Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Becoming Mama Bear	By : Breech_Loader Category: Transformers > Transformers: Animated > Het - M/F Views: 8539 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
~~~

Becoming Mama Bear

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

~~~

Harley: Don’t ask, okay? Just don’t ask. I’m far too busy to answer questions about “Where the hell were you?!” right now. Just consider it enough that I have a new chapter to put up, okay?

Froggy: Obviously, what Harley’s saying is that she’s sorry. And that it’s going to be Prowl. No more hanging on, no more suggestions. It’s Prowl. Unless it’s Bumblebee. *wink*

~~~

Chapter Ten: Survivors

There was a horrible *crunch*, and Hotwire realised that the fall had ended. She actually hurt less than she'd expected, even when she opened her mouth and felt hot oil trickling out. She tried to sit up, but found that Bumblebee was on top of her, and that oddly, even his light weight was enough to keep her down. Of course, him landing on top had been the point, but she was still surprised that it didn't hurt more, even as her helm fell back against the rock.

She looked up past him, trying to focus on the top of the cliff about 110 feet up, where the Seekers were arguing with each other about who should be the first to try going down. She didn’t blame them. It wasn't an easy climb even if you didn't plan to fall the whole way.

It was about at that moment that Bumblebee regained his senses and quickly rolled off of Hotwire, shocked and angry at the same time, "Hotwire! What were you thinking?!" he cried out, shaking her shoulders gently.

"How else... did you plan to get down... before those bastard Seekers arrived?" Hotwire asked painfully, barely moving, "I hate heights... Now run..."

"Oh, shut up. I'm not leaving you here, and you know it,” the young Autobot snapped at her, getting up and looking over her injuries. Surprisingly, none of it looked fatal – her suspension had protected her for the most part - but she wouldn't be running or transforming anytime soon. Grabbing hold of an arm, he hoisted her up and supported her weight, walking away from the cliff with her in tow.

"I didn't... land on my back like that... to see you get caught again..." Hotwire hissed, “You have to leave me...” She’d acquired many ugly dents in the fall, but not all of the scratches on her metal arms were so fresh – indeed many of them looked awfully old, as if they had been made a long time ago, then been picked at.

Bumblebee could only think of two people who could help right now - either Ratchet, or Sari and her Allspark key, "Too bad,” he said sharply, "I haven't come this far to leave a friend behind. We both get out of here, or neither of us do."

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." Hotwire mumbled, "But if you insist... just try and make sure... I don't enter stasis lock... I think I'm going into shock..."

"Just don't offline, okay?” Bumblebee begged her, "I don't want to have to carry you, and I'm not good at fixing people up," The Autobot was worried that the fall had damaged the sensitive circuitry of her processor, then glanced up at the Seekers, “You know, I’ve always kinda wished I could fly.”

"Oh, slag that," Hotwire said rudely, "You don't need to carry me, and I can't stand fliers anyway. All so freaking smug with their big heads and their wide wings..." she paused, certain that there had been something she meant to say. It was getting harder to think straight. With one arm around Bumblebee's shoulder, she managed to look back at the Seekers. Skywarp had been bullied into trying to climb down the cliff first, and didn't seem to be having any more luck than she'd had on her way down.

"Oh, I don't want to gloat about it or anything. It's just..." Bumblebee looked up at the blue sky and smiled slightly. "It would be fun to be up there, above all this. Just cruise among the clouds... it sounds really peaceful."

"Last time I flew, my ride was blown out of the sky," Hotwire pointed out, "And you're good enough without wings. There's a fragging good reason most Decepticons can fly and most Autobots can't. You should see what a little altitude does for a mech's ego."

"If you say so,” Bumblebee grudgingly relented, "It still would be fun, though. But first, we need to get you fixed up so you can walk again."

"I'm fine, it hardly hurts at all," Hotwire insisted, even though her right leg was torn up something chronic, wires sparking and oil leaking all over the place, "I could have fixed this up myself, probably. You surely don't think this is the first time I've had to fix myself?" she asked, tapping her face and some of the old torn metal on her arms.

"Yeah, but we can't fix you up here,” Bumblebee pointed out, "We need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere with some tools, too." In the distance, the Decepticons were doing a laughable job getting down the cliff, busting themselves up. Bumblebee smirked. "By the way, that was an incredibly brave and stupid thing you did back there. Thanks."

"Heh... Seekers think they're good enough at going up, but when it comes to descending, they're a little less able," Hotwire smirked as they alternately walked and staggered down the canyon, "Better get back to that base of yours fast though... and anyway... I don't suppose it ever occurred to you that I could be doing this just to get into your base..." there was a pause, "Okay, that is a stupid thing to say after I landed on my back with you on top, but still..."

"No, I didn't really think about that,” Bumblebee admitted, "I just... trust you. You seem like the only person I can trust right now." The Autobot frowned, looking down at his feet. "I think you've proven yourself, anyway."

"Trust... huh..." Hotwire grimaced, "Sorry... automatic reaction..." She could feel the sensation returning to her right leg, and walking when her legs were in this condition wasn't just difficult; it was agonisingly painful too. Indeed, her right leg was starting up with a burning pain, and she wasn't sure if she could walk much further, but she knew Bumblebee wouldn't be able to carry her all that way.

He noticed her increasingly weak right leg, and he knew he had to do something to compensate for it. Throwing her arm over his neck and shoulder, the young Autobot told her, "Just use your left. Lean against me."

"It must be a good forty miles to Detroit's outskirts," Hotwire managed, complying with Bumblebee, "I can't drive in this condition... leave me here and come back later... maybe... You know I'd leave you..." It was hard to tell if that was the truth, or if Hotwire was only saying it to make Bumblebee go on without her.

"I don't like people getting left behind. It's happened to me once already,” he replied, continuing on with a determined expression, "I'm not doing it to someone else."

Hotwire groaned, but kept walking, "It’s not important,” she said, leaning heavily on Bumblebee, using him to brace her right leg. If she was going to offline now, she was going to do it her way. She rapped her chassis firmly, and her red Decepticon symbol changed – to a purple Autobot symbol.

To Bumblebee, this was both pleasing and confusing at the same time. Sure, it was just a symbol, but the inclusion of it meant more to the young Autobot than he first realised. The confusing part, however... "Why purple?" he asked with a frown.

"Heh..." a smile twitched on Hotwire's face, "Three reasons. First of all, the actual term is 'studied insult'. Second of all, from a distance, you can't instantly tell what it's meant to be - the Autobot shape in purple, or the Decepticon shape, so I have an extra few seconds to fire rapidly in your direction. If I was going to. And third of all, it's mostly to make a point about being inbetween."

"Huh. Makes sense, I guess,” Bumblebee replied, figuring that was a good enough answer. It was an odd symbolic gesture, but practically... it made perfect sense to him.

Hotwire nodded. They were back on the road again, and seemed to have left the Seekers behind for now. As well as that, they were coming closer to the city, "Just for the record," she pointed out, "I can't feel my leg right. Thanks for your help, by the way." Her sentences were becoming more fractured, as if one line was beginning before she'd finished thinking about what to say.

That was a bad sign. "Hotwire, I think you should run a self-diagnostic,” he suggested to her. Apart from letting them know what the damage was, it would also keep Hotwire's mind occupied for a moment. Every moment she remained conscious was important.

"Good idea..." Hotwire paused and touched her head lightly, her voice becoming distant, "Scanning systems now. Please hold..." Bad elevator music played.

"Okay..." Bumblebee muttered.

"Thankyou for holding. Warning - Armour breeched. Energon leak heavy in area 37. Mobility impaired in areas 19, 49, 38, and 63. Alt Mode inaccessible. Weapons systems deactivated to maintain power to vital systems. Downloads unstable. CPU operating at 40% capacity. Stasis Lock recommended to reduce Energon use..." there was a brief pause, "Stasis Lock overide. Warning; Compulsory Stasis Lock will be enabled in 1 hour and 37 minutes."

Bumblebee swalled. Want to or not, in about an hour and a half, Hotwire was going into Stasis Lock, and if they couldn't shake off the 'cons by then, he'd have to carry her - something he very much doubted he could do. He had to keep moving though; that much was obvious.

"I'm fine, I can repair myself, won't be the first time either..." Hotwire muttered in her normal voice. By now she sounded like she was talking to herself, and was barely even aware of Bumblebee's presence. By now, fortunately, they were passing a sign labelled ‘Welcome to Detroit’ right now, and that meant the base was only about ten miles away from them.

"We're almost there, Hotwire,” Bumblebee told her, leading the way, "The base is hidden inside the city, and you’ll be repaired there. Hang in there a bit longer." He was terrified that Hotwire's condition was going to start deteriorating on him further before he could get her to safety.

"You're a good kid, Bumblebee," Hotwire sighed, "Too good for the likes of me to care about..." she smiled dully, staring straight ahead.

"That's not true... uh, I think,” Bumblebee said, stumbling over the awkward wording of that statement, "Let's just worry about getting you fixed, first." Immediately, Bumblebee began to send greeting transmissions into the city, hoping to pick up on another Autobot in the area.

To his personal and immense relief, the mech that came through on his communicator was Bulkhead, "Bumblebee?!" the huge mech asked, sounding nothing short of amazed, "Bumblebee?! Is that you?! We all thought you were offline!" Indeed, Bumblebee had been missing for almost six months now. Well, if nothing else, that explained why nobody had ever come searching for him.

Bumblebee smiled wider, glad to hear from his best friend, "Almost,” he replied, "But it'll take more than that to bring this Autobot down! Hey, I need some help over here. I've got wounded in tow."

"Who is it?" Bulkhead transmitted, "You were captured on your own, y'know. And frag, you have no idea how good it is to know you're alive! It's been so boring around here! I missed you..." The SWAT van was already heading for Optimus Prime to tell him the news.

"She's a..." Bumblebee paused. The closest word he could think of was ‘defector’, but that didn't feel entirely accurate, "She's a new friend of mine. We escaped the Decepticons together, but she had a nasty fall while being chased by some seekers."

"Sure thing, Bumblebee!" Bulkhead said cheerfully, and there was a brief pause, "So she's hurt, is she?" he asked through the connection.

"Yeah, she's hurt,” the young Autobot repeated, "Pretty bad; she'll be going into Stasis Lock in about an hour and a half - if that. Anyway, I just really need some help getting back to base. And hey, it's great to hear from you again."

"Right..." another pause, "Okay, Bumblebee, I'm on my way with Optimus and Ratchet right now! We're following your signal and we'll get there in about ten minutes! They're both glad you're alive too! Well..." Bulkhead hesitated, "Ratchet did complain something about you coming back, but he was glad as well."

Bumblebee chuckled. He didn't mind a little questioning. After all, he HAD been gone for six months, so it was only natural to be surprised. He was just glad to be back home.

"So, who's this femme you're bringing back?" Bulkhead asked. He was immeasurably glad that his good friend was alive. For three months after Bumblebee had been captured, he'd pleaded with Optimus for them to pull a rescue mission. But Optimus Prime had repeatedly told him that Bumblebee's signal couldn't be traced, and after three months, when Bumblebee had still not turned up or been held to ransom, Bulkhead had started to believe him. He’d had no other options.

"Her name is Hotwire,” Bumblebee explained to his friend, "She's a medic, so the Decepticons kept her around... you know, they're good at breaking people but not fixing them up."

There was another silence over the communicator. Bumblebee could imagine the reactions of Optimus and Ratchet, either of whom might recognise the name. It wasn't as if Hotwire had never fought against the Autobots. He wondered if they'd recognise him when they saw him. He'd changed the symbol on his new armour, but both his optics and the armour were red, "She saved my life,” he added, hoping that it would partially soothe any fears that his fellow Autobots had.

Another pause. Bulkhead was probably listening to Optimus and Ratchet's discussion about Hotwire, "You sure about that, Bumblebee?" he asked, "I mean, she is a Decepticon."

Bumblebee sighed explosively. He didn't like the scrutiny he was sure his medic friend was going to get, "Yes, I'm sure she patched me up, stood up to Starscream, and risked her life to break me out."

"Okay, Bumblebee," Bulkhead sounded doubtful just the same, "We're about fifteen minutes away now."

"Just follow my energy signal,” Bumblebee replied, still holding Hotwire up and keeping on moving. Finally, he'd be able to clean up and rest on something that wasn't a hard table or cell floor. He'd finally be around friends and allies again and not have to worry about some bastard walking in on him to use him as their playtoy.

"Who was that?" Hotwire asked him absently.

Switching back to vocal communication, the Autobot face her and explained, "I've called in to the Autobots. They’re sending someone to pick us up."

"Oh," Hotwire smiled, "Good." She slumped, and it was a rather slow and impressive collapse, starting at the knees and bending, joint by gangly joint, until she was lying very quietly on the pavement.

“Oh!” Bumblebee knelt beside her, “Don’t give up, Hotwire!” he pleaded.

Hotwire just smiled, "Normally... I'd be the one saying that to you..." she whispered.

There was a brief silence, “Hotwire, they’ll be here in a few minutes!” Bumblebee pleaded, “You’ll be fine!”

“If they don’t execute me on sight...” Hotwire sighed.

“I’ll explain everything to them!” Bumblebee wailed, settling down, “Come on, Hotwire, you’re not gonna let a trip and a bump on the head hold you back, are ya?”

Hotwire didn't answer. Thank Primus that Optimus Prime arrived shortly after that, followed by Ratchet and Bulkhead. As usual, Optimus looked worried, and he looked even more worried when he saw Hotwire lying face down on the pavement and a red Bumblebee kneeling beside him, “Bumblebee?” he asked, “What just happened? Did she attack you?”

"It's alright, Prime,” Bumblebee insisted, coming to his new friend's defence, "She's my friend. She needs help!"

"Yes," Optimus agreed, "And I'm glad to see-"

"Bumblebee!" Bulkhead shouted, "I'm so glad you're still online!" He ran forward and lifted Bumblebee right off his feet to hug the much smaller Autobot, while Hotwire was being loaded into the back of Ratchet.

"Whoa! Hey, big guy!" the relieved Autobot replied to his friend, "It's good to be online!"

"We all thought Megatron had you offlined!" Bulkhead shouted, "He even wired us a picture of your alt being put in a car compactor!"

"Must have been one of Captain Fanzone's cars," Ratchet commented, checking over Hotwire.

"No, he didn't offline me... but he came awfully close,” Bumblebee said with a fearful shudder. He didn't want to think about just how close to the abyss he had gone. If it hadn’t been his body that would failed in there, his mind would have. He'd wanted to offline...

"Come on, Bulkhead," Optimus said calmly, "We've got to get Hotwire back to base. We might even be able to ransom her back to Megatron for a truce." Bulkhead put Bumblebee down again reluctantly, and transformed.

"What?!" Bumblebee spoke up quickly, not about to let a statement like that go, "Apart from that being the silliest idea I've heard in a thousand solar cycles, we are NOT giving her back to those creeps!"

"Bumblebee, kid," Ratchet spoke up, "I used to know her. And she used mechs like you like I use a socket wrench. She's a Decepticon. Now get into alt, we've got to get back to base. She's already in stasis lock."

Bumblebee glared at Ratchet for a moment before shifting into alt mode, reluctantly keeping quiet for now. But the next time anyone suggested giving Hotwire away, he would speak up. She protected him in the Decepticon base, and if he had to, he'd return the favour among the Autobots.

Optimus sensed Bumblebee's discomfort, "Don't worry about it, Bumblebee," he said calmly as the four of them started driving, "The most important thing as that you're safe."

~~~
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Becoming Mama Bear