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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.

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Becoming Mama Bear

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: DAMMIT! Well, I just watched the episode ‘Five Servos Of Doom’. I got Prowl’s secret past TOTALLY wrong. It involved Lockdown and a helmet. Prowl was never a Decepticon and his past had nothing to do with Oil Slick. But on the plus side, nobody ELSE got it right either. Not to mention I’ve figured out a way to squirm out of this by the end of the story. There’s ALWAYS room to squirm!

Froggy: Well, at least we’re getting reviews. Got nothing to add today, except that LOOK! Harley’s updating regularly again! Aren’t you just so proud?

~~~

Chapter Twenty-Three: Yin and Yang

Hotwire worked quietly in her new lab in the Autobot’s base. She'd already filed all her disks in seven different corresponding systems, and was making more. She'd also filed her data on thousands, no millions of mechs. For once she felt safe to leave it around, and not have it clog up her hard drive, and her metal felt a lot clearer.

Right now though, at this moment, she was working on her bugs. Bugs for finding out information. Knowledge was power, and all that stuff. Right now though, she wanted to make something for detecting bugs. Just because you were spying on everybody else, didn't mean you should let them spy on you.

Unknown to her at that moment, the very spy she was being cautious about had quietly entered her makeshift lab. Bumblebee looking around in silent amazement at Hotwire's handiwork strewn all around them. She had worked fast to make this place her own. The yellow mech announced his presence with a quick burst of static from his voice box.

Hotwire dropped a screwdriver in surprise. She didn't often get surprised, but when she was inventing she just got so into her work... Her creator Wheeljack had been a famous - if somewhat disastrous - inventor, and her designer Hook had been a Decepticon scientist. She turned to look at Bumblebee, "Oh, sweetie," she smiled, "There you are! I didn't know you were up..." she picked up the screwdriver again.

Bumblebee just chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Well, you know me. I can't stay down for too long!" he told her cheerfully, "What'cha up to, Hotwire?"

"Oh, just inventing," Hotwire said calmly, "I guess since you guys have already got a medic, and an AllSpark key, you won't need me as a medic much... but my creator taught me to make things, and my designer later taught me to, as it were, design things."

"Oh? What sort of things do you design?" Bumblebee asked curiously, walking up to her workbench to check out what she was working on. He didn't realise that she was quite the inventive type.

"Bugs," Breech answered, smiling, "Things for detecting bugs. Viruses. Cures. Antidotes. Things that explode. Things that implode. Things that explode when you thought they'd implode. I've got quite a wide range of engineering abilities," she said.

The yellow mech suddenly felt uncomfortable when she mentioned ‘detecting bugs’. Granted, he hadn't actually bugged her yet, but she was sure to find one eventually on Prowl, if she was as good as she said she was. Of course, there was no way to trace them to him, but he still didn't like the implications. "Do you use much of this stuff often?" he asked, somehow doubting she would aid the Autobots with it out of the goodness of her spark.

"Well..." Hotwire paused, unsure, "Sometimes," she admitted, "But the bugs are new. I was going to bug the entire Decepticon base, but then I didn't have time when I needed to get you out," she smiled, "Is there something you need to talk to me about, Bumblebee?"

He had his doubts. Plus the brief talk they just had was swiftly eroding his confidence. However, Bumblebee knew he had to try, had to know if what he was doing was right. Shifting uneasily, he said, "Look, just hear me out, ok? I'm just... I'm not sure about Prowl, ok? I mean, he's alright, when he's not being a total stiff. He's good in a fight. But...is he really right for, you know, you?"

"Oh, that," Hotwire thought about it, "Bumblebee, have you analysed what you're saying?" she asked him, "You're saying that Prowl is okay to... date, as a human would say, but you're not sure that he's okay for ME to date. That's just silly. Besides, my question would be, am I right for him?"

The young mech found himself taken aback by the question. "What?" he asked. It was hardly an approach he would consider. Was she right for him? Honestly, he hadn't really considered who she would be right for. He knew that she would be a hard person for anyone to date, but...

"I mean, I don't think I'm good enough for him," Hotwire replied, "Or you. Or anybody in this base. You can all make choices. You all know what's right and wrong. I envy that."

"What do you mean, 'you can't make choices'?" a thoroughly confused Bumblebee asked, "You can make choices. Good choices! You saved me from the Decepticon base! You didn't have to do that, but you did."

"Thanks, Bumblebee," Hotwire smiled again, "And I know you're looking out for me, but I need something else in my life as well as you. I can't eat only energon cookies and high-grade," she told him, "Getting het up about this isn't going to help you. Oh, and your blue optics will be here this afternoon. You'll have blue optics and look just like an Autobot again."

Despite everything, Bumblebee couldn't help but smile. He was tired of looking through Decepticon optics... figuratively as well as literally. It could be so very tired jumping at shadows, suspecting lies and traps around every corner. He wanted to believe Hotwire was alright, that this really was good for her. Maybe she had a point. But he still had to look after her, just to make sure. He needed to know if Prowl really had left his Decepticon past behind him.

"Don't you worry," Hotwire told him, misinterpreting his expression, "I'm still here for you, no matter what. If you ever find there's something you can't deal with on your own, you can come to me. I'll try to help."

Bumblebee felt ill at that moment, an overwhelming sense of guilt coming over him. He had been lying to Hotwire after all she had done for him, after she had kept so much faith in him. It made the young mech hate himself, but it also made him know that he had to make amends somehow. He had to tell her the truth. The pain and guilt spread over his face; he was never good at hiding his feelings.

"Bumblebee... baby..." Hotwire leant forward and embraced him, made uncertain by his silence, "I know I'm not your designer, but... Prowl was right. The past is past. It won't change. But we can change what will happen. It's our duty, no matter how hard the choices are to make."

"I think I've done something bad,” the young mech told her shamefully, "I was just... worried about you, you know? You're a good friend, and I'd hate to see you get hurt, and... I don't know. Maybe I was jealous."

"Bumblebee?" Hotwire looked at him, her hands on his shoulders, "I understand. In the end, all our emotions stem from fear. The fear of being alone. The desperate, pressing need to be surrounded by those like you. It's normal to fear loneliness. Those who don't are... not normal."

It made perfect sense. Fear was what had driven Bumblebee, especially since his time in the Decepticon base. Maybe that was his problem. He lost his nerve, and he had to get it back. "I spied on you two,” he admitted tearfully, "It wasn't my idea, but I went along with it, and... I know I shouldn't have done that! I'm so sorry..."

Hotwire hesitated, confused, "This isn't about your... jealousy, is it? You've done something. Something stupid and irrational, fuelled by fear..." She flipped up her visor and looked at Bumblebee with green optics. Her scarred face hardened, "What have you done?!"

"I... I... I..." Bumblebee stuttered, looking at Hotwire with fear. He had never seen her so angry before, and he didn't dare say before if it incurred her wrath. He couldn't stand the thought.

"Tell me now," Hotwire said, her voice rock hard, "And I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from the consequences of your own fear. I promise."

"I... I... I planted bugs in the Autobot base!" he admitted at last, his legs feeling like they couldn't support his weight much longer, "It was one of Starscream's clones! She gave me the idea, and I went along with it! I... I don't know what I was thinking! I wasn't thinking! Oh, I'm so, so sorry..."

Hotwire's face flickered briefly, and she snapped her visor back down, "Where are they? No. I'll find them," she reached for a detector, "And we'll talk about this later, Bumblebee." she shuddered, and started by sweeping her own room with the detector, "I'm not going to make you feel any worse, Bumblebee. I'm sure you are by now aware that you could have killed everybody in this base... or had them put in Decepticon cells as replacements for you."

Bumblebee didn't say anything to that. He didn't need to. The way he put his face in his hands told everything that he was feeling.

The bug detector started to beep, "Sit down," Hotwire said quietly, "There's one nearby..." she paused, "And it's on you. Did you know that, Bumblebee? Dirge has bugged you. She can at will hear not only everything you say, and detect where you are, but also has a remote link to other bugs of the same design and can do the same with them."

Bumblebee clutched at his face harder, "Why am I not surprised?" he moaned. Dirge had betrayed him, had planned on it from the very beginning. Decepticon. It was all there; why didn’t he ever THINK first? "I'm such an idiot..."

"So you didn't know," Hotwire said, "Is this one of the two bugs, Bumblebee? Or is it a third you didn't know about?"

"I didn't know about this one,” he answered, "She... she was just using me all along. I thought she cared, you know? I thought she understood where I was coming from."

"She doesn't care," Hotwire answered, "Dirge is a slut and a user. Somebody I could have become had I not taken a 250 feet fall that destroyed my ability to trust for four million years. Now. Where are the other two?"

"One's on Prowl,” Bumblebee told her quietly, "Another one is on Prime. And..." Pausing a moment, Bumblebee lifted his hand and opened it to reveal another inactivated bug, "I couldn't bring myself to put this one on you, Hotwire."

"Oh Primus..." Hotwire breathed. If Dirge was aware that Bumblebee was cracked, chances were she was on her way to make as much of the three activated bugs as possible - possibly bringing other Seekers with her, and maybe even Megatron, "We have to find them and get those bugs off them now. They could be offlined!" She grabbed Bumblebee and bent him over a desk. For a moment the yellow mech was terrified that she had lied, and he was going to be punished. Then her claws dug into his shoulder and ripped out the bug, crushing it in her hand.

"OUCH!" Bumblebee cried out, flinching in pain. It was his only bit of complaint; he understood the necessity of what she was doing. If Dirge had betrayed him, she was planning to harm him and his friends.

"Thank PRIMUS you've got this one," Hotwire took the inactivated bug from Bumblebee, "I can use it to find them. And we'll need to find them, because they're both sitting ducks without a warning. Optimus is patrolling with Sari and Ratchet. I don't know where Prowl is. Get Bulkhead; we're going to need him. I'll find them and we can go after them."

~~~

Bumblebee was soon keeping pace with Hotwire and Bulkhead as they took off to see Prime, all the while being too ashamed to speak up. He knew he had screwed up, and now it was his duty to put things right again.

The three were driving fast - Hotwire was using her size to red-line through traffic, quite frantic; leading them by tracking the bugs Bumblebee had planted. Perhaps, Bumblebee thought, part of her fear was because Megatron wanted her back?

"Prime is closer!" Hotwire told them, "We'll debug him first, then go to Prowl. I just hope they're both okay!" She surprised herself with these words. She cared about Prowl, but why care particularly about Optimus Prime? He was just another Autobot. Well. That wasn't quite true. It was one of her bugs that she'd made, so it would be her fault if either of them was hurt; not just Prowl. There you go again, she thought, Always blaming yourself. She really needed to stop doing that.

Meanwhile, Prime was out on patrol as usual, minding his own business (with the exception of the Decepticons), when Hotwire's detection equipment indicated that he was on a nearby street.

"He's near!" Hotwire transformed from a skinny supermoto into a far skinnier femme. Bumblebee and Bulkhead rounded the corner, "Optimus! Optimus Prim!" she shouted at the fire engine, "Ratchet!" Currently she was running down the middle of the road, regardless of all traffic.

Optimus transformed upon hearing the femme, along with the sound of panicky drivers trying to swerve out of the way. "What? What?" Prime asked her irritably, "You're disturbing the humans! Watch out!"

"No, you don't understand!" Hotwire interrupted, "There's a tracking bug on you! Decepticons can track your every word and movement! There's one on Prowl too! We have to get rid of them before you come to any harm!" She wasn't saying a thing about Bumblebee putting them there, for which the yellow car was grateful, but Optimus Prime was smart enough to ask the big question.

"Huh? How did that happen?" Prime asked, shocked into forgetting the humans for a moment. A security breech like that was a serious matter.

Hotwire hesitated, "It's not important how it happened right now," she said, trying to protect Bumblebee again, "I came as soon as my bug detector found out about it. We have to get them off you NOW. They're transmitting everything you say, do and hear to the Decepticons!"

"Very well. Let's hope they haven't heard anything important,” Prime said, dropping the issue and relenting to Hotwire's sensible suggestion. Much to Bumblebee's relief.

Hotwire pulled out the detector. It buzzed at Optimus' shoulder, "Turn your back and bend over," Hotwire commanded the much taller mech, "That's where the bug is."

"Hotwire," Ratchet said calmly, "Shouldn't you be back at the base, cowering in fear of Megatron or something?"

"Probably," Hotwire replied, not looking at him.

Prime complied, leaning down so Hotwire could remove the bug, grimacing as her claws dug into his armour. "She's helping us out,” he spoke to Ratchet, "And it sounds like we would have been in trouble without her."

"It's hard to decide, at this point," Hotwire said, "I made these things. Back at 'con base. If they'd been in for a few more days... it would have been much harder to get them out than this." She ripped out the bug quickly and crushed it in her hand. There was a sharp pain in Optimus' shoulder, but it was soon repaired by Sari's key, "There's one more," she said, "It's on Prowl. I know where he is, but I need a guy with a siren. Or three guys with sirens."

"Prowl's in danger? We have to warn him!" Optimus said quickly, transforming into his alt mode, "Everyone, on me!" He wasn't wasting any time, and neither was Bumblebee, who quickly complied with the order.

"I’ve tracked him to the Oriental district," Hotwire said, driving behind him, "I don't know why, but he's on his own, if everybody else is here."

"Prowl often goes on patrol on his own,” Bumblebee explained to Hotwire as he raced ahead, using his speed to his advantage. He knew the roads better than anyone; he could lead them there the fastest.

"Oh gods, these are bugs, I designed," Hotwire moaned, "If he gets hurt I could never forgive myself!" Bumblebee realised she was serious - that she might actually blame herself for this.

Bumblebee sped up faster, guilt driving him on. He wouldn't let Hotwire be hurt by his actions. No way. He had to get them to Prowl before the Decepticons. Then a jet and a military helicopter passed overhead, and up ahead a few blocks, there was a thump.

"NO!" Hotwire screamed, transforming and running instead. She reached the heart of the Oriental district. Dirge and Megatron were standing right there about forty feet away, and Megatron was already holding Prowl up by his neck.

Prowl was struggling to get out of Megatron's grip, hitting him with his limbs, but the Decepticon was too large and strong for him. Bumblebee transformed, equally as distraught as Hotwire. "No! Let him go!" he shouted.

"And why should I do that?" Megatron asked, "This traitor will serve as a perfect example to those who defy me!"

"Traitor?" Prowl gasped, still fighting and trying to draw his throwing stars, "I'm not one of your slaves, Megatron... I'm an Autobot!"

"HA!" Megatron laughed, "Hotwire's little toys have fully enlightened me as to your true origins!" He reached out and ripped off Prowl's visor. Red optics were displayed to every watching human and mech.

His Autobot allies gasped in surprise. Bumblebee couldn't bear to look, facing away with self-loathing. Prowl just looked defeated. "It's... it's not what you think!" he cried out

Hotwire just ran forward, "Let him GO, Megatron!" she pleaded, "I'll take his place! I'll go with you! Just let him go!"

"You?" Megatron just sneered, "I have..." he leant down, "Better things to do with my time..."

"I thought you were hiding from Megatron because he wanted you back," Optimus pointed out quietly.

"I LIED!" Hotwire shouted, "It's kind of irrelevant right now!" She was just returning her attention to Megatron, when the huge mech kicked her back, and took off with Prowl in hand and Dirge following him.

Prowl looked down at Hotwire, desperately wanting her to stay down, to not come after him, but he knew her too well, knowing that she would come, even if he asked otherwise. Bumblebee just slumped to his knees, face in his hands.

Hotwire howled and tensed, leaping desperately and trying to follow them on foot, putting her gymnastic abilities through the wringer... and leapt to catch hold on Dirge's wing. The female seeker transformed and kicked Hotwire back down. She fell 250 feet onto cement... cracking it and groaning quietly, "Prowl..." she moaned. The injuries weren't dangerous, but they were painful.

Bumblebee was at Hotwire's side in an instant, trying to help her up, "It's my fault, Hotwire,” he told her, "MY fault! Not yours!"

"Oooh-ow..." Hotwire sat up, "I think I cracked an axle... Where's that key?" Sari held it up to her.

"Why did Megatron ignore you?" Ratchet asked her, "You offered yourself, and he passed on it. You said he wanted you, and you were hiding from him. And you lied. What is the truth?"

"The truth is..." Hotwire groaned, "I'm wanted by the Elite Guard. I escaped from Graviton Prison. I lied, okay?"

"And Prowl is a Decepticon?" Optimus asked.

"He was made a Decepticon," Hotwire sighed, "But he didn't stay one. Now Megatron will be making an example of him to his minions, and many other undecided mechs, of what happens to traitors and the defiant. A painful example, no doubt." She looked up, "You have to help him!" she shouted at Optimus.

Optimus Prime seemed to consider this a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Regardless of what he once was, Prowl is one of us now,” the Autobot leader stated, "We can't leave him to suffer at the servos of our enemies."

Hotwire gave a sigh of deep relief, "Thankyou..." she said softly. For several horrible seconds, the urge to hurt herself had been rising sharply, but now she felt a little better, "We must start planning a rescue at once," she said quickly, "There's no telling what will happen to him if we put it off for even a few hours."

Bumblebee said nothing. He couldn't stand to say what he was thinking. He had seen what the Decepticons were capable of doing to prisoners, and he didn't want to bring such horrible images to mind. He only hoped they could reach Prowl before he received the worst of it.

~~~

Harley: *sighs* Next chapter, my favourite subject – TORTURE! Torture of Prowl!

Froggy: In the meantime, why not eat one of our delicious Energon muffins and take the time to review this chapter?
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Becoming Mama Bear