[ti]Ep 2[/ti]Ep 2- Dancing In The Ring of Fire [ Closed | Bumblebee ]

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee would eventually break into a sprint. There was nothing in this general area that he could see that would actually help, and so he decided to go a little ways out. He kept going in the same direction, so that it'd be easier to get back to the hole – and Breakdown – but he hadn't been able to see anything but trees. Breakdown had said not to bother with those, so he wouldn't even begin wasting his time.

He could just swallow his pride and call for help. But that'd mean explaining why he'd left the Neutral Base, with a Decepticon – and that was something that he didn't quiiiiite feel like doing just yet. If he couldn't find anything to help get Breakdown out, then maybe he'd resort to that – given he wouldn't have a choice, but for right now he'd do his best to look for whatever he could to assist.

It helped that Bee was fast, and also good at looking for things. He kept his optics low as he ran, looking for any traces of cables or even metal beams that he could take back with him. Which in this barren landscape? Might be easier said than done. Still, Bee wasn't one to give up so easily and so he'd not stop looking until he found something.

Sadly that meant that more time had passed than he'd originally have liked. Ah well, it wasn't like Breakdown was going anywhere – and if someone did come for the big blue mech? Well, Bee could just go back to Haven on his own and never speak of this again.

After what felt like an eternity of running – and man, was it good to run freely like this? Luck seemed to be on their side. Humans had been out here once, a long time ago it seemed – and there was an abandoned yard full of rusted old cars, trucks, and what looked to be mining equipment.

He'd linger on the outskirts, watching quietly for a moment for any signs of human activity. Once he was sure that this place was well and truly deserted? Would he move forwards to begin looking.

This place was awesome! While to many of their kind, the sight of rusted old cars was a shock – Bumblebee was used to being around other vehicles due to the school run that it no longer phased him. They were just cars. They weren't other Cybertronian. So now? He just saw them as things he could take apart and put pieces of on his wall! Well all the cool parts, anyway.

Not that he had time to do that, but Primus he wanted to. This place was like a goldmine of cool stuff!

With a vent of a sigh, he'd begin looking for something he could use – and it didn't take him long to find some cables laying nearby from a long abandoned tow truck. They looked sturdy enough, even despite the rust that had appeared on parts. It'd been coiled neatly on the floor, as if someone was supposed to come and retrieve it at some point but never did.

Which was good for Bee and Breakdown! It looked sturdy, with reinforced twisted metal around the actual cable inside. All he'd have to do was tie this around one of the many trees and Breakdown would be able to haul himself up and out of the hole – simple!

He'd pick up the bundle of cable – doing a quick look around as if trying to remember this place so that he could, maybe, one day come back to treasure hunt, before turning and running back the way he came.

--Hey! Look what I found!-- Came the cheery beep as his face appeared up over the side of the hole, and he'd hold up the cable triumphantly. --Wait there!--

Haha, it wasn't like Breakdown could do much else.

Ah well. Bee would then turn and look for the sturdiest tree that he could find. Breakdown probably weighed an absolute slagload, so he'd have to tie the cable securely so the tree wasn't ripped from its roots. Thankfully this place had an abundance of trees, and he'd move quickly to wrap the cable low around one of them and twisting it into a secure knot. With a sharp tug or two to see if it held, he'd then scamper back to the hole.

--Gonna throw this down! It's secure, you can climb out!--

Then, he'd throw the end of the cable down. It thankfully reached the bottom, and so all Breakdown would have to do now is climb.

[Breakdown]

     He was in the middle of the argument with himself when a familiar chunk of yellow came to cross his optic and right away the voice was silenced.

     "It's about time you showed up! Go ahead and take that much time again, I dare you. Then you may a well forget about the truce cause I'll knock your lights out and explain to your Leader my reasoning for it."

     Breakdown vented some as he looked up at the Autobot. Okay, he probably shouldn't have been as angry about it as he was but he really couldn't help himself. He was a little more tempermental than usual, that much he was aware of. Cranky, short fused, and he had even raised his voice at the Vehicons. Everyone was breathing down one another's neck, stumbling over one another, and Starscream was much more annoying than his typical self. It wasn't usual for him but he still wouldn't go see Knock Out. As far as he was concerned it was just the stresses of the world that really weren't going to get any better any time soon. 

     "Nevermind. Sorry. Just toss it down and get me outta here. It feels like the walls are closin' in." That wasn't a lie. With the way the walls angled and bits of dirt would roll down from who knew where on the walls they probably could have started to fall at any moment.

     Once Bee had thrown the cable down to him he grabbed the cable and tugged a couple of times to test the sturdiness of it. Seemed that it wasn't going to give out and send him crashing to the floor, but the real test was to come. So he reached over his helm and gripped it tightly in both of his servos, then pulled. His pedes left the ground, allowing him to hang there for a klik while he dangled there awaiting anything that may have gone wrong. When it all seemed to be in the clear, he reached up with one servo, tugged, and started to pull his way up.

     On the way up Breakdown slipped a couple of times, simply because he was trying to get his big servo around a thin cable. Once his helm peeked over the edge of the hole he grabbed onto it with one servo and pulled to hoist himself somewhat, then tugged himself up further by way of the other on the cable. With his chassis now propped just over the edge he needed just a little help. The servo that had been holding on reached out towards Bee.

     "Here. Help me up," he requested while still holding onto the cable... just in case Bee tried to trick him into pulling him up and then letting go just to send him tumbling back into the would be tomb.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee heard Breakdown's angry little outburst, but wouldn't comment on it at first. He wasn't sure why Breakdown was so annoyed. Bee did say he was going to come back, and he had. He'd taken longer than he'd of liked, but it'd been worth it!

--No need to get mad, man. I came back, didn't I?-- He sounded cheery enough with his reply, not wanting to sink to the others level and get annoyed in return. If this plan didn't work, Breakdown's temper would be riled even more – and he didn't want to end up breaking the truce just because he'd sassed the Decepticon back and driven him into a rage.

He'd tilt his head at the apology and would give a thumbs up moments after he tossed down the cable. This was the moment of truth. It'd held strong against Bee tugging against it a couple of times, but he weighed a LOT less than Breakdown did. Primus, he hoped this worked. He didn't want to call back to base to explain things and request help from outside, that was way more trouble than it was worth.

He'd lean over the hole, servos on his hips as he watched Breakdown give a test pull or two of the cable. He'd glance back to look at the tree, which surprisingly held strong and didn't budge.

While he couldn't hold his breath like a human, he stood motionless and tense as Breakdown began making the slow and steady climb upwards. The couple of slips made him flinch, and he'd watch with wide optics. He remained quiet, wanting to let Breakdown focus on climbing. If it were one of his own he'd be cheering him on and trying to help a lot more – but he felt with Breakdown it would only serve as a distraction. As Breakdown got about halfway, Bee would move to grab the cable and hold it – just to give it a little more counterweight against the big blue Mech.

Here he'd stand until Breakdown's helm appeared over the edge, followed by a servo.

--Ya can't climb the rest?-- Bee beeped quizzically, tilting his helm. He wasn't sure if he trusted this idea. Breakdown could grab him and throw him back down into the hole! Bee weighed practically nothing compared to him, so it wouldn't even be much of an effort for the Decepticon.

He'd just have to trust him.

--I got ya, hang on.-- He'd scramble forwards and would lower himself down onto all fours. From here, he'd reach to take Breakdown's servo with both of his own and would pull back, digging his knees and the toes of his pedes into the dirt as he pulled with all he could.

[Breakdown]

     Bee was a little too gullible, too easy to trick. The moment the smaller mech's servo was in his and Breakdown wrapped his digits around it in his iron grip? The yellow bug was all his. A heave could have hauled him back into the hole to trap him there, whereas Breakdown could have left him behind to rot. Or he could jerk his servo the wrong way and snap the delicate wiring in Bee's wrist to render it inoperable. This was a dangerous position for Bee to be in. Though much more agile than the larger brick framed blue mech, he would have had to rip his own limb off if he had needed to free himself and Breakdown wouldn't have even broke a sweat.

     Luckily for him, as irritated as Breakdown had been for leaving him down there as long as he did, the Decepticon did have a stroke of honor about him. The fact that Bee was helping him instead of leaving him behind had put him in that 'I will not maul him' category. So while it would have been easy to use this to his advantage, Breakdown didn't have the spark to back-stab him like that....

     Even if he was Autobot trash.

     Breakdown leaned against his arm which he pressed against the ground under him to try and hoist himself the rest of the way. With the little assistance provided by Bee, it was just enough to provide a counter weight to his bulky pedes. He managed to pull himself up and over the edge of the hole then pulled his servo away from Bee so he could haul up the rest of the way. Now on his servos and knees on solid ground, he vented out in relief before making his way to stand. He started forward, just wanting to get away from the ledge in the off chance something else wanted to collapse under him. He nudged Bee along to get him moving as well, figuring that he may as well make sure the bugbot didn't risk the same.

     "Thanks," was all he said as he walked and only stopped once they were clear of any danger; That was when he continued. "So much for getting out of the base and having a little fun, huh?"

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee didn't see himself as gullible. He just knew that if he was in Breakdown's position, he would've wanted someone to help him. They may have been on opposing factions in a war that'd gone on for... Well, who even knew how long anymore, but that didn't mean he had to be a jerk! It was his good deed for the day, to counter the fact he'd been hiding the fact his comm had been working basically this entire time.

There was a moment of tension, and a flicker of panic when Breakdown grabbed his servo, almost like he knew damn well that if Breakdown really wanted to? He could throw Bee down into the hole and walk away. Of course it wouldn't have been an issue, as Bee could just call in for a bridge and be gone before Breakdown could even laugh about his misfortune.

There was also the matter of the truce. Surely Breakdown wasn't stupid enough to try anything silly that could damage the already no doubt strained ceasefire. Megatron was not known for his patience, after all, and if word got back that Breakdown had broken it over basically nothing? Well, that would not end well.

He'd give an almighty tug as Breakdown scrambled up and over the edge, before he'd let go and stagger backwards – catching himself as he looked down to the bigger mech. He was on solid ground now and unless he asked? Bee would not help him further. He'd watch quiet as Breakdown moved to a stand, and would begin walking as he was nudged – a smart move, given they didn't know how stable the ground was.

--No problem!-- He chirped. --And are ya kidding!? This was fun! I found an awesome scrapyard full of old cars, equipment and heaps of other stuff when I was looking for that cable!-- His optics wide with excitement and his beeps were higher pitched and faster than normal, although he'd frown and seemed to settle after a moment as something seemed to dawn on him. --But I guess we don't have time to check it out, as we have been gone for a while. Should probably get back to the Neut base huh? Is ya comm working yet, since we're up high now?--

[Breakdown]

     Zzzz-ttt! was the response Breakdown got from his comm when he tried to connect it. At this point Knock Out was probably getting annoyed with him for being gone so long and he was almost surprised the medic hadn't sent a search party for him yet.

     "Yeah, we've been gone a while. We should head back, at least so I can get my comm working. It's still just feeding me static."

     Breakdown took note of the way the bugbot's excitement rose when he was describing the location he had found the cable in. In the time they had been gone they had spent most of it rolling around in the dirt, trapped below ground in a hole that easily could have turned into their crypts with no way to communicate with their factions. It was an odd way for the two to ever see optic-to-optic, but Breakdown did... sort of owe Bee now, in a way- at least to him he felt that he did. The small bot could have left him down there to rust away and no one would have ever figured it out. He didn't think too much about it, though, since he figured it was just the truce that had steered Bee's servo in favor of assisting him.

     "Well... a scrapyard COULD possibly hold treasures for us. We can make use out of things that the fleshbags here would otherwise see as useless trash. We may get lucky and find some things that could be beneficial to us. Soo... maybe we should explore it anyway just to make sure we don't leave a stone unturned, right?" Breakdown blinked some and looked at the yellow bot somewhat curiously. "I mean, I know you don't like to do work and this is such an awful thing to suggest to you, but what would our Leadership say if there was opportunity presented to us and we didn't take a moment of our time to make sure it was at least... 'explored'." He grinned some and motioned with his helm for Bee to go. "So lead the way. Lets see what you found."

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee would nudge at the dirt with one pede as Breakdown tried his comm. If it worked, then that'd be good – they could both call their respective bases for a bridge out of here, and that'd be that. Mission over, with their original task long complete. If not? Then they'd work it out. They hadn't actually bridged too far from the Neutral Base – it'd be a bit of a drive back there, but at least they weren't stuck on another continent or something.

Bumblebee's comm worked, even despite the earlier fall and being thrown upwards – but still he wouldn't speak up about it. Thankfully, Breakdown hadn't actually asked, nor even really brought it up.

--Still a no go? Bummer. Maybe it'll fix itself when we're heading back.--

He'd roll his shoulders, as if expecting Breakdown to transform and do just that – head back to the DMZ, but then Breakdown spoke some more and Bee's optics would widen in excitement.

Wait was he for real? No way! If he was with another Autobot – well, depending on who it was anyway – they'd be a stickler for sticking to the rules and heading back as soon as possible. But Breakdown not only seemed okay with the idea of heading back to the scrapyard, but had come up with a totally awesome and BELEIVABLE idea as to why they should go! Man, for a Decepticon? He wasn't bad at all!

--Yep. Work. Totally awful.-- He chirped happily, finding it hard to contain his excitement or even really play along. --But ya right, I'd never forgive myself if there was something there we could use back at base! So we gotta at least look!--

Oh man. Scrapyards were like, the coolest thing, and this one was practically untouched and abandoned. There was going to be so. Much. Treasure. And Bee would get first dibs! Because he found it first! He was going to bring so much back to show Raf! He could add to his collection of stuff in his room, and they'd all have a neat story behind it too!

There would be an all too familiar noise of transformation as Bee shifted quickly into his alt-mode, his wheels skidding on the dirt and he gave an overly enthusiastic beep of his horn.

--C'MON! I'LL RACE YA THIS TIME!--

With a cloud of dust, Bumblebee would take off back in the direction of the Scrapyard. It wouldn't take quite as long to get there this time, now that he was driving instead of walking – he just hoped that Breakdown would take him up on the challenge of a race – now that they were safe from any sinkholes, at any rate.

[Breakdown]

     It seemed like the energetic bugbot liked the suggestion and the story he came up with. Honestly he didn't feel like going back to the neut base at the moment and since Knock Out hadn't come looking for him or send one of the vehicons after him then there couldn't have been anything too terrible happening. He never really got out much so he couldn't see how this could even hurt. Knock Out may have even recommended him to do so more often, to be honest.

     Now on steady ground that wouldn't collapse under him- which he stomped the ground with one heavy pede just to be extra certain- he transformed into his alt mode just in time to have Bee come beeping his horn at him like an impatient driver trying to get him to move faster. Again with the racing?

     "You do realize that I don't race, right? Or at least- can't race. Not the way you and Knock Out do." 

     Breakdown vented and would have shook his helm had he been able to. Knock Out was at least aware of what he was capable of as far as speeds went, but either Bee was inadvertedly making fun of him for it or just was too excited to remember that HE DID HAVE A LIMIT ON SPEED. Literally. 60mph with a give of somewhere around 10mph more at the fastest was pushing it for him, and that was about as 'quick' as he wanted to go. He was way too bulky to be hitting the hundreds like the smaller brightly colored mech zipping ahead of him was capable of. At least he hit hard, which he would have done if they weren't under a truce and there was too much of a risk that Bee would take offense and mess things up. 

     So he drove without complaining, tracking the bugbot as well as he could as he trailed behind at his cruising speed. He was still a little achy from the fall so he didn't want to be excessive anyway, but he wouldn't verbally complain about it. He just wanted to see this scrapyard and explore it some. While the story he came up with was a fabrication, it did have some truth to it. Some things that humans considered junk could be reworked to be useful to them, and on a world where supplies were limited? They couldn't afford to be picky. Breakdown knew what it was like to be at the bare minimum.

     Chugging along behind- way behind- he went.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee heard Breakdown, but by that point he was already long gone in a cloud of dust - and so any reply would be practically inaudible. He'd hoped to maybe goad the big blue mech into a race, given he seemed to be in a decent-ish mood now they were out of the giant sinkhole, and would therefore maybe humor Bumblebee with his original request.

He didn't, and even Bee wooshing ahead as a challenge didn't spur Breakdown on, and he'd groan as he looked back to see Breakdown crawling along at a snails pace.

Uggggggggggh.

Bumblebee would slow to what by his standards could be considered a crawl, even though by now he was still way far ahead - he'd put quite a bit of distance between them in such a short space of time! It was lucky he was bright yellow and could be seen from afar! Maybe if Breakdown saw him slow down, he'd put some effort in to at least catching up. Yet, he didn't - the big lug still plodding along like they had all the time in the world here.

Okay fine, so Breakdown didn't want to race, or couldn't - whatever - but Bumblebee wouldn't get another chance like this again for a while. The only time he got to really pick up the pace was on that long, straight stretch of road from the Omega Base before the small town of Jasper – and even then he couldn't go really fast. Not like this, anyway! This was basically freedom!

He'd speed up again, figuring Breakdown could at least follow the tracks left in the dirt if he did end up getting too far in front – and if Breakdown did end up falling too far behind? Bumblebee could come run circles around him for a while.

He did have to admit - it was nice being able to drive like this, although at the speed he was going? It did not last long and soon the Scrapyard was in sight. He'd shift forms, coming to a skidding-stop and standing with his servos on his hips as he swiveled around to face Breakdown.

--Gonna get all the good stuff if ya don't hurrrrry uppp!-- His loud, excited beeps and trills carrying over the mostly flat, barren landscape, before he'd swivel back on his heel and started making his way into the Scrapyard itself. There didn't seem to be much here that would be of any real use back at the base, everything was so rusted and weather-eroded, but he hoped to at least find some neat treasures hidden among the mess.

[Breakdown]

     Oh, Breakdown knew that body language anywhere. Knock Out had often carried it when he was in a rush to get somewhere and had to slow down for the one who always lagged behind. It had been brought up countless times behind his back when the others thought he couldn't hear why he wouldn't select a faster alt mode, but honestly? What good would that have really done? He wouldn't be able to move any quicker than what this mode did or else he would literally risk falling apart. With his sheer bulk he just barely pushed himself as he was now since after a while he was pretty much spent. 

     No point in pushing himself anyway- wasn't as if the scrapyard was going to up and wander off somewhere. 

     ::The scrapyard isn't going to run off, Bugbot. If you're in such a hurry then head over there and I'll follow. Not like I can't track you.:: Breakdown would have rolled his optics had he had the ability to, but a beep of his horn was good enough for the time being. True enough, he would be able to follow at his own pace and reach the scrapyard eventually, and conserve as much of his energy as possible considering the eager little bugbot probably would have run him dry if he was given the chance.

     ::And if you even so much as TRY to hoard all the good stuff, I'll shake you until your processor malfunctions.:: 

     Couldn't do that while the truce was happening, but hey... the threat was still good, and there was no expiration on those.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee couldn't help but scoff at the beep of Breakdown's horn. He'd given up on trying to get the big blue mech to race him, and so had sped ahead while he'd had the chance to do so. Breakdown could follow the tracks he left, and it wasn't like the scrapyard was too far away – it was literally a straight line, which was lucky!

--Ya snooze ya lose!-- Came the cocky but cheerful reply to Breakdown's 'threat' – Bumblebee had found this place first and so technically that meant he had first dibs on whatever he wanted. Plus he'd gotten back here first so there had to be some rule in place about how that meant he was the winner, even if they hadn't been racing.

--But no seriously, hurry up man.-- Came a reply a moment later. While they were technically going back to this place to help out their respective sides, just on the off-chance that there was anything of use? They had been gone far too long now given what their original task had been, and it was starting to weigh on Bee's processor a little.

Bee would roll his shoulders, continuing his way into the scrapyard while he waited for Breakdown to finally catch up to him. There was nothing wrong with just looking, he decided – although if he did find anything really cool he was totally going to stash it to one side and out the way so that he could totally 'find' it in full view of the other mech and lay claim to his treasure.

Now he wasn't quite so pressed for time in the sense he had to get back to help Breakdown out a giant hole, he could look around a little closer at just what this place had to offer. There were so many rusted old cars and trucks here and he'd frown at seeing the state of them. Humans were so wasteful, but at least they were far out the way and not really hurting anyone here. Their loss was Bumblebee's gain! Not that it looked like there was anything really good out here.

He'd duck down next to a car that didn't look to be too rusted, and would yank the door open. He figured he had to start somewhere, and while nothing on the outside looked particularly interesting, maybe some of the cars had neat stuff on the inside.

Ooooor not... A quick poke at the glove compartment revealed nothing but faded yellow papers, all of which looked to be boring paperwork. Maybe this headstart had been for nothing. Still, he wouldn't give up!

[Breakdown]

Another time he wished he could have rolled his optics. It at least was in good fun, given that he, for once, didn't have any legitimate hatred or disgust for the bugbot. Sure, he was annoying and he was an Autobot, but other than that he couldn't find anything wrong with being in his company.

If it weren't for that damn racing. That was Knock Out's thing and Bee knew it. Seriously, he was happy when it finally seemed to be dropped.

Once he arrived at the scrapyard he transformed and stepped through the threshold, looking around the moment he stepped through. He wasn't looking for items right from the beginning, but rather making sure they were alone here. Ever since the incident with MECH, he didn't trust that they weren't lingering around every corner waiting for their moment to attack again. It may have been paranoia hitting, sure, but now that he was aware of what these humans were capable of, he would rather be overly cautious and be proven wrong.

When it all came back that they were alone with the junk around them he finally started to follow Bee's lead with searching for things that may have been useful to them. Parts were always a good thing- tubing, machinery, anything that seemed to be somewhat functional and could be either left alone or turned into something else.

"I'm not an inventor so I don't know what half this scrap does," he said as he yanked open the hood of a car to look inside the rust bucket. "But I guess if it looks good, snatch it."

[Bumblebee]

--Took ya long enough!-- Came the cheery greeting as Bee waved over to Breakdown, who seemed to waste no time in ignoring him and going straight into looking for things of value! Of course Bee didn't realize that he was being overly paranoid and looking for MECH and not what treasures lay hidden in the piles of scrap.

If he had known, he probably would've done his best to reassure Breakdown that everything was fine. They were literally in the middle of nowhere here, there'd been no humans around here for years it looked like; so he assumed they were pretty safe. Decepticon or not, it was troubling that he was so overly paranoid and living in fear.

But ah well, he didn't tell Bumblebee what he was doing - and so he'd just shrug and carry on with his own search, quietly chuckling to himself knowing full well there was nothing good where Breakdown was looking.

--Dude, ya don't have to be an inventor to use this stuff!-- He chirped happily. --Lots of things can be used, like old batteries, cables, car parts. Not that they can be used on us, obviously, but they can be broken down and used for projects!-- He talked as he dug, an assortment of things being thrown backwards as he rummaged through piles of metal. Things he considered trash were being tossed – namely metal rusted so badly that he couldn't make sense of what it was.

Eventually he'd move over to another rusted out car, yanking the door a little too hard and wrenching it clean from its hinges. Whoops. Ah well!

--Oooh! I think I found something...-- His beeps quiet, almost like a mumble. Carefully he'd lean in to the backseat with his servo, being ever so careful with his digits not to crush whatever it was he'd found – and after a moment he'd slowly pull back, a small boombox type radio on the palm of his servo. It was obviously battery powered, and despite the state of the rest of this place? Didn't seem to be in too bad a shape. He'd have to test it in a second, and if it still worked? He'd have to take it back to base for sure!

--Ya finding anything good over there?--

[Breakdown]

     Breakdown narrowed his optic a moment with a phrase Bee used. 'Broken down and used for projects'. That really could have been worded differently, especially considering he was still getting over things as it was. The optic was a constant reminder to stay vigilant to his surroundings, even to the annoyance of others around him. They could tell him to relax all they wanted, but Breakdown wouldn't be able to until this damn war was over.

     "Yeah, I guess." 

     He went to sorting through a different pile, having not spotted anything in the previous one he had been rooting through. Honestly, he didn't really know what he was even looking for, let alone was he even paying the slightest bit of attention to what he was touching. Something was bothering him but he couldn't quite put his digit on it, so he had assumed that maybe it had some relation to his paranoia with MECH being nearby, but they hadn't run across signs of anything. There was no real reason for this feeling, and yet there it was, poking at his sensors like a pesky insect. It was probably something he should have Knock Out take a look at but he also didn't want to bring up anything that would risk him being more of burden to the Cons than he was useful. 

     Annoyed with it all, Breakdown grabbed a piece of scrap metal and hurled it into the air, resulting in a rather good distance throw with it landing quite a bit away over the mounds of junk. He growled a bit and vented loudly to ease out the last of his frustrations. Did it do anything? Very little. Well, that was definitely a waste and hopefully whatever it was he threw couldn't be of any use.

     He turned back to his pile before Bee could inquire about anything, just wanting to let it go. He pushed things aside that were completely shot to hell or mashed into pieces, while collecting a couple bundles of wire and other parts that looked to have intact electrical components, hoping that they would prove to be of some use. 

     Then he picked up an unusual little object, something that he didn't think really belonged in the pile of junk he had been rooting through. It could have been something that had been accidentally left behind or tossed on impulse, but whatever the reason, it was now being held delicately in Breakdown's large servo. The large chunk of ornate gem looked like it could have been a fragment of energon, though it had a very familiar red color to it, with different size crystals angling out of the main section and a flat section at the back that clearly meant for where it was supposed to rest on something solid so it didn't roll away. There was dirt on it but it otherwise seemed intact... 

     Maybe it was something Knock Out would appreciate? 

[Bumblebee]

The phrase was totally lost on Bee. Then again, he hadn't been the one captured and tortured by MECH – and he wasn't the one with a name that was very similar to the phrase 'broken down'. He hadn't meant for it to be insulting or to strike a nerve there, and if he knew Breakdown was still hurting over it? He might've rephrased, or apologized. But nothing was said about it, and so he was none the wiser.

--Ya guess? Wow, mister enthusiastic over there!-- He beepily chuckled at that, scoffing quietly as he turned his attention back to the boombox he found. A couple of clunky button presses later revealed that... it didn't appear to be working. Which was a shame, it looked in pretty good condition!

Eh you win some you lose some.

The growl, and heavy thunk of something being thrown and impacting the ground made him flinch and drop the boombox – it clattered loudly and part of it snapped off and skittered across the ground; and for a second there he thought they'd been spotted and it was a human come to find out what they were doing. But it was only Breakdown, and he'd squint his optics just slightly as if silently asking 'what the heck?'

Someone wasn't having much fun! And it'd been Breakdown's idea to come back to check this place out! Pff.

Whatever. He turned back to the piles of cars, leaning up onto his toes to some of the ones that were stacked, rummage around as best he could without making the whole thing topple over on top of him. He wasn't having much luck, every time he found something that he thought would go awesome with his collection? It was either way too dirty or not as cool as originally thought.

Huffing a long vented sigh of defeat, he'd swivel around to look at Breakdown once more to see what he was up to. There was a glint of red, the sun reflecting off the item that the other mech had found – betraying any attempts from Breakdown to hide the object. Aw man, really? He'd found something and Bumblebee hadn't? No fair!!

--Whoa! What'd you find?-- He wouldn't move from where he was stood, not wanting to go over there and give up his spot over this side of the junkyard, even though this area didn't seem to have much of anything... still, his patience and perseverance could be rewarded yet! Maybe there was buried treasure somewhere around here!