ALLIED WITH YOU
"Stars are only visible in darkness,"
⬵⤁
Bumblebee glanced over the dunes, watching with anticipation as the next hunting party made their way into the Sea of Rust. The Hydrax Plateau was home to the space port, which in turn held all sorts of transportation machines for Cybertronians to use at their own discretion. Of course, Megatron allowed his various bounty hunters to use it as their main hub of activity. Bumblebee was not interested in the hunters, per se, but rather the direct transportation line from Hydrax to Kaon. Any Cybertronian with a brain would know that if a Spacebridge was going to be anywhere, it would be in Kaon, where Megatron had rebuilt his fortress.
The only obstacle was how Bumblebee was going to get there without being caught. He tried inverting his colors, which worked a little bit, but he still sported multiple Autobot symbols. It killed him to think of removing them, as doing so was almost like revoking his cause, but now was not the time to be sentimental. Optimus Prime was dying, and Bumblebee needed to get help.
Gritting his denta, the scout very carefully pried off his symbols, ensuring that his paint did not also come along with it. The last thing he needed was obvious, blatant removal of the emblems, which would cause more suspicion than if he had been without. Storing them in his subspace, the scout also elected to inverse his colors, becoming primarily black and secondarily yellow instead of the vice versa. This would, at the least, prevent any preliminary scans from making an immediate match to his profile.
Glancing back at the Hydrax space port, he took a deep breath to cool his systems. The activity had decreased since the departure of the hunting squad, making this the prime opportunity to board the transit.
Sneaking his way through the rust, the scout thought it best to climb his way to a section of the line that was a bit of a distance from the port. The main goal was to get to Kaon undetected, and while he could probably sneak into Kaon going a slightly longer route, he had to beat the Decepticons at their own game. Likely Dreadwing had several patrols around the major Decepticon cities to keep anyone from sneaking in, however they would never suspect a 'bot to be crazy enough to just . . . waltz right in.
Swinging over the edge of the road he quickly transformed, taking off as fast as he dared down the sleek Cybertronian street. He had forgotten just how the roads of the cities felt, used to the heavily textured asphalt of Earth. The slightly magnetic properties of the roads were what kept ground-based vehicles from slipping and sliding, however it just did not feel as satisfying anymore.
Bumblebee rarely thought he would truly miss much from Earth, but this was one of them.
Much to his relief, his trip was, for the most part, uneventful. He would tense when he thought he heard the rev of another engine, but a part of him would force him to relax. The last thing he needed to be was obviously distraught or suspect.
The high rise of the Kaon city slowly but surely began to come into view, getting larger with every klik. It filled his spark with pulsing anxiety just thinking of entering the city, but he needed to do it. Optimus, and the rest of the Autobot cause, was relying on him. The Prime's survival was paramount if they were to bounce back from this.
Approaching the border he noticed just how unguarded it was, the scout slipping through virtually undetected. He quickly searched the area, looking for not only an area to transform and sneak around, but also the Decepticon headquarters. The original Darkmount.
Pulling into an abandoned alleyway the scout paused, waiting to see if he was followed. When his scanners did not pick up any activity he shifted to his root mood, remaining crouched and ducking behind what looked suspiciously like a dumpster.
Kaon was not busy by any means, the majority of the Cybertronian population scattered across the stars. Still, if one Decepticon found Bumblebee, it would not be long before he was outnumbered and either offlined or imprisoned. He had to remain vigilant, and cautious.
It had been a long time since he had seen his homeworld in its former glory, the Autobot finding it difficult to refrain from staring at the elegant buildings which rose from the metal ground. Bumblebee had seen a few cities during his youth that were still beautiful and reflected the power that Cybertron once possessed, but by his creation the majority of his home was war-torn.
His spark throbbed. Megatron had done one thing right - he had restored Cybertron. It was only for the purpose of ruling it, which made the revival bittersweet . . . but with Optimus still alive, they had a chance.
Bobbing and weaving between alleyways, Bumblebee managed to take a glance at the Kaon fortress. His spark sank a little, optics constricting when he saw the sheer amount of Decepticons buzzing around it. He was not going to be able to access it without a guarantee of getting caught.
Maybe, however, there would be a back door.
Bumblebee did not want to have to fight, but he may be forced to. The fewer casualties, the better, as the commotion would also serve as a red flag.
Resolving to find another way he ducked through a few more alleys, circling the fortress from afar. He did see a back way, but it was almost as heavily protected. Restraining his urge to curse, Bumblebee refused to give up. If there was a Spacebridge anywhere on this planet, it would be here.
Optics narrowing, he searched for the path of least resistance. Finally, he settled on the exterior, noting the handholds which scaled each wall. If he could climb, then perhaps he would better avoid detection.
Nobody would expect a grounder to come from the air.
Sneaking closer, he froze as a patrol of Vehicons swept through his area, stomping through the streets in search of any stray Autobots or traitors. Bumblebee ducked past them, taking a breath as he came to the final stretch.
The ground around the fortress was barren, just smooth metal that left any potential offenders open and ripe for the picking. Bumblebee did not intend to actually attack anybody, just get through the Spacebridge and return to Earth. And from there, get help for Optimus.
There was a Spacebridge on Earth, which they could use to get to the Prime. Enough things were going right, so surely that meant there was hope left for them.
The shriek of a jet engine ripped him from his thoughts, the scout having psyched himself up for the sprint. His spark pulsed as a blue jet whirred past him, Cybertronian engines ripping through the atmosphere with effortless ease. There was only one type of Cybertronian who could achieve such air superiority, and they were almost exclusive to the Decepticon cause: Seekers.
This one was certainly not Starscream, and the jet frame type was clearly not Dreadwing's. Bumblebee knew immediately who it was, and though he backpedaled rapidly and turned to transform, he was beaten.
Thundercracker transformed behind him, his pedes slamming into the scout's back and sending him skidding across the ground. Bumblebee tried to get up, a weight pressing down into his spinal strut and keeping him pinned to the metal dirt.
"Well, well, well," the Seeker mused. "Of all the Autobots, I was not expecting you to show your face anywhere near Kaon. Megatron thinks you're being hunted out in the Sea of Rust."
Panic caused Bumblebee to wiggle, but Thundercracker had size and weight against him. While he and Starscream did share a chassis type, Thundercracker's frame was much bulkier, the Seeker not nearly as sleek as his superior yet still rivaling his flying abilities. If anything, Thundercracker was the perfect example of a Seeker's natural grace. Any other flier with his frame would be clunky and struggle to demonstrate any elegance, yet he had been one of the most feared Seekers in the Decepticon forces.
"I'm not here to fight."
"Then what are you here for, scout? If not to die?" Thundercracker slightly bared his denta. Bumblebee was unsure if it was because he was disgusted by the fact he was an Autobot, or a grounder.
"I just need to use the Spacebridge," he said truthfully. "I don't want to fight you, Thundercracker. I just want to go back to Earth."
The Seeker raised an optic ridge. "And why would you want to go back? Surely you haven't been living under a rock and haven't heard? The planet is under Decepticon jurisdiction now."
Bumblebee felt his spark sink just a little. He had suspected Megatron had taken over Earth and Cybertron, but he wanted to believe the Autobot resistance still lived on. Surely Bulkhead and Wheeljack were still there, continuing the fight for their friends. They were Wreckers - never in a million years would either of them give up just yet.
"Because . . . I have to protect my human friends," not a lie, but not the whole truth. Somehow, he felt that explicitly mentioning his Autobot sympathy would only give Thundercracker an excuse to send him straight to prison.
Thundercracker, unlike most, did have a spark. He hated the idea of wasted lives, wasted potential, and just waste in general. He fought for the Decepticons, yes, but he was never unnecessarily brutal. It made Bumblebee hope that maybe, just maybe, he could reason with the Seeker.
"From an entire Decepticon army?"
"Yes," Bumblebee gave him a determined look. "If that's what it takes to keep them safe."
The Seeker blinked slowly, tilting his helm. Bumblebee felt the pressure of his back abate ever so slightly.
"I have only ever really seen humans from afar," Thundercracker said thoughtfully. "Are they truly worth laying down your life for?"
"They were never supposed to be a part of our war," Bumblebee argued. "They're innocent beings that Megatron wants to enslave."
Thundercracker listened with some intrigue. "I suppose their technological inferiority makes them almost . . . pitiful. Their enslavement and eventual annihilation would be a tragedy more than anything else. No more movies."
Bumblebee went to agree with him, then his train of thought came to a screeching halt. "Movies?"
"Yes, movies," Thundercracker spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know, film productions? The next step in theatre? Surely you have seen a few, if you had been stationed on Earth?"
"Uh . . ." Bumblebee's prosthetic would not let him stutter, yet he felt as if he should be. Of course he had seen a few movies, but it baffled him to think Thundercracker of all mechs was interested. "I have, yes. A few, with my human friends."
It was almost like a switch had been flipped in Thundercracker, his face lighting up as he began a completely different conversation. The scene was almost comical, as he still had Bumblebee pinned beneath his pede, yet they were speaking like old friends. "Really? Which ones? I have limited access, being on Cybertron and all, so I have only seen a few. 50 First Dates, Alien - for which I am trying to find the apparently super amazing sequel - Godzilla, and a couple others. None of my other comrades have an appreciation for such art, which Cybertron really doesn't have -"
"Hey! Thundercracker! What you got there?"
The Seeker grit his denta, angry that he was interrupted. He glanced back, watching Skywarp transform a few meters away and touch down. Bumblebee saw a look pass through Thundercracker's optics, unable to help a squeak when the mech's claws wrapped around his plating and yanked him closer.
"Tell you what, scout," he hissed in his audio receptor. "Let's make a deal. I get you to Earth, yeah? And in exchange, not only do you protect the human race, but you send me their films. I like to think of myself as a . . . critic, of sorts."
Bumblebee blinked, almost in disbelief of what was happening. Thundercracker would let him live, and even let him go, for a bunch of movies?
"I . . . yes. I can agree to that."
It was almost too easy, but Bumblebee was desperate. When Thundercracker smiled, he was expected to feel chills, but the grin appeared genuine. Perhaps the Seeker was just tired, and ready for the war to end. He just wanted to watch his movies.
"Then we have a deal, Autobot. Now put your hands behind your back, you're under arrest."