{RISE AND SHINE, MY GIGANTIC ALIEN TEST SUBJECT!}
"Huh? What?" Bumblebee startled awake to a strange sight.
The humans, normally running around with clipboards and coffee in their hands, are just standing around, staring at Bumblebee. Most are dressed in combat gear and are holding weapons, except for one. That human in particular appears to be a textbook mad scientist, complete with the crazy hair and eyes, and even a mechanical hand thrown into the mix.
"Uh…"
{Who am I? Why, I am Doctor Arkeville, of course! The greatest scientific mind in the world! Chop-chop, we don't have all day! We're running severely behind schedule! Not to speak ill of our leading lady when she isn't around, but she doesn't have what it takes to get any of this done. Don't tell her I said that, though. I would hate to lose this job.}
"Wait, slow down!" Bumblebee stressed. "What do you mean your Captain isn't around? Where is she?"
{To directly quote her – "I have a personal matter to attend to that isn't any concern of yours." – and then she left me in charge!}
One of the men standing next to the Doctor leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
{Yes, yes, I know she didn't actually put me in charge, but I do have free reign until she returns!}
Another human openly voiced their concern with that statement. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
{I'm not going to kill them!}
A chill ran down Bumblebee's spinal strut. He reached for Thunderhoof, either to comfort him or to be comforted, but all he felt was air.
No… No no no no… Please no!
Bumblebee jumped to his pedes and looked around the cell.
It was just him.
No Thunderhoof.
Expression going hard, Bumblebee turned on the humans. He approached the barrier and glared down at his captors.
"Where is he?"
{Oh, don't worry about your friend! He's fine, for now. Just needed to separate you two for a while! So, shall we begin?}
"No! I refuse to do anything if you've harmed him! Your Captain and I had an agreement!"
The Doctor laughed.
{In case you haven't noticed, the lady isn't here to protect you!}
A holo-screen fizzles to life, showing Thunderhoof lying on his front, wrist cuffs locking him to the floor. The ceiling opens up, and a beam of energy shoots him in the back. Bumblebee looks on, horrified.
{You know, this picture is missing an important piece.}
In seconds, the room is filled with the agonized screams of a mech suffering excruciating pain.
{Ah, there we go! Much better!}
Bumblebee snapped his optics shut and clamped his servos over his audials, trying and failing to drown out Thunderhoof's cries, each one a plasma shot to the spark chamber. He didn't want to give into the demands of MECH, but is left with no other choice. It's either him or Thunderhoof, and he refuses to let the Ex-Con suffer in his place.
At least I know what I'm up against.
"OKAY, I'LL DO IT! WHATEVER YOU WANT! JUST STOP HURTING HIM! PLEASE!"
Silence falls. Bumblebee hesitantly removes his servos from his audials and forces his optics open. The screen remains, showing Thunderhoof expelling sparks to a dangerous degree.
By the Primes…
{I thought those were brand new security cameras! How are they already malfunctioning?}
The Doctor's outburst caught Bumblebee's attention. He didn't notice before, but the image was increasingly pixelated, making it hard to see anything on screen.
Huh, weird. It was working perfectly fine a minute ago.
Suspicious, Bumblebee recalibrated his optical functions and analyzed everything around Thunderhoof. With this particular setting, he is able to see things that humans wouldn't be able to without machines, and even then, the lack of details in any movement would be classified as a technical error…
Like the non-blocky distortion in the far corner that just disappeared.
What is that?
His thoughts were interrupted by gunfire aimed at his pedes.
{Time's a wastin', robot! You can see your friend later!}
Well, whatever it was, I know MECH shouldn't know about it.
Keeping his helm low and servos limp at his sides, Bumblebee followed the humans out.
Bumblebee forces himself out of stasis, waking up to a high ceiling and stadium lights. He tries to get a better look at his surroundings, but realizes that he can't move.
"What in the world?" Bumblebee muttered, sluggishly fighting against his bonds. One of the clamps keeping him in place is tight around his neck, essentially choking him.
"You have got to be kidding me!"
"I can't very well have you squirming around while I work, now can I? If there's one thing I know we both can agree on, it's that we don't want me to permanently disable you," Doctor Arkeville said, coming over to stand in Bumblebee's sightline.
"Frag you!"
"Language, my dear bot! Surely we can be civil?"
The Doctor gave a hearty laugh and turned away.
"Civil! How funny is that?"
As angry as Bumblebee was, he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to give the Doctor another reason to hurt Thunderhoof. The Ex-Con already had enough on his plate before all of this.
"Okie-dokie, let's see that noggin of yours!"
Bumblebee froze.
Oh, Primus, no. Please, send me a sign! Give me some luck! Anything!
And as if some primordial force in the universe heard Bumblebee's prayers and thought – I'll give the yellow bug a break for once – the machinery short circuits and lights dull to nothing.
"What the hell?"
"What's going on?"
"Who turned off the lights?"
"Where's an electrician when you need one?"
"Don't we have a fucking generator for times like this?"
"UNITED STATES MILITARY! UNIT E TASK FORCE! DON'T MOVE!"
Bumblebee could feel the relief building within, but dare not release it, for fear that this isn't real, that it is all in his processor. A last ditch attempt to ignore his fate.
The lights turn on.
"Good work, boys! Probie, get the big guy and his bots in while we round up the crazies!"
"Yes, sir!"
Footsteps approach Bumblebee. He can't help the smile that forms when a very familiar, brown-skinned face comes into view.
"Lying on the job, soldier?" Agent Fowler teased.
"Not if I can help it," Bumblebee chuckled.
"Uh-huh, sure. So, how's Cybertron? Post-war life treating you well?"
"Eh, could be worse."
"Understatement of the day."
"Heh. Yeah. How about you?"
"Well, I'm still kicking. Rookies are a pain to deal with. Don't know how Prime kept so calm all the time."
". . . This is real, right? I'm not imagining all of this?"
Agent Fowler looked at Bumblebee like he had just said the most ridiculous thing ever, but before he could respond, something – correction, a bunch of someones – entered the room.
"Hey, Prime, your boy here thinks he's dreaming!" Agent Fowler called out.
Soon, even more familiar faces had Bumblebee brimming at the seams.
"Are you alright, Bumblebee?" Optimus asked, battle mask sliding aside to reveal a concerned frown.
"I am, now that you're here!" Bumblebee vented.
"It's not just Optimus, you know," Heatwave said.
The entire Sigma-17 crew had tagged along as well. They worked quickly to undo his restraints, excluding the clamp around his neck. That is more slow-going, as Heatwave doesn't want to accidentally cut Bumblebee's neck. Eventually, the tension releases.
"Thank the Primes that's off," Bumblebee grumbled, sitting up with help from Optimus and Heatwave. He nearly fell back against the operating table when an orange and white frame tackled him in a great big hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Blades cried.
"Perhaps we hold off on celebrating until after we find the Cybertronian we were trusted with the safety and housing of?" Chase suggested.
"Oh, right!"
Blades pulled back and looked around the room.
"Where's Thunderhoof?"
"I don't know," Bumblebee admitted, sullenly rising to his pedes.
"Regardless of what any of us think of him, it's a Rescue Bot's job to help when needed. If Thunderhoof needs us, then we'll be there for him," Heatwave said, giving Bumblebee's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Out of everyone on the Rescue Team, Heatwave was the one most against letting Thunderhoof stay on Griffin Rock, so his declaration is a pleasant surprise for Bumblebee.
"Thank you, Heatwave."
There was a glimmer of doubt, but considering how Heatwave is in general, Bumblebee decides not to worry himself sick about it.
The Autobots split away from the humans and delved deeper into the facility. Everything is a mix of dark rock and pale metal, like a building merged with a cave, which would make sense as to why it took so long to find the place. It also begs an obvious question.
"How did you find us?" Bumblebee asked. The Rescue Bots deliberately avoided his gaze.
"What?"
"Yip!"
Bumblebee stopped dead in his tracks and looked down. Steeljaw's daughter, Thunderhoof's charge, is standing right there.
"You guys brought the pup with you?" Bumblebee pitched.
"Not on purpose!" Blades defended.
"We didn't know she hitched a ride with us until halfway through our search, and every time we tried to catch her and send her back to the Island, she ran off," Heatwave explained.
"One of the humans eventually pointed out that he's seen dogs – search dogs, to be more precise – exhibit similar behaviors," Chase continued.
"So we followed her and found this place," Boulder finished.
Bumblebee blinked, gradually taking in the information.
I guess it makes sense. Then again, should I expect anything less from Steeljaw's daughter?
"You know where Thunderhoof is?" Bumblebee asked the pup.
"Yip!"
Steeljaw's daughter turned in a circle and ran down the hall. The Autobots followed, half wondering how they ended up following a sparkling, and the other half not questioning it.
They ultimately arrive at a supposed dead end, were it not for the suspiciously out-of-place security panel hiding in the corner.
How does she know that Thunderhoof is in there? Did she track his scent? Crawl through the air ducts? Hack the panel? No, there's no way she would be able to bypass the security provided for it! Maybe when she's older and Steeljaw shows her his tricks…
Bumblebee cut his thoughts short. Right now isn't the time to be worrying about what Steeljaw will teach his daughter. That's a conundrum reserved for future Bumblebee.
"Brute force may be prudent, in this case," Optimus said. Once everyone else was out of the way, he activated his cannon and fired.
The shockwave from the impact pushes everyone back a few paces. Optimus shuts his weapon down when he hears the wall breaking. No one can see anything through the huge dust cloud.
However, after witnessing what MECH did to Thunderhoof, Bumblebee isn't waiting a second longer. Sliding his battle mask into place and shuttering his optics, he steps onto the other side.
"B…Bumblebee?"
The voice is low and glitched, but it can only belong to one mech.
"Thunderhoof!"
Bumblebee rushed to Thunderhoof's side once he spotted him through the debris and crouched down to look him over, careful not to touch his new burn.
"I am so sorry, I didn't know this was going to happen!" Bumblebee apologized.
"Whatever," Thunderhoof dismissed. "I'll try not to pin all the blame on ya."
Movement catches the pair's attention. Optimus, Heatwave, Chase, Boulder, and Blades heard voices and came in to investigate. Now, they all have a relatively clear view of the scene before them. Each Autobot's emotional field – including Optimus, to an extent – resonates a degree of horror, anger, and concern.
"Brought in the cavalry, I see," Thunderhoof said, a faint smirk curling into existence.
"Well, at least he's coherent," Boulder said, remaining positive.
"I'll count that as a good sign," Blades agreed, walking over with Boulder.
"I believe I can get these off without too much trouble," Chase mentioned, pointing to the cuffs.
"That'd be wonderful, Chase. Thank you," Bumblebee replied.
"What the bug said," Thunderhoof muttered.
Chase managed a smile before getting to work.
"What'd the humans do to you?" Heatwave asked.
"Shot me, what else?" Thunderhoof answered sarcastically, glaring at Heatwave. He flinched and let out a hiss of pain when someone touched his burn.
"Frag! That hurts more than the blast to the chassis!"
"It certainly looked like it hurt," Bumblebee mentioned without thinking, garnering everyone's attention.
"How would yous know?" Thunderhoof asked.
"Because they have a camera in here, and when I wouldn't cooperate, they turned it on so I could see and hear what they did to you."
.
.
.
.
.
"I suppose…" Thunderhoof massaged his freed servos, hesitant of speaking his thoughts. "From your side of things, it must have been just as bad feelin' helpless, huh?"
Bumblebee and the Rescue Bots gaped at Thunderhoof, surprised by his admittance.
"What you two have experienced I would not wish on anyone," Optimus spoke, approaching the mechs and kneeling in front of Thunderhoof. He extends a servo.
"I hope that from this day onward, both of you will allow those closest to you to help you heal."
Thunderhoof eyed Optimus, and despite his instincts telling him otherwise, raised a shaky arm towards the Prime. Large digits closed around Thunderhoof's slightly smaller servo, grip gentle yet firm, and pulled him to his pedes.
"I do not wish to force you into anything, Thunderhoof, but I suggest you lean against me for the time being. I am concerned that you may not be able to fully support yourself at the moment," Optimus said, getting a laugh out of the Ex-Con.
"Using the Prime as a crutch? Would be a lot funnier in any other scenario," Thunderhoof commented, shutting his optics. He made no move to step away.
Behind his mask, Optimus smiled. He turned to the bots gathered before him.
"Let us return home."
Nothing sounded better than those four words.
.
.
.
.
.
"Yip!"
"WHO THE FRAG BROUGHT THE BITLIT?"