Transformers Fan Fiction ❯ Fragments of Memory ❯ Videos of a Questionable Nature ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Videos of a Questionable Nature

 

The afternoon sun glinted off the windshield of a car parked in the back of the lot, facing the small hospital. It had undergone renovations but he still recognized the small side entrance and its protective overhang. Two nurses sat underneath it on a smoking break, laughing over something the other had said. Well, what did he expect, her to be sitting on the stoop waiting for him? He had managed to trace her from foster home to foster home until she was three, then the government had enticed the other Autobots into working for them. He went with them to the Hiawatha forest to quickly break ground for the new base and by the time he had driven all those long miles back from Upper Michigan, she was gone. Adopted, he had overheard, by a couple of geniuses. She was gone; a wisp of smoke caught by a breeze, and flitted out of his life. Twenty years to the day, Bumblebee now sat outside the place where he had let her go. This was just pointless, he thought angrily. There was no way of finding her, because Primus knew he had. They must have changed her name, because all the internet searches, even the ones he had paid a heap of money for, had come up empty. It was like Aria Witwicky had never even existed.

 

He arrived back at the base a few days later, honestly glad to see the others again. They all gave him a warm welcome, praising his building skills. Some of the greetings were overdone, and he could tell they knew. Bumblebee went through the motions; watching television, playing video games, and listening to their war stories. How he should have been there, and how easy war on Earth was. They were trying to distract him, but when Ironhide showed up a week later, Bumblebee was afforded some privacy. Prime watched him escape to his room, a knowing look on his face. He had guessed correctly. Bumblebee hadn't found the girl. Prime resisted the urge to go talk to him about it though. They remenised often of Sam and Mikaela, but somehow the subject of Aria had become taboo. Whenever she came up in conversation, sidelong glances at Bumblebee revealed that he clammed up instantly and was in a dark mood for a long time afterward. When someone pushed the subject, Bumblebee resorted to slamming doors. Several thousand dollars later in damages, Prime held a meeting with the others and declared the topic of Aria and her whereabouts off-limits. Bumblebee's emotions had always gotten the better of him. Prime thought with a tickle of amusement, that he acted just like a human teenager.

 

Bumblebee's days were a haze, now that it had crashed over him. The sheer determination to see her again had kept the years going. Hard work had substituted where his resolve faltered, but now it was an undeniable reality that he might never find Aria again. They all knew he was drifting, and did their best to include him. Occasionally, the others had to go to some presentation for some city, to keep up the reputation. Prime always knew stuff like that. On those days he was alone, he found himself repairing sections of the base that were perfectly fine, and racing in circles through the tracks he had created in the dense forest. Occasionally he would stop and just sit on the side of a small lake he had happened across and think. The days going by after his trip to the hospital seemed like twenty years all over again, and he didn't know how much longer he could take it. He had to do something, because sitting here was driving him slowly mad. Maybe he would take a trip around the country. The others had gotten to see the world, so why shouldn't he? Bumblebee came home that evening to tell Prime he was leaving only to find Hot Rod and Bluestreak huddled over a laptop giggling.

 

Bumblebee supposed they were watching more `videos of a questionable nature' as Ratchet put it so delicately. The two had developed an affinity for Earth women, and perused the internet in that fashion often. When Optimus Prime asked them once why they liked Earth women, Hot Rod replied with something so graphic about softness and curves, that Prime never breached the subject again. As Bumblebee walked past the two to go to his room, he glanced at what was playing on the laptop and froze. A girl on the screen was performing an experiment, wearing hot pants, and creating an electrostatic wind which tossed her long brown hair nicely. She was explaining the steps in a melodic voice.

“What-?” was all he could choke out.

“It's the newest episode of Sexy Science.” Bluestreak called out absentmindedly. “She's a graduate student in Maine.”

“She pays for her schooling by making these lessons and selling them to guys who need a tutor.” Hot Rod offered.

“She's wearing little shorts…” Bumblebee commented in a strangled voice. The girl's large brown doe-eyes were dancing excitedly now as she explained the properties of electrons and the fusion process.

“Amazing legs, eh? The curves on these women never cease to amaze me.” Bluestreak said helpfully.

“Where did you-?” he faltered again.

“You-Tube.” Hot Rod answered, as the girl ended the segment by blowing a kiss to the camera. The video paused there, the girl still pursing her lips to blow the kiss from her palm. Ironhide, freshly painted black again, happened by and glanced at the screen.

“Tsk! Are you starting to watch their pile of Earth porn as well, Bumblebee?”

“This isn't porn, its science!” Bluestreak said defensively.

“She's the youngest graduate student in Maine in decades and needs to pay her tuition. We're -helping- her by watching this.” Hot Rod shot at Ironhide.

“Whatever,” Ironhide said, giving up. “That girl looks a lot like Mikaela, though.” He said and patted Bumblebee comfortingly on the shoulder as he walked away. Yes, thought Bumblebee with a spike of hope leaping in his chest. Yes she does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/n: Thanks so much to those of you reading and to the people commenting. You are keeping me going by your interest. =3