Bumblebee/Ultra Magnus
Title: Glitch
Author: ouronlyhunter
Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers. Just playing, and then returning them.
A/N: Some gore. Not sure this is everything hoped for, but I must admit to liking it more than what I've written usually. Although I'm not sure why neither Bee or UM stepped up as narrator - another TF completely butt in and insisted on it. Also - this has shippy things, but not any actual action, so...
Request: Pairing wanted: Ultra Magnus/Bumblebee
Rating wanted: Any
Scenario wanted: Idea inspired by the Elite Guard Bumblebee toy. What if Bumblebee suffered from the same problem that Blitzwing does, only his personalities are all completely separate individuals all together.
Three things you’d like to see in your story: The inclusion of Goldbug as the more serious personality, Bumblebee being older than he actually appears, reciprocated feelings for the pairing
The energon almost pulsed on his hands as it dried, optics dimming as he took in the sight of parts, wires broken but still crackling with electricity, the circuitry sizzling before dying out. Even shuddering so badly his whole chassis shook with each tremor he managed to push himself to his feet, tipping his head. For a moment, he thought there might be an answer, buried somewhere beneath the parts. At the very least, he had to determine if they were still online.
They being the cadets he had been sent to watch over, guiding them through a simple scouting mission. Ultra Magnus would have never allowed mechs so young and inexperienced to go out if there had been any real danger. Goldbug had only been sent out to train them, and just in case, although it had been silently understood that he would be expected to perform only in the first capacity.
This was… bad.
He almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought. It had gone so far beyond bad his processor chugged out nonsense as he tried to come up with any explanation beyond the truth, that he remembered nothing. That would be unacceptable, as someone - he - would be held accountable for this whole fiasco. Before he could be expected to answer any questions, he had to make sure they were truly offline, the dim hope that perhaps a medic would be able to save them fading as he made his way towards the first cadet, the closet a brightly colored femme, one optic dark, the other broken, the shards pointing inward, towards her central processor. Goldbug shuddered again, faltering before taking those final steps, and quickly finding the switch to open her chest plates.
Her spark chamber was empty. He doubted the others would be any different, and he was even more uncertain of if he would be able to check all the others, so instead, he stumbled to a wall, putting his back against it to support him. He would have to be able to give some answers, and attempted to think this through rationally as best he could.
It led to only one conclusion. He had failed, and not only himself, or the cadets. Twitching slightly, he slipped lower, stopping before he sat completely. Since it was unlikely that he would be able to get up again, he would try to stay on his feet for as long as possible. Even if he had merely been unable to protect the cadets, there would be suspicions, rumors, and it would lead from him to Ultra Magnus. The fact that Goldbug was favored was silently acknowledged, but acknowledged nonetheless, and already led to some bad will. Any was enough, but this?
Slag it.
Any further thought was cut short, the sound of another mech approaching forcing Goldbug back onto his feet. Of course, he should have expected an immediate response to the alarm that must have gone off, although he had been too preoccupied before now.
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Bumblebee had the stingers out before she’d come at him, and still she had the neural disrupter aimed at him, a head shot. He didn’t flinch, but he knew what it would do.
“C’mon? Really?” She spoke with a slight drawl, and Bumblebee reconsidered. At least she’d put away the cannon.
“Oh, yeah, because I’m the one who’s the danger here.” He shot her a sharp look, neither of them faltering. He wasn’t gonna put away his weapons if she still had any of hers out, though.
“Can you prove that?” Same drawl, but her voice got flatter. She meant it.
Frag. “Look, I found… them like this.” She didn’t move at all. “I found… this - like this.” He motioned behind him, with his head. “All of it.”
Every part of her tightened, like she was on a hair trigger. Bumblebee was suddenly even more grateful that she’d put the cannon away. She didn’t even look behind him.
“Right.” Flat, dry, all business. He wanted to say that he knew her, if only because she spoke like she expected him to know her, and even if she didn’t show it, he could tell she was thrown off by the way he acted. Like maybe she expected him to act differently.
His stinger charged, her optics narrowing at the slight whine of energy building. Not that he planned on giving her a chance to do anything. Hey, he was Elite Guard. She wasn’t, and she was attacking him, not the other way around.
He didn’t have time to think things through, shooting at her before she had the chance to do it first. It was the last thing he felt before the neural disruptor hit him.
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“Different how?”
Chromia glanced at Ultra Magnus, and shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, then studying the view outside the window of the office, expansive, showing the darkness creeping over Cyberton, stars just starting to peek out of the sky above. “Different,” she said again, almost mumbling, not sure how exactly else to explain it. “He didn’t remember me. That’s different.” She tipped her head, looking up, the window curving to make up one whole wall. Normally, she would have simply thought of it as a distraction, distasteful maybe, but right now it gave her time to think and pretend she wasn’t being studied.
“Yes, but what else?” Ultra Magnus kept his voice calm, tone even and words spaced out, but underneath that, there was an eagerness - a push.
Chromia kept any sharp comments to herself, glaring out the window now. Darkness was falling quickly, and her optics dimmed slightly. “He was impulsive.” The scowl flashed across her face, and she shook her head. “Much more so than I would have expected.”
When she turned to Ultra Magnus, he just nodded once, the motion slow, solemn. Not that she blamed him; he had more to loose here than she did. Much more, really, but she flicked the thought away. It was distinctly uncomfortable. “I have already informed First Aid to run a full scan.”
Chromia’s scowl dropped, her face now a more troubling blank. “Alright.” The one word was spoken more sharply than she’d intended, but she kept her arms crossed over her chest, starting to glower once more. She really didn’t like any of this, especially since a full scan might very well lead to Goldbug being brought out of stasis. This might be something that could only be detected when he was online, as was occasionally the case. “Alone?” she finally demanded.
“I believe since Goldbug is in stasis-”
“Which we both know could only be temporary.”
The silence drew out, neither of them looking at each other, Chromia breaking the silence she had created. “Why don’t you do something?” She hissed that out, something sharp in her that wanted him to lash out, to quell the rumors that had to already be starting.
“What would you have me do?”
Sometimes, Chromia thought, talking to Ultra Magnus simply led nowhere. Then again, she was the type to take action - not talk it out, so she only shrugged, mumbling under her breath.
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Since Chromia had found Goldbug, it had been decided that she would be the one to interrogate him. It actually made her slightly satisfied, not because it meant that anyone trusted her to be unbiased. They knew that she supported Ultra Magnus, even if she didn’t always agree with him. They also knew that it wouldn’t get in her way. She didn’t care about personal relationships - in this case, their leader’s and Goldbug’s. She didn’t care to pry or speculate. What she cared about was the bottom line.
So far the facts were that Goldbug had been sent to watch over some cadets, and they hadn’t come back online. Goldbug had, and in addition, she had found him not only in one piece - more than could be said about any of the cadets - but something was wrong with him. She’d known that before he had attacked her. She looked up from the data pad, fingers dancing over the pad, ignoring the rushed writing. Not that she needed to read what was said.
After all, she had been there, and even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t really forget. Tipping her head, she motioned for the other guards to leave, which they did reluctantly despite knowing full well that Chormia had taken down Goldbug before. Not only that, he had agreed to restraints and they were being monitored. So far, he didn’t exactly smack of guilt.
Then again, First Aid was still going after the scans. Everyone was rushing this, but some people were already questioning just how fit Ultra Magnus was to lead if he would let this happen. Like they didn’t make mistakes. She snorted slightly, watching Goldbug jump to attention. “What exactly do you think I’m going to do?”
“I thought you were here to ask me about…” He trailed off, optics dimming, so much so that it might lead Chromia to believe he had simply slipped into a state of stasis.
She knew better, although she questioned if it had been a conscious move. “Yeah, that’s all.” Her own optics narrowed, and she let the pause grow heavy, about to take control when Goldbug looked up at her. “They said you found me.”
She tightened. “Yeah. And?”
“What do you think?”
She almost had to laugh at that. He meant it. “I think you did it.”
He tensed just as much as she had before. Then again, he had to know she would be honest, and blunt to boot.
“Chromia…”
“Let me ask you this. How long have you known?” She was the one who was supposed to be asking questions, after all.
The pause, weightier than before, made Chromia that much more restless.
“A while.”
It was what she’d thought. If you were that off, how did you not notice? “Uh-huh. And if you had nothing else to hide, why wouldn’t you tell us.”
“What would you have done?” He shifted in his seat, without moving towards her. “They’re already talking. They would have if I’d said anything… I thought that since no one had noticed yet, I could fix it before anyone did.” He looked calm, but his voice was uneven.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You think you’re protecting anyone but yourself? You’re wrong.” Chromia surprised herself with that low growl; she’d been trying to keep control here and she’d been doing a good job so far, but this was enough.
The guards rushed back in just as she left. Good timing, but she didn’t care - it didn’t seem like anyone else was going to do anything. She wasn’t surprised when Ultra Magnus called her into his office, and as much as she felt like blowing him off, she knew better. Not that she gave him a chance to speak first. “Why am I in the middle of this?”
He had his back to her, watching the bright sky through the window. “Because I trust you to deal with this for me.”
“I heard the call. I answered it. Why isn’t that enough, Magnus? You know what I think, and you’re not listening to me. How is that *trusting* me?”
“True.” The small pause lasted only long enough for him to face her. “Perhaps I should allow you to deal with this matter personally.”
Right. Exactly what she wanted. With a shake of her head, she countered him. “Those who don’t trust you anymore aren’t going to unless you deal with it yourself. So do it already. Everyone’s waiting, and the longer you put this off, the more of them are going to start doubting you.”
“Delegating responsibility is dealing with a situation. I would simply be-”
“Taking an easy way out. You know what you have to do.” She didn’t back down, and wouldn’t, not if he wasn’t going to.
“The choice is not one to be made lightly.”
“Yeah. And normally I would agree with you, take all the time you need. But you two got yourselves in this mess. Everyone’s holding you both up to a higher standard. Normal isn’t going to cut it.” Chromia just froze at the hard look he gave her.
“Enough.”
Not that she let the thunder in his voice move her. “Really? I didn’t think you’d resort to scare tactics.” She said it breezily enough, although it was a last resort. Getting Ultra Magnus to snap at you wasn’t a smart idea - and she didn’t know if she could really get away with it. Wouldn’t know if she didn’t try, though. And someone had to give him a dose of reality here. Their supreme commander couldn’t risk being this biased, or thinking that this wouldn’t hurt him. It would, if only politically.
“Not until I hear back from First Aid.”
“Good idea.” Right now, all she had to fight back with was sarcasm, so she used it best as she could. “Was that all, sir?” Since she was getting nowhere, she might as well go formal, and get her aft out as soon as possible.
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No one spoke about if a reprogramming had been truly successful. Then again, why did they need to speak about what they all knew? The few times it had been attempted, the process had to be aborted. Another subject matter that everyone danced around was the fact that Goldbug volunteered, once he heard about the ‘glitch’.
Chormia crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the medics who were gathered around, all under First Aid’s command. She had a feeling she’d been called to watch this as a neutral pair of eyes. The position made her feel used, in a vaguely unnamable yet distinctly uncomfortable way. Like maybe right now this was the best she could be…
Frag it. She was getting what she’d wanted - and Goldbug had agreed. She had no doubt this wouldn’t work, which meant termination. She glanced at Ultra Magnus, watching, holding himself stiffly. Was he really going to watch this, she wondered, curiosity bobbing it’s head up. But really, if he was going to… condemn himself to that, she might as well throw a little pity his way. “He said he’d known for a while. That he didn’t say anything to try and protect you.” Well, it was what Goldbug had meant…
“I know.”
Then he’d seen. “Then you know I don’t believe it.”
Ultra Magnus said nothing, optics flaring, the light burning, a pale reflection in the window overlooking the infirmary. “Yes.” His voice was quieter than usual.
Chromia just her hip out, resting against the window lightly, watching because she’d been ordered to. “Not that it’ll matter in a couple minutes.”
Now that got Ultra Magnus’ attention. His head shot up, the look even, although the way he held himself was too intense not to mean anything.
“I’m just saying… Either he won’t remember, or he won’t be an issue at all.”
“Enough.”
Seemed to be a favorite phrase of his lately, although it wasn’t said with quite as much conviction this time. And, really, by now? Everyone had enough of this whole situation.
They spent the rest of the time studying the scene that unfolded beneath them, silent, not even glancing at each other.
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Even Chromia had to reluctantly call the reprogramming a success. Somewhat, at least. It hadn’t fixed the glitch, but a virus had. Dormant except that it kept the other personalities under control. Goldbug had originally been the core personality, and a much less mature one had been brought to the fore after the reprogramming.
She glowered at the mech - Goldbug had been repainted, and she’d heard that big lumbering one call him Bumblebee. A little more suited towards his new personality, and after spending about five cycles with him, it seemed a lot like the one who had shot at her. Impulsive, rude, childlike…. Still, he took the hint, and wandered off with his newfound friend.
She didn’t really give him much thought after that. Not that she would be spending much time at the Academy anyway, so she didn’t have to. Actually, she didn’t have to think about him until she’d been called to the backwater planet he’d landed on. Their medic - Ratcet - found the same glitch they’d fixed. From what she’d heard, it could have been caused by the Allspark, or a key that held the Allspark’s power now. It had been used on all of the crew that had landed on Earth - including Bumblebee.
And if the Allspark sensed a virus, it would fix it. Even if the purpose of that virus was to fix a glitch that had been hardwired into Bumblebee’s system, making him dangerous. And she’d been called back to deal with the situation yet again. She ignored the glares she got, cutting off the kid without listening to her babble. “Look, I don’t want to be here either.”
It didn’t matter. She’d been ordered to bring Bumblebee back to First Aid. Stasis lock, as far as she knew, and probably another council meeting - one that she would be asked to speak at, since she seemed to get pulled into every situation involving Bumblebee now. Or Goldbug. She wondered which he was going by - if it even was one of those two. She turned her full attention back to the mechs - and that one human girl - glowering at her as if dirty looks might make her rethink her orders.
“Can I speak to you privately?”
Optimus Prime. Of course, Chromia had read the profiles of all the crew. She nodded, figuring this might make things easier. The others kept glaring, some of them grumbling, as she let the Prime lead her to a secluded room. “What about?”
“Bumblebee might be a little impulsive-”
“No, he’s dangerous.” She shot Optimus a steady look. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I had to take him down, this time. I know.”
“No, you don’t. You caught on early. But when he was… Before, you didn’t see what I did. You don’t know, and you don’t wanna know.”
The drawn out silence only told Chromia that the really didn’t know what the glitch was. “Probably the same glitch Blitzwing has…” She muttered it, watching the tension settle into the Prime . Good. “One of them is psychotic. We didn’t know for sure, not for a long time. Like I said, you don’t wanna know.”
He jumped on his chance this time. “What do you plan on doing with Bumblebee?”
“Me? Oh, I plan on keeping his aft in stasis lock until I get him where I’m going. And just like before, I’m going to wash my hands of this mess as soon as possible.”
His optics dimmed for a Nan click. “And Ultra Magnus agrees?”
She stiffened this time. “You’re not going to listen to me. No one does, but I’m going to tell you anyway. You really don’t wanna go there….”
She turned his back to him, freezing in the doorway. “You’re not going to, are you?” She asked it wryly. If he was going to bother Magnus, she was going to hear about it, and she wanted to be prepared.
“No.”
Figured. Really, no one listened her. “Alright. Then, I’ll tell you what’s probably going to happen. Reprogramming, First Aid’s going to try to patch up your friend, and then he’ll be shipped off to the Academy - again.” She shrugged. “And someone’s going to notice it’s been his third time around. Even with another paint job.”
She ignored his protests, because the fact was reprogramming did work - occasionally. It was still a last resort, and she wasn’t going to spell out the fact that they’d done this before. If the Prime figured it out in time to do something, good for him. If not, maybe he’d piss Magnus off enough that he wouldn’t get her involved next time.
Author: ouronlyhunter
Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers. Just playing, and then returning them.
A/N: Some gore. Not sure this is everything hoped for, but I must admit to liking it more than what I've written usually. Although I'm not sure why neither Bee or UM stepped up as narrator - another TF completely butt in and insisted on it. Also - this has shippy things, but not any actual action, so...
Request: Pairing wanted: Ultra Magnus/Bumblebee
Rating wanted: Any
Scenario wanted: Idea inspired by the Elite Guard Bumblebee toy. What if Bumblebee suffered from the same problem that Blitzwing does, only his personalities are all completely separate individuals all together.
Three things you’d like to see in your story: The inclusion of Goldbug as the more serious personality, Bumblebee being older than he actually appears, reciprocated feelings for the pairing
The energon almost pulsed on his hands as it dried, optics dimming as he took in the sight of parts, wires broken but still crackling with electricity, the circuitry sizzling before dying out. Even shuddering so badly his whole chassis shook with each tremor he managed to push himself to his feet, tipping his head. For a moment, he thought there might be an answer, buried somewhere beneath the parts. At the very least, he had to determine if they were still online.
They being the cadets he had been sent to watch over, guiding them through a simple scouting mission. Ultra Magnus would have never allowed mechs so young and inexperienced to go out if there had been any real danger. Goldbug had only been sent out to train them, and just in case, although it had been silently understood that he would be expected to perform only in the first capacity.
This was… bad.
He almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought. It had gone so far beyond bad his processor chugged out nonsense as he tried to come up with any explanation beyond the truth, that he remembered nothing. That would be unacceptable, as someone - he - would be held accountable for this whole fiasco. Before he could be expected to answer any questions, he had to make sure they were truly offline, the dim hope that perhaps a medic would be able to save them fading as he made his way towards the first cadet, the closet a brightly colored femme, one optic dark, the other broken, the shards pointing inward, towards her central processor. Goldbug shuddered again, faltering before taking those final steps, and quickly finding the switch to open her chest plates.
Her spark chamber was empty. He doubted the others would be any different, and he was even more uncertain of if he would be able to check all the others, so instead, he stumbled to a wall, putting his back against it to support him. He would have to be able to give some answers, and attempted to think this through rationally as best he could.
It led to only one conclusion. He had failed, and not only himself, or the cadets. Twitching slightly, he slipped lower, stopping before he sat completely. Since it was unlikely that he would be able to get up again, he would try to stay on his feet for as long as possible. Even if he had merely been unable to protect the cadets, there would be suspicions, rumors, and it would lead from him to Ultra Magnus. The fact that Goldbug was favored was silently acknowledged, but acknowledged nonetheless, and already led to some bad will. Any was enough, but this?
Slag it.
Any further thought was cut short, the sound of another mech approaching forcing Goldbug back onto his feet. Of course, he should have expected an immediate response to the alarm that must have gone off, although he had been too preoccupied before now.
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Bumblebee had the stingers out before she’d come at him, and still she had the neural disrupter aimed at him, a head shot. He didn’t flinch, but he knew what it would do.
“C’mon? Really?” She spoke with a slight drawl, and Bumblebee reconsidered. At least she’d put away the cannon.
“Oh, yeah, because I’m the one who’s the danger here.” He shot her a sharp look, neither of them faltering. He wasn’t gonna put away his weapons if she still had any of hers out, though.
“Can you prove that?” Same drawl, but her voice got flatter. She meant it.
Frag. “Look, I found… them like this.” She didn’t move at all. “I found… this - like this.” He motioned behind him, with his head. “All of it.”
Every part of her tightened, like she was on a hair trigger. Bumblebee was suddenly even more grateful that she’d put the cannon away. She didn’t even look behind him.
“Right.” Flat, dry, all business. He wanted to say that he knew her, if only because she spoke like she expected him to know her, and even if she didn’t show it, he could tell she was thrown off by the way he acted. Like maybe she expected him to act differently.
His stinger charged, her optics narrowing at the slight whine of energy building. Not that he planned on giving her a chance to do anything. Hey, he was Elite Guard. She wasn’t, and she was attacking him, not the other way around.
He didn’t have time to think things through, shooting at her before she had the chance to do it first. It was the last thing he felt before the neural disruptor hit him.
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“Different how?”
Chromia glanced at Ultra Magnus, and shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, then studying the view outside the window of the office, expansive, showing the darkness creeping over Cyberton, stars just starting to peek out of the sky above. “Different,” she said again, almost mumbling, not sure how exactly else to explain it. “He didn’t remember me. That’s different.” She tipped her head, looking up, the window curving to make up one whole wall. Normally, she would have simply thought of it as a distraction, distasteful maybe, but right now it gave her time to think and pretend she wasn’t being studied.
“Yes, but what else?” Ultra Magnus kept his voice calm, tone even and words spaced out, but underneath that, there was an eagerness - a push.
Chromia kept any sharp comments to herself, glaring out the window now. Darkness was falling quickly, and her optics dimmed slightly. “He was impulsive.” The scowl flashed across her face, and she shook her head. “Much more so than I would have expected.”
When she turned to Ultra Magnus, he just nodded once, the motion slow, solemn. Not that she blamed him; he had more to loose here than she did. Much more, really, but she flicked the thought away. It was distinctly uncomfortable. “I have already informed First Aid to run a full scan.”
Chromia’s scowl dropped, her face now a more troubling blank. “Alright.” The one word was spoken more sharply than she’d intended, but she kept her arms crossed over her chest, starting to glower once more. She really didn’t like any of this, especially since a full scan might very well lead to Goldbug being brought out of stasis. This might be something that could only be detected when he was online, as was occasionally the case. “Alone?” she finally demanded.
“I believe since Goldbug is in stasis-”
“Which we both know could only be temporary.”
The silence drew out, neither of them looking at each other, Chromia breaking the silence she had created. “Why don’t you do something?” She hissed that out, something sharp in her that wanted him to lash out, to quell the rumors that had to already be starting.
“What would you have me do?”
Sometimes, Chromia thought, talking to Ultra Magnus simply led nowhere. Then again, she was the type to take action - not talk it out, so she only shrugged, mumbling under her breath.
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Since Chromia had found Goldbug, it had been decided that she would be the one to interrogate him. It actually made her slightly satisfied, not because it meant that anyone trusted her to be unbiased. They knew that she supported Ultra Magnus, even if she didn’t always agree with him. They also knew that it wouldn’t get in her way. She didn’t care about personal relationships - in this case, their leader’s and Goldbug’s. She didn’t care to pry or speculate. What she cared about was the bottom line.
So far the facts were that Goldbug had been sent to watch over some cadets, and they hadn’t come back online. Goldbug had, and in addition, she had found him not only in one piece - more than could be said about any of the cadets - but something was wrong with him. She’d known that before he had attacked her. She looked up from the data pad, fingers dancing over the pad, ignoring the rushed writing. Not that she needed to read what was said.
After all, she had been there, and even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t really forget. Tipping her head, she motioned for the other guards to leave, which they did reluctantly despite knowing full well that Chormia had taken down Goldbug before. Not only that, he had agreed to restraints and they were being monitored. So far, he didn’t exactly smack of guilt.
Then again, First Aid was still going after the scans. Everyone was rushing this, but some people were already questioning just how fit Ultra Magnus was to lead if he would let this happen. Like they didn’t make mistakes. She snorted slightly, watching Goldbug jump to attention. “What exactly do you think I’m going to do?”
“I thought you were here to ask me about…” He trailed off, optics dimming, so much so that it might lead Chromia to believe he had simply slipped into a state of stasis.
She knew better, although she questioned if it had been a conscious move. “Yeah, that’s all.” Her own optics narrowed, and she let the pause grow heavy, about to take control when Goldbug looked up at her. “They said you found me.”
She tightened. “Yeah. And?”
“What do you think?”
She almost had to laugh at that. He meant it. “I think you did it.”
He tensed just as much as she had before. Then again, he had to know she would be honest, and blunt to boot.
“Chromia…”
“Let me ask you this. How long have you known?” She was the one who was supposed to be asking questions, after all.
The pause, weightier than before, made Chromia that much more restless.
“A while.”
It was what she’d thought. If you were that off, how did you not notice? “Uh-huh. And if you had nothing else to hide, why wouldn’t you tell us.”
“What would you have done?” He shifted in his seat, without moving towards her. “They’re already talking. They would have if I’d said anything… I thought that since no one had noticed yet, I could fix it before anyone did.” He looked calm, but his voice was uneven.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You think you’re protecting anyone but yourself? You’re wrong.” Chromia surprised herself with that low growl; she’d been trying to keep control here and she’d been doing a good job so far, but this was enough.
The guards rushed back in just as she left. Good timing, but she didn’t care - it didn’t seem like anyone else was going to do anything. She wasn’t surprised when Ultra Magnus called her into his office, and as much as she felt like blowing him off, she knew better. Not that she gave him a chance to speak first. “Why am I in the middle of this?”
He had his back to her, watching the bright sky through the window. “Because I trust you to deal with this for me.”
“I heard the call. I answered it. Why isn’t that enough, Magnus? You know what I think, and you’re not listening to me. How is that *trusting* me?”
“True.” The small pause lasted only long enough for him to face her. “Perhaps I should allow you to deal with this matter personally.”
Right. Exactly what she wanted. With a shake of her head, she countered him. “Those who don’t trust you anymore aren’t going to unless you deal with it yourself. So do it already. Everyone’s waiting, and the longer you put this off, the more of them are going to start doubting you.”
“Delegating responsibility is dealing with a situation. I would simply be-”
“Taking an easy way out. You know what you have to do.” She didn’t back down, and wouldn’t, not if he wasn’t going to.
“The choice is not one to be made lightly.”
“Yeah. And normally I would agree with you, take all the time you need. But you two got yourselves in this mess. Everyone’s holding you both up to a higher standard. Normal isn’t going to cut it.” Chromia just froze at the hard look he gave her.
“Enough.”
Not that she let the thunder in his voice move her. “Really? I didn’t think you’d resort to scare tactics.” She said it breezily enough, although it was a last resort. Getting Ultra Magnus to snap at you wasn’t a smart idea - and she didn’t know if she could really get away with it. Wouldn’t know if she didn’t try, though. And someone had to give him a dose of reality here. Their supreme commander couldn’t risk being this biased, or thinking that this wouldn’t hurt him. It would, if only politically.
“Not until I hear back from First Aid.”
“Good idea.” Right now, all she had to fight back with was sarcasm, so she used it best as she could. “Was that all, sir?” Since she was getting nowhere, she might as well go formal, and get her aft out as soon as possible.
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No one spoke about if a reprogramming had been truly successful. Then again, why did they need to speak about what they all knew? The few times it had been attempted, the process had to be aborted. Another subject matter that everyone danced around was the fact that Goldbug volunteered, once he heard about the ‘glitch’.
Chormia crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at the medics who were gathered around, all under First Aid’s command. She had a feeling she’d been called to watch this as a neutral pair of eyes. The position made her feel used, in a vaguely unnamable yet distinctly uncomfortable way. Like maybe right now this was the best she could be…
Frag it. She was getting what she’d wanted - and Goldbug had agreed. She had no doubt this wouldn’t work, which meant termination. She glanced at Ultra Magnus, watching, holding himself stiffly. Was he really going to watch this, she wondered, curiosity bobbing it’s head up. But really, if he was going to… condemn himself to that, she might as well throw a little pity his way. “He said he’d known for a while. That he didn’t say anything to try and protect you.” Well, it was what Goldbug had meant…
“I know.”
Then he’d seen. “Then you know I don’t believe it.”
Ultra Magnus said nothing, optics flaring, the light burning, a pale reflection in the window overlooking the infirmary. “Yes.” His voice was quieter than usual.
Chromia just her hip out, resting against the window lightly, watching because she’d been ordered to. “Not that it’ll matter in a couple minutes.”
Now that got Ultra Magnus’ attention. His head shot up, the look even, although the way he held himself was too intense not to mean anything.
“I’m just saying… Either he won’t remember, or he won’t be an issue at all.”
“Enough.”
Seemed to be a favorite phrase of his lately, although it wasn’t said with quite as much conviction this time. And, really, by now? Everyone had enough of this whole situation.
They spent the rest of the time studying the scene that unfolded beneath them, silent, not even glancing at each other.
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Even Chromia had to reluctantly call the reprogramming a success. Somewhat, at least. It hadn’t fixed the glitch, but a virus had. Dormant except that it kept the other personalities under control. Goldbug had originally been the core personality, and a much less mature one had been brought to the fore after the reprogramming.
She glowered at the mech - Goldbug had been repainted, and she’d heard that big lumbering one call him Bumblebee. A little more suited towards his new personality, and after spending about five cycles with him, it seemed a lot like the one who had shot at her. Impulsive, rude, childlike…. Still, he took the hint, and wandered off with his newfound friend.
She didn’t really give him much thought after that. Not that she would be spending much time at the Academy anyway, so she didn’t have to. Actually, she didn’t have to think about him until she’d been called to the backwater planet he’d landed on. Their medic - Ratcet - found the same glitch they’d fixed. From what she’d heard, it could have been caused by the Allspark, or a key that held the Allspark’s power now. It had been used on all of the crew that had landed on Earth - including Bumblebee.
And if the Allspark sensed a virus, it would fix it. Even if the purpose of that virus was to fix a glitch that had been hardwired into Bumblebee’s system, making him dangerous. And she’d been called back to deal with the situation yet again. She ignored the glares she got, cutting off the kid without listening to her babble. “Look, I don’t want to be here either.”
It didn’t matter. She’d been ordered to bring Bumblebee back to First Aid. Stasis lock, as far as she knew, and probably another council meeting - one that she would be asked to speak at, since she seemed to get pulled into every situation involving Bumblebee now. Or Goldbug. She wondered which he was going by - if it even was one of those two. She turned her full attention back to the mechs - and that one human girl - glowering at her as if dirty looks might make her rethink her orders.
“Can I speak to you privately?”
Optimus Prime. Of course, Chromia had read the profiles of all the crew. She nodded, figuring this might make things easier. The others kept glaring, some of them grumbling, as she let the Prime lead her to a secluded room. “What about?”
“Bumblebee might be a little impulsive-”
“No, he’s dangerous.” She shot Optimus a steady look. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I had to take him down, this time. I know.”
“No, you don’t. You caught on early. But when he was… Before, you didn’t see what I did. You don’t know, and you don’t wanna know.”
The drawn out silence only told Chromia that the really didn’t know what the glitch was. “Probably the same glitch Blitzwing has…” She muttered it, watching the tension settle into the Prime . Good. “One of them is psychotic. We didn’t know for sure, not for a long time. Like I said, you don’t wanna know.”
He jumped on his chance this time. “What do you plan on doing with Bumblebee?”
“Me? Oh, I plan on keeping his aft in stasis lock until I get him where I’m going. And just like before, I’m going to wash my hands of this mess as soon as possible.”
His optics dimmed for a Nan click. “And Ultra Magnus agrees?”
She stiffened this time. “You’re not going to listen to me. No one does, but I’m going to tell you anyway. You really don’t wanna go there….”
She turned his back to him, freezing in the doorway. “You’re not going to, are you?” She asked it wryly. If he was going to bother Magnus, she was going to hear about it, and she wanted to be prepared.
“No.”
Figured. Really, no one listened her. “Alright. Then, I’ll tell you what’s probably going to happen. Reprogramming, First Aid’s going to try to patch up your friend, and then he’ll be shipped off to the Academy - again.” She shrugged. “And someone’s going to notice it’s been his third time around. Even with another paint job.”
She ignored his protests, because the fact was reprogramming did work - occasionally. It was still a last resort, and she wasn’t going to spell out the fact that they’d done this before. If the Prime figured it out in time to do something, good for him. If not, maybe he’d piss Magnus off enough that he wouldn’t get her involved next time.