"Hold still. Let me check you over."
Ratchet stopped Bumblebee mid-movement. With his voice systems and speakers under repair, Bumblebee couldn't speak at all.
He could only stare at Optimus, tense and terrified, afraid the conversation would derail and Morin would suddenly turn into a giant mecha and stomp everyone flat.
Morin gave a brief introduction and explained the agreement Bumblebee had accepted.
"Is that so?" Optimus looked at Bumblebee, then at Ratchet. "While you're at it, check his logic and reasoning circuits as well."
"On it," Ratchet replied.
"I don't know why Bumblebee agreed to your terms, human, even if you... have some strength," Optimus said, turning back to Morin. He was about to say feeble, but remembered his hand being pushed back earlier and adjusted his wording. "What we're about to do is dangerous and involves the fate of your world. This isn't a game. Before a battle, we prefer to eliminate unnecessary risks."
The tone was polite.
The meaning wasn't.
They saw Morin as a liability. Someone who would need protection.
"That's not an issue," Morin said calmly. "I can protect myself... or do I need to demonstrate again?"
He looked at Bumblebee.
Bumblebee shook his head frantically.
No. Please. Don't.
He didn't want Morin traumatizing the rest of the Autobots. In a panic, he packaged the memory of what had happened earlier and transmitted the data to the others.
For silicon-based life, this was effortless.
In an instant, the other Autobots experienced exactly what Bumblebee had.
They froze.
Every one of them stared at Morin with guarded eyes.
"Don't look at me like that," Morin said. "I'm just a guy who likes working part-time. I've just mastered a few more skills than most..."
Not a single robot believed him.
"Now," Morin continued, "can you listen to me?"
The Autobots nodded in unison. Even Optimus.
As a leader, Optimus had seen countless things. But what Bumblebee shared was unlike anything in his long memory.
At the same time, a thought surfaced.
If Morin could truly be brought to their side...
Could they avoid losses in the coming battle?
After all, the human possessed overwhelming martial power.
And he seemed... friendly.
A prime candidate for recruitment.
"The conditions are the same as what I told Bumblebee," Morin said. "I want to study the AllSpark, and you'll cooperate with some video shoots. Don't worry. It'll be things you can handle."
He paused.
His wording was starting to drift.
The "driving" speed was picking up.
Was it because this world revolved around cars?
"Of course," Optimus said, his tone noticeably more respectful. "If you're willing to assist us in battle, we can help you study the AllSpark. It's currently under Decepticon control. Used without modification, it would only create more Decepticons loyal to Megatron."
"What are you saying?" Morin raised an eyebrow.
Optimus felt a flash of alarm.
Had the human rejected even this?
"I'm following you to film videos," Morin said. "If you all get wiped out, I'd have to waste time reviving you or finding replacements. That's too much work."
He waved a hand.
"Relax. I'm a good guy. You're good guys. Good guys should stick together and help each other out."
Bumblebee stayed silent.
When Morin had used him for experiments earlier, he definitely hadn't said that.
Honestly, Bumblebee was psychologically scarred.
He was now afraid to even open his car doors.
Was he acting on his own will, or responding to external commands?
Did his body still belong to him?
Optimus hadn't been wrong.
Bumblebee's mind was a little messed up.
In a way that might even be called enlightened.
If he could break the fourth wall, he'd probably understand.
"Here. The glasses," Morin said, handing them over.
"Thank you," Optimus replied.
His scanners projected light as he decoded the information. Moments later, the location became clear.
"Hoover Dam."
Optimus glanced at Bumblebee.
"Can't fix the voice yet," Ratchet said, shaking his head. "Maybe once we obtain the AllSpark, we can use it to repair the damage."
"Then we move out," Optimus said, turning to Morin.
"I'll ride with Bumblebee," Morin said.
Ride his own car?
No chance.
Why use your own when you can use someone else's?
Besides, he needed footage for his content creator career. Riding inside a Transformer was far better.
And among the vehicles present, Bumblebee was the best-looking.
Already tuned to Morin's preferences.
Meanwhile, the Decepticons investigating Morin's identity found nothing.
No records. No trace.
Finally, they deployed Frenzy to hack traffic camera networks.
The disturbance caused by the Autobots' landing narrowed the search. Soon, footage surfaced of Morin meeting the Autobots.
And the glasses.
"Optimus knows the location," Frenzy said.
"What now?" Starscream snapped, glaring at him.
"Well... uh..." Frenzy paced in place, clearly at a loss.
"Didn't you hack the human military database?" Starscream demanded. "Didn't you find his record?"
"Not in the sections I accessed," Frenzy said. "I might need to dig deeper into their classified files."
"I don't care how you do it," Starscream said, looming closer. "Find it."
Frenzy shivered.
"We'll follow the trail Optimus leaves behind," Starscream said to the others. "That may lead us directly to the AllSpark."
He enjoyed issuing orders.
It made him feel like a leader.
Some time later.
"Honestly," Morin said, bored, "why don't you guys transform into jets? Wouldn't that be way faster?"
He'd already filmed plenty of footage.
Poses. Lines. Combat movements. Even short scripted scenes.
Morin had played with the Transformers until the novelty wore off.
He almost wanted to take them apart and reassemble them.
A childhood dream realized.
"Autobots were originally designed to serve society," Optimus replied. "To protect our planet, we were forced to take up arms and modify ourselves. Designing new transformation templates is extremely difficult. We can't afford trial and error. A single mistake could cause irreversible damage."
There were things he didn't say.
Things tied to Cybertron's past.
Morin fell silent, thoughtful.
"...What if I design one for you?" he said.
As a former mecha designer-
Modifying a Transformer sounded perfectly reasonable.
It was time.
Time to fulfill every childhood dream he'd ever had.