Lei's a foster kid. She met the Autobots three months ago, and now Lei is Bumblebee's partner. But she's not the only human teen with an Autobot partner. There are three others, and the survival of Earth depends on them helping the Autobots. (Book 1...
I make sure my eyes are dry by the time Bumblebee and I get back to base. Which I guess is now my home. HQ sweet HQ. Optimus isn't in the commons, probably looking at a map in the map room or something instead. I drop my backpack on the pile and join the team at the table where we have satellite image printouts and sketches of the crater.
"Alright, what have we come up with so far?" I ask, looking at the drawings. They're drawn from memory, but you can definitely see the openings to the mines. Hunter's eyes light up with mischief, which I take as a good sign.
"There's no way for us to go in while the Decepticons are awake," he starts.
"So what if we threw down some nice presents for them?" Jake finishes, his eyes wide in mock innocence. I start laughing.
"That's brilliant! Hunter, Jake, why don't you start working on those gifts right now while Cho and I figure out the next step?" I suggest. They nod eagerly before grabbing their backpacks and disappearing down the hall. I turn back to the map.
"Now...Step Two," I say, drumming my fingers on the table.
"The Decepticons in the mines will probably hear the surprises go off, so we'll need to deal with them as well," Cho points out. "We'll need about 24 of those presents."
"Why don't you go let the boys know before they get too carried away while I go tell Optimus what we've got so far. The Autobots will want to figure out the next part," I tell her. Cho nods and sets off down the hall in pursuit of the boys while I start my search for Prime.
"Arcee, have you seen Optimus anywhere?" I ask her. She shakes her head.
"Try the map room. He's probably there," Arcee suggests. I thank her and race to the map room. Not there. I try the weapon room. Still not there. Finally, I try the top of the plateau. That's where I find him, gazing across the plain.
"Optimus, can I talk to you?" I ask, not sure if I'm interrupting something important.
"Of course. What is it?" Prime asks, squatting down so that he can hear me better.
"We have an idea for how to get into the mines," I tell him. "Jake and Hunter are working on making some special presents to throw down on the Decepticons. We knew you would want to decide what we do once we're inside the Decepticon mines."
"Yes, thank you. I'll be right down," he responds, seeming off in his own world.
"Is something wrong?" I ask, worried about our leader.
"No, everything's fine. Come, we need to have a meeting with everyone," he tells me, motioning for me to lead the way. I give him a look, letting Prime know that I don't believe him for one second, as I head down the stairs. I grab Jake and Hunter from where they're working, telling them about the meeting before we all head down to the main commons in HQ. Everyone is there already, and Jake, Hunter, and I hurry up the stairs to stand beside Cho so that we're face to face with everyone else as the meeting begins.
"Lei, Cho, Jake, and Hunter have come up with a plan to get us in the mines. Now we need to make a plan for what we do once we're in. Any ideas?" Optimus asks.
"Why don't we just blast 'em all up?" Ironhide says, powering up his rather impressive collection of weaponry. Cho and I both facepalm. Ironhide allows wants to blow things up. Maybe that's why he and Hunter get along so well.
Tentatively, I raise my hand, unsure if we humans are allowed to contribute to this meaning. I suppose we are because Optimus Prime nods at me to speak.
"Jake and Hunter have some...devices that they've made that could be useful at the entrance of the mines for knocking out the last Decepticons that hear the noise that our gifts will make. We could go in front since it's harder to spot us and clear the way quickly before you guys move in. And any we miss can be blasted all up," I suggest quickly. Jake steps forward to speak.
"A lot of our plan will have to be improvised as we go since we haven't been inside the mines yet. We'll need to split up to cover the most ground. We have comms we can use to communicate, so if someone finds something or if someone needs backup, they can just use the comm," he adds.
"Anything anyone wants to add?" Optimus asks. No one answers. "Thank you, Jake and Lei." He nods at us as everyone gets ready to go.
"Optimus, I need to talk to you again," I ask, looking him in the eye. Optimus steps toward the railing, sensing that this is something personal.
"If I make it back after this mission, could I stay at HQ? Like, live here?" I ask, biting my bottom lip.
"What happened today when you went home?" Optimus says, leaning down so we're eye to eye. I tell him about Starscream's attack, Bumblebee's injury, and what happened with my foster parents. Prime's eyes darken the more he hears.
"Of course you can stay here. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your foster parents. I know that they were very important to you, as well as being happy living with them for as long as you did," he tells me. I sigh with relief.
"Thank you so much," I tell him, before racing down to the floor below to find Bumblebee. Ratchet has beaten me to him and seems to be trying to get him to stay behind. I walk up to them.
"Bumblebee, I know you want to come with us, but you need to not injure yourself again after today," I tell him. He crouches down so it's easier to hear me. He protests, beeping and bzzting at me. I wave his arguments away.
"Please. Ratchet wouldn't tell you to stay here unless it was necessary," I remind him. Bumblebee sighs, and walks off down the hallway, dejected.
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I race after him.
"Hey, no sulking. If it makes you feel better, I wish you were coming with us," I tell Bumblebee.
Beep, bzzt, bzzt, bop, beep.
"Bumblebee, even though you think you're ready, Ratchet thinks you aren't and Optimus agrees. I wouldn't go against those orders," I say. "You didn't see yourself today after Starscream shot you. I was so scared when you couldn't get up that it's a miracle I was able to move still." Bumblebee stops and looks at me.
Beep, beep, beep, bop?
"Of course I care about you! We're partners! You're my friend! Of course, I'm going to be scared if you get shot!" I exclaim, throwing my hands up in the air. "Did you think I was going to be okay with you getting shot?" He just shakes his head. I hear the others shouting my name, saying that it's time to go. I sigh.
"I got to go, Bumblebee. See you when we get back," I say, walking back down the hallway.
Beep, beep, bop, bop. I smile.
"I'll try to stay out of trouble, Bee. I'll try."
A/N: Oh. My. Gosh. You're still here?! Am I imagining this?! Whoa. I don't know what to say. At least I know I'm doing something right if you're still here. Anywho, thanks and please let me know what you think in the comments below! Bye for now!
