. Definitely getting W-459 vibes from this kid. Brief images flashed in Anya's mind, showing Bumblebee arguing with another giant robot, this one looking like a blue/green version of him, And it looks like he's almost as much of a slaghead as W-459 started off as.
Having heard that word thrown around in Bee's head so many times, Anya couldn't help but wonder something, Is "slag" a giant robot word for sh-
"Well, since this was a waste of time, I'm going back to my dorm room," Damian turned and started walking off, leaving Anya and Becky huffing while Bumblebee's thoughts fumed behind them.
Being friends with him would be easier if he wasn't such a big dumb meanie most of the time, Anya crossed her arms.
Sometimes I wonder what Anya sees in him, Becky thought, hands at her hips.
Remember Bumblebee, he's just a kid. He'll grow up, Bumblebee felt like he was glaring daggers sharper than Mama's assassin blades at Sy-On boy, and Anya was about to join him in doing just that. But then she started picking up on Damian's own thoughts.
Stupid Anya, stupid Forgers and their stupid small car. Bet it's all small and cozy in there too, As Damian's mind kept going, Anya could see what looked like the inside of a really, really big car. Like those long ones she sometimes saw driving past Bumblebee whenever she and her family went out. What were they called? Limos? Yeah, it was a limo, and Sy-On boy was sitting by himself in the backseat of one. Must be nice, he thought, the limo's inside feeling bigger and almost frightening, Everyone gets to be all close together like a family, and her parents get to be the ones who drive her too. Lucky weirdo.
Anya blinked as she watched Damian go further away. Something about what she saw stirred something in her. There was a lot she didn't know or understand, but what she did know was what she felt from looking into those memories. And what she knew was how lonely the back of that car felt. How lonely he felt. She never got that feeling whenever she was with Bumblebee, always having her Mama and Papa (and sometimes Bond) with her. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt for Sy-On boy, even if he was being a big stupid jerk about it.
After all, she knew what that loneliness felt like.
Then, for the second time tonight, she got an idea. This time to help him feel less alone. With a deep breath, Anya yelled, "Hey, Sy-On boy!" he turned back and she put on her best pleading face, "You wanna see the inside of the car before you go?"
Damian looked surprised, face turning red for a bit, "I-I uh..." You mean I'm gonna be in an enclosed space with-with her! S-Say no! "S-Sure, i-if I have to." Dang it!
Becky gasped with a twinkle in her eyes, cutting Anya off as her thoughts went, This is just like Berlint in Love! Cars are always where the cutest couple's stuff happens!
What does that have to do with any of this? Anya tilted her head at Becky. Her thoughts were harder to understand than Papa's sometimes, and Papa thought so fast and so complicated that it made Anya's head spin. Waiting for Damian to return (though he was still cross and red-faced for some reason), she tried to open Bumblebee's door, but he wouldn't budge. It felt like he was unsure about the whole thing.
Well, Anya really seems to want to try and spend time with him. Can't exactly see why. I'd personally just avoid him, Bumblebee's thoughts were on that green/blue copy of him again, Come on, Bumblebee. You can't just think the worst of the kid. He's just a kid! Besides, W-459 got better, so maybe this "Sy-On boy" can too? The thoughts and images with Bumblebee's copy slowly started becoming more and more friendly. By the last one, they looked to be laughing and doing a fist bump with each other. With that last thought, he finally let Anya open the door, Aw, what the Pit? I'll give him a chance.
Thank you, Mr. Bumblebee! Anya quickly got in and sat in the front seat, gesturing for Becky and Damian to join her.
"So, does your dad just leave the car unlocked at all times or something?" Becky asked as she got in the shotgun seat, her thoughts giddily saying something about Papa "living dangerously." Which was kinda true, since Anya learned first-hand how the spy world was really dangerous. Shuddering, she tried very hard not to think too much about when she was kidnapped soon after Papa adopted her. Or that time with those dog bomb monsters who tried to kill her. That one was extra scary, and if Mama hadn't gotten there in time, she would've died and everyone else would be- "Hey, Anya," she heard Becky and looked to see her, concern in her eyes. Even Sy-On boy looked a little worried as Becky asked, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, sorry. Just... bad memory," Anya answered, surprised by the bit of honesty she put in. Even more surprising was when Damian got up from his seat and onto Anya's, sitting down next to her. He looked really unsure of what to do, just staring at the floor for a bit. Anya was about to read Sy-On boy's thoughts, but then, still not looking at her, he put a hand to her shoulder and gave it a pat.
"I... I have bad memories too, sometimes..." he said, sounding like he didn't know how to get the words out, but what little he could say did help Anya feel better. Becky looked super happy and gave her a thumbs up. Bumblebee started thinking pretty nice things about Damian and how maybe he wasn't so bad, but suddenly, he turned on his radio and started playing...wait a minute...
Is that the Spy Wars theme song!? Anya's eyes went wide as she almost jumped up in her seat, happy to hear one of her favorite music tracks.
"Why did the car radio suddenly turn on?" Damian asked, now standing in the front seat beside her, "Is it broken or something?"
"Yeah, I don't think car radios are supposed to do that," Becky threw her two cents in, "At least, none of my family's cars do that."
Scrap, Anya listened to Bumblebee's thoughts, Shouldn't have done that, but Anya looked like she needed some cheering up. His own thoughts started becoming really sad, Besides, there's a lot of bad memories I don't like dwelling on. Don't think Anya should get lost in hers either.
Jumping to Bumblebee's defense before they could suspect anything, Anya said, "The radio does that sometimes," she then cheerfully added, "But I like it. It's part of what makes Mr. Bumblebee so cool!"
Becky and Damian went quiet for a bit before they both awkwardly nodded. "Okay then," Becky started looking around the car's interior as the radio continued playing the Spy Wars theme, "Looks pretty nice on the inside, actually."
"It's still pretty small, but it's... comforting, actually," Sy-On boy added, Anya seeing a small smile on his face that disappeared right when he saw that she was looking at him. "Uh, anyway," he stammered and started turning the radio knobs, "Does this thing have any other stations?"
After a few different bits of songs and news broadcasts played, Damian stopped on a track that went, "Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down! Never gonna-"
NOPE! Bumblebee made a whirring noise as he shut that track off and switched to a news channel, making a bunch of angry thoughts about how annoying that song was. Anya giggled a bit, remembering how every time it came up on the radio, Bee would always switch to something else no matter how much Mama or Papa would try to change the channel back. Not good for keeping cover, but the whole thing was just too funny for Anya to care that much.
"What just happened?" Becky asked, rubbing at her ears while Anya's giggles turned into laughs.
"Mr. Bumblebee doesn't like that song."
"Riiiight," Damian drawled, Cars can't like or dislike anything. The radio's probably broken, "Can this radio play anything without breaking?"
Giving Sy-On boy a smug smile, Anya started twisting the radio knobs to look for something cool.
Yor sighed as she walked away from the rest of parents, the cacophony of voices staying behind. For the most part, the night had gone rather well. She and Loid dressed up in their best, left Bond at home with Frankie, and found themselves split from the students as per Eden Academy's rules. From there, they spoke with each of Anya's teachers and learned about how she was doing in class, coming to learn that she'd been improving significantly.
Well, technically, it was only marginal improvements based on how she performed at the start of school, but from Yor's perspective, those kinds of strides were immense. When she was Anya's age, she'd struggled to do even half as good as her. School and studying had never come naturally to Yor, so she was glad her daughter was doing better! Even Loid was immensely proud of her improvements, if his palpable relief and what looked like tears of joy were any indication.
But after the teachers gave recommendations for how she could further improve, they started interacting with the other parents. This ended up being where Yor's night took a... well, not a bad turn, by any means, but it went somewhere she wasn't comfortable with.
She and Loid talked with a number of parents, though Loid was the one who did most of the talking. Most of it was how things were going, how their children were doing, and singing the praises of said children, as well as an entire slew of business topics that Yor couldn't understand. And that was before they were approached by Becky's parents, the Blackbells, where things became impossible for her to really follow.
It started out simple enough, talking about the girls' friendship and how happy they were around each other, but then things ventured more into their respective lines of work. Yor tried to talk about her work at City Hall, but there was very little she could say, instead passing the metaphorical baton to Loid, who, as always, had a much easier time conversing. He answered the Blackbell's questions about his work as a psychiatrist, and they, in kind, described some details of their own work in the weapons manufacturing business. They also said something about a recent endeavor that they'd been given by the Ostanian Military, with Loid seeming rather invested in the subject.
But despite her best effort, Yor couldn't keep up, only understanding bits and pieces about Blackbell Heavy Industries trying to work with some particularly difficult new technology. Something about missiles, rocket engines, and tank armor, which she had an easier time getting since she'd contended with all that before. But then things went back into logistical nonsense, with Loid commenting on how impressive the new tech had to be if it was giving BHI, one of the most reputable weapons manufacturers in the country, such a hard time. The Blackbells admitted as much and stated that they had to move the new technology to its own research factory to divert focus on it.
Before they could elaborate any further, Yor had asked, "Excuse me, if it isn't too much trouble, may I take my leave? I can't help but feel like I'm being a bother in all this."
Much to her surprise, the Blackbells seemed rather baffled by her statement. "Pardon me, Mrs. Forger," Mr. Blackbell had said, "But you haven't been a bother in the slightest. If anything, it's us who should apologize for not making much of an effort to include you in the discussion."
"No, it isn't that," had been Yor's immediate reply as she pressed the gloved tips of her index finger together whilst looking away, "It's just... I'm not very comfortable with all this... business talk."
The Blackbells gave her sympathetic, understanding looks at the time, as had her husband, who nodded and gently placed a hand to her shoulder, "If you'd like, we can head out now. I'd rather not put you in an uncomfortable position, and these things can be... well, they're a lot," his face became apologetic, "Sorry for not noticing earlier. I suppose I just got a bit caught up when I really shouldn't."
In reply, Yor couldn't help but giggle and give him thanks as her face heated up, "No, it's fine. You have way more experience with this than I do. Getting caught up is understandable." After all, Loid had been a parent and husband for years by this point, though that thought made Yor worry if she'd ever really live up to Anya's birth mother. Stowing that away at the time, she'd finished, "If it's alright, you can continue without me. I'll just go check in on Anya and see how she's doing."
"Of course. And if it isn't too much trouble, could you check in on our dear Becky as well?" Mr. Blackbell had asked of her, to which Yor nodded as she said fond farewells to all three of them. This led her to now: Walking down the halls of Eden for the student area while her husband continued his discussions with the other parents alone. Despite herself and her previous discomfort, having walked out like that left a bitter taste in her mouth. She'd left Loid to handle things by his lonesome when she should've been standing side-by-side to help him. That's what a wife was supposed to do, yet she'd failed in that.
I really am out of my depth, aren't I? Yor mused, the whole affair playing in her head on repeat. The more she thought about it, the more she worried that those other parents were staring at her with judgmental eyes. It certainly didn't help that her experience with these high-class affairs was extremely limited. Most of her interactions with these kinds of people amounted to doing extensive research on the atrocities their ilk committed behind closed doors (all of which, especially crimes committed against children, made her immensely angry) before going in to kill them as quickly as possible.
That was the first lesson the Shopkeeper had taught her: That even the most repugnant monsters should be given a swift death. Only the truly wicked took delight in the prolonged suffering of others.
Once again, she shook her head, rubbing at her temples with a sigh as she continued to the student area, Guess I can't stop thinking about it, can I?
In some ways, it was a comfort, dwelling on her job and identity as Thorn Princess. With both, she was in her element, feeling a pep in her step as she helped make the world a better place, one corpse at a time. But the longer she dwelled on it, the more it just as much felt like a detriment. Normal people didn't constantly ruminate about killing and how to kill, nor about the best methods thereof. Yet here she was now, with a perfectly normal husband, daughter, and pet dog, all while not knowing the definition of the word.
Figuratively, not literally, of course.
Just keep it together, Yor, she reminded herself as she made it to the entrance of the student area, Remember that you're enough. You're enough. You're enough. Taking a deep breath, she put a hand on the door handle, whispering one last time, "You're enough."
Opening the door slowly, she walked into the area, where the students of Anya's year and age group all interacted amongst each other. Some even said hello to her as she scanned the crowd for her daughter, all while waving a greeting in kind. But amidst it all, she couldn't find a single trace of Anya, causing her heart to pick up the pace for a split-second. Calming down, she tried not to jump to conclusions, instead searching for Miss Blackbell, remembering her first meeting with the sweet young girl from when she took Anya on a shopping trip. If she found her, then she found Anya, simple as that.
One quick search of the crowd later, and... nothing. Not a single trace of Miss Blackbell either.
Oh no, this is bad! Where are they!? Yor's heart rate quickened, her mind jumping through several worst-case scenarios of what could've happened to them before she looked to the nearest faculty member, Walter Evance from Anya's acceptance interview as she recalled. He saw her and waved, but within less time than it takes the human eye to blink, Yor had already approached him from halfway across the room, startling the older man. As he stammered in surprise, Yor worriedly asked, "Have you seen my daughter and Miss Blackbell? I can't find them anywhere!"
"Uh..." Mr. Evance managed before recovering a second later, hands waved in a placating manner, "It's quite alright, Mrs. Forger. I and the rest of the faculty here saw your daughter and young Blackbell head outside. The security teams notified us that they were going-"
Yor didn't pay attention to what he said next, body moving before her brain could catch up. Fast as she could, the worried mother opened a window and jumped out, scaling the outside walls like a spider. Upon reaching the roof, she ran forwards and hopped from rooftop to rooftop, reaching the highest point of Eden Academy. Standing on the peak, her eyes scanned every inch of schoolground that she could see in search of Anya and her friend. From security guards walking about, discussing their days, to the swaying trees and bushes, to the idle benches and lampposts (some of which had birds and squirrels resting atop them), to janitors cleaning rooms and hallways through windows, to even their tiny little yellow car parked at the front curb of the school with a few others, she saw everything.
Yet once again, no Anya.
"Anya, where are you?" Yor muttered out loud, her worry spiking even higher. Just as quickly, she calmed herself, understanding that losing control of her emotions would help no one. She focused all her senses out, feeling the wind against her skin as she sensed changes in the air, extending her hearing outward to pick up on faint sounds in the distance. But in doing so, she heard music from-
Huh? Yor opened her eyes and looked where Bumblebee was parked. Closing her eyes, she focused her hearing once again, and could make out a faint, muffled song playing from where he was.
"-mamma mia, mamma mia. Mamma mia, let me go! Beelzebub-"
With a raised eyebrow, Yor jumped down and vaulted across rooftops, nearing Bumblebee's location. Once close enough, she dropped to the ground and stood up, looking in the car's direction. From behind the window, Yor could see three figures jumping about, happily bopping their heads to the loud, muffled music. Narrowing her eyes, she recognized them as that Desmond boy, Miss Blackbell, and-
"Anya!" Yor exclaimed, hand to her chest in relief that her daughter was safe.
"So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?"
What are they singing? Yor wondered, listening to the three belt out the lyrics. She'd heard the song at least once, recalling how it played on the speakers of a warehouse basement while she was wiping out a human trafficking ring out of country around three years ago. But despite finding it catchy, she never bothered to learn the name. Well, at least the kids are enjoying it, She did admittedly find herself wincing at Damian and Anya's singing, which... okay, it was better than her own attempts at singing, that much was certain. Miss Blackbell's was unquestionably the best, managing to sound mellifluous even while basically yelling rock lyrics. Although with how loud it is... Yor walked up to Loid's car, I should probably interrupt before one of them bursts an eardrum.
And Yor knew a thing or two about bursting eardrums.
Knocking on the window, Anya stopped singing and turned off the radio, much to the indigitation of Becky and Damian. Just as quickly, her daughter opened the door and jumped up to hug her, "Mama!"
"Anya, thank goodness! I was so worried and thought something bad happened to you!"
"Nope! I'm okay!" Anya replied as Yor still held her close but pulled away from the hug enough to see her face, "I was showing Bumblebee to Becky and Sy-On boy. They think he's cool!"
"He's... alright, Mrs. Forger," Damian said as he jumped out, crossing his arms and looking to the floor in embarrassment, all while Becky gently elbowed him, "It's nice to meet you."
Hmm, so this is Damian, huh? Yor looked down at the boy in curiosity. She'd listen to her daughter talk about him frequently (usually in annoyance), as well as how her husband wished the two would get along (any father would want his daughter to have many friends, after all), but this was the first time Yor was meeting him in person. From a glance, he didn't seem like a bad kid. Perhaps a bit uptight, but nothing bad by any means. If anything, he had an almost lonely air to him.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Yor recalled her childhood years as she looked at the boy. Even before her parents' deaths during the war, she never had much in the way of friends while growing up in Eastern Nielsberg. And after the fact, any hope for something like that was dashed as she had to grow up quickly and raise her little brother, keeping her distance from others as a means to conceal her double life. Some days, that loneliness was more frigid than a blizzard, more painful than a dagger in her side, and more suffocating than mustard gas, but she endured it all for something - someone - more important than herself. And now, because of Loid and Anya, she didn't feel so alone anymore.
Perhaps that was why Anya kept trying to make friends with Damian despite her complaints? She too saw that loneliness and wanted to ease him out of it?
Smiling, Yor bent down slightly and held Anya with one hand, extending out the other towards the child in front of her, "It's nice to meet you too, Mister Desmond."
Damian flinched for a bit, making Yor wonder if she said or did something wrong. Thankfully, before she could even begin to panic and worry about ruining Anya's chances to befriend the boy, he reached out and shook her hand. Giving a halfhearted grin of his own, he let go and asked, "So, how come you decided to leave the other grown-ups? Thought they'd all be talking business stuff the entire night."
"That's actually part of why I decided to come check in on Anya," Yor blushed at the reminder of her social ineptitude, "I couldn't really keep up with all the business and politics."
To her surprise, Becky sighed, "Yeah, I have a hard time keeping up with the kind of stuff my parents talk about too. Like, recently, they haven't really stopped talking about this new project and how they got it from the military. They found some weird, advanced pod in the woods or something like that."
For some reason, Becky's statement caused Anya to focus in on Bumblebee, eyes growing wider with each passing second. Suddenly, she gasped with stars in her eyes to an almost literal degree. Before Yor could ask what happened, her daughter all but leapt out of her arms and rushed towards Miss Blackbell, "Becky, where did they find the super pod?"
"Uh...I uh... don't know?" Becky answered, flatfooted by Anya's sudden question, "But they did show me the factory they're studying it in. I usually take tours of my family's facilities every now and then. They kinda want me to be familiar with them for when I inherit." And just like Anya, Miss Blackbell gasped, "I know! what if I talked with my parents and invited your family over for a tour? I get to meet Loid, and you get to see all the cool things we're making!"
Somehow, Anya's smile found a way to grow even brighter as the two started talking exuberantly. Yor watched her daughter listen as Becky proudly described the location in address, surroundings, interior, and output, with as much attention as she did her favorite shows. Though oddly, every split-second, Anya would steal a glance towards Bumblebee, and she wasn't sure why.
"Miss Forger," he began, eyes still on the floor. The two just stood there in a silence so awkward that even Yor had a feeling this probably wasn't normal, the boy looking as nervous as she'd felt earlier that night. It finally ended when Damian gave a bow and said, "You're an esteemed matriarch and example for your daughter. Thank you for worrying about her."
Yor blinked at just how... formal that was. It almost felt like it'd been rehearsed several times over, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that. She found herself switching between thankful for the compliment and worried for the child, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Anya bopped Damian's shoulder.
"Tag, you're it!"
"What the-HEY!"
Suddenly, the three children were running down the walkway, Anya at the forefront with a laughing Becky and angry Damian right behind her. Yor watched as Anya bumped into one of the security guards, leading to her encircling him as her friends did the same in an effort to catch her. As they continued onward, the now dizzy guard yelled at them to be careful, all while Yor found herself stifling laughter at the whole thing.
Following them back to the student area as quickly as she dared, Yor decided to put tonight behind her for the time being. Her worries about fitting in with the other parents, her capabilities as a wife and mother, her second identity as Thorn Princess and how that affected everything else (or if it was needed anymore), all of that could wait. Right now, she just watched her daughter and took a simple joy in the sight before her.
The simple joy of watching her daughter's friendships bloom and grow. A joy she never truly got to have.
Anya bounced in the back seat of Bumblebee, still super full of energy, so she probably wasn't gonna go to sleep like Papa and Mama wanted. But she didn't really care about that right now. The night just had so much excitement!
After letting Damian and Becky chase her in a game of tag, they got back to the student area with Mama, who waited there with them. And they didn't wait long, since Papa and Becky's parents came over to pick them up just a bit after they got there. Becky must've been sleepy or something, because right when she looked at Papa, her brain started making a lot of symbols (like triangles, tic-tac-toe, hearts, and steam) before she passed out. Anya was pretty sure the symbols were a code, but she couldn't figure out what it meant.
Damian left for his dorm not long after Becky's parents took her home, saying goodbye without even looking at them. For a minute, Anya thought he was being his usual self, but his thoughts sounded happier, so maybe he liked the game of tag? If he did, Anya had to play it with him more often. Either way, Papa's own thoughts were really proud of her and Sy-On boy getting along, and Anya was happy about that to. She'd made another big step in the Friendship Scheme... which she kinda forgot about while singing with Damian and Becky, only remembering while reading Papa's mind.
Speaking of Papa, Anya stared at the back of Papa's seat and concentrated.
-aside from learning some details on upcoming developments, I now have a location to work with, his mind started going too fast again, but Anya was able to pick up where he was talking about, and it was the exact same address Becky gave her, Given that a more direct investigation of both the Blackbell's weapons developments and the pod are likely to be long term, I'll request that they send agent Nightfall. I need to stay by my family's side.
While the last thought made Anya smile, she shuddered on the inside at the reminder of that woman. It was really scary how determined she was to replace Mama, and even scarier was what she planned to do to Anya if she ever became her mama. The way she kept thinking about Papa freaked her out even more. It was actually even worse than the way Uncle Yuri's thoughts obsessed over Mama!
If Unkie gave her heartburn, then the Frost lady gave her a heart attack.
I'm glad Anya had a fun time tonight, Mama's thoughts cut into Anya's fear of Miss Frost, kinda like when she cut the bad spy's ball to pieces during their tennis match.
Though I'm still not sure about what that Damian boy said, Anya slowly frowned as Mama stared out the window, About me being an "esteemed matriarch". Still not sure if that and an assassin can really co-exist.
Mama... Anya sighed, feeling down the longer she read her mind. She didn't get why Mama thought that way about herself, or why she thought being an assassin meant she wasn't a good mother. If anything, assassins made the best moms! Just like how spies were the best dads and alien robot resistance fighters were the best cars. Papa thought Mama was great, and so did her and Bumblebee, Why's Mama the only one who doesn't see how cool she is?
Crossing her arms, she tried thinking of ways she could help Mama feel better, to let her know that she was the greatest mom in the universe. Thankfully, as if he was the mind reader, Papa placed a hand on Mama's, smiling at her when Bumblebee stopped at a red light. Anya watched as Mama smiled back, her thoughts being put at ease by Papa's presence, letting her know that he was here if she needed him without having to say anything.
Looks like Yor and Loid are flirting, Bumblebee happily thought as the light turned green, making Anya giggle a bit at how he stole her line. She could almost imagine them saying "No we are not!" if it was said aloud. Anya would admit that a small part of her wanted to be the one to cheer Mama up, but Papa beat her there, and not for the first time tonight. Even after learning all the important stuff from Becky, he beat her there too by talking with Becky's parents. But Anya couldn't be mad about that, both since Mama was feeling a bit better and because she still got to help someone else's mission.
Alright Bee, time to focus, Bumblebee suddenly sounded as serious as Papa whenever he was on mission mode (which was a lot), They're holding what's left of your escape pod in a facility outside Berlint, so getting it back might take a while. Need to figure out a way inside without drawing any attention. Primus knows how I'll pull that off with how this planet operates.
Giant robot mission! Anya beamed quietly as the streets became recognizable and they started getting close to home. Bumblebee's thoughts said something about how he didn't want the pod's leftovers to fall into the wrong hands. He got really worried when Becky was talking, so he must've thought her parents were also secretly supervillains too. Anya wasn't sure how he was gonna sneak into a weapon factory, but she knew he'd find a way. He was Bumblebee: Scout of the Autobot Resistance and the bestest car there ever was!
And she got to help him on his mission!
In her excitement, Anya almost didn't notice they were now home, only realizing it when Papa stopped the car. "Alright Anya," he said, looking back at her, "It's almost 9:00, so after you clean up, it's straight to bed."
"Not tired. Can I play with Bond for a bit?" Anya answered right away, and was about to pull out the pleading eyes when Papa looked like he was gonna say no. But thankfully, he just sighed instead.
"I suppose one hour wouldn't hurt. But once 10:00 rolls by-"
"I know. I will!" Anya cheerfully saluted before she unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car, Papa and Mama not far behind her. When Mama stepped out, however, Anya saw her opportunity and ran up to hug her.
"Anya?"
"Mama. You're the best."
"I..." she started tearing up a bit at Anya's words before kneeling down and hugging her, "I'm glad you feel that way, Anya."
Wonder what brought this about, Papa wondered, walking around Bumblebee to them. Anya just kept nuzzling into the crook of Mama's neck as she picked her up, opening an eye to see Papa's confusion turn into a still confused, but happy face, I suppose some children just have a way of knowing when their parents are troubled.
Anya felt her happiness grow a bit before giving Bumblebee a glance, What a happy family. I'm glad for them. Though, I wish I could just... Anya's happiness went away just a bit the more she listened to Bumblebee's thoughts. He sounded like he wanted to be part of them for real, but he kept backing out, No, forget it. It'd just hurt them. Besides, you have a mission, so see it through.
Don't worry Bee. Maybe someday you can, Anya lied, knowing the odds of it being okay for Bumblebee to reveal himself were the same as for her powers.
Never. It would never be okay. They must never find out.
"Better not keep Frankie and Bond waiting," Mama said, her mood even better as they all headed inside. Anya made sure to say goodnight to Bumblebee, hearing his thoughts say goodnight back. They made it back upstairs to their apartment, waving good evenings and goodnights to whatever neighbors were out and about. When they entered, Mama was the first to say, "We're back!"
"Borf!" Bond started barking and ran up to greet them, Uncle Scruffie not too far behind as Anya was put down to hug her dog.
"Bond!"
"Borf!" he licked her nose, causing Anya to let out giggles.
"Good to see he's back to his old self," Uncle Scruffie said, getting everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Papa asked, getting a shrug in response.
"I mean after I fed and walked him, he just sat there looking out the window. I assumed he was tired at first, but he wasn't even moving. It was like looking at a statue."
"I hope it isn't anything serious," Mama said, looking at bond in thought, Maybe he sprained something?
Uncle Scruffie sighed, "I don't think it is, because he went right back to normal when you got back. Still, maybe give him a checkup just to be safe."
While Mama and Papa looked to each other, back to Bond, and then started talking with Uncle Scruffie on what else happened, Anya felt the wheels in her head spin. It sounded like Bond was having future visions all night and wanted to show her. Turning to Bond, she focused all her attention on him, Okay Bond, show me.
Bond's own gaze became focused, and Anya began seeing a series of flashing images. She saw herself and her classmates in the school gym, a large, terrifying shadow looming over them. She saw Mama and Papa fighting a giant robot that resembled the shape of that shadow, complete with scary red eyes and buzzsaws where his hand should've been while the other had brass knuckles that read "ENSLAVE". And then she saw herself standing in front of a bunch of other giant robots, with the one in front, a tall, masked red one with bright blue eyes and a blue helmet, kneeling down to talk to her.
She saw so many things, so many new people, both good and bad. But they went by so fast that Anya didn't know when or where they would happen. She didn't even have a clear picture of what some of them were or time to memorize them. Not that she could really do that with these things anyway.
But then came the final image: A beautiful sunset over a hillside. This one stayed for longer than the others and was so much clearer. She saw a large picnic blanket with a bunch of teenagers on it. One of them looked like an older version of her, and she started to recognize the others as an older Sy-On boy, his two friends, Becky, and that muscley Watkins boy.
The one person she didn't recognize on the blanket was a girl sitting next to the older Becky. She had dark skin, red hair tied into short ponytails, and the brightest blue eyes Anya had ever seen. For some reason, she and Becky were holding hands. Actually, Anya noticed that her older self and Sy-On boy were holding hands too, just like-
Is that Papa and Mama? Anya now saw them standing just behind the teens, having not noticed since she was so focused on the picnic blanket people. Then she noticed that they were holding hands too, and she saw something glimmer on their fingers. Just as quickly, she realized what it was, Are Papa and Mama wearing wedding rings? Actual wedding rings? Are they married for real!?
But right as she was trying to process her excitement at the idea, she noticed something else. She saw Bumblebee just behind her parents, standing tall (even more than he did now) alongside some of the other Autobots, openly in robot mode. Everyone was talking, having fun, and enjoying themselves. Years later, and they were all still together.
They were still one big, happy family.
And in that instant, the vision ended. Anya blinked as Bond licked her forehead, ears picking up that her parents and Uncle Scruffie were still talking. She wasn't thinking too much about that right now, mind still on that future vision. Feeling herself grin from ear to ear, Anya interrupted the adults, "Papa, Mama! I'm gonna play with Bond now!"
"Okay but remember what we said about-" Anya stopped listening by that point and started chasing Bond around the apartment, hearing Mama and Uncle Frankie laugh while Papa loudly sighed. If she couldn't go to sleep before, there was no way she could now. Not when the future ahead looked so bright and happy!
There was still a few things Anya didn't get though: She didn't know what that scary robot. She didn't know when he'd show up. She didn't know who those other people and robots were. And she didn't know what the future held for her even after everything she'd just seen.
But she knew for sure where she wanted to be.
She wanted to be right there with her family, the Forgers, only for real this time. And she wouldn't let any scary robots or bad guys tear them apart.
Some anachronisms were taken with the music, probably the most obvious being "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley (possibly with the Queen's song too), but I really wanted to make that reference to Bumblebee, so I can't say I regret it. Plus, this is Spy X Family. Plenty of anachronisms already.
But yeah, Becky and Damian have now met Bumblebee! Unofficially, of course, since they don't know he's actually alive, obviously, but they've met now.
To clarify, when they arrived, Bumblebee was listening in on a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Cleveland Williams, and yes, Bee's now a fan. I'll be direct, don't know a whole lot about boxing or its fighters thereof, but I think it makes sense for Bee to find the sport enjoyable and want to know more while he's on Earth. After all, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!"
Much like the anime exclusive episode, Spider-Yor needed to be a thing here, however briefly. One of the funniest things in the series that I like translating to here is Yor being casually superhuman without ever realizing it. It's also fun when she's being unknowingly disturbing, what with her everything being geared towards murder.
Yes, Yor killed an entire trafficking ring to "Bohemian Rapsody", and yes, she DID kill them completely in-sync with the music, in case you're wondering.
This chapter also establishes where we are (for the most part) in terms of Spy X Family's timeline. We're pretty much at the tail end of Season 1 and entering Season 2, in case that isn't clear.
Lastly, with Bond's future vision at the end, we have a couple cameos at the end for characters and things to come. I was originally just gonna have it be the picnic scene, but then I got the idea that if Bond's been having these visions for a while, there'd be a lot more than just that. So, Anya got a few visions in succession before the picnic one.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed these past nine slice of life chapters... because they're over.
Next chapter's gonna be a lot heavier, and I think you all know what that means.
See you all for when our first Decepticon finally arrives!