Tough Love

POOR BEE

It wasn't quick, and it wasn't easy, but going through the tunnels was the only option they had at the time to get Thunderhoof to Blades' med-bay in the Bunker without alerting the public to a new Cybertronian who isn't a Rescue Bot. Everyone agreed that they couldn't risk the residents of Griffin Rock knowing about Thunderhoof, not yet, and especially not with the state he's in. He is delirious with fever, writhing in pain, and was running low on Energon long before getting himself stuck and subsequently rescued. His systems are taxed, and he's still responsible for Steeljaw's daughter. At least she seemed to be taking the situation pretty well, falling asleep in Bumblebee's arms as they stuck to Thunderhoof's side.

Bumblebee is happy that the sparkling is alright, but that feeling isn't enough to dumb down his worries. Frowning, he switches focus to Blades and Boulder operating on Thunderhoof. They injected him with antibiotics and placed cooling agents all over his frame. He is strapped to the medical berth, his left leg doubly so, as no one wanted a repeat of what happened back in the cove, however unintentional it was.

Which brings something else to the table for Bumblebee to worry about. Thunderhoof is tough. Even in his weakened state, he can still cause quite a bit of damage, and that may be appealing to certain folk. Based on past experiences, Bumblebee knows that not all humans are good, and some have the means to get their hands on them.

The Rescue Bots have been on the receiving end of such acts, but at least the humans they had to deal with are in prison. The only exceptions to this – that Bumblebee knows of – are Colonel Quarry, who's off the grid and keeping to his promise of leaving them alone, and Dr. Morocco, who lost his memory and time-traveled to the future with an old friend of his.

Then there are the humans that both Autobots and Decepticons had to be wary of back in the day, humans Bumblebee hopes and prays that the Rescue Bots never ever have the misfortune of encountering: MECH. Just thinking of the group sent a shiver down Bumblebee's backplate. As far as anyone was concerned, MECH was destroyed when their leader went insane. However...

"Bumblebee?"

The yellow and black mech jumped, startled back to reality. He readjusted his optics and looked up. Blades was standing in front of him, looking concerned.

"Are you okay? You've been sitting here motionless for hours."

"Y...Yeah, I'm fine," Bumblebee stammered. "Just lost in my thoughts is all. Nothing to worry about."

Blades didn't look convinced, and Bumblebee couldn't blame him. He certainly didn't feel or sound convincing in the least, but he also didn't want to say what was plaguing his thoughts.

How is he supposed to tell the Rescue Bots that he fears the existence of MECH – or Primus forbid, any other groups like them – even though they've, supposedly, been defeated years ago, and that they're all at risk because no way can they handle something that even war-hardened fighters had trouble with?

"I'm concerned for Thunderhoof and the sparkling's safety," Bumblebee admitted. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't exactly telling the truth, either.

"I want to discuss some things further with everyone. Do you know when you'll be done?"

Blades hummed and looked over his shoulder. Boulder had moved out of the way, checking the monitors on the other side of the berth, giving a clear view of its occupant. Thunderhoof was deep in recharge, looking more peaceful than he has all day. His frame stopped twitching, and according to the scans, his core temperature had returned to normal.

The only thing that hadn't changed was his injury.

"We're mostly done, but that hoof has proven difficult," Blades admitted, sounding defeated. He turned back to Bumblebee, servos clenching at his sides.