A Chance Encounter

Log Title: A Chance Encounter

Characters: Bumblebee, Jetfire, Megatron

Location: Cybertron

Date: Octorber, 2013

TP: What If...

Summary: A young Decepticon scientist travels to Cybertron, shaken by what he has seen on Earth. He hopes to find peace on the metal world, but a chance encounter with a small Autobot leads to his entire world view being altered.

Jetfire arrives after a long, quiet flight back. He can't get what he's seen out of his head. So many innocents slaughtered - with so little regard for their lives. His shock was probably written all over his face. Still, he managed to conceal his revulsion to the top ops - just not ALL top ops - he still has Megatron to contend with.

Polyhex is the center of the Decepticon Empire. The main buildings are constantly filled with the sounds of soldiers and scientists moving through the corridors. Standing on on of the baloconies overlooking the city, Megatron waits patiently, hands clasped behind his back. He was waiting of one of his soldiers - a young one named Jetfire - to come before him. When you're Emperor, people come to you.

Jetfire goes through the guards - and the screeners. He finally sees the one - the only - the mighty Megatron. He thinks for a millisecond that this could be it. Megatron could raise a cannon and in a flicker, his core could be vanquished. But after these past few weeks, even death would be a release. He finally reaches Megatron and drops dutifully to one knee. "Hail, lord Megatron."

DW-Megatron stands with his back to Jetfire for a moment, before turning around. "Jetfire." he states. "You were stationed on Earth, as well as built there. Why have you come to Cybertron?" The question is innoculous, but Megatron's voice holds an ever present hint of malice; if Jetfire's answer didn't satisfy him...

GAME: Jetfire PASSES an INTELLIGENCE roll of High difficulty.

Jetfire says plainly "I FEEL that my duties would be better served on Cyberton. I am capable of interstellar travel. I have better access to scientific equipment on Cybertron, and Earth - my science experiements have suffered from its climate."

DW-Megatron considers this for a long moment, staring down at Jetfire. Finally, he gives a very small nod. "What is the nature of your experiments?" he asks.

Jetfire doesn't move a muscle, but his faceplate does move, "Whatever best serves the Decepticon army, your excellency. Right now, I am primiarly focused on exploration, but I can just as easy devote my time for weapon development."

The Decepticon Leader contemplates for a while, his face not giving any sign of what he's thinking. "...I'm assigning you to work under Shockwave." he states finally. "You'll do as he commands you."

Jetfire remains kneeled. "Thank you, your lordship - I will do everything in my power to prove this is the best decision for the Decepticons."

"I want periodic reports on your experiments." Megatron says, his voice having lost it's malicious edge. "And, I want you to keep me updated on Shockwave's status as well. Do you understand what I ask of you, Jetfire?"

Jetfire remains in the bowed position, "Absolutely, your lordship."

DW-Megatron nods, looking pleased. "Then you are dismissed, Jetfire."

Jetfire stands up and turns around - and heads out.

Jetfire heads out and transforms, determined to do patrolling. Maybe if he does more 'ethical' tasks like patroling, his conscience will be quieted.

The Decepticons are sure of their dominance of Cybertron, and thus the surface isn't very heavily patrolled, especially the areas between the cities. Bumblebee is taking advantage of this, scavanging a junk pile for repair parts. Several of his Autobots were damaged recently, and he needed to get them back to... well, not full health, but back to where they could move and fight. He's being extremely careful not to be obvious.

Bumblebee's worst fears are realized. Jetfire, possessing all the technology of the latest-up-to-date advances of the Decepticon army, spots Bumblebee. And his breathtaking speed, he closes alarmingly fast. "Autobot!"

Jetfire quickly transforms and within seconds, Jetfire's huge form immediately descends on Bumblebee. He raises his weapon at the heroic scout.

DW-Bumblebee freezes in panic. (Oh no no no!!) He does the first thing that comes to mind, and dives for cover behind the scrap pile. ((Who the slag is that, and where'd he come from? I've never seen a COn move so fast!!) He draws out a wicked throwing blade, but stays in cover. He's really screwed up this time!

Jetfirefrowns thorugh his faceplate and shoots the scrap pile Bumblebee's hiding behind, vaporizing its contents, but not hitting Bumblebee. "Show yourself - or the next shot WON'T miss!"

DW-Bumblebee lets out a heavy sigh. What was he going to do? More importantly, what were the others going to do without him? "...Don't shoot!" he pleads. The minibot edges into Jetfire's view, hands raised to show that he's not going to try anything foolish. "Please, just let me be!"

With the trademark transformation soundbite, Jetfire transforms into Robot mode.

Jetfire 's faceplate frowns. He's such a small guy and so vulnerable. "OK...OK... hold on... "

Jetfire sees Bumblebee dropped his weapon. So he drops his weapon as well.

DW-Bumblebee does a double-take. Did... did the huge Decepticon flyer spare him?! "W-WHo are you?" he asks, timidly.

Jetfire says in a very uneasy tone, "You're under arrest as part of the anti-Autobot detention act. If you can get to your knees and put your...hands above your head." Jetfire adds "Jetfire..." Jetfire says, "I'm Jetfire - "" Jetfire is making no attempt to radio for reinforcements. Maybe because he's got this. Or maybe... something else.

DW-Bumblebee backs up, shaking his head. "No! I'm not going to the Pits!" he says, looking suddenly very panicked. "Just let me go, I haven't done anything!!"

Jetfire holds his hands out, like he's going to reach for Bumblebee! "Hold on! Hold on! Calm down, calm down!"

DW-Bumblebee backs away from the large Decepticon. "No, please... I'm not going! If you're going to kill me, kill me! But don't send me to the Pits!!"

Jetfire looks at Bumblebee, and then opens a panel. This is it. Jetfire reaches into the panel, all the while, keeping an eye on Bumblebee.

DW-Bumblebee braces himself. He doesn't know what the other is doing, but he's still scared.

Jetfire drops to one knee, reaches into his compartment, and removes two energon cubes, then he backs up. Jetfire gestures Bumblebee to partake. Jetfire says, "And you are?"" Jetfire thinks he SHOULD be taking this Autobot to his superiors - after all, Autobots are becoming quite the rarity nowadays. But something about this Autobot - so helpless, yet despite the odds, a tremendous resolve.

DW-Bumblebee looks at the energon cubes, hardly believing what's going on. What kind of trick was this? But his is so low on Energon... "...Bumblebee." the minicon says quietly, slowly heading towards the cubes, keeping his optics glued to Jetfire all the while. He doesn't trust any Decepticon.

Jetfire thinks and then reaches quickly to ONE cube. He then drains the cube into his energon converter. "See?" Jetfire looks up. He's as nervous as Bumblebee, afraid that Thundercracker, Skywarp, or worse, Starscream will see him.

DW-Bumblebee flinches as Jetfire reaches for the cube, but relaxs as the Con only drinks from it. He notices the other's nervousness. "...Why are you helping me?" he asks, grabbing the cube and draining it quickly. The energon would last him a verly long time, which meant more for his fellows.

Jetfire looks at Bumblebee and frowns, "Look..I don't.. I don't know why - just... take it."

DW-Bumblebee looks at Jetfire. "You're... different." he notes, finally relaxing slightly. "You... I've never seen you before."

Jetfire looks at a huge circular structure that looks like it spans a block, it looks like a hollowed-out pipe, and with about 35 feet in high, something that he'd have to crawl in. He gestures Bumblebee inside the pipe structure. "C'mon... for a second."

DW-Bumblebee considers the pipe for a moment - before letting his instinct decide. This Decepticon wasn't going to hurt him, not now anyway. He scampers into the pipe, out of sight of those who might come overheard.

The interior of the pipe is well...empty. Once the two are situated, he looks over at Bumblebee, "So...you're one of the Autobots who lives in the underground, right?"

"I live underground, yeah..." Bumblebee says, careful to avoid saying too much. "Why do you ask?"

Jetfire looks more relaxed. Gauging by the contents of the pipe, it's practically impossible for a flying Decepticon to detect ANY life readings inside such a structure - giving him time to clear his head. "I just heard about it when I was on Earth."

"Earth?" Bumblebee asks, looking up at the large Decepticon. "That's... a planet you Decepticons control, isn't it? Is that where you were built?"

Jetfire nods evenly. "Correct." He looks at Bumblebee. "Gauging by the way you look, it looks like you go way back."

Jetfire keeps looking outside. He then looks back at Bumblebee. His 'guardian' mentality is quickly being replaced by a genuine curiosity about the pint-sized warrior.

"I've seen a lot of vorns, yeah. You're not very old, are you?" Bumblebee himself is very curious about Jetfire; the Decepticon wasn't like any of the others.

Jetfire shakes his head. "23.5 years." Jetfire looks at Bumblebee "So you lived through Optimus Prime's reign of terror?"

"Reign of - WHAT?!" Bumblebee's optics widen. "Don't you disrespect Prime!" He calms down as a thought comes to him. "You - what did they say about him?!"

Jetfire frowns, "Wait - first off - I just want to know - HOW did you escape his programming?" He lowers his voice, "He captured you, right, and then proceeded to imprison you and reprogram you, right? That's how you guys learned to transform - "

"WHAT?!" Bumblebee stares at Jetfire, completely flabergasted. "No no no, that's all lies!" He takes a moment to try and calm himself - remembering that this Decepticon was practically new-forged. "Prime was out leader, we loved him... he wanted to protect us from Megatron..." He sighs. "We built a ship, the Ark. We wanted to leave Cybertron, find a new home... But Megatron attacked us when we tried to launch. Most of us were slaughtered..." He shudders at the memories, still vivid to him.

Jetfire shakes his head, "No - Prime - lead an attack on Megatron, and then Megatron killed him before he could do any more harm." Jetfire sits there dumbly. One person isn't telling the truth. And which one is it - the starving, traumatized Autobot who LIVED it, or Jetfire's 25-year-old self who is just hearing this from history and other Decepticon accounts?

"Megatron killed Prime while he trying to save -me-" Bumblebee says coldly. "I was there. I-" He stops suddenly. "I can let you listen, if you really want the truth.... Jetfire."

Jetfire thinks. He's a scientist. If his views are so iron clad, they should be able to stand up to an opposing viewpoint. He sits back in the tight quarters and gestures with his hand. "Please."

DW-Bumblebee nods. He wasn't very keen on relieving the Ark massacre, but if it could change this one's mind... It was worth it. He taps at a console built into his arm, and suddenly staic is heard from his speakers.

"Bumblebee look out!" cries a voice, deep and strong. In the background is the sound of a pitched battle. "Prime, the Cons are everywhere! What do we do?!" Bumblebee's voice is panicked, but he seems to believe Prime knows what to do. "Bumblebee... I'll hold off Megatron here. You and the others retreat." Prime's voice is grim. "Prime, no! You'll be killed!" "I know, Bumblebee." Prime sounds calm, despite the chaos that must be around him. "And I give my life gladly, to protect you and the others. Survive. You must live on Bumblebee. To you I entrust the future of our people - now go, before Megatron gets here!" "Prime..." "Till All Are One, Bumblebee! GO! This is my last orfder as your Prime." "...I understand, Optimus. Till All Are One..."

Jetfire continues to stare at the authentic audio, which is nothing like the story he's been given. He looks at Bumblebee and shakes his head in disbelief. "I... I thought he - " He then gets very quiet, letting all of this absorb. "Primus..."

"Megatron killed him, and ripped the Matrix from his chest." Bumblebee says softly, ending the audio playback. His shoulders sag, as if the weight of so many vorns rests on them. "...Now you know out side of the story, instead of just what the Decepticons say."

Jetfire closes his optics and mutters "I was told he mounted a sneak attack, led by the Autobots, with the hopes of doing nothing less than destroying the Heart of Cybertron and plunging the planet into permanent darkness."

"That didn't happen." Bumblebee says, his voice far gentler than it was ealier. A small part of him felt a pang of guilt, at exposing this new-forged to his memories, but it was something that needed to be done. "The war had drained the life from Cybertron; Prime wanted to leave, so that the planet could recover."

Jetfire looks at Bumblebee and clears his throat. "I..REQUESTED to leave Earth."

"...Tell me about Earth." Bumblebee says. "Everything you can." There was a slight... urgency? in his voice. Maybe Earth would be a good home for his people...

Jetfire states in a logical tone "I SAW - Decepticons imprison this population, they're called 'humans' - far more vulnerable than us. But they seemed to be living - thinking beings - with feelings, logic, everything - but I never saw such a disregard of life from the Decepticons." He adds "I THOUGHT - I THOUGHT it was a fringe faction- but when I filed for my request for transfer, I chose not to report my objections because... it seemed like no one would listen."

"You're the first Decepticon I've met, in all of my vorns, that holds life valuable." Bumblebee admits. "Decepticons - in my experience - are cruel, vicious, and take delight in causing misery." He smiles slightly. "But you're different. I don't know if it's because you're so young. But... you seem like an Autobot, to me."

Jetfire looks at Bumblebee and shakes his head. "No, it's impossible. I'm a Decepticon, I cannot switch."

"Why couldn't you? You know the truth of what they are." Bumblebee says, stepping towards Jetfire without any fear now. "If you stay with them... you will either be changed, or destroyed."

Jetfire nods his head, "Even if I WISHED to switch alliances, which I do NOT - I am not a turncoat - I cannot. I was told I would be on a worse level than the worst Autobot resister."

Jetfire frowns and pulls up an arm panel. It shows the terrain. "Look - I need to get back to base - but..." He points to an area with many orange dots, "These areas...are mined. If you go here, you will most certainly be killed."

Jetfire points to a small narrow access area, "This area - it'll be patrolled in about 5 minutes, but after that, it won't be patrolled for another 12 hours - that SHOULD see you to where you want to go without...death."

"I... I understand." Bumblebee says quietly, nodding. "I cannot ask you to risk yourself for us." He pauses. "You've already done far more than I would have expected. And, for that, thank you." He looks at the map, and smiles. "Thank you, so much! I.. I am in your debt, Jetfire. You are a friend of the Autobots."

DW-Bumblebee looks around, before ejecting a dataslug. "Herre. This slug contains some of our friend signals. If you encounter another Autobot, show the signal."

Jetfire shakes his head. "Wait, I don't WANT to see another Autobot. I DON'T want to help you!"

Jetfire mutters "BUT... could you...possibly give me more material on this Optimus Prime if - IF we were to meet again?"

"Please, just in case." Bumblebee insists. "I do not want you attacked by my fellows." At Jetfire's question, he nods and smiles. "...Of course. I'llt ell you everything." He pauses. "If you want to meet me again, leave a message at the doors of the ruined Temple of Knowledge."

Jetfire opens his own compartment (his radio). "I made some mofifications, if you need to contact me, use this freqneucy, but use this frequency ONLY... the Decepticons monitor all other frequencies - it is only through some unconvential lab work that I was able to get this frequnecy."

Jetfire nods.

Jetfire whispers quietly, "Remember, stay HERE for at least TEN minutes..." Jetfire quietly leaves. Leaving Bumblebee alone in the pipe. And for a terrifying five minutes, Bumblebee hears the roar of Decepticons overhead. If this is a trap set by Jetfire, there's little he can do. But true to Jetfire's word, in 10 minutes, all is quiet."

"Thank you." Bumblebee makes note of the frequency. "Primus watch over you, Jetfire. Until all are one..."

Jetfire frowns at Bumblebee's new-ageey 'til all are one' statement. He waves a hand. 'Bah! Watch your back!"

Jetfire leaves - and the fighters leave, leaving Bumblebee a way out - and maybe a new ally.

Jetfire flies back to Megatron's command post, hoping Megatron is still there. His mind is racing. It's like everything has been turned upside down with him. He makes a few passes through security before he reaches the Decepticon leader. He then bows to Megatron. "Hail Megatron, I hate to disturb you again, but it is a matter of utmost urgency."

DW-Megatron looks down at the kneeling Jetfire. Normally he'd be irate - but he was willing to give the young scientist a break. Maybe. "This better be worth my time, Jetfire." he says coldly.

Jetfire's expressoin doesn't move. "I need access to the historical archives - I need EVERY single data piece I can find on your -- OUR slain enemy Optimus Prime."

A raised optic ridge is the only indication of Megatron's suprise. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the request. "And why do you need information on a mech long since slain?" he asks, his tone dark.

Jetfire says methodically "I THINK I can deduce a pattern about the remaining Autobots - I know there are few to none - so it may not be worth our time, But my THEORY is that because of our technical superiority, they may revert back to OLD practices - that our current technology cannot detect."

Jetfire adds "Or certain patterns Optimus Prime used that new followers MAY be picking up."

Jetfire waits - for approval - or death.

A smile finds its way to Megatron's face. "A very astute observation, Jetfire. Very well, I'll have all of the information you requested be made available to you." He chuckles. "I admire the way you think. I'm glad you've come to Cybertron, where your talents can be properly utilized."

Jetfire climbs to his feet and nods, "Again, it is a theory, commander, but it is a theory I hope to test out to you in a few days." He then straightens up and folds his hands to his back. "Permission to depart, commander."

DW-Megatron smiles, and nods at Jetfire. "You are dismissed. Keep me appraised of your progress."

Jetfire nods "Acknowledged." He adds "Also - was Prime's remains interred into the smelting pits, or was he disposed of elsewhere? If he is resting somewhere, it could be a memorial site - and a place where Autobots may converge."

DW-Megatron smirks. "Where Prime's body lays, is unknown. There might be some hint of where it lays in what was called the Temple of Knowledge."

Jetfire's optics flicker in recognition - cold recognition. Where Bumblebee wants to meet! Maybe time for a different meeting place. "Excellent, I will begin my research there." He nods to Megatron, "Ironic that a being so misguided might lay in rest there. I shall begin my research immediately. Hail, Megatron."

"Go then." Megatron says. He turns his back to Jetfire, reading over some reports.