It was a few more weeks before Bumblebee was even aloud to leave base again, under strict orders from Ratchet to remain inside and stay out of any kind of trouble. The young cat was slightly bored, but he made himself occupied with the new system that Ratchet, with the help of Agent Fowler, set up for their benefit. Bee marveled at how well thought out it was; now, with the human computers they could not only track where they were, but could also locate where the others, now naming themselves the Decepticats, were located. It was extremely handy, however, due to a few bugs in the system, there were times that it wouldn't really work right, which frustrated Ratchet to no end.

Times like that day.

A time in his life Bumblebee would never soon forget.

Or any of the other Autocats, for that matter.

~

Cliffjumper watched silently as Ratchet slapped his paw on the console a few more times, growing increasingly frustrated with it. The white eared cat snickered a little bit when young Bee silently did his best to calm the exasperated medic down. Those two were like brothers sometimes. Cliff yawned widely, getting up and stretching his legs. His blue eyes looked over the rest of his team from where he was perched. Arcee was actually speaking with some of the others for once, Bulkhead and Wheeljack enjoying their conversation with her. Ultra Magnus was quietly conversing something serious with their leader, who nodded and listened with a grim expression. The red tomcat narrowed his eyes before shrugging it off, beginning to walk out. Some fresh air sounded nice.

He heard hurried paw steps padding up quickly behind him and turned his head quickly, smiling a little when young Bee skidded to a halt beside him. "What's up, little guy?" he asked cheerfully.

The scout beamed, his head raised. I... to see where- going! he mewed, his cat words coming out all confused. The young cat looked sadly at the ground, still sore about nearly losing the only voice he had had.

Cliffjumper's gaze turned concerned and upset, but he quickly washed it away with a big grin. "Aw, don't worry, I'm just going to go scout around!" he told him.

Bee pranced around in front of him, his expression firm. That's my job! he exclaimed, a full sentence this time. Besides, Arcee doesn't... when you go... alone!

Cliffjumper smiled sadly at him. "I get it, I really do. But everyone's... adjusting right now. Besides, when do I ever need back up?" He gave the kitten a cocky grin before walking past him and towards the door. "Don't worry, I'll stay outta trouble. Cee would have my tail if I didn't." With this, he left.

The young kitten tilted his head slightly at the bigger red cat as he left with a cheerful air, not really sure what he meant by "never needing back up". He assumed it was some sort of joke he and Arcee shared. Bee was still a little worried for him, knowing he was the type of cat to attack first, ask questions later, but tried his best not to think about it. Instead, he turned around and went back to where Ratchet was still trying to fix his precious console. Bumblebee smiled in amusement as Ratchet tried once again to get it to work by slapping it with his paw.

I don't think... will work, the young one told him, still smiling.

The medic turned his head to scowl at him. "Believe me, Bumblebee, I've tried almost everything to get this ridiculous thing to turn on!" he exclaimed, giving it one more slap for good measure.

The yellow and black kit got back to his paws with an eager look. ...Help? he asked simply, his big blue eyes scanning for any way he could be of assistance.

Ratchet's eyes slid over to him and looked at him carefully before he said anything. After a moment, he sighed in reluctance and pointed to behind the machines with his paw. "Get back there, and listen carefully to everything I tell you," he replied gruffly.

Bumblebee purred happily, smiling brightly with his ears perked and tail high in the air. He didn't see Ratchet's expression melt a little bit as he turned quickly and cheerfully padded over to where the medic had told him. It was quite a bit darker back there, but his bright blue eyes adjusted quickly and he sat back on his haunches, waiting for instructions.

Ready! he mewed loudly.

~

Cliffjumper ran along an old road of Jasper, his red coat glistening in the sun. He smiled softly to himself as the wind prickled his ears and the day warmed his body. Running free like this felt great. The red tom could be quite a talker, and he enjoyed annoying Arcee to wits end with that, but there were times like these that made him feel the silence was pleasing. It left him room to actually think deeply for once, something he didn't get to do very often. Honestly, he was okay with letting his mind wander and wander when he was alone.

As his paws flung up dirt and rock as he clawed at the earth, his thoughts fell to the newest Autocat recruit, the young Bumblebee. The young kitten had barely become like them, and already had the war experience that Cliff had hoped he wouldn't see for a long time. The red cat remembered that he had been alone for a long time before Arcee had been shoved into his cage. The young female had been edgy, since she had lost her friend Tailgate to both the white coats and the Decepticats. However, because of his personality, he liked to think, he had made a friend out of her. She had begun talking to him, telling him about Optimus Prime and the others, and their purpose. It was then that Cliffjumper had found his, though he heard that others had been skeptical. He didn't know humans, but it felt right. Bee had obviously thought the same, but he had come across Decepticat threat long before Cliff had in his first years. Cliffjumper remembered that his first fight had been after he and Arcee had escaped, and it hadn't left either of them without scars.

But within Bumblebee's first week of his new life, the only voice he had was nearly torn away from him. By Megatron himself. Just the passing thought made Cliffjumper's chest tighten, anger welling up inside him. His hackles rose even as the wind tried to brush to brush it back down as he ran. The red cat felt a close intimacy with all the cats in his team. They were like family to him, and even though the little one was the newest addition, Cliff already loved him. He could feel for the scout, thrown into a world he didn't know with several others like him telling him what he should do. It was both uplifting and constricting, and Cliff knew that better than probably anyone else on the team.

I'm not going to let another fight like that happen anytime soon, he promised to himself.

Cliffjumper turned quickly, his determination now set. Going back to the lab from the earlier and searching for any clues of their next move seemed like a plan Ultra Magnus would be proud of. The cat smirked to himself as his eyes found just what he was looking for. He looked up at the scorched remains of the building and he stopped short, his ears deflating slightly. It was a sad and sorry sight. His blue eyes twinkling with emotions he kept mostly to himself, he lowered his head and tail and entered through the wide open door. He was a little relieved to see that Agent Fowler had done his job, cleaning up the place to make it look like it had been just a normal fire. Cliff was also grateful that there were no more dead bodies lingering there, even though his nose could pick up the faint scent.

"Man, those humans are lucky Agent Fowler convinced the government to let us fight," he said aloud as he gazed left and right. "Who knows how many would have died trying to fight them themselves." He smiled softly at himself, knowing that his words were only meeting empty air.

He wandered through the main lab room, his paws finding their way to the room where the battle had begun. The blood had been cleaned, but the smell seemed strongest here. Visions of the fight played in his mind as he wandered some more. Self-consciously, he walked over to the wall where poor Bumblebee had been pinned. Where Megatron had mercilessly torn out the kit's throat. Cliff grit his teeth and glared at the stain that the humans had evidently not been able to clean. He did his best to calm himself, and even though he was alone, make a joke out of it.

"Arcee sure looked a lot more concerned about Bee than she would ever let on," he chuckled to himself. "Ah, I'll have to tell her that when I get back," he added with a smirk, turning to do just that.

"A moment, sadly, that will never come."

Cliffjumper turned sharply when the shrill, sly voice hit his ears, his fur standing on end as his ears fell back against his head. He bared his teeth and hissed sharply when he saw a lean cat waltz out of the shadows with confidence in every stride. Blazing red eyes marked with cruelty glanced over him, before his muzzle turned up into a mocking scoff and he shook his head from side to side.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before one of you got to anxious," he meowed with a dramatic sigh as he stopped a short distance from Clilffjumper. Some red fur patterns shone in the dimming light as his tail raised high. "Of course you would come back looking for a fight. Especially you."

"Scream," Cliff growled lowly, letting a bit of a smirk fall over his muzzle. If it weren't for the Vehicats that were beginning to surround him, having hidden from him by staying downwind, the red tom would have jumped at the seeker cat. However, he wouldn't let this ego maniac feel superior. "Been a while," he said confidently. "So, where's your master?"

The trick worked, the smile Starscream wore turning down into a fierce and offended scowl. "Haven't you heard? I lead the Decepticats now!" he yowled as he inched a bit closer. With a tail signal, a few Vehicats jumped the red cat and bit at his legs, holding them tightly in their jaws so he could no longer move.

Cliffjumper bit back a shout of pain, his eye twitching as blood trickled out of his new wounds. "Really? Because it wasn't all that long ago when Megatron sliced out our friend's throat," he spat, keeping a grin plastered on his features, even though he was hurting.

The seeker cat's head rose high as he glared down at him. "Megatron has been since occupied," he snarled. 

Quicker than Cliff could react, Starscream lifted his paw high above his head, unsheathed his claws, and shot it forward. The red tom couldn't help the gasping cry of agony that choked out of him as the claws plunged into his chest. Starscream grinned maliciously as he sunk his paw deep into the doomed cat, his tail high in the air with satisfaction. Cliffjumper gasped again and looked down at the wound with horror, his sight dimming and beginning to spin.

"Any more questions?" the seeker hissed smoothly as he pulled his now bloodied paw back sharply, backing away a few steps.

Cliffjumper only lasted a few more seconds. His whole life flashed before his eyes, and for a brief moment, he saw who had been before. Another choke escaped his throat as the Vehicats let go and he tipped forward. The hard sensation of his body hitting the floor was the last thing he felt before he felt himself go.

~

This is a shorter chapter, I know.

And really SAD.

I'm sorry.. it's gonna be tough.

Love you guys!!