My Darkness (Transformers Prime Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty Three

"You have failed."

Bumblebee powered on his optics once more. The shadows flitted lazily across his armor, their touch heavy and stinging. He'd been lost in the black abyss for weeks, months, he didn't know. An eternal loop where the shadows would devour him over and over again. He didn't know what to do.

"You don't say," he murmured, leaning his helm back slightly. He'd learned that just before the next round in the loop started, he had a few moments to relax. It was as if the darkness itself wanted him to realize something. Suddenly, he felt something stinging across his face plate, as if something had slapped him. "Ow! That's new."

"You have failed."

"You already said that!" Bumblebee wailed. The phrase repeated, then again, and again, the sound reverberating in his audial receptors harshly until he felt as if his helm was going to explode. Then, it felt as if something had burned away in his processors, a raw feeling that made his spark ache. Something that was missing, that had been torn out of him, leaving a void within him. The sound faded to a whisper, then faded all together.

"What have I done?" he whimpered. The shadows began to make noises, some high pitched, others low. Then they screeched as one, making Bumblebee cry out and cover his audial receptors. Then they dispersed. Bumblebee gasped, falling back into the darkness. Something seemed to hold him, lower him gently to the surface. His vision darkened, then light filled his optics and he jerked upright. There was a snarl above him, a huge black cat hovering over him with its large teeth bared.

Startled, Bumblebee scrambled back, pulling out his guns and pointing them at the cat. It growled, the sound emitting from low in its chest. With thundering pawsteps, it pounded toward him, leaping out at the last second. He rolled away, pushing his mouth guard into place and firing on the cat. It jumped back, circling him from a distance.

Looking around, Bumblebee realized he was in the Shadow Sisters' base. He looked back at the cat just as it made another move towards him, lashing its claws across his chassis. He fell back, rolling back onto his pedes and dodging its next attack.

As he backed away, he felt something hit him from behind, pushing him onto the ground. "I can always count on you to ruin my break time," Skywave said, pressing her servo to his helm. He wriggled out of her grasp, stepping back. She hit him hard and fast, and before he knew it, he was on the ground, the cat looming over him, its claws digging into his shoulders. He narrowed his optics and shoved up. The cat snarled angrily and stepped off him, taking a second to recover. 

Skywave grabbed Bumblebee and hurled him across the room. He rolled to a stop, sliding into the wall with a bump. The Shadow Sister ran forward and knocked him flat on his back, unsheathing both blades and holding them crossed at his neck.

"Skywave, please!" Bumblebee beeped desperately. She shoved the blades closer to his neck cables. 

"You just don't go away," she said. "I'm going to make sure you stay away for good this time." His optics shrunk slightly as she pulled her arms back. In the split second she was away from him, he pushed himself away, scrambling to his pedes and making a run for it. He shot at the cat as it darted towards him, and at the speed it was going, the shot hit it hard and sent it flying back, stunning it. Oops. Now Skywave would really be mad. And she was. However, she is not the one he met. 

Starfreeze appeared in front of him and grabbed his chest plate, throwing him against the wall, still gripping him. "I told you I would kill you," she whispered, her dark optics flaring angrily. The dragon poked its head through the opening, eyeing Bumblebee. He struggled in Starfreeze's grip, trying to pry her servo off him. There was no way he was making it out of here without help from the rest of the team. 

Starfreeze opened her intake and dark shadows exited with her breath. They circled his helm, then latched on, slithering down the rest of his body. He struggled even more fiercely, finally pulling out his blade and swinging it down. Starfreeze pulled back just before it connected with her arm, lashing out with her leg and kicking him back into the wall. The shadows were pulling his strength away from him as he stood, staggering back down onto his knee plate. 

"Sister, let me handle him," Skywave said. Starfreeze stepped back and gestured at Bumblebee. The loud voice began to fill his processors again. 

You have failed... Bumblebee looked up at Skywave, then fought against the hungry shadows, stepping up and using the wall to support himself. He met her gaze evenly. She flashed out a blade and slashed it across his gut, making him double over. 

"You think you're stronger than me! That you can beat me! Be my equal! But you are not. You are nothing more than the apprentice that fled on that dreaded day," she said, adding another set of gashes to his armor. He looked up at her, hardly able to process her words over the roar of sound in his own processors. 

"I have failed," he whispered. Starfreeze backed out of the room, the dragon's head squeezing out a moment after. 

"I'll leave him to you," she said to her sister through the opening before pulling out. Skywave smiled and prepared to strike. Her arm lifted, but Bumblebee caught it. She tried pulling away, but he straightened and met her optics once more. 

"I'm not going to fail you again," he said. "I'm not going to run, no matter what you do to me. Kill me, torture me, hang me up in that chamber again, suck the life and emotion out of me, do whatever you want. I will not leave you until I have succeeded." 

"Whatever that means," Skywave said wryly, trying to get him to let go. He tightened his grip, though his optics softened. He lowered her arm and slid his servo down to hers, holding it carefully with both of his own. "Oh, stop. We both know it wouldn't last long." However much she sounded like she wanted him to stop, there was a hint of hope, and maybe even regret. She moved to pull her servo away, her optics beginning to harden. But before her digits slid away, Bumblebee nudged his mouth guard down and pulled her in, pressing his dermas to hers. He prayed Starfreeze wasn't watching. 

Skywave was stiff, rigid, for the first few seconds, then slowly, the tension in her frame released. Bumblebee pulled away, searching her face plate. She opened her intake slightly, closing her optics. When she opened them, the dark navy color faded away. Then her legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed. Bumblebee caught her, lifting her off the ground.

"Skywave," he whispered. "Skywave, it's okay." He kissed the top of her face plate softly, letting out a small sigh as he pulled away. The roar of noise in his processors faded quickly, leaving him lighthelmed with relief. He pressed his comm. 

"Bumblebee to base, does anyone copy?"

"Bumblebee?" Arcee asked. "They told me you were dead!" 

"I need a Ground Bridge. Quickly." 

"Sending one now." A few moments later, a portal opened. The cat growled and bounded through, its head reappearing and eyeing Bumblebee and its owner. 

"It's alright," he said, bending down and stroking the cat. It relaxed slightly and gave him a small purr. "She's going to be alright. She's coming home. For good this time."