Down for the Count

Chapter 1: Man Down

I don't own transformers or the characters

BumbleBee and Bulkhead waited, parked in the shadow of Jasper High School. Undisturbed by the downpour that had taken Jasper by surprise, the bots were getting impatient.

Bulkhead turned his radio on in preparation for his charge, muffled bass making the raindrops vibrate on his windshield. BumbleBee allowed himself to be lost in thought. He became so distracted, the usually familiar blare of the school bell made him jump on his tires. Thankfully, none of the students seemed to notice as they poured out the double doors. All the kids were focused on the rain; some were cheering and splashing in puddles, others held anything they could over their heads in desperation. After another couple of kliks, their teenagers emerged from the school.

Raf was first, using his arm to try and protect his glasses from the rain as he descended the front steps, taking care not to slip. He was about halfway down when Miko burst through the doors and all but slid down the stairs past him. She zig-zagged across the lawn toward Bulkhead, stomping in every puddle along the way. Jack came last, speeding up slightly to catch up with Raf.

"Let's blow this joint!" Bulkhead's door popped open and she barely came to a stop before jumping inside.

BumbleBee opened a door for each of his passengers with a whirr as they walked over. Raf turned to Jack as he climbed into the front passenger seat, "He says Arcee had patrol." Jack shrugged and climbed into the back.

"Hey Bee!" Raf chimed, lowering his backpack to the floor between his feet. The boys were dripping from the rain, but the scout didn't seem to mind. As they drove off Raf launched into an explanation of his day excitedly, occasionally pausing to answer the bot's questions.

Jack was quiet in the back seat, and BumbleBee thought it was odd. The teen stared out the window at the stormy landscape speeding past. Perhaps he was upset about the substitute ride. Or maybe his pride was hurt about being in the back seat. Or maybe he was sleepy. Humans, you just never knew with them.

By the time they pulled into the base, the weather had worsened to a thunderstorm. Bumblebee clicked and chirped as he let the kids out.

"Don't worry, Bee, we can still have fun inside" Raf assured him with a smile.

The base was filled with the whirring and sliding of metal as the bots transformed.

It had been quiet at the base before they arrived. Ratchet was focused on tinkering with a bit of machinery. He mumbled by way of greeting and waved dismissively. Arcee didn't turn from the computer as she filled out her patrol report but called a welcome over her shoulder. There was a puddle at her feet but she had already dried off. Optimus Prime was nowhere to be found.

Two sets of squeaks echoed through the room from the kids' wet sneakers as they climbed the ladder to their designated platform. Wait, two?

Arcee spared a glance over her shoulder as she continued to type. Miko was already at the top of the platform with Raf not far behind, but Jack hadn't started to climb yet. He stood at the bottom of the ladder, holding onto one of the lower rungs with his hand, his bag still slung over his shoulder. From that angle, his black hair hid his expression from her. She turned to face him with a frown.

"You good, Jack?"

He seemed to snap out from whatever daze had ahold of him and smiled up at her, "Yeah, sorry I must have gotten lost in thought. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." He pushed his damp bangs from his face and started his climb as Miko plopped herself into one of the couches, the worn out springs groaning under her.