Bumblebee knew this was a terrible idea.

Scratch that—this was an absolutely reckless idea, the kind that Optimus would give him a long, disappointed speech about. But that didn’t stop him from driving through the abandoned city outskirts, headlights dimmed, sensors on high alert. G.H.O.S.T. had been after her for months, and so far, she had managed to evade every single one of their attempts. That wasn’t surprising—she was brilliant, a strategist so ruthless that even Megatron used to listen when she spoke.

And now, she was nothing but a ghost, a lingering presence that haunted every Autobot who knew she was still out there.

But this wasn’t about the mission. This wasn’t about G.H.O.S.T., or even about the Autobots. This was personal.

For the longest time, she had been his rival. Not just another Decepticon to fight on the battlefield, but his opponent. The one who always had a plan, always stayed three steps ahead, always looked at him like he was a naïve fool who would never understand what it truly meant to fight for Cybertron.

He had never been able to beat her completely. She always had the high ground

Until the war ended, and Megatron defected. Until she lost everything.

And now, here he was, tracking her down, with no real idea what he was going to say.

He found her at the edge of a collapsed building, hidden in the shadows, frame dimly illuminated by the flickering neon sign of a long-abandoned human diner. It was the first time he’d seen her in years, and she looked… wrong.

Her once-pristine armor, always maintained to show her status, was scratched, dented, worn. Her optics, sharp and always alight with fire, were dim. She wasn’t just hiding—she was adrift. And her wings that were tall and proud were now drooped low

And yet, when her optics flickered up and landed on him, there was still something familiar there.

"...Bumblebee," she said, voice rough from disuse.

"You’re a hard bot to find," he answered, keeping his tone casual, though his vents hitched at the sight of her.