Author's Notes: Yes yes yes! Finally, another story concluded! It is both happy and sad when a story I've enjoyed writing finally comes to an end, but I think the final chapter of this fic turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. As of this update, this story has had over 5,000 views! You guys are awesome! I'm glad so many people enjoyed this fic. I enjoyed writing it, even though at times it was creepy and emotional. Hopefully you will check out my other stories and find something else you like. I would also appreciate reading your reviews to know how you feel about this story :)

Chapter 18

Buzz Off

The next day the Insecticons sat around together to plan their next move. The Autobots would have the insecticide ready in one more day, so they were working with borrowed time as they strategized how to save themselves.

"I say we have to hit them before they hit us!" Venom declared.

"Yeah! We should just blow the Ark straight to the pit!" Barrage agreed.

"That sounds good in theory theory, but the Autobots keep that location heavily guarded guarded," Shrapnel pointed out, "We need to lure them out in the open open. The skies are our domain domain."

"Yes, we will swarm them like a group of angry seekers!" Kickback proclaimed as he jumped from his seat in excitement, "We will make so many clones of ourselves that we will overwhelm them with sheer numbers!"

"I don't remember how to make a clone," Chop Shop spoke up sheepishly.

"Me neither," Ransack added glumly, "Can we stay home?"

"You do and you'll go back to the burn ward," Venom growled in warning.

Bumblebee sat there and listened to the Insecticons speak, but his spark wasn't in it. He knew they were planning the execution of dozens of his former friends and allies. He wanted to warn them, but Bombshell and Shrapnel kept their optics on him at all times. He had no way to help his Autobot friends.

"Clones are not difficult to build," Bombshell informed them patiently, "You just find some scrap metal and hit it with the regeneration beam built into every Insecticon's helm. Then, voila, instant clones."

"So, what's the plan plan?" Shrapnel asked Bombshell, "Come on, you're the smart one one."

"Simple," Bombshell replied as he leaned forward in his chair and steepled his digits on the desk, "We find a place that is open and filled with humans, and then we attack it. My suggestion is the world's largest airport."

"Do you mean largest as in people, or largest as in land mass?" Kickback asked, "Because I've found two online that would suit our needs: Beijing and Atlanta."

"Beijing is closer to us, I vote for that one!" Chop Shop exclaimed as he raised his servo like a grade school child.

"True, but Atlanta is closer to the Autobots Autobots," Shrapnel debated, "We should attack that one one."

"Alright, let's put it to a vote," Bombshell replied reasonably, "Who votes for Beijing?"

Chop Shop, Ransack, and Kickback raised their servos.

"And Who votes for Atlanta?" Bombshell inquired.

Venom, Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Barrage raised their servos.

"Bumblebee, you didn't vote," Kickback observed, "If you vote with me it'll be a tie."

"I don't care," Bumblebee sighed in resignation, "Do whatever you want."

"Very well then. Atlanta it is," Bombshell replied, and Shrapnel smiled savagely at the news, "We leave now. There is no time to waste if we are going to defeat the Autobots before they get the insecticide. Everyone, find anything metal. I don't care if it's the computer, the floorboards, or even the walls of our ship. Our lives are at stake, so we must use whatever scrap metal we can find to make as many soldiers as necessary. Now go."

The Insecticons then raced around the ship ripping apart everything in sight to make more clones. Even Bumblebee made several clones of himself for the war effort. He didn't want to be in this fight, but he also knew this was his only chance for survival. He just had to block out everything and keep his processor focused on the task at hand.

Cosmos had contacted the Autobots to say that he was ahead of schedule and would be in earth's orbit with the insect repellent in a few hours. The Autobots were happy that soon one of their Decepticon problems would be over with the termination of the Insecticons. Spike, however, was still worried. He hoped Bumblebee had taken his advice and found a safe place to hide, but he hadn't heard from him since yesterday so he didn't know for sure.

Sideswipe, meanwhile, was fully repaired and back to helping Sunstreaker with his rehabilitation. It seemed Venom's acid wasn't as deadly as Bumblebee's toxin. Sideswipe had only been fixed for a day, but he had already found time for Sunstreaker's care as well as working on his fighting style in the training room. No way was he going to allow a bunch of bugs to get the best of him, and he knew Sunstreaker felt the same way, too.

Everyone was caught off guard when Teletran 1 blared an alert saying there was a large scale attack on the Atlanta Airport. They were even more surprised to see who it was: the Insecticons!

"Teletran, how long until Cosmos is in orbit?" Optimus Prime asked their computer.

"1 hour 25 minutes," Teletran 1 replied dutifully.

"How are we gonna keep the Insecticons occupied that long?" Cliffjumper asked; both angered and perplexed.

"We shall simply have to fight them until Cosmos is able to fill the satellites with the repellant," Optimus replied solemnly, "Wheeljack, bring the remote. We will have to deploy the gas from the battlefield. Autobots, roll out!"

"We're coming, too!" Sideswipe announced.

"You are not fully recovered yet, and Sunstreaker is in no condition to fight," Optimus pointed out, "I must insist you stay here."

"Prime, we owe these bugs some payback," Sunstreaker growled, "We're not asking your permission. We're coming."

"I don't care if you are hurt, you do not speak to the Prime that way," Prowl reprimanded them.

"All Sunny means is that it's personal," Sideswipe clarified in a more rational manner, "Sir, this may be the last battle we ever have with the Insecticons. We need to be there. We need to see them die to know that they are definitely gone. Please, just this once, bend the rules."

Optimus Prime sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose cone. He didn't need to have to watch out for the twins on top of everything else, but at the same time he knew this was important to them. They were warriors, and besides that they were brothers. Fighting the Insecticons together was their way of looking out for each other. Reluctantly, Optimus Prime nodded his helm and allowed them to go.

Optimus and the team transformed into vehicle mode and took off for the sight. Spike stayed behind to monitor Teletran 1, but he still had a bad feeling about this. What if Bumblebee was out there with the Insecticons? Was there anyone or anything left in this world that could save him?

The Autobots arrived to a scene of wanton destruction and chaos. Planes were being eaten, the humans that could evacuate were gone while the ones that couldn't had been killed or captured. Shrapnel insisted on taking prisoners since they would need more stock for the farm once the Autobots were out of the way.

Bumblebee hung back behind his clones, but he could still see the Autobots coming and his spark felt heavy. A part of him wished they had just stayed away and waited for the bug spray.

"Don't worry Bumblebee," Kickback said encouragingly as he put his servo on one of Bumblebee's spare limbs, "They're nothing. We're stronger. Besides, if anything goes wrong I'll have your back. Just stay focused on victory."

Bumblebee hung his helm as Kickback left to take his position. Despite Bumblebee's problem with the Insecticons, he did truly believe Kickback was his friend. That made it even harder to accept that Kickback was Carly's murderer. Bumblebee's world was so off-kilter that he couldn't even tell friend from foe anymore, and he feared it was making him crazy.

"Insecticons!" Optimus Prime's voice boomed out over the crowd of Autobots and Insecticons alike, "You have terminated innocent human lives and destroyed cities on a scale akin to Megatron! I cannot allow you to continue on this path anymore! Autobots, attack!"

"Insecticons, engage the enemy enemy!" Shrapnel screeched as he pointed to the Autobots.

The two sides rushed at each other and began the battle in earnest. Autobots shot at Insecticons, and Insecticons shot at Autobots. The Insecticons used their mandibles to bite into their enemies, and the Autobots used brute force to bash in their enemy's helms. Of course, with so many clones, it was hard to tell if any of the real articles were even being affected.

Bumblebee found a hangar to stand in and stayed back from the fighting. He was surprised that no one from either side noticed him, but then again it was such chaos on the battlefield they probably weren't looking more than a few mechano-meters in front of them.

Soon there were bodies of Insecticon clones everywhere, and the Autobots had several in their ranks that were injured. Everything continued at a rapid pace until Shrapnel noticed that Wheeljack was taking a remote out of his subspace. Shrapnel knew about their plan, and he knew what that thing was for. He had to stop that blasted mad scientist!

Shrapnel tackled Wheeljack into the side of a hangar, collapsing the building and revealing Bumblebee's hiding place. Shrapnel grabbed for the remote, but Wheeljack refused to let go.

"Give me that, you Insecticon creep!" Wheeljack grunted as he pulled the remote toward himself.

"No way way!" Shrapnel yelled as he pulled it back toward himself, "You're trying to kill us all all! I will not allow it it!"

Soon more Autobots started pulling on Wheeljack's back to give him a hand, and the Insecticons started pulling on Shrapnel to help him out. It was a tug of war with the prize being the fate of the entire Insecticon race!

Suddenly Wheeljack was forced to let go when his servo slipped, and Shrapnel was pulled so far back that the recoil forced him to let go of the remote as well! Everyone watched, stupefied, as the remote skidded and spun along the ground until it was picked up by Bumblebee.

"Yes! Good job brother, now destroy it!" Bombshell ordered with crazed anticipation.

"You know something Bombshell, in the English language bug is another word for virus," Bumblebee said stonily as he stared down at the remote, "Well, that's what we've become. A virus. A plague. All we do is cause death and destruction to everyone we meet. My friends don't even believe I'm Bumblebee anymore, and it's not because I look like you. It's because they can't recognize the way I behave now. You turned me into a virus. You ripped away everything that made me an Autobot. Well, I'm taking it back now. Goodbye."

"No!" Several Insecticons shouted as Bumblebee pressed the button that sent the chemicals into earth's atmosphere.

It took only seconds before the corrosion began, and every Insecticon began to break apart! Bumblebee himself knew he was going to die along with his brothers, and he knew he deserved to. At least the Autobots and the remaining humans on the planet would be safe. At least he would not die a virus.

Suddenly though, Bumblebee saw a red Lamborghini speeding right toward him. It was Sideswipe, and Bumblebee was sure he was coming to deliver the final blow. Instead however, he crashed into Bumblebee, forcing the bug into the air, and opened his trunk to force Bumblebee inside! He drove back to the other Autobots who were already racing away and headed straight for Ratchet.

"Ratchet! Open up! You've got a patient!" Sideswipe hollered as he made his way to the ambulance, "Hurry up! He needs a chemical shower now!"

Ratchet's automated gurney reached out to accept the injured Insecticon just before the Autobots drove away; the unholy wailing and screaming of dying Insecticons fading in their audio sensors as they left.

It had been twelve days, nearly an orn, since the Insecticons had been wiped out. Bumblebee had undergone 4 surgeries to reverse the damage caused by the bug spray. The good news was that Bumblebee had nearly fully recovered, but not unchanged. The Insecticon form was permanent. Bumblebee would die without his upgrades and without his organic fuel filter. The Autobots though were surprisingly okay with the idea of having an Insecticon teammate.

Spike went to visit Bumblebee every day he was under Ratchet's care. The boy was so grateful his friend had survived, and would even be allowed to return to the Autobots.

About four days into Bumblebee's stay in the medbay Spike had gone in to see the yellow and purple striped scout only to see that he already had a visitor; Sideswipe. Spike didn't know Sideswipe very well, but he was a friendly enough mech. One thing Spike did know was that Sideswipe had vowed to kill Bumblebee but then had turned around and saved his life. He had to know why.

"Why?" Sideswipe repeated when Spike had asked, "Well, to be honest, I didn't really believe your story about him being our Bumblebee, but then when he got the remote he used it to save us even though he would die. Those aren't the actions of a self-serving Decepticon. That's what Bumblebee would do. I had to save him, because he's our friend. I just wished we had recognized it when he showed up the first time. So much hassle could have been avoided. Oh well, I guess that's life."

"Is Sunstreaker still mad at him?" Spike had asked.

"Nah, are you kidding?" Sideswipe dismissed the very notion, "Sunny loves Bee! Everybody loves Bumblebee. Who could hold a grudge against him? Even if he does look like some monster in a cheap B movie. Huh, Bee movie. Hah!"

That had been a week ago; before Bumblebee regained consciousness. Now that Bumblebee was fully healed and being discharged from the medbay, Spike couldn't wait to see his best friend again under peaceful circumstances.

Bumblebee was in a plain white room. He couldn't see any doors, walls, or even a floor. It was nothing but pure whiteness. He thought he was alone, until he saw a group of dirt covered humans in cages crying out to him for help! Bumblebee ran to free the humans, but when he got there the cages were filled with energon cubes!

"Try one, Bumblebee. They're delicious," Bombshell purred into his audial as his arms wound around Bumblebee's shoulders, "Go on, you worked so hard for it. You killed them Bumblebee, so eat up."

A Cybertronian sized human girl then handed Bumblebee a cube with both hands in a reverent manner, and Bumblebee took the cube. When he looked inside the cube, he could see Shrapnel swimming around inside of it, and it looked like he was drowning!

"Don't do it, Bumblebee!" Kickback pleaded; now only a couple feet tall and yelling up where he stood at Bumblebee's pede, "Don't kill us! You're my brother! Don't kill us please!"

"Too late!" Bombshell's face now encased the entire space of what had once been the white room, and in an echoing vice voice he chanted, "You killed us. You killed us. You killed us."

"Why, Bumblebee?" Kickback sobbed as the hollow chanting continued all around him.

"You killed us. You killed us. You killed us!"

"AAAHH!" Bumblebee screamed as he awoke from his recharge.

He panted heavily and his helm hurt. He sobbed in the darkness as grim reality replaced the horrible nightmare. He had killed the Insecticons. All of them. Sure, Bombshell and Shrapnel deserved it, but he even killed Kickback. Bumblebee was alive and now forced to live with what he had done to the mechs that had once called him brother.

He also had to live with the deaths of the humans, hundreds of humans, that had died because he was too foolish to stop this injustice when he had the chance. Even Carly was now gone because of him. How could he ever face Spike, Sparkplug, or Chip again knowing what he had done?

Then there was the Autobots. They had welcomed him back with open arms despite everything he had done. He joined their enemies, committed treason, and they were still willing to forgive him. This was his true family, and he had hurt them too. He had almost killed Sunstreaker because he got scared. He nearly killed a fellow Autobot, and despite all that they forgave him.

He looked down at his servos and his digits. They still had the thin fibrous look of Insecticon digits. He flitted the wings on his back to note that they were still there. He felt the halves of his stinger on his shoulders, and more cleaning fluid ran down his optics. He was no Autobot. He was just a leftover Insecticon.

Bumblebee left his room and walked down the empty hallways. Nobody else was awake except for Red Alert in the security room, and it made the place feel quiet and eerie. Just like the night of his capture, it was dark and he was alone. Only this time he did not feel fear; only regret.

He made it as far as the driveway that led into the Ark when a voice behind him called out "Bumblebee? Are you alright?"

Bumblebee turned around to see that it was Spike. Spike and Sparkplug had been staying on the Ark lately since Spike wanted to be close to Bumblebee while he recovered. Bumblebee's spark was warmed by Spike's concern, but it didn't change what he was about to do.

"Spike, I'm glad you're here," Bumblebee said softly, "I want to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where are you going?" Spike asked pitifully.

"I don't know, but I can't stay here," Bumblebee replied morosely, "I've caused so much pain, and I've killed too many innocent people to ever consider myself an Autobot again. I don't deserve to serve under Optimus Prime. I don't deserve to be here. I can't stay. I just can't pretend I'm okay."

"I know you're hurt," Spike tried to reason with him, "But leaving won't solve anything. You need help, and the Autobots are your friends. They can help you. Please don't go away. There are a lot of people who love you. The Autobots are your family."

"The Insecticons were my family too, and look at what I did to them," Bumblebee replied bitterly, "Kickback might've been a monster, but all he ever did was support me. Even Bombshell stuck up for me when the bigger Insecticons messed with me. I'm not saying they didn't deserve it, but am I any better than them? Spike, I'm not the same mech I used to be, and I'll never be the same again. Anyway, I'll contact you when I get settled. I just have to find somewhere else to live. I'm not an Autobot anymore. I don't know what I am. Thanks for everything you've done for me. You're my best friend, Spike."

"You're my best friend too, Bee," Spike replied hoarsely as he tried to maintain his composure, "If you have to do this then...take care of yourself."

Bumblebee smiled down at the boy and waved goodbye before transforming into insect mode and flying away. Spike ran out to watch him as Bumblebee flew up into the sky and eventually was lost amid the twinkling stars. Spike only hoped that Bumblebee found whatever he was looking for, and that someday Bumblebee's spark could finally be at peace.

The End