Irregularity

CHAPTER 2

Edited & Rewritten
Bumblebee slowly came out of his shutdown. The room was dark, and he heard laughter coming from the living room. Hot Rod's voice was the loudest among them all, and Blurr's was recognizable by his quick-paced speech. The TV was on and blaring, but the young bots didn't seem to care. The yellow bot groaned and rubbed his helm, feeling it ache terribly.

Bumblebee slowly pushed himself up and looked to the side. Arcee was still recharging, laying face-down on her berth. The yellow bot stood, using the wall for support, and made his way to the living room.

Hot Rod and his friends sat on the couch together, talking, laughing, and giving playful shoves. The TV was on Iacon's local news channel, but the younglings didn't pay any attention to it. It seemed to just serve as white noise. Bumblebee passed behind them, flicking Hot Rod's helm on his way to the kitchen. The flame-patterned speedster swore, servos rubbing where he was touched. The yellow bot laughed.

"You guys need to keep it down. Arcee's still resting." He said.

"Okay!" Hot Rod whisper-shouted.

Bumblebee cycled his optics. He grabbed an empty cube and set it on the counter, then went to a cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Energon. As he filled the cube, the younglings had quieted, allowing him to hear the broadcast.

"Last night, two maintenance workers at the Iacon Spacebridge were alerted to a signal at the main console. Upon checking, they found that the signal was from a wayward ship lost in space. It has now been confirmed to be from the Ark, a War Age vanguard-class exploration ship."

Bumblebee froze. It felt like he Spark stopped. He set the Energon down and turned, going to stand behind the couch and stare at the TV.

"Optimus Prime and a crew of former Autobots and Maximals launched the Ark with the goal of exploring space and reestablishing connections with Cybertronian colonies. Unfortunately, contact with the Ark was suddenly severed, and the crew had been labeled missing ever since." The reporter continued.

Images and videos of the launch day played as the reporter spoke. A specific recording played after they finished speaking. It showed Autobots and Maximals alike saying goodbyes to friends and loved ones. Bumblebee could barely see Optimus through the crowd, kneeling, servos on blocky black shoulders. Bumblebee remembered that moment.

"I'm sorry, Bee. I made my decision. Your friends need you here." The Prime told him.

The yellow bot kept his intake shut, glaring at the ground like an upset newbuild. Optimus sighed.

"Bee, look at me." He said.

Bumblebee obeyed. The larger bot looked at him, optics giving a soft glow. After being cooped up in the Ark for so long during their travels, Bumblebee knew his leader's expressions behind the mouthguard. In that instance, he was smiling.

"You deserve to have a normal life." Optimus stated, "Go out there. Be alive. I assure you, we will return in time, my friend."

Bumblebee finally nodded. Then, Optimus let go, stood, and returned to the Ark with his crew. Optimus Primal, Hound, Tigatron, Rhinox, Ratchet, and others. They made final statements with reporters, had a couple pictures taken, then boarded the ship, and took off into space.

"'The signal shows the Ark's location to be in the middle of nowhere. No colonies, no known stars. It's way outside of the Spacebridge's parameters' one worker wrote." The reporter said, "'We'd need to send a ship out there to get it'."

Bumblebee snapped out of his trance, paying attention to the broadcast again.

"The Deep-Space Exploration Agency has leapt into action and began construction on a vessel called the Blue Stasis. They are currently taking volunteers to help retrieve the Ark crew. They are offering a one-million Shanix reward for those who are selected. Please contact them with the call code below if you are interested."