That's it scout, keep driving. Keep driving, nobody wants you. You have ensured the destruction of this world, this innocent planet inhabited by trillions of life forms. You have doomed them all, guaranteed their demise. How can you call yourself an Autobot?

The voice was there. It was perpetually there, always telling him the truth. He resurrected Megatron. He plunged that share of Dark Energon into the spark of the tyrannical leader. He was too weak to fight back. He submitted and carried out the orders.

He was no Autobot.

That's why he had to leave.

It was simple really, launch the Ground Bridge when Optimus called and red-line it out of the base. Shielding his spark signature was second nature as the ability was commonplace among scouts. He had already been driving for a few hours and the canyon had given way to vegetation.

You have no place in this universe. The Autobots, your family, will die because of your weakness. They hide their disappointment. You were supposed to be their hope, their future, but you have done the unthinkable. You have betrayed them. What good are you?

Shut up, please shut up! Bumblebee thought, gunning his engine. Large conifers were blurred by his speed and anguish. He was barely paying attention to where he was going, relying on whatever intuition he had. The sharp turns and quick maneuvers came naturally. However, the scenery did not. Even before they started using the Bridge again, he had never driven to this part of the country. Usually, Cliffjumper or Arcee would come out here.

You can't escape the truth. They will be so much happier without you. You are the youngest, the least experienced, and it's a wonder that you haven't been terminated yet. You would be so much better dead, nobody would have to worry about you.

I'm leaving, he thought to himself, that should be good enough. I left a message, I'm not an Autobot and I'm not a Decepticon. I'm rogue...besides, who wants a traitor?

If he had been more focused on the area, Bumblebee would have recognized the signs of danger. A few seconds ago, he sped past a tree trunk half eaten by acid. He would have noticed the slashes marring the bark of the great pines. He would have detected a second spark signature.

You are not wanted scout. Neither the Autobots nor the Decepticons have an appropriate use for you. You are a waste of valuable energon. What is the point of you?

Screeching to a halt, Bumblebee furiously cycled his vents. The hissing from his engine filled the surrounding area, soon followed by the sound of a transformation sequence. Physically and mentally exhausted, he sat down beside a tree. Pulling his legs to his chest, he made himself as small as possible. He could feel something festering in the back of his mind, trying to fight back against the dominant voice. The tiny squeak was saying that it wasn't his fault, that nobody could have done anything. It was quickly dispatched by memories and truth.

"My name is Bumblebee," he found himself whisper to the forest, "I returned Megatron to power. I am a traitor to the Autobots and relinquish my rank as scout. I am no longer an Autobot, but I am not a Decepticon. I am Bumblebee. I am alone."

"Awe, how spark-breaking," a sarcastic feminine voice called out. Bumblebee sprang to his pedes, brandishing his dual plasma cannons. "Don't be like that; we both have something in common. I am also rogue. I have nothing to gain if I attack you and you have nothing to gain if you attack me. We have nothing to fear from one another. Put the guns away, you don't need them here."

"I've heard stories," Bumblebee replied, "Arcee told me about you. You killed a good friend of mine and traumatized another."

"So you're familiar with my work." It was a statement, not a question.

"You could say I've seen it firsthand. Arcee did spare the details, but Tailgate's frame spoke for itself." Bumblebee backed up against a pine, deciding it best to have his back covered around this femme.

"Ah yes, Arcee...she did put up quite a fight. I ran into her recently, her fighting skills still need some work. It would have been interesting to add her to my collection. Femmes are hard to come by now...as are younglings. What does this make you, the last?"

"...yes, I'm among the last generation to be sparked by the AllSpark." He couldn't help but jump a bit when the figure began moving towards him. The familiar hum of his dual lasers filled the silence.

"How intriguing...perhaps I should introduce myself properly to you. After all, we've never met in person before. I'm Airachnid," the spider-femme appeared out of the shadows to Bumblebee's right, "and you?"

Bumblebee flinched and directed his weapons at her, staring her straight in the optics. "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, it's only polite. Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?" she asked sarcastically. When the youngling didn't respond, she continued. "I thought the Autobots would have a bit more class than that. I'll ask you again scout," she said, pinning Bumblebee against the tree with her web, "what is your designation?" She leaned over him, leveling the pointed edge of her spider leg with Bumblebee's faceplate.

Despite the threat imposed upon him, Bumblebee simply warbled in confusion and looked away. It soon turned into a pained whine as energon leaked from the right side of his chassis. With a satisfied smirk, Airachnid withdrew the edge from the youngling's body, sadistically watching a few drops of energon fall from her leg to the ground. "Now, what was your designation?" she inquired once again, leaning over her prey.

"...Bumblebee..." he beeped, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Airachnid's anger. He quickly covered the stab wound with his left servo.

"And you're the pride and joy of the Autobots?" More sarcasm, how original…

"...no, not anymore," Bumblebee answered seriously. His gaze drifted to the ground, optics catching the soft blue glow of energon droplets. "I'm...not an Autobot anymore...I can't be..."

And you know why, it's obvious. How could you be after that act of treason? You should be dead, you deserve to be dead, but you're still alive. That is far too lenient, for you are the reason that they will all die! And they tell you that it is not your fault! They are so wrong; it is entirely your fault and leaving is the least you could do for them.

"Oh, and why not?" It was feigned sympathy, but he had to tell someone, anyone, and technically this femme was rogue.

"I...saved Megatron...I helped him and...and he's completely fine! The Autobots will die and I'm the one to blame! That's why I can't go back or be with them! If I really care about them, I'd completely erase myself from their lives and survive alone! Running away was my only option...and...it's the only thing I can do to keep my sanity." He cycled his vents and off-lined his optics, trying in vain to calm himself.

"That's what has you so worked up?" Airachnid chuckled, "Reviving Megatron is no easy feat. Does this make you a Decepticon now?"

"No...not now and not ever," Bumblebee replied with venom.

"That's too bad, you'd fit right in." She turned her back on the scout, wandering a few feet away. "You could do great things for our cause."

"No, I'm nothing like you!" Enraged, he fired a few shots at the femme. They didn't do much damage, but she fell to the forest floor in a heap. Laughing now, she picked herself back up and locked optics with the scout.

"You could have fooled me, firing at your enemy's back," she sneered, "That was more of a Decepticon tactic than an Autobot one. Are you sure you're on the right side?"

"I'm not on any side now…I don't belong on any side." He backed up against the tree again, transforming his weapons back to servos. "I don't know what to do."

"Perhaps I do." Before Bumblebee could do anything, he felt a sharp pain in his neck cables. His vision swam as Airachnid's venom swept through his systems.

"What…what did you do?" he asked, collapsing onto his chassis. His processor was becoming sluggish, barely acknowledging Airachnid's next words.

"Relax, it's a mild venom. It won't kill you…well, it shouldn't." Bumblebee could feel something wrap around his frame. "If you're truly rogue now, that means we're one in the same. You could be useful…" Before Bumblebee fell into stasis, he heard, "Or, you could be a nice addition to my trophies." As the darkness came to claim him, the voice continued to reverberate throughout his processor.

You finally know your place. You know the truth and you know the punishment for treason. It is your fault after all…

"It is your fault that I, Megatron, am alive. I thank you for your cooperation, scout." Deep within the Nemesis, Megatron smirked. He would force that scout into insanity or death. There was no further use for him now.

A/N: Geez, how long has it been? O.o I apologize for that huge gap and I hope that this does the story justice. :3 I actually did have this chapter halfway done, but it didn't flow well with the rest the prologue and it wouldn't have been as dark as I wanted it to be.