[ti]Ep 2[/ti]Bolo's Bizarre Adventure - [Open]

[Carbine]

Episode 2 | Week 3 | Day 3 -to- Episode 2 | Week 4 | Day 3
Next Post Chooses Day.


He's seen the way the others come and go. The way they run down the tunnel and exit the Omega Outpost. They drive, more often than not, and disappear through the dead end, somehow finding their way out into the open. It smelt of fresh air, dust, shrubbery and freedom. Sometimes there was the scent of water, rain that pattered into the red earth beyond the cage of the base and drifted in when the doors were opened. He wanted to know more, see more, experience more...

Standing in the center of the Control Room, was a Cybertronian creature that was an anomaly this late in the war. A rarity. Almost novel. It stood upon four limbs, short flared paws planted solidly down beneath it, leading up slender legs to a barrel like chest and hefty frame of a sprinting animal. It stood tall, exceptionally tall, able to look smaller Cybertronian in the eye without hoisting onto its hind legs, making it not only an anomaly, but also a sight to behold.

The canine like mechanical beast was all black, the slick armor dusted in a bit of grit down the legs where dirt had built up over time, while the black rubbers of its throat and waist appeared inky in comparison. A set of white rings looped about each foreleg, sloping disks that contrasted against the monotone frame. A few bio lights flicked against its armor, most notably on the shoulders above the white rings, where a set of lights shone a soft red illumination that skirted surrounding plates in red.

Bolo was completely alone at present, standing at alert with helm poised high on his shoulders and ears gingerly rotated forward. His weight was rocked towards his front, hind legs pulled back with one stretched far, just the tips of his toes touching the ground, and the other hooked beneath his mass, supporting his weight over more of the rubber padding. This stance screamed of a canine ready to bolt, wanting to run, or one that had heard something and was looking for movement.

Yellow eyes that were only small flat panels instead of optics did not blink or waver from their focus, Bolo's more simple processor trying to work through options and the situation he was shown. But silence could only be held for so long, before a short huff of air vented from his maw, a couple more following to create a wheezed whine that didn't travel very far.


Frustrated.

[Bumblebee]

(Week 3, Day 5, please!)
-
Bumblebee was having one of those rare days when he didn't feel like doing anything. The usually chipper little bot who aimed to go above and beyond everything that was asked of him, doing his chores and errands around the base in record time? Was trudging around the Omega Base slowly like in a semi-dazed state. He'd half started one task, gotten distracted, moved to another... Gotten distracted. Until he'd given up completely and decided that walking around might help give him some sort of focus.

Yesterday had been rough for the little yellow Scout – having had the unfortunate luck of running into Megatron of all people while at the DMZ. It hadn't been by choice, either. He hadn't had time to move from the Decepticon Warlord's path, because of course, Megatron had found Bumblebee mere seconds after he'd tripped and fallen.

He'd recovered from the embarrassment of the fall, of course he had. Bumblebee was sturdy and wouldn't let a stupid fall get to him. But Megatron's words – the entire conversation, their actions from yesterday? They'd stuck with him. Megatron had cruelly questioned how Bumblebee had even survived this long. There had been snide comments about the children getting underfoot.

He'd let those slide. Brushed them off. It was just Megatron being Megatron and trying to get a rise out of the Scout. Bumblebee had tactfully changed the topic to the truce – shown interest in the plans with MECH, asked to know what they were... Megatron had answered him, surprisingly. It was early days. There were no plans at present, due to how each side wanted to deal with the humans who ran MECH.

That was understandable.

But the next part of the conversation was something that Bumblebee's processor had lingered on ever since. His recharge last night had been brief, and he hadn't been able to settle because he'd been mulling over what he'd said over and over and over again. How he thought MECH should be taken care of. Permanently.

Megatron had loved that. Bumblebee saw it in the way he'd slowed his gait, the way he'd lowered his voice to reply. It led to Megatron asking the question that Bumblebee still couldn't work out the answer to.

"It is dangerous to leave our enemies alive when there is the chance to do otherwise, isn't it?"

The rest was a muddle. He'd asked if Megatron believed Optimus was wrong in prioritizing hope over danger. Not because he didn't believe it, but because after what Bumblebee had seen of MECH? He had questioned if they were worth saving or redeeming. The Autobots were here on Earth to protect humankind, but even Bumblebee could see that once MECH were done with Cybertronian – that humans would be next.

That's how it usually went with villains and bad guys. He'd learned that in cartoons. World domination or whatever the term was. It's what Megatron wanted, why not MECH?

Part of him felt like maybe he should find Optimus to talk about what he'd discussed with the Decepticon Warlord, because he found that this was really bothering him. He didn't want to side with the Decepticons on something! Was he a monster for thinking what he had?

Deciding to make this his next task, he would begin to head up the stairs from the lower levels where he'd found himself – making his way into the Control Room of the Omega Base. Maybe he'd get lucky and find Optimus there, not that he had any idea of what he'd even say to the Prime if he found him.

There was someone in the Control Room – but it wasn't Optimus.

Bumblebee would freeze at seeing Bolo – he noted the dogs posture and stance, and it seemed that Bumblebee had caught what sounded like the end of a frustrated whine. The canine seemed focused on the tunnel – and while Bumblebee was certainly no expert on puppy body language? He could tell that the dog was on edge.

--Bolo?-- He chirped quietly, taking a few cautious steps closer to the canine. He didn't want to spook him or say something wrong which the canine misunderstood. Where was Carbine? He knew that the helicopter had to be close by – the pair never seemed to be far from the other. Was he down the tunnel?

--Hey Bolo, what ya doin'?--

He knew oh so very well that Bolo didn't understand everything that he said, but would say them anyway to try and reassure the dog that it was alright. He spoke slowly, as to not make an already confusing sentence extra confusing for the dog. Carbine had managed to translate some basic into commands for them when they'd built the shelves – but Bumblebee sadly had a language barrier here that would probably make things hard regardless. The events from yesterday and facing the one who'd been the one to inflict this disability on the Scout didn't help matters any...

Bumblebee was being cautious, his field calm – if a little melancholy. He was tired, and wasn't his usual happy self. If anyone else were around he'd hide it, not wanting to show something was bothering him. But it seemed that Bolo was very much alone.

--Ya doin' okay?-- He'd ask, beeps still quiet. His doorwings would flutter some as he moved to stand beside the canine, taking his gaze off Bolo and looking down the tunnel – as if expecting to see Carbine, but there was nobody.

[Carbine]

Bolo flinched, his helm whirling around instantly to look at Bumblebee with the alert and on edge stance. He seemed started and caught off guard, as if he had been so focused on what he was trying to figure out, that he hadn't heard the scout approach. In a way this was true, countered only by the fact that somewhere in the back of his processor he heard the footfalls, he heard the approach, but he didn’t really swallow the data enough to do anything with it, being surprised with a spontaneously appeared yellow beepy friend.

Once Bolo figured out who it was, and he wasn't going to be harassed or anything, he seemed to relax from high alert. Pointed ears fanned out a bit to sit at rest, and his weight rolled back to a more natural resting position with his mass centered overtop his narrow paws. Armor relaxed in its sockets, plating folding down from its hooked up posture a moment prior, giving him enough wiggle room for his rump to give a small shake in a vain wish for a tail. The wiggle was momentary before it stopped, a little 'hello' and smile in the only way he could.

He liked Bumblebee, despite how rough as their intro was, he was fast to forgive within reason. He didn’t forgive the way Bee had hurt Master, the pain felt, the panic that happened... but he got a good bite into him, and Master must have forgiven since he marked the mech as being a friend! This was a very important marker, a tiny glyph his processor knew, something to not attack, unless it tried to attack him for some reason. It kept Bee safe from any lingering ire that may remain, and forced him to try to be a bit more open minded.

The words said were lost on his simplistic mind. He understood his name, but the rest bled away into a sea of garbled sounds of broken concepts. It didn't make much sense, but what he could understand was the tone, mellow, calm, a bit of sad and concern. Something was bothering Bee, and an individual didn’t need to have the heightened senses of an animal Cassette to understand or pick up on it. When he approached then, to stand at Bolo's side, the dog took a couple half steps to nudge over closer and remove the distance between them to just a sliver of space.

A light push, a shove of the helm, Bolo smeared his head under Bumblebee's hand, trying to prompt him to pet, while huffing in a large breath of air to pull in scents and see if there was any treats or food lingering around. Snacks more often than not were held in the hand, but he sadly was not lucky enough to find anything, at most just a lingering taste of what he may have gotten if he found Bee a few hours prior. With disappointment and a feeling of being robbed, Bolo would glance back down the empty hall again; a soft huff of noise formed once more.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee was thankful that Bolo had seemingly relaxed a little at seeing him. The absolute last thing he wanted was for Bolo to get spooked and go charging off down the tunnel – even if Carbine was down there somewhere, there was probably a good reason why he'd left his cassette behind. He saw the little wiggle of Bolo's rump, which was why he had moved over closer to the pup – deeming that to be his okay to do so.

While he wasn't sure where Carbine was, he wasn't overly concerned. It wasn't like Bolo was hurt or anything, more like simply pining for whatever lay beyond the tunnel – his master, freedom, or both.

Just as Bolo liked Bee, Bumblebee liked Bolo. He held no malice toward either the pup or to Carbine for what'd happened back when they first met. He knew Bolo had only attacked because he was protecting Carbine, and Bee was glad that things seemed to be alright between the three of them now – if anything, he had grown more respect for the canine after that encounter, knowing not to ever get on his bad side.

The nudging at his servo drew his gaze from the tunnel and back down to Bolo, and he'd immediately give in to the silent demand and would gently scratch the area between Bolo's ears. Sadly he had no treats for the pup, nor had he touched anything remotely food-like today – although he wished he had, as it might've cheered Bolo up a little!

At hearing the second huff, Bumblebee would lower into a crouch. He always forgot just how big Bolo actually was until he was up close, yet it didn't deter him from crouching so they were of a more equal height. Here, his gaze would turn back down the corridor also – as if being on the same level as the cassette would help him work out what was wrong. His servo wouldn't let up the scratches, and he'd do that all day if he could!

His processor thought back to what commands Carbine had actually taught them before everything had gone so terribly wrong. They'd all been so basic, so boring... Yet it was the only real means of communication that they had. While there was no doubt a way for Bolo to understand more of what Bee was saying, that didn't really help anything at this present time.

--So ya want to go down there, huh? Is Carbine down there?-- Again, he spoke slowly. Not that it mattered any if Bolo didn't understand him to begin with, but it wouldn't be quite as confusing as if he was beeping at normal speed. He couldn't remember if Carbine had taught Bolo his own name in basic, but he hoped that him mentioning it may help solve the mystery of the forlorn looking pup - if Bolo recognized the word and reacted to it, anyway.

Maybe there was work being done on the tunnel – but Bee didn't hear anything. No signs of work, no sounds of Carbine. Nor had he heard any mention of the tunnel being out of use for maintenance today. At least working this out was distracting him from his thoughts of yesterday's events, and for that he was thankful.

He was half tempted to start walking down the corridor and look for himself. Carbine had taught them the 'heel' command, after all – and it wasn't like they'd be going far, or even completely out of the base entirely.

--...Did ya wanna go find him?--

He sort of wished someone else was around to help translate, but was honestly a-okay with the alone time between himself and Bolo, as chances like this were probably few and far between.

[Carbine]

That was one thing Bolo knew how to do, and do well. He could seem to get a head scratch from anyone he willed in this base, whether it was Red Alert or Optimus or now Bee. A cute little walk up, a sad look pretending to be all passive and feeble, a nudge of the helm underneath a hand or a small whimper, all guaranteed to get him what he was after, using them for the moment.

The canine's passive stance seemed to stop then, now that he got his goal, his helm pushing up into Bee's hand eagerly, to try to force more pressure behind the scratching. A quick crook of the helm tilted his head a bit to the side, which helped to guide Bee's fingers to the nook between cranial plate and the ear, the small ridge there holding a ball socket. Once this hinge point was scratched? It was all over, Bolo's head rolling and maw gaping to make a garbled sort of happy noise.

He could have stood here forever like this, but his delight faltered when Bee started to change positions and knelt down, causing the attention to waver and faultier a moment. Bolo's mouth closed then, and eyes illuminated as they focused once more, his stance wiggling a bit when the small Cybertronian got down to his level. This meant many things to him, play being one option, and without warning he swooped his helm forward to try to lick once at Bee's face.

Whether it hit or not, it didn’t matter, the plea made, the excited noise following, all trying to get back the attention that soon was gifted to his ears once again. Enjoying this, the cassette peered back at the tunnel, listening to Bee and what words he was saying.

He couldn't grasp many of them, but he could clutch onto tones and try to figure them out. What he did recognize was Master's name though, and his head reeled around to look back towards the middle of the base when it was mentioned. Not knowing what Bee wanted with Master though, made him then look back up at the yellow scout, his tongue lapping at the front of his muzzle in thought. Upon the last words that had more inflection though he perked up, making a half aborted yip sound and his rump wiggled.

No idea what was said but inflection means good things!?

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee hadn't needed much prompting to begin petting Bolo. He adored the little guy, and wanted Bolo to like him too! Especially after what had happened the first time they met. The only reason he'd hesitated today in giving any affection was because of the stance that Bolo was in when Bee first entered the room. He wasn't an expert on puppy body language but he didn't want to send Carbine's cassette running down the tunnel never to be seen again – hence why he'd held back for a moment.

Carbine was so very lucky to have a cassette and companion of his own. Cybertronian animals were so very rare – and until he'd met Bolo? He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen one in person. Bee had tried to get a companion of his own, a cat who he'd quickly named Onion – but it was not to be. It was understandable, the Omega Base wasn't really a place for the children to begin with – and a teeny tiny organic animal was really pushing his luck.

So he'd dote on Bolo whenever he had the chance.

The happy noise that came from the canine made him smile beneath his mouth-guard, and his own mood started to lift tremendously because of it. The lick that came moments later after Bee had crouched? Was the icing on the cake, and he'd beepily laugh and not pull away from the return of affection. He was glad that whatever bad blood was between them after their first meeting seemed to have gone, and would do his best to not mess up this friendship.

He watched as Bolo reacted to his words – and could see that while the canine couldn't understand everything he said, he really did seem to be trying to listen. The word “Carbine” seemed to have a reaction, and he followed Bolo's quick head turn to look back into the base. Did that mean that Carbine wasn't down the tunnel? It must've done...

Unfortunately for Carbine, though, Bee decided not to follow through with this knowledge and go find the helicopter mech to inquire as to why Bolo was out on his own. The yip and rump wiggle of the cassette only reinforcing his decision to play dumb. He would probably never get a chance like this again, and so was going to take advantage! It wasn't like they were going to go far, anyway.

As far as Bee was concerned? Carbine was oh so totally down the end of the tunnel somewhere, and he was oh so totally doing Bolo a favor in helping him look!

--Yeah? Sound good?-- He'd perked up immensely, before pulling himself up to his pedes and giving Bolo another good scratch between his ears. --Lets go get him!-- His beeps full of excitement. He'd pull his servo away from Bolo, and began walking down the tunnel – knowing that the pup would no doubt follow.

[Carbine]

Happy tones! Excited voice!

There was still nothing that could be understood when it came to actual words, but Bolo could always readily pick up on tone. Pair this with body language and a field that radiated excitement and kindness? No hidden malice, frustration, nor anger? And that was a recipe for a very happy canine that was triggered instantly into another mode of thought and action.

The instant Bumblebee had stood up and spoke again, Bolo dipped down and dodged back swiftly to avoid the hand being reached out at him, an avoidant lurch to not be grabbed or touched once more. It was not out of a desire to avoid scratches and attention however, nor a disagreement with something that had been said, but was rather a playful bow in which he quickly then bounced to the side as if thinking he was going to be chased.

The canine's rump was pushed up into the air, his hind legs straight, while his forelegs were stretched out in front of him to a point his elbows nearly touched the pitted concrete flooring. The small toes of his black paws where splayed out to grab at the ground, trying to press the rubber liner down for extra traction and grip. He only held this posture for a moment, before he'd bound to the side a bit and re-take the stance, not letting Bee get near him while the scout made his way towards the hallway.

The hallway!

Bolo sprung up once he saw where Bee was going, nearly launching himself a moment to plunk down onto his feet once again, and spring forward down the hall. He couldn't believe what he thought was coming! And he showed his gratitude and joy with the way he would stride a few pace ahead, before circling back to loop behind Bee and then rush forward, as if he could herd the Cybertronian like a sheep. Some magical sheep with the key to freedom!

A few times though the cassette would get distracted, halting in his step to sniff at the rocky wall, or a spot on the ground with focus and intent. He would smear the nasal mesh against some of the spatters and marks, huffing in air and filtering what it was he was sensing. But... the encroaching key to the end of the hallway would pull his attention back fast.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee flinched his hand away as Bolo dipped down and dodged back away from the touch. It wasn't out of fear, he just wasn't used to canines – and wasn't as familiar with a lot of the pups body language as Carbine would've been. He quickly realized that Bolo was just being playful, however, and he stood for a moment with his servos resting gently on his hips as he looked down at the pup.

--What are you doin?!-- He beepily chuckled as he asked, before making his way down the hallway.

His movements were a little hesitant, but he wouldn't stop – he had a tiny, niggling feeling at the back of his processor that he probably shouldn't be doing this, as he knew damn well that Carbine wasn't down here and he most certainly didn't want the ex-cop to come up from behind and bust him leading his cassette out and down the tunnel. The excitement from Bolo, however, made him quickly forget all feelings of guilt.

He'd watch with amusement as Bolo darted ahead, and would momentarily stop as Bolo made his way back to him and circled around. Then he'd spring off again a few steps. As long as Bumblebee kept him in his sights, and was firm and assertive when it came time to use the 'heel' command, all would be well.

He'd pause whenever Bolo would stop to sniff at the wall or ground, his own processor buzzing with curiosity as he wondered just what it was that the cassette could smell. Bolo didn't seem to linger long, and soon the pair would be off again.

As he turned the slight corner, the end of the hallway was now in sight. Carbine hadn't come storming down the corridor screeching to know what Bumblebee was doing, so he assumed that he was in the clear. It wasn't like they were going to go far from the base – just lingering outside the tunnel a little bit. Bolo could sniff around, Bumblebee could maybe find a neat rock to add to his room. Plus the fresh air was nice!

As they continued on, the doors would trigger and open due to the weight of the Cybertronian, and sunlight would flood into the tunnel.

The outside world was now before them.

--Okay. Bolo. Heel!-- His beeps firm, as he wanted the pup to listen to him.

He didn't want Bolo to run off, as even in his alt-mode he'd have an issue keeping up with the cassette – and it wouldn't take long for the huge canine to make his way to the town of Jasper or wherever else he wanted to go. Which would not end well for anyone. Especially Bumblebee. 

[Carbine]

As the sunlight streaked into the tunnel, Bolo eased back a bit and stopped his excited movements. For a normal Cybertronian, they could blink, instantly close their eyes and allow their systems to process the change in illumination at a leisurely pace. Bolo wasn't so lucky. He didn't have eyelids, and he had to adjust and wait for the white screen to balance out. Luckily, this didn’t take long however, his systems adapting to show blotches of shapes that soon became real objects, made so that he could see clearly out into the broad expanse of freedom that stretched beyond.

The scents were so much stronger here. He wasn't trapped sniffing the dusty filtered particles that leached through cracks in the base, he didn’t have to try to huff and pull them apart through fine meshes to determine new things, instead, it was a wave of fresh air that brought with it a myriad of stories and curiosity.

It was still dusty, that much was apparent, dirt stretching on for miles in multiple directions, but it didn’t have the stale edge that dust from the outpost held. Wind churned, laced with particles of crushed plant matter and mineral deposits of quartz or limestone. There was an organic touch to it all beyond just plants, but it was hard to be picked apart by one that doesn't get to enjoy it very often.

Before Bolo could even think of moving another step to head out into this to explore properly, Bumblebee had spoken words he recognized, and his ears flicked back with a bit of frustration. He knew what 'Heel' was, and he picked up on the firm implication behind it. This wasn't just a casual request, but was an attempted order, but... did he really respect that order?

If Bee spoke just on his own, Bolo wouldn't have really cared. Bumblebee hasn't shown to him he is a leader, and hasn’t taken charge enough for him to look up to him on the hierarchy. As far as he was concerned, he and Bee were, at BEST equals right now, though a dash of arrogance meant Bolo believed himself to be the leader between the two of them. The only thing that kept him in place at this moment, giving Bumblebee a sideways glance of displeasure, was the fact that Master had given a good word.

Carbine more than earned his position at the top of the ladder in Bolo's eyes. Even if they weren’t bound together by intangible strings, a conglomerate of Carrier and Cassette, Carbine had the aggression needed to slam him down if he stepped out of line. An angry Master was not good, but... how serious was Master when he gave that order regarding Bumblebee?

The canine side eyed Bumblebee a bit, his small brain churning.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee had seen this sight hundreds of times now. The boring, dusty landscape of the outside world. Of course, he'd only ever really seen it from his alt-mode and had never actually walked through the tunnel before. The first thing he noticed was how bright it was in contrast to inside the Omega Base. Like Bolo, he couldn't blink his optics to adjust to the light. However, his optics would instead whir audibly as he refocused - the aperture-like lenses closing just slightly so it wasn't as bright, and he made a point of looking at the rocks instead of the brilliant blue sky.

Unlike Bolo, he'd seen this all before many times – so nothing was really new or exciting to him. Still, he'd shift his servos to his hips as he peered at the all too familiar sight, keeping his gaze low as if looking for something. He still fully intended to step outside of the tunnel completely, but wouldn't stray far from the safety of the base once he did. These brief moments of lingering were just a hesitation of sorts, as he still fully expected Carbine to somehow know what was going on and to come charging down the tunnel after them any moment now.

He glanced down to the cassette, noting his ears flicking back some. He didn't read it as frustration, as he wasn't familiar with canine body language – instead, taking it as Bolo listening to the beeps and understanding him. He didn't move any, so it must've worked.

Unaware of the pups thought process, he'd nod his helm at the cassette.

--Good boy!-- He beepily laughed. --Okay so I'm gonna step out a bit more and see if I can find some cool rocks, but stay close okay? Sniff around and stuff but don't go past me. Uh. Heel.-- He was anything but commanding, nor was he really trying too hard to be too assertive with his words. But still, his tone was firm as he gave the command. Bolo understood the word 'heel' so hopefully would just follow through with the order and stay close.

With that, Bumblebee would take a couple of steps out onto the dusty ground outside of the tunnel. His servo closest to Bolo would shift from his hip and he'd hold it to out his side some – as if telling the cassette not to walk past him. His movements were still a little hesitant, but Carbine hadn't come screaming down the tunnel yet, so he assumed they were probably safe.

It wasn't like they were going to go far.

[Carbine]

Damn right he was a good boy, he hadn't decided if he was going to snub Bee yet.

Bolo watched Bumblebee with care, his gaze piercing back intently while his noggin tried to piece together the pros and cons to the situation slowly. If he had the capabilities to make an expression, his gaze would be squinted which would have been a big tell to what was happening, but Bee didn't have that luxury, and was too inexperienced to read the canine's body language.

When the scout started to move forward, pairing it with another hollow command Bolo wasn't thrilled over, the canine trotted forward happily, his gaze breaking away to start to look at other things around them. There was so much he wanted to smell! And so much he wanted to do! He felt the warmth of the road beneath his paws, and was about to lean down to sniff at it, before Bee's hand swung out to keep him from progressing forward more.

Ears back again.

Yeah, no.

A dip of his helm, a few fast strides, Bolo passed in front of Bumblebee with a smooth gait and trotted down the road that lead out from the base. He didn't get very far, before his helm dipped and he started to sniff around with excitement, trying to pull what he smelled from the road and figure it out.

Dirt, grit, rubber, exhaust, some exhaust formed from crude machines of some kind that didn't run on Energon. Humans, he knew what those were, but hadn't had much experience with them, seeing them around the base. Tiny organic things he couldn't place. There was some kind of rotting matter, perhaps something off of a tire that rubbed off on this part of the road or a long lost gecko that had reached a very unfortunate fate long ago.

Bolo wasn't really keen to listen to Bumblebee at this point; taking another few strides to sniff a new patch where a bit of oil had dribbled out. His ears were back up now, interest, curiosity, and mystery folding over the irritation from before to calm his annoyances and smooth them over. His body posture was even starting to show excitement, the way he would almost hop between points he wanted to sniff, his forelegs splayed out a bit and rump high.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee thought everything was going well! So far, Bolo had listened to him. He'd get his neat rock to add to his collection – if he could find one, anyway – Bolo could sniff around a little bit and sate his puppy curiosity, and they could both go back down the tunnel into the base like nothing had ever happened! It was win-win for the both of them.

Except Bee failed at reading puppy body language a second time. Not that he'd even noticed the cassettes ears pin back once more – as his gaze had been straight ahead and looking for rocks.

His attention was immediately snapped away at the sound of movement, and the sight of Bolo happily trotting past him and down the road.

--Hey! Bolo, no! Heel!-- He beeped that a little more firmly, and... It seemed to have worked. Bolo stopped to sniff at something on the road. Actually maybe that was a coincidence. Point was? He'd stopped. Okay, this was... Alright... He figured... As long as the pup stayed around this area, and in Bee's line of sight? It should be okay. Bolo had supervision, it wasn't like Bee was letting him out of his sight or would let him get very far if he started wandering off.

He wondered what was so fascinating to Bolo that'd had him stop in his tracks to start sniffing around. Whatever it was seemed to hold his attention – for all of two seconds – before he moved over to another spot to repeat the action.

--Bolo hey. Don't go too far. Carbine will get pissed at me if ya run off.-- He didn't even know why he was talking, it wasn't like the cassette could even understand him, but it was his way of trying to get him to stop wandering off further. Like him talking would hold Bolo's attention or something.

He was so very thankful that they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but even so – there was still a risk that a human could drive past at any moment. His thoughts couldn't linger on that too long, though, despite his field now betraying his nervousness – as Bolo was now hopping between points, rump high in the air. Bee may not have understood or recognized canine body language, but even he could tell that Bolo was excited.

--Lets uh. Lets go back inside yeah? Inside?-- He said the last word slooowly, hoping Bolo would understand what he meant. That was one word that Carbine hadn't translated, but he hoped for the best regardless.

[Carbine]

Inside? HAH No.

Nervous energy, uncertainty, this was not the field of a leader, and was not something that Bolo had to respect or respond to. The commands and words that fell out of the yellow Cybertronian may have been able to hold an impact by tone alone, the canine sensing if he's in trouble or have done wrong by the way Bee may have said something, but the lack of any real power or force behind it... well... why WOULD he listen? It was a waffly request, a lesser individual trying to stick their neck out to be listened to.

Bolo was a strong personality type. He liked to make others happy, and can do tricks when he thinks food is on the line, or if he likes a person and wants to make them happy, but even then there were lines to it, and the canine wanted his own things in life. For this particular moment, it was the freedom of the open landscape he wanted, and the fresh air that he could run through. He wanted to stay out here so badly in fact, that when he heard Bumblebee attempt to recall him, he decided he'd rather avoid him all together and pretend he couldn't HEAR the commands to begin with.

A raised helm, a quick look back over his shoulder, Bolo second guessed his decision for only a brief moment, a flicker of 'will Master be mad?', before his decision became final.

A sharp movement, a deep dip of the frame, Bolo's entire body canted forward while his legs kicked up off of the ground in one fluid movement. It was an odd fraction of a second, a surreal moment in which Bolo's legs were elevated and he was falling, but it abruptly ended the second his powerful limbs slammed down hard against the asphalt, and he propelled forward as if someone had shot him out of a gun. The lurching kick was so aggressive in fact, that the sharper points of each of his peds actually left grooves against the asphalt, scoring gouges where he used the grip for traction and that much more 'oomph'.

In a flash Bolo was charging down the street, before he veered to the right as if he was going to plunge through bushes and cacti with no regard. This diversion lasted a tiny flicker before he zigzagged the opposite way and started shooting across the desert with maw agape and spark fluttering in excitement.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee knew he could lead if he had the chance. He'd seen, and been through enough of the war to be able to make good calls and decisions – or so he thought, anyway! He'd also been around Optimus long enough to watch and take note of how he did things, and he was fairly confident in that if he did ever have to lead the team here at the base? He'd do a good job of it!

Ordering a canine around, though, who barely understood anything of what he was even saying half the time? Yeah, there was something of a challenge here – and any and all confidence that Bee had in his abilities to lead had quickly melted away when he realized that Bolo prrrooobably wasn't listening to him, and there was nothing he could do short of getting Carbine out here to get him to listen.

And he wasn't about to do that, for more than one obvious reason.

His hope was raised, briefly, as Bolo glanced over his shoulder – but it was quickly evident that the dog had other ideas, and that getting him to listen was pretty much a lost cause. All he could do now was hope that Bolo's curiosity was sated in the nearby area and that he wasn't about to go running off into the dis-

Ah slag.

--Bolo!! HEY! Slaaaag!!! HEY BOLO! NO! NONONO!-- He frantically called out after the cassette – trying to sound as firm as his beeps would allow, which was to say, not very. Carbine had translated the word 'No' but it didn't seem to be doing any good as Bolo suddenly charged forwards without warning.

Bee pushed off with his left leg, charging after the cassette. He couldn't keep up with the pup when he was going full-tilt, but damnit he would do his absolute best to at least stay close, silently hoping that Bolo didn't rush ahead as fast as he could go. He'd follow behind, then skid-slide to the right as Bolo veered off in another direction. Just when he thought this was the path the pup was going to take, the cassette began zigzagging in the opposite direction. So once again Bee would do his best to follow – trying to work out what the pups next move would even be or where he'd most likely go, but it was so erratic he had no clue.

In stark contrast to the pups excited spark and field, Bee was filled with dread and panic. What if Bolo charged off into the distance never to be seen again? What if, somehow, MECH found out about them because they were both stupidly out in the open like this? What if another human saw? What if Carbine came out and busted them? What if Optimus found out?

For some reason, that last one was the worst one.

He'd slide to a stop, quickly realizing that Bolo wasn't picking a direction and sticking with it – he was merely zigzagging around back and forth. Both servos would lift to rest on the back of his helm as he watched – ready to take off again if Bolo suddenly took off in a straight line.

This was the worst.

--BOOOOLOOO!!-- He called out over the desert, hoping his beeps and whirs even carried that far. --HEEL, FOR FRAGS SAKE! HEEL!-- He couldn't believe that word was blurted out, but damnit it was needed – if only to get his own frustration out.

He just hoped that Bolo somehow picked up that this wasn't a fun game anymore, and that he really, really should come back inside.

[Carbine]

This was absolutely the best, and a hundred percent overdue.

Bolo was an energetic Cassette and there was no pretending otherwise. In old days he always had a job out in the city working for the police, his tasks varying drastically from day to day but more likely than not were active either in sprints or marathons. The sprints were the most fun as far as he was concerned, someone trying to escape Master or his partner, jumping over barricades or weaving between people or buildings... those chases were the best! Though they seldom ended in a way the other Cybertronian wanted.

It wasn't all rush and weave and charge however, the marathon days of tracking the scent of a missing person, or a stolen thing, or just rummaging through rubble for different people or things... those were also fun. An active hunt, where the reward tended to have better payoff after hours of effort put in to find whatever it was he was looking for. This bled out energy too, and kept his mind focused and tested, a tiring task all on its own.

It didn’t mean that there were no slow days however. Sometimes there simply weren't anyone to chase down, or things to maul. People weren't missing, or no trail could be used to even start to find them. Sometimes these days were passed at important transport junctions to sniff at individuals and their packages when they passed, looking for trigger scents, but it could also be spent playing with his peers at the station to bleed away energy.

He didn't get any of this here on Earth.

Locked away, trapped, he was building up a lot of tension, and now Bumblebee had been the unlucky soul to set it all free. Like a spring that was wound tighter and tighter and then let go... he moved erratically with sharp lurches and flails, unsure what to do next in his freedom.

Black paws ground down into the dirt below, skidding, sliding, scrabbling for traction as directions changed and banked on wild whim. There really wasn’t a theme to it all as far as Bolo understood, his little spark pounding away in his chest with freedom singing at full volume. The way the air rushed through his vents and over his frame, the way he didn't have to even look out for walls or other objects he may run into, it truly was liberating.

Bee's calls, while not working how he intended, were heard, and Bolo's form reeled with a sharp kick of dirt and dust that splayed up into the air. He took an abrupt angle change on his charges, and he ended up ramping towards the yellow Cybertronian! Only... to make sure he remained five or six arm lengths away when he blasted past with mouth gaping and tongue lulled out to make a grin that was unrivaled.

The moment Bolo had blasted past, he ramped by again... and again... trying to get Bee to run and play, which was exactly what his tiny processor calculated his lunges were.

Play!