Chapter Text
Bumblebee could only see red. The color seemed to fill his entire view, pressing down on him and suffocating him. Those optics. Those fragging optics. He could feel the tension in his frame building as he heard pedesteps get louder and closer. As the steps echoed like cannon fire, the red fog only seemed to get thicker. He felt like he was frozen to the spot. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t run, and he couldn’t speak. Deep in the blood-red fog he could hear the pedesteps, and with each one he felt his panic grow just a little more. He raised his arms and tried to activate his blasters, but they wouldn’t work. Show yourself, he thought. C’mon you coward, face me! Out in the fog, someone laughed. The familiar sound sent Bee’s spark straight into his intake. He would recognize that laugh anywhere.
“I can feel you.”
Suddenly, Bee felt someone jump him from behind. He struggled to fight back against the attacker, but he couldn’t do anything. He felt his spark stop as the familiar servo made its way to his throat and gripped it tightly. He would never forget that feeling. Those horrible claws dug deep into the plating of his neck. Those optics…
“I win, Bumblebee.”
Then all he could feel was white-hot pain. He was on the ground, looking up at Megatron. Those red, hateful optics. Bumblebee tried to scream in both pain and frustration, but he had no vocalizer to scream with. He gazed helplessly up at the Decepticon leader who was now raising a ginormous sword above his head. Both servos, covered in blue, gripped the hilt of the weapon. Bee was too scared to close his optics, and could only stare up at his impending doom. The sword came rushing down, and he gasped as-
Bumblebee sat up, arms swinging around wildly. He couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t see anything! Was he blinded, or were his optics offline? What the frag? He reached out blindly, hoping to touch something, anything, that might help him. Suddenly he felt servos grab his arms firmly. Oh my Primus, Megatron?! Bee activated his blasters and fired randomly. Why the frag couldn’t he see? He swung his legs out and felt his pedes meet the frame of the person. Without hesitation, he pushed off of the other bot to get away from them. The servos slipped away, and he was moving backwards. He felt the surface he was on come to an end, and he tumbled off the edge of the platform. He crashed to the ground, and had to lie there for a second to try and gather his bearings. He was in a lot of pain. He could see, he wasn’t blind, but everything seemed so fuzzy, like he was looking through a thick fog. Fog, oh scrap, Megatron. Bumblebee scrambled to get to his pedes, but they were shaking so badly he couldn’t even get to his knees. Through the fog in his processor, he was sure he could hear voices now, multiple voices. The rest of the Decepticons, oh Primus he was going to die. He was going to die.
“Bumblebee! Listen to me!”
To him? Oh Kaon, no! Bee needed to go, he needed to escape. He started to drag himself across the floor. Did he know where he was going? No, but did he care? Also no. He just needed to move.
“Grab him! Hold him down!”
Before Bee could roll onto his back and activate his blasters, he felt someone push him into the ground. He felt another person join in, holding him down as he struggled frantically against their servos.
“Good job, Bulkhead. Gentle now, don’t hurt him.”
Bee felt a servo grab his helm, but the sensation made him pause for a moment. The hand was gentle and tender, now cupping his face and making sure that he wouldn’t scrape it against the ground. What the-? What kind of ‘Con would treat an Autobot like this?
“Hey, buddy, it’s okay.” One of the voices said, sounding a little bit more familiar. The next sentence was addressed to someone else. “Poor guy’s scared out of his processor.”
“He’s also losing energon where the drip was ripped out.”
“Talk to him, I think he’s starting to hear you again.”
A deeper voice chimed in, closer to Bee’s audial receptors. “Bumblebee, can you hear me? Do you know who I am?”
“Ratchet, are you powering him off?” Another voice said.
“No, I don’t want this to happen again. We need to figure something else out first.”
Bee was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, and he felt another pair of servos start to gently rub him on the back. They moved up and down in a comforting, repetitive motion, but Bee felt himself starting to calm down. He knew that there was no possible way that these bots were Decepticons, and that meant…
“Bumblebee, you’re alright. You are with us, and you are safe.”
“:Optimus:” Bumblebee tried to say, but only a few small clicking noises emerged from his vocalizer.
Optimus was holding his helm, and with his free servo he rubbed the back of Bee’s helm. Although the scout couldn't say anything, Optimus understood that Bee now knew that he was with the Autobots. Bee decided that he didn’t want to be face-down on the floor anymore, and he tried to roll over. The servos all held him a little bit tighter, unsure what the panicked bot was trying to do.
“I think he wants to be on his back.”
Bee recognized Arcee’s voice, and he tried to nod to show that she was right. The servos let go for a moment, and they helped him turn over to his back. Bee was staring up at the silo’s ceiling now, and the concerned faces of the rest of the Autobots came into view. Optimus was still holding Bee’s head, and he gazed down at the yellow bot with a mixed look of relief and sadness on his faceplate.
“It’s alright. You’re okay now.”
Bumblebee could feel wetness on his cheeks, and he fought the urge to cry. He had never felt so exhausted in his life. He thought for a brief moment about trying to recharge again, then quickly decided that he would never rest again if this was going to happen a second time. Oh Primus, he had shot at them! At the sudden realization, Bee quickly tried to sit up, but the rest of the team all gently, but firmly, pushed him back to the ground. Bee raised a shaky servo to his face and covered his optics. He felt more embarrassed than he had in all his solar cycles. He couldn’t look at them right now. He had freaked out on them, shot at them, and thought they were Decepticons. Their servos still held him, supporting him and trying to keep him grounded.
“Are you okay, Bee?” Arcee was by his head. Her servo was on his shoulder. The other one reached out and gently picked up his servo that wasn’t covering his face. She gave it a small squeeze. He shook his helm, still keeping his face hidden from the group. Arcee held his hand a little tighter and swallowed the lump in her intake.
Ratchet vented tiredly, and slowly got to his pedes. “I want to give you a checkup, but I don’t want you to move just yet. Stay right there.” He quickly walked away to get the medical supplies he would need, leaving the rest of the group with Bee.
Bulkhead reached out and patted Bee gently on his knee. Arcee didn’t let go of Bee’s servo, and Optimus kept his hands where they were until Ratchet came back.
“Let’s see…” he murmured as he started to scan Bee from head to toe. Bee closed his optics. After a minute, the medic gave a small hum. “Yep. Just as I thought. Let’s get you back on the berth.”
Optimus and Bulkhead moved to either side of the scout and supported him as he started to stand. Bee cursed his legs as they shook beneath him. Arcee and Ratchet were right there to catch him if he fell, and by the looks on their faces, they were very worried that that would happen. No sooner than he had thought of that, his knees buckled and he dropped towards the ground. Bulkhead and Optimus held him up as Arcee and Ratchet jumped to help them. They managed to get the smaller bot over to the medical area and lift him back up onto the berth. Bee turned away from the rest of the bots, he didn’t think he could look them in the optics right now.
“You dislodged your energon infusion when you fell. More importantly, your energon converter was working too fast.” Ratchet was scanning Bee again. “It was pumping incorrectly. There’s some small damage.”
“How serious is the damage?” Optimus asked, visibly worried.
“Ehh… I’d say it’s not too bad. If it was, I would have known about it sooner. I still want to fix it, of course, but it can wait if you’re not up for it right now, Bumblebee.”
Bee slowly turned to face the medic, and stared at him. He couldn’t say anything, and after a moment, Ratchet came to that realization as well.
“I apologize, Bumblebee. I forgot you couldn’t- never mind.” He tapped his chin, thinking, then snapped his fingers. “Alright, if you want to do the surgery now, raise your right servo. If you want to wait, raise the left one.”
Bee blinked, unsure what to answer. On one hand, it’d be good to get it done and out of the way, but on the other hand, he still felt like he’d snap at any moment. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to have Ratchet under his hood while he was so… He wasn’t quite sure what he was right now. After a few minutes of silence, Bee raised his left servo.
Ratchet nodded. “I expected that would be the case. No worries, I’ll just keep an eye on you. Let’s get you hooked back up to the energon infusion and the pain medications.”
Optimus still looked worried, but he vented and sat down by the berth again. Bee wouldn’t look at anyone as the energon pump was re-inserted in his arm by Arcee. He could hear Ratchet and Bulkhead talking quietly, and then he heard the sound of equipment at work. He tried to sit up, but Optimus stopped him and urged him to stay lying down. Before he got pushed back to the berth again, he could see the team doctor patching up a burnt spot on Bulkhead’s shoulder. Bee realized what the spot was as Optimus guided his helm back, and he felt another wave of horror race through his frame.
He had shot Bulkhead.
He had shot Bulkhead. One of his oldest and dearest friends. Bulkhead must have been the one that tried to grab him, tried to help him, tried to support him. Bumblebee had shot him. Oh Primus, the realization hurt. The anger and the embarrassment the scout felt grew to be too much, and he threw up his arms in frustration and kicked the berth with one of his heels. He heard Arcee gasp in surprise at the sudden motion, and he felt her and Prime try to grab his arms again. They think you’re lashing out again, Bee thought. They are scared of you. He surprised himself when his blasters suddenly activated again, and he glowered at the hateful weapons. Maybe they should be.
“Bumblebee! No!” Optimus grabbed one of his arms and pointed its blaster at the ground. “Calm down, it’s alright, you’re alright.”
He was not alright. He would never be alright again.
“Bee, take some deep breaths, you’re panicking.” Arcee’s face popped briefly into view, before Bee squeezed his optics shut.
He would never be the same bot he was before. Megatron had changed him centuries ago, and somehow he had managed to do it a second time. There was no returning from this. He was not the Bumblebee he had once been.
“Ratchet!”
“I know, I know! Calm him down, this isn’t good for his converter!”
He couldn’t communicate, he could barely function, he was dangerous.
“Lay him down! I have the battery pack!”
Bee could feel the servos of his family pushing him back down, gentle and steady as always. They didn’t deserve this. He felt the clamps on the medical berth being forced around his wrists and ankles, firmly locking him in place. He tried desperately to keep himself calm, but the sensation of being held down sent his spark-rate into the stratosphere. When the final restraint locked around his waist, Bumblebee panicked. He felt the same irrational terror he had experienced earlier seize his spark and hold it tight.
“:Not there, not there, not them:” He tried to tell himself, but there was no noise.
“Bumblebee, don’t struggle!” Arcee was nearby, trying to calm him down. “You’re gonna hurt yourself!”
Bumblebee’s processor was beyond all rational thought. It was so muddled with fear it started to warp the caring servos of his family into cruel claws and talons. The red fog reemerged, seeping into every corner of Bee’s mind. He could feel the frantic thudding of his converter in his chest, hammering away at his insides and making him feel ill. It felt like his converter was going to explode. The pain was awful. Was he dying? He needed to scream. He needed to scream.
“: - No!- N-!:”
Optimus and the others jumped at the sudden burst of sound, then the Prime quickly bent down closer to Bee’s audial receptors. He desperately tried to bring his sparkling back to the real world, not whatever horror his traumatized mind was showing him.
“Bumblebee, listen to my voice, listen to me. You’re in good hands, Ratchet is going to make everything better.”
The upset look that the medic threw his way did nothing to soothe the Prime’s rapidly growing fear. Ratchet raised the paddles and nodded his head. The Autobots all took a step back and let Ratchet step forward. Bee thrashed on the berth like a trapped animal, and Ratchet’s face grew sadder as he got closer. The paddles buzzed slightly, and Optimus looked away. It made him think of the last time they had to do this, and he could barely stand that memory.
“Clear!”
Immediately, Bumblebee stopped struggling. He went completely still, but the heavy venting coming from his frame told Ratchet that the little bot was still online and in a lot more pain. A quick scan showed that Bee’s converter had been shocked back to a much healthier rhythm. Good, that’s what he had been going for. Ratchet pushed past Bulkhead and made his way to the head of the berth. Bee’s optics were screwed shut, a little bit of liquid escaping from them. Ratchet’s spark felt extremely heavy in his chest as he reached out and grabbed the back of Bee’s helm. Bee reacted immediately, swinging his head back and forth to try to escape his attacker.
“Hold his head!” Ratchet yelled. “I need to put him into stasis!”
Arcee leaped forward from the left, and Optimus from the right. They held Bee as gently as possible, avoiding his neck and mouth. Ratchet finally activated mandatory stasis, and Bee began to power down. As the light left his optics, Ratchet attached the monitoring equipment to the bot’s frame again. He had been hoping that they wouldn’t need to use them again, but of course nothing was easy in this world. Once he had placed the last one, he stepped back and looked at the silent group before him. Optimus was holding one of Bee’s servos, Arcee was pressing her helm into Bee’s chassis, and Bulkhead was holding Bee’s other servo.
“Well,” sighed Ratchet. “I think…” he trailed off. He wasn’t quite sure what to think. One thing was very clear in his mind as he sat down on a crate and put his head in his hands. Primus, I hate Megatron.
Agent William Fowler had seen a lot of things during his many years of service. Horrible, amazing, and everything in between. Giant living robots from another planet were definitely in the top-five of his “strangest things” list. He was thinking about this as he drove to the Autobot base. He hadn’t gotten to call or visit yesterday because of a small crisis and several meetings he had to attend. However, it was finally Saturday and he could head over to the silo and see how the team was doing. More specifically, how poor Bumblebee was doing. Fowler had gotten a short, one-sentence message from Ratchet that morning stating that Bee was still alive, but he hadn’t heard anything since. He drove off the main road and straight towards the entrance of the base. He passed silently through the tunnel and came to a stop by the ground-bridge computers. He exited the vehicle and began walking towards the Autobot group. None of them looked very happy at the moment. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Fowler,” greeted Bulkhead from the berth-side of the injured Autobot.
“Bulkhead. How is Bumblebee doing?”
Ratchet looked up from the crate he was sitting on, lifting his head from his hands. He looked exhausted. “Bumblebee is alive, but there are a lot of complications.”
Well damn, that didn’t sound very good at all.
“He’s losing energon internally from a damaged pump, he has several pinched wires, and his vocalizer is severely compromised.” Ratchet continued. “More concerningly, he’s not doing well mentally. He had a nightmare and shot Bulkhead. When he started having another flashback we ended up having to strap him to the berth.”
Agent Fowler looked closer and realized that the bot was indeed strapped to the bed, and that Bulkhead had a charred spot on his arm.
“He didn’t mean to shoot me. I saw he was panicking and I grabbed his arms. Not the best idea in hindsight.” Bulkhead rubbed the back of his head.
“So, it’s safe to assume Bumblebee has some form of post traumatic stress disorder?” Fowler sighed. PTSD was something he was very familiar with, unfortunately.
Ratchet nodded slowly, like he didn’t quite want to admit it. “Yes. I believe so.”
Fowler looked at the other bots. Arcee was perched on one of the medical tables, watching the interaction with little interest. Her optics kept drifting back to her teammate on the medical berth. Optimus was holding one of Bee’s servos and his head was resting next to Bee’s on the berth. That made Fowler slightly more concerned. He had never seen the Prime so openly affectionate with the other bots. Was Bee doing that badly? He saw Ratchet looking at him, and Fowler raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ratchet shook his head and stood up.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Oh, well, I just thought I’d check in. See if you guys needed anything.”
“Thank you for that, but I’m afraid there isn’t much that can be done.” Ratchet sighed. “I suppose I should get in there and fix his converter while he’s in stasis.” The look on his face clearly stated that the medic wasn’t looking forward to performing surgery again.
“Good luck with that.” Fowler watched the Autobot begin gathering his tools.
Ratchet walked over to the medical bay with the trays of tools in his hands. He shooed Arcee off of the medical table so he could put the trays down, and put a servo on Bulkhead’s shoulder, silently telling the other bot that he needed to move. Arcee came to stand by Agent Fowler, and Bulkhead joined them shortly. Optimus stayed in the med-bay, but he stood and began helping Ratchet. Fowler watched intently as Optimus removed some of Bee’s outer plating and set it aside. Ratchet pressed down on the inner frame, and a hatch of some sort popped open. Ratchet reached into the opening and started rummaging around.
Agent Fowler turned away. He had to admit, watching open-bot surgery made him a little queasy. He looked at Bulkhead and Arcee to see what they were doing, and saw that they were both watching the medical procedure intently. Fowler coughed, gaining the attention of Bulkhead, but not Arcee.
“So, where are the kids? It’s unusual that they aren’t here.”
Bulkhead sighed. “Yeah, we sent them home yesterday once they had seen Bee come online. They’re probably enjoying their weekend or something.” He thought for a moment, then a look of sadness crossed his face. “I don’t know when they’ll come back. I don’t know if we should let them come back for a while.”
“What? Why do you say that?”
“Well,” mumbled Bulkhead. “Bee’s not in a very good headspace right now. I know he’d never do it intentionally, but-”
“Bulk’s afraid that he might have an episode like he did today and hurt them.” Arcee interrupted, not turning to look at the human. “We haven’t discussed it yet.” The femme’s arms were crossed and her face set in a scowl. Bulkhead looked away, face slightly ashamed.
“Ah,” was the only thing Fowler said. He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. “PTSD is hellish. Believe me, I’d know… I hope the kid gets better eventually. He doesn’t deserve this.”
“No, he doesn’t,” hissed Arcee. Her anger wasn’t directed at Agent Fowler, but the acid in her voice made him wince.
There was a long silence, and Fowler turned to watch the procedure again. Ratchet was bent over Bumblebee’s still frame, and when Optimus leaned over, the medic shooed the Prime away. Optimus got up dejectedly and joined the other spectators.
“Agent Fowler, please excuse my lack of a proper greeting.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve got more important things to deal with. I won’t take up much more of your time, but I would like to talk to you.”
“Very well, let us go by the ground-bridge computers.”
They went over, and once Agent Fowler had climbed up to the Prime’s eye level he cleared his throat and began speaking.
“To be honest, Optimus, I wanted to apologize to you.”
The Prime raised an eyebrow. “What for?”
“For having you go on that mission. I knew something was wrong, and I should’ve insisted you’d stayed.”
“Ah, there is no need to apologize for that,” said Optimus, his voice kind. “That wasn’t something that could have been ignored. We needed to stop Starscream, we just didn’t know that this would happen.”
“Well, thank you, but I still feel pretty bad.” Fowler looked back at the medbay. “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, tell me. I mean it. Mechanics, materials…” he trailed off, a new thought coming to mind. “Therapists. If Bumblebee would like one.”
Optimus looked confused, then smiled slightly. “Thank you. I will let you know.” The Prime’s eyes drifted back to the yellow bot on the medical berth.
Fowler decided that he had kept the Prime away from his scout long enough. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. I hope Bumblebee recovers…” he searched for a word, because quickly didn’t seem like an option. “Well. I hope he recovers well.”
Optimus’s smile faded and he looked more solemn at the words. “Thank you. I have no doubt that Ratchet will be able to fix the physical problems, but the after effects of Megatron’s violence still remain to be seen.” After he finished speaking, the Autobot turned and walked back to the medbay.
Agent Fowler could almost feel the Prime’s desire to be next to his scout, it was so strong. As he climbed down from the upper area, he watched Optimus talk to Ratchet for a moment. Ratchet waved a hand in the air, and Optimus quickly sat down beside Bumblebee and took one of the scout’s servos in his hands. He must have made a face, because the sound of a quiet laugh broke the agent out of his thoughts.
“Surprised? I know it’s unusual to see the big guy this affectionate.” Bulkhead grinned at Agent Fowler.
“Concerned too. Is the damage that bad that he’s afraid to leave Bumblebee’s side?”
Bulkhead looked worried for a moment, then tried to put on a brave face. “Nah, he just wants to be by his sparkling, that’s all.”
Agent Fowler raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure what that was, but he could take a guess. “So… he’s like Optimus’ son?”
“His sun?” Bulkhead wondered why Agent Fowler was comparing Bee to the earth’s light source, but as he thought about it more, it made a lot of sense. Bee was definitely the light of Optimus’s life. Heck, Bee was the light of the entire Autobot team. Bumblebee and the sun both brought warmth and light to their worlds. Bulkhead nodded, it made a lot more sense now. “Yeah. He is Optimus’ sun.”
“Woah.”
Bulkhead wasn’t sure why Agent Fowler looked so surprised at the statement. Shocked, even. He was the one who had suggested it after all. Oh well. Bulkhead looked back at the medbay and watched Optimus press his helm to Bee’s helm with the utmost gentleness. The Wrecker decided that he liked Fowler’s comparison a lot.
“Well, there we go.” Ratchet finally stepped away from his patient and dumped his dirtied tools in the medbay wash basin. “The converter has been patched and completely repaired. However, I still have to straighten out those pinched nerves and drain the energon pools in his inner workings that leaked from the pump.”
“Do you need assistance?” Optimus asked. It had been nearly an hour since the medic started his work. Agent Fowler had left long ago, and the base had been quiet since.
Ratchet thought for a moment, then nodded. “I want to do this as fast as possible, but also as well as possible. I’m not sure if Bee can escape mandatory stasis like he had when Megatron was in his mind, but I still don’t want to chance him waking up in the middle of surgery.”
The thought of the distress that that would cause Bee spurred the others into action, and they quickly came over to hear the medic’s instructions.
“I just need people to hand me tools and clean the ones in the wash basin,” said Ratchet. “I can do all the inside stuff.”
“What about his vocalizer?” Arcee’s face was still set in the same, worried scowl that it had been for the last hour.
Ratchet hesitated. “I’ll work on it if we have time. The other things come first. Optimus, can you refill the pain medications? I’d like to keep him on those, I think he might do slightly better if he’s not in any pain.”
Optimus went to one of the cabinets to get a canister of liquid, and returned with it. He passed it over the berth to Arcee, who was preparing the medication drip again. Once she had finished setting it up, she turned to Ratchet.
“How high for the dosage this time?”
“The same. Highest possible without knocking him out.” Ratchet didn’t look up from his patient. “He’ll be a bit woozy, but that might be a good thing. It’ll keep him calmer.”
Arcee frowned, she didn’t like that answer very much. She wanted to be able to talk to Bee, really talk to him, but that would make it difficult. Regardless, she decided to trust the medic and she jabbed the end of the drip into Bumblebee’s arm that didn’t have the energon infusion going. The femme pressed the buttons to set the medication rate, then stepped away. Bulkhead passed her holding a pair of pliers in his servos, which he handed to Ratchet. The Autobots worked in silence, waiting for any signs of change in their scout. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Ratchet started working on the wires and the internal clean-up before the monitor began beeping. Everyone whipped around to look at the vitals screen, but the only really drastic change was in Bee’s processor activity. However, Bee was not moving.
Ratchet quickly moved to the head of the berth and shined a light into Bee’s optics. “He’s still in stasis, but I think he’s trying to wake up. We need to hurry.”
“On it,” said Arcee, dashing away to get another energon cube.
Ratchet raced back to Bee’s open chassis and finished the final touches. Optimus was swiping up the last remaining drops of energon that had been missed, and Ratchet reconnected the newly-repaired wires. The medic closed Bee’s chest and held out his servo. Bulkhead handed him Bee’s outer plating, which was hurriedly, but very carefully, secured back in their proper places.
“I think Bumblebee is attempting to escape stasis,” murmured Ratchet as he worked. “But he just can’t quite succeed. He knows he is in stasis, so I wonder if that will change how he’s acting when he wakes up.”
“Do you recommend reassuring him? Talking to him?”
“Yes, Optimus, it would be ideal if you sat and talked to him.”
The Prime quickly took a seat by his sparkling and gently held one of his servos. Bulkhead shuffled backwards, looking slightly unsure of himself. Ratchet patted the Wrecker on his back as he passed, trying to reassure him. Arcee reappeared and put the energon cube into the liquidizing machine. She then went to stand by Bulkhead. Ratchet took his place at the head of the berth and looked at each bot in the room.
“Ready?”
When they all nodded at him, Ratchet quickly turned off the mandatory stasis mode and sat down. The energy in the medbay was electric, the entire room holding its breath in anticipation. There was no movement in the room as they waited anxiously for any sign of life from the smaller bot. Then, after a few more tense moments, Bumblebee moved. His head shifted slightly on the berth, and there were several relieved exhales in the medbay. Optimus looked at Ratchet, who nodded at the Prime.
“Bumblebee,” whispered Optimus, his voice soft. “Are you coming online now?”
Bee moved again, his helm slowly turning to where he could hear Optimus. The Prime smiled, encouraged, and continued to talk to the scout.
“I’m here, Bumblebee.” He reached out carefully and cradled the little bot’s face in his servos. “I’m right here.”
Ratchet watched Bee’s vitals like a hawk, scanning the scout’s frame meticulously from top to bottom. Bee gradually opened his optics, staring into Optimus Prime’s kind, blue optics.
“Bumblebee,” sighed Optimus. He gently wrapped the bot into a soft embrace, touching their foreheads together.
The others waited respectfully for the embrace to end, before also coming forward to hug the bot. Ratchet watched as the yellow bot tried to hug back, but found that he couldn’t. His faceplate grew more and more confused as he wiggled his servos, almost as if he was making sure that they were still there. Ratchet and Optimus exchanged a glance before Optimus quickly leaned forward and released Bee from the arm restraints. His feet and waist were still locked down to the berth, but Bee didn’t seem to mind as he reached up and clung to Optimus. He then turned to Arcee, stretching his arms out to his friend. The blue Autobot held Bee tightly, rocking slowly back and forth and whispering something in his audial processors. Maybe Bee wasn’t aware that he was still being held down because of the meds he was on. Optimus saw Ratchet looking at the medicine drip for a brief moment before he focused on his patient again.
“How do you feel right now, Bumblebee?” Ratchet came to stand in front of the bot and handed him a data pad. “Just type your answers out for now.”
Bee took the tablet and started typing away. It took a few minutes for the bot to finish, but he handed the data pad back to Ratchet and reached one servo out to Optimus. Optimus immediately took the extended servo and held it tight. He also gave it a reassuring squeeze. The Prime had seen how much Bee’s servos had been shaking while he was trying to type an answer for Ratchet. He was probably either exhausted or scared. Or both, Optimus thought sadly. I would not be surprised if that was the case.
“You feel dizzy, but you’re not in pain,” read Ratchet. “Well, that’s probably the pain medications kicking in. Don’t worry, we’ll start lowering the dose soon and you’ll feel less dizzy.” The medic handed back the data pad. “Can you tell me what your stasis was like? Did you have any… nightmares, perhaps?”
Bee’s optics dimmed slightly. He took the data pad almost reluctantly, and started formulating another response. This time, it took all of two seconds for Bee to type his answer and hand the tablet back. He again stretched out a servo for Optimus. Optimus took the bot’s servo in his own again and tried to project a feeling of comfort into the atmosphere. Bee’s servo continued to shake.
“Yes.” Ratchet raised an optical ridge at Bumblebee. “Seriously? Bumblebee, just ‘yes’ as an answer is not nearly enough to-” The medic stopped abruptly as he saw the expression on Bumblebee’s face. The scout was staring directly at the ceiling, optics growing unfocused, and his frame was shaking. He looked haunted, and it made the medic’s spark ache. Ratchet started over, his voice soft and soothing. “We don’t have to talk about it. Take some deep breaths, it’ll be alright.”
Bee nodded, gaze still locked on the ceiling, and started trying to follow Ratchet’s instructions. He vented deeply, but it was choppy and uneven. Next to him, Optimus held his servo and tried to vent along with the smaller bot. Bee started to match his venting and eventually his breathing evened out. His frame shook less too, Bee could tell. Arcee, who was on his other side, patted his arm and offered encouragement.
“That’s it Bee. Just keep breathing.”
Once he felt that Bee was calmer and more grounded, Ratchet continued his questioning. “Alright, was it the nightmare that caused you to try and wake up from stasis? You got very close to exiting stasis on your own.”
Bee nodded again, briefly looking at Ratchet. His optics were extremely unhappy. Ratchet nodded thoughtfully. As he was about to ask his next question, Optimus caught the medic’s optics and gave him a significant look. Okay, time to wrap it up I guess, Ratchet thought.
“Final question: Is there anything that I can get you that would help you feel better? Anything you need?”
Bumblebee looked relieved that the question was not an invasive one. He shook his head, then pointed to each of the other bots in turn.
“We- we’re all you need? You want us to stay with you?” Ratchet wasn’t ashamed to admit that his voice got a little choked up at that.
Bee nodded again, and made a small beckoning motion with his servo. Arcee sniffled, then wrapped her arms around Bee’s chassis as best as she could, hiding her face in his chest. Optimus put his helm next to Bumblebee’s and continued to hold the scout’s hand. Ratchet felt his spark melt, and he immediately went over to the group. He sat next to Optimus and put his servo on Bumblebee’s arm. After a brief moment, Bee squirmed under the touch of his family, surprising them. They all let go and sat up, watching as Bee looked around. He stopped suddenly and pointed at Bulkhead. Ratchet realized a second later that Bulkhead had not joined the group embrace for some reason. Bee had noticed that, and he was looking for his friend.
“Um, me? I’m just not in the mood for a hug right now, buddy.”
Bumblebee narrowed his optics at Bulkhead, as if he was analyzing him. Bulkhead was a notoriously terrible liar. Bee pointed at the data pad that he’d been using to communicate, and it was quickly handed to him.
Why? The tablet read.
Bulkhead rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, the last time I tried to help you, I scared you, and I guess- I guess I don’t want to cause that again.”
The sound of furious tapping filled the silent medbay. After a moment, Bee held up the tablet and scowled at the green bot.
Bolts-for-brains. Not you. I am the problem.
“Hey, it’s not you either!” Bulkhead protested. “Megatron is! Was,” he added after a moment of thought.
Bee shook his head and began typing again. I am sorry I shot you. Very sorry. I did not know it was you. His face was covered with remorse and embarrassment.
Bulkhead came a little closer and waved his hands dismissively. “Aw, buddy, it’s okay. I’m fine! Believe me, I was way more worried about you.”
Bee looked at little happier at that, and held out his arms again. Bulkhead smirked and came over to the berth.
“Alright, you win.” He wrapped his arms around the group and gave a gentle squeeze.
Ratchet smiled. Bee looked much happier now that everyone was there. He also looked really tired. The burst of energy and clarity seemed to be only temporary. The medic could hope that the scout’s recovery would continue to go this smoothly, but he also knew that that hope would be misplaced. There were very obvious signs of the damage that Megatron had inflicted, and it was also apparent that the marks he had made on Bumblebee’s mind were going to be long-lasting, if not permanent. Ratchet’s previous thought from earlier made its way back into his mind as he hugged Bee tightly.
Primus I hate Megatron.
Half an hour had passed, and yet Optimus Prime had not moved an inch. He stayed exactly where he was, watching the others move about. Bulkhead and Arcee were a few yards away, talking in hushed tones with Ratchet, and Optimus could only imagine they were discussing something about Bumblebee. Luckily, Bee didn’t know they were probably talking about him because he was napping lightly. He wouldn’t enter recharge quite yet, but the medicine was making him groggy enough that he could get some rest without recharging. Ratchet glanced over his shoulder at the two bots still in the medbay, and Optimus tilted his head questioningly. Ratchet shook his helm and made a motion telling the Prime to stay where he was. If Optimus moved, Bee would probably ask him why he left.
“Optimus,” was all Ratchet said as he handed the Autobot a data pad.
Optimus looked at it and saw that there was a message typed out, probably written by Ratchet. As he read it, his face slowly grew more and more solemn. He glanced briefly up at the rest of the team. Arcee looked angry, Bulkhead looked ashamed, and Ratchet looked resigned.
The children, Raf especially, have been messaging for a while now. We are hesitating bringing them to the base. What if Bumblebee has a flashback like he did earlier? We aren’t sure what all his triggers are yet, and what if something they say or do causes Bumblebee to have an episode like he did before? We can handle him, but they can’t. If he hurts them, it would be extremely serious if not fatal. It would destroy Bumblebee if he hurt them again. What do you think we should do?
Optimus was very still for a long time. He hadn’t thought about that. He was foolish to think that this wouldn’t happen. He hesitated as he thought out his reply, digits hovering over the screen. Right before he could start typing, a touch on his arm stopped him. He turned to find Bee staring up at him, optics worried and fearful. Bumblebee picked up his own device, wrote a message, and handed the tablet to Optimus.
Where are the kids? Are they okay?
Well, that was going to change his answer to Ratchet.
“Easy, Bumblebee. The children are fine. They’re at their homes right now. May I ask why you are so anxious to know?”
I was thinking. I hurt them. I need to talk to them.
Optimus turned and looked at Ratchet, who was looking at Bulkhead and Arcee. Arcee was checking her messages with a confused and slightly concerned look on her face. Optimus faced Bee again, deciding that apparently he was going to have to make this decision on his own. He sincerely hoped it was the right one.
“Alright. They can come over. Are you up for company today?”
Bee nodded quickly, his optics lighting up at the prospect of seeing the kids. Optimus turned back to the other bots and gave a small nod of approval. Arcee immediately started to jog towards the exit, her face concerned.
“Woah, Arcee. What’s the rush?” Bulkhead teased. “Excited to see the kids?”
“Anxious,” came the snipped reply. “Jack just messaged me. He said he’s in trouble.”
Before anyone else could say a word, she had transformed and raced away. Bulkhead looked horrified, looking briefly at Optimus and Ratchet before following Arcee. Ratchet slapped a servo to his comm and ran towards the exit.
“Bulkhead! Get Miko, I’m getting Rafael! Try to contact the children!”
He transformed and disappeared into the exit tunnel, leaving Optimus and Bumblebee alone in the silo. Optimus and Bee looked at each other in concern. Optimus could feel Bee’s servo start to tremble slightly in his hand, but the Prime knew he had to leave Bee and take action. He gently pried Bee’s fingers apart and pulled his servo away. Bee looked at Optimus in a slight panic, but he let Optimus go. Optimus walked quickly over to the main computer and brought up the comms for each team member.
“Contact me as soon as you have your charge,” he said, his voice firm. “And be safe.”
Several anxious minutes ticked by, with Optimus pacing slowly back and forth in front of the main computer. Bee was lifting himself as far as he could off of the berth and watching Optimus intently. Optimus noticed that Bee wasn’t able to sit all the way up because of the restraint across his waist and quickly crossed the room to free the scout from his bonds. After a moment of hesitation, the Prime unlocked the restraints locking down Bee’s feet as well. Bee immediately sat all the way up and started to swing his legs off the berth. Optimus quickly stopped him, grabbing his legs and placing them carefully back on the berth.
“Bumblebee, please stay on the berth. If I let you off the berth, Ratchet would scold us both, and I know that neither of us want that.”
Bee made a face, but he stayed put. He did not, in fact, want to face the wrath of the Autobot medic. Optimus went back to the main computer and stood silently in front of it, waiting for any news. He glanced over his shoulder after a moment, catching Bee trying to get off the berth again.
“Bumblebee.”
A very small, scratchy, and sarcastic whistle answered him as Bee grumpily sat back down. He crossed his arms and made a pouty face at Optimus. Optimus narrowed his optics at the scout, but on the inside he was relieved to hear some noise from the scout. It was encouraging, even if it was slightly disrespectful. He turned back to the screen and continued to wait for any updates. He did also keep looking over his shoulder at Bee to make sure he wouldn’t try to escape again. Bee stared back, no longer angry, but worried for the others. Several more minutes went by with no word from any of the Autobots. A minute later, the sudden sound of Ratchet’s voice echoing through the silo made both Optimus and Bumblebee jump.
“Optimus, I have Rafael. Any word from the others?”
“Not yet. Is Rafael alright? Does he know anything about Jack’s situation.”
“He’s fine. Confused, but fine. He hasn’t heard from Jack since late last night and now he’s worried too. We’ll be back soon.”
“See you soon.”
No sooner than Ratchet had hung up, Bulkhead called in.
“Bulkhead to base, I’ve got Miko.”
In the background Miko could be heard yelling something about wringing Decepticon necks if Jack was hurt in any way.
“I’m glad to hear that, Bulkhead. When will you be back to base?”
“Uhh… seven minutes tops.”
The call disconnected and the base went silent once again. Optimus glanced back at Bee again. Bee was looking at his servos, almost gazing at them solemnly. They were resting in his lap, trembling, and his optics were far away. Too far away. They weren’t seeing his servos anymore; they were seeing something else. Something bad. Briefly, Optimus wondered just how close the others were, and he hoped that they were a little further away than they had said. He slowly crossed the room towards the scout and stopped maybe a yard from the yellow bot.
“Bumblebee…?”
Bee didn’t react. He continued to gaze sightlessly at his lap. Optimus fought the urge to reach out and wrap the smaller, shaking bot in a hug. He wasn’t sure how the scout would react. He might react like last time. Oh no. What should he do? What was he supposed to do? Talk. He needed to talk. Talking helped, right?
“Bumblebee, do you remember when you were sick with that Decepticon virus long ago? You were so sick, Ratchet wouldn’t let anyone but himself in your room. Elita-1 and I stayed outside your room until you were well. We made faces through the glass, read you stories, and played games when you had the strength.” Optimus tried to make his voice as warm and soft as possible. “You were so small, and we were so worried… I still remember your favorite song. Jazz was always stopping by to play it. It was about the sun and the wind. Do you remember?”
Bee’s optics focused just a little bit more. They seemed to dial in on the world again. There was a grating noise, and then the faintest whisper of sound.
“:I remember:”
The two words were barely distinguishable, muddled by crackling static and screeching metal, but they were there. Optimus Prime felt liquid spring to his optics at the broken little words, tears of happiness and sorrow that were bittersweet and heavy. Bumblebee might be different, but deep down he really was the same, sweet little Autobot. Optimus reached forward slowly and put his arms around Bumblebee. Bee shuddered and seemed to collapse against the Prime’s chassis. His frame was shaking, and Optimus could feel wetness on his chest. He held his sparkling tighter and ignored the trail of fluid that was escaping down his own cheek. He let Bumblebee cry for a while, Primus knows he deserved it, just holding him.
“Optimus? Bumblebee?” Ratchet’s quiet voice startled the Prime, but he tried not to show it.
“Ratchet, when did you return?” Optimus faced the medic, still holding Bee close. Over Ratchet’s shoulder he could see Raf hovering anxiously at the edge of the medbay. The boy looked worried out of his mind. “How long have you been here?”
Ratchet placed a servo on the Prime’s shoulder. “Not too long, but long enough.”
His saddened face was enough to tell Optimus that they had heard at least part of the previous conversation. He must have been so caught up in helping Bee that he didn’t hear them come in. He nodded and tried to move on.
“Any word from Arcee?”
“No. May I please look Bumblebee over?”
Optimus relented, gently releasing Bee from his hold. Bee swiped at his face, looking down at his lap again. Ratchet cupped the scout’s face tenderly and slowly lifted it so that they were looking into each other’s optics.
“You are strong. You are brave. You are kind.” Ratchet said firmly. “Don’t ever doubt that. We’ll help you through it all. We’ll be right by your side.”
Optimus nodded emphatically, taking one of Bee’s servos into his own. Bee nodded and vented deeply. Ratchet did a quick scan, then gave Bee the all-clear for now. He was still hooked up to the energon infusion and the medication, which Ratchet stated would continue to be the case for a while. Optimus stood slowly and went over to Raf as Ratchet double-checked the medication drip.
“Hello Rafael. I’m glad you’re alright.”
“Thanks, I’m totally fine.” Raf glanced past Optimus at the two bots in the medical area. “How is Bee? I mean, I can see that it’s not great but… like, how is he? What do I need to know?”
Optimus sighed. “Bumblebee is recovering both physically and mentally. The mental recovery will take a much longer time, and that has become apparent today. It is extremely likely that Bumblebee has a post traumatic stress disorder, as he is having nightmares and flashbacks, and will slip away mentally for extended periods of time. He will lash out during these, so if one starts to happen you must step away from him. Promise me that you will do that.”
“…Okay. I promise.”
“Thank you. Bumblebee would never hurt you intentionally, but he doesn’t know where he is or who his friends are during these events. We worry because of your small size and much more fragile bodies.”
Raf nodded. “I understand. Is he- is he really upset? Um, like, does he not want us here?”
“He was asking for you. He wanted to see you.”
Raf’s face lit up at that and he looked a little more optimistic. “Oh! That’s, that’s good. Does he know that we know about the…”
“We have yet to discuss that. I would not bring it up in conversation.”
“Of course.”
Optimus gave the young boy a small smile. “Would you like to talk to him?”
Raf nodded enthusiastically and stepped into Optimus’ open hand. Optimus went over to the berth and let the boy hop down beside Bee. Bumblebee’s face went through many emotions, happiness, concern, slight fear, and then settled on happiness. Raf carefully wrapped his arms around Bee’s waist as far as he could and squeezed the bot gently.
“I’m so happy to see you, Bee, you have no idea!”
Bee could not respond, but he patted Raf on the head and tried to smile at the boy. Ratchet turned away, his own face both sad and happy. The sound of Bulkhead’s roaring engine could be heard in the tunnel, and shortly after he raced into the silo. Miko hopped out immediately and the bot transformed just as quickly. Miko came racing over and came to a screeching halt next to the berth.
“Bee! How ya doing bud?”
Ratchet looked ready to scold the girl for her loud volume, but Bee bent down and gave Miko a fist bump before he could. Optimus lifted Miko onto the berth as well, earning a pointed look from the medic. Bulkhead joined them shortly, smiling at Bee.
“No word yet from Arcee…” murmured Ratchet, gazing intently at the main computer screen. “I’m getting worried.”
“Three more minutes, then we call.” Optimus responded. He was also looking attentively at the screen.
Ratchet shooed the Autobots out of the medbay, leaving Bee with the kids. Optimus gave Raf a meaningful look as he walked by, and got a thumbs-up in response. Two more tense minutes passed with Miko and Raf telling Bee about their days in the background. At the three minute mark, Optimus vented deeply and reached towards the call button on the computer dashboard. Right before he could call Arcee, a message came in, startling everyone in the room. It was short and to the point, much like its sender.
On our way. Issue, but no danger. Talk soon, be ready.