Beyond (TF: Animated)

Chapter 3

Bumblebee onlined his optics and sat up. He heard the others already running around busily as he tried to recreate how he got into his berthroom. The small bot remembered falling into recharge at the drive-in theatre. Then he had felt someone carefully lifting him up and carrying him away. That was all.
As those memories returned to his processor however, he began to feel a little uneasy. It was quite risky for Blitzwing to walk around with an Autobot just like that! [Will that stupid Con ever get how important it is to keep our - relationship? - well, whatever is IS - a secret? They'll be after our tailpipes in no-time if he keeps calling for it like that!] On the other servo though, he was still quite surprised by Blitzwing's sensitive side, if he may call it that, and it was a pleasant surprise. As the moments went by, Bee's anger faded away, leaving an echo of the feeling of safety he had had the night before. The bot grumbled as he made his way across the room. Whatever that mech did, Bee just couldn't be mad at him for long.

As the yellow bot walked into the main room, everyone else was already up. "You're still online!", Bulkhead shouted, though Bee could clearly hear the displeasure in his voice that he was trying to hide with happiness. "Heeey guys, what's up?" [Wait, how long was I in recharge?] He looked out of the gate's windows. It seemed like it was almost noon already. "How about you tell us?" Bumblebee turned around towards the voice and was met by an ice blue and calculating stare coming from the shadows of a corner. Bee jumped at the sight. "Hey, you're back! Where've you been?" Prowl got up from his leaning position against the wall. He slowly took a few steps forward, not taking his gaze from Bee for a single moment. "EXACTLY my question."

The smaller one took a step backwards. "I was... Just... Out on patrol... Night watch... You know how... The Cons... Prefer to work at night... What's with you anyways?" He started to be really irritated. "You know, Prowl has a pretty good point there", Prime said, moving over to the one he was supporting. Crossing his servos, he stood tall. "So... What were you doing at a drive-in theatre?", he demanded. "What?", Bee was confused. It took a few seconds to strike him. [Oh SLAG, no...!] He felt his expression drop. "I... You... How?" "Prowl followed you. When he returned before you did although you said you went looking for him, we were worried", Prime said, expecting an explanation. Prowl grumbled. "Sadly, I lost track of you in the traffic when you left..." [So he only saw me there alone, thank the Allspark!] "I was just being in town... On patrol, of course", the yellow bot tired to get away. "Speaking of town, will Sari come over today?" "Stay on topic, youngster. And no, she said she won't. Now answer the question. Honestly. You've been behaving quite strange lately", Ratchet joined in. Until now, the medic had simply stood there, observing everything grumpily.

Bumblebee felt like he was in a tunnel. A train coming in behind him, them forming a row, blocking the only way of escape. Deafeningly loud brawling started filling his audio receptors. The edges of his vision turned blurry, he could only see the other bots in front of him, growing bigger and louder, staring at him and repeating their questions. He couldn't think of anything to say, in fact, he couldn't think at all. [This is it, this is it, this is it... This is the end...] His processor whirled. His spark raced as if he had just won some Grand Prix. He would have never thought that he'd think this one day, but he was absolutely terrified by the others. They had changed so much. Or was it just him? He didn't know anymore.

It took some time for the alarm to break through to his consciousness. The others finally turned away from him. Bee broke out of his statue like trance. [This can't go  on like this. I need to change something! But how...?] "Decepticon activity", Prime grumbled. "This might be what they've up to all this time. Autobots, roll out!"

Bumblebee felt nauseaus as they approached the abandoned warehouse. This scenario had played over and over in his processor for hundreds of times. Now it was happening for real. They entered carefully as none of them knew what to expect. The hallway opened into a large, circular room with exits on all four sides, part of it's roof was missing. What was still there was being held up by a few tall, in parts severely damaged construction pillars.  The room was empty, dust and sand covering every inch of the floor, and Bee guessed there had been no one there for decades. The bots all stood there and stared in confusion, as suddenly two of the Starscream clones entered through the opposite hall, carrying things and talking to each other, totally unaware of the bots. Bee was just glad that they were the only ones on the scene. As they realized their company however, they immediately dropped everything and dove behind the next pillar. "Quick, they might call for backup!" Prowl rushed forward, followed by Optimus. As the grey clone stuck out his head from behind their hiding spot, Bulkhead hurled his spiked mace. Ramjet shrieked and disappeared again. Instead, the mace hit the pillar, pulverising a huge chunk of cement. "Watch it, or you'll bring the place down!", Ratchet yelled.

After a few seconds, everyone suddenly froze as they heard engines approaching. Then, they were standing in the shadows of the three planes hovering above them. A spiteful smile formed on Ramjet's and Sunstorm's faceplates. "This is too early!", Megatron hissed. All three newcomers transformed simultaneously, let themselves fall down and formed a row, facing their enemies. "We are not ready!" Lugnut turned his helm towards him and loaded his missiles. "Then, we'll have to take them offline right now, oh glorious leader!" Bumblebee did not listen to them. His optics were locked with the ones of the Con standing in front of him. His processor was filled with one thought: 'I don't want to!', and he saw the same mixture of horror and pleading that he was feeling reflected on Blitzwing's faceplate. "Not today, Megatron!", Prime shouted. The air was filled with the noise of stomping pedes as both sides charged.

The yellow bot quick-thinkingly threw himself at Sunstorm, aiming his stingers at the taller one's hips. The seeker flew upwards, blowing up a lot of dust with his pedeboosters. Bee clung onto his wing, making him tumble through the air. The seeker grunted and tried to get rid of his passenger by shaking and turning around abruptly. However, this only resulted in him loosing control, so that the two robots ended up crashing to the ground. Bumblebee's processor hummed, he felt dizzy while trying to regain his balance. Sunstorm had not been hit quite so hard, due to his size. Bumblebee saw him already charging his cannon for a counterattack. He did not have much time to react. Quickly transforming, he sped off.

He could not have told how much time had passed. It all consisted of driving around, Sunstorm shooting at him, him turning to bot mode and returning fire with his stingers, then transforming back and speeding on, round and round in circles. The fight had whirled up so much dust that it seemed like they were in a sandstorm. The small bot could hardly make out the others, but the sounds of crashing and blasters and shouting were everywhere. He slammed the brakes and made a one-hundred-and-eighty degree turnaround when he had enough. With screeching tires he zoomed towards the seeker, passing the pillar that Bulkhead had damaged. He crashed into Sunstorm at full speed, not slowing down, pushing him across the ground into the wall, where the seeker laid still. Bee transformed and walked around a little, turning his helm into every direction. He just had to be sure that Blitzwing was still functional. [Where is he? Where is- ] He heard the missile  stirring through the air a split second before it hit the ground right in front of his pedes.

The explosion sent him flying, crashing against the pillar and bursting through it, then hitting hard onto the ground. Bumblebee groaned. He noticed the breached armor at the side of his helm and felt his energon leaking from a few other damages. It felt like his chest chassis had been melted by the heatwave, and it seemed like the cables to  his left servo were snapped as well. From the depths of his processor, a droning grumble began to fill his whole world. Then, someone put a mountain on top of him. His optics flickered. Suddenly, some light shone through the rubble. The small bot caught a glimpse of beige and purple coloured armour plating, before he lost consciousness.

A little longer that the other ones... I had one heck of a hard time choosing this chapter's song, so I hope you guys like it.