Multi-Con

<Chapter 21>

I run to Bumblebee's side "Bee, there isn't another decepticon."

"How do you know?" He asks.

I say "When he escaped, he looked for his 'pal' and then picked up a yellow sphere. He seemed to befriend it. Maybe it's a cyclone minicon that was hiding or something... I-I don't know."

Bumblebee nods "Well if it is, we'll be ready."

I agree and then my face dims "H-hey, Bee?" He looks back to me. I say "I'm really sorry I.... The decepticon.... I-I was trying to get a look into the pod but I couldn't see it from where I was so I pushed myself up and fell forward, bashing my head against it and accidentally letting him out. I was dizzy enough and then he sprayed me with the toxin so I couldn't apprehend him. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He says "We've let cons escape accidentally sometimes as well. It's nothing to be shamed about...."

"So you're not replacing me with Blurr, or..... Is that still on. C-cause I-I'll leave.... I-if you want me to.... I-I just wish you had told me..." I ask. Then he stopped.

He turned to me surprised "Wait hold on, what?" I shrug "I don't know.... I heard—"

"Where did you hear that? Im not replacing you! You're one of the best on our team! You scored the highest remember? Besides we trust you and we need you! You're our air support with Windblade off the grid right now. What would we do without you?"

I shrug "I don't know, probably the same thing just without too many mistakes...."

I felt a pain in my throat that was holding my tears back. My breath shuddered and Bumblebee put his arm around me "It would be a lot different without you. Trust me."

I nod and then grab Bumblebee before he took another step "Woah! Shivers! What's up?" I point to the ground and then kick a rock into it. The fake ground disappears and shows the spikes underneath. I look to Bumblebee, and he looks back "How did you? -"

"Remember when I was blinded by dark energon and Optimus brought me to your base? I learned to see with vibrations in the ground." I smile.

Bumblebee smiles back "See? What would we have done without you?"

"Yeah, don't get sweet with it, Bee. We all know the slightest detail could mean the difference between life and —" Sideswipe steps on a tripwire and the cave shakes.

"Earthquake!" Blurr yelled. Spikes emerged from the wall "With spikes?" The mech asked.

Bumblebee yells "Autobots, Rev up and run for it!!!" We run for the end and we just narrowly avoided it. "Any damage?" Bee asks.

I grab my helm "Yes..." Bumblebee looks back to see me standing sideways. I groan "I hate being sensitive and I hate having wings." He saw the wall closed on my wing and carefully pulled me out of it. It hurt and it was only slightly damaged.

Bumblebee holds a thumb up "All good?"

I nod "All good."

Bee asks, "Your wings are really sensitive huh?"

I reply "Yes they are. I don't want to damage them because it could get worse, and the repair would be a worse reaction than with the damage inflicted." Bumblebee agrees.

We find the others and saw that they defeated the Skunkticon. We go back to the scrapyard and put him in a stasis cell, then admire the sphere he was holding. Sideswipe picks it up and says "Zorillor's got weird taste in pals."

Drift takes it from his hands "He was prepared to defend this orb with his very spark."

Grimlock took it next "I can see why. It's pretty incredibly awesomely amazing."

Denny says "Looks like a Swedish desk lamp."

Strongarm says "Yes, it's clearly very valuable."

Fixit states "I can't find any record of this artifact in the alchemor's manifest. I-I'll run a few scans. Maybe that will tell us something."

Blurr suggests "Maybe it's some kind of booster that lets you stick to walls."

Sideswipe joins "Or a gravity nullifier for flight!"

Drift says, "It is more likely an aid to mediation and focus." I agreed with Drift's suggestion. They just kept on talking, however.

"Or a bashing thingy, for bashing!" Grimlock says.

Fixit rolls down to us stating "Whatever it is apart from some low-level energy emissions, it's completely inert! No moving parts or circuitry of any kind."

"So, it's— nothing?" Russel asks.

The minicon remarks "Yes! A scintillating, beautiful, fascinating ball of nothing."

I cock a ridge "I don't see the attraction to it...."

Strongarm ignores my comment and says "this is a really important find! I mean, it has to be, right!?"

Lieutenant Bumblebee says "Something about it is really familiar but, I can't quite—- maybe Optimus will recognize it? Fixit, see if you can contact him. Fixit?"

The mini responds "Oh uh, Optibus, tops a bust, Optimus! Eh, yes! Right away!"

We call him and tell him. Prime tells us "The artifact you describe sounds like the sphere of Doradus, but of course, that's impossible, because it is a legend, like the lost city of Doradus and it's fountain of energon. In the tales, wars have been fought to possess the sphere. Bot battling brother bot to destruction."

Strongarm takes the sphere from Bee and says "Ph, I remember those stories now. Supposedly inside the sphere is a map to Doradus and the fountain, but if the sphere isn't opened exactly right, there's enough energy inside to wipe out a city, yeah right."

Russel exclaims "Yikes! But how do we know this sphere isn't that sphere?"

Optimus explains "fortunately the sphere is only a myth, Russel. A metaphor for the destructive power of greed. The artifact should be returned to Cybertron for study."

Bumblebee takes the sphere back and says "We'll arrange its transport Optimus. Uh, in the morning. Out."

Prime ends the com on his side and I say "You know, I can just take it if you want to wait that long—"

"No!" Bee moves the sphere away from me. I was shocked. He calms down "W-what I mean is.... W-we should do it tomorrow since everyone will be rested for it." I agree but something in me told me something was wrong, and I just couldn't see it yet...

Bumblebee says to the team "In the meantime, since things have been disappearing around here lately, mainly my decepticon hunter, we'll post a guard on the sphere until tomorrow."

Grim cheers "Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!"

"You can count on me, Lieutenant!" Strongarm says.

Sideswipe volunteers "I call first watch!"

"Dibs! Dibs!" Blurr exclaims.

Drift argues "I shall take the responsibility."

I say "I took the last mission off. I should do it to make up for the off time."

Bumblebee denies it "I will guard the sphere. Is that understood? Dismissed." We all walk away to go recharge for the night.