(Optimus P.O.V)
It's been a day since me and Aerialace were cured from the Cybonic plague and she was still in recharge, Ratchet says she just needs to recover more because she was contaminated with more infected energon and for longer than me. "That's it, follow the light." Ratchet instructed, moving the flashlight to a different position for my optic to follow, "Good, good." Ratchet praised, "I wouldn't advise anything strenuous, Optimus, but it seems your systems have fully recovered from the Cybonic plague." Ratchet reported.
"Thanks to your medical expertise, old friend." I said back, "it was your scout who braved unknown territory to locate the cure." Ratchet looked to Bumblebee, "No, no, it's what I need to do as a scout, go into unknown territory." Bumblebee denied. "Lucky for us Megatron was still alive." Arcee thanked, "Did you just say that?" Bumblebee asked, "Yeah, I actually said that." Arcee said.
"What matters is that you are on the mend, Optimus. And Aerialace is too, just in a different way." Ratchet explained. "While Megatron..." Ratcjet trailed off, "Arcee had him pushing up lug nuts." Bumblebee finished, "Bee's right, did my best to finish Megatron's legacy, just couldn't stick around long enough to see how it ended." Arcee responded.
Bumblebee started to walk off and I went back to Ratchet, "Do you have any developments on Aerialace or Lockdown?" I asked Ratchet, "I do, actually, I have a file of Lockdown here so I'll send it to your personal datapad. And Aerialace... It's better to just show you." Ratchet explained and walked over to the unconscious femme.
"It seems her helm scar is hyper sensitive." Ratchet lightly ran his finger over the large scar, to which Aerialace frowned and turned on her other side, "As well as her horn." Ratchet then touched the small horn on her helm, this time she brought on of her servos to swat away whatever was touching her horn, she then curled up so that her helm was in her kneeplates. "And her stab wound?" I asked, "Couldn't get near it because she always has her servos above it, but it looks like it goes through her body so I checked her back and... it went completely through... it's a miracle on how she's alive, it goes staight through her spark." Ratchet lastly pointed to her back, where I saw the same sized hole, when I tried to touch it her wings moved so that they covered it. "I see, I will try and get an explanation on how these wounds happened, Ratchet." I turned and went over to a different side of the base and looked at the file.
While I was reading, the others, besides Ratchet, were lobbing but with Earth twists, the noise causing me to go to my own berthroom. I continued reading until I came across an interesting article about one of the crimes he committed:
Lockdown has a repeated record of illegal gladiatorial battles, bringing his own fighter, Champion of Temenos, to gain many credits fast. The Champion had no weapons except for a dagger that they use, most of the victims had a swift end, but some battles the Champion would bead the victim, pleads of mercy falling on deaf audio receptors, and punch them until there is only scrap metal and energon.
Underneath all of this was a video interview with Lockdown before he escaped, I pressed play and listened.
"This is prisoner 2156 interview ten." "Don't expect me to be here for much longer." Lockdown interrupted the interviewer, "Yeah, Yeah. It says here you have a record of illegal gladiatorial battles? And you don't have any scars?" The interviewer asked, "Yeah, I got my own little fighter." Lockdown responded, "What is their name and their weapons?" They wondered, "Champion of Temenos. A dagger, which I found on an alien planet, and who says they need more than one weapon? They do just fine with their servos." Lockdown explained. "Besides, why only fighting? After all, they were created for so much more..." Lockdown trailed off.
Right as I was about to continue watching the video I was interrupted by Ratchet yelling, "I needed that!" I went to the main hanger and saw Bumblebee going into an induced power down. "Bumblebee's complaining of intermittent visions, waking llnightmares, if you will." Ratchet explained, "But you said Bee was fine when you checked him over." Rafael reasoned, "Physically, but the experience he endured seems to be having a temporary effect on his psyche. This induced power down should force Bumblebee's mind to rest and recover." Ratchet finished.
We were interrupted by agent Fowler on the screen. "::Prime, spotted any Decepticons wearing hula skirts lately?::" Agent Fowler asked, "No, special agent Fowler, why?" I asked back, "::Because I was hoping you have a lead on the Cons that busted into the Kauai naval observatory, place looked like it was hit by an army of wrecking balls.::" Fowler reported, "Why would Cons break into an observatory?" Arcee asked, "::Does the Hoyt Negozian ring any bells?::" Fowler questioned, "The space telescope." Rafael realised, "::As of last night missing its primary lens.::" Fowler reported, "It's difficult to guess Starscream's intent without knowing where the lens has been taken." I informed Fowler, "::Good thing the lens has a tracking device.::" Fowler reassured us and sharing the location
"The artic? Great, another chance to freeze our spark plugs off." Arcee sighed. "That's an ND7 class, biggest unminable energon deposit is." Bulkhead whistled, "Unminable until Starscream melts his way down to it." I realised, "With the help of the lens." Arcee finished my sentence. "::Melting a glacier that size would cause sea levels to rise and demolish costal cities.::" Fowler realised. Me, Arcee and Bulkhead went through the groundbridge to stop this threat.
(Ratchet P.O.V)
I went back to medical bay to check on Aerialace. When I got there she was tossing and turning, but only one limb stayed in the same position; her pedde with the scar. This intrigued me so I went to get a closer look, just as I went to touch it, I heard Rafael talk to the recharging Bumblebee and I went back to the boy, "So I blow past the finish line, then my other sister Pilara asked how I got so good at racing games, and I told her I know a guy who knows cars." Rafael explained his day, "Rafael, I'm afraid that Bumblebee can't hear you in power down mode, it's getting late why don't I bridge you home to your family." I reminded him and tried to change the subject, "Because I promised Bee I'd stay, he's family too." Rafael whined.
"Don't be ridiculous, you aren't even the same species." I scoffed, "That's being related, it's not the same thing, I'll show you." Rafael pulls out his phone and shows me a photo of his family, "This is my family." He explains, "Very nice." I mumbled, "Very large, sometimes I can shout and no one will hear me." The boy continues, "Yes, yes, yes, yes." I mumbled again, "But Bumblebee always listens." I finally realise what Bumblebee means to Rafael, "And I can understand him, I'm not sure why, but I do." He finishes.
I try to change the subject and looked at the broken tool Bumblebee broke, "Rafael, I'm going to the supply vault to see if I can find parts to repair this, you know what that means..." "Don't touch anything." Rafael finishes and I walk off.
A few minutes later I come back to see Bumblebee walking through the groundbridge, "What did you do?" I growled, "Nothing! Bumblebee just got up and-" "He was in power down! Where does he think he's off to?" I asked. I went to check where the coordinates were set to for the groundbridge, "These are coordinates for the site of our previous battle with Megatron's undead." I realise, "Maybe we should call Optimus." Rafael suggested, "Optimus is busy preventing a polar ice cap from melting, we need to handle this on our own." I explain
I reopen the groundbridge to go after Bumblebee to stop him but was surprised when he walked back through, holding something, "Bumblebee? What have you been doing?" I asked and force him to show me what's in his hand, dark energon... "Dark energon-" I was cut off by Bumblebee punching me in the faceplate and knocking me out.
(Kai P.O.V (a.k.a 3rd P.O.V))
I came out of Ace's matrix to see Bee knocking Ratchet out. "Bee! What are you doing?" Raf asked to which Bee said nothing and picked him up to put him on a high ledge, "Bumblebee, please, I know you're in there- ah. You have to fight whatever's making you do this!" Raf begged as Bee dropped him on the vent opening and turned to Ace, who looked uncomfortable and nauseous from the dark energon nearby. Bee seemed to realise this and started approaching her, starting to have trouble breathing, I roared, making some harsh winds, as that was the only way for me to interact with the world. This seemed to scare Bee as he looked around and started to speed walk back to groundbridge, setting some new coordinates, and leaving.
(Ratchet's P.O.V)
"Urg..." I groaned as woke up, "Ratchet! Are you okay!?" Rafael yelled at me, "I'm fine, more importantly is Bumblebee, I fear the time spent in Megatron's mindscape is causing him to think like a Decepticon." I theorised, "Bee's not a Con." Rafael protested, "Agreed, but we need to find out exactly what Bumblebee intends to do with that shard." I think for a moment.
"Especially how Aerialace reacted to it." Rafael agreed, snapping me from my thought, "What happened?" I asked, "First, when Bee turned to her, she looked sick, as he came closer, she started having trouble breathing... Until a strong gust of wind scared him away, it nearly blew me off." Rafael explained, "Hmm... it seems Aerialace is sensitive to dark energon..."
As I was thinking I finally understood what Bumblebee was going to do with that shard, "The only one who knew about the shard... was Megatron..." I realised, "Bumblebee has Megatron's memories?" Rafael asked, "Worse, Megatron is occupying Bumblebee's mind." I explained, "What!?" Rafael yelled, "How could I have been such a fool, the cortical psychic patch acted as a two way conduit, when Bumblebee returned to his own mind, Megatron followed." I scolded myself.
"And now Bumblebee, Megatron, has bridged to nearly the same coordinates as Optimus used." I explained and reopened the bridge, "Stay here." I ordered, "No! Bumblebee needs me." Raf protested, "... Of course he does..." I realised and invited Rafael to join me, leaving Aerialace alone.
(Aerialace's P.O.V)
I was having a weird dream. I saw this orange bot punching a white and orange one, knocking him out, before grabbing a small creature, reminding me of some of the other prisoners on Temenos, and placing it on something tall. The bot the looked at a bot that looked eerily similar, except for the fact she looked older and larger, the figure seemed to be sick whenever the purple shard came closer to her. The yellow bot realising the same and started approaching her, I suddenly felt anger and I screamed at yellow bot, causing winds to appear out of nowhere, but they didn't seem to notice me... strange... I ignored the fact as I saw the small creature fighting against the winds. The yellow bot looked around before running into a mass of swirling green and blue.
I approached the older me and looked at her chestplate, seeing a gaping stab wound, they had the same colour spark as me and these three rings around them, the rings seemed to have small gems inside them, some of them had a different colour while most of them were this grey colour, I entered one of them and everything turned to black as I dreamt about nothing again.
I tried to re picture myself, I managed to succeed and was able to get her full frame. I looked around to see if she had the dagger, as I looked in the built in sheath for the dagger, I saw it wasn't there.
As I realised this I started falling, faster and faster.
Until I finally was pulled back to my cage, I groggily opened my optics to see someone about to touch my pedde scar.
(Optimus P.O.V)
I look up to see the Nemesis retreating and decided to call to get back, "Ratchet, we need a bridge." I asked, "You are not the only ones." Ratchet responded behind me, we turned around to see Ratchet, Bumblebee and Rafael walking out from behind an ice wall.
We all went back together and Ratchet immediately went to scan Bumblebee's processor, "Everything's back to normal." Ratchet finished, "Thanks Ratchet, it was weird with Megatron in my mind." Bumblebee thanked, "Well, normal for Bumblebee." Concluded. "Hey, Raf? I'm sorry for hurting you." Bumblebee apologised, "It's ok." Raf responded, "Were you brave?" Bumblebee asked, "Of course I was." "You're family, like you said." Bumblebee continued, "I know." Rafael smiled up at Bumblebee, "Thanks for being my friend." Bumblebee finished, "What did he say?" Miko whispered, "He said thanks." Rafael explained.
Everyone celebrated Bumblebee's return while Ratchet brought me over to Aerialace. "Is something wrong, Ratchet?" I ask, "No... but I feel like there is something you should know. You see her pedde scar? Whenever she moves her pedde stays in the same position. So maybe the scars are what is keeping her in recharge, it's like the key for her to wake up." Ratchet explained, "Are you sure?" I asked again. We were brought back to a slight whimpering as Aerialace's faceplate scrunched up as she was trying to grab something on her hip plates. "Now or never." Ratchet convinces me. I go to reach out to her pedde and when I touch it—
(A/N) I know, I know, cliffhanger. But next chapter is a special chapter and hopefully it'll be published either tomorrow or next weekend. Until then toodaloo- oh and I'm letting you all decide on the names of 3 of my shiny great tusks. Goodbye.