Chapter Text
Ignis, was dead.
Bumblebee cried out as he slammed a fist into the ground at the edge of the Well of Allsparks, tears blurring his vision. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair! Why did they have to keep losing things, losing bots, just to gain something?
Cybertron lived, but it had come at a cost, and that cost this time, had been Ignis.
If he had to guess, it had all started a few cycles back, just after they'd first arrived on Cybertron to start rebuilding. The Decepticons that hadn't agreed to work with them in the building efforts were either scattered to the winds or still in the brig of the Nemesis until they could decide what to do with them. Starscream and Shockwave were nowhere to be seen, having escaped at some point in all the chaos. Which was worrying to be sure, but as long as they didn't show up it wasn't their problem to deal with. For now anyways. And Predaking was no where to be seen, last spotted flying into the distance, which was probably for the best, so it seemed like it would be a straight forward, if very long, task. There wasn't anything to hinder them.
They'd even held a small promotion ceremony for Bumblebee, to finally bring him from Scout to Warrior. It had been, a bit of an awkward mess, Ignis had NO idea how to do that, hell he'd never even properly graduated from the Elite Guard, so how a ceremony was supposed to go he wasn't sure. But they got through it (with some help) and they celebrated.
Bumblebee even decided to bite the bullet and make sure that everyone knew his feelings for Ignis and the status of their relationship. Like half the gathered bots already knew so what point was there to hiding it? So the moment that Ignis was within range, Bumblebee grabbed him and kissed him right in the middle of the celebration. He'd thought for sure that Ultra Magnus was going to say something, to scold him, and he might, had Ignis not promptly swept Bumblebee off his feet just to kiss him back (something he was sure to make Ultra Magnus blow a gasket), to the excited cheers of the rest of the bots.
Everything was fine.
And then Ignis got a vision. A vision from the Matrix of Leadership, from the Primes. Even when Optimus had been around, Primes had been mysterious to Bumblebee, so this only barely surprised him. Doing weird scrap was in fact par for the course for them. Unfortunately, it was to much to ask that the vision was just a 'good job on fixing things' type of message, a congratulations. No, it was another mission, one that found Ignis sent off into deep, deep space. Because, you see, the Allspark was NOT on Cybertron and hadn't been for a long time. Which meant that while the planet could now sustain life, it could not produce it. And given the sheer number of sparks lost in the war, this was in fact vital for their continued survival. It was hidden, deep in space and far off-world for its own protection. Now Ignis didn't know where it was, but the Primes did, the Matrix would show him the way he'd said.
It wasn't ideal being down by two (as he took Wheeljack with him to help him reach his destination) but, fine, they could manage to build while he was gone. After all, nothing could go wrong.
Man, Bumblebee really wished that he'd listened to Raf about not utilizing that phrase and temping fate with it.
The first sign of something not good happening, came in the form of not one, but TWO Predacons, neither of which were Predaking. And according to Knock Out's report, things had gone south really quickly.
Knock Out grumbled as he drove behind Ultra Mangus. A trip to the Sea of Rust was not his idea of a good time. Why anyone would want to go there was beyond him, but that was where they'd been sent and he'd been given the ultimatum of 'it's either that or go in the brig with your buddies'.
While Ignis may have been alright with him roaming free, the others were a bit more apprehensive still. He was sure they were just waiting for him to do something, anything, to give them an excuse to lock him up.
They never made it there though, as somewhere between the old space bridge and Polyhex they picked up life signals. Unfortunately, they were not friendly.
"Are you Autobot, or Decepticon?" asked Ultra Magnus, in a tone that sounded more like an order than a question.
The two large figures stood up, revealing themselves to be much, much larger than even Ultra Magnus, and cackled. "Neither."
They shifted and Knock Out really wished he was back in the brig. Predacons. What the hell, how were there living Predacons?? He didn't know all the details behind cyberforming science but even he was pretty sure that it couldn't revive old dusty fossils, especially without the Allspark.
"Groundbridge, groundbridge!" he screamed into the comms as they came under fire. Literally, these things seemed to have built-in fire breath, much like the first Predacon, Predaking.
This was about where Knock Out shuddered and shook his head, still trembling as he tried to recount what had happened. Not that he'd really needed to, the commander alone had been beaten within an inch of his life before Knock Out, with the aid of the Phase Shifter, had managed to drag him through the ground bridge to safety. It was pretty clear what had happened.
Honestly, Bumblebee couldn't even blame him for barely fighting and wanting to get out quickly. Predaking alone was dangerous enough to fight, but TWO Predacons?
Primus, it was a miracle they were both still functioning.
Ok, Predacons weren't ideal, in fact they were much the opposite of that. But they could figure this out. After all, maybe they couldn't do something about the Predacons, but there was someone still somewhere on Cybertron that could.
"Predaking? That's who we've been tracking?" asked Bulkhead incredulously.
Bumblebee didn't even need to answer the question, the question answered itself as the massive Predacon crested the metal heap front of them, wings spread wide and snarling at them in full beast mode, a glow building up his throat from deep in his chest.
Instantly, the blasters and weapons of those behind Bumblebee were charged and at the ready, primed for a fight.
"Stand down!" shouted Bumblebee, holding his servos aloft. "Everyone!" He looked towards Predaking as he said the last part. "We didn't come here to fight, your highness." He knelt down to one knee as he spoke. While he didn't know a lot about the Predacon, he knew he was proud. Proud and regal as fitting of his name, so if they could appeal to that part of his nature, they might make it out with their sparks.
"Then why have you violated my refuge, Autobot?" snarled Predaking as he morphed back into bot mode, still atop his hill of metal, like some kind of crude throne.
"We came to talk. To get answers," said Bumblebee, slowly rising back up. "Do you know of any other Predacons on Cybertron?"
Predaking fixed him with a steely look before speaking. "Indeed. Legions in fact." He swept his arm out over the expanse behind him. "Behold, my subjects. Extinct since the Great Cataclysm many cycles ago. Unearthed by the shifting of plates during our planet's restoration."
Hmm, ok, so someone had taught him sarcasm. Good to know.
Bumblebee took a breath to compose himself. "Allow me to rephrase. Do you know of the two living Predacons currently on Cybertron?"
For the first time, Predaking showed an emotion that wasn't anger or disgust, something that looked almost like excitement flashing across his face as his folded wings twitched behind him.
"Alive? Where?"
"That is what we want your help with, to find them," said Bumblebee.
And like that it was gone, that cold snarl was back. "For revenge? So you can kill them too?"
"No! There, there has been enough fighting, enough spilt Energon already," said Bumblebee as he rose up. "It would be a crime to stain a reborn Cybtron with spilled Energon. I told you we don't want to fight, we don't have to fight. Please, let us prove what Megatron was never willing to even try, that we can all coexist on Cybertron."
Predaking snorted, "You think that because I turned on Megatron, I would forgive you for your role in the destruction of my brethren on Earth?"
"I never asked for forgiveness!" He cut the great bot off before he could continue. He bowed his head, kneeling slightly once again. "I did not come to beg or ask for forgiveness. That's not something for us to ask for. Because you're right, even if we were manipulated into it, we did still play a role in that disaster. And...I'm sorry."
If Predaking had been upset at being cut off, the apology short circuited him enough to forget that and he just stared at the scout-no warrior.
"We only came to ask for your help. At some point refugees are going to arrive here, and I don't want your grudge to carry over to them, to innocent bots. And I don't want either side to start fighting again."
"Go. Leave me be, and do not bother me further!" Predaking waved them off with one arm before turning away, back to look out over the bone filled expanse before him. Talks were clearly over.
Bulkhead hadn't thought it had helped much, but Bumblebee wasn't so sure. The Predacon had listened to him, had heard him out instead of simply blasting them then and there. And he'd seemed interested in what he'd had to say, especially after hearing about the living Predacons. And why wouldn't he? Surely he must have been horrifically lonely, the only one of his kind around. And Bumblebee was right, as would be proven later on.
Of course, living Predacons meant that Shockwave was in fact ON Cybertron somewhere, and that was going to be a problem. So building was put on hold, at least from them, until they could deal with that problem. Not that they knew where he was, but Knock Out once again proved he could in fact be helpful, leading them to Darkmount. While HE may not have known where the top secret labs were (he'd stressed very much that they were top secret and rather pointedly asked 'what makes you think that Shockwave or Megatron would have told ME where they were?'), the database in Darkmount almost certainly had the information somewhere. Assuming of course they could access it.
The more things went sideways, the more he wished Ignis would return already.
And oh, did they get bad.
Predacons they could deal with. Shockwave they could, probably, deal with. Hell even Starscream would have been preferable to deal with. Literally anything would have been better than the hell that found them while they were downloading the database.
Megatron.
Well, not actually Megatron, but his corpse, piloted by Unicron.
Bumblebee had really wished it had just been Megatron. At least HE was mortal. But Unicron? He was a god! They really, absolutely, could not fight him. The combined forces of Megatron and Optimus Prime had only just managed to force him back into hibernation. They'd be wiped from the face of Cybertron if they tried.
So they fled, fled across Darkmount, to the Smelting Pits and through a ground bridge back to the Nemesis to regroup.
So they did the only thing they could do, the one thing they hadn't wanted to do. They called Ignis and Wheeljack. Calling them while on such an important mission, they hadn't wanted to but there was no choice.
"Ignis, Wheeljack, come in, do you read us?"
"Hear you loud and clear," replied Wheeljack. "What's up?"
"Nothing good," said Bumblebee, "Unicron's back, on Cybertron, and possessing Megatron's body." His fingers gripped the control panel tightly as he hung his head. "We really need you back here."
A heavy sigh came from the other end. "We will be back as fast as we possibly can be," said Ignis. "Wheeljack, this thing has a lightspeed drive correct? Does it work?"
"All tuned up and ready to go, just as long as we don't encounter any more solar flares or meteor storms."
"Then get ready."
"Ok, but, what does he want?" asked Bulkhead. "Why here, why now?"
Well, the answer was pretty obvious once they all thought about it.
To kill Primus.
To destroy Cybertron.
Bumblebee clenched his servos as he curled in on himself, door wings flicking weakly as he sobbed. They had protected the Allspark and the Well of Allsparks. Cybertron lived and shone even more brightly now and could truly live again.
And yet all Bumblebee could feel was pain and sorrow, his own spark feeling like it had been ripped out of his chest.
'Things always get worse, before they'd get better' he'd once heard the humans say. And oh boy, things HAD gotten worse.
Unicron was bad enough, but they could at least stall for time; between their own team (even if it was down several bots) and the remaining Decepticons (rather unsurprisingly, despite being loyal to Megatron, they did quite enjoy living as well as having a planet to live on), as well as whatever they could scrounge from the vault, there was enough to pull off that. If they could stall long enough then Ignis could do his thing when they finally returned. Whatever 'his thing' might be.
Even Starscream showing up to try and hijack the warship had been nothing short of a minor inconvenience. If only because Knock Out had run into him first and well. ..
"So, I found the goods you asked for and, a little something extra," said Knock Out as he strutted into the control room. "One Immobilizer," he said, tossing it to Bumblebee, who caught it handily. "And, one Polarity Gauntlet." Arcee swiped it quickly from him, turning it over in her hands. "And for the something extra, you'll need to follow me, my servos were a little full."
"Knock Out, now isn't the time for jokes," scolded Bumblebee, fists on his hips. He really could not figure out what his deal was.
"Hey, I'm not joking, there is something else. Or someone else I suppose."
He'd led them to Starscream, who was stuck, half phased through a wall and unable to go anywhere and curing up a storm.
"Knock Out you traitor, release me this instant!" he howled.
"And get locked in the brig with you? I think not," replied Knock Out, folding his arms over his chest. "When Ignis gets back, I need to thank him for leaving this behind," he indicated to the Phase Shifter. "It's been very useful these last few cycles."
Honestly, Bumblebee couldn't blame him for wanting to leave Cybertron, running and getting as far away as possible was a valid reaction to Unicron descending. Unfortunately it wasn't feasible, there was no way that Unicron would just stop with Cybertron.
But as the saying went, things get worse before they get better, and they had gotten worse. And then the first sign of getting better appeared.
The Predacons.
Amidst the fighting of the undead hoard(because oh yes, just to make thing worse for them, Unicron decided to revive a hoard of undead Predacons, as if things weren't tough enough already), the trio of Predacons appeared, lead by Predaking. They were fighting WITH them, helping them. Bumblebee wasn't sure if his words had gotten to Predaking, he liked to think they had though, but the Predacons had shown up to fight with them, grievances be fragged. It was the first glimmer of hope they'd had.
And fight they had. Bumblebee would never forget watching them fight, three massive beasts attacking from the sky and incinerating the zombies with columns of flame.
Even now they were still sticking around, Predaking the only force that had kept Bumblebee from throwing himself into the Well of Allsparks after Ignis.
And then, to continue the upward trend, when the Iron Will had appeared from the sky. Wheeljack and Ignis had returned!
It seemed like they had a chance.
As the Iron Will descended from the sky, a small figure dropped out from the bottom of it, flying on wings that glinted in the darkness. He flew fast, a streak in the darkness that shot like a bullet towards the Well of Allsparks, as if racing the descending hoard of undead. Which he definitely was, whether he realized it yet or not.
Bumblebee felt his spark leap in his chest, Ignis had returned, and with the speed he was going, he had the Allspark with him.
"Protect the Well!" shouted Bumblebee. They needed to head off the hoard, to take out as many as they could to buy him time.
Wheeljack it seemed had decided to take up distracting Unicron, firing upon him from the ship, still high in the sky.
The more distractions the better.
The hoard was fast, but Ignis was faster, he'd always been fast and clearly this had transferred into his flying skills.
He reached the Well before the hoard and dove inside, clutching something tightly to his chest.
Bumblebee, all of the Autobot really, could only watch and wait on pins and needles. And then an explosion of light burst forth from the Well, like a sea of falling stars, but in reverse. So bright was it that it drove the encroaching hoard back, pushing them away from the well.
"Primus!"
Unicron roared in anger and fury and, ignoring the shots coming from the Iron Will , zeroed in on the Well.
"It's over Unicron!" yelled Ignis as he too shot out of the well, landing on the rim with a thud. "You've lost this fight!"
"Never! The scourge that is Primus shall fall by my hand, and I will start with you, follower of Primus."
He covered the ground in only a few steps, unbothered by the attacks sent his way. He lunged for Ignis and the Prime shoved the object in his hands right into Unicron's chest. Then, the chaos bringer howled. Not in rage, but in pain.
The device, which Bumblebee would later learn was the container that had once housed the Allspark, had clicked open in that moment and was draining Unicron right out of Megatron's body.
"No, no! You cannot defeat me!"
"I told you, it's over," said Ignis.
And then it happened. With the last bit of his remaining strength Unicron lunged, and plunged his hand right through Ignis' chest.
Bumblebee screamed. He screamed Ignis name as he ran towards him, through the crumbling Predacons, past his teammates. He didn't care, he just had to get to him. His own spark felt like it was being cleft in two, a searing pain the likes of which he'd never felt before.
Megatron collapsed, falling backwards to the ground as Unicron was ripped from his body and into the container, which now glowed a sickly purple.
Ignis placed his hand over the wound in his chest, Energon pouring down his front and through his fingers.
"Ignis, Ignis!" He stretched his arm out as he ran, reaching desperately for Ignis. He couldn't lose him, not like this.
And then he fell. Before Bumblebee could reach him he lost his balance and fell backwards into the Well of Allsparks.
Bumblebee had been mere seconds from jumping in after him to save him, but found himself trapped in the massive claws of Predaking. He sobbed and wailed, straining pitifully against the Predacon's grasp as tears rolled down his face.
Tailgate. Cliffjumper. Optimus. Ignis.
Why, why did they have to keep losing people? It wasn't fair.
Predaking had eventually released him, when it was clear he wasn't going to dive in after him, and Bumblebee just collapsed on the ground by the Well, sobbing, one servo gripping his chest tightly.
And as if to twist the knife in deeper, Megatron lived. Megatron, out of all bots, had lived! That just wasn't fair.
While weakened, the former tyrant stood up, looking himself over in almost abject horror.
Bumblebee had wanted to scream at him, why did he get a second chance at life, why did he get to live while Ignis did not? But he didn't, he couldn't. Something about his (former?) enemy just looked, broken. Like even he didn't want this.
And then he left. He made it clear he was fully done with, all of this, no longer desiring to fight, and then he just left to Primus only knew where.
And so Bumblebee found himself, alone at the Well of Allsparks, sobbing and begging for Ignis to come back. It wasn't fair, why did he have to be taken away from him like this? Anything, he'd give anything to see him again. He'd even give up his voice, if he could just see him again.
Scrap, it didn't even have to be Ignis. He could be Smokescreen again and that would be more than enough.
Was this how Arcee had felt, losing Tailgate and Cliffjumper? Or how Ratchet had felt when they'd lost Optimus? Despite the strong face he'd put on around the rest of them, Bumblebee had heard the old medic sobbing to himself in his bunk after hours in the days following Optimus' death. He'd taken that loss the worst out of any of them.
It hurt, it hurt so bad. Ripping his spark out might actually have hurt less than everything he was feeling now.
~~~
The wail that Bumblebee let out, Knock Out felt that in his spark. He knew that feeling all too well, unfortunately.
"You know, you can't stay out here forever," he said, folding his arms over his chest as he stood behind the warrior.
"Go away Knock Out, I don't want to hear it."
"Ah, so you can do more than cry."
"What do you want?" Bumblebee's digits dug into the ground as a hint of annoyance crept into his voice.
"Well, your teammates seem to be awfully worried about you."
Bumblebee snorted, "Oh, and you're soo worried you've come to help?"
Knock Out sighed and sat down beside him with a thud. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked, placing his servos on his knees. "Like your spark has been torn out of your chest while you were still alive. Like a part of you just died. The worst pain you've ever felt."
Bumblebee lifted his head slightly to look at Knock Out. It was strange, he sounded, almost genuine in his words. And he was explaining the exact same feeling he was feeling right now.
The red 'Con was quiet, drumming his fingertips on his knees, in an almost anxious manner, a sort of thoughtful look on his face. Then he spoke again. "I know what it's like. I lost my Conjunx too."
If Bumblebee hadn't been sitting down already, he'd probably have collapsed from shock. Knock Out, had a Conjunx? Since fragging when?
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
"I didn't think it was possible for you to love anyone more than you love yourself, that's all," said Bumblebee, a hint of a laugh in his voice. Knock Out simply huffed and looked away, crossing his arms. "Sorry, that was rude." He wiped his eyes, taking another shuddery breath. "If it's not to personal, who..."
"Breakdown."
Oh. OH. Ohhhhh. Yikes.
"I'm sorry."
"You didn't have anything to do with it. That's on Airachnid and MECH," said Knock Out bitterly. He jabbed a finger in Bumblebee's direction, "And, if you ever tell anyone about what I said to you here, I'm going to deny it till my spark goes out."
"Got it." Bumblebee drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his limbs around them. "It's just not fair."
"It never is."
"I just don't know what to do."
"Well, if I may make a suggestion."
"So, how is he Ratchet?" asked Arcee.
The medic sighed, "Well, he's finally recharging at least," he said. He looked over to Knock Out, the red mech working away at the computer system. "What did you say to him? I've been trying for hours to get him to go and rest and he wouldn't budge. And then you talk to him and suddenly he's resting."
"Maybe some of us are better at talking than others," said Knock Out.
"Knock Out..." Arcee narrowed her optics his way.
He turned his head to look at her. "What? Does it matter what I said? He's resting, isn't that all that matters?"
Ratchet rubbed his helm, well he supposed Knock Out was right, Bumblebee was resting finally. And that was what mattered. It was just strange, that of all bots Bumblebee would listen to, it was Knock Out that had gotten through to him.
Knock Out watched from the corner of his optics as the bots dispersed. Ratchet still had a patient to look after, Bulkhead was taking troops to work on rebuilding and Arcee some miners to go salvage scrap metal.
He could have told them what he'd said but, would they really have believed him? He doubted it, especially since they still seemed to view him, to some degree, as a Decepticon. But the fact remained, he was the only one that could possibly understand the pain Bumblebee was feeling right now.
"Ugh, Knock Out you're getting soft," he thought, shaking his head as he headed off to find something to work on (goodness knows that the ship had repairs that needed to be done given their less than stellar landing during the fight with Unicron). Whatever, it didn't matter if they liked him, just that they didn't lock him up.
~~~
Among the things damaged in their 'landing' a few cycles back were the ship's computer systems. So Knock Out, the only one around even remotely familiar with the Decepticon's systems, had taken it upon himself to try and restore them. Progress might have moved a bit faster if Wheeljack had been around to help, but he had taken off to hide the container with Unicron somewhere no one would ever find it.
Knock Out suggested the depths of a black hole. The container WAS indestructible after all.
Unfortunately, progress was slow going, the more he worked, the more physical and technical problems cropped up, including the one currently staring him in the face on the screen.
He'd finally gotten the stupid thing up and running again, at a bare minimum they needed a way to keep track of everyone's life signals and locations, except, there seemed to be bug. There had to be, it the was the only way to explain what he was seeing.
"You!" Knock Out pointed at the bot currently half inside a control panel, wires everywhere. "Keep trying to get things up and running. If anyone comes around and asks, I've gone to check out, whatever this is." He would have liked to ignore it, assume it was a glitch and move on, but it was going to rattle around his processor all day if he did that, so he was going to check it out. Worse case scenario, it was a glitch and nothing was there and he just wasted some time.
With that, he made his way to the ground bridge, punched in the coordinates and left.
Bumblebee stretched his arms over his head as he sat up. Wow, a rest and recharge really did do wonders. At least physically. His spark still ached and he could feel that sadness creeping back in as he looked around the empty room. But, he didn't feel nearly as ready to just curl up and die as he had before, or as tired. Or-holy scrap, he'd been out of it for TWO WHOLE CYCLES! Who in Primus' name let him sleep that long? Why?
Primus no wonder he felt as refreshed as he did. Now he just needed some fuel. Then he'd...figure out what to do next.
Don't let it consume you.
That was what Knock Out had said, along with telling him to get some rest. But it was hard, it was going to be hard. But, he had still living teammates that needed him (and who were probably going to be pissed that he'd slept so long and left them short handed). Ignis nor Optimus would have wanted him to stagnate and give up. Not now. Not ever.
"Pull yourself together Bee," he said, slapping his cheeks with his hands. Ok, time to go.
The moment he stepped out of the room he'd been resting in, everything felt weird. The air in the ship just felt off. More than usual for being on board a Decepticon ship at least. There was a strange feel to the air, a tenseness that hadn't been there before.
Several 'Cons cast him sideways looks before scurrying off and hushed whispers filled the air around him.
"Did you hear?"
"...med...bay."
"weird..."
"...well...parks..."
"...miracle."
Was someone hurt? Had refugees begun to appear? Had Ultra Magnus taken a turn for the worse? Bumblebee's pace quickened as he walked through the halls, a sickening worry growing in his chest. Had something happened, something gone wrong? Please no, they couldn't deal with any more loss.
He skidded to a stop at the doors to the med bay and just about flew through it the moment they opened.
"Ratchet, Ratchet is something going on? I heard talk about the med bay and-"
He froze, voice seizing in his throat.
Ratchet and Knock Out were gathered in the med bay, along with Arcee and Bulkhead, gathered around a berth. Not Ultra Magnus', no he was still on his, though sitting up and a bit more conscious than the last time Bumblebee had seen him.
"Bumblebee!" Ratchet spun to face him, turning away from the patient on the medical berth.
Wordlessly, Bumblebee pushed past Arcee and Bulkhead, wrenched himself free of Ratchet's grasp as the medic moved to grab hold of him and stop him, forcing his way towards the medical berth.
It was impossible. It made no sense.
And yet, there, laying on the medical berth, hooked up to just about every machine in the place, was Ignis.
Ignis, was alive.
Notes:
if u thought I was going to leave him dead you are sadly mistaken. if Optimus Prime can die and come back, well I can do the same thing and make up my own reason for how it happened (you'll have to keep reading to find out the how tho :p)
Chapter 2
Summary:
In which an unexpected visitor turns up and later everyone has a drinking party.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Falling, falling falling.
Ignis was falling and falling.
A voice, a voice was calling out but he couldn't hear it, couldn't understand it. It was distorted and distant. And frantic.
Falling, falling falling.
He felt so light and loose. Not falling but floating.
He stretched a hand out. Or tried. He felt so weak, so heavy.
So tired.
No, no he couldn't go. He'd promised. He'd promised.
He hurt, but now he didn't. He couldn't feel anything at all.
It was so bright. So warm.
I have to go back. I promised.
As the light grew brighter and brighter his eyes fell closed and he plunged.
Into darkness.
....
Bumblebee was silent as he reached out, the tips of his fingers just barely brushing against Ignis' hand. He was real. He was there. He was alive!
Gingerly, he took Ignis' hand in his, carefully lacing their fingers together.
"How?" he asked quietly.
"That's what I would like to know," said Ratchet, shaking his head.
"Well don't look at me," said Knock Out, holding his hands up. "I don't know any more than you do. I just found him."
"How is he?" asked Bumblebee, looking over at Ratchet.
The medic frowned deeply, brow creasing. "Not good. Pretty much all his non vital functions have shut down, and the vital ones are operating at as low of power as they possibly can without going offline. There's almost zero brain activity. The only reason I can even say he's alive is because his spark is still lit. And even it is very weak."
"Can you do anything?"
"I'll do what I can. But, I won't make any promises, not at this stage."
Gripping Ignis' hand tightly, Bumblebee pressed the back of his fingers to his lips. "Please. You have to pull through."
The strange thing that Knock Out had seen on the computer was a life signal. A life signal coming from right near the Well of Allsparks.
Which made absolutely no sense as, at that moment, all the bots that he knew of on Cybertron were accounted for. Well, all but the Predacons but this wasn't a Predacon life signal. It could have been Starscream, the Decepticon commander having escaped during the fight and buggered off to who knows where when the fighting ended. But he doubted it. Which meant it had to be a glitch in the system.
But, on the off chance it wasn't, then there was a bot in trouble. And while Knock Out really didn't care that much, the not knowing one way or another was going to eat him alive.
So he went to investigate, figuring it was a glitch and he'd find nothing.
Except what he found was Ignis Prime, laying on the ground beside the Well of Allsparks.
Alive, although just barely.
He hadn't a clue how he was going to explain this to Ratchet. So he didn't, just requested a ground bridge back, and for someone to tell Ratchet to prepare the med bay as there was wounded incoming. And he'd explain later. Not that he even could.
Even Ratchet couldn't believe it when he saw the bot being brought aboard the Nemesis and into the med bay. Not until he actually touched him and confirmed that this wasn't some kind of trick.
While Ratchet was no stranger to Primes doing weird scrap, this definitely topped the list. While he hadn't seen what had gone down he'd heard about it. Ignis had both been stabbed and fell into the Well of Allsparks. By all rights he should have been dead. He certainly wouldn't have had the ability to crawl out of Well even if he hadn't died at Unicron's hand.
What was more, he didn't even look damaged! They'd said he'd been stabbed through the chest, so there should have been an open, gaping wound. And yet, there wasn't. The wound from Megatron was also healed, though a scar still remained. Physically, outwardly, he was fine.
It was everything else that worried him. He didn't want to say it, not in front of Bumblebee all things considered, but he really, really doubted the Prime would ever wake up. He'd never seen a bot in such critical condition before, at least not one that survived.
But he had to try. As long as Ignis' spark still shone, he had to try. If for no other reason than for Bumblebee's sake. But, where to even begin?
Well, with making sure that Bumblebee did not in fact spend every waking moment inside the med bay at Ignis' side, for one thing. After a few cycles it became apparent that that was all Bumblebee seemed to want to do, and Ratchet was having none of it. Which meant finding something for him to do (and convincing him to do it).
Well. The Nemesis did require a lot of repairs and renovations.
"You want me to what?"
"You heard me. Help oversee the repairs on the ship," said Ratchet. "Arcee and Bulkhead are working on repairing and rebuilding on the surface but, if-when refugees arrive, there's bound to be wounded. So we're going to need space for them."
"So, we're going to use the ship?"
"Until he have other means yes. But it needs, a lot of work."
While the computer system had taken some damage in the crash, the worst damage had been to the flight systems. The Nemesis was grounded for the foreseeable future, so they couldn't move it. On top of that, there were plenty of rooms that needed to be repurposed.
"And, I am not going to have you sitting around here on your skidplate." Bumblebee looked at Ignis worriedly and Ratchet sighed. "I promise, I'll take care of him and do everything I can. But right now, the best way you can help, is by helping to rebuild."
Bumblebee couldn't really argue with that, the ship did need repairs.
"Can I at least come by later? Before I turn in for the night?"
"That...would be acceptable," said Ratchet. He supposed he could make this one compromise, after all, it wasn't like Ignis was going to be going anywhere.
So, Bumblebee fell into a new routine. Every day, before going for a rest and power down, he'd pay Ignis a visit and sit with him and just, talk. He'd talk about the day's events and what he'd been up to, what everyone else had been doing.
Ratchet wasn't sure if it would help, but he also couldn't say that it wouldn't. Maybe hearing Bumblebee's voice would trigger something.
Eventually, once Ultra Magnus was back on his own two struts, Ratchet returned to Earth and Ignis' care fell onto Knock Out's shoulders, as the only remaining physician around. Not that it was particularly difficult, all he really found himself doing was checking his vitals every day and looking for change and continuing whatever Ratchet had been doing.
Bumblebee was mid one-sided conversation about the day's events-they'd finally given up on repairing the ship's flight capabilities, deciding that renovating it for medical purposes was more important-when the doors slid open and Knock Out rolled in, carrying a data pad in one hand.
"I'm not interrupting am I?" he asked.
Bumblebee sighed. Having him around was taking some getting used to, especially having him apparently on their side. He hadn't done anything wrong, in fact he'd been surprisingly very helpful and forth coming with information, at least with what information he had to give. Bumblebee just, really didn't know what to make of him.
"No, not really," said Bumblebee.
Knock Out just nodded before turning to the computer to check on and make note of Ignis' vitals.
"I don't get you," said Bumblebee after a moment.
"Oh?"
"How did you end up working for the Decepticons? After everything I've seen recently, you just don't strike me as the type."
Knock Out shrugged, "What can I say? They paid well. Or they did when I first started doing business with them. Not to mention they were the only ones who ever did business with me."
"So, it was just convenience?"
"I suppose."
"Did you ever consider just leaving?" Silence. "Knock Out?"
"Once."
"What happened?"
Knock Out tucked away the data pad as he turned to face Bumblebee, leaning back against the table edge behind him. "It was after M.E.C.H. got hold of Breakdown, the first time. According to Starscream, Lo-uh, Megatron didn't even want to rescue him. After he was brought back, after I patched him up, I did consider leaving. I mean, how rude is that? Leaving him for scrap even though he was supposed to be one of us?" He shook his head.
"So why didn't you? I mean, I'd be pretty upset if I found out someone I cared about was abandoned like that."
"Breakdown would never have gone for it. Loyal to a fault that one." His optics flicked down and away, fixating on a random spot on the floor as an almost somber look crossed his face. "But...sometimes I wonder...if I had pushed us to leave, if we had left...if things would have turned out differently."
He didn't need to finish the thought for Bumblebee to understand what he meant. Would Breakdown have still been there if they had left?
"But that's the past and you can't change the past, so there's no point in dwelling on it," said Knock Out abruptly as he straightened up and away from the table behind him before heading for the door. "Everything looks fine here, exactly the same as before, so I'm off for the night. Make sure you get some rest as well."
"Knock Out wait-"
"Goodnight Bumblebee." And with a wave of his hand he was gone, out the doors and presumably back to his quarters.
As soon as he was alone, and in his own quarters he leaned against the door, covering his face with one hand. Curse these Autobots, making him go so soft and start opening up like that. The last thing he'd wanted to do was think about Breakdown, about the future they lost and could no longer have, about what could have been and what had happened. It was easier and less painful to push it into the deepest recesses of his processors. If he thought about it to hard or to long, he was going to be the one having a breakdown. It was better not to think about it really.
...
"Bumblebeeeeee!"
Knock Out's voice came from all the way at the far end of the corridor, before he ever even came into view and right away Bumblebee had. Concerns. He didn't sound mad or upset, if anything he sounded frantic. Which may have been worse. Was someone in trouble? Was someone hurt? Oh he hoped not.
Well, he was about to find out, as the red 'Con drove into the room, skidding to a stop with screeching brakes before transforming out of his alt mode.
"Oh thank the stars I found you! You need to come with me right now!" He didn't even wait for a response before he was pushing the yellow mech out of the room.
"Knock Out I'm busy, can't it wait?" He gestured with one arm to the bots he'd been left to oversee, who were currently working on clearing out unused rooms before renovations could begin.
"Nope! These guys can handle themselves for a bit, they're good like that. In the meantime, you have a visitor."
"I-what?" What sort of visitor could he possibly have on Cybertron? And who could have put Knock Out in such a tizzy that he'd pull him away from his work like this?
"Tall, dark and scaly wants to talk to you and I for one am not going to tell him no." Knock Out continued all but pushing him down the hall, towards the mouth of the ship and outside.
Tall, dark and-oh. Bumblebee's train of thought stopped mid thought as his optics landed on the apparent surprise visitor. Ah, well, he supposed 'tall, dark and scaly' was an apt description of Predaking.
"Here you go, one Bumblebee as requested. And now I will take my leave, Ihopeyouhaveagoodchatokbye!" Pushing Bumblebee out in front of Predaking, Knock Out bolted back to the Nemesis and vanished inside.
"I-uh, you wanted to see me?" asked Bumblebee.
"I sought to convene with you, yes," replied the Predacon with a slow nod.
"Not to be rude, your highness but, why? I thought you didn't want anything to do with any of us." He'd definitely expected that, if they were to run into the Predacons again, it would be just that, running into them on pure accident. Not intentionally being sought out. Given that they hadn't seen them since the battle, he'd sort of assumed they'd gone into hiding or were staying away on purpose.
Predaking took a slow, measured breath as he kept his optics trained on the small warrior. "Walk with me while we talk?" he asked. "Fear not, I am not here to fight, only talk."
Bumblebee looked back at the ship, he did have duties to attend to, but Knock Out did say they could handle things without him for a bit. and if Predaking actually wanted to talk, who was he to turn him down? "Alright, but you're going to have to take small steps so I can keep up."
Predaking just gave a small 'hmm' as he turned and, for a split second, Bumblebee swore he saw the briefest hints of a smile grace his face.
"How come you wanted to talk with me?" asked Bumblebee. "I'm just a warrior, and not even that high ranking."
"It was not for your rank that I sought you out," replied Predaking. "You were, the first to treat me with genuine respect. Even out of my own allies. The respect in your words rung true, unlike the false platitudes that came from Megatron's lips. And I have...been thinking. And exploring."
Oh, well he supposed that explained the Predacon silence for the last while and why there hadn't been any more interactions with them.
When Bumblebee said nothing, Predaking continued. "After we fought together, to defend this planet, we took to the skies of this planet, to see what it had to offer. We flew to many places, do you know what we found?"
"A whole lot nothing?"
"Devastation. Everywhere we went it was the same. This planet, is scarred."
"Yeah, it definitely is," said Bumblebee.
"Further conflict would only serve to wound it more." His optics flicked down towards the yellow bot at his side. "I am no fool, Autobot. My people may be strong, but our numbers are few. If we were to perpetuate conflict, we would fight ourselves into extinction eventually." He frowned as he spoke. "And that is a fate I do not wish for."
He came to a stop and as Bumblebee looked ahead he realized that they'd ended up at the Well of Allsparks, somewhere he hadn't been since Knock Out had convinced him to go for a recharge. Before Ignis had been found.
"I have been contemplating what you said in our first talks. About possible coexistence."
This caught Bumblebee's attention and he looked up at the large bot, optics wide with curiosity. This topic was a surprise to say the least. He wanted to say something but he didn't want to make any assumptions so he kept quiet and let Predaking continue to speak.
"I do not know if I can ever forgive what was done to my brethren back on Earth, but I would be willing to consider a truce, to prevent further spillage of Energon."
Bumblebee's optics widened, door wings twitching up and down in barely concealed excitement. A truce?! Well that was better than whatever he could have possibly expected, and there was no way the rest of the team could complain with that.
"What would a truce entail, to you?" asked Bumblebee.
"That we are to be left alone, unbothered. We will find and settle somewhere and are to be left alone. And in return we will leave you alone."
That sounded reasonable to Bumblebee, it wasn't like he expected them to be all buddy buddy, best of friends or anything. It wasn't like they really had a reason to go after the Predacons, especially if the Predacons weren't hunting them.
But, Predaking wasn't the only Predacon around and quite frankly he had no idea what the other two thought of such a thing.
"What about-"
Predaking sighed. "You need not concern yourself with Skylynx and Darksteel. I will ensure that they comply with the truce," he said.
Bumblebee was quiet as they stood there, standing before the well, just letting Predaking's words rattle around his processor.
"Truth be told," began Bumblebee. "I don't know how many of us there are left. The war's been going on so long, so many lives have been lost and we've been so scattered, who knows what our numbers even are now. When we landed on Earth, all those cycles ago, Optimus sent out a call to any and all Autobots, to join the rest of us on Earth. The whole time we were on Earth, do you know how many new faces we saw?"
"I do not."
"Three. And only one of those followed the signal there. Smokescreen-er-Ignis, crash landed in an escape pod and Ultra Magnus followed the energy surge from Megatron's attempt to cyberform Earth. Wheeljack was the only one to find us." He gripped his arm tightly as he spoke, voice shaking just a bit. He'd always liked to think that somewhere out there, there were more Autobots, just waiting. But the longer they went with no sign of them, the more it seemed like a vain hope. "We may not be as numerous as we would like to think we are, I don't think continuing to fight would do us any good either. Or we might fight ourselves into extinction as well."
"It seems that we both have reason to put an end to things," said Predaking.
"I suppose we do." Bumblebee released his arm, hand falling to his side. "I'm not sure I can make blanket decisions for everyone but, I will pass this along to the rest of my team. I can't see why they'd be opposed to it though."
Predaking nodded his head slowly. "It is...appreciated."
He flicked his wings in preparation to transform and leave, but Bumblebee called out first. "Wait, Predaking, where will you go?"
"I don't know. But, perhaps that is for the best. If no one knows where we are, no one can bother us."
Bumblebee supposed that was true. "Just...be safe, alright?"
For a moment, the tiniest of smiles flickered across the giant Predacon's face. It was gone in an instant as he transformed, taking to the skies in beast mode, borne away on giant wings. He supposed keeping them around as an ally was to much to ask for, even if it would be nice.
"Now, how to explain this to everyone else."
He didn't have to wait long for his first explanation, as he rolled back to the Nemesis and right into Ultra Magnus.
While back on his struts, and free from the near constant care of Ratchet, he wasn't back on full duty yet. He was assigned light duties and what amounted to frequent physical therapy. This however did not stop him acting his role as commander.
"Soldier, I thought you were overseeing construction. In the ship."
Bumblebee gulped, shifting on his wheels anxiously. Oops, he'd been found out.
"I'm sorry sir. I was but an...unforeseen issue cropped up that I needed to take care of."
"And it couldn't wait? Or be left for someone else?"
"Well...when the issue is a 40 foot tall Predacon who wants to talk, to you, specifically. And you're me," Bumblebee made a gesture to himself and his diminutive size. "You're not really going to say no...Sir."
Ultra Magnus raised an eyebrow curiously. "The Predacon was here? What did he want?"
"To talk mostly," said Bumblebee. "He wanted a truce."
That seemed to set the large mech at ease, visibly relaxing, his frame settling. "Where did the Predacon go?"
Bumblebee shook his head, "Out over the horizon. Beyond that I don't know. I don't think he knew either."
"Hmmm. I suppose we'll just have to keep our optics peeled."
"Sir, if I may speak freely a moment?"
"Permission granted."
"Do you really think there's more of us out there?" asked Bumblebee. Ultra Magnus startled slightly, looking down at Bumblebee, who continued. "We waited for cycles, mega-cycles even, on Earth, and we only ever met 3 more Autobots, despite the call Optimus put out. It makes one start to wonder. How many of us are still left out there? Is there anyone left?"
Ultra Magnus' optics softened slightly. "I've often wondered the same thing kid," he said. "We're scattered and so few and far between. But we have to have hope. It might take many, many, mega cycles, but we have to hope that they're out there and that they'll return."
"I hope so," said Bumblebee.
"Hey guys, you'll never guess what we found!" came Bulkhead's voice over the comms. "High-grade octane! Now we can have a real party!"
Ultra Magnus cocked an eyebrow before touching his comm link. "Soldier, is that really what you should be thinking about?"
"Uhhhhh," Bulkhead stammered over his words, clearly not having expected the commander to be listening in, let alone responding.
"Ultra Magnus sir! You can join us if you want!" came Wheeljack's voice, joining into the conversation.
Bumblebee muffled a laugh behind his servo, watching as Ultra Magnus' face screwed up some kind of surprise and shock, his turn to be thrown off guard.
Bulkhead spoke up again. "Come on sir, with how hard everyone's been working we all deserve a chance to cut loose, even you!"
Bumblebee wasn't sure which was more surprising, the fact that Bulkhead actually managed to convince Ultra Magnus to let them have this celebration, or the fact that Ultra Magnus actually joined them.
But he did. Even more surprising was the fact that Bulkhead managed to wrangle a bunch of the Vehicons that had been helping with the construction efforts into coming as well.
'They've been working hard and deserve a good drink too!' he'd said when asked about it. Which was true, they'd been doing a lot of heavy lifting as of late. Maybe they were Decepticons, but they had been helping out and deserved this as much as anyone else.
They did seem a little wary around the Autobots, but after a few drinks they seemed much more amiable, talkative even.
Bumblebee looked at his drink, door wings twitching in anticipation. He'd never been allowed to drink before, Ratchet and Optimus both had always forbade it, stating he was to young or not ready or some other excuse they could come up with the rare times the opportunity arose.
But frag it, he was a warrior now, he'd helped save Cybertron, he'd even killed Megatron; if he wasn't ready to drink now then he'd never be. And it wasn't like Ratchet was there to tell him no.
He grinned to himself as he took his first swig, he couldn't wait to tell Ratchet about this later and watch the look on his face.
"So, how's our Bumblebee's first big bot drink?" asked Bulkhead, slapping him on the back with his large servo, and sending half his drink spraying everywhere.
"Well, it would be better if I wasn't wearing it Bulk."
"Ehh, let me top you up." With a surprising amount of speed, Bulk was gone and back with a new tankard, swapping it out for the on Bumblebee's servos.
"Now, please don't hit me again?" Bulkhead laughed and Bumblebee raised the tankard to his mouth and took a swig. This time the liquid actually made it into his mouth and down his throat. In a word, it burned. Not in the same way blaster fire burned when it hit metal, but more akin to a prickling sensation, a sort of stinging. He coughed and sputtered, vision blurring as tears filled his optics.
"Oh, that's, that's strong," he squeaked, voice seizing up as he tried to speak. "Didn't expect that."
"I know right? Isn't it great?" Bulkhead guzzled down his tankard before ambling off for more.
Great? Bumblebee wasn't sure about that yet. But maybe he needed a few more drinks.
"I never thought I would see the day." Bumblebee jumped as Ultra Magnus voice came from behind him rather abruptly.
"Sir?"
The large blue mech nodded out at the party, at the mixing of Autobots and Decepticons, and the lack of fighting that was happening. In fact, a whole cluster of Vehicons had crowded around Bulkhead now, apparently cheering him on as he drank, everyone seemingly enjoying themselves. As his optics scanned the crowd, Bumblebee noticed something he hadn't before. It wasn't a sea of purple and black, as it usually was when there was any number of Vehicons anywhere. A number of the ones hanging around Bulkhead seemed to be various shades of green and green and black, and elsewhere there were a few sporting blue paint jobs. Huh, when had that happened?
Even Arcee, who'd been the most reluctant to trust Decepticons, was chatting with some of the blue painted mechs. Maybe the idea of coexistence and peace wasn't so far fetched after all. Or maybe it was all the high-grade.
Maybe peace could be obtained through high-grade, if nothing else.
As he went to top his tankard up as thought came to mind and he wiggled his way through the crowd to Bulkhead.
"Hey Bulkhead, gimme a boost a moment?" he asked, tapping the Wrecker on the arm.
"A boost like..."
"A lift up, above the crowd."
"Alright, coming right up." He wrapped an arm around Bumblebee and hefted him into the air, Bumblebee using the new height to climb up and onto Bulkhead's shoulders.
"Thanks for the lift," he said, patting Bulkhead's head. Looking out over the room he took a quick swig from his tankard, a bit of liquid courage. "Hey, hey hey hey!" he called out, clanking his hand against his tankard.
Bit by bit, optics turned in his direction as quiet rippled out through the room. Ohh, having all those faces looking at him, looking up at him was so much more daunting than he'd expected it would be. How did Bots like Optimus handle this?
"Since we're partying we should have a toast!" he said, lifting his glass. "To-to rebuilding! And a new future. And a truce with the Predacons!"
"A what now?" Bulkhead threw his head back to look at Bumblebee, very nearly vaulting him off his shoulders, the yellow mech furiously scrambling to keep hold of him.
"A truce. Predaking came to talk to me today, about one. Did I forget to mention that?"
"It may have slipped your mind yes," said Arcee, folding her arms over her chest. "When were you planning on telling us?"
Bumblebee rubbed the back of his helm with one hand. "Sorry. But come on, you can't be angry about this!"
"If nothing else, it's one less thing for us to worry about," said Knock Out. "No need to keep looking over our shoulders or be worried we're gonna get jumped in some dark alley."
Murmurs and nods of agreement flitted through the crowd. It would be nice to go hunting for scrap and the like without worrying that something was gonna rip them to pieces.
Bumblebee stared at his cup, the liquid in it sloshing back and forth, there was still one more thing he wanted to say.
"And a toast!" said Bumblebee, raising his glass up slowly. "To-to everyone who should be here, but isn't, for one reason or another."
A quiet fell over the room as he spoke, before soft voices spoke up.
"For Tailgate and Cliffjumper."
"For Sea Spray and the other Wreckers."
"For Optimus."
"For Ignis."
"...For Breakdown." A couple optics turned to Knock Out, who still held his glass aloft. "What? Am I not allowed to miss my teammate? He might not have been an Autobot but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be mourned and missed." His servo shook ever so slightly before he lowered the tankard and downed the contents in one fell swoop. "And I'll be scrapped if I don't miss him every day. So don't you dare think for a moment you're the only ones who know what loss is!"
Then a Vehicon spoke up. "Hey, we miss him too!"
"Yeah!"
"He was awfully nice to us," said another one of the Vehicons. "Actually talked to us, you know?"
"Yeah! We weren't just, cogs in a machine to him."
"It's been, kind of lonely without him around."
Murmurs and cheers erupted from the Vehicons, raising their glasses as they spoke, toasting to their fallen comrade.
Huh. That was by far an interesting reaction to say the least.
"He was...kind of like you actually," said one, pointing at Bulkhead.
"I-uh-WHAT?" Bulkhead sputtered, spewing his drink everywhere. "Me, like Breakdown? Absolutely not, no way!"
Bumblebee laughed, patting the top of his helm as Bulkhead furiously tried to deny any similarities with his former rival.
Somewhere in the back, Knock Out grabbed himself another drink before slipping away from the party and out of the room.
Carefully, Bumblebee slipped off Bulkhead, dropping to the ground before taking off after Knock Out. He really hoped he hadn't said something to make him upset.
"Knock Out, Knock Out!?" He stumbled into the hall, his legs barely responding to his movements, wobbling as he moved. Man, that was some strong stuff huh?
It wasn't hard to find Knock Out, he was in fact very loud, talking to, someone.
"You know, you're really lucky. Both of you! You have a partner that adores you, and he has a partner that's still alive!"
Bumblebee cautiously peered into the medical bay, where he'd heard Knock Out's voice coming from. The red mech was leaning back against the computer table, one arm resting on it while his other hand clutched his tankard of high-grade.
"And for his sake you better come online from this little, nap thing of yours." He tilted the cup back taking a swig. It seemed he was talking to Ignis. "And you better cherish the scrap out of him when you do." He leaned back as he looked at the ceiling. "I don't know where you are, but if you're somewhere with other offlined bots..." he trailed off. "Ah, I'm sure Breakdown already knows."
"Knock Out?" Bumblebee tapped his fingers on the edge of the door as he stuck his head in.
Knock Out turned his head to look at Bumblebee. "Oh, it's you."
"Expecting someone else?"
He just mumbled, sipping from his drink. "S'not fair. We couldn't even give him a real send off. Disassembled by Airachnid, defiled by C.Y.L.A.S...Primus what did they do to you Breakdown?" He continued chugging the octane as he spoke, swaying on the spot. "You know what I had to do?"
"No, no I don't," said Bumblebee. "But I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
"After that fiasco with the synthetic and dark energon, I got to cut that waste of flesh out of my conjunx, or what remained of him. The only dignity in death he got. And the only joy I got out of it."
Synthetic AND Dark Energon, oh there was probably one hell of a story there, Bumblebee was sure of it. However he doubted very much that Knock Out was in the mood to tell it. Or in his right mind. He jabbed a finger at Bumblebee, "So you make sure to cherish yours. Got it?"
As if he needed Knock Out to tell him that. "I don't think that'll be a problem."
Knock Out sighed as he dropped his arm to his side, the tankard now empty of its contents.
"You know," said Bumblebee, carefully prying the cup from Knock Out's servo and setting it aside. "I didn't know Breakdown was so, popular."
"Well...he was in the field more than I was. So he had to spend time with...all them." He made vague gesture with one hand, clearly referring to the Vehicons. "'Sides, they were the only ones, aside from moi, that didn't just see him as sssome big, ssstupid lunk. He was sooo much more than that!"
Bumblebee glanced from the empty tankard to Knock Out, whose speech had now begun to slur a bit, and narrowed his optics, "How much did you have to drink?" There was no way this was from just two drinks, surely not. Unless he was a massive light weight. But then again what did he know about how much it took to get intoxicated?
"Not enough if you ask me." He looked down at Bumblebee's drink and pointed at it. "If you're not gonna drink that, give it to me."
Bumblebee pulled his arm away and, hopefully, out of reach. "Absolutely not, this is mine. If you wanted more you shouldn't have left." He paused a moment, "Why did you leave anyways?"
"Jusst wanna be alone," said Knock Out, leaning back on his hands for support. "Especially if they're all gonna start talkin' about Breakdown."
"Uh."
"I mean, if tha wasss yer conjunx eberyone wasss talkin about, could you sstay and keep it together? I dun think so. I dun need them seeing me like that. Is hum-hum-humil- is not fun!"
Oh, so that's what it was about. Stubborn pride. Well that wasn't something he could fix right now, especially with Knock Out being as drunk as he was.
"Why don't you go lay down somewhere?" asked Bumblebee, placing a hand on his arm. "Before you end up on the floor."
Knock Out just grumbled as he pushed away from the table, only to stumble forward before Bumblebee caught him. Yeah, he definitely needed to get him back to his quarters, or else he was going to take a nap on the floor. And he would be insufferable after that kind of nap, if only because of what it would do to his paint job.
He quickly drained the remains of his drink and set the empty cup aside. Grabbing one of Knock Out's arms, he slung it over his shoulder, wrapping his own around Knock Out's middle to support him. Unfortunately, he only got a few steps before it became abundantly apparent that HE was more drunk than he'd realized and staying on his own two struts, while also keeping Knock Out from face planting into the floor, was going to be very, very difficult. His legs were wobbling and shaking and he found himself moving very, very slowly as not to trip on himself. Or Knock Out.
"Uhhh, which way is your bunk again?"
The pair staggered through the hall, a drunk Knock Out babbling away about Breakdown and how much he missed him and sort of sobbing as he leaned on Bumblebee, all the while Bumblebee was doing everything he could to not just drop him.
Still holding him up, they rounded a corner and into a pair of troopers, chattering away and drinking. Bumblebee hesitated for a moment before deciding frag it. "You know where his bunk is? He's...not able to tell me."
"Oh, yeah. Uhhh...do you want us to make sure he gets there?"
Bumblebee looked over Knock Out, then at the two 'Cons in front of him. "Yeah, probably a good idea. I might drop him on his face. And he won't forgive me for that." He dragged a free servo over his face with a groan. "And I need to sit before I collapse."
Carefully, he handed Knock Out over, stretching himself out the moment he was free of him. He watched as the trio walked off, a drunken Knock Out slung between the pair.
"Uh. Thank you!" called out Bumblebee.
The Cons paused a moment before looking back at him. "It's the least we could do. Breakdown really was a good friend of ours. So we can at least help his partner out. Even if he probably won't appreciate it."
As the Cons and Knock Out vanished down the hall, Bumblebee made his way back to the med bay, vision swimming just a bit and legs wobbling under him. So, this was what it was like to drink. He wasn't sure yet if he liked it or not.
Grabbing a seat he pulled it up beside Ignis' medical berth and sat down beside him, laying his and arms in an empty space beside him.
"When you wake up, we need to grab a proper drink together," he said, lazily reaching one servo for Ignis'. "So you better come out of it soon. I really miss you." Closing his optics he curled his fingers around Ignis' servo, tilting his head to bury his face into the crook of his other arm, stifling a soft sob.
Ughhhhhhh. Bumblebee groaned in pain as his optics began to flicker back to life. "Ohhh, ohh my aching processor." He hung his head, clutching it between his servos. It felt like Bulkhead had been using it for a game of Kick Ball. With Wheeljack. Even moving hurt, sending a pulsing wave of pain through his head and processors. Somewhere behind him he could hear someone moving round, and every clang of their struts and scrape of metal only made the pain worse.
"Ah, I am glad to see your have rejoined us in the waking world, Bumblebee."
Huh, wha, was that Ratchet's voice? What was he doing here? Wasn't he on Earth?
"Take it easy. You have, what what we in the business call, a hangover. Be thankful that Ultra Magnus put in a call to me last night that I might be needed come the morning."
Oh, so that was why he was there.
"It hurrrts Ratchet."
"Oh I don't doubt that. High-grade octane as your first drink, and that much of it? I'd be surprised if you weren't hungover." Bumblebee groaned again, shaking his head slowly. "Well, if it's any consolation, you aren't the only one hungover this morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some cures to deliver. I've left yours on the table."
Bumblebee gripped his head as he stood up, dragging himself over to where Ratchet had left the cure. If this was what drinking did, maybe he didn't want to go drinking again, even with Ignis. It hurt! As he downed the cure he grimaced, somehow the cure tasted even WORSE. Was getting drunk really worth this kind of trouble?
"You know what I take it back," said Bumblebee as he sat down. "You're really lucky right now. This sucks."
Darkness. Quiet. Nothing.
Up, down, left right. Nothing, just an endless void of silence and nothing.
Nothing below, nothing above. But also no way to tell what was above and below or what way to go.
Then a sound. So faint and distant he almost didn't hear it. But it was there, a noise from far away.
So, he followed it through the never ending darkness. After all, someone needed him.
Notes:
Bee was going through it last chapter(I mean, he still is but less so). Now, apparently, it's Knock Out's turn. With his totally healthy coping mechanisms >.> yup this clearly couldn't have aaany adverse affects on him nope.
also yes i am aware that teeeeechnically the Nemesis is just Trypticon but like. in stasis. I also don't care. lol as far as what we know in the tv show it is just a ship. so modifications can and will be made
Ignis isn't awake yet. Buuuut...
Chapter 3
Notes:
A new member joins the cast and Bumblebee begins to get frustrated by a lack of progress.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Knock Out sighed as he flicked through Ignis' readings. As he seemed to be stable, Ratchet had left him in charge of monitoring him, and to let him know if there was a change. But so far, there hadn't been. Days had turned to weeks had turned to months and there had been no change.
Oh they had tried a good deal many things; Energon infusion, surging energy and electricity into him, various stimulants to try and jumpstart him and make some change. But nothing.
They had even considered trying a cortical psychic patch, after all it had managed to help jumpstart Megatron back to life once. But his brain activity was so low that they couldn't even be sure it would help or that there would be anything to find.
Of course, none of this had stopped Bumblebee from making his daily visits to sit and talk, although Knock Out could see it was beginning to wear on him. Sometimes he didn't say much and there had been too many times that Knock Out had come in in the morning to find the yellow warrior asleep at Ignis' side, not even having made it back to his bunk.
The problem seemed to be concentrated at his spark. It was just weak, too weak. All of his systems being at low power was probably the only reason it hadn't yet gone out, if they tried to run any higher it would almost certainly snuff his spark out.
But how to strengthen his spark, well that was the big question.
"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Bumblebee, slapping his servos down on the table.
Ratchet, on the other end of the call and back in the Autobot base on Earth, sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes. "Because I don't know. The spark is as delicate as it is mysterious. There is still a lot about it that even I don't know."
It had been a routine call back to Earth, to chat and catch up while they worked, a chat which had inevitably drifted back to Ignis and his current state of being.
"Well, there has to be something we can do! It's been months Ratchet, MONTHS! And nothing's changed!" His servos trembled as he gripped the table top, shoulders shaking. "Something, anything. Please."
Ratchet was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "The only place that might have even a clue to what might help is the Hall of Records. But even if it hadn't been ransacked in the war, all the files would be heavily encrypted. And we both know how difficult those are to decrypt. I certainly haven't the skill for that."
It was at this point that Knock Out, who had been waiting nearby, quietly, spoke up. "If I may. I uh, have a potential solution to your problem, and my own, though I fear you may not like it."
"Your problem?" asked Ratchet.
"The computers. They may be up and running, but they're not at full capacity and even Wheeljack has been getting stonewalled. It's been fine so far but, it eventually it won't be, especially if we want to get a defence system up and running."
"What's your solution?" asked Bumblebee, optics flicking in his direction.
"We need help. And, unfortunately, I only know of one bot with the skills to help. But like I said, you aren't going to like it."
"Who is it?"
"Soundwave."
"You can't be serious!" sputtered Bumblebee.
Knock Out rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest. "I told you that you wouldn't like it. But face it, we need him. I am not a computer technician and Wheeljack isn't familiar with Decepticon computer systems, or even just these computer systems. And Megatron did have him decrypting those files from the Iacon database, so he's even familiar with that."
"We don't even know where he is," said Ratchet. "And you need to know that to get him back."
"And how would we even convince him to help anyways? What's to stop him from just, shooting us the moment he gets out?"
"Well, from how your tiny humans told it, that 'shadowzone' isn't a particularly fun place to be. I know if I were trapped there I would do anything to get out of there. And Soundwave isn't...unreasonable," said Knock Out. After Megatron's defeat, when everyone was celebrating en route to Cybertron, Miko had very excitedly recounted how they'd trapped and beaten Soundwave, as well as recounting their own experience with the hellish zone. "Besides, you gave me a second chance."
"Be that as it may, you would still need to know his exact coordinates to get him out of there," said Ratchet.
"You got your humans out, how did you figure out where they were?"
"Are we actually considering doing this?" asked Bumblebee.
"Well, if you have any better ideas, I'm all audio receptors."
Bumblebee slumped his shoulders and doorwings, as it was he didn't have any better ideas. But Soundwave?? That sounded like a horrible idea that would go aft end up in a matter of clicks. But Knock Out was right, they didn't have any better ideas, and they needed all the computer and database access they could get.
"Well I suppose we could at least see if he is open to the idea," said Bumblebee. "Right?"
Ratchet grumbled and shook his head, though even he couldn't really argue. "To answer your question, they were able to send us text messages with their mobile phones, even in that void. Do you have some way of communicating with Soundwave like that? Otherwise, I don't know."
Knock Out scoffed, "For the bot that never uttered a word? Of course we do."
"After that, it's just a matter of opening up a ground bridge near him so he can come through. Sorry, I need to go, duty on this end calls." With that, Ratchet disconnected, image vanishing from the screen.
Well, it seemed they were, in fact going to try this. Hopefully Soundwave would be as agreeable as Knock Out thought he would be.
As Knock Out typed, Bumblebee paced, tapping his digits on his chin and arms, thoughtful and anxious all at the same time. If what the kids had said about the 'shadowzone' was anything to go by, then someone stuck there could still see and hear everything that happened. Which meant that Soundwave would have been aware of Megatron's defeat, of the rebirth of Cybertron. Heck he was probably still onboard the ship, somewhere.
Oh. Oh he was probably on board the ship still (after else where else would he go?). Bumblebee momentarily buried his face in his servos at that thought, if Soundwave was basically a ghost haunting the ship then he could see anything and everything happening. And he really didn't want to dwell on that to much.
"Well, now all we need to do is wait," said Knock Out. "And hope."
They didn't need to wait long, as only moments later a message appeared on the screen.
"He is still on the ship," said Knock Out, glancing around the bridge. "And in this room with us."
Despite knowing he wouldn't see anything, Bumblebee instinctively looked around as well, as if somehow expecting to see a flickering shadow or sign of movement.
"If you're here then it means you can hear us," said Knock Out. "Which means you were listening in to our little conversation earlier and you know what we want. But just in case, I'll repeat myself." Sure enough, he repeated his previous idea, freedom in exchange for help.
The silence in the bridge was deafening, the only noise to be heard the soft whirring of computer systems and the distant footfalls down a hall.
The computer beeped loudly as a new, very short message appeared on screen.
Your offer is deemed, acceptable.
After that was followed a string of numbers, ones that looked like coordinates.
Knock Out made a giddy noise, tapping his fingers together before returning to the computer.
While he may have been excited, Bumblebee was still anxious. Soundwave had been the most loyal to Megatron. Even with the tyrant defeated, twice over at this point, what was to say Soundwave wouldn't pull something, wouldn't try to take control? As Knock Our powered up the ground bridge, Bumblebee braced himself, readying his stingers just in case. One couldn't be too careful.
A green-blue portal rippled into existence in the middle of the room, pulsing and thrumming. And they waited. And waited.
Clank
Clank
Clank
A tall, lanky purple figure stepped through the portal, arms hanging at their sides as they slowly looked around. Then, with a stumble, Soundwave crumbled onto his knees, shaking and wobbling as the ground bridge closed behind him.
"You there, get him some Energon!" barked Knock Out, pointing at the closest Con.
Soundwave rubbed his helm with one hand, whole body heaving. He seemed, exhausted. Which made sense, he'd been trapped in that otherworld, without proper sustenance, for months. At least he wasn't trying to attack them, supposed Bumblebee.
The Vehicon came trotting back a few moments later carrying some Energon, which was swiped from his arms swiftly by one of Soundwave's long tentacle-like limbs. Then, he detached Laserbeak from his chest, setting the tiny bot on the ground beside him before lowering the cup. Instantly, Laserbeak leapt on it, furiously guzzling down the precious blue liquid before beeping happily, wings flapping as it took to the air. The tiny Con flew circles around the room before landing back on Soundwave, affixing itself to his chest plate once more.
"I'm sure that feels a lot better doesn't it?" asked Knock Out. Soundwave didn't respond, merely looking at the medic, though in a way that seemed to suggest he agreed. "Just take it easy, wouldn't want you to accidentally offline yourself or something."
It was strange, thought Bumblebee, being in the same room as Soundwave and not running around for his life. In fact the silent Decepticon hadn't even seemed to acknowledge his existence, even though he definitely knew he was there. So far so good he supposed.
A few more shots of Energon later (though how and when Soundwave consumed them was anyone's guess as they vanished the moment any optic left him) and Soundwave was back on his struts and seemingly a lot more energized than before.
"Well, why don't we get started, if that's alright with you," said Knock Out, leading Soundwave towards the bridge computers.
Knock Out hadn't been kidding when he'd said that Soundwave knew the computers better than anyone. Things they had long since given up on ever getting running again, flared to life within hours, the computers running smoother than they had in cycles. Soundwave, for his part, seemed content to ignore everyone while he worked, wordless as ever as his long fingers flew over the keyboard.
'Man, if Ratchet saw this he would blow a gasket for sure,' thought Bumblebee, hanging back as he watched Soundwave work. Probably a good thing the doctor has disconnected when he did. Plausible deniability should he be asked if he knew what they were doing.
Then another thought came to him.
"Uh, Knock Out, did you bring up this plan with, anyone else?" he asked.
"No, why?"
Oh dear.
"You know what, you stay here and I'll be right back." Without another word he whipped off, transforming and zipping out of the room as he switched his comm link on. "Arcee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus? Is anyone listening?"
"We hear ya loud and clear Bee!"
"Is something the matter soldier?"
"Do you all think you could meet me outside the ship? There's something I need to talk to you about and it's probably best done in person."
"Is this so important that it cannot wait?" asked Ultra Magnus.
"Not really."
"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good. Be there in a few clicks."
Rolling outside, Bumblebee shifted back and began pacing around, servos behind his back. Telling them about the truce with Predaking had been one thing, that was at least news that involved a former enemy leaving them alone. Now he needed to break the news to them that Soundwave was back. And on the ship. Yes helping them, for now at least, but back nonetheless. Oh boy. Ratchet might not be there to blow a gasket, but someone sure was.
One by one the Autobots rolled onto the plane in front of the ship until all were assembled.
"What is so important that we were called away from our duties?" asked Ultra Magnus, looking down at Bumblebee.
"Well. I have good news and, other news," he said, tapping his digits together nervously. "The...good news is we've finally gotten the computer systems up and running properly."
"Ehey, that's great. Red finally managed to fix things," said Wheeljack.
Bumblebee grimaced slightly and rubbed the back of his helm. "Well. That's where the, other news comes in. We sort of, had to enlist some outside help to fix them."
"You didn't space bridge the kids here did you?" asked Arcee.
"No, not the kids. It's um. Soundwave?"
It was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop from miles away, at least until Bulkhead shattered the silence with a very loud, very pronounced 'WHAT?!'
"You brought ol' creepy back?" asked Wheeljack, a look of disgust and horror on his face.
"Teeeechnically Knock Out did that. I just, uh, supervised?" Bumblebee tapped his fingers together nervously, shoulders hunching. Supervising was, probably a very generous description of what he'd done, all things considered, given he'd just sort of stood there and let it happen. At least it sounded better than accomplice.
"Solider, I demand you explain the reason for allowing this...decision under your watch." Oh Ultra Magnus was angry, so so angry.
Twisting his servos together anxiously, Bumblebee slowly explained Knock Out's plan, the conversation with Ratchet and, well everything. It did not do much to ease the withering stare being directed in his direction from Ultra Magnus, or the Wrecker duo. Not that he blamed them, Wheeljack especially given his history with the Decepticon and how it had nearly slagged him back on Earth.
"So where is he now?" asked Bulkhead, banging his fists together.
"I left him on the bridge with Knock Out, working on the computers," said Bumblebee. "Please, don't break his face in. We need this!"
Ultra Magnus heaved a heavy sigh and Bumblebee wilted, he knew that sound, having heard it from Optimus before (and sometimes, although rare, it had actually been directed at him). That was the 'I'm not mad but I am disappointed' sigh, arguably the worst kind of sigh to hear from your superior. "I believe it would be in everyone's best interests for me to meet with our new...ally. To make sure that everything is indeed progressing properly. Bumblebee, you will come with me."
' I'm so scrapped, ' thought Bumblebee as he timidly followed after Ultra Magnus, door wings drooping.
The walk through the ship was agonizingly long and quiet, the large blue Autobot keeping his optics trained ahead and not even bothering to look back at Bumblebee. It felt as if he was walking to his own execution.
True to his word, Soundwave and Knock Out were still on the bridge; Knock Out supervising as Soundwave worked, with all 4 arms out and working by this point.
I t went, better than expected all things con sidered , although Bumblebee and Knock Out did not escape punishment for both allowing this happen and not clearing it with Ultra Magnus first.
As Knock Out was the only doctor on hand , his punishment was only a bit lighter, confined to the ship unless there was an emergency for the next few cycles and to monitor Soundwave for the foreseeable future. Bumblebee on the other hand was relegated to cleaning duties for the next few cycles. Which might not have been so bad had his punishment not also involved helping in cleaning freshly smelted me tal that was to be used in building.
It was hot and tiring and most of all, filthy.
By the time the end of the day arrived he was exhausted, t o o exhausted to visit Ignis most days , and covered helm to strut in grime. He may not have been particularly vain, but that didn't mean he enjoyed being covered in filth all the time.
"You look like scrap," said Knock Out, throwing a rag at Bumblebee's head as he staggered through the door , fresh off another long, hot, oily cleaning shift.
"I'm still not talking to you," he grumbled, grabbing the rag and starting to wipe off the dirt on his face and arms . "This is your fault you know."
"Oh please, what good would telling anyone have done? You and I both know no one would have agreed to it."
"A little warning still would have been nice! And how were you even planning on telling everyone that he was free? Letting them stumble across Soundwave? Like that's any better."
"I thought you weren't talking to me."
Bumblebee narrowed his optics as he stared at Knock Out. "You know, that finish of yours looks awfully shiny today. Maybe I should rectify that. Why should I be the only one who's filthy? " Tossing the rag over his shoulder, he extended his arm s out in front of him, reaching for Knock Out.
A look of horror crossed Knock Out's face as he stumbled backwards, holding his own arms up defensively. "No, no don't you dare, you wouldn't! You're covered in oil and soot!"
"And who's fault is that, Knock Out?"
A horrified scream echoed through the corridors as Knock Out took off, Bumblebee hot on his tail.
A few heads peeked out of rooms as they bolted past, curious about the commotion.
"Oh, they're just having fun," said someone before returning to whatever they had been doing.
Bumblebee didn't manage to catch Knock Out and get his dirty servos all over his paint job, but he did manage to throw the cleaning rag at him, slapping him upside the head with it and smearing dirt and grime across the cherry red finish as it slid down . Which was good enough as far as he was concerned. The scream of horror that Knock Out let out could be heard all throughout the ship.
Finally having dealt his revenge for the day, Bumblebee fetched more cloths to clean himself off before returning to his bunk to crash and nap. He was just, so so tired.
Who was He? He didn't know, couldn't remember.
Who am I? Who am I? Who AM I?
Various names flashed through his mind; Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Starscream, Arcee, Jack, Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Soundwave, Miko, Shockwave...Lots of names but none of them were him. They were important, he knew that much, but they weren't HIM.
He was...he was...who was he?
Ignis.
Oh, that name pinged something, Was that him?
Smokescreen.
That name was also important.
Smokescreen. Ignis. The names meant something to him, something important. Was that who he was? Was he one of those? Or were they both his name? Well, they were important to him regardless, so he'd file them away for now and figure it out later.
He had time. Lots of it.
He was pretty sure anyways, there was no way to tell how much time had passed.
There was another name that was important. It wasn't HIS name, He knew that much, but it was important to him, made him feel warm.
Bumblebee.
Bumblebee was important. How, He wasn't sure, but he was important nonetheless. Maybe He could find Bumblebee in this place, maybe he could help. Or maybe Bumblebee was the one that needed him.
Maybe.
Bumblebee groaned as he dragged himself from his quarters, another day, another shitty shift of back breaking work. When would his punishment end?
He was on his way to the mess hall to grab some Energon before he dragged himself to the smelting pits again, when he was stopped. Not by Ultra Magnus, or even one his teammates, but Soundwave.
The silent Decepticon regarded him for a moment before grabbing his hands and lifting them up. Then, before Bumblebee could say anything, Soundwave's tentacle arms emerged, carefully detaching Laserbeak and placing the small bot in Bumblebee's hands, releasing him once he had hold of their mini-bot.
"I-uh. Is, is something wrong with Laserbeak?" At the sound of their name, Laserbeak chirped, flicking the tips of its wings. Nope, Laserbeak was perfectly fine, so why was Soundwave giving it to him? "Uhhhh, I don't...why?"
The blank screen on Soundwave's visor shifted first to show a map of Cybertron with an area highlighted, then to show a recording as Ratchet's scratchy voice came out.
"The only place that might have even a clue to what might help is the Hall of Records. But even if it hadn't been ransacked in the war, all the files would be heavily encrypted. And we both know how difficult those are to decrypt."
Oh, so he really had been listening in on that conversation. "I'm still on cleaning duty though, I can't go to the Hall of Records for research." Having something to help with decoding was all well and fine, but he couldn't even go there.
A new sound file popped up, this time one with Ultra Magnus' voice. "A week of cleaning the ship and at the smelting pit should give you the chance to think things over so that this sort of thing does not happen again."
Bumblebee rolled his optics, "You don't need to remind me of the trouble I got in on account of you, thanks."
"A week," repeated the recording.
"And it feels like an eternity, so what-" Bumblebee stopped as his processor whirred, something clicking in the back of his mind. "Wait." Holding Laserbeak in one hand, he quickly started counting under his breath, flicking fingers down all the while. Oh, OH! The shifts had been so long and draining that he hadn't even realized that it had been a week already.
Soundwave just nodded in confirmation.
"But...but why? I mean, I'm grateful but, why are you helping me?"
Soundwave tilted his head to the side slightly, almost thoughtfully, before the image on his visor changed. This time, it wasn't a vocal recording but video. Many video clips actually, clearly taken over the many months since they'd returned to Cybertron. Clips of their interactions with the other Decpticons, of helping them, of working with them. A number of which involved exchanges of thanks between the involved parties. There were even a few clips from the night they'd all celebrated and gotten drunk. The final clip came from the day they had released Soundwave, of Bumblebee standing up for Soundwave to Ultra Magnus, parroting Knock Out's earlier comment about second chances, even if it had resulted in getting him in deep trouble, and the stipulation that he would be in even MORE trouble if it turned out Soundwave couldn't be trusted after all. He had placed his reputation on the line for him, when he really hadn't needed to.
"Is...is this your way of saying thank you?"
Slowly, the silent Decepticon nodded.
"O-oh, um, that's, well, thank you," said Bumblebee. A map to the archives and a way to work on decrypting them, maybe they could find something to help Ignis after all.
Then, a slender hand reached out and, patted him on the head? He froze, well that was unexpected to say the least, even more than anything else that had happened already.
Seemingly satisfied, Soundwave turned and walked off, leaving Bumblebee holding Laserbeak. He looked down at the small bird-like bot, who looked back at him curiously.
"So, I guess we're exploring the Hall of Records together then?"
Bumblebee had never been to the Hall of Records before, despite having heard of it, so he was glad for the map to it, provided by Laserbeak, the small bot soaring alongside him as he drove there. Of course, it would have been nice to have had someone like Optimus or Smokescreen there, someone who actually knew a thing or two about the Hall of Records, where everything was, what he was even looking for.
The Hall of Records was about as huge as its name suggested, anything that had ever been known was probably collected there. From mythology to history, to science and medicine to politics and military information. If it existed, a copy of it existed there.
Or it had at some point, before the war.
As Bumblebee rolled to a stop outside of the Hall and started inside, it become glaringly apparent that his search was going to be a lot harder than anticipated. The once beautiful, shining building was a burnt out shell of its former self. A skeleton barely holding on, the walls scarred by blaster fire and dried Energon. It was as silent as the grave, the sound of his foot falls and the whirr of Laserbeak the only thing to be heard.
He shuddered, this was not going to be pleasant at all.
Inside was even worse. Shelves were collapsed and falling in on themselves, walls of data files were scattered all across the floor. Computer terminals had been smashed in, blown up. The central column used for access the various levels was broken beyond repair. It was clear that a great fight had taken place here some time ago. What hadn't been ransacked, burnt and broken, was seemingly degraded and rusted beyond salvage.
Bumblebee picked up a file card, which practically crumbled between his fingers, more rust by now than whatever it had been made of.
"Beginning to think this might be a pointless trip," he muttered, carefully stepping over the debris that littered the floors.
Laserbeak zipped about, whirring and chirping as it flew around the room, pausing every now and then to investigate something before moving on.
"Where do I even begin to look?"
Bumblebee wandered the hall, climbing stairs, and sometimes walls when the stairs were broken, as he made his way through the rooms of the Hall of Records. Occasionally he'd find an intact, functioning disc for Laserbeak to read the title of, but they were few and far between. If there had been any way to tell which sections were which, they were long, long gone, so he'd resigned himself to looking into any intact discs he could find to figure out what they contained. A disc on old laws and political records meant he was probably in a politics based section, and thus a sign to move on.
He wasn't even sure what he was looking for or where it would be. Medicine? It had to do with their bodies and lives so that seemed the most likely. But, given the mysterious nature of sparks, it just as likely for the information to be found within a section on mythology and lore.
"Think you can help with this one?" asked Bumblebee, holding up a mostly intact disc between his digits. So far they hadn't found anything of use, at least of use to him. Some old schematics for a building probably long since gone (he could pass that on Bulkhead and the build teams, they'd probably find a use for it), multiple personnel files for bots he'd never heard of and were probably dead, and a lot of what he was pretty sure were the records and minutes for various meetings. Interesting to someone probably, but not him and most certainly not useful.
Laserbeak flew down from the shelf it had perched on and landed on Bumblebee's arm, gingerly taking the disc from him as it began to scan it.
Myths of Old Cybertron
The file title flashed up on a tiny projected screen as Laserbeak finished scanning and decoding the title. Getting the files open fully would take a lot longer and require more than the tiny bot could offer, but the titles were at least a start. And this was at least a little more interesting than anything else they'd found.
Bumblebee made a thoughtful noise before tucking it away. He'd been amassing a small collection of chips, some that might be of use to him and some that might be of use any of the others. Assuming of course that Soundwave could decode them. They were written in Autobot code and Soundwave, was not an Autobot. He hoped they weren't as heavily encrypted as the files on the relics had been, they might never get them open if that happened.
"Come on, let's see if we can find more like this," said Bumblebee, picking himself up from the rubble he'd been sitting on. If there was a disc on myths here, maybe there were more.
...
"Bumblebee do you copy? I repeat Bumblebee do you copy?"
At the sound of his comm link crackling to life and Ultra Magnus' voice right in his audio ports, Bumblebee jumped abruptly, pulled out of his own thoughts and back to reality.
"S-Sir! I'm here. Is something the matter?"
"Soldier, where are you?"
Bumblebee gulped nervously. "Currently? Knee deep in old data and junk in the Hall of Records, or what's left of it," he replied. "Sir."
There was a moment of paused before Ultra Magnus spoke up again, sounding quite bemused, more than upset. "What are you doing all the way out there, alone?"
"Doing research, for Ratchet," he said. "And I'm not alone, Laserbeak is accompanying me."
A very exasperated groan came from the other end. "Just...come back safely alright? And please let someone know before you do something like this."
"Yes sir."
Notes:
So I know that Soundwave comes back in RiD, which takes place 3 years later. But like, dude's been stuck in a shadow dimension where he can't touch anything. Which means he can't feed/refuel himself.
How was he NOT starved as all hell after THREE YEARS? He pops out of there ready and raring to go, somehow.
Makes no sense to me so fuck it.
Chapter 4
Notes:
In which Knock Out has a breakdown and Bumblebee has an Idea (tm).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Over the next few days, this time making sure he informed Ultra Magnus before going, Bumblebee made multiple trips back to the Hall of Records to dig through whatever was left, making notes on the places that they found anything of interest.
When he came back he handed off any discs he found to Soundwave to work on decrypting them, just to find out if they actually had anything useful on them, and to make sure there were no viruses or anything on them that could hurt them.
It was fairly monotonous, and Bumblebee wasn't even sure if he was finding anything of any use. Soundwave hadn't said anything yet, working away diligently and seemingly without complaint.
Bumblebee had just finished up disposing of some data chips-they'd either been too degraded to recover anything from or the information wasn't of use for anything or anyone-when Soundwave approached him and tapped his arm.
"Did I miss some?" asked Bumblebee. "I swore I grabbed them all."
Soundwave shook his head before one of the flexible appendages reached out towards him, holding a single disc between its digits.
"What's this?" asked Bumblebee, carefully taking it, turning it over in his servos. It just looked like a normal data disc. It certainly wasn't one of the ones from the Hall of Records though, it was in far to good of condition for that, so it had to be something newer.
Soundwave pointed at the disc, then at his visor as an image of Knock Out flashed up on it, followed by an arrow pointing at him.
"You want me to deliver this to Knock Out?"
He nodded.
"Alright." It was probably just medical files or something then. Luckily finding Knock Out was not overly difficult, most of the time he was somewhere in the medical bay or in his lab.
This time, he was in the medical bay with a patient, treating what looked to be a slag burn, the molten metal still glowing where it rested on the victim's arm.
"If you keep squirming I can't treat this and you'll be even worse off," growled Knock Out, grabbing at the arm and attempting to hold it still as the patient thrashed and squirmed.
"But it hurts!"
"Yes, it's a slag burn, they hurt, and it's going to hurt worse when it burns through your plating and into your cables and gears below if I can't treat it in time."
Bumblebee lingered in the door with a grimace. "Should I come back later? Soundwave wanted me to give you something but, you look busy."
"It's fine it's fine," said Knock Out, waving him in. "It's just a painful lesson in why we make sure anything going into the smelting pit is dry."
Bumblebee winced, even he knew what happened when liquid met molten metal. The fact that this poor sod only had a burn on his arm was nothing short of a miracle.
"So, what did you need to deliver?" asked Knock Out, picking up a scalpel to scrape off the hot, still soft metal from his patient's arm.
"I'm not really sure. Soundwave gave me this data disc and wanted it to go to you," said Bumblebee, holding it up. "No idea what's on it."
"I'll check it out later then," said Knock Out as he held out a hand to Bumblebee. "It's probably just medical files or something."
"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Bumblebee as he handed off the disc, Knock Out tucking it away into his subspace before going back to work. After all, what else could it be?
It was hours later by the time Knock Out finished with his burn patient and sent him off to rest, the process of removing molten slag and treating the wound a delicate and, unfortunately for the burn victim, lengthy process. But considering the alternative was risking losing the whole arm when the slag melted through, it was a small price to pay.
He grunted as he stretched his back out, if there was one thing he hated about the job, it was when he had to remain in one position for an extended period of time.
"Well, time to find out what Soundwave sent me. Certainly can't be pressing business or he would have made that clear."
He slotted the disc into the computer and within moments files popped up. Not medical files, no these seemed to be a whole cache of video and picture files with various date stamps. Well, that was intriguing.
Glancing around to ensure he wouldn't be disturbed, he opened the first one, and almost wished he hadn't.
It was a video file, security footage from an exam room by the looks of it, and a very, very familiar blue mech.
"Aw come on Knock Out, no one's around, they won't see," said Breakdown, talking to an out of camera view Knock Out.
"But they could be!"
"Then lock the doors. Come on. It's our anniversary, just one dance?"
Knock Out huffed and strode into view, still looking a bit antsy. "Alright fine, just one."
The video continued on, Breakdown hooking one arm around Knock Out's midsection before dipping him backwards, his other hand dragging slowly along the side of Knock Out's face as they danced, their optics locked on each other's.
Knock Out's hands shook, he remembered this, it was the first anniversary they'd celebrated aboard the Nemesis. And their last. Breakdown had insisted they do something for it, despite the fact that they were keeping the true nature of their relationship a secret from near about everyone on the ship. Or at least Knock Out had thought it was a secret, but if this footage existed and Soundwave had it, clearly it was not.
And so they danced, Breakdown literally sweeping Knock Out off his struts, not that he'd minded much. Despite his size, he could he quite graceful and gentle when he wanted to be, though that was usually reserved for Knock Out and Knock Out alone.
Quickly, before he could lose his composure, he closed the video, pressing one hand to his chest, the deep ache in his spark clawing itself back to the surface. What was this, why did Soundwave have this?
Eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he clicked onto the next one, an image file.
This one was just of the two of them, Breakdown with an arm hooked around Knock Out, squishing him up against his chest, the other clearly in front of them as he took the photo.
This, there was no way that had been on any of the computers, because it hadn't even been taken onboard the Nemesis, it was from before. So, had it come from Breakdown's hard drive? After his untimely death they had just, dumped the contents of the hard drive onto one of the computers, though Knock Out had never been able to bring himself to go through it.
Furiously, he flicked through more files, more images and videos, some of him and Breakdown and some that were just Breakdown, but they all involved Breakdown in some way. Some were from a third party view, usually security footage of some kind and some were clearly taken by Breakdown himself, salvaged at some point from his hard drive. Everything from the mundane, of Breakdown helping him with his detailing and inane conversations, to moments caught when they'd presumed they were alone.
With a shaky servo he opened up the next one, another video file. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this, why he was torturing himself by looking at these old memories? But he couldn't stop, even as the pain in his spark grew.
The video was another one that only had Breakdown in it, well Breakdown and no Knock Out. He wasn't alone though, accompanied by several Vehicons that he was he was chatting with. Chatting about Knock Out.
"I know he can be a little touchy but, he really IS the greatest partner out there," said Breakdown, very matter of factly. "I'd choose him every time!"
He staggered as he walked and Knock Out realized that Breakdown was drunk and the Vehicons with him were keeping him on his struts.
"I just, I love him so much, you've no idea!"
"Well, you've been talking about him for the last hour or so, so I think we have some idea."
A broken sob freed itself from Knock Out as he covered his face with one hand, just barely managing to hit the stop button before he sunk to his knees. Tears flowed through his fingers, sobs wracking his body. This wasn't fair, it wasn't.
He'd thought he would never hear Breakdown's voice again, and yet there he was, encapsulated in memories from their shared past, photos and videos, all right there. Enshrined forever.
He buried his face in his hands. He'd finally broke. He'd been trying to push the pain down and away, trying to ignore it and stay unbothered. But this, all these memories and videos and some things he'd never seen before? It was too much and he broke. He couldn't stop the tears, stop the sobbing that wracked his frame.
"Knock Out?"
He whipped around at the sound of his name, to see Bumblebee lingering in the doorway to the lab, holding some cleaning supplies to be returned.
"Is-is everything alright?"
"I-I'm fine, now g-go away," he stammered, furiously trying to wipe optical fluid from his eyes. "Just some dust in my optics."
"You don't sound fine. Or look it," said Bumblebee, tossing aside the stuff he was carrying.
"Just leave me alone!" He batted away Bumblebee's hands, trying to push the yellow mech away. "I don't need your help."
"So you DO need help."
"No! Shut up, leave me alone!"
With a huff, Bumblebee turned his attention to the computer screen and the files still up on it. "Is this what's got you messed up?" he asked.
"Wait, stop don't touch that!" Knock Out lunged for Bumblebee's arm but it was too late, he'd already pressed play, continuing the video.
"I still can't believe my conjunx is the prettiest mech to ever walk Cybertron? How did I get so lucky?"
Breakdown's jovial, drunken voice came from the video on screen, cut off quickly as Knock Out hit the stop button again. Oh, so that was what had been on the disc Soundwave had given him.
"Just-just leave it alone," snapped Knock Out, shooting him a death glare, red optics somehow more harsh than usual. "I'm fine!"
Bumblebee was quiet as he studied him, the way his frame shook, the tear tracks on his face plate, the quiver in his voice. "Are you fine the same way I was 'fine' after the fight with Unicron?" he asked, optics soft.
"Shut up, I don't want to talk about it," huffed Knock Out.
"Well...maybe you should. Look what NOT talking about it did!" He gestured aggressively to Knock Out and his current state of being.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because-because that's what teammates, friends, DO! They talk to each other." Bumblebee gestured to the computer screen. "It sure looks like Breakdown talked a lot with his teammates."
Knock Out snorted, "And it's a wonder we never got found out because of that."
"What do you mean?"
"Please, do you really think we could have been open about that sort of relationship anywhere around Megatron?" Knock Out rolled his eyes, "He said such things were a 'weakness'. He would have found some way to use it against us if he'd known. So we couldn't tell anyone, couldn't let anyone know. The love of my life and we had to pretend we were nothing more than-than, coworkers. Frag buddies at most." He clenched his fists at his sides, shaking slightly as he spoke.
"And then he died and I had to pretend I couldn't feel anything. I felt my conjunx's spark go out and I had to just carry on like nothing."
"I know that feeling," said Bumblebee quietly.
"You couldn't possibly."
"I meant feeling it when he died, when feeling their spark go out. Are you forgetting the Well of Allsparks and what happened there? With Ignis?"
"No, I mean literally, I felt it." Knock Out slapped a servo against his chest.
"So did I!" snapped Bumblebee, "A literal, physical pain in my spark. Like it was being, I don't know, torn apart. What did-did you think I was being metaphorical when said it hurt?"
Knock Out paused, staring at Bumblebee, almost studying him. "Are you...are you saying you're, spark bonded?"
"What?"
"Spark bonded."
"Er..." Bumblebee rubbed the back of his helm sheepishly and Knock Out gaped.
"Did you, accidentally spark bond with each other?"
"I uh...m-maybe? I don't-I don't know. I mean we...we interfaced once but," Bumblebee mumbled awkwardly, face plates heating up and fans puffing away.
Knock Out sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Did you interface with your sparks?"
Bumblebee was quiet as he twisted his hands together and nodded timidly, barely able to meet Knock Out's optics.
Then, Knock Out laughed. He threw his head back and laughed, one hand covering his face. "Oh, oh this is brilliant! You went and spark bonded yourself, on accident!"
"S-stop laughing! It's not funny Knock Out!" Bumblebee's fans whirred loudly as he protested, wishing he'd kept his trap shut.
"No you're right, it's hysterical. Of course you would manage to do something like that. Primus, you're both idiots."
"Remind me again why I wanted to help you?"
"Frag if I know, I never asked for your help," said Knock Out. He sighed, running a hand down his face plate slowly. "Well I suppose you do understand, a bit." He drummed his digits thoughtfully on his chin as he watched Bumblebee, who was still trying to hide his face in his servos in embarrassment. "Does it still hurt?" he asked after a moment.
"Does-what?"
Knock Out pointed at his chest. "Your spark. When Ignis died, you said you felt it, felt the pain, like I did when Breakdown died. Does it still hurt?"
"I..." Bumblebee trailed off, placing a hand on his chest. Strange, he hadn't really dwelt on it but it-but it didn't hurt any more. At least, not in the same way. When Ignis had died it was like his spark had been wrenched out of his chest, it had hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt in his life. And it had lingered even after.
But now, it was just the typical pain associated with loss, like the kind he'd felt when they'd lost Cliffjumper and Optimus. Pain, but different than before. "No...it doesn't. Or it's different at least. Why?"
"It's just a thought...You're spark bonded to him, and him to you, that's why you felt it when he died. But, you're not feeling it anymore."
"Yeah, cause he's alive."
"More alive than dead it would seem, despite how things look," said Knock Out. "Perhaps it's a sign."
"A-a sign?"
Knock Out shrugged, "Perhaps there is more of a chance for him to wake up than we thought. Who knows?" He sighed, quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Did you mean it earlier? When you said we were...friends?"
"Well...what else would we be? Coworkers seems, so impersonal, given how much we've worked together. Unless you don't want to be friends."
"I never said that."
A tiny smile crossed Bumblebee's face.
Friends. He supposed he could live with that.
Bumblebee drummed his fingers on his chest as he lay in his quarters, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the conversation with Knock Out over and over in his head. A chance that Ignis could wake up. Primus he hoped so. As much as he was holding out hope, was clinging to it, it was hard, especially when it felt like no progress was being made. He was still the same all those months ago when he'd first been found. No better and no worse.
He sighed, letting his hand fall flat against his chest, he just wished there was something he could do.
"If I can feel your spark, can you feel mine? Can you feel how much it hurts?" he wondered silently.
With a grunt he pulled himself up and onto his feet. He clearly wasn't going to get any sleep, no matter what he did.
Quietly and slowly, he made his way to the medical bay where Ignis rested, exactly the same as he always was, hooked up to various life support systems and monitors.
"I wish there was something I could do," he said quietly, laying his head on Ignis' chest. "I wish you could give me some kind of clue."
The thrum of his spark was so faint that even up close he could barely hear it.
"Knock Out said we're spark bonded, so you should be able to feel me, right?" He sighed, closing his eyes as he let his head rest there.
Wait, sparks?
Bumblebee sat up, touching his chest with one hand. He could still, very vividly, remember when they'd interfaced, remembered the feeling of their sparks touching and the rush of pure energy they'd both felt from it.
If his spark was weak, like Ratchet had said, then, could a charge from another spark strengthen it? Nothing else seemed to have helped and it was about the only thing they hadn't done yet.
Well, he HAD been told before that he had a big spark, perhaps it was time to test that. He was healthy enough, so surely he had the energy to spare.
Carefully, he hauled himself onto the medical berth beside Ignis, rolling onto his side as he turned to face him. Reaching for Ignis he rolled him onto his side so they were facing each other.
"Please...if you can hear me...please."
With a shaky breath, he triggered the release mechanism in his chest, the plates opening up and sliding away to reveal his spark. Leaning his helm against Ignis' he pulled himself close, pressing their chests together.
This had to work, it just had to.
Somewhere in the darkness, a light appeared. It was just a tiny pin point, far, far off in the distance, but it was a light. That was unusual to say the least, there hadn't been any light before, and He had been traversing the void for an eternity.
What was it, what was causing it? Did it lead somewhere, did it have the answers He sought? Was this light 'Bumblebee'? So many questions swirled about His mind, so many questions and no answers.
He extended an arm towards the light, as if hoping He could grab it, but all it did was prove how tiny and out of reach it was. But He needed it, He just knew it. The tugging deep in His chest told Him so.
A faint noise, something he'd heard every so often, sounded again, still unintelligible but familiar.
The noise, the light, He needed to reach them.
On and on and He went, following the tiny light and the distant voice. Wheels spun and wings flicked and limbs moved, but the light never changed size, remaining as small as ever. Was it moving away from Him? It had to be, that was the only reason it could stay so small.
'Come back, come back!' He begged silently as He followed it, one arm stretched out, reaching futilely for it.
Why, why was it so far away, why was it never getting any closer?
He chased it and chased it, running and running and flying and falling. For an eternity He followed it, desperate to catch up to it.
Closer, closer.
Exhaustion clawed its way through His frame but still He persisted, the spark of light beginning to grow larger.
"...is..."
The sound, the sound was a voice? It sounded like words, even though He couldn't make them out. Was the voice calling to him? He hoped so, even though He couldn't call back.
He travelled and travelled and the light grew and grew, and eventually a new feeling reached Him.
Warmth.
He hadn't felt anything before, warmth or cold. Or pain or pleasure. Nothing.
The heat seemed to come from the light, which by now was nearly the size of Him, and yet He still couldn't reach it, couldn't touch it.
It wasn't a painful heat, but a gentle warmth, like He was being held. It felt nice.
The voice had stopped sometime ago, but it had sounded, sad? In pain? It sounded like it was pleading, repeating 'please' over and over and sometimes 'come back'. He wanted to reach out to the voice, to comfort it, because when it was sad, He felt sad.
The light was even larger than Him now, and thrummed rhythmically, an even, gentle beat. A pulse.
Oh to reach out and touch it, to be embraced by it. The gentle noise called to Him, drawing Him in, faster this time as the light grew and grew.
He extended His arm, fingers stretching as far as they could as He reached for the light, slender tendrils reaching out to Him.
"Please."
Knock Out was jolted from his recharge by the frantic beeping of an alarm and multiple messages alerting him to something happening with Ignis. Given that he couldn't spend every waking minute watching him on the chance that something might happen, he (and Ratchet when he was there) had connected the monitoring system to his own system so that if there was any kind of change he would be alerted.
At least he knew it worked.
And if the loud, blaring alarm and messages were any indication, something had changed.
He shut the alarms off and dismissed the messages as he ran, beelining right for the med bay. This had better not have been an alarm for something that had gone wrong.
He rolled into the room and very nearly tripped over his own feet as he skidded to a stop, startled by the sight that met his eyes.
Bumblebee was curled up on the berth with Ignis, chest to chest with him, a brilliant blue light shining between the two of them.
What in Primus' name was he doing??
Frantically, Knock Out looked between them, trying to figure out if it was even safe to separate them or leave them together. He'd never seen anything like this, so Primus' only knew what was more dangerous.
"Oh to hell with it!" If anything happened to Bumblebee and he could have prevented it, he would likely never hear the end of it, so Bumblebee's safety took priority. He couldn't tell what exactly he was doing, but he couldn't let him drain his spark out.
He grabbed the small yellow mech and almost instantly the glow vanished as he heard the tell-tale sound of chest plates closing up, from both of them. Bumblebee collapsed in his arms as he hauled him off the medical berth and carried him to another one.
Primus, the last thing he needed were two comatose patients. How would he even explain this? He couldn't even explain it to himself!
The red light from his scanner washed over Bumblebee and Knock Out breathed a sigh of relief as his vitals flashed up on the panel. He was low on energy, but nothing that a good long recharge or two couldn't fix. Not comatose, just very tired.
Now for the real issue at hand. Ignis. Something had happened, something had triggered the alarms, he just needed to find out what.
Soft beeping, the clicking of metal on metal and hushed voices were the first things to greet Bumblebee's audio receptors as his optics flickered back to life. Everything felt, for lack of a better word, wobbly. Almost like he was drunk on high-grade again.
He groaned as he draped an arm across his face, blinking a few times to clear his vision.
"Are we feeling better?" asked Knock Out from somewhere beside him.
"Ughhhhhh."
"Somehow I'm not surprised." A soft clinking sound followed. "Here, when you feel up to eating."
Lifting his arm slightly, Bumblebee tilted his head to see a couple small Energon cubes sitting on a tiny platform next to the berth.
"And don't try to stand too quickly," came Ratchet's voice and Bumblebee dropped his arm, whipping his head around. Why was Ratchet there?
"What...what happened?" he asked.
"Well, that's what we were hoping you could answer," said Ratchet. "Explain to me why I got a call in the middle of the night from Knock Out telling me to get on over here?"
"And what in Primus' name were you doing?" asked Knock Out.
Bumblebee lay back on the berth, staring up at the ceiling. "I was just...I had to do something. You said his spark was weak so I thought...I thought...maybe he needed a charge from another spark."
"And you thought yours should be the one?" asked Ratchet, flabbergasted.
"Optimus did say I had a big spark."
"Metaphorically! Oh Primus, what are we going to do with you?" Ratchet just sighed and shook his head, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "At least the only side effect on you was exhausting yourself," he said. "You'll be fine as long as you recharge properly."
"Wh-what about Ignis?"
Ratchet and Knock Out exchanged a look and Ratchet moved to help Bumblebee off the berth, leading him over to the computers.
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" said Knock Out, gesturing to the readings on screen.
Now, Bumblebee wasn't an expert by any means, especially in the medical field, but he had seem Ignis' prior readings. His energy levels were as low as they could be without being zero and his brain activity was nearly nothing. But these readings were different. There were spikes of activity on the brain wave readings, pulsing and fluctuating as if he were merely sleeping. His energy levels had risen and were still rising, albeit slowly, and life functions that had been dark before were slowly lighting up.
"As outlandish as your idea was, it seems like it may have actually worked," said Knock Out.
Bumblebee's voice cracked and a strangled sort of squeak forced its way out as he covered his mouth both hands.
He was alive. Ignis was alive.
Bumblebee's legs gave out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground as relief washed over him, a half sob of joy catching in his throat.
"I think it's safe to say we can upgrade him from critical condition and status uncertain to, stable condition," said Knock Out. "With a much more certain status."
Somewhere, deep in Ignis' core, his system began to warm and crackle to life, jump started by the energy brought forth by Bumblebee's spark touching his. His dormant systems began to reactivate, clicking on and whirring to life once more.
And somewhere, deep in the recesses of his system, a long dormant, long forgotten process, unknown even to him, activated.
New Spark Data: Received
Spark Creation Program: Initiated
Begin: Compiling New Spark Data with Existing Spark Data
Notes:
The answer to what happens when water meets molten metal is, it spits EVERYWHERE. The molten metal that is. It is very dangerous.
Also if you're wonder ing'hey, when did they interface with their sparks?' uh well. That went down in 'when sparks fly'. If you didn't read that, it was basically just expanding on the end of ch 4 of Dawn of a new Day, where Ignis and Bumblebee sneak off to celebrate things. And they get up to exactly what you think get up to lol
Chapter Text
Day by day, Ignis' vitals began to improve. His energy levels began to rise and his systems slowly began to come back online. What was more, he was actually beginning to respond to outside stimuli. Not physically as of yet, but his systems reacted to touch and sound. They seemed especially reactive when Bumblebee came to talk with him when he wasn't working. He didn't move or speak (although Bumblebee did swear he'd felt Ignis squeeze his servo once), but his brain activity indicated he did seem to hear him and be, to some degree, aware.
Which meant that now it was just a matter of when he would finally awaken, not if.
It did however, seem to have set Bumblebee into a much better mood, lighter and happier than anyone had seen him in cycles, which as far anyone was concerned could only be a good thing.
Which was a good thing as the first of what was bound to be many refugees, started to trickle in, arriving just a few at a time. With Soundwave back and getting the computer systems up and running, they'd sent out a message across as many frequencies as they could, Autobot and Decepticon alike. A call to come home, a message announcing the end of the war, the laying down of weapons.
Cybertron lives, come home.
And now, the message was being answered.
"I have so much to show you when you finally wake up," said Bumblebee, curling a servo around Ignis' gently, fingertips caressing the back of his hand carefully. "So much to tell you! We can finally, actually live here." He looked towards the computer, watching the way the brain wave activity fluctuated as he spoke. "I know you can hear me by the way. Knock Out says it's just a matter of time till you wake up." He sighed, "It's funny, I've been patient for so long, in getting my voice back, in moving from Scout to Warrior class, I could wait for those. I did wait for those, for cycles. But you? I'm tired of waiting. I want to be a little selfish, just this once." He raised Ignis' servo to his mouth, kissing the back of his fingers gently. "Please come back to me soon."
Shifting about on his struts, Knock Out hummed to himself as he updated the logs and patient files. Several more bots had landed on the surface, although they had landed in previously Decepticon controlled territory and had a run in with a wild Insecticon that was still lurking about.
They would live of course, as soon as it was realized someone else was on the planet, Ultra Magnus had gathered some troops and gone to rescue them, so the damage ended up a lot less worse than it could have been. That said, he really hoped that some medically inclined bots would arrive at some point, because there was no way he would be able to look after everyone, and trying to train helpers was a grind. He had dragged a few in, to at least cover the basics and easy stuff, like patching mesh wounds or setting a brace, but he was eventually going to need proper help. He didn't want to have to call Ratchet in and away from Earth (again) but, it was definitely an idea sitting in the back of his processor, just in case.
A metallic scraping came from behind him and he froze, slowly turning to look. The only other bot in the room with him was Ignis, who was still asleep and not moving, at least that he could see.
Knock Out shrugged and went back to working, maybe it was just his imagination then.
scriitch
He spun around again, optics flickering about the room. Someone hadn't tracked in something like a Scraplet had they? There were definitely places on Cybertron that had been overrun with the little pests and the last thing they needed was any of them getting into the medical facilities.
A small movement caught his eye and, it wasn't a Scraplet, thank Primus for that, it was Ignis' foot. It shifted slightly like he was trying to move it, trying to bend it. It was just one foot, but it was still more movement than he'd had since they'd found him.
"Oh, you finally deciding to join the rest of us?" he asked, walking over to him.
Ignis' other foot began to move, the same slow twitching and dragging. Then, his chest heaved as he vented loudly, like a heavy sigh.
In an instant, Knock Out's finger was on the button for him comm link.
"Bumblebee, I don't know what you're doing right now, but you might want to get back to the triage ship pronto."
"Everything's secure up here!" called Bumblebee, leaning over the edge of the platform he was standing on, one servo gripping a beam beside him tightly.
"And over here!" called out a silver and blue Vehicon from somewhere to his left.
"Great!" Bulkhead threw his arms in the air triumphantly, scaffolding and supports finally secured in place. "Now we don't have to worry about this collapsing while we work anymore."
Bumblebee rolled back on his wheels with a sigh as he sat down, just in time for his comm link to buzz to life and Knock Out's slightly frantic, slightly excited voice sounded in his audio receptors.
"Bumblebee, I don't know what you're doing right now, but you might want to get back to the triage ship pronto."
"Knock Out? Is something wrong?"
"I don't think so. But you still might want to get your tailpipes over here."
If Knock Out was calling him then something had to have happened with Ignis. He didn't sound worried but, he was pretty good at concealing things all things considered.
"Bulkhead, I-I need to cut out early!" he called out as he stood up, giving his door wings a flick.
"What? But we just got the scaffolding set up, ya can't leave now."
"It's important."
Bulkhead groaned, "Fiiine. But you can't make a habit of this!"
"Thanks Bulk!" With a running start, he bounded down the scaffolding and the partly built structure they'd been working on, to the ground below, shifting into his vehicle mode the moment he touched down.
He didn't like the idea of leaving mid construction, but if something was going wrong he'd never forgive himself if he didn't go. And if it was going right, he wanted to be there when Ignis woke up. A familiar face would certainly be comforting to him.
He revved his engine, pushing it to its limit as he whipped across the ground, destination, the medical bay on one ship formerly known as Nemesis.
The moment the ship came into view he morphed back, bolting up the ramp, through the doors and down the hall, his spark pulsing in his chest. It wasn't hurting, so this couldn't be anything bad, surely, but he also couldn't tell if it was anything overly good either.
He whipped around the corner towards the med bay so fast he nearly slammed into the doors, having reached them before they had a chance to open.
"I'm here I'm here!" he panted, grabbing the edge of the door with one hand to steady himself as he bent over, venting heavily. "What's going on? I-I couldn't tell over the comms and..."
"Take a look for yourself."
Knock Out stepped back, from where he'd been apparently been working on Ignis, giving Bumblebee his first clear view of his partner. And he nearly collapsed on the spot, only remaining on his pedes due to the grip he had on the door.
Soft blue optics looked back at him, a little bit confused and disoriented, but awake and open none the less.
Bumblebee's vocalizer faltered and it took every ounce of self control he had to not throw himself at Ignis, lest he hurt him worse. He staggered forward as he fought to reset his vocalizer, only managing to scratch out a garbled 'you'. He grabbed Ignis' hands in his, lacing their fingers together as he shook from pure joy, door wings flicking up and down, his whole frame trembling.
Finally, he felt his systems catch up and hard reset his voice and he spoke again. "You're back."
The first things he was aware of, was someone poking at one of his arms. Not painfully so, but it was annoying nonetheless.
Actually, the first, FIRST thing he was aware of was how incredibly stiff his joints were. The second thing was the prodding, made more annoying by the fact that his joints and limbs were so stiff he could barely move and couldn't swat at whatever was prodding him to make it stop.
What about his optics, maybe he could at least see?
Optical Sensors: Online
Bright light flooded his vision first and he winced, blinking multiple times as vision slowly returned to him. It was blurry at first, hazy and out of focus like a really bad hologram screen. He was, he was...where the scrap was he anyways?
Audio Receptors: Online
A shrill, electronic beep was the first thing he heard as sounded flooded his audials. Followed by a voice.
"Oh, would you look at that!"
Voice, voicevoicevoice, who was that? He closed his eyes again, searching his memory banks for a name to go with the voice. It was familiar, it was someone he knew, but who?
"Don't try to move to much," they said, touching his arm gently. "You're in no shape for that."
Opening his eyes again he blinked a few times, clearing his vision for a better look. The speaker was a very shiny, cherry red mech, who seemed to be working away at a computer. Hmm. A name still wasn't coming to him but, they were a friend, he was pretty sure about that much.
A loud thumping sound broke the silence, followed by screeching metal and then the wall in front of him opened up, revealing that it was in fact not a wall but a door, as well as a brilliant yellow and black mech on the other side, with bright, lovely blue optics.
"I'm here, I'm here!" he panted, shaking in the doorway. "What's going on? I-I couldn't tell over the comms and..." they finally noticed him and trailed off, optics widening as they stared at him.
Oh, oh this one was familiar, he knew this one.
Bumblebee. Bee. His Bee!
As his processor spit the name out he felt his spark warm in his chest. Bee was friend, more than friend for sure. He ruminated on that thought for so long he didn't notice them conversing or anything going on until a pair of hands touched his, holding it softly and gently, their digits slotting together.
"You're back," they said softly.
He wanted to respond but his vocalizer refused to respond, all that came out was a soft wheeze.
"Take it slow Bumblebee," said the red mech. "His systems aren't fully online, it might take a bit for everything to reboot itself and get running again." For some reason the name 'Ratchet' came to mind but it didn't feel quite right.
Bee smiled, gripping his hand tightly. He turned to the red mech, "Have you told Ratchet it?" Ok, so Ratchet was definitely NOT him.
"Don't worry, don't worry. He'll be over in a click or two. Probably had to pack some things first. He was my first call after you."
Speak, speakspeakspeak! He really wanted to speak, to say something but his voice just refused to cooperate. He groaned softly, giving one of his legs a stretch, bending it at the knee slowly before letting it fall again with a loud metallic scrape against what he was laying on.
"I warned you that you would be stiff," said the red one again.
"Ughhh."
Bee squeezed his hand. "Ignis?"
A frown creased his face as he looked down at Bee. Ignis? That wasn't he name, that wasn't right, was it? No, no it couldn't be. The name was familiar but it wasn't him, couldn't be, could it? He just needed to focus and reset his vocalizer.
His vents huffed again and his fans hummed softly.
Vocalizer: Online
"B-bee?"
Bee's optics practically sparkled, widening excitedly and he nodded. "That's right, that's me, it's Bumblebee," he said. "And that's Knock Out."
"D-doctor?"
"At the moment, yes. Although, I'm sure Ratchet will be lending me a hand once he gets here."
"What do you mean once he gets here?"
"Ratchet!" Bee's door wings twitched excitedly as he turned to look at the doorway, where a larger red and white mech stood.
Oh, this was Ratchet! Ratchet, Bee, Knock Out, he knew those names, they were friends, his friends. Good bots.
Ratchet turned to look at him, optics scanning him slowly. "I'm glad to see you're awake at last Ignis."
There was it was again, that name. Why did they keep calling him that?
"S-s-s-" his vocalizer may have been online again, but it was still lagging and taking a bit to process anything he wanted to say.
"Take it slow," said Ratchet gently, "You've been powered down for the better part of a solar cycle, your systems are probably still warming up and resetting themselves."
A solar cycle? Holy Primus, how had so much time had passed? That explained the stiffness in his, well, everything, he supposed. But still he needed to speak.
"S-smoke...smokesc-screen," his voice cracked and rasped, his vocalizer unused to processing sound after so long of disuse. "M-my name...is Smokescreen."
The moment he spoke, silence fell in the room and all optics were staring straight at him, all some variation of surprised and confused.
"It's Smokescreen," he repeated slowly.
"Smokescreen?" asked Bee, looking up at him in confusion as he held his hand gently.
"Uh-huh."
Bee frowned and looked towards Ratchet, "You don't think this is another Optimus situation, do you?"
The medic rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his optics flicked to Smokescreen. "It's...a possibility."
"I doubt it," said Knock Out and they both looked at him quizzically. "What? I'm assuming you're referring to that little incident where he forgot that he was Optimus Prime yes? Well if that was the case, wouldn't Smokescreen be a bit more concerned about me being here?" he asked, gesturing to himself. "I mean, if he didn't remember anything about being a Prime then, I should still be an enemy in his mind."
"You make a valid point. He is remarkably calm all things considered," said Ratchet. "I would like an explanation, for a lot of things honestly, but right now I think it's best we let him rest and take it easy."
"You do remember me, right?" asked Bumblebee, looking back to Smokescreen and pointing at himself.
Smokescreen smiled, and managed a weak nod, "Bee, my Bee." How could Bee possibly think that he would forget him?
"However, we'll need to work on getting him back into shape," said Ratchet. "With how long he's been out of commission, it'll be a wonder if he's not seized up. On top of that, he's probably energy deficient, among other things. I'll see what I can do about whipping up a nutrient solution to help with that, rejuvenate his nanites to work on fixing him up."
"I guess that means you'll be staying for a bit?" asked Bee.
Ratchet sighed. "Looks like I'll have to."
"Good! I could use some extra hands around here," said Knock Out. "I'm working mine to dust on my own." He looked towards Bee, "And you're going to help too. He IS your spark bonded partner after all."
Ratchet, who'd been looking at something on his wrist mounted scanner looked up abruptly, gaze flickering between Smokescreen, Bee and Knock Out. "What?"
A smirk teased itself on Knock Out's face as he looked towards Bee, who looked very nervous all of a sudden, almost guilty. "Do you want to tell him, or should I?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest and drumming his fingers against his forearm slowly.
Smokescreen tilted his head slightly, what did they mean by spark bonded? Was that why his spark had felt so warm at the sight of Bee?
Bee gulped loudly, poking his digits together meekly. "Well um. We might have, perhaps unintentionally, spark bonded with each other. At least, that's what Knock Out said we've done."
"Oh Primus help me. The foolishness of the young never ceases to amaze," sighed Ratchet, shaking his head, face in his hand.
"Spark bonded to Bee?" asked Smokescreen.
Bee's fans whirred softly as he looked at him. "I'll, explain later," he said, "Promise." He turned to Knock Out and Ratchet, "I don't know if Ultra Magnus is going to be too happy if I bail on my duties for something else. Even if the something else is Smokescreen."
Ratchet rolled eyes and gave a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about him, I'll deal with that. He may be the commander in charge, but doctor's orders supersede his. He'll just have to deal with it."
Knock Out laughed, "Oh, that I'll have to see."
Smokescreen groaned, leaning his head back as he flexed his hands slowly, moving each digit with great difficulty. "Sore and stiff, everywhere."
"Not surprising. Knock Out, where do you keep the joint lubricant and oil?"
While there might have been a lot of things to take care of, the first thing was to get Smokescreen's joints moving again, loosen them up so he could actually move and move without pain or difficulty once he finally had the strength and energy to get up. Oil and lubricant would help but he was also going to require a lot of physical therapy, at least according to Ratchet.
"Start with the major joints," Ratchet had said as he set down an oil can full of warm oil and a container of lubricant on a small table beside Bee. "Shoulders, hips, knees, elbows. And, once you get it all in there, he's going to need you to help physically get things moving at first. Manipulate the joints around to help get the oil in there to loosen things up."
That seemed straight forward enough, thought Smokescreen as Bee picked up the container of lubricant. They'd both done enough general maintenance on themselves to know how to do something like this, even on another bot.
"What do you want me to work on first?" asked Bee.
"Legs," said Smokescreen. "Knees. I'd like to walk. Or just move." Even if all he could do was kick his legs, being able to properly stretch would be nice.
Bee nodded, "Alright, knees first then."
With the canister in one hand he carefully slipped his other under Smokescreen's leg, just behind the knee joint, lifting it up a bit as he began spraying the lubricant into the gaps in his plates.
As the cool fluid met the mechanisms in his body, Smokescreen gave a startled cry and flinched, a full body shiver rippling through his frame.
"Are you ok?" asked Bee, pausing a moment to look at him.
"Ah. It's...cold," he said. "Startled me."
He looked at the canister before giving it a spritz on the back of his servo before giving a small shiver as well. Yeah it was cold, especially when you weren't expecting it. "Well, don't worry, the oil's warm at least." Ratchet had made sure to tell Knock Out to ensure the oil was warmed up for them. He could barely wait for that, some nice hot oil sounded like a dream.
Bee returned to what he was doing, holding his leg gently as he sprayed the lubricant into the joint, using the long narrow nozzle to get into all the tiny crevices and cracks, while using his other hand to aid Smokescreen in bending his knee.
Smokescreen grimaced, the joint was stiff and forcing it to bend after so long as uncomfortable, it felt like his gears and cables were going to snap at first when Bee started to bend it. But, Bee was gentle, bending and extending his knee slowly, using the movement to work the lubricant into the joint before working oil into them, increasing the bend with each flex.
Carefully, Bee set his leg down and got up to move to his other side to start on the other knee, only to stop and look down at Smokescreen's hands.
"I know Ratchet said to work on the big joints first but, could I work on your hands? It looks like you really want to move them."
It was true, while Bee had worked on his knee, he had been flexing his fingers, though not without a great amount of effort and a lot of squeaking on the part of his joints. And they were getting rather sore if he was being honest.
"That would be nice," he said, nodding his head slightly.
Bee smiled and sat down again, carefully taking one of Smokescreen's hands in his, working the lubricant into the wrist and then at the base of each finger joint, one by one. Placing Smokescreen's hand in his, he began to curl the fingers gently, wrapping and unwrapping them around his hand as he worked.
Smokescreen smiled softly, it felt nice to feel Bee's hand in his, so warm and comforting. Maybe it was because his touch sensors were still recalibrating themselves, but Bee's touched felt, almost electrifying, although not unpleasant, as it caressed his servo gently.
As his digits wiggled, curling and uncurling on their own, Bee pressed his hand to his cheek, palm flat against it.
"I missed you so much Smokescreen," he said, voice crackling as he spoke, leaning into Smokescreen's palm.
"Bee..."
"Do you remember how Knock Out said we were 'spark bonded'?" Smokescreen nodded. "Well, when we-we interfaced, with our sparks, it, bonded them together. I don't know all what it means beyond being connected, but-but...Smokescreen I felt you die! I felt your spark go out!" He pressed his hand to his chest as he spoke, shaking slightly. "I felt you die." Tears rolled down his cheeks and his voice cracked as he squeezed Smokescreen's hand. "I was...so certain I would never see you again, never hear you again."
"I came back," said Smokescreen, gently dragging his thumb against Bee's cheek, drawing small circles on it. "I came back for you."
"And thank Primus for that. I don't know how, but I'm glad it happened."
Smokescreen was quiet, he knew he would have to say it eventually, but the potential reaction, it scared him. Would they hate him for what he'd done? Be mad, upset? Surely they would care. But seeing Bee like this, that was even worse.
"Bee," carefully he used the hand on Bee's face to tilt his head so he'd look at him, thumb wiping at the tears on that side. "I came back, because I couldn't leave you. But...I had to give it up."
"Give it up? Give what up?" asked Bee.
Clenching his jaw, Smokescreen bent his arm, bringing his hand to his chest. "I'm Smokescreen, not Ignis, because, I'm not a Prime. Not anymore. I had to give it up. That was, the cost of coming back." He vented heavily and his chest groaned and the plates began to move slowly, pulling back to reveal the inside of his chest and Bee's optics widened.
It was just, a normal looking chest cavity. The Matrix of Leadership, which had once housed itself in his chest, was gone.
Notes:
'joint lubricant' is basically just WD-40 lol
solar cycle = roughly a year. so it's been around 8-10 months by this point. if u were curious.
Also i figure if Optimus is allowed to always come back through weird bs means, then I can do the same thing 😤
Chapter Text
Even as Ignis fell, as the light in his spark began to dim, a single thought clung to his mind.
' I need to go back. I promised, I can't leave yet. '
But he was too weak to do anything, to fight back or fly, or do anything but fall into the warm, inviting light below.
The light enveloped him, consumed him, and he felt weightless and light, like he was floating. No, not floating, like he was being held, gently and comfortingly. And free of pain.
"Ignis Prime..."
Oh, that voice, that was Optimus' voice. So, he really was dead this time. One with the Allspark, joining the rest of the Primes.
He looked up and into the soft, gentle optics of the former Prime, his hand extended to Ignis, inviting him to take it, to join them.
Oh, this was the same place he'd been when he'd first accepted The Matrix.
"No, no I can't be here yet," he said, shaking his head. "I promised...I promised."
"I'm sorry," said Optimus. "You should not have had to join us so soon, so young."
Ignis clutched his hands to his chest tightly, over his spark, almost curling in on himself as he pulled away. "I can't go yet. I kept my promise to you, but I can't-I can't go yet. Because I promised Bee, I promised him. I can't break that promise, not yet, not like this."
Optimus Prime placed his hand gently on Ignis' helm, comfortingly. "I'm sorry Ignis, but it is-" he stopped short, turning to look behind him, past the other Primes, towards the spark, the Allspark, as if something had caught his attention.
He was quiet and Ignis lifted his head slowly, curiously, what could have made him stop like that? It wasn't like anyone was speaking.
"Are you sure?" asked Optimus, not to him but to, someone else, someone Ignis apparently couldn't hear. Or see for that matter. "I see." He turned back to Ignis, and floated out of the way, the rest of the Primes doing the same, making a path right towards the Allspark.
Before Ignis could ask what was happening, he knew. A feeling deep in his spark just told him, he needed to go forwards, towards it, and that it would be alright.
He glided past Optimus, past the other Primes and towards the Allspark. The closer he got, the stronger the feeling, till it felt as if someone, something, was reaching right through him and into his spark.
No voice spoke, at least not out loud, but still he knew what it meant.
A choice. He was going to have to make a choice. And a price would have to be paid.
Bee's eyes widened as he stared at the Matrixless space in Smokescreen's chest. It was just gone. As if it had never even been there.
"How?"
"I had to make a choice," said Smokescreen. "I don't know...if it was where I fell. Or when. Or-or our spark bond or something else. But I had a choice. I could come back, keep my promise to you, but I would have to give up the Matrix, give up the title of Prime and everything with it." He lowered his hand as he spoke, the plates closing back up and Bee spritzing them with the lubricant as they moved to ease the transformation. "That was...the price."
"So you, gave it up?"
"I had to. I promised you, remember? That I would be with you forever." He reached out, touching Bee's hand softly. "I can't break that promise, not yet."
"But, to give it up..."
Smokescreen's optics flicked away for a moment, then back to Bee. "Can I...tell you something?"
"Anything."
"I...never wanted to be a Prime. Sure, every warrior dreams of that sort of thing. But when I got the chance? I didn't want it. Not then, not like that at least. But that much responsibility, that much power? I didn't feel ready for that sort of thing, I still don't think I was. I don't even think any one bot should have that much power, let alone me. But we were in trouble, and someone needed to do it. And if not me, then who?" He shook his head, "I never accepted the Matrix because I wanted to, but because I had to. And to keep a promise to Optimus, to restore Cybertron."
"And you did," said Bee, wrapping his hands around Smokescreen's. "I can't wait to show you how much has changed since the fight with Unicron."
"I can't wait to see it with you."
"And I don't even care, Ignis Prime or just Smokescreen, I don't care what you are. I'm just glad you're back."
Smokescreen smiled. "I had to keep my promise after all."
"But, you still kind of look the same. You're still taller and you do still have wings by the looks of it," said Bee, craning his neck slightly. "What's up with that?"
"Do I? No wonder you were confused before." He couldn't see himself all that much, and being laid up on a medical berth made it hard to tell how tall he was, so he was going to have to take Bee's word for it. "I don't know Bee, probably shouldn't think to hard on it though."
"I won't complain," said Bee, moving from his spot to Smokescreen's other side to work on the other knee. "I'll have you any way you are."
"So, what was the 'Optimus situation' that Knock Out mentioned earlier?" asked Smokescreen, leaning back as Bee attended to his leg. "He said Optimus, forgot who he was?"
"Oh!" Bee perked up slightly. "That's right you weren't with us yet, that was cycles before we found you. It's, a whole story."
Smokescreen looked around the room then back to Bee. "Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon so, why don't you tell me while you work?"
"Alright." He hummed thoughtfully. "It all started when Optimus and Megatron had to work together to fight Unicron..."
Smokescreen listened attentively as Bee talked, regaling him with events that happened before he joined their team. He was glad that he hadn't lost his memory despite losing the Matrix. Forgetting who he was sounded terrifying. Even worse, he wouldn't have remembered Bee, or what they had, and he really didn't want to forget that.
A flicker of movement at the door caught his attention, distracting him from the story at hand and he looked over to see a couple very curious Vehicons peering in. At least he assumed that's who they were, they weren't the purple and black bots he remembered, these ones were a dark green. Had they found more bots? Well if he'd been out as long as they'd said he was, then that was certainly possible. Upon being noticed they made a startled noise and scurried off.
He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, word was going to get out about him waking eventually, if only because Ratchet or Knock Out was bound to have said something.
So he was considerably less surprised when the first familiar face, by way of Ultra Magnus, showed up.
"You'll forgive me if I don't stand on ceremony sir," he said, adjusting his arm as Bee worked on the shoulder, trying to get into all the little nooks and crannies. "Or salute for that matter."
"No worries, Ratchet told me of your condition. He also said that you're, Smokescreen now?"
Smokescreen nodded, "Yeah, that's me, just Smokescreen again. Sorry to disappoint."
"Regardless. It's good to have you back. You had us quite worried for a while there." His optics turned their attention to Bee, who was now moving Smokescreen's arm up and down slowly, or trying to as it seemed to be offering some resistance. "Some of us more than others."
Smokescreen could only chuckle, yeah somehow he didn't doubt that Bee had been the most worried about him. A sharp jolt shot through his shoulder and he yelped in pain, turning his head to look at Bee.
"What was that?"
"Sorry," replied Bee with a grimace. "It was a stiffer than I thought it was. You're not hurt are you?"
"I think you startled me more than anything."
"As long as you're not hurt. I think Ratchet might end me if I do that."
Bulkhead and Arcee rolled in some time later, a few of the bots working with them peering in from a safe distance. Interestingly, they were differently coloured as well.
As it turned out, at some point they'd started changing their colours to reflect whoever they were working with. The ones working construction with Bulkhead seemed to be opting for various shades of green or green and black, while the ones that been taking orders from Arcee had gone various shades of blue instead.
Apparently who they were working for was something of a point of pride, so they decided to show it off whatever way they could. And a way to express their individuality. Which did help in keeping straight who was who, if nothing else, and they sure couldn't complain about that.
He also learned that the ship was no longer being called Nemesis. Since it was being primarily used as a medical facility they wanted to call it something different, something a bit less menacing. 'Nemesis' just didn't sound like a good name for a hospital all things considered, too intimidating and scary. But they hadn't been able to agree on what exactly to call it, so the name it was stuck with in the meantime, was Triage Ship 1. Not the greatest of names but it at least told anyone around what the ship was for.
The big question that everyone had was, how had this happened. Smokescreen coming back specifically more than him waking. He wanted to tell them, but repeating the same story over and over seemed tiring. So Ratchet worked his magic and, somehow, managed to get everyone into the medical bay at once.
Anxiety played on his nerves but Bee insisted it would be fine, having him back was the important thing anyways.
"So, if you don't have the Matrix anymore, where is it?" asked Arcee as he finished his explanation, which included showing them that it was, in fact, gone.
"I dunno. Probably back with Primus if I had to guess."
"That's a lot of power to give up," said Knock Out, leaning back against the computer desk. "How did you do it?"
Smokescreen glanced over at Bee before back to everyone else. "There was something more important to me than power. Sure it was great but, I didn't need it. And if I want to be a leader or some great warrior, I can work for it, same as everyone else."
Arcee have a small laugh and he turned to look at her. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's just hard to believe you're the same impulsive, rule bending, hot-head we rescued from that escape pod all those cycles ago," she said. "You've grown up Smokescreen. Colour me impressed."
"I had to. I don't think I could have lived with myself if I got any of you killed cause of my, incompetence."
"Well we're all here and in one piece," said Bulkhead. "So I'd say you didn't do too bad."
Smokescreen could only laugh, hiding it behind the back of his servo as he turned away. That was true he supposed.
The more they talked and celebrated, the more the crushing weight of potentially disappointing them seemed to lift from his shoulders. Maybe they didn't need a Prime anymore, they seemed to have been managing fairly well while he was out of commission from the sounds of it.
Eventually Ratchet herded everyone from the room, citing Smokescreen's need to rest and take it easy. Even Ultra Magnus couldn't argue with doctor's orders.
"I hope you're prepared for a lot of work," said Ratchet as he piled things onto a rolling tray. "Your joints might be loosened up now, but it's going to take you a lot of physical therapy to get you back in order."
"Wh-how come? I was in stasis for, mega cycles before and I was fine when I came out."
Ratchet sighed, shaking his head. "Because that was stasis. Being in a long term stasis is a form of suspended animation, it's like time stops for you, you can pick up right where you left off when you come out of it. But this, this wasn't stasis. You were powered down, very far down, for almost a whole solar cycle. A coma really. A power drain can take a long time to recover from, even when it is replenished." He turned to Smokescreen as he pushed the small cart to his side. "Do you remember the state Bulkhead was in when you first arrived?"
Smokescreen nodded, Bulkhead had been limping around the base and was frequently rendered huffing and venting from the simple act of walking across the room, as if it had taken all of his strength and energy to do so.
"That was, partly, the result of an energy drain from TOX-EN poisoning. And he was only drained out for a few cycles. You spent nearly a whole solar cycle drained and unmoving." He shook his head. "I've never seen a bot come back from what you did Smokescreen, I don't know what kinds of after effects you're going to be dealing with, or how long it could take."
Smokescreen grimaced, it had taken Bulkhead a while to properly get back in the game, so how long was it going to take him?
"Hey, don't worry," said Bee, placing a servo on his arm gently. "We got your back, all the way."
"Sounds like I'm going to need it," said Smokescreen with a weak chuckle. "So uh, what's all this?" He gestured to the small cart.
"This is for you. Medical grade Energon to keep your levels up, in both forms," he pointed at the container of blue liquid and some small blue cubes. "A nutrient solution I whipped up to help with your energy and recovery," he pointed to a greenish looking concoction. "Give a boost to your nanites to help you heal. And these are so you can work on your grip strength and arms." He picked up an object comprised of two handles and what looked like a spring in a sort of V shape. Then he simply squeezed the handles, bringing them together until he let it go, setting it down again. That seemed simple enough.
It was not, in fact, simple enough. Smokescreen picked up the hand grip and gave it a squeeze and, nothing. It didn't even budge. "Huh, it's tougher than I thought."
"Can I see?" asked Bee, taking it from him. He looked it over before giving it a squeeze, bringing the handles together.
"Oh come on, no need to show me up like that," whined Smokescreen, face heating up. He sighed, "I suppose Ratchet's right, I am out of shape."
"Well, think of it this way," said Bee as he set the grip down. "Once you build up your strength, you'll be able to pick me up again. Maybe even take me flying one day." Smokescreen had once promised to take him flying, but things had come up and it had never happened.
"That's true," he said. "If you can be patient, I can be patient."
"Small steps Smokescreen. And first up, getting your strength and energy back," said Bee, placing a cube of medical grade Energon in his hand.
The Energon was fine, in both states, but the strange green concoction that Ratchet had made up left much to be desired. One sip and Smokescreen grimaced, it tasted awful, like the bitterest, most acrid sludge to ever grace his taste receptors, something he greatly wished he could turn off at the moment.
"Couldn't he have made it not taste like toxic waste?" he asked, practically forcing himself to drink it.
"I think medicine is like, forbidden from tasting good," said Bee. "Like it's a rule somewhere, never allowed to be good, ever."
"I am never going to get this taste out of my mouth."
Bee rolled his eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."
"I'm not, this stuff is nasty. Try it yourself if you don't believe me," he held the container out to Bee, who held his servos up, pushing it back to him.
"No thank you, I wouldn't dream of depriving you of even a drop of it," said Bee.
Smokescreen huffed and grumbled as he looked at the cup, dreading both having to finish it and the knowledge that this was not going to be the last time he would be subject to it.
"Oh Primus, is it that late already?" exclaimed Bee. "I should be going, it's late and we both need rest."
"You can't stay?"
Bee gave a soft laugh as he placed a servo on Smokescreen's and leaned up, bumping his forehead against Smokescreen's helm. "Smoke, love, I love you but Knock Out will turn me into spare parts if he catches me sleeping in here. Again." He tilted his head up and kissed the base of his crest. "I promise, I'll be back in the morning, alright?"
"Mmmm. I suppose."
Bee smiled and, gently cupping his face with his other hand, kissed him softly. "Good night, and get some rest ok?"
Smokescreen sighed, frame heaving. "Alright." He supposed they both had had a very exciting day and needed the time to decompress.
Bee gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he bumped their helms together again before finally releasing him and departing for his own quarters, leaving Smokescreen alone for probably the first time that day.
All day, bots had been in and out of the room, talking with him or checking up on him, no one had left him alone and, as Bee departed, he realized for the first time how overwhelming it was all was.
It was also so very quiet now. He could hear distant, faint noises from somewhere out in the halls, the pede falls of various bots wandering around and muffled chatter, but it was nothing compared to the near constant noise he'd been dealing with all day.
He let out a heavy vent as he lay back on the berth, shifting his position to get comfortable. At least Knock Out had seen fit to give him a way to adjust the angle of his berth, buttons to press to tilt it one way or another.
Nearly a whole solar cycle, he could barely believe he'd been out of it for so long. From his perspective, everything had happened no more than a day ago, the events still fresh in his processor. How much had changed while he'd been out of commission? Just from the little he'd seen, a lot it seemed. He supposed one day he'd get to see it, when he could walk out of there on his own two struts. In the meantime, he supposed he would have to make do with Bee telling him about it all.
Letting his frame relax he closed his eyes, preparing himself to rest.
Bee hadn't realized how drained he was till he lay down and very nearly passed out. The whole day after getting that comm message from Knock Out had been a whirlwind. He still couldn't believe it, Smokescreen was back, he was conscious! It made his spark flutter with excitement and by Primus he wished he could crawl into his arms and hold him properly. Maybe one day. And hopefully soon.
He vented softly as he made himself comfortable, exhaustion creeping into his frame and dragging him into a much needed recharge.
A flash of violet, a searing pain.
The smell of burning wires and metal.
The sound of rending steel.
Pain seared through his body, racing through his frame like fire as violet light filled his vision, flashing over and over.
A servo on his throat, squeezing, crushing, sharpened nails digging in.
Streaks of blue Energon sprayed into the air as his voice garbled and crackled.
Violet eyes bore into his spark from the darkness, a cruel, malicious look that seemed to drip with hatred.
'Let me go, let me go!'
He ran and ran and ran, fleeing from the dark, oppressive presence that followed.
Metal crunched and tore as long, sharp talons ripped through him, splintering his back strut, punching through his chest casing and dripping blue with Energon.
Massive dark claws curled around his body, pressing him into the ground, digging into his frame, into his cables and wires, snapping them.
He staggered and stumbled and fell.
And fell.
And fell
And
f
e
l
l
Smokescreen jolted awake with a strangled cry, a noise like static all that he could force out as his optics flew open. For a moment he was frozen, as if someone had struck him with a stasis beam, like he was pinned down.
A loud, almost frustrated vent and huff of his engine escaped him and then he could move, limbs quaking where he lay.
Shaking, he looked around the room, optics scanning it furiously, not that he was sure what he was looking for. He was alone, just as he had been earlier. The computer system was quiet and dimmed down, only a few lights on to provide him light.
With another vent he turned his gaze to the ceiling, servos resting on his chest, finger tips grazing over the scar etched into him, still trembling.
What, in Primus' name, was THAT?
In his bunk, Bee flailed awake violently, shrieking and panicking as he slid off the edge of his berth and slammed into the floor with a painful, loud crash.
For a moment he lay there, frame quaking in fear as he stared at the ground, bracing himself with his arms.
Slowly he sat up and pressed a servo to his chest. No, he was fine, he was whole. Then he touched his throat.
"I'm ok, I'm ok." Ok, his voice did still work. Good, good.
So it wasn't real. The pain wasn't real, except perhaps for the stinging in his knees and side and face, from the fall he'd just taken. That much was real. But everything else, in his throat and chest, not real.
Not any more, at least.
So, what the unholy name of Unicron had THAT been? Why was he shaking so badly, so scared? He hadn't had a night terror like that since, well, after Tyger Pax. But that was so long ago.
He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling as he vented deeply, trying to calm himself.
What was it they'd said again? Long, deep vents and counting to ten? He could do that, he could-was that someone running in the hall? His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of frantic pede falls out in the hall.
Pulling himself up he staggered to the door, waving it open as he peered out, just in time to see a familiar blur of red whip right past him. Was that, Knock Out? A flick at his internal clock revealed it was the dead middle of night, so where was he going at this hour?
Wait, he had alerts set to let him know if something went wrong with Smokescreen, didn't he? On trembling legs he took off after Knock Out, one hand pressed against his chest worriedly.
Knock Out was not at all impressed at being awoken in the dead of night by beeping alarms. Again. Couldn't Smokescreen wait to have a medical emergency when it wasn't some ungodly hour?
Flicking his wrist mount open as he sat up he flicked through the alerts and frowned, everything was spiking hard, like he was in distress.
Scrap.
He snapped the cover shut and whipped out of his quarters and down the hall. It was only sheer luck that Ratchet hadn't turned his alarms back on, he did NOT want to think how cranky the old medic would be if he'd been the one to wake up.
Before he even opened the door to Smokescreen's room he could hear the sounds of heavy venting and fans straining themselves as fast as they could go.
Inside, Smokescreen was shaking all over and practically drenched in coolant, the green fluid striking against his white paint.
"What happened?" he asked, frowning as red optics scanned the clearly frightened warrior.
"I-I don't know," said Smokescreen. "I think, a very vivid dream? Or something?" He shuddered as pressed a servo flat to his chest. "It felt so real."
"Hmm. That would explain why your processor readings are all over the place." He plucked out a cloth from his subspace and handed it to Smokescreen. "Clean yourself off, please."
Smokescreen accepted it with a shaky servo, wiping at his arm. "It was...like I was dying all over again. I can still feel the claws in my chest."
"Whose?"
Smokescreen was silent a moment, optics flickering around the room. "Unicron's. I mean, I think that's who it was. He was the one that stabbed me after all." He wiped the cloth against his face with a sigh. "It was horrible. Burned, shot, stabbed, choked..." He shook his head, hands trembling. "It felt so real."
"Probably a night terror. Lovely. Let me see if I have something."
"You have medicine for that?"
"No, but I should have something that dampens your processors so you won't dream. Some of us would like to get our beauty sleep and I would rather not be woken up again. We can...figure out what brought this on in the morning." He rifled through drawers and kits as he spoke before finally pulling out a few vials and a syringe. Setting the vial in with a click he took one of Smokescreen's arms and with nothing more than a 'hold still' for warning, squeezed the trigger, injecting him at the joint. "There, now I should be able to sleep uninterrupted for the rest of the night."
"Don't you mean I should?"
"...Yes you too." He gave Smokescreen's arm a pat before turning to put the syringe away. He had just pulled the drawer open when a noise came from just outside the door. "Who's there?" he snapped, whipping to face the door, one arm raised.
After a moment a set of digits appeared at the door frame as Bumblebee peered around from outside in the hall with a sheepish look.
"Bumblebee? What are you doing up?" sputtered Knock Out as he lowered his arm. "Don't tell me you had a nightmare too?"
"I...uh..." Bumblebee rubbed the back of his helm awkwardly. "I think it was the same one actually."
Knock Out groaned. "Primus save me." He stalked towards Bumblebee, grabbed his arm and before he could protest, shot him as well. "There, now you shouldn't have any dreams tonight either. Now, I am going back to bed, do NOT wake me unless someone is actually dying!" He tossed the syringe into a drawer before stalking off out of the room and back to his quarters. "And go back to bed, both of you!"
Smokescreen and Bumblebee watched as he left, his annoyed pede steps vanishing down the hall.
"And I thought Ratchet's bedside manner was bad," said Bumblebee.
"I guess he really needs that sleep," said Smokescreen. "Did you really have a nightmare?"
Bumblebee drooped slightly, "It sure felt like it, and I don't know what else to call it. Hopefully Knock Out wasn't lying about, whatever he stuck me with. I'd rather not experience that again." He also didn't want to fall flat on his face again either. "I should, probably heed Knock Out's advice and go back to bed and, figure out, all this, in the morning."
"Yeah, probably be a good idea."
Bumblebee smiled, giving him a sympathetic look. "I'll see you in the morning, at a much more reasonable hour."
"See you then," said Smokescreen with a soft smile. "Hopefully we both sleep well."
"Yeah, hopefully." Bumblebee rubbed his head, was there a sedative in that stuff Knock Out had given him as well? Cause he was feeling so drowsy already. "Goodnight."
Either he was more tired than he'd thought or it did in fact have a sedative, as he staggered back to his room, just barely getting to his quarters before sleep finally overcame him.
Notes:
Yeah I went there, choosing love over power :p As I said, if Optimus gets to constantly come back, then I think Primus can allow Smokescreen a second chance and I can be a little corny about it
I'm sure he has plans for him anywaysMuscle atrophy is real and it can happen SO fast. I was stuck in the hospital for 3 weeks a few years back, and for nearly 2 of those I was stuck in bed (in to much pain to even try to get out, let alone walk or stand). And let me tell you, my calf muscles went to jello so fast. Also physio gets on you as soon as you're physically able to move. They want you walking and moving. Luckily getting ME walking again wasn't as bad as it's gonna be for Smokescreen, who's been unmoving for 8-10 months at this point.
(also like I could move, I was just in too much pain from the waist down to get out of bed, let alone walk or stand)
Chapter Text
When Smokescreen awoke, it was to the sound of the doors opening, several bots walking in and the mild squeaking of some wheels. Cracking an eye open he saw Knock Out, followed by a light red 'Con pushing a small trolley.
"Rise and shine."
Smokescreen groaned as he closed his eyes again. "Do I have to?"
"If I'm up, you're up," said Knock Out. "I need to get your readings and vitals at the start of the day and you need to eat." He indicated to the trolley, which contained much of the same stuff as the previous day. "So, up and at'em." He clapped his servos together before turning to the computer.
Smokescreen sighed, he didn't have much of a choice now. "Where's Ratchet?" he asked, rolling slightly to the side to reach for the stuff that had been placed on the small table.
"Oh he'll be seeing you later so don't worry."
Smokescreen grumbled and tossed aside the rag he'd been given the night before and started in on his fuel. It tasted about as good as it had the day before, which was to say bad.
"So, I take it you slept well then?" asked Knock Out.
"I think so. I don't remember any dreams after you stopped by so, whatever you did worked."
Knock Out nodded with a muffled 'I see' sort of noise.
The next bot to find their way into his room was, unsurprisingly, Bee, door wings wiggling happily at the sight of Smokescreen.
"Feeling any better?" he asked, raising himself up on the tips of his feet to kiss Smokescreen's cheek.
"Hard to tell, but I think so. I certainly slept better after, whatever that was," he said. "You?"
"Like a protoform. I barely even made it to my berth before I was out." Bee rubbed his head, "At least I didn't fall on my face."
Bee sat with him as he ate and worked out his hands and a little while later Ratchet finally made his way in, trailed after by Knock Out, who'd gone to fetch him.
"It sounds like things were a bit, uncomfortable last night," said Ratchet.
Smokescreen wilted, "Oh, he told you about that."
"A night terror is not unusual. A shared night terror however is."
"Do you think it has anything to do with our...bond?" asked Bee, gesturing between the two of them.
Ratchet nodded, "It is entirely possible. Spark bonds are, tricky things after all."
"What IS a, spark bond, exactly?" asked Smokescreen. "Knock Out mentioned it before. And it seems we can, feel each other?" About all he knew about them was how intimate they were, beyond that, not really all that much.
Ratchet just stared at him in disbelief, before shaking his head. "What are they teaching at the High Guard these days?" he asked. "Ughh. Whatever. I suppose it's up to me to fill in the gaps in your education. Spark bonding is, at the name may suggest, a, ritual in which two bots open their sparks to each other and allow them to, join. This union of sparks binds the two bots together. This creates a sort of, psychic link between the bots involved."
"Psychic? I don't think I can read his mind," said Bee.
Ratchet groaned as he rubbed the bridge of his faceplate and Knock Out snickered. "Not, that sort of psychic. More like, feeling how the other is with your spark. You're always aware of each other and their condition."
"Like...when Smokescreen died," said Bee. "I could feel it. It was...awful."
"Yes, that is a prime example of the connection," said Ratchet. "As well as feeling extremely strong emotions. Given the...intimate nature of such a ritual and bond, it's not uncommon for it to be used in a Conjunx ritual." That got both Bee and Smokescreen to vent in surprise, Bee's fans spinning furiously.
"So, what does that have to do with, what happened last night?" asked Smokescreen quickly, moving the conversation along. "That was just, bad dreams."
"And, why now?" asked Bee. "I don't get it, I've been sleeping fine till now, why would I suddenly start thinking about when I died? It's been so long since I had a dream about Tyger Pax."
"Well, up until the other day, Smokescreen wasn't awake enough to affect your bond. Which means he wasn't dreaming up until last night either." He looked to Smokescreen. "Do you remember what you dreamed about?"
"Dying I think. It was all over the place, lots of, sensations for anything. I remember being stabbed, like when Unicron...got me. But I also remember feeling things I've never felt, like someone clawing at my throat, and a burning in my chest."
Ratchet nodded slowly. "I would be willing to bet that, finally able to relax and process things, your processor unearthed all your memories from your memory bank of your death putting them front and center. It may have been cycles ago for everyone else, but for you, that happened just the other day." He shifted on his struts as he talked, gesturing to Smokescreen. "So when you dreamed and dredged up all of that, it in turn affected Bumblebee through your bond and dredged up his memories of similar events. And then everything got all mixed together and you experienced each other's fear and dreams."
"And then we both had a bad time," said Smokescreen. "So how do we, make it not do that?"
Ratchet rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "While it's not ideal, we might have to keep with the dampener to inhibit your dreaming, at least until you're more physically stable. Interrupted rest won't help your recovery. We'll just have to keep an eye on things when we stop using it."
"Why? It's not dangerous is it?" asked Bee.
This time, it was Knock Out who spoke up. "No, but there is a chance that once we stop blocking them, they could end up more intense than before."
"We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it," said Ratchet with a nod. "In the meantime, the focus is on your recovery and getting you back on your own two struts."
The discussions on how to proceed lasted a little while longer, Knock Out taking notes with his arm scanner all the while, and eventually the pair departed, leaving Smokescreen and Bee alone.
Smokescreen stared at the grip tool in his servo as he squeezed it, or tried to at least, quiet as thoughts danced in his processor.
"Was that, really what it felt like when you died?" he asked finally, lifting his head to look at Bee.
"Hmm?"
"That burning in your chest, like someone set your Energon on fire."
"Oh." Bee was quiet, looking down at his servos. "Yeah, though I don't really remember it. I was told I was shot three times but, I only remember one. And it burned like nothing I've ever felt before. And then I stopped feeling." He shuddered and shook his head. "Like I said after it happened, I try not to think about it. It freaks me out to much."
Smokescreen stopped mid squeeze, relaxing his grip. "Me too. Having someone's hand in your chest like that...it's awful. I can still feel his claws all up in my circuits and cords. It's...violating." Having someone's servo digging its way through his body like that was far less pleasant than when he let Bee get his digits up and under his plating and into his cables. "I never want to feel anything like that again. When my spark finally goes out, I want it to be because we're old and rusty and lived a long time."
Bee smiled, placing a servo atop Smokescreen's. "I like the sound of that."
.....
With Smokescreen awake and physical therapy on the table, a new routine was established.
Smokescreen would be awoken first thing in the morning by either Ratchet or Knock Out, coming by to get his base line readings for the day. They were accompanied by a Vehicon, bringing Smokescreen his morning fuel. A little while later Bumblebee would appear, finally awake and fuelled up for the day.
Most of the morning was spent keeping his joints moving; Bumblebee working with his feet and legs, helping Smokescreen rotate then and move them if he couldn't and ensuring they were kept oiled. Smokescreen focused on his arms and servos, rotating them around and making use of the grip that Ratchet had given him.
One of the docs would return around midday, more fuel and more reading checks, before leaving and not returning till the evening when the final checks were made, everything logged and the final round of fuel brought in and the dampener administered to both. At which point they would turn in for the night, as a side effect of it made them both quite sleepy.
When Smokescreen wasn't doing the exercises, he was listening to Bee talk, his partner having months worth of things to talk about and was plenty excited to finally get to tell Smokescreen all about it. They also talked about what they were going to do when he could finally move on his own again, where they would go, where they would race. Thinking about the future, about a future that could actually be, was nice, and a good way to pass the time.
The first change to the routine came about a week later, when Ratchet came in, flanked by two green Vehicons, one of which was dragging a chair with them. Before Smokescreen could ask what that was all about, Ratchet spoke.
"I think it's about time we started working on getting you back on your own two struts," he said. "You've been making good progress with what you've been doing, and we can't have you lying around forever."
"So, what about them?" he asked, pointing at the Cons.
"Like I said, we're getting you on your struts, and you're going to need help. If you try and stand on your own right now, you will end up face down on the ground." He glanced towards Bumblebee, "And we need a bit more than your horsepower to support him. So I borrowed these fellows from Bulkhead."
"Walking can't be that hard."
It was, in fact, that hard.
Walk from the berth to the chair, that was what Ratchet had said he should do to start. Which wasn't far a distance, just across the room. Even though he hadn't been walking he had been moving his legs, so he could do that. Easy enough, he'd thought. Until the two bots helped him off the berth and onto his pedes and it became apparent just how out of practise he really was. Even with one arm slung over each of their shoulders, the weight of his frame pressed down on his struts and his legs shook under him, threatening to give out.
One foot in front of the other, that's all he had to do, move one foot in front of the other. And yet, even lifting his leg suddenly felt extremely difficult. It took every ounce of strength to lift his foot, and a lot less to bring it down with a crash. He clenched his jaw as he dragged his other leg after him, forcing it to move. It felt like someone had tied weights to his legs, was holding them down and keeping him from moving.
Instinctively he dug his fingers into the shoulders of the bots he was leaning on, huffing and grunting with every step he took. His vents and fans strained and every step felt like he was dragging himself up hill after having run all across the planet.
Step after step he dragged himself across the floor, tips of his feet scraping and dragging when he couldn't lift them high enough to clear it.
By the time he reached the chair and sat down, his fans were going at full speed and he was venting heavily, shaking and trembling as he rested his servos on his knees.
"I really am out of shape," he puffed. "It wasn't even that far."
"And this is why I wanted to get you started on this now," said Ratchet. "That and," he handed a container of lubricant to Bumblebee. "With you out of the berth, we can also work on your back. Can't have that seizing up either."
One of the Vehicons rolled a small trolley over to Smokescreen, containing his afternoon rations. "I bet you'll feel better if you have some of this," they said.
Something for his energy certainly couldn't hurt, especially since he would have to drag himself back to the berth at some point.
As he ate, Bee worked on his back, getting into his shoulder blades, his back strut, even around his wings. Bee reached for one wing, to move it a bit to work the oil in and Smokescreen gave a very undignified noise, fans spinning furiously.
"Smokescreen?"
"Don't say another word," he muttered, burying his face in his servos. "But also, watch where you touch."
"Does it hurt?"
"N-no, more like...the opposite." Normally he wouldn't have minded Bee touching him there, the problem was, they weren't exactly alone and he really, really didn't want anyone else to witness that or his reactions.
If the Vehicons noticed, they didn't say anything, engaged in conversation with each other. And Ratchet very dutifully had tuned them out. At least he sure hoped the lack of response meant he was tuning them out.
"Oh!" Now it was Bee's turn to sound embarrassed, catching onto what Smokescreen was getting at. "Are you at least, able to move a bit easier?" asked Bee, working very carefully.
Slowly, Smokescreen rolled his shoulders back, one at a time. They were stiff, but they moved at least. "A little," he replied.
Bee just nodded before going back to work, working on his lower back joints.
By the time he got back to the medical berth, huffing and puffing the whole way across the floor and forcing himself to move, Smokescreen was ready to just do nothing for a bit. Despite having done nothing more than walk across the floor back and forth, he was exhausted and his legs ached. Even drills in the Elite Guard hadn't left him feeling like this before. No wonder Bulkhead had griped and complained, not having control of one's own limbs was horrible.
Luckily for him, Ratchet said he only had to do this once a day, at least until it got easier.
Unluckily for him it didn't feel like it was getting easier. Every day he lay back in the berth, and everything below his waist ached and seared, the joints and cables burning in pain from the sheer stress of just trying to move.
He groaned as he lay on the medical berth, struts throbbing and aching after a particularly rough session. He'd even grabbed the Vehicons-whose designations he'd learned were R0Y and J03-so tightly he'd scraped their armour and probably left dents. He apologized profusely upon realizing what he'd done, they were incredibly patient in helping him after all and he didn't want to hurt them. But they swore it was fine. It certainly wasn't the worst thing they'd dealt with.
He supposed at least it meant his hand strength was coming back. It had been a while since he'd accidentally dented someone's armour just by grabbing them. He hadn't done that since he'd accepted the Matrix and become a Prime. Along with the growth spurt and wings, he'd also gained a boost to his physical strength. Which meant, for a while, he had something of a learning curve on trying to control his newfound strength, especially after he accidentally squeezed Bulkhead's arm hard enough to leave dents in the armour without even trying. Easy to fix but mortifying none the less.
He draped an arm over his face, shaking and trembling as something just, cracked inside him. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as sobs shook his frame. He'd been hurt and in pain before, he'd been able to handle that, but this? He couldn't take it anymore, it was just to much. Every movement of his legs hurt. And on top of the pain he was exhausted. Despite getting a full recharge he still felt tired by the time he woke up. Was the exercise really taking that much out of him?
Why couldn't it just stop?
He sobbed and sobbed, chest heaving with heavy vents as he tried and failed to compose himself.
"Smokescreen!" Bee's voice came from the open doors and he heard the telltale sound of him running across the floor. "Smoke, are you ok? What's wrong?"
"It hurts so much," he said between sobs. "It just...it hurts. My legs hurt so much. And I can't...I can't..." He stuttered as he spoke, vocalizer crackling through the pain, optical fluid rolling down the sides of his face.
Bee frowned, "I'll go find Knock Out or Ratchet, this doesn't seem normal."
"No, you don't n-"
"Smokescreen, you're in so much pain you're crying! That's not...that's not normal. For all he griped, even Bulkhead wasn't this bad." Before Smokescreen could protest again, Bee was gone.
Smokescreen sighed, covering his face with his servos. This was his problem, he could deal with it, suffer through it, he didn't need to bother them with it.
Sure enough, he returned a short time later with Knock Out in tow, who tilted the medical berth back, raising Smokescreen's legs up.
"Alright, let's see what's going on here," he said. "Fair warning, I'm going to have to lift your cadule and tibule plates to look."
"O-ok."
He winced as Knock Out poked around his legs, every touch felt like fire. There was a click and Knock Out's digits hooked onto the edge of the plating, carefully lifting them up one at a time.
"Whoof, well no wonder it hurts so much. Your cables and joints are all swollen. And," he gingerly touched one with the tip of a digit and hissed. "And hot too. And your pistons are probably grinding on themselves too." He straightened up as he turned to Smokescreen, "I'm going to have to add extra coolant to your little menu."
"Is there anything we can do now?" asked Bee, looking at Knock Out in concern.
He leaned his chin on the back of his servo thoughtfully. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime," he strode over to one of the drawers and pulled it open, pulling out a handful of rags and some coolant and handing them to Bee. "Work on trying to cool him down a bit. Pour it on if you must."
"Will it help?" asked Smokescreen, rolling his head to one side to look at them.
"It may lessen the pain for now. And should at least keep your cables from rupturing."
"What?!"
"Keep him comfortable, I'll be back." And with that lack of reassurance he was gone.
"They're...they're not actually going to burst are they?" he asked, trying and failing to lift himself up to look. Sure they hurt but they weren't that bad, were they?
"I-I don't think so?" said Bee. "But, let's not take any chances."
He doused the rag in coolant and began gently pressing it to the exposed cables, Smokescreen hissing and flinching in pain.
"He wasn't kidding, I can feel the heat through the rag," said Bee with a frown, pressing it up against a knee joint. "I wouldn't want to walk on that either."
Bee kept working on him while they waited for Knock Out, eventually resorting to just pouring the coolant out directly onto Smokescreen's exposed cables, earning him a satisfied sounding shudder as the cool liquid flowed over the leg.
What Knock Out came up with was, in essence, a coolant soak, as it was the only way to get coolant easily to every part that needed it and for long enough.
They repurposed an unused tank from one of Shockwave's labs, it was the only thing big enough for a bot to sit in, and filled more than halfway full with coolant. The only problem was it was in another room and they needed a way to get Smokescreen there, and he certainly wasn't walking there of his own accord.
Which is how he found himself being carried by Bulkhead. It was incredibly undignified if Smokescreen was being honest, but he didn't have much of a choice. Slung over Bulkhead's back, half of him hung over his shoulders while Bulkhead did his best to keep his legs from dragging on the ground. Another downside to being so darn big.
On the bright side, he supposed, at least he was finally able to see something that wasn't the same four walls for once. But Primus he would be so glad when he could walk on his own again.
Bulkhead carefully lowered him into the tank and he hissed as the coolant washed over his legs. The sensation wasn't too dissimilar to taking a dunk after a really hot day, and he swore even heard that same kind of sizzle sound as well.
"I'll check back in, about an hour, see how you're doing then," said Knock Out. "That should be long enough."
"And I suppose you're keeping me company?" asked Smokescreen, tilting his head to look at Bee.
"Do you really have to ask?"
Knock Out rolled his eyes, "Please, you two are practically joined at the hip joint. As if I could have made him leave. Just...make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"I can barely move, what trouble could I get into?"
Knock Out just shrugged and left, the doors sliding closed behind him.
Making his way behind Smokescreen, Bee knelt down and wrapped his arms around his neck, nuzzling the back of his helm. "So, feel any better?"
"A little I think, it doesn't sting as much at least."
Bee smiled against his helm and held him a little closer, "Good. I don't like seeing you hurt like this."
The coolant splashed as Smokescreen raised an arm, placing his servo over Bee's gently, leaning slightly into his touch. He supposed one positive about all this, was that he could do this, at least for now.
He lay against the edge of the basin, just relaxing against Bee and in the coolant, his limbs actually feeling lighter for once, the fluid taking the pressure off things. He'd have been content to stay like that, but Bee suddenly sprang up, releasing his hold on Smokescreen as he darted around to the other side of the tank. Then, before Smokescreen could say anything, Bee climbed into the tank with him!
"Bee what-I don't think you need to be in here!' he said.
"I know, but I had an idea and I need to be in here to, do it." He sat down and carefully scooted towards Smokescreen, positioning himself between his legs. "Raf sprained his arm in gym class once, from how he talked it sounded pretty painful. And we got to talking with Jack's mom about things to do to help it hurt less." He carefully picked up one of Smokescreen's legs and rested it in his lap, servos sliding down the side of his tibule plate, looking for the release. "We did find some things to help, but one things she mentioned was that sometimes, massaging sore muscles can help them heal and feel, less sore. I couldn't help with that," he waved a servo, wiggling the digits in the air as if it indicate the reason he couldn't. "And well, human muscles are kind like our cables." The green fluid dripped and splashed as the side plating popped open and up, exposing everything under it. "So, maybe it could help this?"
Taking the leg in his servos, Bee gently pressed his digits against the cables, Smokescreen shuddering under his touch. He began to move his digits in small circles against the cables, applying just enough pressure that they pressed in, but not enough to hurt Smokescreen.
He winced at first, as anything touching his cables stung, but after a few moments, the gentle pressure on them and the coolant flowing around them gave way to a more pleasant feeling. Relief followed the initial ache and he leaned back, tilting his head back and closing his eyes as he let Bee do his thing. It felt as if coolant was working its way into places he didn't even know it could get into, and it was refreshing.
The coolant ripped around him as soft vents puffed out, the sound even and cool, a change from the heavy and straining vents he'd been making earlier.
Bee's touch was slow and gentle, moving up along his tibule cords, from ankle to knee, drawing small circles all the while. He rubbed the knee joint, bending it gently, manipulating it with his digits. He slid his servos further up, adjusting the leg in his lap as he reached for the cadule plates, working to free them next.
"You know, you don't have to do this," said Smokescreen.
"I know. But I want too." He pressed his thumbs into the sides of Smokescreen's leg, drawing circles in the flexible internals. "I don't like seeing you in pain." He looked up, tearing his optics away from the leg he was working on. "How do you feel now?"
"Better," replied Smokescreen with a sigh. "I dunno where you learned to do this but it feels good."
"Honestly, I'm just playing it by audio and watching you. So lemme know if anything I do hurts."
He ran his finger digits through the cables, rubbing them gently and smoothly, running along the sides and back of Smokescreen's leg, earning a shudder from the big mech, the coolant rippling around them.
It felt good, nice even. He needed to remember to have Bee do this another time, when they weren't sitting in a vat of coolant and his legs weren't aching. It would probably feel even better then.
"Hey, is something wrong?" asked Bee, servos stopping what they were doing.
"Wh-why do you ask?"
"Well...you've been rather quiet and, well...I can feel your EM field from here and it's giving very sad vibrations."
Oh scrap, what? Had he really been letting it slip out that much? Almost instantly it retracted and he twisted his servos together. "It's...it's just...I know I shouldn't be feeling like this but I keep feeling like, ever since I woke up, I'm just making myself into a burden. Especially since I'm taking so long to heal. And now...this." he gestured to his legs.
Bee sighed, letting go of Smokescreen's leg. "Smokescreen, I'm not doing this because I have to do it, I'm doing it because I want to do it." Carefully he scooted through the coolant, Smokescreen adjusting his position as Bee found himself between his legs in his lap. "Nothing about you could ever be a burden to me. I'm in this for the long haul don't forget." He touched the side of Smokescreen's face gently. "It's like you said, I'm with you till our sparks go out and our frames are old and rusted through." Bee smiled at him softly before leaning in and kissing him gently, leaning against his chest.
Smokescreen shifted his servo against Bee's side, resting it there lightly as he kissed him back. They hadn't really been able to do this while he'd been laid up on the medical berth. Cheek and forehead kisses sure, but not this, not being able to just hold each other.
"I missed you Smokescreen, I missed this, I missed us," said Bee, bumping his helm against Smokescreen's crest. "I want to help you however I can, to get you back on your struts. I want us to race across Cybertron together, through Iacon and along the Sea of Rust, anywhere. So you just focus on recovering." He sighed, "You've done so much for us already, and in such a short amount of time. So let us do something for you now, ok?"
Smokescreen leaned against Bee with a small sigh. "I'll do my best." He tilted his head, nuzzling Bee back. "Glad you're you've got my back."
"Hey, you may not be a Prime anymore, but I'm still gonna call you out for being a big dumb bucket of bolts," he said, giving Smokescreen's forehead a flick. "Now, I wasn't finished with your legs." He scooted back to his position between Smokescreen's knees and picked up the leg he had been working on before.
Knock Out had seen inflamed cables before, though it was usually after some bot had pushed themselves to far to fast and hadn't kept their coolant topped up. But Smokescreen's was probably the worst he'd seen. While his comment about 'not wanting them to burst' had sounded like a joke, they really were strained to near the breaking point. And if they had snapped that just would have added more problems to his, and their, list. Smokescreen was going to have to take his physical therapy a lot slower, lest something like this happen again.
"Looks like it's been about an hour, I should probably check and see how they're doing."
He really hoped they wouldn't have to do this sort of thing again, it was a massive waste of coolant and they didn't really have any other options.
"Alright, how are things going in...here...?" As the doors slid open Knock Out stepped in and froze at the sight that greeted his optics. Smokescreen was still sitting in the makeshift tub, but Bumblebee had apparently crawled in with him at some point and was sitting in between the other bot's legs. And his servos were down under the coolant and-nope, nope he was not even going to follow that line of thought any farther than it went.
"You know, I'm not even going to ask because I don't want to know," he said, holding his servos aloft and closing his eyes. "You two, finish whatever it is you're doing, I'm going to wait outside." Slowly, he backed out of the room, spinning on his strut as to turn away as the door closed behind.
He definitely should not have left them unsupervised.
Notes:
Smokescreen's hospital experience is brought to you by the author's own experience (to a degree). You do end up on a daily schedule, at least in my case, do get woken up at like, 6:30/7am.
I can't take full credit for the naming scheme of the Vehicons. I was inspired by CyberRaven take on it in their fic Adopt-obots & Defect-icons (which u should read it's good). I didn't want to keep referring to them as 'he' or 'them' or 'Vehicon'.
cadule = thigh
tibule = calves (according to the guide I found)I swear we will get back to the thing I dropped at the end of ch 4 lmao
Chapter 8
Notes:
In which a very big discovery is made.
This chapter is a lot shorter than usual but that's because I had a very specific ending point in mind.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Smokescreen was falling. Or floating. Drifting alone in space and darkness.
A twinge rippled through his body and it felt like something was reaching into his chest, deep, deep into his core and pulling. It pulled and pulled and pulled, as if it was trying to rip his very spark out. Or maybe it was his spark that was trying to pull itself out.
SNAP
The pulling stopped and he was floating again, painless and free.
A spark appeared before his eyes. Tiny and flickering, a weak little ember, barely burning. So, so, tiny it was dwarfed by his servos as he cupped it between them, watching as it danced along his finger tips.
As he watched it move, he felt inexplicably drawn to it, drawing it in close to his chest, almost protectively.
Smokescreen's optics flickered to life, the ceiling of his room slowly sliding into focus.
"Ah, you're awake. Sleep well?" asked Knock Out from somewhere to his right.
"Mmmm. I think so?" Smokescreen raised a servo to his face, dragging it down slowly. Weird, he could have sworn he'd had a dream, but that couldn't be right, he wasn't supposed to be dreaming.
Oh well, it wasn't like he could remember it anyways, the remnants of the dream slipping away like sand in his servos. He grunted as he lifted himself up with his arms, sitting up a bit more. "Ugh, I think I'm working too hard. Even though I slept all night, I still feel tired."
Knock Out glanced over at him, looking him up and down, then back to the diagnostics. "I'll make sure to increase your fuel. You energy levels do look a bit lower than they should be."
"You think it's all the moving I've been doing?"
After the disaster that had been his swollen cables, he'd been made to take it a bit slower on the walking, so as not to stress them out like that again. They'd also decided it might be better to have him work on simply being able to sit up, both pulling himself into a sitting position and just, sitting. Even though he wasn't walking as far, all the physio was keeping him active enough, more active than if he was just laying around.
"Most likely. How do you feel otherwise?"
"Fine."
The doors slid open as R0Y rolled in, pushing Smokescreen's morning fuel.
"Hold still a moment," said Knock Out, suddenly pulling the Vehicon aside and scanning him with something in his servo.
"I-uh-is something wrong?" asked the bot, startled.
Knock Out was quiet a moment as he looked at something on the scanner's screen before shaking his head and giving a dismissive wave. "No-no. I think there's just a bug in one of the programs. Carry on." He swiped some files from the desk before rolling out.
Knock Out hadn't been too surprised to see Smokescreen still asleep when he walked in that morning, if there was one thing he'd discovered it was that Smokescreen was about as much of a morning bot as he was. Which was to say not at all. If Smokescreen could have slept in, he certainly would have.
And he had been working hard, getting more and more mobile as the days went by, so Knock Out let him sleep a little longer while he ran the scans and diagnostics.
They were all normal looking, all things considered; his energy levels and Energon levels were a bit lower than he would have liked, but that was an easy fix, and as Smokescreen had surmised, probably a result of his increasing activity. Nothing that worried him.
So he'd been able to mark all clear till he got to the last scan and saw...something. An anomaly the likes of which he'd never seen before.
A glitch, it had to be some kind of glitch or bug in the system, that was the only explanation. Well it wasn't like running a new scan was hard. Except it turned up again.
So he scanned himself quickly, just to make sure. Except, that came back normal, the anomaly wasn't there.
And he scanned the Vehicon bringing in the morning meal, for a bigger sample size. And no anomaly.
Which meant, despite it all, it couldn't be a glitch, it was something to do with Smokescreen. But, that didn't make sense. What could even explain this?
Grabbing the memory disc with the results he rolled off towards the main control room. He didn't like the idea of doing this, as it was far too early in the morning, but he needed more experienced optics to look at this and tell him what they thought. He needed to call Ratchet.
With Smokescreen's care decided upon and not likely to change soon, Ratchet had returned to Earth, he did still have things to take care of there after all, but had said to alert him if anything changed. And well, this was definitely a change and definitely something he needed to see.
"Alright, alright, everyone go take a break or something, I need to make a call," he said, quickly dismissing the few bots milling around the computers. "That means you too Soundwave."
The mute bot turned to face him, head tilting to one side curiously as a ? flashed up on his visor. "It's classified patient information, for medical bot optics and audio receptors only. You wouldn't want your private medical details to be spread around would you?"
Soundwave stared at him for a moment before withdrawing his limbs from the computer system and stalking towards the doors silently.
Once everyone was out of the room, Knock Out shut and locked the doors so as to avoid unwanted guests, and set about calling up Ratchet. Hopefully he wouldn't be to cranky about being woken up.
After a few clicks, Ratchet's face appeared on screen, looking only slightly annoyed. Oop, he supposed he had woken him up after all. Oh well.
"Knock Out, have you any idea how early it is? If you're calling it had better be good."
"I suppose that all depends on what these results from Smokescreen mean," said Knock Out.
That got him, and annoyance turned to concern in an instant. "Is something wrong with Smokescreen?"
"I don't think so but, that's what I'm calling you for. I need you to look at something for me and tell me what you think." He clicked the data chip into the computer and began to type, sending the relevant data to Ratchet. "It's from Smokescreen's latest scan, this morning."
Ratchet 'hmm'ed thoughtfully as Knock Out worked, the reports flicking up a few clicks later. "Which one is it?" he asked, flicking through the files.
"The very last one, the body scan, specifically the one of his spark chamber."
Ratchet scrunched his face up in thought as he looked it over. His eyebrows raised slightly as he looked up at Knock Out skeptically. "This looks like a system bug."
"What's what I thought but look," he sent over the other scans he'd taken. "This is a scan of myself and another bot, and it's perfectly normal. And I scanned Smokescreen twice. It only shows up on him."
"So it's not a bug?"
"Not unless Smokescreen can somehow make the program bug out for him and him alone, no."
Ratchet frowned in thought, resting his chin on the back of his hands. "Has he presented with symptoms of any kind?"
Knock Out was about to answer no, Smokescreen was fine, but paused. "Well...he has been a bit more lethargic than usual, and his energy and Energon levels were a bit on the low side. But I assumed that was just a side effect of him getting more active."
"And nothing else?"
Knock Out shook his head, "Nothing I could see. He seems quite well otherwise."
"Have you told him yet?"
"No, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I thought you might have some idea on what this is."
Ratchet sigh, running a servo over his face plates. "Unfortunately I'm just as out of my wheel house as you on this one."
"Shall I space bridge you in?"
"Give me a few clicks to get my things."
"Alright."
Knock Out pulled up the scan again, as if studying it would somehow answer whatever questions he had about it.
Given that the problem had all started due to Smokescreen's spark being very weak, and then getting a power surge from Bumblebee, they'd decided to keep an eye on it just to make sure nothing was wrong with it. And it had been fine, looking completely normal.
Up until he took the regular scan that morning and opened up the results. The scan of Smokescreen's spark chamber. It looked, at a first glance, to be a normal scan. The chamber itself was undamaged and the spark inside healthy and bright, as it should have been. And then, he'd noticed it.
There, in Smokescreen's spark chamber, orbiting his own spark, was a much smaller, second spark.
Notes:
*sips tea*
So. Did anyone figures out what I was laying down back in ch 4? :>Ye.
also I finally get to update the damn tags.
Chapter Text
A second spark.
Knock Out had no idea how to even to begin to explain that one, he'd barely managed to explain it to Ratchet. If he hadn't seen it with his own two optics he wouldn't have believed it himself. And yet there it was, a second smaller spark in Smokescreen's spark case, orbiting his own spark.
If the look on Ratchet's face was anything to go on, this was new territory to him as well.
He sighed as they reached the room, time to get this over with.
The doors slid open and they were greeted to the sight of Smokescreen, sitting on the edge of the now horizontal berth, engaged in a game of cards with Bumblebee and the two Vehicons that had been helping with his physical therapy, R0Y and J03.
The sound of the door caught Smokescreen's attention, pulling it away from the cards. "Oh, you're back already. Ratchet? What brings you here?"
"We didn't interrupt anything did we?" asked Knock Out, optics flicking between the small group.
"Only me getting my skidplate beaten at cards," said Smokescreen with a sigh.
"Good, then you can take a break, because there's something we need to talk to you about," said Ratchet. "Which means you lot need to clear out."
R0Y and J03 exchanged a look with each other and then Smokescreen, who just shrugged. "Doctor's orders, sorry."
"You probably need a break from getting your skidplate beat anyways," said R0Y with a shrug before turning to Bumblebee.
"No, he stays," said Knock Out.
"It's uh, conjunx privileges!" blurted Bumblebee quickly, earning more than a few raised eyebrow looks.
"O-oh, right, we'll be off then," said J03 as they quickly gathered up the cards and vacated the room.
Ratchet cocked an eyebrow, "Conjunx?"
"It just slipped out," said Bumblebee, fans spinning furiously as soft vents puffed away. "I didn't know what else to say. But, why DO I get to stay?"
"You mean aside from the fact that Smokescreen's going to tell you anyways?" asked Knock Out with a shrug. They were practically joined at the hip, even if they had kicked Bee out, Smokescreen was likely to tell him as soon as he could. Or insist he stay anyways.
"What's, what's going on?" asked Smokescreen, looking between the doctors. "Is something wrong? You said my scans looked fine."
"They do, for the most part," said Knock Out, shifting about on his pedes as he spoke. "Ratchet, why don't you field this one?"
Ratchet rolled his eyes. "Making me do your job," he muttered. "It as Knock Out said, all of your results do look normal, except for one. There's no other way to say so I'll just be blunt. Smokescreen, you seem to have a second spark."
Smokescreen wasn't sure he had heard Ratchet properly. A second spark? That wasn't possible, he only had one, every bot only had one, everyone knew that. But now Ratchet was saying there was a second one inside of him.
"That's...are you sure? That's not possible."
"I thought the same thing too but," Knock Out pulled the results up on the computer screen. "As you can see, it's very much there."
Smokescreen turned his attention to the computer screen and the image on it. An image of his spark chamber and spark, and sure enough there was indeed a much smaller spark hovering near his.
"I-I don't understand. How?" he asked, looking between the doctors.
"That's the problem," said Ratchet. "I don't know. I've never seen anything like this before."
Smokescreen's servos shook as he gripped his knees. Something that even Ratchet had never seen? That couldn't possibly be anything good. Ratchet knew like, everything.
"That said, just looking at your test results, it doesn't seem as if it's detrimental to your wellbeing. Even your lower than usual energy and Energon levels are barely cause for concern," said Ratchet, trying to sound reassuring.
"So it's...not dangerous?"
"Right now? It doesn't seem to be."
"Well, can you remove it?"
Ratchet shook his head. "If it were anywhere else perhaps. But your spark chamber? And not knowing what it is or how it'll affect you? That's not a risk I want to take unless I have no other choice. As it stands, for all we know it IS just part of your spark and will simply be reabsorbed harmlessly on its own. And if it is harmless, I'd rather not risk doing anything that could harm you."
"So, we just wait then?"
Ratchet placed a gentle servo on his shoulder. "I know it's not ideal. But we won't let any harm come to you. We'll wait, and monitor it in case it changes."
Smokescreen pressed a servo to his chest. A spark, a second one, inside his spark chamber. What did it mean? Was it just a harmless fragment of his own? Was it something else entirely? Would it go away on its own? Would it get worse? So many questions flew around his processor, and not one of them had an answer.
"Why me? Just when I think I'm getting better, something else crops up." He shook his head, putting it in his servos.
"Trust us Smokescreen," said Ratchet. "We'll get to the bottom of this."
"You don't...think this has anything to do with what I did, do you?" asked Bee, wringing his servos together. "You know, using my spark's energy to, give his a boost?" An awkward, tense silence descended on the room, Ratchet shifting about on his feet almost anxiously while Smokescreen looked from Bee, to him and Knock Out, the latter two of which didn't surprised to hear what Bee had done.
"Bumblebee I really don't think that-" began Ratchet before Knock Out cut in.
"It could be, but it also could be unrelated."
"Knock Out!"
"What? There's no point in lying. You said it yourself, we don't know what caused this. It could have happened on its own, or it could be related. I don't know, you don't know. At this point, can we really rule anything out?"
Smokescreen's servos tightened, digits pressing into his helm. This was all to much, way to much to take in. The raised voices were all just a cacophony of noise in his audio processors.
"Get out!" He slapped his servos on his knees as he raised his head. "If there's nothing else then just-just get out! Everyone!" How was he supposed to process all of this with everyone talking around him, not even TO him but just, talking?
He sunk his head back into his servos again, wings drooping against his back. Why him, why did all this scrap have to happen to him? If it wasn't one thing it was another. How many more new things were going to crop up to mess with his recovery? He just wanted to heal, to finally get out of this place. Why couldn't the universe let him catch a break?
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.
"Just give him some time Bumblebee," said Ratchet, placing a servo on Bumblebee's head as they stood outside the room. Bumblebee looked especially dejected to have been kicked from the room, head hanging and door wings drooping.
"Well that could have gone better," said Knock Out, folding his arms across his chest.
"You could have been a little more tactful," hissed Ratchet, jabbing a finger in his direction.
"What, by lying about his condition? Face it doctor, we're all out of our wheelhouse here."
Ratchet huffed, a loud, deeply annoyed vent. "I hate to admit it, but you're right. I'm going to have to do some research, see if I can find out if anything like this ever happening before."
Knock Out grumbled, rocking on his feet. "I can, look through the computer logs, see what I can find. Megatron may have been a tyrant, but he was at least efficient about logging anything and everything."
There was a soft thump as Bumblebee slid to the floor, back against the wall and head hanging between his knees and hands on the back of his helm.
"I should have kept my stupid mouth shut. He probably hates me now."
Knock Out laughed and rolled his eyes. "I doubt that."
"Knock Out's right. Just, give him some time to cool off."
Bumblebee just 'hmm'd thoughtfully as he sat there, leaning his cheek on his knee.
With no small amount of effort, Smokescreen hauled himself off the medical berth and dragged himself the few steps over to the computer terminal, where the scan results were still pulled up.
The second spark, it was so small. Maybe Ratchet was right and it was just a part that had flaked off. Maybe sparks just did that sometimes? It wasn't like every bot got scanned every single day to have ever noticed if this ever happened before. If it was something like that, like Ratchet said, then it could have happened to any number of bots without them knowing.
One servo gripping the table for support, he reached out and placed the tips of his digits on the screen gingerly. The image wasn't to scale, obviously enough, but even so, the spark would still have remained smaller than his hand. A tiny point of light.
Sparks were life, that's why everyone had one. So why did he suddenly have two? It couldn't be because he had come back to life. Not only would they have noticed before now, but Bumblebee for sure would have had the same thing, and he had been cleared after his 'dying and coming back' stint.
So what the scrap was it? It wasn't like life was suddenly growing IN him, that was just silly. Primus created new sparks and you needed a protoform to put it in anyways.
But...what if it was?
Hopefully it was just a flake of his own spark, like Ratchet suggested. He wasn't sure what else it could be, some new kind of parasite? Not that he had any idea where he could have picked up something like that.
With a grunt he hauled his way back to the medical berth to sit down.
"Hey, Bee?" he tapped into his private comm link with Bee. "Think you could...come back to talk? I-I didn't mean to yell at you like that."
"Smokescreen?"
"I'm not mad at you, I swear. I'm just...I don't know."
"Lucky for you," the doors to the room slid open. "I didn't go far."
His wings wiggled excitedly and his spark warmed at the sight of Bee.
"Are you really not mad at me?" asked Bee as he made his way towards Smokescreen, sitting on the edge of the berth.
"No. Just a bit overwhelmed. Although, I have a few questions for you."
Bee sighed as hopped up onto the edge of the berth beside Smokescreen. "Yeah, I had a feeling you would."
"So, first of all, what did you mean when you said you gave my spark a boost with yours?"
Bee's door wings twitched as he looked down at his servos. "You'd been, effectively offline for months Smokey. You weren't getting worse, but you weren't getting better either. I was scared, I was afraid you might never wake up, or that one day you would go offline." He gripped his servos tightly as he spoke, optics shrinking. "They said the problem was that your spark was too weak to support you, if it tried more than it was doing it would go out. And I thought...I thought, well I have a perfectly good, strong spark. And maybe, since we're, connected and all, maybe it could lend you a bit of power or something. Like a jump start." He shook his head. "I don't know. I just didn't want to lose you, and nothing else was working."
"That sounds, really risky," said Smokescreen. "Weren't you worried you might...you know...drain your spark or something?"
"I know, Knock Out AND Ratchet lectured me already about that. And I was but..." he released a shuddery vent. "If it did fail, like epically fail, at least we'd be together when we joined the Allspark. At least that's what I told myself." He pressed his palms to his optics, fluid tricking down his face plates. "I just wanted to see you again. I couldn't take the not knowing, the uncertainty, any more. I was desperate."
Smokescreen felt his spark twist and writhe in his chest. Oh. It really must have been hard on Bee, hadn't it? Reaching an arm out, he wrapped it around Bee's shoulders, pulling him close to his chest. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. You didn't know. You couldn't have known you'd end up like...that."
"Until you told me how long I was out, I didn't even know," said Smokescreen. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been."
"I came by every day to see you, to talk to you. I just wanted to be there, when you woke up. Or, Primus forbid, went offline." He turned his head, nuzzling into Smokescreen's chest as he dropped his hands, leaning into him. "I just felt so helpless, I wanted to do...something."
"I mean, it seems like it did work," said Smokescreen. "I'm still here, and awake. It...didn't hurt you did it?"
Bee shook his head, "No, Knock Out said I just needed a few good recharges. I didn't think it had done anything else to you but...now I'm not sure. Like, did part of my spark break off? Did part of yours break off?"
"I've never heard of sparks doing that," said Smokescreen. "Surely if one of us had lost a part of their spark, we'd feel it right? And I don't feel anything different, do you?"
Bee shook his head, "No, nothing."
"Maybe it is just a harmless thing, like Ratchet said." He leaned his chin on Bee's head with a sigh. "I hope so. I don't even want to think about what else it could be if not that."
"Between Ratchet and Knock Out, I'm sure they'll figure something out," said Bee. "Now, you said you had questions?"
"Oh. Yes, one more. What-what was that about earlier, about being my conjunx?"
Bee's fans started spinning loudly and he looked down, mortified. "I already said, I just needed an explanation to get them out of the room, something that was more than 'well he just likes me' or 'because I'm special'. And it was just the first thing that came to mind."
"But, did you mean it?" asked Smokescreen, moving back and tilting Bee's head up to look at him. "Do you...really want that. To-to be my conjunx?"
"Someday, I hope," said Bee, "If-if that's where you want to take this."
"I mean...aren't we like, half way there anyways?" asked Smokescreen. "I mean, we've got the Act of Intimacy in spades."
Bee laughed, "Yeah, for sure," he replied. "And, I guess, my story about Tyger Pax, and yours about, why you gave up the Matrix would count for the Act of Disclosure."
"We don't have to do them all in order do we?" asked Smokescreen. "Because, I don't think we've done any kind of gift giving, but I'd say you risking your own spark for mine should count for an Act of Devotion."
"I don't think so. Beside, who would know if we didn't do it in order? Only us, and as long as we get it all done, I don't care if it's out of order." He sighed softly, door wings relaxing a bit. "Feel any better yet?"
"I think so," said Smokescreen. "It's just, one thing after another."
"It'll get better, I'm sure of it," said Bee. "I mean, you're already doing better at walking."
"I'm still left sore and tired after," he grumbled. Not nearly as sore as he had been mind you, but he still felt the aches in his lower extremities once he was finally sitting or laying back down.
"You're still improving though," said Bee. "Now you only need to lean on one of them. And you're getting better at standing unsupported as well." He leaned up and kissed Smokescreen's cheek. "So give yourself some credit. Soon you'll be walking free."
"I hope you're right Bee, I hope you're right."
'It'll go away on its own.' That's what Smokescreen kept telling himself about the second spark. 'It'll go away' and 'it's harmless'.
With his fuel intake increased he hadn't been as tired and Knock Out couldn't find anything else wrong with him so, whatever this spark was, it wasn't hurting him. Which was a small comfort.
Ratchet had decided this time to not go back to Earth, spending his time digging through whatever records he could find, or have brought to him, in the hopes of finding something. Thus far he wasn't particularly successful.
Although he HAD succeeded in nearly scaring the spark right out Smokescreen one day when he came into the room, followed by Soundwave. Which was how he found out that no one had informed Smokescreen about the return of the Decepticon intelligence agent, or what he'd been doing for them. Somehow, in all the time they'd been talking and all the things Bumblebee had been filling him in on, he had managed to neglect to tell him about Soundwave's return. Something Bumblebee was incredibly apologetic about they next time he saw Smokescreen.
That had been awkward to say the least. Smokescreen spent the whole time just watching Soundwave as he helped Ratchet locate what he needed in the computers. All Soundwave did was acknowledge him with a small nod in his direction shortly before leaving.
He still wasn't sure what he thought about the mute and faceless 'Con, but as long as he stayed as far away from him as possible, he supposed he could deal with it for now.
Neither doctor was having much luck in researching Smokescreen's current condition, not one of the records aboard the ship seemed to contain anything that remotely resembled what they were looking for.
Well the second spark seemed to be unchanging, Smokescreen was getting more and more ambulatory. While not moving fast, and still needing to take frequent breaks, he was walking. A fact he was quite happy about.
Rest. Fuel. Exercise.
Rest. Fuel. Exercise.
Rest. Fuel. Exercise.
Rest. Fuel. Exercise.
Knock Out was glad that Smokescreen was moving more and more, soon they could finally move him out of the medical bay and into a proper bunk. What he wasn't glad about was the spark seemed to be showing no signs of going away. In fact, he had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't going to go away. Not after what he'd just found.
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
He banged a fist on the door to Ratchet's temporary quarters, hoping to rouse the good doctor from his recharge, no matter how cranky he might be.
"Do you mind?" grumbled the Autobot medic as he opened the doors. "What do you want? And can't it wait until morning?"
Knock Out frowned, uncharacteristically quiet and serious as he pushed past and into his quarters, ignoring any protests thrown his way.
"No, it really can't. I thought you would want to hear this as soon as possible," he said, shutting the door behind him.
"Is something wrong with Smokescreen?"
"I suppose that depends on your definition of 'wrong'," said Knock Out, pulling up something on his wrist mount. "Ratchet. That second spark. It has a sparkbeat."
Notes:
Smokescreen seems to be taking the news well. (:
And if there were any doubts on what the second spark is, well not any more.
Chapter 10
Notes:
mild warning for some, implied sexual content near the end of the chapter
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ratchet thought, for a moment, that his audio processors were finally failing him. There was no way that Knock Out had just said what he'd thought he'd said.
A sparkbeat. One of the most immutable signs of life for any Cybertronian. But, that couldn't be possible.
"Are you sure it wasn't just Smokescreen's own sparkbeat?"
Knock Out rolled his eyes. "I thought you might say that. Look, this is Smokescreen's own sparkbeat." He pulled up a file on his wrist mount, an audio file, which sure enough played the sound of a typical cybertronian heartbeat. "But, when I isolated this particular wavelength from the background, and blocked out Smokescreen's sparkbeat..." Ratchet watched as he dragged a slider around and the sound faded out. Except, there was still another noise. A sparkbeat. It was faster than a normal one, and fainter, but it was still the same telltale pulsing noise. A cybertronian heartbeat.
"Are you telling me, that spark inside of him, is alive??"
"Unless you have another idea about this, yes."
He dragged a servo down his face with a heavy sigh. "Oh Primus help me. What are we even supposed to do?"
They'd been hesitant before to even try removing it from Smokescreen, partly on account of the fact that it wasn't hurting him and partly due to the fact that, as they didn't know how it was connected to him, removing it might do more harm than good.
But now?
A cybertronian body wasn't meant to sustain TWO sparks. But they also couldn't remove it; if it was alive it could very well be connected to Smokescreen, and thus be damaging to him if they did try to remove it. Life-alteringly damaging. But they also couldn't very well leave it in, what if the energy drain became to much for his body to take?
"Does he know?"
Knock Out shook his head. "No, he's resting right now. Figured HE didn't need to hear about it till morning."
"That's, probably a good idea. And it'll give us time to figure out what to do. And how to tell him."
Ratchet dragged a servo down his face with a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I'm beginning to think Primus is pulling some sort of great cosmic joke on us."
By some miracle, Knock Out did manage to get some sleep that night despite everything on his mind. They still hadn't come up with a good way to break the news to Smokescreen, the last thing they wanted was a repeat of the previous time.
Smokescreen appeared to have had a restful recharge cycle, alert, awake and downing his morning rations while Knock Out worked.
"You're awfully quiet this morning Knock Out," he said. "Something on your processor?"
"Hm? No-no, just...working. You focus on you." Ok, so maybe he wasn't doing a good job in masking his anxiousness about the situation.
Normal. Normal. Normal. Everything was looking normal, so far so go-wait. Knock Out stopped and squinted at the result on the screen. Oh dear. This absolutely complicated things.
Glancing back at Smokescreen discreetly, he quickly tapped his comm link twice, switching from verbal to digital communication.
-Knock Out-
Ratchet, I sure hope you're awake. We have a...situation.
-Ratchet-
Did something happen with Smokescreen? Is he alright?
-Knock Out-
Smokescreen is fine. It's...the new spark.
-Ratchet-
Why, what happened?
-Knock Out-
Cybermatter. There's cybermatter around the spark.
-Ratchet-
...I'll be there shortly.
As the last text vanished from his HUD, Knock Out sighed, rubbing his helm with his digits. Oh this was going to be a day for sure.
If there had been any doubt about how alive the spark was before, there wasn't now. A sparkbeat, cybermatter, there was no doubt now that not only was it alive, but it was the beginnings of a protoform.
Now, to figure out how to tell Smokescreen without making him short circuit.
"Oh, Ratchet, what brings you here?" asked Smokescreen. He paused, "Something's not wrong with me, is it?"
"Well, that remains to be seen," said Ratchet. "How do you feel?"
"Up until you walked in, perfectly fine. But now I'm just worried. When both of you show up it usually means something's gone wrong."
Ratchet nodded before turning to Knock Out. "May I see?"
"Help yourself."
"Does it have to do with the second spark?" asked Smokescreen. "If you've shown up, I'm guessing it's not gone."
"No, it's not," said Ratchet as he flipped through the notes that Knock Out had given him. "You may want to stay sitting down Smokescreen."
Smokescreen frowned. "Should I be worried?"
Knock Out shrugged, "Do you think it will help?"
"Knock Out..."
Ratchet shot him a look and he huffed, crossing his arms. What, it wasn't like being worried would help things.
"Anyways, Smokescreen you would be correct in your assessment that the spark has not left, as we thought it might. And recent developments suggest it may not be a mere shed fragment either, as we surmised it could be, but a whole new spark. A living spark."
"A...living spark?" Smokescreen touched his chest with a servo. "I don't understand, how can you tell?"
"Because the spark, has a sparkbeat," said Ratchet.
"And, as of this morning, it seems your body has begun to produce cybermatter around it," said Knock Out. With a few taps, he brought up the most recent scan, showing very clearly, blobs of cybermatter that had begun to form. At the moment it was just small, formless blobs, flecks really, orbiting the tiny spark, barely more than pin pricks. But they very clearly had not been there before.
"That-that, how?" sputtered Smokescreen. "Only Primus, and the Well of Allsparks, can make new life like this. And last time I checked, I wasn't either of those things. I'm not even a Prime anymore, I'm just, Smokescreen."
"And yet, it would seem that all evidence points towards there being a potential protoform growing within you right now," said Ratchet.
Smokescreen pressed his servo to his chest, shaking slightly. "Is-is it dangerous?"
"I really don't know Smokescreen. The fact that you are still in good health is, so far, a good sign, any adverse effects are, at the moment, very minimal. But for the future, I do not have an answer."
"What is with the universe putting things mysteriously inside me?" he exclaimed. "First the omega key, now this!"
"At least the Omega Key was tucked into your subspace, this is right in your spark chamber," said Knock Out.
"Can you...take it out?" asked Smokescreen quietly, after a moment.
Ratchet and Knock Out shared a look. They'd expected this question, it had been asked the first time the new spark had been discovered.
"That's up to you," said Ratchet. "Do you want us to?"
"I...can I think about it?" he asked.
Ratchet nodded, "Of course."
As the door closed behind them, Smokescreen put his head in his servos as he sat on the edge of the berth.
A protoform. There was a protoform growing inside him. How did that sort of thing even happen? Protoforms were grown in incubation pods and hot spots, not inside other Cybertronians.
Was it because of how close he'd been to the Allspark? Because he'd fallen into the Well? Could those have done something to him and the effects were only being seen now?
And more importantly, how was he going to tell Bee?
Lifting his head he looked towards the computer. He'd asked Knock Out to leave the results up before they left, he wanted to look at them himself.
Huffing, he stood up, lumbering over to the computer for a closer look.
Even seeing the scan, seeing what was happening in his chest with his own optics, he still couldn't believe it.
The cybermatter was so distinct despite how small it was, even as it circled the tiny spark.
Reaching one servo out, he touched the screen gently while pressing the other to his chest. A protoform that could fit in his palm, on a finger tip really. He could scarcely imagine it. He'd seen protoforms before but they were never that small. Smaller than the average bot for sure, especially before a spark was put in, but not this small. He'd also never seen one this early in development. All protoforms he'd seen at least resembled a bot in some way. This was just, shapeless, tiny flecks around a spark.
He couldn't even feel it, but maybe that was a good thing.
"Smokescreen?" Bee's voice came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a soft tapping sound. "Can...can I come in? Ratchet and Knock Out said I should ask."
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Is something wrong?" asked Bee as he walked in. "They seemed, a bit off."
Smokescreen sighed, wings flicking up and down a bit. "I dunno yet. But, you might want to sit down," he said as he made his away from the computer. "So we can talk."
"Alright, new question, what is wrong?" he asked, hopping up onto the edge of the medical berth, servos on his knees. "Cause something is on your processor."
Smokescreen looked down as he took a seat beside Bee. "It's that new spark," he said. "It's...well it's still here but..." He placed his servos on Bee's, gripping them steadily as he shuddered. "It's a protoform Bee. There's, there's a protoform, growing inside me. In my spark chamber!"
"Wh-what?"
"The spark, it has a sparkbeat, it has cybermatter. It's...it's alive."
Bee shook his head, "How can that be? That's not...we don't..."
"I know. But, apparently it IS happening." He pointed to the computer screen. "Look for yourself."
Wordlessly, Bee made his way over to the computer to investigate while Smokescreen stayed put. He still had to decide what he wanted to do about the protoform.
When he'd first been told about the new spark he just wanted it gone. He did not want to deal with any more complications. He'd just gotten back, so to speak, he didn't want to have to deal with threats to his life again.
But this? Wherever it had come from, this new spark, this protoform, it was innocent. It hadn't asked to be put there any more than he had asked for it to be there. Was the idea of it scary? Hell yes. Made only more so given that Ratchet and Knock Out seemed as clueless about all this as he was. But it was, kind of exciting in a way. It was something new. Something special.
And, wasn't the point of saving Cybertron, of bringing back the Allspark, so that new life could flourish and grow once more? And with all the sparks lost in the war, he wasn't sure he could bring himself to snuff out another.
"So, what's going to happen?" asked Bee, sitting back down beside him.
"I...I kind of want to see what happens," said Smokescreen, servo pressed to his chest.
"What?!"
"I mean, it's not hurting me, Knock Out even said so. And-and, I'm just curious, you know?"
"Are you sure? It sounds dangerous. I mean, protoforms can get big, what if it gets TOO big? What if it does become harmful?"
"Bee..." He placed his servos back on Bee's gently. "If something happens, we'll deal with it then. I trust Ratchet and Knock Out to make sure I don't die. But, what if nothing goes wrong? I mean, isn't this what we were fighting for in the first place? To bring life back to Cybertron?"
"Yeah, but, I don't think this was how we expected to make it happen," said Bee with a soft, wobbling laugh, though he still didn't exactly sound convinced.
"Maybe not but, it is happening. And I want to see what happens. I think the never knowing would be so much worse."
Bee's door wings drooped a little bit, and his optics shrank a bit in worry. "I suppose. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"Oh, not a fragging clue. But when have I ever?"
Bee snorted, "I suppose that's true."
"I guess Primus decided I should have something to be responsible for since I gave up the Matrix," said Smokescreen with a soft, nervous laugh. "Just wish he'd left me some instructions. Or at least a heads up."
"When has Primus ever done anything that wasn't mysterious?" asked Bee.
Smokescreen laughed, that was true, it seemed it always had to be mysterious in whatever it did.
"I just hope you're right about this," said Bee softly, a note of worry clinging to his voice. "I really hope you're right."
"So, you really intend to see this through?" asked Knock Out.
When Smokescreen had announced that he did, in fact, want to keep this strange, new protoform and see it through, the doctors were rather surprised. Especially given his reaction when he'd first learned about the new spark. He seemed to be tackling this change in the news very well all things considered.
"You know, when Optimus lectured you about putting others before yourself...I'm not sure this is what he had in mind," said Ratchet with a sigh.
"I know," said Smokescreen. "But I want to do this. I want to see what happens. If-if something does go wrong we can, deal with that. But, if it doesn't go wrong? That's a whole new life. I want to know."
Ratchet rubbed his brow with one hand, sighing heavily. "I...suppose this will give us a chance to at least study this-this...sparkling, and learn more about it," he said. "On the off chance that this somehow happens again in the future."
"Sparkling?" Smokescreen tilted his head curiously.
"Well, it's not a regularly made protoform, it was born spark first. A new spark, a sparkling," explained Ratchet, very matter of factly.
"Sparkling huh..." Smokescreen rolled the word around his vocalizer. He liked the way it sounded. And it fit.
"Don't think this means you get a reprieve from your exercise," said Ratchet. "If anything, you need to keep it up more now."
"When do you think I can start working on my wings?" asked Smokescreen. "I don't want them to get rusty or atrophied either." Small twitches and movement was bout the best he'd been allowed and able to do.
Ratchet made a calm down motion with his hands, "Eyp-yip-yip-yip. Just, work on being able to walk first. You need to be able to walk in case something happens while flying after all." He looked over at Knock Out, "There's some kind of, exercise room around here right?"
"Of course. Why?"
"Well, once Smokescreen's feeling up for walking longer lengths, it might be worth considering moving his physical therapy there. More space to move around, stretch, do some weight lifting exercises."
"Man, you're gonna run me ragged doc," said Smokescreen with a sigh.
"I don't mean all at the same time," he said. "And, getting you a proper room, you probably don't need to be living in here anymore."
"He could share mine," suggested Bee, before adding. "There's space enough."
"And it would make it easier to keep an eye on him at night," said Knock Out. "Especially since we need to start cutting back on the dampeners. On a normal bot it's fine, but who knows what sort of effect it'll have on that sparkling."
"It almost sounds like you're not sticking around," said Smokescreen, looking over at Ratchet.
"I'm not. I have a hypothesis I wish to investigate, which requires me to do some research, back on Earth. Knock Out is plenty capable of keeping up with your care in my absence."
The discussion continued on a bit longer, hashing out a new work out routine for Smokescreen, adjustments to his fuel, mostly medical talk.
Bee led him to his recharge quarters so he knew where it was, and to prove it was roomy enough for two. Maybe a little cozy but that was fine.
Then they made their way to the workout room, though with some assistance for Smokescreen, who was beginning to feel it in his knees and back. It was a large, nice enough room, plenty of space for whatever one needed to do, and Smokescreen had a feeling he was going to be seeing a lot of it in the coming cycles. At least it was a new set of walls for him to get used to seeing.
Smokescreen really, really wanted to enjoy his first night sleeping in a place that wasn't the medical bay, and his first night in sharing Bee's quarters. It really hadn't been that hard to expand the berth to make room for Smokescreen, so it was decided he'd stay there.
Unfortunately by the time they finally turned in for the night, he was exhausted and could barely keep his optics open. The pitfalls of exercise.
"Will you be mad if I conk out now?" he asked, tilting his head to look at Bee as he lay on the berth. "I'm beat."
Bee placed a servo on his helm gently, rubbing it soothingly. "It's alright, you had a long day."
"Sorry to clock out so early," said Smokescreen, optics flickering as he began to drift into recharge.
Bee just smiled softly before leaning down and kissing the side of his head. "Rest well," he said. Carefully, he wiggled down, making himself comfortable beside Smokescreen as he reached an arm across him, placing a servo on on Smokescreen's as he nuzzled up to him. He too, would have liked to have enjoyed Smokescreen's company more in their first night there, but this was fine too, he'd missed getting to be this close with him.
Actually, now that he thought of it, this was the first time they'd actually shared quarters. They'd had their own back on Earth, and due to trying to keep their relationship under wraps, had never spent the night together. And while they'd had that one evening together after Megatron's defeat it didn't really count since very little sleeping actually happened. And then once they'd landed on Cybertron they'd only spent a few days together, with their own quarters, before Smokescreen had had to leave to find the Allspark. And well, they hadn't exactly been able to share anything after that.
'Plenty of lost time to make up for,' he thought as he nuzzled close, leaning into Smokescreen's side as he too eventually drifted into recharge.
A wave of fear/dread rippled through Smokescreen's circuits, jolting him awake abruptly with a loud venting noise.
At the same time, Bee made a whirring noise, cracking his own optics open.
"You ok?" he asked.
"I think so?" replied Smokescreen. "I think I had...a dream? I felt, scared all of a sudden? I don't really remember, it's all a blur."
Bee curled his servo around Smokescreen's, both resting on his chest. "Just go back to sleep. It's late."
Smokescreen flicked a sleepy look at his internal clock and winced. It was late, the dead hours of the night. Shifting his position he drew closer to Bee, squeezing his servo as he pulled him in.
He tried to brush off the lingering feelings, there was no reason for them, it was just a dream(?), it wasn't real.
As he drifted back into recharge, he didn't see how Bee pushed closer to him, closing his optics as he hid his face against his chest plate. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "Didn't mean to wake you."
By the time he woke up proper the next morning, the dream, or whatever it had been, was all but forgotten. Bee was curled in his arms, comfortably entwined with him, one leg draped over Smokescreen's.
"Comfy?" asked Smokescreen, bumping his head against Bee's.
"Shhhhh. Let me enjoy this a bit longer before we gotta get up," mumbled Bee, wrapping his arm farther around Smokescreen as he buried his face into his chestplate.
"I'll take that as a yes."
Eventually, Bee, somewhat unwillingly, extracted himself from Smokescreen's hold, slowly stretching out as he sat up, door wings wiggling up and down as he rolled his shoulders.
"Ok ok, I guess we should get up," he said. "Before someone comes looking for us."
Smokescreen groaned as he sat up, rubbing his lower back as he stretched. The one downside to exercise were the feelings that came with it the day after, all the stiffness and soreness it entailed. As Bee loosened himself up, Smokescreen looked in his direction, watching him for a moment before he reached over, catching his servo with his own before leaning in and pressing a kiss to his mouth. The only warning Bee got was a soft murmur of his name, enough to make him look in Smokescreen's direction in time to be kissed.
"Smoke...we don't have time."
"Yes we do. Knock Out won't be expecting us for at least an hour," he said, leaning his helm on Bee's. He'd checked the time, they were still more than early. "Indulge me a little?"
"Convince me then," purred Bee, dragging a free servo down his chest.
Smokescreen leaned in again, pressing another kiss to his mouth, but this time, he went for something more. He pressed deeper, prying Bee's derma apart with his own before his glossa slipped inside. It brushed along Bee's, dragged against the inside of his mouth and before he could react, Bee grabbed him by the back of his head, holding him close as he kissed back, fans beginning to pick up speed as he returned the gesture in kind.
There was a thud as Bee fell back onto the berth, still holding onto Smokescreen, who hovered over him, bracing himself with his servos on either side of Bee.
"You make a...compelling argument," murmured Bee as their dermas parted. He hooked his legs around Smokescreen's waist, pressing him closer. "Convince me more."
"If you're going to twist my arm about it..." Smokescreen leaned down and kissed him again, Bee's servos dragging against the back of his helm, down his neck towards his wings. Fingertips teased the base of his wing struts and Smokescreen shuddered, nerves practically sparking with each touch as his systems tried to process the sensation. His wings rotated up and down, twitching at Bee's touch as his vents flared and roared, engine rumbling appreciatively.
Bee gave a soft yelp as Smokescreen grabbed his waist, digits pressing into his sides, just under the edge of his plating.
Smokescreen had really only intended to kiss him, to cuddle him; they could easily spend an hour just cuddling and kissing and Smokescreen would have been more than happy, he'd missed being able to do that. But then Bee had to tease him, to egg him on, to draw him in closer. And now all he wanted, all he could think about was the bot under him and dragging those wonderful sounds of pleasure out of him. And if the way Bee's back arched at his touch and as their hips ground together, was any indication, he was more than eager to egg Smokescreen on to get what he wanted.
And well, as Smokescreen leaned in again, kissing him again, a hand drifting along the back of a leg, teasing the edge of his plates, well he was more than happy to oblige Bee's whims and desires.
"Alright, everything looks on the up and up here," said Knock Out. "So finish up with that," he gestured to the fuel Smokescreen was still consuming, "and get out of here."
"Just can't get rid of me fast enough huh?" asked Smokescreen, grabbing the cup of nutrient solution. Strange, had they changed up the formula? He hadn't paid much attention but, it wasn't tasting nearly as awful as it had been.
Finishing up he made his way towards the door, when Knock Out spoke up again.
"By the by, a word to the wise. If you intended to have a quick frag before going somewhere, do make sure to allot some time for cooling off and proper cleaning afterwords," he said, a note of smugness in his voice before a rag slapped Smokescreen across the back of his head, falling onto his shoulder. "You reek of coolant and transfluid. To say nothing of your raised temperature."
His fans whirred furiously in embarrassment as he grabbed at the cloth, furiously dabbing at himself while Knock Out could only laugh.
"Well, at least you're feeling better."
It was only a short while after Smokescreen had left, blessedly cleaner and cooler than when he'd arrived, that Bumblebee of all bots showed up.
"And what brings you in here?" asked Knock Out, looking up from the tools he'd been cleaning and arranging. Of all the bots to walk in the door, he hadn't expected it to be him.
"You're a cosmetic surgeon, right?"
"Before I was dragged aboard this vessel to take of Megatron's care, yes that was my primary stock and trade. Upgrades, modifications, face lifts, the whole works." He tilted his head in Bumblebee's direction. "Why do you ask?"
Bumblebee glanced around, as if looking for someone before turning back to Knock Out.
"I have a favour to ask."
Notes:
What is Bee up to? I guess we'll find out. At a later date. :p
Chapter Text
Smokescreen groaned as he lay on the floor of the work out room. This was so humiliating. This was worse than being back in Elite Guard training. At least back then he could do more than 10 pushups before collapsing on the ground .
" You ok Smokescreen?" asked R0Y, tapping his back gently with a finger. "I'm pretty sure that's not how you're meant to do pushups."
" All the walking, all the weight lifting and grip practise , and I'm stilling finding new ways to find out that I'm out of shape," he groaned. "Oh, I hope Ratchet's research trip is doing better than this."
...
Despite Ratchet having decided to stay on Earth to help out, and be there in case of rogue Decepticon attacks, he'd been making plenty of trips back to Cybertron anyways over the last year, starting with shortly after the Autobots had left for it.
And it seemed like, after that, every few weeks or months he would get called back for something. Past the first incident-a surprise Predacon attack followed up by the return of Unicron himself-and one about a month or so back when he found out that Smokescreen had awakened from his coma, he didn't generally share to many details on what he was doing. "Doctor stuff" was the most that Jack, or any of the kids, had managed to wiggle out of him, along with confirmation that yes their Autobot friends were still quite alive. Busy, but alive.
So Jack wasn't overly surprised when Ratchet came back from another unscheduled trip to Cybertron and didn't offer any answer beyond 'they needed my medical expertise on something'.
What DID surprise him was what he did a few days after returning .
"Jack, is your mother going to come by anytime soon?" he asked.
"My-my mom? Why?"
"Doctor to doctor, I need to pick her mind about a few things," said Ratchet.
"I uh, can ask," said Jack, reaching for his phone. What could Ratchet possibly want to talk to his mother about? Sure they were both medical professionals, but they studied vastly different things. Human medicine couldn't be of any use for a Cybertronian, could it? "Yeah, looks like she can swing by after her shift."
Ratchet nodded. "Thank you, Jack."
Sure enough, she did swing by the base after her shift at work and within minutes, she and Ratchet were deeply engrossed in conversation. A conversation Jack was doing his best to listen in on , while also trying to look like he was studying. If he didn't pass this history final, HE would be history.
U nfortunately it was not working as well as he would have liked. His mom was up on a platform so they could more easily talk face to face, which meant their voices were not that loud, even in the large, quiet base.
"What'cha doing there Jack?" said Miko, loudly and abruptly right in his ear , causing him to yelp and nearly fall out off the couch he'd been sitting on.
"Miko!"
The girl grinned like a cheshire cat, seemingly very pleased with the reaction she'd gotten.
"You didn't answer my question. What'cha doing, cause it's clearly not this," she tapped the text books in front of him.
"I was trying to listen to them," he gestured to Ratchet and his mom.
Miko craned her neck, looking past him for a moment, then back to him. "So, what's the doc squad talking about?"
"At the moment? The most clinical and dry description of...human reproduction I've ever heard. It makes health class sound like a party."
Miko scrunched up her face, "Why are they talking about that? Can robots even get pregnant? Or have babies? " She pondered for a moment, "Maybe someone IS having a baby. I mean, Ratchet has been making a lot of trips back."
"No, that's not how new Cybertronians are made."
This time it was Miko's turn to yelp like a startled cat. Despite early teenage puberty having hit Raf like a truck, and giving him, in Miko's own words, ' proportions befitting an orangutan more than a boy ' , he somehow still managed to be able to sneak up on them. Over the past year, Raf had shot up like a weed, now nearly as tall as Miko and all gangly limb s . His hair was as much of a wild mess as ever though , nothing he did seemed to tame it. At least, thought Jack, his glasses actually looked proportional to his face.
"Raf! How long have you been standing there?" asked Jack. "And how much did you hear?"
"More than enough. And like I said, that's not how Cybertronians are made."
"And how do you know smart guy?"
Raf adjusted his glasses somewhat awkwardly. "Because Bumblebee told me." They both gave him a bewildered look and he continued. "I was doing my science homework in the back seat and he got curious. And I ended up asking him about where they came from, since they're not built or, you know, born like we are ."
"So, where DO they come from Raf?" asked Jack. It was something he had wondered but had never actually bothered to ask any of them. Especially Arcee. The idea of getting, whatever their equivalent to the 'birds and the bees' talk was just sounded, awkward. Getting the regular one was awkward enough. And he certainly wasn't sure he wanted to hear it from his transforming motorbike friend.
"They're, kinda grown? Like...like test tube babies. He said the planet makes their base forms and their sparks, but they're grown in, something like pods. And they come out, basically full grown , like ... like teenagers, or young adults, not babies."
"Soo, what you're telling me is, no baby robots," said Miko.
"No, there's no baby robots."
She snapped her fingers in disappointment. "Drat. No Bulkhead baby pictures."
"Ok, but that doesn't explain why Ratchet is suddenly interested in all this then," said Jack. "I mean, if robots aren't born the way we are then why is he so interested in, all this? He's even been taking notes. Notes, Raf!"
"Maybe...maybe they found some kind of organic life?" suggested Raf. "But I'm sure there's a reason."
"Which means we're probably never going to hear it," said Jack with a sigh as he threw himself back against the couch. "Ratchet never tells us anything. All that 'doctor-patient confidentiality' business."
T he three kids turned to look over at where Ratchet and Mrs. Darby were still talking, Ratchet nodding and typing away at his wrist mount.
" Maybe the ol' doc is cooking up some kind of mad science experiment," said Miko. "Like a robot-human hybrid!"
Now it was her turn to get the baffled looks, from Jack and Raf.
"I really don't think that's it Miko," said Jack, shaking his head. Not that he had any better ideas, but he really really doubted that Ratchet was concocting weird science experiments on humans in his free time.
At least h e certainly hoped he wasn't.
" So, Ratchet, I have to ask, what's with the sudden interest in human biology?" asked June, leaning on the railing of the platform. "It's not like you to be that interested in, non Cybertron things."
"Oh, it's just, I have some, theories that I'm looking into, is all," he said. "And I thought a bit more information on the subject might help."
"And is it?"
Ratchet sighed, "It...remains to be seen. There are still a couple other avenues I must pursue first. Back on Cybertron."
"If you're leaving again, could you at least bring Bulkhead back the next time you come back?" asked Miko .
"And I see we are being eavesdropped on," he sai d, slowly turning to face the children. He supposed it was only a matter of time, humans were nothing if not curious, and their young especially so.
"Come on, you gotta bring'em back once in a while," said Miko . "It's only fair, since we can't go."
"And everyone is incredibly busy, rebuilding is a tiresome task. That said, I'm more than sure they would enjoy a short reprieve. The only problem is getting it cleared with Ultra Magnus."
"Ah yes, the no fun brigade." Miko folded her arms over her chest, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.
Ratchet's optics softened slightly as he looked down at them. Despite having said that they were 'only a space bridge away' when they'd left, they hadn't really found the time to actually come back and visit. And a lack of appropriately sized space suits meant they couldn't send the kids through to visit either. So it was understandable how lonely the kids had become.
" But I will pass a message along to Bulkhead. Knowing him he won't even ask for permission."
. ..
Smokescreen shifted about anxiously , the medical berth tilt ing back as Knock Out attached a cord to one of his arms.
"So, what are we doing again?" he asked.
Smokescreen had been stretching and working out (or struggling through it at least) when Knock Out co m med him to come to the med bay. Ratchet had returned from his research trip to Earth and needed him for something.
"I have a theory I'm looking into, but in order to do so I need to look into your subsystems ," said Ratchet.
"My subsystems? What are you looking for?"
" If my theory is right, a program or process that's only recently been opened and run," said Ratchet. "I'll know what I'm looking for when I see it." He looked towards Knock Out, "Is he ready?"
"All ready and waiting to go," he replied, shooting him a thumbs up.
Ratchet nodded. "Good, good. Now, given that this may take a bit, I'm going to put you into a temporary stasis . It won't hurt but it'll keep you from getting bored. It'll be done before you know it. "
Smokescreen heard Ratchet begin to count down , starting at 10, as a soft, almost weightless feeling began to wash over him.
Smokescreen closed his eyes, somewhere around a count of 7 or 8 , and opened them again after a second. Or it felt like a second, a glance at his clock showed that more than an hour had elapsed.
"Like I said, over before you know it."
"You're done already?" asked Smokescreen, rubbing his face with one hand. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
" I did."
Slowly, Smokescreen sat up, shaking off the drowsy feeling clinging to his processor. "So, do I finally get to know what you were looking for?"
"Once Knock Out returns with Bumblebee. This involves him too."
T he wait for Bumblebee and Knock Out gave Smokescreen a chance to clear his head ; if Ratchet was going to explain things then he really didn't want to be sleepy for it, as quite frankly he really wanted to know. Wanted to know what was going on, what did Ratchet think was happening and why. And most importantly, how? After all, as far as he knew this was impossible.
It also gave him a chance to eat ; with the knowledge that he was supplying energy for two life forms, himself and the sparkling , they'd changed up his rations, both the portions and what he was getting. More E nergon and more of that nutritional supplement that Ratchet had made, often mixed together. Ratchet had reasoned that, since protoforms were grown in a very nutrient rich Energon in their early stages, that it would be beneficial for the one growing in Smokescreen to receive the same nutrients. Through him. Which mean t he did not get to finally stop drinking the stuff, he just got more of it. Mixing it with Energon made it only slightly more palatable.
T he door slid open and Bee and Knock Out walked in and Smokescreen's wings wiggled happily at the sight of Bee. With his new exercise schedule he hadn't really seen much of Bee during the day for the last couple days, to his dismay. It didn't help that Bee was apparently being kept busy.
"Good, we're all here," said Ratchet with a nod.
"Well, don't keep us waiting, do share your findings with the class," said Knock Out , shifting on his feet, crossing one over the other as he leaned on the edge of the table.
"Yip, yipyipyip. Don't rush me," he said, giving him a narrowed eyed look. "Anyways, I have, a couple theories as to what is happening with Smokescreen. But do remember that they're just that, theories, the only way to conclusively prove anything would be to replicate things. And I think it goes without saying why we won't be doing that. At least right now."
" Yeah, probably a good idea," said Smokescreen.
"The biggest mystery is, how is this even happening. By all accounts, it shouldn't because we're not programmed for this sort of thing, and yet, we have undeniable proof it is. Which suggests that there is some kind of programming to allow this after all."
"Is that what you were digging around in my systems for?" asked Smokescreen.
Ratchet nodded. "It is. As I told you before, I was looking for a program or process that had been run fairly recently, one that was probably dormant before now."
"So, what did you find?" asked Bee.
"Deep in Smokescreen's subsystems, I did in fact find a program that had only recently been activated , around the same time he came back online . I couldn't discern if it had merely been dormant all this time, or never switched on to begin with. But, if I had to guess, the surge of power to his systems that brought him back online and activated his sleeping systems, also activated this dormant program ."
"So, if the program let it happen, how did it, well, get started in the first place?" asked Smokescreen. "I mean, it didn't just, start making this because a switch got flipped, did it?"
"No nonono, turning the program on just allowed you r system to carry out the process. But it couldn't start on its own, it needed some outside help. " He pointed at Bumblebee, "His, specifically."
"M-me?!"
"Well...I can't prove it with complete certainty but, yes. From looking at the program it seems it requires, well, spark data, from a second spark to get things rolling. And since yours is the only other spark that Smokescreen's has come into contact with well..."
"So what exactly, happened then?" asked Smokescreen. "How did our sparks mingling result in, a sparkling?"
"That's the function of the program, mixing together your spark data and that of a second spark to, in essence, create a brand new spark ."
Smokescreen was quiet, hand resting on his chest as he processed what Ratchet said. "So the sparkling, is our sparkling? Mine, and Bee's?"
Ratchet nodded, "Yes, that would be correct."
Smokescreen looked down at his chest, hand pressed flat against it. Theirs, it was their sparkling, not just his. They'd made it, together, accidentally to be sure but, together. His spark fluttered at the very thought and he looked over to Bee, wondering what he thought about all of this. As he looked at Bee he frowned, he didn't look excited or happy at all, in fact he looked, almost concerned. Was he not happy about this?
"I fail to understand one thing," said Knock Out. "How come this hasn't happened before? I mean, it's not like they're the first or only bots to screw around like this. Plenty of bots have merged sparks without this happening."
"Yes that is an important question. Given the existence of such a program in Smokescreen's systems, it stands to reason it exists in everyone's coding , dormant or otherwise, though this would require checking everyone to be sure and frankly there's more important things for us to spend time and resources on. So, if we assume the program is there, we have to assume it's dormant or otherwise not active for the most part . And while that may explain a lack of cases like this, as has just been confirmed, it can be reactivated, even accidentally." He sighed. "And yet, I couldn't find any records on the ship's computers, nor have I ever encountered such a thing on my tables before, nor have I heard of such a thing. So there had to be another reason for this, rarity. An outside factor in all this."
"An outside factor?" asked Smokescreen. "Like what?"
"Well, that's why I went to Earth. This sort of, internal incubation form of growth is more typical of organic beings than of ourselves, so I thought there might be a clue to be found there. "
"Oh, that's what you were up to."
Ratchet nodded with a 'mmmhmmm'. "It seems organics have a lot of variety in how they...reproduce. There are, far to many that reproduce like Insecticons for my liking. " Ratchet shuddered and shook his head. " It was internal brooding that I was looking into. Luckily, Earth has an abundance of those, humans included."
"Oh, I think Raf mentioned that once," said Bee. "The-the moms, that's the incubating parent, grow the baby human in their bellies ." He paused as all eyes turned to him in curiosity and mild confusion. "What? Raf has a lot of siblings."
" Humans are very strange," said Smokescreen. Offspring in their bellies? What a weird place to put them. He couldn't imagine growing something in his tanks.
"Yes, well, from what I learned it seems it is not to different from how a protoform grows in an incubation pod. It's just that in this case it's incubated in a living being."
"Seems awfully inefficient if you ask me," said Knock Out.
"Not to mention dangerous. I mean, humans are really squishy," said Smokescreen. "You know how often I was worried I was gonna step on them? All the time!"
Ratchet cleared his throat loudly to bring their attention back to him. "Yes, well, as I was saying. This does, sort of lead into another reason we may not have seen this before," he said. "I'm sure you know that removing a protoform hatchling from the incubation pod too early in development, or otherwise disturbing it while it's growing will result in its death. As well an insufficient nutrition supply. Well, in internal brooders it's much the same, if the proper conditions aren't met or are disrupted in some way, the unborn offspring may be auto terminated by the incubating body, if it ever takes root at all." He sighed, rubbing his brow with one hand. "Which, in hindsight, makes a disturbing amount of sense." Curious and confused faces looked at him and he scoffed. "What? Think about it, think about how we've been living. Every day a struggle of life and death, being shot and blasted and stabbed and beaten. Living under constant stress. To say nothing of the constant Energon shortages. If we can barely keep ourselves alive, what hope could we have ever had to successfully grow sparklings?" Ratchet shook his head. "Even if, by some miracle the spark creation program was on, and someone did manage to form a new spark, with our lives? Not only would it probably go unnoticed, but it's highly likely that even if something had managed to form, it would end up reabsorbed into our core before long."
"So, you mean to tell me, that, in theory of course, we have had this ability to...produce protoforms-sparklings like this, and we just, can't?" asked Knock Out.
"Yes. I don't think as a race that we've been healthy enough for that for a long, long time. And it's likely this unhealthy lifestyle and inability to produce sparklings would have caused the program to simply go dormant from lack of use." He looked towards Smokescreen. "Until now, it would seem. Between the fact that you've been taking it easy, by comparison, and have been well fuelled, well we practically concocted the perfect set up for this work."
Smokescreen twisted his fingers together, almost anxiously. "So...does this mean that, in theory, we could see more sparklings in the future? If things stay the way they are?"
"I can't rule it out," said Ratchet. "As I said, this is all just theories, to concretely prove any of them would involve, a lot more research than can be done right now."
" Whoa..." Smokescreen touched his chest plate lightly, looking down at his hand. This sparkling, their sparkling, could be the first of many, of a new generation. "So, where do we go from here?" he asked, looking up at Ratchet. "Did your research give you any idea of how long this process takes?"
Ratchet shook his head, "Unfortunately no. I couldn't even begin to get a frame of reference from organics, their internal gestation ranges from a few weeks to almost two earth years depending on the species. So who know s how long a sparkling will take to grow. We'll have to monitor it, see how fast it grows before I can even begin to speculate."
"I suppose this means we'll have to make some changes to health care around here," said Knock Out. "Or at least what's included in a basic checkup."
"That may be a good idea. Just in case."
When he'd thought about a new future for Cybertron, about new generations, this wasn't really what Smokescreen had pictured . But, surely the fact that this was possible could only be a good sign for them. Thousands, no, millions of years with no sparklings being created and now, now they could happen again. That didn't sound like a bad thing to him. Although, there was probably going to be one hell of a learning curve in the future, what did caring for a sparkling even entail?
H e glanced over at Bee, wondering what he thought about all of this, but he looked, distracted to say the least. He was twisting his hands together almost anxiously and seemed to have a sort of far off look in his optics.
His thoughts, and their conversation, were interrupted by a beeping sound from the computer, one that Smokescreen had not heard before .
" Hello? I-I hope I'm not interrupting anything, " a voice sounded through the communication system, a bit nervous sounding.
"Is something the matter?" asked Ratchet, pressing a button to respond.
" Oh good, there is a doctor there. We uh, we have something of a...situation out on the runway. A really BIG situation and we could use your assistance. "
"A situation? What kind of situation?"
" It's...probably better if you come and see this for yourself. "
'A situation' was putting it mildly. A 'big situation' was only slightly more accurate. The situation that greeted them out on the landing strip was not one, but three Predacons waiting for them, one of which was being carried by another.
Predaking stared them down, claws curled into fists at his sides and scowling .
"We require your assistance."
Notes:
So, to quickly clear up the timeline in case anyone has lost it, we are about ~1 month since Smokescreen woke up, and a total of 10/11 months since the Unicron fight.
While we don't really have a timeline for how long the events of the show take place, it's *at least* the better part of a year.In regards to Raf. Raf was '12 and a quarter' when we met him. So if you tack on the ~10 months from this fic and then another 6 months *minimum*, it seems to me he could easily be 14, if not almost 15, by this point (depending on when his birthday falls). So like. he's definitely hitting puberty at this point.
Also trying to look up exactly HOW Transformers are born/made was a pain in the butt. Like, the planet seems to spawn the sparks and cybermatter/protoforms separately? And someone else puts the sparks in? Maybe? It's confusing.
So I'm just running with the idea that protoforms are spawned and then grown in incubation pods, before harvested sparks are put in them, for how they're *typically* "born". (as opposed to like. cold construction or cloning or any of the other weird ass ways they have to reproduce).The tl;dr of Ratchet's explanation is that, basically they as a species rendered themselves sterile. Ain't no way a species that's been in constant war is going to be healthy enough to reproduce. Which in turn would have caused the Spark Creation Program to go dormant (like an unused computer program going into sleep mode from lack of use).
So it IS still possible in theory for other sparklings to have been born. Somewhere. At some point. Ratchet just does not have access to said information at the moment. So it's not relevant.
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
An injury was what they had expected to find out on the runway. A wounded Predacon was certainly NOT what they were expecting however, nor were they expecting them to be asking for help.
Behind Predaking were the other two Predacons, Skylynx carrying a clearly badly wounded Darksteel on his back, Energon dripping and pooling under their feet.
"As much as it pains me to ask for it, we require your assistance," said Predaking, claws balled into fists at his side.
"By the Allspark, what happened?" asked Ratchet, looking past him to Skylynx and Darksteel.
"He was nearly eaten alive by tiny vermin!" snapped Skylynx .
"Tiny vermin?"
Lifting a fist, Predaking uncurled his claws and dropped something onto the ground with a thunk. The small, charred and twisted remains of a Scraplet. Almost instantly, as if he'd poured acid in front of them, every bot in the vicinity leapt back on instinct. Bumblebee even threw an arm out in front of Smokescreen defensively.
"Would it be correct to assume you know what that is?" asked Predaking, noting their reactions.
"It's a Scraplet," said Bumblebee, voice dripping with disgust.
"The worst kind of parasite to ever grace this planet," said Ratchet, taking a tentative step towards the Scraplet when it didn't move and poking it with the tip of his pede. "They feast on metal, and living metal is their favourite. Where ever did you find this?"
Predaking huffed, "We were scavenging around an abandoned citadel far to the west of here when we were beset upon by a swarm of these...Scraplets, as you call them." He held up an arm, revealing bite marks and areas of stripped paint, the telltale signs of a Scraplet attack. " We all took some damage, but Darksteel got the brunt of it."
The large Predacon groaned in pain, twitching where he lay on his brother's back, Skylynx slowly and cautiously walking towards them.
Drops of Energon painted the ground as they walked, leaking out from joints and unseen wounds on Darksteel's body, dribbling like a leaking faucet. He was barely holding onto Skylynx , head flopped on his shoulder and arms draped around his neck.
"It brings me no joy to resort to asking for help from you but we lack both the resources and the ability to help him," said Predaking. "So we come to you."
Ratchet looked the Predacon up and down before turning back to the assembled bots on the runway. "Get the biggest room prepared now. I'm going to need a lot of clamps and plenty of mesh patches!" He then pointed to the Predacons. "You two, follow me, we need to get him inside so I can treat him before he bleeds out."
S kylynx hesitated a moment before Predaking nodded, gesturing for him to follow Ratchet. Whether they liked it or not, the Autobot was going to treat their companion.
It was probably a good thing that Darksteel was smaller than Predaking, otherwise he may not have fit on the medical berth, taking up very nearly the whole thing as Skylynx all but dumped him onto it. Seeing him sprawled out, the damage looked even worse than it had before, almost every visible part of him was covered in chew tracks, the metal torn and ripped up and chunks straight up missing, revealing the delicate frame work and cables beneath and the soft, vulnerable protoform metal . Bright blue energon stained his plating, dripping down the berth and onto the floor.
"Knock Out, I'm going to need your help to ensure he doesn't bleed out. Everyone else, out so I can work!"
Skylynx tried to protest but Predaking dragged him out with a growl , silencing the other Predacon. Whether they liked the other bots or not didn't matter right now, the only thing that mattered was Darksteel , and the Autobots were the only ones who could help him.
While Skylynx sulked, camped right outside the medbay door, arms folded over his chest and shoulders hunched, Predaking paced up and down the hall.
Bumblebee had taken off to find Ultra Magnus, stating that if there was a Scraplet problem somewhere then he should be alerted of the issue so that it could be dealt with, before any more innocent bots fell victim to the swarm. Which left Smokescreen alone, with the two grumpy Predacons.
One of the many things Bee had told him about was the truce that Predaking had proposed. Evidently he had been following it, given that neither he nor the other two had been so much as glimpsed since that day. So while he was pretty sure they wouldn't rend him limb from limb, it was still very intimidating being around them given just how big they were, even in bot form.
Skylynx had seen fit to just ignore him, but Predaking kept looking at him curiously.
"If you have something to say, please just say it and stop staring," said Smokescreen finally.
Predaking paused his pacing to look him up at down, golden optics looking him over. "I saw you fall young Prime. How is it that you stand here now?"
Oh. Right. Given that he'd made himself scarce he probably hadn't been kept in the loop on a lot of things.
"It's a long story. I guess I got a second chance," said Smokescreen. "Also, I'm not a Prime anymore. I don't think anyone is actually. It's just Smokescreen now."
Predaking stared at him and Smokescreen wondered if the scowl was permanently etched on his face as it seemed like it was the only expression he seemed capable of making.
"I suppose that explains your smell."
His, what?? His smell? No one had said anything about his smell. Did he smell? Oh he hoped not or that would be embarrassing. "My-my smell?"
"You smell...different from before."
"I didn't realize I had a smell," said Smokescreen quietly, lifting an arm for a test sniff. Nope, nothing but the typical metallic scent. Did Primes smell different from non Primes? He'd never checked that before, never even thought about it, so he didn't exactly have a comparison to go by.
Maybe he was smelling the fuel on him? Given the taste of the stuff he wouldn't he surprised if it caused him to give off a different odour.
"So, you are no longer the leader of the Autobots?" asked Predaking.
"Uh," Smokescreen rubbed the back of his head. "Probably not? But even if I was, Ratchet hasn't cleared me for active duty yet, so I'm not really in any position to give orders." In all honestly he hadn't really given it much thought. Did relinquishing the Matrix mean he lost his position of leader? He'd sort of assumed it did but also he'd had other, more pressing matters on the processor to think about that it had sort of fallen to the wayside.
Luckily he was spared that line of questioning by the return of Bee and Ultra Magnus .
" So, it would seem what I heard was true after all. Predacons on the base."
"You are not the only one who wishes we weren't here, I can assure you," said Predaking. "As soon as Darksteel is fit we will take leave of this place."
"Well, then you're probably going to be here for a while. A week at least," said Bee.
Ultra Magnus and Predaking turned to look at him, Predaking cocking a brow curious ly . "And what do you mean by that ? "
"Because I've been where Darksteel is. Bulkhead, Ratchet and I nearly got devoured by a Scraplet swarm once, took us cycles to recover and get back on our struts. And we weren't in nearly as bad of shape as Darksteel," replied Bee with a shudder . " Or as big. I trust Ratchet to fix him up but, you might be here a bit while that's happening ."
"Oh that's just lovely," grumbled Skylynx, hunching his shoulders even more.
"That's why, in the meantime, I was hoping to ask for your help."
Skylynx lifted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes at Bee. "And what makes you think we'd help you?"
"The Scraplets are a threat to all of us. Helping us would also help you," said Bee. "If you don't want to come with us fine. All we really need is the location you found the Scraplets. "
"You intend to fight these things?" asked Predaking.
"Well, not right away," said Bee. "But I have experience dealing with them." He paused and looked up at Ultra Magnus , who gave him an affirmative nod. "With Wheeljack's help I think we could make some tools to do some, Scraplet extermination, as long as we know where to find them."
A thoughtful noise rumbled in Predaking's throat as he looked at the small warrior, and Smokescreen couldn't help but think he looked, almost proud.
"Alright," said Predaking after a moment of silence, nodding his head. "I will give you my assistance."
"Th-thank you!" stammered Bee, only barely containing him excitement and relief, door wings twitching in gratitude.
"In the meantime I will see to it that you have somewhere to rest," said Ultra Magnus .
"That will not be necessary," said Predaking. "We can find our own place."
A loud roar of pain came from behind the door and Skylynx sprang to his feet, having slowly been sliding down to the floor, and snarled, wings twitching. "I'm going to rip his spark out!"
"Skylynx!" Predaking snapped loudly, causing the Predacon to shrink back from the door.
"But he's hurting him!"
"He's helping him!" said B ee.
Skylynx whipped around, glaring at Bee, twitching his claws. Before he could move, Predaking grabbed him by the arm and started to drag him down the hall and back towards the doors. He started to complain but a single look from Predaking silenced him.
When Predaking returned he was alone.
"I...apologize for his actions," he said. "He will wait outside until his manners improve."
"I'm sure he's just worried for Darksteel," said Bee. "That did sound like it must have hurt."
"Regardless. He was out of line and he would do well not to threaten those who are trying to aid us." He huffed, chassis rising and falling heavily. "We will stay as long as we need and no longer."
...
"For this mission, I want you to take the lead."
Bumblebee replayed the conversation with Ultra Magnus over and over in his mind. Once they'd finished talking with Predaking, the Autobot Commander had taken him aside to discuss the upcoming Scraplet extermination. Bumblebee just hadn't expected Ultra Magnus to put HIM in control of the mission, the leader.
The main reason he had stated was because it seemed that Predaking was more likely to listen to him than anyone.
"Smokescreen, Smokescreen!" The small yellow warrior bounded towards his partner , door wings wiggling up and down happily. Being stuck with Ultra Magnus, and Smokescreen back finishing his exercise for the day, they hadn't seem much of each other for the rest of the day.
" Bee! You've finally escaped!"
Bumblebee laughed. "It wasn't that bad. But Smokescreen, you'll never guess what Ultra Magnus said."
"I have a feeling you're going to tell me."
"I...I get to lead the mission! Ultra Magnus put me on point for this one."
Smokescreen's optics widened as a smile crossed his face. "Bee that's great!"
"Yeah. I've, I've never taken lead on something like this before. The only missions I ever took lead on were, solo ones. But this time, I'm actually leading other bots. I mean, sure it's just Wheeljack and some of the Vehicons but, but still!" He could barely contain his excitement, furiously babbling away. "O-oh that reminds me, I need to find Wheeljack and talk to him. We're gonna need some specialized equipment if we're gonna deal with Scraplets. I-I'll talk with you later Smokescreen."
And he was gone in a flash, off to find Wheeljack.
By the time he returned to their shared berth that evening, he was beat.
"Man, and I thought I was tired," said Smokescreen as Bumblebee collapsed onto the berth beside him.
"No one warned me that preparing for a mission when you're the one in charge could be so tiring. Optimus made it look so easy."
After seeking out Wheeljack and informing him of the plan, as well as requesting his help in making some new artillery for the Scraplet hunt, he then realized he needed to also gather some teammates for the mission. And then inform Ultra Magnus about all of this and who would be going on it. He may have been the lead for the mission, but he did still answer to Ultra Magnus. So he found himself running all over and outside the ship till his pedes felt like they were going to fall off.
"I'm sure you'll do fine," said Smokescreen and Bumblebee felt himself being lifted up and into Smokescreen's arms.
He sighed as he lay his head against his chest, taking in the warmth of his plates and the hum of his systems. It was so nice and he felt his weariness slipping away.
"Primus I hope so," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around Smokescreen's middle. "At least we have a couple cycles before we have to leave. Gotta wait on Wheeljack." He sighed. "I think he's been getting a bit...bored. You should have seen how he lit up when I told him what I needed." Honestly, he didn't blame him. The bot was used to being able to smash things up and fight and really, he hadn't had a chance to do that recently. Sure there was demolishing old buildings, but they weren't doing that all the time , nor was it the same as a fight.
Heck, it seemed like many of them were getting a bit, antsy, not used to this sort of peace. They were so used to always fighting that they just didn't know what to do with themselves, even if they were given tasks to do.
Sure, the words 'Scraplet' and 'Predacon' in the same sentence made everyone he talked to a bit on edge, but at the same time, it was a chance to get out and do something new and plenty of bots had jumped at the chance to get out and do something. To fight something.
"You know, I'm beginning to think maybe you should have been the one to get the Matrix," said Smokescreen. "Bumblebee Prime."
"Oh Primus no. This is hard enough as it is, I don't think I could handle being a Prime."
"Maybe, but from everything I've been hearing, you've really taken up being a leader. Even before I woke up. You've been doing a lot."
"I couldn't just not," he said, resting his cheek against Smokescreen's chest. "You were out of commission, and for a while so was Ultra Magnus. I still don't know how I ended up in charge of stuff, Arcee and Bulkhead both have seniority on me. But I did, even if it was just 'go fix this' or 'go fix that'. "
"Still." Smokescreen kissed his forehead lightly. "I think Optimus would be proud. I know I am."
Bumblebee closed his eyes, relaxing in Smokescreen's arms. "I hope so. I just wish I could show him. wish he could see, all this, all we've done." He'd thought the loss of Optimus would get better with time, but hadn't. It still hurt to think about, especially when he looked at everything they had accomplished. "I just wanna sleep Smoke, I'm beat."
"You sound it." Smokescreen rubbed his head gently, holding him close as he lay down. "So rest up. Sounds like you're gonna need it."
Smokescreen smiled, watching as Bee drifted off in his arms. It was nice to see him so excited, but he just wished that Bee had been a bit less tired. He'd really wanted to talk to him about the sparkling. They hadn't had much of a chance and Bee had seemed, a bit off ever since learning about it and his role in its creation. But if he was this tired there was no way he'd get anything out of him.
Oh well, they had plenty of time.
Despite having to tone back the explosiveness of his weaponry (though Bumblebee did compromise with him on bringing some explosives, as depending on the state of the building full demolition might be required anyways), Wheeljack was still quite happy to craft up some things for a Scraplet hunt and was brimming with anticipation a few cycles later to show it off.
'Something that can blast cold, like those human fire extinguishers' was really all the instructions that Bumblebee had given him. So he'd let his creativity go wild.
"Thought we could have a few things," he said. "Blasters are great and all, but for something like this we're gonna need more area coverage." He tossed what looked like a bomb to Bumblebee. "You pull that bit there," he pointed to a small pin. "And then lob it into the room. It's like a smoke bomb, but instead of smoke it blasts out ice cold compressed air. Get into all those little cracks and holes where the little buggers hide. So be careful with it. Gonna mess you up if it goes off in your hands."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And, we got some of these!" He hefted a pair of blasters into the air, one in each hand.
"Oh, those are going to be a hit for sure," said Bumblebee with a nod. He could barely wait to equip one and use it.
"So, where is this infestation anyways?" asked Wheeljack.
"Well, I hope you're ready for a trip."
Despite the fact that he was going to lead them there, Predaking had already disclosed the location of the Scraplets to them, and it was a bit of a drive.
.....
"You stay safe out there," said Smokescreen, giving Bumblebee's hands a gentle squeeze. "I wish I could go with you, a change of scenery would be nice."
"You'd never make the drive," laughed Bumblebee, raising himself up onto the tips of his feet to kiss Smokescreen's cheek. "Maybe another time, once we've dealt with the Scraplets and you're in better shape. "And don't worry about me. Between Wheeljack and Predaking I think I'll be fine."
Fine. Bee had sworn that he would be fine, and Smokescreen didn't doubt it. But he was still going to worry. Scraplets were terrifying! He'd never dealt with them , but Bee had and he'd finally extracted that story from him and Bulkhead and it sounded horrific! The last thing he wanted was his partner to get eaten alive!
Smokescreen sighed as he lay down on the berth. He knew that Bee was going to be gone for several cycles, they'd opted not to ground bridge to the location of the infestation and instead drive/fly there, and it was going to be a few cycles drive just to get there. So between the time to get there and back, they weren't going to see each other for a while. And he was fine with that, he could handle a few cycles without Bee.
He just hadn't anticipated how lonely he was going to feel.
T he first day away had been fine, he'd only seen Bee a few hours earlier and he was tired enough to not really notice the absence when he fell asleep.
But the second day without him was different. He woke up alone, spent the day with bots that weren't Bee (mainly Arcee, who had taken up working with him in the exercise room) , ate without him and returned to the berth alone. It wasn't till he went to lay down, alone, that it really hit him that it was going to be a few more cycles before he saw Bee.
H e tilted his head back with a sigh, hands resting on his middle. Despite the amount of time he had spent alone while recovering in the med bay, which he was used to, this was the first time he'd been alone since leaving there. And by all accounts it shouldn't have been a problem. He'd spent more time sleeping alone than with someone.
And yet, the quiet emptiness of the room was disconcerting. The space next to him was empty and cold, devoid of the normally warm body that laid there.
It clawed at his spark something fierce.
' I hope Bee's not too lonely without me. '
'Primus, end me now.'
Bee pressed his hands over his audials as he drew his knees to his chest. The first night had been bearable enough, but now, as they rested in a large cave, he really wished someone had warned him about Wheeljack's snoring. No wonder he never stayed in their bases overnight. If the acoustics were anything like the cave, well, literally no bot would ever have gotten sleep. How everyone else was managing to sleep he had no idea.
Finally, he stood up and made his way to the mouth of the cave, maybe it would at least be a little quieter out there.
Smokescreen was tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable and deal with the loneliness so he could sleep, when a ping on his communication systems alerted him to an incoming message.
You still up?
His spark fluttered at the message and instantly he switched his com on, switching to the private channel that was given at the end of the message.
"Bee?"
"So you're still up too huh?"
"It's...lonely without you. Didn't realize how much I missed having you beside me. It's so quiet."
"Count yourself lucky. You could be dealing with Wheeljack and his buzzsaw loud snoring."
"Is it that bad?"
"It's awful. Soundwave could weaponize this noise."
Smokescreen laughed softly. "Oh dear."
"Yeah. I'm gonna kill Bulkhead when I get back for never mentioning this fact." Bee sighed heavily from the other end. "Have you seen the sky tonight?"
"No. I'm still inside."
"It's beautiful. The sky is clear tonight, the moons are both full and...Smokescreen, I can see the auroras tonight. Oh I wish you could see it with me."
Smokescreen smiled as he listened to Bee speak. "It sounds nice."
"Maybe once this is done, and you're cleared for more things, we could come out here again. The two of us."
"Or the three of us."
"Three?"
"You, me and the sparkling."
"Right...three of us..."
Smokescreen frowned, was it his imagination or did Bee sound, not nearly as excited as he had been? Maybe if he'd heard their sparkling's spark beat? The highlight of his day had actually been his check up with with Knock Out, where he'd asked if it was possible to hear the sparkling's sparkbeat.
It was and he'd nearly started crying as the first soft pulses had reverberated through the room. It was faster than his own, but so soft and gentle. He just wished Bee could have been there to hear it.
"Bee?"
"Sorry. I'm just tired, I've been driving all day."
"How much longer till you get there?"
"Predaking says we should get there sometime tomorrow. So pretty soon. Then we finally get to vanquish some Scraplets. What about you, what are your plans?"
"More of the same as today. Which means probably more of Arcee driving circles round me while we work out," said Smokescreen with a sigh. "But, if things start to improve, I can move on to working on flying again! Maybe I can finally take you flying like I promised."
"I can't wait," said Bee, and Smokescreen could practically hear the smile on his face.
"Just, come back safe alright?"
"I will. I promise."
Notes:
if u thought i was done with the Predacons u were wrong.
i think Predaking/the Predacons as like, kinda sorta allies (i.e not enemies but not necessarily friends but 'we'll help you if we have to') is an utterly unexplored idea.
like they DID help fight off Unicron, so I think they could be reasoned with for help.
Chapter 13
Notes:
In which we have a Scraplet extermination and Bumblebee's secret is revealed.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Oh, this was going to take a long time to clear out.
In hindsight, Bumblebee should have expected that the abandoned citadel that the Predacons had found was large, it would have to be to accommodate them. But he'd never given thought to just HOW big it would be, not until they found themselves standing before it. And it was huge. And Bumblebee was beginning to think that maybe they should have brought more troops.
And of course, of course it was on what had once been Decepticon controlled territory. When Jack and Arcee had come through alone to find Vector Sigma, they'd run into a hoard of Scraplets as well. In Darkmount.
What was it about Decepticon engineering that attracted Scraplets to it? And why couldn't they have done this during the war?
"Keep your optics peeled and your audials open," he said readying the blaster on his arm. "We don't need any more casualties." He tapped his comm link with a finger. "We're going to have to split up to cover this place, but don't go it alone. And keep your comm links open." He turned to Wheeljack. "That means you too Wheeljack. I an NOT going to be dragging your Scraplet eaten husk back to Bulkhead."
"Aye-aye, boss," said Wheeljack with a slightly teasing salute.
Bit by bit they split up into small groups, which was how Bumblebee found himself searching through the place alongside Predaking.
"You seem...troubled Autobot," he said, finally breaking the silence between them.
"I'm...I'm fine, it's nothing," said Bumblebee.
Predaking huffed. "A distracted warrior is a dead warrior."
Bumblebee grimaced. "Is it that obvious?"
"I can practically smell it on you."
"Smell?"
"Yes." He took a deep whiff of the air before turning his golden optics back to Bumblebee. "You smell...like Starscream."
Bumblebee blanched. "Ok, first of all, never compare me to him again. Second, I think you're just smelling the new fuel I've been taking, which has nothing to do with my distraction." Predaking cast him a curious look, raising an eyebrow, though he didn't say anything. Bumblebee sighed. "Fine, gimme a moment and I'll show you." He pulled himself up and onto a pile of debris and stretched his legs out in front of him. Then, he gave them a kick, and a pair of small rockets transformed out on the back of his legs. "I had Knock Out install them for me. I couldn't go for wings, given my frame and build, I'm not meant for it. So this was the next best option."
"You seek to take to the sky?"
"I...want to be able to fly with Smokescreen, so that he doesn't have to carry me all the time. He doesn't know yet, I want to surprise him. So, if I smell different you're probably smelling the jet fuel I've been having to take so I can use these." He kicked his feet again as he hopped off, the rockets retreating back into his legs. "I'm still practising with them though. It's...going."
"Do not let this distract you from our quarry."
"It's not-" Bumblebee stopped as a familiar clinking noise filled the air. "Scraplets."
It wasn't long before droves of the tiny monsters began to filter out of every tiny gap in the room, skittering towards them at lightning fast speeds.
"Looks like they found us," he said, pulling the blasters out from where he'd stored them as his battle mask snapped over his face. "Brace yourself."
Aiming at the ground in front of the swarm, Bumblebee squeezed the trigger. A blast of freezing mist burst forth, spilling and rolling across the floor, like a flamethrower but for cold and ice instead of fire.
The first wave of Scraplets fell, frozen down to their core and dropping like flies. Unfortunately the following waves wised up and the skittering became a buzzing as they launched into the air, buzzsaw mouths ready to rip chunks of his body off.
"Get down!"
"What?" Bumblebee turned, just in time to see Predaking transform into beast mode and a familiar glow building up in his chest.
"Scrap!" He dropped to the ground, hands over his head, as a massive fireball ripped through the air, engulfing the cloud of Scraplets. "Give me a little more warning next time!" he yelled, lifting his head slightly.
Predaking huffed and loosed another fireball on the incoming hoard. As Bumblebee picked himself up, a flicker of movement caught his attention and he spun around to see more Scraplets, this time coming up behind them.
"On your six!" he shouted, the only warning he gave before blasting the incoming wave with another cloud of cold, catching the end of Predaking's tail in the process. "Holy Primus, they don't stop coming."
Reaching into his subspace he pulled out one of the explosives that Wheeljack had made as he looked towards the door.
"There better not be anyone in that hall!" he yelled. "Fire in the hole!" He ripped the pin out and threw it towards the open door before running in the opposite direction. There was a boom and hiss as it exploded, icy mist spilling out and flooding the floor.
Predaking snarled and began backing up before suddenly taking to the air, tail wrapping around Bumblebee and lifting him up as well with a yelp.
Clinging on tightly with one hand, Bumblebee aimed the blaster in his other hand at the Scraplets, releasing wave after wave of cold at them, trying to keep them at bay.
The sounds of explosions, blaster fire and yelling filled the fortress and Bumblebee could only pray that no one was getting eaten alive.
Scraplets fell around them by the dozens, frozen and melted and warped beyond recognition. Eventually the invading swarm turned tail and scuttled off, presumably to find easier prey.
Bumblebee sighed as he hung over the edge of Predaking's tail, spark beating in his chest heavily. That was way, way to close for comfort.
"Ok, I think it's safe to put me down now," he said, turning his head to look back at the Predacon. For a moment he swore he saw a mischievous look cross the great dragon's face, though he couldn't be sure as the next moment the tail simply uncurled form him, dropping him. With a shriek he flung his feet, kickstarting the jets to catch himself before he met with a painful landing.
"You fly like a fledgling," said Predaking as he landed and transformed back, folding his arms over his chest.
"I'm still learning!" Bumblebee huffed, door wings twitching angrily as he let out a loud vent, wobbling in the air as he fought to regain his balance. "You didn't need to drop me!"
"How else will you learn?"
"Not like that!"
Carefully he brought himself back to the ground, landing with a thud as the rockets shut off.
"Would you prefer to be thrown into the air then?" asked Predaking and oh, oh he was definitely teasing him now. While he couldn't have been sure while he was in beast mode, Bumblebee could clearly read his expression now and it absolutely bore a very clear smug, almost shit eating grin.
"I would rather not be thrown, thank you."
"Regardless. You need a flight teacher. Whoever is teaching you is not very good."
"No one's teaching me," said Bumblebee. "I've been teaching myself through trial and error. Mostly error."
Predaking frowned but didn't get a chance to say anything before another loud explosion rocked the air from another room.
"We could use a little back up over here!" crackled a voice through the comm link.
"We should get going," said Bumblebee. "Sounds like the Scraplets have moved on."
Predaking followed behind the yellow Autobot
scout
warrior as they made their way through the halls, senses trained in on the noise of the Scraplets.
Despite his focus, the small Autobot was still distracted, he could see it in his movements and reaction time. He swore it wasn't about his lack of flight capabilities, which meant it probably had to do with his mate, Smokescreen, and the fact that he was carrying their progeny.
N o, neither of them had said anything but they hadn't needed too, all the telltale signs were there. Most notably, at least to him, was the smell. While they didn't seem to be aware of it, as evidenced by Smokescreen's surprise, Smokescreen was giving off a very distinct and different smell.
Not to mention the over protectiveness of him from Bumblebee, the way he had moved to protect Smokescreen from the Scraplet, the fact that he hadn't been allowed on the mission. It was clear as day.
However his mate was not here so worrying about him was pointless and liable to get them both killed. Or at least wounded.
A claw shot out, grabbing Bumblebee by the arm and pulling him back before he could bolt through the doorway and into the room where fighting sounds came from.
"Do not rush in so recklessly," he growled.
Bumblebee gave pause and he released him, watching as the warrior readied his weapons again.
"Good."
With a growl, he transformed, landing on all fours, tail whipping around behind him. It was time to destroy those vermin and make them pay for the hurt they had caused he and his kin.
Bumblebee rushed in first, the cold mist spraying from his guns as cover fire before Predaking followed, fire burning deep in his chest.
There were Scraplets everywhere. Every single surface was covered in them, chomping and chewing and ripping up every bit of exposed metal. Including the metal on the bodies of the bots trying to fight them off.
As fresh metal walked in, the hungry Scraplets suddenly turned their attention to them, teeth bared .
Predaking snarled, lowering his head as he launched a ball of flame into the air, engulfing the cloud of Scraplets. They had taken more than enough metal from him, they were not going to get more.
Fire and ice blasted through the room, ice across the ground and over the outer surface of the fighting bots, and fire in the air and at the walls and generally anywhere where there wasn't a bot.
"Oh scrap. Everyone down, fire in the hole!" Wheeljack's voice sounded above the din, then, seconds later there was a loud, deafening bang and everything went white.
Bumblebee's auditory processors were ringing, which was no surprise as he'd been at near ground zero of one hell of an explosion. But, what had happened? Sure Wheeljack liked to blow things up, but even he wasn't nearly enough of a glitch to detonate a bomb in a crowded room. Especially one that HE was in. He was reckless, not suicidal.
He groaned as he picked himself up on the ground, servo pressed to the side of his head and wincing slightly as he moved, a prickling sensation in his side and running down his leg . He remembered the bang, and a wave of energy propelling him across the room, but after that...Slowly he lifted his head, only to realize something was over him, something big.
As the ringing in his head began to fade it was replaced by a new sound, a low rumbling growl.
"Predaking?"
The large Predacon was standing over him, well him and some of the other soldiers, wings spread out over and around them , almost protectively. Bits of falling debris bounced and rolled off his body and away from them.
"Anyone dead?" groaned Wheeljack from somewhere else in the room.
"I'm alive. But what the hell happened?"
"The little bastards got into my arsenal and started eating my bombs," said Wheeljack. "Unfortunately they triggered detonation . Lobbed them as far as I could to try and mitigate damage but, ugh. Not sure it was far enough. I dunno if a clean up crew can fix this mess. "
Shaking his head, Bumblebee looked around to survey the devastation. A hole had been blown in the side of the far wall, presumably where Wheeljack had thrown the bombs to get rid of them. Debris was strewn everywhere, chunks of metal scattered across the floor, rammed into walls and whatever poor bastard had not been able to jump for cover .
Wheeljack was digging himself and some Vehicons out of a pile of scrap , and those that were free and able bodied were in the process of retrieving each other.
"Well, at least it seems like we took care of the Scraplets," said Bumblebee. "Although, I think the medbay is about to get really busy." He looked up at Predaking, who was shaking debris from his back and body. "What about you? How are you holding up?"
The Predacon growled, shaking himself as he transformed back. "I will live." He was scratched up, and there were chunks of metal embedded in his plates, but he was still on his feet and conscious, so Bumblebee could only hope it looked worse than it really was.
"Wheeljack, Predaking, help me get everyone out, we'll need to bridge the wounded back . Ratchet won't be happy but we don't have a choice."
Part of the reason they'd driven there was to lower the risk of Scraplets getting into the ship via a groundbridge, but there was no way their wounded could make the drive back, so getting them outside the citadel before bridging them back was the only option.
Slowly, they dragged the still online mechs outside into the open air, Bumblebee sending a call back to the base for a bridge and to ready the med bay.
"So, how many Scraplets do you think are left?" asked Bumblebee, surveying the damage as wounded mechs stumbled through the bridge portal.
"More than I'd like," grunted Wheeljack as he sifted through his weapon storage, tipping out gnawed up weaponry onto the ground. "Beginning to think those humans were onto something when it comes to incinerating everything to ash. What a fragging mess."
"Anything still usable there?" asked Bumblebee.
"Eh, a few cryo - bombs and some refills for the blasters."
"Great, I'll go and clear out more Scraplets," said Bumblebee, swiping the weapons from Wheeljack's servos. "And YOU are staying here," he added, pointing to one of Wheeljack's knees, which was spitting out sparks every now and then. The wrecker had managed to walk himself out of the building despite the injury, but he was clearly struggling and had refused to be bridged back yet.
"And you're going to go in alone?" he asked. "I admire the gumption kid, but you can't handle it."
Bumblebee scowled, door wings flicking in annoyance and Predaking, who had been seated, plucking bits of debris out from between his scales, stood up abruptly and spoke.
"I will accompany him."
While Bumblebee could order around Wheeljack on the mission, and really only because he was too injured to actually disobey at the moment , Predaking was a totally different matter . He literally did not have the ability to protest or make him do anything he didn't want to do. If Predaking said he was coming along, well Bumblebee couldn't exactly stop him.
"Fine. I just want to clear out as many Scraplets as possible." Or drive them away from the place to somewhere else.
Shaking himself off, Predaking followed Bumblebee back into the structure.
"Recklessness does not become you," he said, optics trained on the small warrior in front of him as they walked through the wrecked halls .
"I'm not being reckless. I'm making sure no one else gets hurt."
"By risking your own spark?"
"I will be fine," stressed Bumblebee. He just wanted to get this mission done and over with and without anyone else getting hurt, was that to much to ask? "You didn't even need to come with me."
"I believe I am duty bound to return you alive and in one piece to your mate."
Bumblebee paused and turned to look at Predaking curiously. "My...mate?" What on Cybertron did he mean by that?
"The Autobot known as Smokescreen, who carries your progeny. Is he not your mate?"
B umblebee froze, processor spinning as it tried to make sense of what he was hearing. How did Predaking know? They hadn't told anyone, and it wasn't like it was visibly obvious what was going on inside of Smokescreen. Had Smokescreen said something for some reason?
Upon receiving no answer, Predaking tilted his head to one side slightly, affixing him with a bemused look. "Were you not aware that he was brooding your offspring?"
"What? That's-no! I mean, no, I knew that, but how do YOU know that? We haven't told anyone about the sparkling , well no one outside of Ratchet and Knock Out anyways . And I can't see Smokescreen telling you."
"His scent gave it away. It is...distinctive."
"But-but how do you even know about this sort of thing anyways? Even Ratchet didn't know about this sort of thing, and you don't even sound surprised."
"Why should I be? It is a part of our base programming. Even Shockwave's research notes made mention of it. The only thing I am surprised about is how quickly you got to sparking your mate. But you are young so, " the Predacon merely shrugged.
Bumblebee felt his face flush and his fans whirr as he flailed about furiously. Of course the one place that would have this kind of information would have been Shockwave's research notes. His impossible to find notes since they were almost surely NOT on the ship's computer's anymore. Though a t least he supposed he had more information to give to Ratchet.
"Please, please stop talking like that. It wasn't...we didn't...it was an accident." Predaking made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh and Bumblebee's face flushed even more.
"As I said. You are young."
Bumblebee vented furiously, door wings flaring. "Please, don't-don't tell anyone else about this. We haven't told anyone yet, we're not ready."
"Understandable. Although, I have no reason to speak to the rest of your comrades, I shall endeavour to keep your secret."
"Good. Now just...help me clear out whatever Scraplets we can find."
Whether it was because they had cleared out more Scraplets than originally anticipated, or because of the explosion earlier sending them away, it wasn't clear, but their walk through of the building turned up only a few more nests of the little pests, which were cleared out quickly enough.
By the time they returned , the wounded had all been bridged back, with everyone else simply waiting for Bumblebee and Predaking to return.
"I don't envy you the audial full you're going to get from Ratchet when you return," said Wheeljack, giving his knee a flex as he finished working on it. "I doubt he's gonna be happy with all the pati e nts you sent him."
"I'm more worried about what Ultra Magnus is going to say to me," said Bumblebee. "I'll need to give him a mission report on everything that happened when I get back. A mission debrief."
The wrecker clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, I suppose it was nice knowing ya."
"Perhaps we should not ground bridge back to the ship," suggested Predaking. "We depart here the same way we arrived. Allow yourself time to think."
"We drive back?" asked Bumblebee.
"Or fly. You could use the practi s e."
He glanced back at the remains of the team that had come out there , they looked exhausted and he wasn't sure how they would fare on a multi day trip back. And there was no sense in making them rest for a trip back when they could ground bridge them back and they just rest there.
He tapped his co m m link on. "Hey, can we get a ground bridge back to the ship? Everyone's in rough shape and could use a good recharge," he said. " Don't worry about me. Predaking and I are going to take the long way back, to take note of any more places that might have infestations."
It was only a partial lie, and Bumblebee suspected that Soundwave knew this, but the silent bot didn't do anything to try and persuade him out of taking the long way back, bridging the rest of the squadron back and leaving him and Predaking behind.
He did intend to make note of any potential Scraplet hideouts, IF he saw any , of course . But he also intended to use the time to think and to practise flying as Predaking suggested.
Unfortunately, Predaking had his own ideas on how to 'help' him with flying.
"I don't see how this is going to help," said Bumblebee from where he was held in Predaking's claws. He had been trying to fly on his own, as wobbly as he was, when the Predacon just, grabbed him , plucking him out of the air .
Predaking looked down at him, and then, as if to say 'you're right' simply let him go.
"I didn't mean dropping me!" he shrieked, kicking his feet frantically till the jets released, the force shooting him back through the air towards Predaking. "That's twice you've dropped me!"
Predaking only responded with a very amused sounding rumble and a flick of his tail , indicating for Bumblebee to follow him.
B umblebee sighed, he really wished that Predaking was capable of speech while in beast mode, but it seemed, at least from everything he observed, that the Predacons lost that ability upon transforming. So he was left to try an interpret his growls and body language to figure out what he wanted. At the moment though it was simple enough, 'follow me'.
So he flew, angling himself so as to keep up with Predaking, but it was hard, the beast was much faster and more agile in the air.
He winced as he flew, the cold air stinging against his side, though it hurt less than walking had as he wasn't putting pressure on it. It was just a mild burn, he'd be fine.
He also, as Bumblebee learned, had much more stamina when it came to flying . Whereas Bumblebee could feel an ache setting into his leg struts, Predaking seemed barely bothered, gliding and flying along as easily as when they'd first started.
Pushing more power into the blasters he flew up to be eye level with the Predacon. "Hey, I'm going to land so I can sit for a moment," he said before turning and heading towards the ground. He dropped the power in his jets the closer he got, before they sputtered out a few feet from the ground .
A loud thud came from behind him as Predaking landed as well, transforming.
"I believe I have figured out your problem," he said, striding towards him. A long claw reached out and flicked one of Bumblebee's door wings. "You need to use these to steer and direct yourself."
"You know they're not really wings right?" asked Bumblebee, taking a step away. "I can't fly with them."
"Perhaps not, but you also lack a tail or rudder to move. These are...primitive in c omparison but they should suffice for steering and speed control," he said. " It would also do you good to increase and decrease your thrust more slowly and less abruptly. Landing will be far smoother."
"I-I'll keep that in mind," he said, looking at his feet before looking back to Predaking. "Why are you helping me?"
Predaking was quiet a moment, arms folded over his chest. "Consider it my way of thanking you."
"Thanking me? For what?"
The Predacon sighed and let his arms fall to his sides as he walked past Bumblebee and towards a small outcropping to sit down, folded wings fluttering against his back.
"You were the first to treat us with kindness, with respect. You offered us peace and coexistence. And even now, you give us aid , treat our wounded. It seems, the least I could offer you."
" Oh. Well. Thank you."
Predaking tilted his head as he cast a look towards Bumblebee, who still hadn't moved from his spot. "Why did you do it? You have no reason to offer us this...kindness, we have given you no reason to do."
Bumblebee was quiet. Why had he done it, why HAD he made that offer of peace in the first place? Sure, having the Predacons on their side in the fight would have been advantageous, but it wasn't just that. "I'm just so tired," he said after a moment. "I'm so tired of all the fighting. It just never ends and we keep losing people, keep losing friends. We finally have our home again and I...I don't want to lose it, not again. Maybe it's just me being selfish but I just, I don't want to fight anymore , don't want to lose anymore . Nothing will change if we keep fighting. " His servos shook at his sides as he spoke, his voice wobbling. "And I guess, if I could get you on our side, then we wouldn't have to fight each other."
"I see nothing selfish about wanting to live," said Predaking, turning his gaze skyward, to the dusky sky and slowly sinking sun , stars already beginning to peek out in the darker sections of the sky . "Is that not what all living beings wish for?"
Bumblebee flopped down on the ground beside him, leaning against Predaking's perch as he looked to the sky as well.
"I suppose you're right," he said. Maybe it was selfish, but at the same time, the Predacons hadn't been seen or heard from since then so, perhaps they too wanted this peace as well. At the very least they wanted to be left alone, which was sort of the same thing really.
He twisted his servos together absentmindedly, thinking back to what Predaking had said earlier, about sparklings and it being mentioned in Shockwave's files on Predacons.
"Can-can I ask you a question?"
The large Predacon turned his head slightly to look down at him. "I suspect you will ask regardless."
"When you looked through Shockwave's files, was there...was there more about sparklings in there? Anything about the process or what to expect?" he asked, gripping his hands tightly .
"So, that is what has you distracted," said Predaking. "Unfortunately no. I do not know if Shockwave did not get to that part of our biology , merely decided to ignore it, or if that information was located somewhere else, but I did not see anything."
Bumblebee wilted before drawing his knees to his chest. "I see. Oh well."
Bumblebee may have wanted to rest his legs, but it seemed he just needed to rest, period, as within minutes of sitting down, sleep began to drag him down and into a recharge, and Bumblebee didn't even try to fight it.
In hindsight, he would realize this was a reckless and risky thing to do. But he didn't doubt for a minute that Predaking wouldn't keep him safe while he slept . He just, wouldn't mention this to Ultra Magnus in his debrief.
N or would he mention the 'flying lessons' that Predaking saw fit to inflict upon him on the way back to the base. If being dropped had been bad, then being launched into the air without warning was significantly worse.
Notes:
I just think, he would enjoy flying a bit.
And RiD seems to agree with me b/c he was hyped as hell when that minicon made him fly once, so I feel very justified.
This is just rocket powered flight for his bot mode.Also I think Predaking as a sort of ally is a very under considered idea
Chapter 14
Notes:
And so we find out what Smokescreen was up to while Bee was gone.
Chapter Text
Location: The Triage ship formerly known as Nemesis , the day after Bumblebee's team left on the Scraplet hunt.
"Come on, I know you're more flexible that this," said Arcee, leaning against Smokescreen's back as he sat on the ground, bent forward and trying desperately to reach the tips of his pedes .
Arcee had been put in charge of overseeing Smokescreen and his exercises and stretches , making sure he actually did them and that he didn't hurt himself in the process.
It had sounded easy at first, until it became painfully clear that the lack of movement for so long had also affected his flexibility. During Elite Guard training he'd had no problem with the stretches and warm ups, he could touch the ground with his palms or lean forward and reach past his feet easily. And yet now it felt like a chore.
"Do you really have to lean on me like this?" he asked, grunting as he reached for the tips of his toes.
"I mean it seems to be working," she said. "Besides, don't you want to be able to show Bumblebee your progress when he gets back? "
A h, now she was just playing dirty.
"Yeah but I don't want to pull a cable in the process," he said. "Can I at least sit up?"
Arcee stood up, removing her weight from his back and he sat up, rubbing his lower back.
"See, that wasn't so bad now was it?"
Smokescreen groaned, "How did I get reduced to this? Ughhh. "
" Even if you were still a Prime you'd still have to do this," said Arcee. "I don't think that protects you from stiff joints. Besides, once I finish with you, then you can work on your wings."
He lifted his head , turning to look at her. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah, I'm just in charge of your stretches. Once I'm done, V33 is taking over. "
"V33?"
Arcee jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards the door, and the aerial Vehicon that was standing there. "We'll get you right as rain in no time."
Wing exercises were about as straight forward as any other one ; rotating them up and down, back and forth, moving the limb around to loosen it up , get it moving. He stretched them out, transforming them from small wings to their full length, flexing the long plates. Oh it felt so good! Sure he'd moved them a little on his own before but, not like this, and not in their full size.
They weren't letting him fly yet, as much as he wanted too, but it was one step closer.
"When do I get to fly?" he asked , rotating his wings up and down as he went through the exercises.
"According to my orders, once we can be sure you won't seize up and crash on the ground," said V33, looking at the data pad in their hands. "So, probably not today."
Smokescreen sighed dejectedly. It made sense, while a fall probably wouldn't hurt him too much, it wasn't just him that they needed to look out for. There was no telling what might happen to the sparkling if he got hurt, especially when it was still so very small.
Still, he really wanted to fly again. He had promised Bumblebee he would take him flying someday, and it felt like he'd made him wait long enough.
" Can we at least go outside?" he asked. "I've been cooped up in here for so long."
He could count on one hand the number of times he'd actually been outside the ship, and even then he hadn't gone far, not that he wanted to at the moment.
V33 looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping the bottom of their visor thoughtfully. "I don't see why not, as long as you don't try and run off."
Smokescreen laughed, "Don't worry I won't. I don't know where I'd go anyways."
The last time Smokescreen had been outside, he really hadn't been paying attention to much around him as the giant Predacons there were a much more pressing issue at the time.
So as he followed V33 out onto the air strip and surrounding are, he actually took the time to look at Cybertron.
Bee wasn't kidding, it really had changed in the almost full solar cycle he'd been out of commission.
When they'd first a rrived on Cybertron the planet had been, dull, lifeless. Even after shooting the cybermatter into the core to revitalize it, it had still looked so empty.
But now, even while still in the throes of being rebuilt, it looked so much more alive. A glimmer of life seemed to radiate from the very planet itself, the dull and lifeless metal now almost seeming to shine.
Once, the only inhabitants of the planet were the residents of the Nemesis , but now more and more ships arrived by the day, each carrying passengers from distant parts of the galaxy. The soft, thrum of engines, of life, sounded somewhere in the distance of the city.
The rebuilding efforts, which had been slow at first, had begun to pick up the pace and bit by bit the planet became more habitable.
Smokescreen inhaled deeply, the cool air filtering through his intake before it vented out.
It was so alive. He couldn't wait to finally be able to properly explore and enjoy the planet.
" Wait till you see it from the sky," said V33. "It looks. Amazing."
" I'm sure it does."
Smokescreen flexed and stretched his wings as he raced after Arcee, the pair running laps around the perimeter of the triage ship as a form of exercise after his morning warm ups. He'd tried a few times to sneak a tiny, low level flight and had been caught each time. But that didn't stop him from stretching them while he ran.
"You're falling behind!" called Arcee, turning her head to look at him. "I know you can move faster than that!"
"I'm trying!" he called back. Walking was one thing, running was another thing altogether. His stamina and speed were nowhere near what they used to be, but he was determined, he was going to do this one way or another.
He did not, in fact, manage to beat her that day.
...
"Wounded incoming, wounded incoming!"
Smokescreen was in the middle of downing his medical grade when he heard the call go out and bots rushed past him through the ship to the waiting ground bridge.
It had been a few days since Bee and his team had left so he assumed they had to be at the location of the Scraplets already.
And as he saw the first wounded limping and carried through the space bridge onto the ship, it would seem he was correct. They were covered in the telltale marks of Scraplet bites, although a not insignificant number of them bore burns and sear marks and bits of debris sticking out out of their bodies. Which was not typical of dealing with Scraplets.
As more and more made their way through, fear and worry gripped his spark. What had happened, and where was Bee? Was he ok?
Luckily, Knock Out voiced his thoughts so he didn't have to.
"What in the name of Unicron happened?!"
"Accidental bomb detonation," said one of them. "Almost brought the whole building down on us."
Smokescreen took a deep vent, closing his eyes as he fought to ground himself so he didn't start panicking. Bee wasn't among the injured, and he couldn't be dead. He would have felt it in his spark if that happened, he would know. So if he wasn't dead and wasn't among the wounded then he was probably safe on the other side of the portal. Oh he hoped so.
Of course, that also meant it would be a few more days till he saw Bee again.
'Guess I have more time to practise before he comes back,' he thought.
"I'm sorry, your checkup is going to have to wait," said Knock Out. "We are flooded with the Scraplet patients, on top of Darksteel." He gestured to the very full sick bay. "Plus, I think Ratchet is going to blow a gasket if he has to deal with any more. So it's probably best if you come back later."
"Are you sure it'll be fine?" asked Smokescreen.
"Well, you're standing on your own two pedes, and all your previous checkups have been normal, normal enough, so there's no harm in you missing one check up while we deal with...this mess," said Knock Out.
Loud grumbling came from the room behind them, Ratchet fussing over whoever he was working on.
"I'll let you get back to work then. Sounds as if he's swamped in there," said Smokescreen.
"Knock Out! Get your tailpipes back in here!" roared Ratchet and he winced.
"Ah, duty calls."
"Good luck, and try not to get any wrenches thrown your way."
"What?"
The rest of Bumblebee's group returned later that day. Everyone except Bumblebee and Predaking that was. They were taking the long way back, to look for more potential Scraplet locations apparently.
So he really was going to have to wait to see him again.
Smokescreen sighed as he stared at the ceiling, hands resting on his chest as his thoughts drifted aimlessly about. Sometimes to Bee, but mostly to the most pressing matter, the sparkling. He had so, so many questions about it.
How big would it get? How long did the process take? When it was born, what would it be like? Who would it take after? Their personality, their alt mode?
So many questions and no answers.
"If you take after Bee, you're going to be the cutest," he said absentmindedly, pressing his hand against the center of his chest, over his spark chamber. "I mean, you'll probably be cute either way."
He rolled onto his side, curling up slightly. For as excited and nervous as he was about the sparkling, a worrying thought had been nagging at the back of his mind. He hoped it was his imagination but it had felt like Bee just, wasn't as excited for it as he was. He always seemed very quiet whenever it was brought up, and Smokescreen couldn't remember if Bee had talked about it unprompted. Smokescreen couldn't help but to worry and wonder, did Bee not want the sparkling?
He hoped that wasn't the case and that he was just overthinking things.
...
"Hey Ratchet, do you think it's safe for me to transform?" asked Smokescreen.
It was something he had wondered about idly after learning about the sparkling, but he'd never actually brought it up yet. But with getting more and more mobile and even exercising his wings, he really wanted to know. Not to mention his lack of ever using his alt mode was getting noticed and bound to start raising questions. So no better a chance to ask than at his next checkup.
"Or I suppose, is it safe for the sparkling if I transform," he added after a moment. "I wouldn't want to hurt it or anything."
"At the moment it is pretty small, and safely tucked away in your spark chamber, which itself is fairly safe and protected" said Ratchet. "So I can't imagine it's in all too much danger right now." He looked over at Smokescreen, who was looking at him anxiously. "In my professional opinion you should be alright to transform at the present. But I'll leave the decision up to you."
Smokescreen nodded, "Alright. Thanks, Ratchet." Check up finished, he hopped off the edge of the table, starting towards the door.
"Smokescreen."
"Something wrong?"
"How are you holding up?"
"Well...I mean you just told me everything looks fine."
"I don't mean physically," said Ratchet. "You are going through a lot."
"Oh." Smokescreen rubbed the back of his head. "Nervous I guess. Really nervous, and a little scared. But excited at the same time, if that makes sense."
Ratchet's optics softened slightly. "I'm not surprised."
"But, I know I'm in good servos," said Smokescreen. "So I have that comfort."
"Well, I'm glad you think so. Because I am so far out of my depth on this one," said Ratchet. "But I will do the best that I can. For both of you."
"Thanks, again."
Chapter 15
Notes:
Sorry about the delay, my laptop was off getting a new battery and I didn't get it back till this afternoon.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When he heard that Bee and Predaking had finally returned, Smokescreen all but ran out to greet him, wings wiggling happily. Finally, finally he was back!
His excitement was short lived however when he saw Bee limping across the ground, using Predaking's leg as a support.
"Bee! What-what happened?"
Bee smiled weakly and indicated to the side of one leg. "I uh, might have a metal burn that was worse than I originally thought it was," he said meekly. "Is uh, Ratchet in?"
The guttered, strangled cry that Ratchet gave when he saw Bee echoed through the halls of the ship and for a moment, Smokescreen worried he'd shorted out his vocal processor.
"Is it that bad?" asked Bee, lifting his head to look at Ratchet. "It's just a small burn."
An aghast look crossed the old medic's face, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Small?? Bumblebee, there's nothing small about this. This-this is a second degree metal burn, almost third! Your protoform metal is this close to being exposed, do you have any idea of how dangerous this is?"
"I guess that explains why it hurts so much," he said, dropping his head as he lay on his side on the medical berth.
Metal burns were bad as is, layers of the protective plating and coating ground away, usually from a violent amount of friction or heat. It left the area tender and raw and prone to rusting, as the protective films had been scraped off. But a second degree burn ran deeper, almost right down to the soft layer of metal that lay under the hardened plates. The soft, soft metal of the protoform was extremely sensitive and highly, highly susceptible to rust infection.
In Bumblebee's case, the burn ran down his right side, starting just under his abdominal cavity, running down to his hip and along his thigh. A strip of silver cut through the black and gold paint, revealing the layers of tender metal beneath.
"Why didn't you just ground bridge back?" asked Ratchet. "I could have treated this much sooner."
"I didn't think it was this bad," said Bee, hissing in pain as Ratchet carefully began cleaning the area and applying protective coating.
"Well you had better hope that you don't develop a rust infection from this," he said, shaking his head. "Primus, what am I going to do with you?"
"Try not to kill me before I give my report on the mission to Ultra Magnus?"
Predaking, who had followed them onto the ship to check in on Darksteel, reappeared in the doorway, looking around as if looking for something or someone.
"Where has Skylynx gone?"
"Skylynx, is currently sulking while having a timeout in the brig," said Ratchet.
Predaking frowned. "What is he doing in there?"
"Keeping out of trouble so that I can work. While I do not mind him coming and watching over Darksteel, what I DO mind however, is him threatening to rip my head off while trying to work, simply because my patient is in a bit of pain and complaining about it." He shook his head with a sigh. "He is unharmed, although I cannot make any promises on the state of his mood."
Predaking sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes. "I will...deal with him."
Ratchet turned his attention back to Bumblebee and his wound and shook his head, mumbling something about the stubbornness and foolishness of the youth.
Stubbornness and foolishness aside, Bumblebee did still have to give his report to Ultra Magnus about what had transpired on the Scraplet hunt. About the only reason he didn't find himself in as much trouble as he thought he was going to get in, was because Wheeljack had recounted his version of the events while Ratchet fixed his knee. A version that lined up with what Bumblebee reported, that the Scraplets got into Wheeljack's weapons cache and caused it to go off prematurely. Something well beyond Bumblebee's control.
He also reported the locations of potential Scraplet infestations, to be checked out later. But that wasn't the only thing he had found while on the way back.
A hot oil spring.
"I mean, we're absolutely going," said Bulkhead. "Not even a question."
"I have been waiting for this," said Arcee. rubbing her servos together in anticipation. "And I hope you know that not even Unicron himself is going to be able to get me out of there."
"It's not too far way is it?" asked Smokescreen.
"It's only a few hours, you'll be fine," said Bumblebee. "Besides, I have a plan."
"You want me to come?" asked Knock Out, setting down the tool he was cleaning.
"Well, it was you or Ratchet, and Ratchet is impossible to drag away from his work," said Bumblebee. "Not to mention he's still taking care of Darksteel. Besides, you'd probably enjoy it more."
"It has been a while since I had a nice oil bath."
"And, if anyone asks, we brought you along 'just in case'. I mean, someone could get hurt, you never know," said Bumblebee with a shrug.
"Well, I should be keeping an eye on you," Knock Out pointed to Bumblebee's injury. "Don't need to aggravate it anymore than it already is."
"See, a perfect explanation," said Bumblebee, clapping his servos. "No one can argue with that."
No arguments were made and it was decided they would go and check it out. And while everyone was excited, Smokescreen included, he was also a bit anxious. Driving there would be faster but ever since waking up he hadn't actually taken on his alt mode and, if he was being honest, he wasn't even sure he had an alt mode. What if he'd just been factory reset and needed to scan a new one?
But, well, he couldn't put it off forever. Plus, considering the sparkling, there was a very real chance that he might not be able to transform at some point, so he needed to take advantage of it while he could.
He watched as everyone prepared, forms changing down into their alt modes as their engines revved in anticipation.
'Here goes nothing,' he thought.
Despite how long it had been, transforming was still second nature to him and he found his wheels, all four of them, pressing down on the ground. He rotated his mirrors around, trying to get a look at himself. He looked, a lot like his old Earth vehicle alt mode honestly. Except now his wings had been incorporated into his form, becoming part of the rear fenders and spoiler, rising up around the trunk.
"Whoa, that's new," said Bee, driving in a circle around him to get a look. "Cool!"
"You think so?" asked Smokescreen.
Bee rumbled his engine approvingly. "Absolutely. Now let's get rolling."
"Alright you two, you can flirt all you want later," said Arcee.
Smokescreen laughed as the wind whipped past him, his wheels spinning under him as he rolled across the open plains. Oh how he had missed this, being able to drive around so free, the change of scenery, it was great!
Bee and Knock Out kept pace with him, while Arcee drove on ahead and Bulkhead and Wheeljack brought up the rear.
"You holding up?" asked Bee. "It's not too fast for you?"
"Naw, I got this. It feel amazing to finally stretch my wheels like this."
"Given how long you've been cooped up, I'm not surprised," said Knock Out. "I think I would have gone crazy in your wheels."
"How did you manage back on earth then?" asked Bee. "I mean, your ship was always in the sky, and moving. It's why we could never find it. And I can't imagine you had much free time.
"Oh, you would be surprised," said Knock Out. "As for getting away from the ship. We did have a ground bridge, might I remind you."
"Are you saying you played hooky?" asked Smokescreen.
"Maybe. Earth does have plenty of places to go racing."
"Like when Jack and I ran into you outside of Jasper and you kidnapped that classmate of his," said Bumblebee. "I can't believe you thought he was my partner."
Knock Out's engine rumbled in embarrassment. "Well how was I supposed to know?"
"I have much better taste in humans than that."
"You kidnapped a human?" laughed Smokescreen.
"Yeah and not even a good one. We rescued him and he was so ungrateful about it after. He called me a pedal car!"
"You really have no strut to stand on Bumblebee," said Knock Out. "After all, if I recall things correctly, that race wasn't exactly, above board, even by human standards. So the real question is, what were YOU doing there? What was an upstanding little Autobot doing at an illegal street race?"
"Breaking the rules with Jack!" called Arcee with a laugh. "You boys and your need for speed."
"Hey, I know for a fact that you and Jack were racing before he came to me!" said Bumblebee. "He only came to me because he knew that I. Am. Faster!" He revved his engine as he began to pick up speed, pulling ahead of Smokescreen and towards Arcee.
"Bee wait, I don't think-"
"Are you sure there Bee? I haven't exactly been kicking my wheels back you know. I could leave you in the dust."
Bee shifted his mirrors, the sound of his engine increasing. "Bet." And then he was gone, flying past Smokescreen and towards Arcee, who revved her own engine in turn and took off.
"Aand they're off," said Knock Out with a sigh. "I guess we'll be meeting them at the oil spring."
Smokescreen could only sigh somewhat dejectedly, so much for sharing a drive with Bee.
Oil springs were natural formations, often uncovered during tectonic movement, pushed to the surface and opened up. And more often than not, they were warmed by thermal vents from deep underground, resulting in hot oil springs.
And the spring that Bee had found was no different, uncovered during the planet's revival, the thick fluid in it bubbling and burbling away, curls of steam rising off the surface.
Bee and Arcee were, unsurprisingly, the first two there, rocking on their wheels as they waited for the rest.
That didn't stop Bulkhead from being the first bot in however. He took one look at the oil pools and, before anyone could stop him, charged forward with a 'last one in is a rusty gear shift!' before jumping, tucking his legs up close. He landed with a splash, oil spilling out over the edge and splashing everyone still outside.
Luckily, Arcee was a lot more civilized, slipping into the pool and sinking down till she was up to her neck with a blissful sigh.
"Ohh, I missed this so much," she said.
One by one they all slipped into the spring, the hot oil splashing and lapping against their plates.
Smokescreen shuddered as he sat down, the oil coming up to the middle of his chest. It felt so good, the viscous fluid seeping into each and every nook and cranny. The heat was relaxing and Smokescreen almost felt like he would melt away in it.
"This is the most relaxed I've seen you in a hot minute," said Knock Out, leaning back against the edge of the spring.
"Can you blame me? I haven't exactly had much of a chance, all things considered," said Smokescreen. "Hard to be relaxed when you're aching all over from physical therapy. But this..." he sighed, tilting his head back. "This is niiiice."
"How much longer till you're cleared for actual duty again?" asked Bulkhead. "I mean, I've seen you walking around, and you managed the trip all the way out here."
"Hmmmmm. I dunno. Whenever Ratchet clears me I guess. I think he wants to make sure I won't, I don't know, collapse from over exertion or something. But they've been getting me working on my wings," said Smokescreen. "So, hopefully soon." Presumably the sparkling wouldn't hinder his ability to do anything. If it did, and he got taken off duty again, he wasn't sure how he would even explain it to the rest of the team. He didn't want to tell anyone about it, not yet at least.
"So, how's the leg Bee?" asked Wheeljack. "Heard Ratchet complaining about metal burns."
"It still stings a bit, depending on how I move," he said. "What about you. That knee did not look good."
"I'm surprised you couldn't hear the dressing down Ratchet gave him," laughed Bulkhead. "Half of Cybertron probably heard it."
"From how he was going on, it's a wonder he hasn't turned you into scrap metal yet," said Knock Out. "He didn't exactly sound happy with you."
"Eh, he's never happy with me," said Wheeljack with a shrug. "Well, almost never. Anyways, the ol' knee joint is fine."
Bulkhead clapped him on the back. "Face it Jackie, you're getting old."
Wheeljack shoved him playfully. "Hey! This has nothing to do with my age Bulk."
A shoving match ensued as they pushed each other back and forth playfully, oil splashing around them.
Smokescreen couldn't help but to smile as he watched them. When was the last time they'd been able to cut loose like this? Even during the lulls in combat back on Earth they had to be on guard, ready to fight at a moment's notice. They hadn't been able to do, this, just relax and not worry about things, not worry about how long the calm would last. He sighed as he leaned back, turning his gaze to the sky.
Bee sidled up beside him, placing a hand on his beneath the surface of the oil.
"It's nice, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Not having to look over my shoulder all the time, or being worried someone's gonna shoot me in the back..." Smokescreen curled his hand around Bee's, lacing their digits together.
"I hope this peace actually lasts," said Bee. "After everything we've been through, everything we've lost, we deserve to actually be allowed to enjoy it. To-to enjoy the planet we saved." He leaned against Smokescreen's side with a sigh.
"Well, it's been holding so far," said Smokescreen. "Surprisingly enough. Maybe we're actually in the clear for once."
"Primus I hope so."
"I have a question that's been burning a hole in my processors for cycles," said Arcee. "How long has, this," she gestured to Bee and Smokescreen, "Actually been going on? I know it didn't start with Megatron's defeat."
"Wait, it goes that far back?" asked Bulkhead.
"At the very least. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. First thing Bee decided to do with his voice, after taking out Megatron, was to declare his love for Smokescreen. In front of everyone present," said Arcee with a laugh.
Bee whined in embarrassment as he sunk down in the oil, bubbles floating up around him.
"So, how about it?"
"I think, around when I became a Prime. A little after actually," said Smokescreen. "Might have been sooner had I not been so...oblivious."
Arcee gave a low whistle, "Wow, that long huh?"
"How'd you manage to keep it such a secret?" asked Bulkhead. "I didn't notice a thing. I mean, I thought I caught Bumblebee flirting once or twice, but I thought it was my imagination."
"I suppose we were just that sneaky," said Smokescreen with a shrug. "Well, except around Ratchet. He knew from the beginning. Didn't say anything to us though."
"Not until later anyways," said Bee.
Knock Out laughed, "That I heard, given you trapped me in my own lab."
Bulkhead chuckled, "Nothing gets past Ratchet does it?"
"No, it doesn't," said Bee. He looked over in Knock Out's direction, "You know, speaking of questions that need answers, Knock Out, I never did ask, what was that 'incident' you mentioned anyways? The one involving Synth-En and Dark Energon?" He framed the word 'incident' with little air quotes.
"I-what? When did I mention that? I don't remember telling you about that."
"Well, you were quite drunk at the time. You were babbling a lot. Mostly about Breakdown. So, what happened? Cause I'm sure that's got to have a story behind it. And it'll eat me up if I don't get answers."
Knock Out huffed, rolling his eyes. "That was a mess. And Starscream's fault, no matter what anyone says."
"Oh, I'm sure you had nothing to do with it," said Bee sarcastically.
"I didn't! Mostly. I was just testing out the Synthetic Energon, trying to figure out its capabilities and the effects on our bodies. Luckily I had Cylas as a...test subject, to work on. And then Starscream decided to 'help out' by throwing Dark Energon into the mix." He rolled his eyes. "So I went from a patient that was merely aggressive and burning through his own Energon reverses, to one that did that, and then wanted to suck the Energon out of US instead! And just to make the situation even better, he got loose on the ship."
"You created a, what did the humans call it again? A vampire?" asked Bee, looking towards Bulkhead.
"Or a zombie," said Bulkhead.
"More like a Unicron forsaken mix of the two. He was attacking everything in sight and infecting them and turning THEM into these, Terrorcons. And then, he managed to free Airachnid. So on top of those, vampiric zombies trying to maul us to death and suck out our Energon, we also had the Insecticons trying to rip us to pieces on her orders." He shuddered and shook his head. "Anyways, Soundwave dropped them all through a space bridge to Primus only knows where and we took out the remaining Terrorcons."
"I can't imagine Megatron was very happy about that."
"No, he wasn't. I think the need for a medic on board was the only reason he didn't scrap me on the spot. Anyways, let that be a lesson. Don't mix Synthetic Energon with Dark Energon unless you want to reenact human horror films."
Smokescreen laughed, "Noted. Not that I ever plan on doing that."
"Wait, wait," Arcee held up her hands. "Is THAT why we just, stopped seeing the Insecticons?" she asked. "I had noticed that Megatron stopped sending them into battle against us, but I sort of assumed he just, got fed up with them and offlined them."
"Now that you mention it, we did just, stop seeing them didn't we?" said Bulkhead. "Considering we were dealing with, other things at the time I didn't really give it much thought."
"So, through a space bridge huh?" asked Bee.
"Yup. Just sent'em all them through like, whoosh." Knock Out made a swooshing motion with one arm as he spoke.
"Any idea where?" asked Arcee.
"Not a clue, aside from 'as far from us as possible'. Don't know, don't care and don't care to ask."
"Pity. I would have liked to have gotten in one last hit on Airachnid," she said, punching the palm of her hand. "I know what Optimus said, but I still think scrapping her would have made me feel better."
"Sorry to ruin your fun."
"And here I thought Shockwave was supposed to be your mad scientist," said Wheeljack.
"He is. Was. Whatever. He's definitely a mad scientist."
"You know, we still haven't tracked him down," said Bee. "You'd think we'd have found him by now. Or even evidence of his...activities. We haven't seen any new Predacons. Or any new anything. And we can't find his life signal anywhere. What do you think happened?"
They had given a shot at tracking him down, even searching the 'top secret' labs they managed to find with Soundwave's help, but they hadn't found any sign of him. Eventually that was just placed on the backburner as they focused on rebuilding. Wherever he was and whatever he was doing was anyone's guess.
"Would it be to much to hope he crawled into a hole to die?" asked Bulkhead.
"Probably," said Knock Out. "He's either cloaking himself so we can't find him, or off world."
"Well, as long as we don't see him or sign of his activities I'm going to put him down in the category of 'things to worry about later'," said Bee. "Keeping the peace and rebuilding is more important at the moment."
"Amen to that," said Arcee. "If he wants to stay hidden, then he can stay hidden."
They lapsed into silence as they sat there, just enjoying the warmth of the oil spring, Bee leaning into Smokescreen's arm comfortably, the tips of his door wings twitching up and down happily.
Arcee looked like she was going to fall asleep where she lay, resting against the edge of the pool, and honestly Smokescreen couldn't blame her. It was warm and comfortable. Even Bee looked like he was about to drop off. Up until he sat up right and pointed at Bulkhead.
"You!" he said abruptly. "I have words for you mister."
"Me, what did I do?"
"It's what you didn't do," said Bee. "How could you know I was going on a multi-day mission with Wheeljack, and not warn me that he snores like a buzzsaw?"
"Uhhhhhh."
"Hey, I do not snore."
"Oh yes you do. Honestly I'm surprised we still had the element of surprise on the Scraplets with how loud you snore. And the acoustics in that cave only made it worse!" he said. "I think the only reason I was able to sleep is because I was exhausted."
Wheeljack rolled his eyes. "Yer exaggerating how bad it was."
"I can assure you, I am not."
Smokescreen laughed, "Well, at least you don't have to worry about listening to it anymore," he said.
"Yeah. Thank Primus you don't snore. I might have to evict you if you did."
"Evict him?" asked Arcee, shooting him a curious look.
An awkward silence fell as Bee shifted about on the spot and Knock Out laughed, tossing his head back. "Wait, did you not know they've been sharing a bunk?" he asked.
"That's news to me."
Smokescreen rubbed the back of his head, face warming and not from the oil vapours. "Yeah, after they released me from the med bay they put me in with Bee. Figured it would be easier to monitor me if I wasn't alone." He leaned down and nuzzled Bee affectionately. "He's a very good bunk mate, so I can't really complain."
"I'll just be glad when we can finally get a place to sleep that isn't on the hospital ship," said Bee. "We can't stay there forever."
"Well, we've been making some serious headway on rebuilding the city," said Arcee. "Which includes places to live and sleep."
"We have roads now so that should help speed things along," said Bulkhead.
"We should go for a drive around there sometime," said Bee, looking over at Smokescreen. "Now that you're not confined to the hospital."
Smokescreen smiled, "I'll take you up on that offer."
Eventually, Wheeljack and Bulkhead remembered that they'd packed some drinks, including some high-grade. Where they had squirrelled that away from was anyone's guess, especially as Wheeljack just smirked when asked.
"Am, I allowed to have this?" asked Smokescreen, looking at the high grade he'd been handed before looking to Knock Out. "You know, because of the," he hesitated a moment. He wanted to say 'because of the sparkling', as Ratchet has speculated that anything he ingested was probably also being used to nurture the sparkling. Which meant the high grade would as well. But, he had no idea if that was a good idea. Even young, freshly online bots weren't allowed to drink something that strong and the sparkling was even younger and smaller! But he wasn't ready to tell everyone else about that little fact yet. "the, med grade Ratchet's still got me on."
"You're still on that? Hasn't it been long enough?" asked Bulkhead.
"I think he just wants to be sure," said Smokescreen. "Considering how long I was out for."
"I wouldn't risk it," said Knock Out. "Can't imagine it would play nice. And if you get sick on my watch, it's my head on the line."
"Sorry Bulk, you got anything else?"
"Yeah, here you go."
They swapped cubes before settling in to down their drinks and enjoy the heat.
"Just don't let Knock Out get too drunk," said Bee as he took a swig from his drink. "Or we might have to carry him back."
"Hey!"
"It's true. You also babble a lot."
Knock Out huffed, sinking down slightly into the oil.
"You mentioned that earlier, you've seen him drunk?" asked Smokescreen.
Bee nodded. "While you were still...out, we found some high grade and had a bit of a party. And got really drunk in the process."
"I don't think there was anyone that didn't get drunk," laughed Bulkhead. "Maybe Ultra Magnus, but he might just hold his high-grade better."
"Naw, he got pretty drunk too," said Wheeljack. "Saw him slipping away all wobbly after a few drinks. Probably thought no one noticed." He tipped his cube back as he drained it.
"Sounds like it a real party," said Smokescreen.
"We should have another one at some point, when you can actually take part," said Bee. "If only because I am dying to know what you're like when you're drunk."
Smokescreen laughed. "Hopefully I'm not too much of a mess."
"You don't know?"
"Bee, when would I have had a chance to drink? During Elite Guard training?" he scoffed. "No way. Nothing got past the proctors there, no one would ever be able to sneak anything in. And believe me. Some tried. And I certainly couldn't manage it while working at the Hall of Records."
"I suppose that would have been hard," said Bee. "I mean, you said you worked under Alpha Trion. I can't imagine you'd have been able to sneak past someone like that."
Smokescreen leaned back, looking at the sky. "I dunno. I don't even think I'd have needed to sneak it past. He was eccentric enough I could probably have just asked to try some. But, it's not like I had the time. And I probably would have gotten an audial full from the rest of the Elite Guard if I was caught drinking on the job." A twinge of sadness tugged at his spark at the though of his old mentor. The last time he'd been on Cybertron, Alpha Trion had been alive. Now hewas back and Alpha Trion...wasn't. "So nope, never really got a chance."
"Something to look forward to then," said Bee, clinking his cube against Smokescreen's and Smokescreen could only nod in agreement.
Notes:
I think they should be allowed some good natured ribbing about past events now that they're not trying to beat each other up.
Also like, do-do you think the Autobots ever figured out what happened to the Insecticons? Cause, from their pov they just ceased appearing one day with 0 explanation as to why. They weren't privy to the events of 'Thirst'.
Chapter 16
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
While no one got nearly as drunk as they had during the first big party all those cycles ago, they did still get fairly tipsy and by the time they got back to the ship hours later, Bee couldn't seem to decide between trying to snuggle Smokescreen or just sleep. The healing burn on his side sure didn't help, causing him to whine in pain every time it brushed against Smokescreen, despite Smokescreen's attempts to get him to cuddle him differently so that didn't happen.
"You aren't even that drunk Bee," said Smokescreen, once again trying in vain to get Bee to lie on his other side.
"But it's much more comfortable like this," said Bee, nuzzling against his chest again.
"And then you're going to complain about your side again," said Smokescreen, doing his best to avoid touching Bee's side as he shifted his partner onto his side, again, the wounded side facing up. "Please just, rest ok?"
Bee huffed, puffing his cheeks. "You're no fun Smokey."
"Believe me, I want to cuddle you too," said Smokescreen, kissing his forehead gently. "But I don't want you to hurt yourself ok? We can cuddle later, when you're not as...tender." He really DID want to cuddle him but there wasn't much of a way to do it without hurting Bee. Either Bee lay on the wounded side, which hurt, or he lay with the wounded side exposed, which meant Smokescreen risked touching the wound with a servo. Which also hurt.
Finally, finally, Bee caved and curled up, deciding that sleep was in fact a good idea.
Smokescreen on the other hand, just couldn't fall asleep.
Oh he tried, but he couldn't. The earlier conversation, the one that had brought up Alpha Trion, still hung in his mind.
He hadn't thought at first that talking about him bothered him that much, why should it? And at the time it hadn't, even if it did leave him feeling a touch melancholy. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it did hurt. He was the only one that had ever met him, ever talked to him, who even knew anything about him. Even if he did talk about him with someone, it wasn't the same as talking about him with someone who had known him.
The only person he could have spoken to about him, the only person who might have understood and known anything he was talking about, was Optimus. And he couldn't really speak to him anymore either.
Finally, as sleep clearly wasn't coming to him yet, he sat up and crawled off the berth and made his way towards the door to the room. Maybe a walk to stretch his legs and clear his mind would help.
The walk originally was just supposed to be around the ship, around the inside. So Smokescreen wasn't sure how he found himself making his way outside to the upper platforms and decks.
He sighed as the cool night air kissed his plates, a gentle soft breeze brushing past.
From up there, he could see so much, the soft glow of the planet, pulsing from beneath the plates and radiating from the areas slowly being rebuilt.
He walked towards the bow of the ship and sat down, letting one leg hang off the edge. In the distance he could see the gentle glow from the Well, pulsing with life.
"I wonder, what would you think if you knew how it all turned out?" he asked, turning his gaze skyward. "Bet you never thought I of all bots would somehow end up a Prime, even if it was for a short time. I didn't exactly get a chance to ask you what you thought about it at the time. What did you think when you saw me there and had to bestow the Matrix on me?" Smokescreen shook his head, optical fluid prickling at the corners of his eyes. "Are you upset that I gave it back? Sorry I couldn't keep it." He raised an arm, wiping at his optics with the back of it. "I wish you could see this, see what we've accomplished. You and Optimus both." As he lowered his arm, more tears rolled forth as a choked sob broke free. "I'm sorry, that I couldn't save either of you. It was my job in the Hall of Records to guard you, and I couldn't even do that in the end. You had to protect me."
Ever since landing on Earth he had hoped, had dared to hope that Alpha Trion was alive, somewhere out there. After all he had been alive the last time he'd seen him. But then that fateful day came, when he had accepted The Matrix into his body, and he had seen him there, assembled with all the other Primes. And he knew. He knew he was gone, one with the Allspark.
His shoulders shook as tears rolled down his cheeks, hands shaking where they sat.
"Would you have known anything about sparklings Alpha Trion? You seemed to know everything. And if they really were born back before the war then, surely you'd have seen some. I wish you were here, wish there was some way to talk to you, because I don't know what to do. I feel so lost." He drew his legs up close, leaning down to lean his forehead on his knees as his vision blurred with tears.
As he sat there, shaking quietly as he wept, a gentle hand touched the center of his back.
"Smokescreen?"
He sat up right, turning abruptly and looking into the concerned face of Bee, the yellow mech looking down at him with worried blue optics.
"B-bee? I thought you were asleep? What-what are you doing here?" he asked, furiously wiping at his eyes.
"I was but..." he tapped his chest. "You were so upset that it woke me up. What's wrong?" He knelt down beside him, keeping a hand on his back.
"I-I..." Smokescreen took a breath to compose himself, wiping away any remaining fluid from his eyes. "I dunno. I was thinking about Alpha Trion, because we talked about him earlier and I just...I guess I never stopped to realize how much I would miss him. Had too much on the processor to really think about it." He shivered, twitching his wings a little. "I was so distracted by the fact that I was on a new planet, and getting to serve under Optimus that I just...didn't think about it. Or maybe I didn't want to. And then, well, we lost Optimus and then I really had other things to think about."
Bee rubbed his back gently, tracing a lazy circle with his palm. "I'm sorry. That must be...hard."
Smokescreen gave a weak laugh. "I seem to have bad luck with mentors. Alpha Trion, Optimus..." He shook his head.
"It's not your fault," said Bee softly. "You can hardly be blamed for what happened with Alpha Trion. I mean, from what Optimus said, it sounds like he got the drop on you. So I think you can be forgiven for not being able to hold yourself against a Prime of all people."
Smokescreen snorted. "I suppose that's true. And at least I wasn't take out by an enemy soldier like I'd thought. So I'm not a complete failure. But still, it was my job to-to protect him, to keep the enemy from reaching him. And in the end I couldn't do that."
"But you still completed the task he set out for you. You kept the Omega Key safe, you helped us unite all four. And, maybe it wasn't done in the way it way it was supposed to be done but," Bee spread his arm out, gesturing to the planet in front of them. "You saved our planet. We have a home again. We have our home!" He touched Smokescreen's cheek gently, turning his gaze back to meet his. "I think that should count for something."
"I just wish I could show him. Show both of them."
Bee's optics softened as he leaned in, pressing his forehead to Smokescreen's. "I know. There's bots I wish could be here as well to see this, but aren't. I think we all know someone who couldn't be here."
Smokescreen released a shuddery sigh as he leaned into Bee's touch, the palm of his servo pressing gently into his cheek, holding his face.
"If the war never happened, I'd probably still be there, in the Hall of Records, following him around." Then Smokescreen laughed softly. "And I'd be chasing him down even more than usual. No one ever thinks that a Prime would, you know, try to wander off or skip out but he did. And I had to follow him so I didn't get in trouble."
"He did that?"
Smokescreen nodded. "Sure he was great and wise and powerful. But I mean, he was still...another bot. And I guess even he wanted to slip away from it all once in a while. The first time he decided to leave he just, turned to me and told me that, since it was my job to guard him, I should follow and 'guard him'. And then he walked off and I had to run after him before he just left me behind to explain why Alpha Trion was not in fact doing...whatever anyone expected him to be doing. At least if I was with him then I wouldn't get in trouble. I mean, wh-what would they have expected me to do? Stop him?"
Now it was Bee's turn to laugh. "Yeah that probably would have been hard."
He sighed, wings drooping as he leaned his head back, looking to the sky. "It's funny. I kinda miss it now. I never though I would. When I was first assigned there I was so disappointed because I wanted to see action. But, I do."
Bee was quiet, gently wiping away tears with the tips of his digits as he cupped Smokescreen's face.
"Hey Bee. When we take that drive into the city, do you think we could visit the Hall of Records?" asked Smokescreen after a moment.
Bee frowned. "Are you sure? I went there Smokescreen, doing some research for Ratchet when we were trying to figure out how to wake you up. It's...bad. The shape it's in, is not very good."
"Still, I want to see it, just one more time."
"Alright, we can do that."
A tiny smile tugged at Smokescreen's face as he nuzzled Bee back, letting himself relax against Bee.
"If the war hadn't happened, what do you think you would have been doing?" asked Bee. "I mean, if you'd never gone to train with the Elite Guard, and never been stationed at the Hall of Records. What do you think you'd have done, if you had that choice?"
"I've never really thought about it," said Smokescreen. "What would I want do?"
"I think you'd make a good racer," said Bee. "You've got the speed for it."
"What about you? No war no need for scouting, so what would you do? I could see a little racer."
Bee laughed, "Or maybe a reporter."
"Do you think we'd have still met, if the war had never happened?" asked Smokescreen. "We only met by chance, because I ended up on Earth because of the war. Do you think we'd still have met each other otherwise?"
"Maybe," said Bee. "I certainly hope we would. Nothing to say chance couldn't still have brought us together somehow. Maybe...maybe we'd meet at a race track. Or at an oil house. Or maybe just randomly by chance." He drew small circles on Smokescreen's cheek with his thumb. "But if you were this cute I'm sure I'd still fall in love with you anyways, no matter how we met."
"Oh, is a cute face all I am?" asked Smokescreen teasingly.
"Of course not!" said Bee. "You're also kind, and smart, and you're so brave. A bit reckless and stupid sometimes, but brave nonetheless. I'd be a fool not to fall in love with you." He shifted his position, wrapping his arms around the back of Smokescreen's neck, pulling them closer. "And you know, I hope I get to fall in love with you in every lifetime."
Smokescreen smiled, optics soft. "I hope I do too. It sounds wonderful." He pressed a hand to the small of Bee's back, pulling him chassis to chassis with him as he leaned in, kissing Bee softly. Bee responded by leaning in, lifting himself up from his knees ever so slightly, a sigh catching in his throat. "But for now, I want to enjoy this lifetime with you. And everything it brings." He kissed Bee again softly. "And right now that means getting you back to bed."
"I'm not tired though," whined Bee, clinging tightly to Smokescreen.
"Well you should be, you woke up in the middle of the night."
"Only because of you. And you should be even more tired than I am," said Bee. "So really, you should go to bed."
Smokescreen sighed. "How about this, we both go back to bed and get some rest?" It was true, he did need to rest.
"You feeling any better?" asked Bee.
"Yeah. I think I'm better," he said. "Thanks."
...
"Oh stop squirming," chided Knock Out as Smokescreen sat on the edge of the medical berth, tapping his digits on his knees almost anxiously, kicking his feet back and forth.
Warm ups and stretches had eventually given way to flight exercises, though V33 stressed for Smokescreen to be careful while in the air as, given his size, they might not be able to catch him if he fell.
He didn't fall, managing to stay airborne, a feat that made his spark soar with excitement.
Now he could finally take Bee on that flight he'd promised.
Of course, he still had his, now every other day, check ups to deal with. Though at this point it was more to monitor the sparkling's condition than his. Nonetheless he wanted to get it over with so he could meet up with Bee for their drive.
"Sorry. I'm just, finally getting to do something new, go somewhere that's not here," he said. "Besides it's all fine right?"
"Hold your engines, you can't rush me," said Knock Out. "Honestly." He turned his attention back to the results, muttering to himself as he flicked through them.
Smokescreen fidgeted as he waited, already thinking about what he wanted to do, where else he wanted to go. A real proper outing, he could barely wait.
"Oh!"
Smokescreen looked over at Knock Out, wondering what had cause him to make such a noise of surprise.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No, but you might find this interesting," said Knock Out with a sly smile. "Take a look."
Smokescreen watched as Knock Out pulled something up on the larger computer screen and his optics widened.
The last time Smokescreen had seen the sparkling it was just a spark and some blobs, flecks really, of cybermatter circling it. It didn't look like anything that could be considered living. But now the cybermatter had coalesced around the spark, and while small it was no longer featureless. It was tiny and simple, but distinctly a protoform. A tiny head with tiny limbs draw close to its tiny body.
"That's...that's...my sparkling?"
Knock Out nodded, "It certainly is."
He pressed a hand to his chest. Despite everything he'd seen and been told so far there was still a part of him that couldn't believe it was real, it didn't feel real. But seeing this, seeing the sparkling now, now it really felt real. This really was happening.
"Can I get a copy of the file?" he asked. "I want to show Bee."
"Of course."
As Knock Out handed Smokescreen a copy of the scan, he suddenly and abruptly hugged the red mech with a quick 'thank you' before taking it and zipping off, leaving Knock Out standing there, trying to figure out what had brought that on. It wasn't that great a gesture to let him take a copy of his own medical documents, surely.
Smokescreen was, equally as baffled by that sudden display of affection. He wasn't even sure what came over him, he was just excited and happy and in that moment did what seemed like a good idea at the time. Hopefully Knock Out wasn't too weirded out by suddenly getting hugged like that. And by him of all bots.
Between that and his overly emotional outburst on the top of the ship a few nights back, he was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with him. He could think about that later though, he had a promise to keep and a Bumblebee to meet.
Luckily, Bee hadn't been waiting long, so he said at least, and was raring to go.
"So, to the Hall of Records then?" asked Bee, already revving his engine. "You really want to do this?"
"I do."
"Then let's go."
Together they drove off, towards the city and the Hall of Records.
While Smokescreen did want to do this, he did feel a sense of apprehension at the thought of seeing his former place of work once again. He knew it wasn't going to be pleasant, there was no way it could be, but he needed to see this for himself. If only for some kind of closure.
Buildings whipped past them, a mix of new and old, and some in the midst of being built. To see Iacon City in such a state, it hurt. And yet he still recognized the streets, still knew where they were and which way they needed to go.
It wasn't long before the Hall of Records came into view. As dilapidated and ruined as it was, it still stood tall in the heart of the city. Bee hadn't been kidding, it did look rough.
"You should have seen it before it was...like this," he said as they transformed out of their alt modes. "It was something."
"I'm sure it was."
Striding ahead, Smokescreen made his way inside, his spark twisting in agony at the sight around him.
The Hall was generally quiet even during its heyday, everyone speaking in hushed voices while inside or simply reading or working. But this silence? It was unsettling and upsetting, the silence of lifelessness, of death. The sound of their foot falls the only sound, echoing through the room as they walked.
Smokescreen made his way to a platform in the center of the room, gingerly tracing his fingers along the control panel in the center of it. There was no way in hell it still worked, which meant if they wanted to get to lower levels and back they would need to walk or climb.
"Smokescreen?" Bee touched his arm lightly, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"I'll be alright," he said. "It's just...a lot. Come on, let's keep going. Shame we can't use this though," he tapped the platform. "Would make this a lot easier."
Bee looked down at it, wiggling a busted lever. "I wondered what this was," he said. "Definitely seems like it would beat the stairs."
"I know a few short cuts but...there's still a lot of stairs."
"Well, lead the way."
Stepping off the lift, Smokescreen made his way across the floor, pushing aside chunks of debris as he cleared a space around what seemed to be just a portion of wall.
"Ok, let's see...It should be right around, here!" Carefully, Smokescreen felt around the wall before one servo landed on a panel that pushed in with a click and part of the wall began to shift aside. "Wow, I can't believe it still works."
Bee gave a small whistle as he peered in. "I didn't know your shortcut was a secret passage. I wish I'd known about this sooner."
"Trust me, there's a lot of these. Everyone needs ways to sneak around. Or escape in an emergency. Or hide." Smokescreen frowned slightly as they started into the passageway, flicking their headlights on. Escape...he wondered how many had fled through or hidden in the passageways when the fighting finally reached them. Not everyone in the Hall was a fighter, there were plenty who were scholars or scribes, noncombatants who would have been caught in the crossfire. How many has escaped and survived? What about the other guards stationed there, had any of them made it out? Looking at the devastation it was hard to think that anyone had made it out.
"So where are we going?" asked Bee, following behind him.
"Assuming there's no collapses or holes in the floor in here, the lower most floors, the vaults. Where...where I was when it all went down."
They continued down the stairs in relative silence till they reached another door, one that took no small amount of effort on Smokescreen's part to shove open. Although, when he stepped out he really, really wished he hadn't. What he'd thought was just more debris blocking the door was in fact, a body, a hole blown clean through their chest.
He shuddered and closed his eyes, looking away.
"Someone you knew?" asked Bee, touching his arm gently.
Smokescreen nodded. "Another guard, Hyperdrive."
"Were you two close?"
"We graduated from the same class and both got assigned security detail here," he said. "And sometimes shared lunch breaks. He worked in a different area than me though. I guess he didn't escape."
Bee gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry."
"Let's just keep going."
"If it's not to much, what do you remember about the last time you were here?" asked Bee. "I know you mentioned getting blindsided but what about before that?"
Smokescreen sighed. "The fighting had reached the city a few cycles prior, but they didn't come to the Hall of Records right away. Alpha Trion took me to the vaults and we used that time to send relics off world, to get them away from Decepticon hands. Not that we had a lot of time. Like I said they attacked fast and hard and it went from quiet to all out fighting in an instant. Even while we were working, I could hear the fighting. The blaster fire, the screaming." He clenched his fists. "At the time I was excited, I would finally get to fight, you know? And well, you know the rest. Alpha Trion knocked me out and hid one of the Omega Keys in me and I ended up on a prison ship. I'd always held out some hope that maybe Alpha Trion had escape the fighting, that he was still alive. But...it seems that wasn't the case." He shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. "I hope he at least went down fighting."
"We can always turn back," said Bee.
"No. I need to do this."
The continued on, making their way through corridors and past now ruined rooms, climbing up and over debris and along ledges. Eventually they came to a stop outside of large room, the door blown out of the doorway.
"This is it," said Smokescreen. "The last place I saw before it all went dark."
"You ok?"
"It's just. A lot."
Slowly, apprehensively, he started inside, glass crunching under the soles of his pedes. All the monitors were dark, cracked and blown out from the resulting explosion. Shrapnel littered the floor and blast marks were burned into the walls.
"What is this place?" asked Bee.
"The entrance to the vaults," said Smokescreen. "If we kept going that way," he pointed down a corridor ahead of them. "We'd end up in them."
"Seems awfully secure."
"It was. You'd have to get past all the guards above to reach this place," said Smokescreen. "I don't imagine we can actually get in though now." And, if he was being honest, he wasn't sure he wanted to go in and what he might find there. Or who. He shuddered, shoulders shaking as he looked around the room.
"Do you want me to go in?" asked Bee and Smokescreen shook his head.
"No. I don't...I don't know how he fell, or where. Part of me wants to know but, part of me doesn't. I don't know if I could handle it if I had to see him like that. I'd rather remember him, the way he was."
"I understand." He took Smokescreen's hand gently, lacing their digits together comfortingly.
"You know, for so long I've only ever thought of this as the site of my biggest failure, because I thought the ones hat got the drop on me were 'Cons. I thought I didn't do my job properly. But, it's more, I was getting reassigned to a new job. A secret one that I wasn't told about, but a new one." He pressed a hand to chest as he sighed.
"I'd say you managed to succeed in that job," said Bee. "You did keep the key safe."
"And then I lost it."
"Hardly your fault, you didn't even know about it. And you did get the other keys back to us in the end anyways. And now look, we're here, we're home. If anything, I would say your new mission was a success. Maybe the path to the end wasn't how anyone expected it to happen but, it did happen."
"I know." Smokescreen took a deep breath as looked around the room, so empty and quiet. "Could you give me a minute? Alone?" he asked after a second.
Bee hesitated a moment, looking up at him. "Alright," he said. "I'll wait outside."
Once alone in the room, Smokescreen made his way towards the entrance to the vaults, resting a servo on the door frame.
"Hey, Big A. I don't know if you're still here, but I hope wherever you are you can hear me. I'm sorry I...couldn't be there in the end with you. But, I did it. I fulfilled the mission you gave me, even if I didn't even know about it till it was too late. And now, now we're rebuilding." His voiced cracked slightly and he brought a hand to his face, wiping at tears that had begun to form. "I suppose I should thank you, for everything. I know I was a lot of talk sometimes, and I could probably be a bit much. I think what you did for me, I needed that. Sending me off the way you did. It may not have been what I wanted but, I think now, it was what I needed. Thank you, for everything." He gave a soft, slightly broken sounding laugh as he touched his chest. "And now I have a new responsibility on my shoulders. I'm gonna have a sparkling. Can you believe it, me of all bots? I get to be responsible for a whole new life." He sighed softly, hand falling to his side, shoulders drooping a little. "I wish you could get to meet them."
Just outside the doorway, Bumblebee waited, leaning against the wall. He could still hear Smokescreen talking, given the silence it was pretty hard not to hear him. He wished there was something he could say or do for him.
"I'm gonna have a sparkling. Can you believe it, me of all bots? I get to be responsible for a whole new life."
Something twinged deep in his spark at that and he gripped his wrist tightly. Yeah, that was going to happen wasn't it? They probably had a while before it actually arrived but, it was something they were going to have to prepare for. If only they knew more about sparklings to prepare.
"Bee?"
Bumblebee jumped at the sound of Smokescreen's voice right beside him.
"Are you done?" asked Bumblebee.
Smokescreen nodded, "Yeah. I've done what I need to do. Let's go. I do owe you a flight anyways."
"Really, now?"
"I could use some fresh air, and it'll help me clear my mind I think."
Bumblebee smiled, well if they were going flying then, this was as good a time as any to show him his new features. "Alright, let's go."
Slowly and carefully they ascended from the Hall in silence, back through the debris field and hollowed out rooms till they reached the front entrance.
As they stepped outside, Smokescreen stretched his arms over his head and spread his wings out, increasing their size in the process.
"You ready?" he asked, taking Bee's hands in his.
"Very ready. You sure you're ready?"
"I'll be fine."
He smiled and carefully wrapped his arms around Bee, doing his best to avoid touching his side, hoisting him off the ground. Then, with a flick of his wings he took to the air, slowly ascending as the ground shrank away beneath them. Bee wrapped his arms around Smokescreen's neck, holding onto him as they rose into the air, leaning against the crook of his neck.
"I swear, I won't drop you," said Smokescreen. "So no need to hide your face on me."
Bee laughed as he lifted his head. "I wasn't, I just like holding you."
"What do you think?" asked Smokescreen. "Quite the view huh?"
Bee turned his head, looking out across the cityscape that stretched out around them. "Sure is." He turned back to Smokescreen, slowly moving his hands to rest on Smokescreen's shoulders. "Hey, you trust me right?"
Smokescreen gave him a curious look, "Of course I do."
"Then I need you to trust me when I say this. I need you to let go."
Smokescreen froze and almost did let go out of pure shock. "What?" What sort of a request was that? "Bee, no! I'm not going to drop you! You could get hurt!"
"Putting aside the fact that I have definitely leapt off cliffs higher than this on Earth and been fine, I didn't say drop me, I said let go."
"That is the same thing from up here."
"You said you trusted me."
"I also trust that gravity still works on you."
Bee sighed and cupped Smokescreen's face between his hands before leaning in and kissing him. "Trust me," he said softly, before suddenly pushing himself out of Smokescreen's arms.
"Bee!" He watched as Bee began to drop, spark sinking in his chest as he prepared to dive after him. Then, he stopped falling. Not because he had hit the ground, but because he had begun to rise up in the air.
"I-I..." Smokescreen stammered, watching as Bee flew back up, now right in front of him. But that didn't make any sense, Bee, despite his name, wasn't a flyer. His door wings weren't real wings. "How?" he squeaked.
Bee smiled, a little apologetically at him, before leaning back and kicking a foot in the air, revealing something that he definitely hadn't had before. Jets. There were small jets in his legs now, which were what was keeping him aloft.
"I asked Knock Out to install them. I think he did a pretty good job, fast and painless," he said, flying up to Smokescreen.
"When?"
"A few weeks ago? Before the Predacons turned up. It was, just after we found out about the sparkling."
"Ok, next question, why?"
"Isn't it obvious? To fly with you. I know you can carry me, and I appreciate it. But I don't want you to have to always carry me. I wanted to fly with you. And, I wanted to surprise you. So I've been practising in secret."
"Well you sure surprised me. Don't ever do that again, I thought I was gonna blow a fuse. You scared me there."
Bee laughed softly before taking one of his servos in his. "I'm sorry Smokey. I didn't mean to scare you. But, that aside, what do you think?"
"I think you're absolutely crazy," laughed Smokescreen, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "Does anyone else know?"
"Aside from Knock Out? Bulkhead knows cause he had to help me out of the rafters once, and I worked with some of the flying Vehicons, and Predaking decided to "help" me. I wasn't really keeping it a secret from anyone but you, so I just made them promise not to tell you."
"Mmm, I'm sure there's some interesting stories in there," said Smokescreen. "Why don't you tell me while we fly?"
Bee smiled, twining their fingers together. "Alright, I can manage that."
Smokescreen's wings twitched as he took off, Bee easily keeping pace beside him. "So, the rafters?"
Bee snorted. "It was early on when I was practising. I thought doing it inside, in the workout room, would be a good idea. I wasn't planning on getting very high. But I also wasn't very good at regulating my thrust and," he made an upward swooshing motion with his free hand. "Right into the rafters before I could turn them off. Except, then I had to get down. And I didn't really want to fall. I got lucky, I guess, cause Bulkhead came in and saw me hanging there. I must have looked so stupid."
"Bulkhead can't fly though."
"No, but he is good at catching things. And I'd rather drop down into his hands than the floor. I started training outside after that."
"Is that why you were always so tired by the end of the day?"
Bee nodded, "Yeah. I wanted to get the hang of it as fast as I could, I didn't know how long I could hide it from you."
"And Predaking?"
Bee rolled his eyes. "It was on the Scraplet hunt, mainly on the way back. Apparently, 'throw you into the sky' or 'just fragging drop you' is his idea of a good way to teach." He rubbed the back of his head, "That wasn't very fun. I made him promise not to do that again."
"Well, however you learned seems to have worked. You're still airborne."
"Yeah, and that's not all." Slipping his hand from Smokescreen's he increased speed pulling ahead of him. He turned around, so he was flying backwards and facing Smokescreen, then he leaned back, tilting back till he flipped around midair. "I never realized how much you could do up here!" he said, almost beaming with excitement. "How much fun it is!"
Smokescreen could only smile as he watched Bee fly. He looked positively ecstatic about being able to fly with him. Then, Bee grabbed his hands, pulling him after him as they few through the air. They flew after and around each other, dipping and twisting through the air. Bee would dive or turn and Smokescreen would follow him, like some kind of aerial dance.
At one point Smokescreen rolled onto his back, looking up at Bee, the yellow mech flying above him, parallel to him. Reaching up he brought a hand to Bee's cheek with a smile. Bee leaned down, angling himself till he could press a kiss to Smokescreen's lips. Then he pulled away, slipping out of Smokescreen's grasp and out of reach.
"If you want more, you're going to have to catch me!" he called out.
"That sounds like a challenge!" Smokescreen called back as he flipped back over and took off after Bee.
He chased Bee through the city, his partner always managing to keep just out of arm's reach and laughing all the while.
For the first time in what felt like a long time it felt like he was having fun. Real fun. Not just goofing off while on break or during a lull in the conflict. There was no looming threat over his head, nothing to worry about. He could just relax and enjoy himself.
Bee turned around to face him, slowing just enough that Smokescreen was able to catch him, wrapping his arms around his middle as pulled him in close.
"Looks like you caught me," he said teasingly.
"So, does that mean I win?"
Bee laughed, servos dragging along Smokescreen's cheeks as he kissed him, hooking his legs around Smokescreen's middle. "Yeah," he murmured between kisses. "You win me."
"I think I like that prize."
"Come on, I know a place we can land," said Bee. "Before you crash while trying to kiss me."
Still holding onto him, Bee lead him through the ruined city, towards a surprisingly intact rooftop.
"We found this place while working on rebuilding," he said as Smokescreen alighted on the ground. "Even though everything else looks like utter scrap this place looks, almost as good as new. Must have some kind of strong shielding in place."
"Did you go in?"
Bee shook his head, "No, it seems to be locked up real good. What makes it weird is the sign on it said it was an oil house. Why would an oil house need that kind of shielding?"
An oil house? Smokescreen's processor spun as he wracked his memory, carefully setting Bee down. "Was it Maccadam's Oil House?" he asked finally.
"Yeah, actually. How did you know?"
"I remember Alpha Trion mentioning it a few times. I've never been in but he made it sound like a good place to go."
"Wonder why it survived when nothing else did?"
Smokescreen could only shrug. He had no idea. It did seem odd to have something like that be so fortified. But well, it wasn't his place to judge.
"Hey, Smokescreen?"
"What is it?"
Bee tapped his digits together, a little anxiously. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
He pointed a digit at Smokescreen's chest. "The sparkling, do...do you think if I listened, I would be able to hear its sparkbeat?"
Oh. That was not at all what Smokescreen had been expecting. Bee hadn't really talked all that much about the sparkling before.
"I dunno, do you wanna try?"
"Can I?"
Smokescreen sat down, leaning back on his servos, his chest out. Bee sat down with him, moving to sit in his lap, legs around his waist as he carefully placed his head on Smokescreen's chest.
The first sound he heard was the sound of Smokescreen's own spark, softly beating and thrumming away. It was a gentle, soothing sound that he knew quite well. But it wasn't what he was trying to hear. He closed his eyes, focusing hard as he listened. He could hear the soft whirring of his systems and the gentle puff of his vents. He listened and listened, audial pressed closely to Smokescreen's chest, as if that would somehow help.
Then he heard it. Nearly imperceptible, and drowned out by the rest of his life sounds, but still not a sound that would have belonged to anything else. The soft sound of a sparkbeat. It was faster than Smokescreen's and very faint.
His own spark leapt in his chest as he looked up at Smokescreen, optics wide and door wings wiggling excitedly.
"I can hear it Smokescreen. I can hear our sparkling's sparkbeat!"
'Our sparkling' Smokescreen felt his spark leap when the words left Bee's mouth and the surprise and joy must have shown on his face, as Bee frowned slightly, giving him a curious look.
"Smokescreen?"
"Sorry. It's just, you called it our sparkling. That's the first time you've called it our sparkling," he said. "I know it sounds bad but, I was beginning to think you...might not want it. You never talk about it and when I try to you seem, disinterested."
Bee's eyes widened, almost in horror and he reached for Smokescreen's face, cupping it between his hands.
"Oh no, nonono, Smokescreen. I do want this sparkling. I want this family. I swear I do. I'm just...I'm scared. This is all so new, to everyone and I'm terrified. We don't know what will happen. What if it gets too big for you, what if it hurts you, what if..." he trailed off. "And I don't want to lose you. Not again. I already lost you once, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you again. Especially knowing that this only happened because of me."
"Oh Bee..."
"And then, I feel bad for feeling that way because you're out here being all excited and interested. And I just, don't know what to do. Didn't know how to say anything without sounding like a jerk."
"Bee...can I tell you something?" asked Smokescreen.
"What?"
"I'm terrified too."
"What?"
Smokescreen nodded. "I may be excited but, I'm still terrified too. For all the same reasons as you. We don't know what's going to happen, this is totally new territory. But, I want to know what's going to happen, I want to have this sparkling. And I trust Ratchet if something does go wrong."
Bee let out a soft, shuddery sigh and gently bumped his helm on Smokescreen's. "I'm sorry I made you think I didn't want our sparkling. I never meant for that. I was just scared and being stupid about it."
"I think we both were," said Smokescreen, nuzzling him back. "You wanna see something?"
"What is it?"
Smokescreen smiled and moved Bee's hands off his face before pulling out the chip he'd gotten from Knock Out earlier. "This was from my most recent checkup," he said as he slotted it into his arm, pulling up the file on a small screen. "Look, look!" Excitedly, he pointed at the image of the scan, of the tiny sparkling.
Bee's optics widened and he gasped softly. "Is, is that..."
"Uh huh. It's our sparkling Bee!"
"It's so...small. Like a tiny protoform." He reached out a hand, as if to touch the image, stopping just short of doing so. "It...it really IS a new Cybertronian, isn't it?"
Smokescreen nodded, "Yeah. It's funny, rationally I knew this was happening, I knew it was real, but when I saw this, saw our sparkling looking like this, it just, made it actually feel real, you know? Like, it's really happening. What's growing in me, in my sparkchamber is a new life."
Bee looked back at him, pressing a servo to the middle of Smokescreen's chest as he leaned in, leaned against him. "It's ours. It's really ours."
"Yeah. You loved me so much that you not only saved my life but, made a new life inside of me. Accidentally sure, but you did." He nuzzled Bee happily. "What do you think our sparkling is going to be like?" he asked. "I mean, since it's made from both of our sparks, it'll be a bit like us right?"
Bee hummed thoughtfully, leaning his chin on Smokescreen's shoulder. "Fast," he said finally.
"What?"
"Fast. If our sparkling takes after us in anyway, they're gonna be really fast."
Smokescreen laughed, "Yeah, I suppose that's true. Gonna be keeping us on our wheels that's for sure."
Bee gave a thoughtful 'hmm' noise as he sat there, leaning on Smokescreen comfortably, enjoying the warmth of his body. "Hey, Smokescreen."
"Yeah?"
"There's something I want to do, I'd like it if you joined me."
"What is it?"
"I..." Bee paused a moment. "I want to talk to Soundwave, and ask him for his side of the story."
"His side?"
"About the war. I want to know his side, the Decepticon's side. What were they fighting for, why were they fighting. How did it all start, from their point of view. I want to know."
"What brought this on?"
"There's a human saying I heard once, 'those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it'. And I...don't want to repeat our past mistakes, not now, especially not now." He leaned in as he held Smokescreen, leaning into his neck. "I don't want our sparkling to know war, to grow up like we did. I want them to grow up in peace times, without fear. I want them to have the choices we never had. So...I want to know. I want to know what went wrong, how it went wrong. How can we make sure that never happens again? We've all heard how it happened but, honestly, it's probably got our biases in it, especially with everything I've seen since we arrived here. So I want to hear it from the other side. And Soundwave seems like the best option."
"Do you think he'll actually answer you?"
Bee shrugged. "I don't know, but it can't hurt to ask. The worst he can do is turn me down."
"When did you plan on doing this?"
"Today or tomorrow. Whenever I get the time, and he's free."
"Alright, I'll come with you," said Smokescreen. "I want this peace to remain too. I want our sparkling to grow up safe. And if this can help...I'll do it."
Bee smiled as he looked up at Smokescreen before reaching up and cupping his face, before pulling it down to meet his, pressing their lips together. "Thank you."
Smokescreen smiled as he kissed him back, servos resting on the small of Bee's back.
"You know," he said, "It's sort of ironic. I used to think we could never have peace unless all 'Cons were gone or imprisoned, that that was the only way for us to be safe. And yet, I don't think I've felt safer than I do now, and we're surrounded by 'Cons." Smokescreen sighed, "It really makes you think, huh?"
"I know. I felt the same. Never thought I could be safe around them, and here we are, working with them. That's why I want to know. I have to know. If we want to keep this peace, our planet, we have to make sure we don't screw things up again."
Notes:
idk how this chapter go so long lol probably due to the inclusion of the late night talk.
Bee and Smokescreen taking a walk/drive through the city before going for a fly and Bee revealing his new upgrade + the roof top talk where Bee says 'our' sparkling for the first time was something id planned for a while.the Alpha Trion stuff got added in AFTER cause by the time I got here I went 'you know, he didn't just lose Optimus, he's lost Alpha Trion as well' (yes, this was written around the same time as 'weep not for me' lol). I imagine Smokescreen has a lot of thoughts about the things that happened, he just hasn't had the time to stop and process through them.
also i (re)watched thru RiD and I feel quiet vindicated that Bee did indeed think flying was the coolest shit ever haha
Chapter 17
Summary:
In which a long overdue conversation with Soundwave is had. For he first time in eons, Autobots, are listening.
Notes:
.:TEXT LIKE THIS:. = dialogue appearing on Soundwave's visor. he's not verbalizing anything unless otherwise stated
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Soundwave had been very apprehensive about the idea of working alongside Autobots when the offer had first been put forth. But at the same time, being stuck in that Unicron forsaken void dimension was worse. He could probably have held out longer, conserving his Energon reserves to make them last as long as possible. But not Laserbeak. He couldn't put her through that any more. So ultimately, he decided to go with the lesser of two evils as it did still grant him freedom.
Bumblebee standing up for him against his direct commander was something of a shock though, an Autobot, defending HIM, the CIO of the Decepticons most loyal warrior and servant tot Megatron, HIM. It was unheard of. And yet, the small yellow warrior seemed bound and determined to prevent any kind of fighting, even if it did get him in a fair amount of trouble.
The other Autobots took a lot longer to warm up to him, preferring to avoid him if at all possible. Which suited him nicely anyways, it let him work, uninterrupted. And boy was there a lot of work. Even after fixing up the ship's computers and getting them running properly, there was still the laborious task of decoding data files that Bumblebee recovered from Iacon's Hall of Records.
The only upside was that these files seemed less heavily encrypted than the ones from the heart of the database that had been relic coordinates. It still took time, as it was still Autobot coding and encryption, but he was able to crack through them, and with each file he cracked he got a little bit faster at it.
Now if only he could get something more useful than minutes from old meetings or youngling's stories.
Laserbeak at least, seemed to enjoy getting to go out and fly around Cybertron, reporting back to him on anything of interest she may have seen while out.
Probably the most interesting things be reported back was the coexistence that seemed to be blooming between the two factions. While it had been cautious at first, an alliance formed from a mutual enemy, as time passed they seemed to grow more and more comfortable with each other.
Autobots and Decepticons working side by side to rebuild and repair their ruined home. It was...peculiar to say the least. Surely such a peace could not last. At the moment it only worked because the Autobots were severely outnumbered so fighting was not in their best interests and they needed their help, but if-no when-more of them arrived, surely things would simply go back to the way they were. The Autobots would return to imprisoning them, jailing them and treating them as lesser simply for the crime of being Decepticons.
Soundwave was skeptical.
But...his thoughts always trailed back to Bumblebee, who'd pleaded on his behalf with Ultra Magnus to give him a chance, who seemed to have formed something of a friendship with Knock Out. He was cordial with the low ranked, warrior class soldiers, treating them like individuals. Even Laserbeak seemed to enjoy his presence, having had quite a lot to talk about after their outing to the Hall of Records. If there was one bot that seemed determined to keep the peace, who seemed to hold no ulterior motive for it, it was him. The way he spoke, the cadence of his voice and way he held himself. He wasn't lying when he said he wanted peace, that he didn't want to fight anymore.
If only more Autobots could be like him, perhaps then, such a thing could be possible. At least he seemed to be letting his actions back up his words. For now.
Soundwave was in the midst of working on a new program, one to aid in decrypting files, when there was a knock on the door to the computer room.
Odd, he wasn't expecting guests.
Extending a cable arm he pressed the button to open the door as he turned to see who his unexpected visitors were.
"Soundwave? We're not interrupting anything are we?"
Ah, it was Bumblebee and Smokescreen, the young warrior and now ex-Prime. He hadn't really seen Smokescreen, in person at least, since the one time he'd followed the Autobot medic. Ratchet had requested his aid in locating something within the medical database at the time. The scream that Smokescreen had let out made it clear that no one had informed him before hand of Soundwave's existence. He never said anything though, just watched Soundwave the whole time, and Soundwave merely acknowledged him with a polite nod before finishing his work.
He knew that he was up and about, he'd seen and heard him through the cameras.
So, what had brought both of them to see him? Bumblebee he could understand. While the yellow mech was a low ranking warrior he was also the one often tasked with liaisoning between Soundwave and the other Autobots. But Smokescreen?
He shook his head, they weren't really disrupting anything, the program was meant to run on its own anyways so he had been planning on taking a much needed break once he was sure it worked.
Bumblebee seemed to visibly relax and shared a look and a nod with Smokescreen before turning back to Soundwave as they entered the room.
"We...actually wanted to talk to you. Well, to ask you something really," he said.
Conversation, well that was certainly a break from the norm. Of course it depended on what they wanted to ask.
Bumblebee exhaled heavily, as if bracing himself. "We want to hear your side of things. We've all heard how the war started, why were were fighting but, we want to hear it from you this time. We want to hear your side of the conflict. What were you fighting for, how did it...end up like this?"
Oh. Soundwave was, for a moment stunned. Of all the things for them to ask about, that didn't even make the list. No one had ever asked, no one had ever cared. At least no Autobot ever had.
.:QUERY: WHY?:.
"To keep the peace," said Smokescreen. "If we can figure out how things went wrong in the past, maybe we can use that to make sure we don't make the same mistakes now. So we don't lose everything all over again."
"And...if we're being honest, our version of events is probably biased towards us. So we want to hear the other side. We want to learn." Bumblebee rolled a foot back and forth as he spoke. "If you're willing to tell us." He was nervous, anxious, even a little ashamed, but truthful. Smokescreen too. And their reasons were understandable as well, of course they would want this, all of them did. There was a tiny hint of, something else, like there was another underlying reason for this they weren't saying, but there was no hint it was anything bad.
.:ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: UNDERSTOOD.:.
But, this sort of answer was going to be long. He gestured for them to take a seat before going to look for something that would help.
After a moment of searching he returned, carrying a long, slender cable in his hands, one end of which was split into two.
"What's this?" asked Bumblebee.
"Oh, I've seen that before," said Smokescreen brightly. "It's a linking cord. I remember we'd sometimes use this at the academy to share music or read together. Stuff like that. It sort of, links your mind, right?"
Soundwave nodded, that was exactly what it was, the object that had been the basis for Shockwave's Cortical Psychic Patch. Though this particular split cable would let all three of them link up at once in their minds, instead of just two at a time.
"You just, plug it in and, go."
Demonstrating, Soundwave took one end and plugged it into a small port on the side of his head before offering up the other ends to them.
Smokescreen took one end eagerly, though Bumblebee seemed a bit more apprehensive.
"Why?" asked Bumblebee, picking up the end of the cord carefully.
.:REASON: IT WILL BE EASIER THIS WAY.:.
"Alright, I just hope it doesn't do anything weird to me," said Bumblebee.
Soundwave gave his wings a small twitch as "doesn't do anything weird," crackled back at Bumblebee, in his own voice, and Smokescreen laughed slightly. Yes this was the sort of thing that did require a lot of trust, but really, he was inviting TWO of them into his mind, if anything he was the one that needed to extend his trust.
"I got, I got it," said Bumblebee.
One after another they plugged themselves in.
For a moment, nothing happened.
And then Bumblebee was hit was with that familiar falling and flying at the same time sensation as the whole world just fell away around him. It wasn't to dissimilar to the sensation he felt when he'd been patched into Megatron's head.
It only lasted a moment and suddenly he was grounded again, though unlike when he'd been in Megatron's mind, a world of chaos and destruction, this seemed, orderly. And quiet. He was surrounded by what could be described as screens, so many screens, though as present they were dark and blank.
As if there was any question to where he was, Soundwave himself materialized a moment later, followed by Smokescreen.
"Ok, that was, a bit more disorienting than I'm used to, whoo," said Smokescreen, shaking himself slightly as he took a moment to regain his balance. "So, this is Soundwave's mind huh?"
"Affirmative."
Bumblebee and Smokescreen whipped their heads in the direction of Soundwave, at the sound of that near mechanical sounding voice, the one they'd only heard once before.
"You know, I know that you can speak, you could have done that instead of bringing us here," said Smokescreen.
"Could. Won't." He shrugged. "Can speak freely here. Can show you."
Despite it being his voice, it didn't seem to come from him, almost echoing around them.
"I guess showing would be pretty useful," said Smokescreen.
Smokescreen pointed as Bumblebee. "Your story, your side first."
"My side? Why?"
"To compare. Hold still."
"Oh, I suppose that would make sense," said Bumblebee. "Wait wha-" he was cut off as Soundwave placed a servo on his forehead. For a moment he was frozen on the spot, his limbs locking up as a sensation like a surge of electricity rushed through him. And as fast as it happened it was over and he stumbled back a moment, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
"Bee! Are you ok?" asked Smokescreen as he caught him, using his hands to steady him.
"Yeah I think so. My head's just spinning. What was that? I didn't think anyone could touch me in this sort of place. Megatron couldn't."
"Memory extraction. Data reading. Highly efficient." He looked at his servo, watching as what looked like code swirled around his digits. "Informative. Thank you."
"You're welcome?" Bumblebee rubbed his head. "Did you at least get what you wanted?"
Soundwave was quiet, watching the data before it faded away. "Affirmative." Flicking his digits slightly, as if dusting them off, he inclined his head towards them. "You desire to hear my story?" he asked.
"That is why we're here," said Smokescreen.
"You. May not like what you hear."
"I'm not expecting to like it," said Bumblebee. "It's about a war, there's nothing likeable about that. I just want to know."
"Understood." He turned away from them, turning to the wall of screens that seemed to surround them. "You information is not...wrong...though incomplete. Orion Pax did learn of the inequality yes. But to know and to live are different experiences." He waved an arm and the screens began to flicker to life. "He was...empathetic. But he could never really understand."
Images began to flicker to life on the screens, images of mines, of labourers toiling away, of arenas and battles; of bots, battered and beaten and dirty, bots who'd known nothing but labour and battle. Then it changed, to shining cities and pristine halls; to bots all shiny and polished, as if they'd never laboured a cycle in their lives.
"What you were born into. Was your life. A labourer. A warrior. A scribe. A single path. Functionist."
"What if someone wanted to try something different?" asked Smokescreen.
"Punished. Severely."
He grimaced. "Oh."
"What were you?" asked Bumblebee.
"Labourer. Sold to the Pits. Became Gladiator."
"I thought you said you couldn't change your role?" asked Smokescreen.
"Gladiator not a role. A punishment. Weed out the weak. Source of. Entertainment for the upper caste. That is what Megatron, then Megatronus, sought to change. To allow all Cybertronians to right to choose. The right to freedom."
Bumblebee fidgeted slightly. He knew that feeling, at least to some degree. Born shortly before Cybertron went dark, he was born in the midst of war, where the only option was fight or die. Whatever he might have wanted to do with his life didn't matter. He needed to fight, so he was a warrior. But now...that wasn't needed. They could be whatever they wanted to be. Right? It would be nice, to see their sparkling be whatever they wanted to be, to have that freedom.
Soundwave glanced in his direction and tilted his head. "You are quiet."
Bumblebee jumped, squeezing his hands together. "Ah, I was just thinking. I never had much of a choice either. The only choice was in what way did I want to fight. But, eventually, new Cybertronians are going to start being born again, and they will get a choice. At least, I want them to be able to have a choice now that the war is over. To write, to build, to explore the stars, whatever they want to do."
Soundwave tapped his chin with a thoughtful 'hmm' before turning back to the screens. "Orion Pax and Megatronus did get in contact. That much is correct. They worked together. Spoke. Began speaking to the citizens."
The screens flickered, this time showing a much, much younger Orion Pax and Megatron. First it was them pouring over documents and files, talking with each other. Then they were standing before groups of bots, talking to them, rallying them.
It was so strange to see either of them like that. Optimus so small and young and not even Optimus yet, likewise Megatron, while visibly older than Orion, still looked young compared to the warlord they were familiar with. More silver than gunmetal grey.
"Megatron very. Charismatic. He speaks. They listen. Rally citizens, get their support. The council would have to notice. Have to listen. And they noticed. They brought Orion Pax and Megatron before them. To speak. But, the council is all words and no action. They make promises they do not keep. Empty, hollow words." A note of bitterness touched Soundwave's words. "They would claim to listen to both. But truly, only listened to Orion Pax. Why should the superior listen to one who was...inferior? Megatron would speak and they would claim to listen but they did not."
"Well, that seems rude," said Smokescreen. "If you're going to invite someone inside, the least you can do is hear them out, right?"
"Indeed. The council would claim they were moved. But no change would happen. At least. Not the change Megaton wanted." Soundwave's hands curled into fists at his sides, shaking slightly as the screens changed again, this time to far more grim scenes than anything they'd seen before. "Any sign of resistance was quelled. Violently."
Bumblebee covered his mouth at the scenes that played out before them. Armed troops storming into mines, into the arenas, into any gathering place of those who had rallied themselves behind Megatron. They stormed in and suppressed those there, mowing them down with gunfire and violence. Energon stained the ground and the walls, bots splayed out, their colours fading to grey, like a warning about what would happen to any who stepped out of line, who dared to stray from their assigned path.
"Do you think Optimus knew?" asked Smokescreen.
"Primus, I hope not."
"Unclear. If he did he never attempted to stop this. Megatron knew. His words continued to fall on uncaring audials. Orion Pax was awarded. Commended. Megatron was ignored. Forgotten. If words would not get through. Then actions would."
"And Optimus didn't agree," said Bumblebee.
"No. He hoped for change through words. But. Words are not always enough. Sometimes change. Must be bought through action. And action. Is not always kind."
"So you started a war."
"We started change. They did not listen. We made them listen."
"It didn't exactly work though, did it?" asked Bumblebee and Soundwave looked away.
"No. I suppose not. They still refused change."
"I don't understand something," said Smokescreen. "I think I understand, what Megatron wanted in the beginning. But I don't understand how that became...what it became. The Megatron we fought just wanted to conquer, to rule everyone and crush those that didn't agree with him under his heel. That's not even close to what you described. I mean, I guess if everyone is under him we're equal that way but..." He grimaced.
"It sounds more like he became the thing he was fighting against," said Bumblebee.
Soundwave was silent, extremely silent this time.
"You are not wrong," he said after a moment. "War changes you. War warps you. Ideas and ideals change."
"They change a lot, by the sounds of it," said Smokescreen. "But you still followed him."
Soundwave placed a servo on the center of his chest as he looked at them. "Soundwave is. A loyal Decepticon. Loyal to the cause. Loyalty cannot falter."
"And yet you're helping us," said Bumblebee.
"Decepticons still live. The cause still lives." He paused a moment before pointing at Bumblebee. "You said you want peace. You want freedom. You want to choose. You are not to dissimilar to a Decepticon. Our cause. Is the same."
Now it was Bumblebee's turn to be uncomfortably quiet, unsure how exactly to take that sort of comment. He was an Autobot through and through, he knew this down to his spark and had never once doubted it. And yet, here was Soundwave, staring him down and calling him the same a Decepticon.
"I mean, you're not wrong," said Smokescreen and both Soundwave and Bumblebee turned to look at him, the latter of which looked very shocked. "Wh-what I mean is, I always had one view of 'Cons, the one I was taught and experienced. But, but ever since we returned to Cybertron, since we stopped fighting and I've spent time around you in a more...peaceful context, the more it seems like, we're not really all that different. That deep down, in our frames and sparks, if you take away this," he placed his hand over his Autobot insignia. "we're all the same. We all want the same thing. Optimus always believed that everyone had the capability for change. And that every sentient being had the right to freedom. Which includes 'Cons. At this point, what really makes us so different?"
Soundwave didn't respond, almost thoughtful as he listened to Smokescreen.
"Megatron dragged innocent people and planets into our conflict. Stripping them bare. Destroying them. Nothing justifies that," said Bumblebee, trying to keep calm. Getting mad now wouldn't help anything. It certainly couldn't change the past.
"No. You are. Correct. However. Autobots act. Superior. They are not. Autobots committed as many atrocities. It would seem morals are. Flexible. Even to you."
Bumblebee sighed, shoulders sagging. He wasn't wrong. While many Autobots, at least those who followed Optimus, were more honourable and held themselves to a moral code, that wasn't universal. There were plenty of Autobots who had done despicable things. The stories he'd heard, and overheard, were not pleasant. They could be as bad as any Decepticon.
"No, you're right. In the end we weren't much better," he said. "Despite that, there's a lot of things that were done that I can't forgive or condone. But if we linger on past sins, we'll never get anywhere," he said after a moment. "We'll just keep fighting, and that's not what I want. Not what any of us want."
"You are wise. For one so young," said Soundwave.
"I'm really not. I'm just so so tired of it all," said Bumblebee. "And I don't want to start fighting again. Not now. We already destroyed our home once. We can't do it again."
Smokescreen placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and Soundwave looked between them curiously, tilting his head back and forth.
"Something wrong?" asked Smokescreen.
"No." He straightened up. "What do you intend to do?"
"Honestly, I don't know," said Bee. "I want to keep the peace, for things to work out. To do better. But I don't know how. I mean, I'm just one bot, and not even that important. I don't have any kind of rank, so who would listen to me?"
"Megatron held no rank at the beginning. He was a labourer. A gladiator. A single bot. You say you want freedom of choice. So choose."
"I am not him. And I'm not a leader either," said Bumblebee. "Taking lead on a small team is one thing. But, beyond that? No way. I don't think I could handle that."
"Perhaps. But. You do. Remind of him."
Bumblebee scrunched his face up and Smokescreen stifled a snort. He really wasn't sure he liked the idea of being compared to Megatron of all bots. In any capacity.
"If...if our causes really are the same, like you said. Will you, at least help us? Continue to help us?" asked Smokescreen. "Even though we don't really know what we're going to do. Or how we're going to do it."
Soundwave hummed thoughtfully before abruptly looking around. "Time is up," he said.
"What do you mean?" asked Bumblebee, though as the words left his mouth he felt the world begin to spin around him again, falling and flying and being dragged somewhere.
"Bumblebee. Bumblebee!"
Bulkhead's voice sounded in his audials and Bumblebee groaned, blinking to clear his vision. He shifted his position, propped up against Smokescreen, who was also in the process of waking, returned to his own senses.
"What were ya doing in here?" asked Bulkhead. "And why was the door locked? You didn't do something weird to'em did ya?" He pointed at Soundwave, sitting a few feet away from the pair, the end of the linking cord in one servo.
"DIDN'T do anything weeeird." A combination of Bumblebee and Bulkhead's distorted voices crackled out from his speakers and Smokescreen laughed a little from where he sat at Bumblebee's side.
"No, we did this to ourselves," said Smokescreen. "And we were just talking."
"jUst tallkking," warbled out Smokescreen's voice from Soundwave.
"What are you doing here?" asked Bumblebee.
Bulkhead pointed at Laserbeak, the minicon recoupling with Soundwave. "It wanted in here but the door wouldn't open, so we had to force it. You sure you're ok? You were all, lumped on the ground."
"I swear we're fine Bulk," said Bumblebee, giving the wrecker a pat on the shoulder. "Nothing we didn't do to ourselves, like Smokescreen said." He looked back towards Soundwave. "Thank you, for talking to us. If...if we have any more questions, could we come back?"
Soundwave nodded, slowly.
"Thank you," said Smokescreen. "We'll leave you to...whatever you were doing."
An animated graphic of a fly being smacked with a flyswatter popped up on Soundwave's visor before he turned back to the computers to continue working, apparently, on debugging something.
"Whoa, we've been here for hours," said Bumblebee, taking a quite look at his system clock. "I didn't realize so much time had passed in there."
"I guess that explains why I'm so hungry," said Smokescreen. "Come on, let's go grab something to eat."
"You and your appetite," laughed Bumblebee. "Alright, come on. You too." He slapped Bulkhead's arm, gesturing or him to follow.
As they stepped outside the room, and the doors slid closed behind them, Bumblebee swore, for a moment, he heard a soft 'thank you' in Soundwave's voice float out from the room. He turned to look, but the doors were already closed.
He shook his head. Nah, it couldn't have been, it was just the sounds of the doors and his imagination messing with him and nothing more.
Soundwave watched as the doors closed behind them, the sound of their voices and pedefalls trailing off down the hall.
Bumblebee certainly was an interesting mech to say the least. Him and Smokescreen both if he was being honest. Why was it those mechs in particular that seemed so adamant about doing all this? Was it their ages? They were quite young compared to everyone else, with no pre-war memories to speak of.
Whatever the reason, they were determined, Bumblebee especially. There was a fire in his optics that even Soundwave could see. A familiar righteous determination.
Perhaps, perhaps there was hope after all.
Perhaps this time, things would be different.
Notes:
As they say, every story has three sides, yours, theirs and the truth, which lies somewhere in the middle.
I think the same holds true here. Both sides probably hold very skewed/biased versions of events.i really wanted to stick a gif of a flyswatter swatting a fly (or some kind of bug) in the fic to indicate 'debugging' but i legit could not find such a gif. absolutely criminal
Chapter 18
Notes:
Minor warning for non explicit sexual content in this chapter.
I refuse to bump the rating of this fic up b/c my blorbos got frisky for one chapter. so this is your warning that this one is a biit more mature.
Chapter Text
Smokescreen drummed his digits on his knees as he sat on the edge of the medical berth, optics following Ratchet as he walked back and forth between him and the computers, mumbling to himself as he looked at the datapad in his servo.
"Please tell me you have something," said Smokescreen. "I'm dying here."
"You're not dying, don't be dramatic. They're just mood swings."
"And I don't get mood swings. Not-not like this anyways."
Smokescreen had thought, hoped really, that his overly emotional outburst about Alpha Trion had been a one off thing. That he'd just been so overwhelmed that night that he'd cracked. And it might have been, had that been the only one.
The second outburst had come a few days later, except instead of being sad and weepy it was unbridled frustration, leading him to uncharacteristically snap at Bulkhead over something very minor and very stupid. He managed to brush it off as being tired from a poor recharge and apologized, but he still felt awful and couldn't understand what had triggered him to react like that.
And it didn't end there, he kept finding himself having these sudden mood swings, often right out of the blue. He would be fine and then, suddenly, something would make him extremely emotional for no reason. One moment he could be enjoying cuddling with Bee, the next he suddenly didn't watched to be touched at all, and any touch would set him off and he'd get unreasonably cranky about it. It was awful.
So finally, he dragged himself to Ratchet to see if he could figure out what was going on. This couldn't possibly be normal.
"Your emotional regulator does seem to be acting up a bit," said Ratchet.
"So something IS wrong with me," said Smokescreen.
"Yip yip-yip-yip. Not necessarily," said Ratchet. "It would seem that it is a...side effect of your body trying to compensate for the fact that it is now trying to sustain two lives. Yours and the sparkling."
Smokescreen groaned, hanging his head back. "So is it going to be like this until it's born?"
"Not necessarily. It's still early on, so your body is still trying to adjust to all the changes going on inside. It may settle down given time. It also may be that stress is exacerbating things. I'm going to prescribe you some bedrest for a couple cycles, to take it easy and see if that helps."
"Great, so I just get to be bored instead. I guess that means I gotta tell Bulkhead no."
Ratchet cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Bulkhead invited me to roll with the wreckers for a bit," said Smokescreen. "Said they're doing some demolition, something I could handle it on my light duties. Just planting explosives and stuff." He wilted, wings drooping. With how much he'd been stuck in the hospital ship, only going out a few times, getting to do something new had sounded exciting. But now he might not even get to do that. "This sucks."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "When were you planning on heading out?"
"In a few cycles."
"I suppose, I could make one allowance. Under two conditions," said Ratchet. "One, you take the days preceding and the days after this outing off and get rest. Second, you take the Phase Shifter with you. At the very least it will alleviate MY stress about your condition."
Almost instantly Smokescreen perked up, wings twitching. "Are you sure?"
"No. I would prefer you to rest period. But your mental health is also important and I would rather not have you going stir crazy. So, as long as you're safe. But if you do do anything reckless..." He shook a digit at him warningly. "Who knows, maybe blowing some stuff up will lower your stress levels. Wheeljack swears by it at any rate."
"So, what did Ratchet have to say?" asked Bee, looking up at Smokescreen from the datapad he'd been reviewing in the mess hall.
"He said it's probably because of," he tapped his chest. "That my body is just. Adjusting. He wants me to take some time off to rest and to try and reduce my stress levels, said it might help with. All of that."
"Reduce your stress huh?" Bee flashed him a playful smile and danced his digits up Smokescreen's arm, door wings wiggling suggestively. "I can think of. A few ways to do that."
Smokescreen felt heat rush to his face, vents puffing softly. "Bee..."
"What do you say?"
"Aren't you working?"
Bee rolled his optics, "It's fine, I can do it later, it's just some things that Ultra Magnus wanted me to go over. This sounds more important anyways. Doctor's orders you know." He picked up Smokescreen's hand and kissed the back of it. "Besides, we've both been awfully busy and tired lately."
"Bee, stop teasing me," he whined, face plates heating up furiously.
Lacing their fingers together, Bee stood up and tucked the datapad away, leading Smokescreen from the room, wiggling his doorwings in a way that made Smokescreen's face flush even harder. To the outside observer who didn't know better, just looked like an excited, friendly gesture, but to anyone who understood doorspeak, it was incredibly suggestive, an invitation telling Smokescreen exactly what his intentions were.
"You know, this isn't quite what I thought you had in mind," said Smokescreen, turning his head slightly to look at Bee.
They had not in fact, gone right back to their berthroom, but made a stop in one of the labs for Bee to grab something. The something turned out to be a detailer and buffer.
"Well, it's been a long time since you had a good buff and polish," said Bee as he took one of Smokescreen's arms, gently bringing the detailer down on it as he clicked it on with a soft whirr. "And it certainly can't hurt."
"True but-"
"Besides, I can get into all the places you can't reach on your own," said Bee, a teasing lilt to his voice.
"Ok ok, I guess you have a point. But that was some mixed signals you sent back there."
Bee grinned, wiggling his doorwings as he moved the polisher up Smokescreen's arm in an almost teasing way. "Who said I wasn't planning on more? Getting you all nice and pretty is just step one."
Smokescreen let out a soft vent. Bee was right, it had been a long time since he'd had a good detail job done, there'd just been far to many other things happening, things more important than his finish for sure.
And it DID feel good, the rotations of the buffer vibrating gently against his plates in small, circular movements. He supposed he could let him do this.
Bee worked on his arms first, starting at his wrist and moving up to his elbow, then towards his shoulders. Smokescreen was about to ask if he needed to sit down for him to reach, when he heard the soft rush of jets and felt the buffer move up to his shoulder plate. Well. Apparently not.
As he finished Smokescreen's shoulders, he moved onto his back, bringing the buffer down right between his wings. As it touched his back plating, the soft vibrations rippling through his plates, a very undignified sound ripped itself from his vocalizer. As soon as the sound left him he slapped his servos over his mouth, though it was too late, Bee pausing what he was doing to laugh.
"Well that's a new one," he said.
"Shut uuuup," whined Smokescreen, hiding his face in his servos. Even if it was just Bee hearing him it was still embarrassing.
"So what brought that on?" asked Bee, carefully bringing the buffer back down.
"It just...felt really good, I couldn't help it."
He almost felt the smirk Bee gave him as he applied juuust enough pressure on the buffer at his back to send another twinge through his system. It felt as is he could melt right into the floor, especially if Bee kept that up.
His wings twitched and quivered and he heard Bee yelp followed by a whoosh from his rockets as he landed on the floor with a soft thud several feet behind him.
"Carefully with those, you almost clipped me," he said.
"S-sorry. I told you, I can't help it."
"Hmm. Well I can't strap them down," said Bee. "I don't have anything for that. Ok new plan." He trotted across the room dragging Smokescreen with him before pointing to the berth. "Lay on your stomach."
"How is that going to help?" asked Smokescreen as Bee guided him towards it.
"Well, for one thing I won't have to remain in the air all the time," he said. "Second," as Smokescreen climbed onto the berth, adjusting himself to lay on his stomach, Bee jumped up after him, planting himself on his lower back. "It'll make it easier to do this." With the buffer in one hand he used the other to take hold of a small wing, trapping it so it couldn't move.
"I really don't think this is going to work," said Smokescreen, turning his head to try and look at Bee.
"Humour me?"
"Fine." Having Bee sitting on his back like this was an unusual sensation, and it really did make it harder to move. Then, the buffer met his back plates again, drawn up and down along his back strut and between his wings.
Clenching his jaw, he buried his face in his arms, vents puffing as he fought to control himself, trying to keep his wings steady and voice quiet as Bee worked.
Down his back strut, under his wings, along his sides, Bee worked the buffer back and forth and in small circles. It was relaxing yes, but every time it hit one of his more sensitive areas it sent his touch sensors wild. All he wanted to do was pounce on Bee and kiss him silly, not that he could do that from his position, and it was driving him crazy.
"Bee..." he whined. "Please..."
"Now, now..." Bee leaned in and kissed the back of his helm. "All in good time."
"You're horrible. Why am I in love with you again?"
"Because I'm cute and loveable?"
Smokescreen sighed, pressing his forehead into his arm. He was cute and loveable, he had to give him that.
"Now, you're gonna have to hold still if you want me to do your wings."
Smokescreen vented heavily, he'd never really properly detailed his wings before. Cleaned off dust and dirt sure but a proper buff and polish? Not really. So Primus only knew how this was going to go.
"I'll try. No promises though."
Gingerly, Bee took a wing in his servo, digits dancing on the underside lightly as he brought the polisher to the plates. Surprisingly it wasn't as sensitive as Smokescreen expected it to be, save for the very base of the wing, though it was nonetheless relaxing.
"Feel any more relaxed yet?" asked Bee as he drew the buffer down a wing plate.
Smokescreen sighed happily, letting his cheek rest on the side of his arm. "It feels nice," he replied dreamily.
Bee was gentle as he moved the buffer along the wing plate, doing his best to be careful when it moved near the base, as the gentle vibrations made Smokescreen quiver and begin to twitch his wings.
"Your wings are so shiny," said Bee, leaning down to press a light kiss to the back of one. Like the majority of his frame they were white, though it was hard to tell through all the dust and dings, and the edges rimmed with a golden-yellow paint job. "So pretty."
When he finished with one wing he moved to the next, repeating the process till both were nice and shiny.
"Now try not to move too much," he said, bringing the detailer to Smokescreen's lower back.
"You had...better follow through with your promise," said Smokescreen between sighs as the pleasant vibrations reverberated through his body. "If you're going to keep teasing me like this."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Bee, before pressing the digits of his free hand into the space just above Smokescreen's waist.
Smokescreen whined as he felt Bee's digits drag against the cables, doing everything in his power to not buck him off where he was seated. That was absolutely NOT detailing work.
"Beeeee..."
"I'm almost done, then you can sit up," he said, dragging his digits over the cables one more time before returning to the detailing work.
Smokescreen gave a loud vent, shivering under Bee's touch. If he managed to survive this it would be a miracle. Eventually he heard the detailer click off and felt the weight that had been pressing into his back and legs ease up.
"Alright, you can sit up now," said Bee.
Rolling his shoulders, Smokescreen sat up, turning around as he swung his legs over the edge of the berth.
"So what next?" he asked.
"Legs."
"So do you need me to move or-"
"No no you're fine." Then, before Smokescreen could move, Bee was on the ground, between his legs. He took one of Smokescreen's legs in his servo, resting it under the ankle joint, while holding the detailer in the other.
Smokescreen's face grew hot as he looked away, fans racing to cool him down. This was certainly. A Position. And not one he'd been in before, but also not one he was going to complain about either.
"Enjoying the view?" asked Bee with a playful smirk as he worked the buffer around plates of his pedes.
"It's...fine..." said Smokescreen, hand over his face as he tried to look away, optics constantly flicking back to Bee.
"Sounds like more than fine to me," said Bee with a smirk.
"Oh hush."
His spinning fans were doing him no favours, nor was Bee with how he held his foot, digits dancing against the seams around his joints. And it certainly wasn't helped as Bee began to move his way up the leg, his servo sliding up along the back of his plates as he worked, giving his wheel a playful spin in the process.
"Now you're just doing this on purpose."
"No scrap Smokescreen, thank you for noticing." He switched his hands around, swapping which was holding the leg and which was holding the detailer as he moved it from the inner leg to the outside. "Just like this." Then he leaned down and pressed a kiss just below the knee joint with another teasing wiggle of his doorwings.
Smokescreen's engine rumbled, involuntarily, as Bee's lips pressed to his leg.
"If you keep that up I'm going to have to take that detailer from you and drag you up here," he said.
"Just be patient."
He would try, but at the earliest opportunity he was going to grab Bee and drag him up there with him. His finish be damned, he needed to get him up there and in his arms.
Bee moved up past the knee joint to his upper leg, slowly inching closer to Smokescreen in the process.
Smokescreen bit the side of his hand as he covered his mouth, his other hand gripping the edge of the berth tightly as he tried to steady his venting and the shaking of his frame.
"Everything ok?" asked Bee.
"'m fine."
"If you say so."
Front and back, top and bottom, Bee worked the upper portion of his leg, optics occasionally flicking to look up at Smokescreen, who had long given up looking away. As Bee lifted the buffer from his plates, Smokescreen finally cracked.
To the pits with it, the rest of the detailing work could wait. He grabbed Bee's arm and hauled him up from the ground and almost into his lap, the detailer slipping from his fingers in the process. His other hand grabbed Bee's waist as he pulled him to his chest, slamming their derma together. He sighed as he felt Bee kiss him back, his free hand sliding around the back of Smokescreen's head.
"You held out longer than I thought you would," murmured Bee when they finally parted. "Colour me impressed."
"You are the worst," said Smokescreen, chasing him down for another kiss. "Now get the frag up here and stop teasing me."
Bee may have been smaller than Smokescreen, but this was not going to stop him from not just joining Smokescreen on the berth but all but pushing him down onto it, straddling his waist.
"You've done so much for everyone and worked so hard. So this time, I'm going to do something for you," said Bee, servos resting on his chest as he pushed him down. "So just relax."
Smokescreen vented as he lay back, hands on Bee's waist as he held him in his lap, not that he needed to do much as Bee had more or less crawled there himself and seemed content to remain there, their frames rocking against each other.
"Besides," said Bee, reaching a servo out to touch his face gently, tracing his digits over his faceplates. "Once the sparkling is, you know, not in you anymore, I don't imagine we're gonna get much of a chance to do this."
"I suppose that's true," said Smokescreen, leaning into his touch. While he had no idea what looking after a sparkling would entail, he was pretty sure it would keep them busy. "I guess we should make it count then."
"Good." Cupping his face, Bee leaned in and kissed him. "I intend to take advantage of this time as much as I can."
Bee's frame was warm as it pressed against his, his fans humming as they spun, fingers dragging along the curve of Smokescreen's jaw and the seams of his face plates.
Smokescreen's servos drifted up Bee's back, along his backstrut, fingertips dipping into the seams, earning a shudder and pleased noise from him.
"I'm supposed to be making you relax," purred Bee, derma dragging against Smokescreen's.
"You're just so hard to resist," replied Smokescreen. "I can't help it."
Bee smiled, peppering him with soft kisses. "While I appreciate it, you. need. to. relax." He punctuated each word with another kiss, placed on another part of Smokescreen's body. His helm. His cheek, His neck. His lips.
His hands meanwhile, slid down Smokescreen's chest plates, fingers ghosting over the scar on his chest momentarily before drifting down to the side edges of his torso plates. They dragged along the edges, seeking out exposed cables and transformation seams and Smokescreen shivered, a heavy vent escaping him. Bee knew all of his sensitive spots, leaving him in the perfect position to tease him, it was practically unfair.
"Probably a good idea to save detailing these parts for last," said Bee, dipping his digits in between the plates. "It might get messy. Would hate to get you shiny and pretty just to mess you up."
"You absolutely would not hate that," said Smokescreen, vocals strained.
Bee only laughed as he pressed a kiss to Smokescreen's chest.
His sensors alit as Bee's digits dragged against the seams of his plates and ghosted over the sensitive cables under them. He shuddered, vents huffing as he wiggled under Bee's touch, digits digging into Bee's back as he clung to him tightly.
"Primus, you're beautiful," murmured Bee, pressing a kiss to the crook of Smokescreen's neck, continuing to run his hands along his sides. "Have I told you that before? You're fragging gorgeous."
Smokescreen shivered as he nuzzled against Bee. "You could...say it more," he said.
Bee smiled before leaning in and kissing Smokescreen again, running his servos up Smokescreen's sides, one drifting towards his chest plate. "You are...stunning and I am...so glad I get to have you all to myself," said Bee between kisses, Smokescreen practically chasing him down each time they parted.
"That makes two of us," replied Smokescreen.
"But, I did promise to help you relax," said Bee, dragging a servo down Smokescreen's chest plate.
"Yeah and all you've been doing is teasing the scrap out of me."
"It's only teasing if you're trying to hold back." He slipped his fingers under the edge of a chest plate, toying with the cabling, wires and softer parts found there, earning a hearty groan from Smokescreen in the process. "So just relax and give in. Besides, 'snot like anyone's going to hear us anyways if that's what you're worried about. And I don't care about the noises you make. In fact," he pressed in, grinding their hips together as he rubbed his digits against Smokescreen, twisting a cable around a digit. "I want to hear them."
"Beee~" Smokescreen whined and shuddered, tightening his grip on Bee as his nerves sparked to life, flooding his body and processor with sensations of pleasure. His fans spun furiously and his vents huffed as his temperature began to increase under Bee's touches.
Bee drew his servo back, examining his digits, the tips of which were coated in a fine layer of coolant.
"Bee please," Smokescreen's voice hitched in his throat. How could he just stop in the middle like that, it was too cruel. "You can't leave me hanging like that."
"You know," said Bee, rubbing his digits together. "You sure seemed to like having me between your legs earlier. Why don't I go back there?"
Smokescreen's engine roared involuntarily as his temperature spiked at the very prospect of what Bee was proposing, his plates growing hotter by the minute.
"Well that doesn't sound like a no to me." He leaned down, kissing Smokescreen before wiggling out of his grasp and down his body, letting his servos trail over Smokescreen's frame in the process. His digits dipped and trailed along his body, down his chest plates, his abdomen, all the way to his hips.
Smokescreen grabbed futilely at Bee, just barely missing as he slipped right out of his reach. From his position he couldn't see Bee anymore, and when he went to sit up to look at him he was treated to Bee pushing him back down.
"Ah-ah, you're supposed to be relaxing. So just lay back, I'll take care of you," he said, before pressing a kiss to his inner leg. "I promise."
Smokescreen fell back with a thud, resting one servo over his chest as his body frantically tried to cool itself, coolant already beginning to bead around the seams of his plates.
He couldn't see Bee but he could feel him, feel his hands as they roamed around the curves and dips of his hips and inner thighs, teasing and dragging against his cables, pinching them lightly, the way his mouth pressed to the plates. And he could hear the soft sighs from his partner, at least until it was drowned out by the sound of his own fans whirring in his audials.
"Oh Primus, Bee!" Smokescreen tilted his head back, spine arching as he vented and huffed, squirming with every touch. His systems pickled and surged as he teetered on the brink of overload.
His digits scraped against the berth, his legs kicked uselessly and his vocalizer cracked as another brush of Bee's lips and dig of his digits finally brought Smokescreen into overload, the build up of energy and stimulation of his nerves to much for his processor to handle. His processor felt like it was full of static, barely able to form a coherent thought as he lay there, venting and puffing, his fans spinning as fast as they could.
Bee said something, but he couldn't make it out over the sound of his fans and the general disorientation afflicting him, not that he cared. Yeah, Bee sure had ideas on how to help him destress after all.
He let his optics dim with a sigh, frame settling as he lay there, shaking ever so slightly, before the exhaustion that followed an overload like that, hit him.
When Smokescreen's optics flicked back online the first thing he saw was Bee laying beside him.
"Feeling a bit less stressed?" asked Bee with a lopsided smile, reaching a servo out to touch him gently.
"If tired equals less stressed, sure," said Smokescreen. "Frag, I didn't know you had it in you Bee."
"I'm just full of surprises for you." He leaned in and kissed Smokescreen. "I took the liberty of finishing up your detailing while you were recovering. And cleaning up. Now you're all nice and shiny."
"O-oh, thank you."
Bee snuggled up closer, pressing into Smokescreen's side, pressing a servo to his chest plate. "Well, you're doing all the work of carrying our little sparkling, keeping it safe and sound. This is the least I can do for you."
"You spoil me Bee," he murmured, wrapping an arm around Bee as he rolled onto his side to face him.
He tilted his head, pressing a kiss to Smokescreen's forehead crest. "I dunno. I feel pretty spoiled just being with you."
Bumblebee watched as Smokescreen finally succumbed to rest, one arm wrapped around him, holding him close to his chest. Which was nice except it very quickly revealed a problem, he was trapped. Which, normally Bumblebee wouldn't have minded except for the fact that he really, really needed to return the detailer to Knock Out's lab before he noticed it was gone. Which he couldn't do while trapped in Smokescreen's arms.
He sighed heavily. 'Well, I just hope he won't be needing it any time soon.'
A shriek of frustration echoed down the halls around the lab as Knock Out slammed another drawer shut. "When I get my servos on the Unicron forsaken piece of slag that that made off with my detailer, they're going to wish they'd never been brought online!"
Eventually, Smokescreen and Bumblebee did slink back to the lab to return the detailer, earning them both a wrench chucked at their heads.
"Oh no, he's picked up Ratchet's habit of throwing things!" exclaimed Bumblebee, half laughing as he tried to dodge a smack from Knock Out as they ran from the room.
Chapter 19
Notes:
In which things go *boom* and an old friend reappears
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"Don't worry your spark about it Bee," said Bulkhead, patting Bee on the shoulder with a servo. "It's just some demolition, we'll bring Smokescreen back in one piece."
"Besides, Ratchet made me promise to wear this," Smokescreen held up his wrist, flashing the Phase Shifter at Bee, part of the compromise he'd made with him to let him roll out with the wreckers for a bit, now that he was actually allowed to do so.
"Not even that dangerous," said Wheeljack, "We're just bringing an old building down and clearing the scrap away. Not like we're actually fighting anything."
Bee sighed, shoulders relaxing. "Alright." He took Smokescreen's servo in his, lacing their digits together. "Have fun then. But not too much fun."
Smokescreen laughed, giving Bee's hand an affectionate squeeze back. "Don't worry, I'm in good servos." It was understandable that Bee would be worried, anything that could be dangerous to him would be dangerous for the sparkling. "And I'll tell you all about it when we get back."
They shared a small, affectionate bump of their helms before Smokescreen and the wreckers took off, Smokescreen practically vibrating with excitement.
Sure, he couldn't brawl with them like he'd once hoped to, there wasn't really anyone or anything to brawl with at the moment, but that didn't mean he wasn't down from some controlled destruction.
"So what are we doing anyways?" he asked, rolling alongside Bulkhead. "I'm not complaining but, why are we bringing stuff down, I thought we were rebuilding."
"Can't rebuild if the darn thing's just gonna come down on ya," said Bulkhead. "Some of these places have no structural integrity left, they're dangerous to keep up. So we're bringin'em down now so that they don't come down on someone later."
"That's the fun part," said Wheeljack. "After that we gotta haul it all away."
"Not usual wrecker work mind you," said Bulkhead. "But well, not really much to go around fighting right now. So we gotta smash up other things."
"Still, that's pretty important work," said Smokescreen. "I mean you're literally helping make it possible to rebuild our home. Not everything has to be about, you know, punching stuff."
Bulkhead laughed softly, frame shaking. "Well, when you put it that way."
As they rolled through the city, past buildings and roads and crews working and buildings that flickered with life, a thought occurred to Smokescreen.
"Isn't it dangerous to let off explosives inside the city?" he asked. "I mean, there's other buildings around us."
"These bad boys don't carry the same level of charge as combat explosives," said Wheeljack. "And we'll be placing them at strategic locations, so when I press the detonator the whole thing's gonna come down. Instead of blowing outwards."
"And we got the area evacuated before," added Bulkhead. "So it's just the lot of us."
Eventually, they came to a stop at their destination, and Wheeljack began to dole out the explosives. They were much smaller than his usual fare, able to fit right in the palm of his hand. They also weren't lobbers, though Smokescreen had no doubt they could be used that way in a pinch. Instead, as Wheeljack had said, they needed to be placed in strategic locations around the detonation site. These location seemed to be specific supports around the floors. The ground floor was easy enough but the upper floors were a bit trickier given it's weakened structure.
Smokescreen had joked that maybe they should lob some of them to get them up higher but Wheeljack nixed that idea, they needed to be specifically placed. Luckily they had a few lighter framed bots with them who could climb up and place them.
"Now we take cover," said Wheeljack as they hunkered down about a block away behind another building.
Smokescreen crouched down, twisting the Phase Shifter on with a click while Wheeljack looked around, taking a count to make sure everyone was accounted for and that no one was within the blast zone.
"A'ight, fire in the hole!"
Smokescreen covered his audials as Wheeljack pressed the button with a click, and a second later, a string of pops and explosions filled the air, one after another in quick succession. Then, the deafening sound of crashing and banging metal followed as the building came down, kicking up dust and debris into the air.
Instinctively, Smokescreen brought up his battle mask to cover his face, vents preparing to filter out the dust in the air before it could clog up his systems.
Slowly lifting himself up, Wheeljack peeked out from their hiding place, towards where the condemned building had been.
"Whoo. Worked like a charm. Now comes the real fun part."
"What's that?" asked Smokescreen, peering out over their hiding place as well. The building was very much gone, now reduced to a heap of metal beams and robs and plates.
"Clean up. Gotta sort everything out into different sizes 'fore it can be hauled away." He gestured to the various empty carts that had been set up, just waiting to be filled. So that's what those were for. "The real small stuff is just scrap to be thrown away, but the larger stuff we can melt down and repurpose."
As Smokescreen clicked the Phase Shifter off, Wheeljack clapped him on the shoulder. "Time to get sortin'. And keep your masks up. It's gonna be dusty fer a while."
Smokescreen sighed as he looked from Wheeljack to the debris pile that was once a building. He really hoped Bee was having a more interesting day than he was.
One of the jobs that Bumblebee had picked up doing, was greeting incoming ships and their crew upon landing on Cybertron. As Ultra Magnus had put it 'a friendly face might ease them into things'. And easing them into things was definitely needed given the sheer number of Decepticons that were out and about. While the broadcast message had stated that the war was over, that didn't mean everyone was suddenly ok with everyone else.
So Bumblebee found himself, from time to time, greeting small vessels (Ultra Magnus tended to deal with larger ones) as they landed and doing what he could to try and ease them into things. Which usually meant directing them to the sick bay to see either Ratchet or Knock Out for a check up, just to make sure they were alright.
Smokescreen and the Wreckers had only been gone a short while when Bumblebee's comm beeped to life.
"We have an incoming small space craft on radar," said the voice on the other end. "We're trying to make contact now."
"Alright, make sure to keep me posted," said Bumblebee, turning his optics skyward. While it was always great every time another ship, no matter how small, arrived, Bumblebee wished for once he would get to see a familiar face. Some bots arrived that he knew by name or reputation alone, but as of yet, no familiar faces.
He listened in as the bridge radioed out to the vessel, trying to make contact. They needed contact to find out who they were dealing with, their status, if they needed to prepare sick bay or not.
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya' loud and clear," crackled back a voice and Bumblebee froze. He knew that voice! Sure it had been cycles upon cycles since he'd heard it, but he knew it all the same.
"Hey, bridge, can you patch me into the transmission?" he asked.
"Uh, sure. Hold on a click." There was a static-y sound followed by a few beeps, then, "Alright, you should be able to speak to them."
"Oh, bringin' more into our conversation? Man, what a reception. Can't tell if I'm popular or in trouble."
Bumblebee laughed. "No, don't worry, you're not in trouble, Jazz."
There was silence from the other end before Jazz spoke again. "Should I be concerned that you know who I am even though I haven't id'd myself yet?"
"Come on, I know it's been a while since you heard my voice, but don't tell me you've forgotten what it sounds like," said Bumblebee with a grin, his door wings wiggling excitedly. Another long pause filled the air between them. "Well, while you're mulling that over, the landing strip is clear, so why don't you come on down already. Or do you intend to fly around all day?" Bumblebee turned his optics to the sky, watching and scanning for the incoming vessel.
"Hmmm."
"Well, you have to land eventually."
"Bee? Is that you?"
Bumblebee grinned, shifting about on his pedes excitedly. "Maaaaybe. Why don't you come down here and find out?"
"Yeah, yeah. Gimme' a few clicks and I'll be there."
He could barely believe it, it was Jazz. Jazz was alive! Oh he couldn't wait to tell the rest of the team later. It had been so long since he'd seen Jazz, not since before ending up stranded on Earth. He'd never known if Jazz had survived it all or not.
He watched the sky, keeping his optics peeled as he made his way towards the landing strip to meet Jazz when he landed.
Sure enough, in a few clicks a ship began to descend from the atmosphere, speeding towards the surface of the planet and the runway.
Alive. One of his friends, his teammates, was still alive. Primus he couldn't believe it. And soon he was about to be on Cybertron once again. He paced around anxiously, tapping his digits together, watching as the ship flew towards the landing strip, getting closer with each click.
It landed with groan of its engines and Bumblebee all but galloped towards it, as the doors opened and a familiar black and white mech stepped out.
"Jazz!"
"Holy Primus, it IS you Bee! You got your voice fixed after all! And how's my little Scout?"
Jazz wrapped an arm around Bumblebee, crushing him to his chest in a playful, friendly hug before rubbing the top of his helm with his other hand.
"Aw come on Jazz, stop it!" he whined, trying half heartedly to squirm out of his grip. "And I'm not a scout anymore. I'll have you know, I finally made warrior class."
jazz gave a low whistle. "You got a new paint job and a promotion to go along with that voice of yours I see."
Bumblebee just laughed. "It's cool right?"
"It suits ya, Bee."
"Now, can you please let me go?"
Jazz sighed, finally releasing Bumblebee, who rubbed the back of his neck. "Ok, now that you've stopped scuffing up my head, I suppose I should escort you to see the doctor."
"Do I look like I need a doctor?" Jazz gestured to himself, moving his hands up and down.
"I know I know, but Ratchet'll be grumpy if I don't. Come on, it shouldn't take long. Then, we can grab a cube and catch up, because I have so much to tell you."
"Well, that makes two of us," said Jazz.
Grabbing his arm, Bumblebee all but dragged Jazz towards the hospital ship.
"Uh, Bee, where are we going?"
"The med bay to find Ratchet, like I said."
"Oh I heard ya. But uh, ain't that a Decepticon warship?" He pointed at the large vessel before them.
Bumblebee waggled a finger back and forth. "It was a Decepticon warship. Now it's just a hospital. And ground control headquarters till we get one in the city up and running properly."
"Uh huh."
He looked back at Jazz and frowned slightly. "What, do you not believe me?"
"Just a bit of an odd choice if ya ask me."
Bumblebee gave his door wings a flick. "Well, we didn't have much of a choice. Beggars can't be choosers. We took control of the ship to get here and had to make do. And it's been working fine so far. Now, stop getting your processor in a twist about the details and let's get going."
With an apprehensive look, Jazz followed Bumblebee up the ramp and into the ship, gaze flicking about as they walked.
As they reached the med bay, the doors rolled away and Bumblebee stuck his head in. "Hey Ratchet, we got a familiar face here that just landed that needs to see you for a once over."
"Unfortunately, Ratchet isn't in right now," said Knock Out, looking over at him from the table he was working at, polishing up some tools. "But if it's just a check up you need I'm plenty capable."
"Uhhhh," he glanced back at Jazz, then at Knock Out. He knew Knock Out could do it, it was just a routine check up. The problem was, how would Jazz react to him? Did he even know who Knock Out was? "Jazz change of plans, Ratchet's busy so you get the other doctor."
Knock Out rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks a lot Bumblebee."
"Other doctor? Ya got more than one?"
"Wellllll." Bumblebee took a step into the room, leading Jazz in after. "Jazz, meet Knock Out; Knock Out, Jazz. He's an old teammate and friend of mine."
For a moment they just stared at each other, Bumblebee trying to get a read on Jazz's reaction, though with his visor it was really hard. He hadn't said anything yet which was, probably a good thing.
"You didn't tell me your other doctor was a 'Con."
Ah. Well. "Technically he's not one anymore," said Bumblebee. "And he can handle a routine physical all the same." Jazz frowned, clearly unconvinced and a but wary. "Would it help if I stayed with you?" asked Bumblebee.
"Bumblebee, you know patient information is confidential," said Knock Out as he put away the box of tools he'd been working on.
"I can mute my audials if there's anything I'm not meant to hear or he doesn't want me to hear," he said.
Knock Out just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll leave it up him," he gestured to Jazz. "It's his check up."
Jazz looked over at Bumblebee, then over to Knock Out. "Naw, it's cool if he stays. Not like I got anything to hide."
While apprehensive, Jazz did relent and let Knock Out take over the check up. As he'd figured, it was very routine, nothing of note aside from low Energon levels, which could be taken care of by a trip to the mess hall, which was in fact their next stop anyways.
"How do you manage Bee?" asked Jazz as they made their way through the ship's halls. "I mean, being around all these 'Cons?"
"I dunno. I guess I got used to it. Like i said before, didn't really have a choice. They were still on this ship when we took control and, well, we did need the man power once we got here so..." He shrugged. "It just worked out. They're honestly not so bad once you get to know them."
Jazz was quiet and thoughtful as they made their way to the mess hall, Bumblebee going to grab some cubes for them.
"So, where's the rest of the team?" asked Jazz as Bumblebee sat down across from him, sliding a cube to him. "You kept sayin' 'us' and 'we' so I know they're around somewhere."
"Wheeljack and Bulkhead are out running some demolition at the moment. Arcee is doing patrols through the city. Ratchet is...I'm not sure but I assume working with other patients or something. And Ultra Magnus is overseeing things."
Jazz nodded, listening as Bumblebee talked. "What about Optimus? He off world or something? And Cliff, ain't he with Arcee?"
Bumblebee froze, stilling holding his cube in his servos. Oh. That was right. He didn't know yet. Couldn't have known. He wilted, doorwings drooping slightly as he averted his gaze.
"Bee?"
"They're gone Jazz," he said quietly. "Optimus and Cliffjumper...they're both gone."
Jazz just about dropped the cube in his hand, his visor retracting into his helm as his worried optics landed on Bumblebee. "What? How? When?"
Bumblebee released a heavy, shaky vent. "It was after we got stranded on Earth. A few solar cycles ago."
Jazz reached across the table, placing a servo on Bumblebee's arm. "Tell me what happened."
Doing all he could to maintain his composure, he began to recount the events that had lead to their deaths, at least as best as he could. The whole time, Jazz just held his arm tightly. At some point during the talk, Jazz's visor slid back into place on his face, hiding his optics from view as he bowed his head. It did little to hide the tears that rolled free and down his face plates however.
"I'm sorry Jazz," said Bee, wiping his optics with his free hand. He wished there had been some other way for him to find out, someone else who had to tell him. Being the one to deliver that news and that story, it sucked, hard.
"I can't believe Optimus is really gone. After everything we've been through...I can't believe it. I really thought he'd be around forever."
"I think we all did," said Bumblebee. "He really seemed unstoppable."
"Have they done anything for him?" asked Jazz. "Like a memorial or, something?"
Bumblebee sighed and shook his head. "No, not yet. We've been a bit busy. I want to though, when we have the time. Something for Optimus, for everyone we lost. It's the least we can do."
"Well, I'll drink to that." He lifted his cube in the air before downing the remains in a single gulp.
"What about you?" asked Bumblebee. "I'm sure you've been quite busy and have stories to tell."
"I got a few tales," said Jazz, leaning back in his seat.
"Well, I have the time."
.
.
.
Beep
Beep
Beep
"Oh, hold that thought a moment Jazz." Bumblebee reached up for his comm, answering the incoming call.
"Bee? We're on our way back now. You busy?"
His optics lit up at the sound of Smokescreen's voice and his door wings wiggled excitedly, a movement that Jazz definitely noticed.
"Exciting call?" he asked, leaning his chin on the back of a servo with a teasing grin.
"Hush hush hush," said Bumblebee, waving a servo at him. "Not really, I'm just catching up with an old friend. When you get back, you should come and meet him!"
"A friend?"
"Yeah, he landed earlier today! I used to fight alongside him, back before we got stranded on Earth. How long do you think before you get back?"
"Uhhhh, a dozen clicks or so?"
"Great, we'll meet you out front of the hospital then." He released the comm link as he turned to Jazz, smiling brightly. "Come on, there's someone you have to meet!"
Before Jazz could say anything, Bumblebee grabbed him by the arm, hauled him out of his seat and took off, dragging him through the halls.
"Bee, I appreciate the enthusiasm but, who are we going to meet?" he asked, fighting to keep from tripping on his own feet.
"One my teammates. A friend, well, my partner really."
Jazz cocked an eyebrow slightly. "Partner huh?"
A friend huh? Bee had sounded really excited for him to meet whoever it was. Now that he thought about it, he'd never really asked Bee about his life before Earth, about anyone he might have known. Not for a lack of curiosity, cause he was curious, but all things considered it seemed like it might have been to painful to talk about. But he sure seemed excited about this, he could practically hear his smile through their comm link.
"Well, it sounds like Bee must have had a fun day," said Smokescreen as their call ended.
"I heard something about a friend?" asked Bulkhead.
He nodded. "Yeah. He didn't say much more though, he's gonna meet us outside of the ship."
"Hmm. I wonder who it could be," mused Bulkhead. "I can think of a few bots we fought alongside before Earth, wonder which one it is."
"I suppose we'll find out shortly."
If they were a friend of Bee's, hopefully they were nice. He couldn't imagine that Bee would be friends with someone who wasn't nice.
Would they like him thought? Gosh he hoped so, otherwise that was going to make things really awkward.
As much as blowing stuff up and watching it crash down was fun, the clean up after was tedious and messy, so Smokescreen had been anticipating getting to clean himself off and just relax a bit. But well, if Bee had someone he wanted him to meet, that was going to have to wait.
Eventually, the ship came into view, along with smaller vessels parked near by and various bots milling about.
Transforming back, Smokescreen began looking for Bee, he'd said he'd meet him outside. He didn't have to look long, as Bee found him instead, barrelling right towards him as he called his name, and pulling behind him a slightly larger white and black mech. Smokescreen didn't recognize him, but if Bee was dragging him around it had to be his friend.
"Whoa, Jazz?" exclaimed Bulkhead. "Aren't you a sight for sore optics."
The new mech, Jazz, opened his mouth to speak, but didn't get a single word out before Bulkhead wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground in a hug.
"Oi, oi. It's nice to see you too Bulk, but could ya please put me down? You're gonna crack my frame."
"And I still need to introduce him to Smokescreen," said Bee.
Bulkhead just laughed as he set him down, rubbing the back of his helm. "Sorry 'bout that. Just been a while since we saw a familiar face."
"Yeah, I know that feeling," said Jazz, rubbing his back. "I see you haven't changed much big guy."
"Jazz, Jazz, this is who I wanted you to meet," said Bee, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards Smokescreen. "Jazz, this is Smokescreen; Smokescreen, Jazz."
Jazz was silent as he looked Smokescreen up and down, almost curiously but it was hard to tell given the visor that covered his optics. Then he looked over at Bee, looking him over, then back to Smokescreen.
"And you said he was your partner?" he asked.
"He's the best partner," said Bee, rocking back and forth on his pedes.
"Shit Bee, I didn't know you were into big mechs," he said with a teasing grin.
"Jazz!"
Smokescreen laughed as Bee huffed, vents puffing loudly. "I mean, he's not wrong," he said. "If I recall, you didn't start flirting with me till after I got this growth spurt."
"Smokescreen!" Bee buried his face in his servos, as if trying to hide. "That's...that's...that's just because I'm a dummy about his own feelings ok?"
"Growth spurt? You mean ya weren't always this big?"
"Oh Primus no. I mean, I was taller than Bee but not by this much," said Smokescreen. Jazz cocked an eyebrow curiously and Smokescreen looked from him to Bee. "Did you not tell him anything about me?" he asked.
"I-we didn't get there yet. There was a lot to talk about ok? And Jazz was the one doing most of the talking anyways."
"Well, maybe we could cover that story from sitting down?" asked Smokescreen. "Because I for one would like to sit. And maybe clean myself up a bit." He gestured up and down to himself with his servos. "I am. Very dusty. In case you didn't notice."
Bee laughed and took his servo in his with a smile. "Come on, let's go then. You can even fill Jazz in on some of the details as well."
Notes:
I was watching RiD whilst writing this and Jazz appeared in it. And I was like 'YES! this means i can totally use him in my fic'
Chapter Text
The conversation drew on, long into the night. Bulkhead was the first to amble off to go recharge, leaving Smokescreen, Jazz and Bee to keep talking.
Eventually though, Smokescreen found himself having to leave to get some rest. He could have stayed up longer for sure, and ordinarily would have. The problem was, he couldn't.
As Ratchet had determined, the sparkling did put a drain on his systems, though for now it was minimal enough that it could be combated with plenty of rest and fuel. Which meant that he did need to go for a recharge as much as he would like to stay up, or risk being tired in the morning. And risking Ratchet's ire should he find out he was neglecting his rest. Which was arguably worse.
Jazz did try to convince him to say, but Smokescreen just shrugged and said 'sure, but you're explaining to Ratchet why I'm so drained tomorrow'. That seemed to be plenty to get him off his back about it.
As he left Bee to catch up with Jazz, he couldn't help but to feel a twinge of jealousy in his spark. It was stupid, he had no reason to feel like that, Jazz was just a friend. Regardless of what feelings Jazz may or may not have had, to Bee he was just a friend. Smokescreen was the one Bee loved, the one Bee always came back to.
And yet, seeing how they interacted, how they talked, he couldn't help it. It was stupid, and yet!
He sighed heavily as he made his way into their berthroom. The faster their sparkling stopped mucking with his emotions the better, cause this was ridiculous.
'How can something so small cause so many problems?' he wondered as he lay down. Maybe the jealousy was the sparkling's. Not likely, it probably didn't have thoughts or feelings yet.
He lay a servo against his chest, hopefully this was the worst of things. He didn't want to feel like this, he liked that Bee had more friends, that he was so happy.
For as happy as he had been, he always seemed to be a touch melancholy. Not that Smokescreen could blame him, it seemed that it had been a really long time since he'd seen another Autobot, let alone someone he knew. So of course he'd be excited to see Jazz. And how could he possibly be upset about his partner being in a good mood? Just because someone else, someone he didn't really know, made Bee laugh and smile, didn't mean anything. And it wasn't like this was the first time he hadn't had all of Bee's attention. It was just the first time he suddenly found himself wanting to be the center of Bee's attention.
"This is so dumb," he groaned.
Despite his best efforts to fall asleep, he only managed to drift in and out recharge until he heard the sound of Bee returning for the night.
"Oh, not asleep yet?" asked Bee, noticing that Smokescreen was still awake.
"I dunno. I've been trying but I can't seem to sleep. Or stay asleep."
"Well we can't have that," said Bee as he crawled up beside him. "Come here." He held his arms out, inviting Smokescreen in closer.
Chassis to chassis they lay there, Bee's head tucked in under his chin. He still wasn't sure if it was him or the sparkling, but being like this with Bee, being able to feel the warmth from his spark and hear the soft thrum of it, it was relaxing. It meant Bee was there, with him. It was nice.
Unfortunately, while he may have had Bee in his arms at night, during the day was a different matter. With Darksteel still under Ratchet's care, although doing remarkably better, the Predacons were still around, so Ultra Magnus had decided it would be worthwhile to properly discuss the details of their truce with Predaking. Which also meant that Bee was roped into said talks to try and ensure things went smoothly.
So no Bee for Smokescreen pretty much all day.
He knew where he was and it felt silly to be so lonely, it wasn't like they hadn't spent the day doing separate things before, and yet he felt so agonizingly lonely. He just wanted his Bee. Why did everyone else have to take him away? It wasn't fair.
By the time Bee was released, some hours later, he seemed exhausted.
"Man. If this is what being a leader is like, I don't know how anyone does it. Not Optimus, not Ultra Magnus. Scrap I don't even know how Megatron did it."
"Was it that bad?" asked Smokescreen as Bee flopped against his side.
"More like. Boring. There was sooo much talking and going in circles. Probably would have been easier if the Predacons actually had decided what they wanted to consider their territory." He hung his head. "It's the middle of the day and I wanna nap."
"You did get it sorted out right?" asked Smokescreen.
Bee lifted his hand in a thumbs up. "Yeah. We just had to convince Predaking to tell us once they actually decide to settle somewhere, so that we know where it is. And I had to convince Ultra Magnus it was ok if we ceded control of part of Darkmount to the Predacons. Apparently the topmost floors are very good for sunning themselves. I figure it's a small sacrifice to make. Plus, it's not like we can't go there. We just have to be respectful, especially if they're there."
"Sounds to me like you did good," said Smokescreen.
"Primus I hope so. Now we just, have to make sure everyone follows these rules. I mean, it's really just two rules." He sighed, "How is talking and negotiating so tiring?"
"I dunno. But if you ever figure it out, tell me. Because I've been wondering the same thing." For all he had managed during his tenure as a Prime, even Smokescreen had to agree that making decisions and giving orders all the time and talking could be incredibly exhausting.
"Why don't we get you something to eat?" asked Smokescreen. "You might feel better after."
"Sure. Maybe I won't need the nap then."
~~~
Smokescreen being a bit clingy towards Bumblebee wasn't a new thing. He was extremely cuddly and affectionate, even more so once they didn't have to hide their relationship.
It wasn't like Bumblebee minded exactly, he didn't mind at all in fact. However, he had noticed that over the last few days, Smokescreen seemed to have become almost excessively clingy. It was one thing inside the berthroom, that made sense. But it was happening outside the berthroom now too. As if he thought Bumblebee was going to just vanish the moment he stopped holding him or staying close to him.
"Are you sure he's alright?" asked Bumblebee, watching as Ratchet moved the handheld scanner over Smokescreen's frame. Concerned that something was going on with Smokescreen, he'd dragged him to Ratchet for a check up.
"He's fine Bumblebee. It's just the mood swings, same as before. It'll pass I'm sure of it."
"I told you I was fine," said Smokescreen as he stood up.
"Well, maybe I just worry," said Bumblebee.
"I just miss you when you're gone," said Smokescreen. "That's all."
"You seem to miss me a lot." He sighed, "Smokescreen I promise, nothing is going to happen to me just because I leave your sight, ok?"
"Bee, what happened?" Smokescreen practically screamed the moment he lay optics on Bumblebee, circling him in a panic, servos hovering over him as he tried to decide if he should touch him or not.
He wasn't sure how Smokescreen had found him so fast, though given the circumstances someone had probably said something. But he was right there the moment Bumblebee stepped out of sick bay, servos and chest dripping with fresh Energon that he hadn't yet had a chance to wash off.
"It's not mine, if that's what you're worried about," he said, taking a step away from Smokescreen so as not to get it on him. "Lemme hit the wash racks to get this all off, we can talk after, alright?"
Smokescreen frowned, almost wilting a little as he looked at Bumblebee, twisting his servos together.
"Smokescreen, I promise, none of this is mine. If it makes you feel better, you can even look me over after I clean myself off."
"O-oh, ok."
True to his word, when he returned from the wash station, still wiping off the cleaning solution, he allowed Smokescreen to examine him, checking over his limbs, his chest, his back, everywhere to see if there were any signs of injury. And as he'd said, there weren't any wounds on him for the Energon to have come from.
"So what happened?" asked Smokescreen, taking Bumblebee's servos in his.
Bumblebee sighed as he leaned into Smokescreen's frame, shaking slightly.
"An accident at one of the construction sites," he said. "It was...bad. I was helping get the injured to Ratchet. Honestly I don't know if he can do anything for them." He shuddered, burying his face against Smokescreen. "Can we lie down? I just...really need a break from everything right now."
Releasing his servos, Smokescreen carefully scooped Bumblebee up and into his arms, Bumblebee leaning against his chest plate. He was just so, drained, mentally, emotionally, all of it.
"You know, between the two of us, I'm supposed to be the one getting tired all the time," said Smokescreen. "Not you."
"Well, I wish I didn't feel like this," said Bumblebee with a sigh.
"Maybe we should get you checked for a sparkling," teased Smokescreen, carrying Bumblebee to go rest.
"Ha ha, very funny Smokescreen," he said, nuzzling against his chest plate. "We both know that I'm not. This is just regular, old tiredness. Besides, I don't think we could handle two at the same time. We don't even know what one will be like."
"Well, it couldn't be any harder than dealing with human children right?"
"Might depend on the human."
"Hmm, true."
Raf and Jack had been fairly easy to deal with, more willing to listen to rules than Miko. A little one as wild and as rebellious as Miko could be. Trouble.
"Anyways, I thought you were taking me back to rest," said Bumblebee.
Smokescreen looked down at him, raising a brow in bemusement. "I did. We've been back for, at least 5 clicks."
He straightened up and looked around for the first time in a while and, oh, huh, they were in fact back in the berthroom, and Smokescreen was sitting on the edge of the berth, Bumblebee in his lap and arms.
"If you didn't even notice that, you really are drained and do need a nap," said Smokescreen.
"Yeah, probably..." On one hand he did want that nap, on the other, the moment he closed his optics all he saw was Energon everywhere and the mess that had been the bots at the construction site. And he really did not want to see that again.
"Stay with me a bit?" he asked, grabbing at Smokescreen's arm as he was finally set down. "Please?"
Smokescreen sighed before lying down with him. "Alright."
Bumblebee smiled, leaning into Smokescreen's touch as he made himself comfortable, shutting his eyes as he allowed himself to relax and rest.
At least up until a massive spike of pure, unfiltered, unadulterated fear ripped through his systems, pulling him awake as abruptly as if someone had slapped him in the face.
It didn't take more than a few seconds for him to identify the source of the fear, the source that was clinging tightly to him and shaking and whimpering.
"Smokescreen?" Carefully, he slipped an arm free and touched the side of his face gently. He was asleep, but nonetheless deeply distressed by something. His brows were furrowed and his face screwed up in a look of fear.
"No. No nonono," he whined softly, twisting and squirming about, crushing Bumblebee against his chest. "Please no, no. Not him, not him. Not again."
Bumblebee frowned, trying to offer a gentle, reassuring touch. Had seeing him covered in so much Energon really freaked him out that much? "Hey, hey it's just a bad dream. I'm right here Smokescreen, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."
His venting was rough, almost agitated and Bumblebee could see coolant already beginning to bead on his plates. Oh, it must have been a really rough nightmare. He needed to calm him down now. This kind of stress couldn't be good for the sparkling either.
"Smokescreen, Smokescreen wake up. You're dreaming, please wake up!"
Unfortunately, in this instance, waking did not solve the problem. Smokescreen did wake up, but it seemed as if he was still trapped in his dream, optics wide and panicked. He released Bumblebee from his hold, only to pull his limbs in close, wrapping them around his chest, almost protectively.
"Smokescreen?"
"No, nonono. Don't take it away. Please don't take it away."
Bumblebee frowned. "Take what away? No one's taking anything away."
"Not the sparkling, not my sparkling. Please no. No nonono. Not them too."
Bumblebee released a shuddery vent, trying to fight through the heavy panic that Smokescreen was heaping on him through their spark bond. Oh, so that was what had him freaking out. Understandable that such a dream would scare him, but also, it was a dream. They were all safe, now he just needed to make sure that Smokescreen knew that.
Carefully he reached out, taking Smokescreen's servos in his and gently lacing their digits together as he pressed their palms flat together as he sat up, bringing Smokescreen with him.
"Hey, hey hey Smokescreen. Can you hear me? It's me, Bumblebee." He squeezed Smokescreen's hands as he spoke, pressing his fingers against Smokescreen's in various configurations, manipulating Smokescreen's at the same time. He wasn't even sure if it would work, did Smokescreen even know any hand-speech? He'd never had reason to ask before.
"It's ok Smokescreen, it's ok. Just...just focus on my voice ok? You can hear me right? Just...breath deep and listen to me. Focus on me, on my voice and nothing else."
Words were most useful to help ground someone like this, according to Ratchet, but they also couldn't always reach depending on how deep in panic the bot was. The hand-speech was a good way to both ground and communicate, the physical sensation something to focus on. Of course, if Smokescreen didn't know any chirolingustics he wouldn't be able to understand a darn thing Bumblebee was saying to him.
But still, he had to try. At a bare minimum the physical sensation of being touched and held like that would give him something to focus on and keep himself grounded.
Shaking, Smokescreen squeezed his hands back, wings twitching as he took a deep vent that sounded almost strained.
"That's right Smokescreen, just like that. Just keep doing that and focus on me. It'll be ok, it'll be ok."
He kept a firm grip on Smokescreen's servos as he spoke, repeating the same words over and over, verbally and tactilely.
Each vent from Smokescreen was deep and ragged, his frame shaking and fearful, optics wide and flickering around the room, only drawn back to Bumblebee when he spoke.
"You're doing so good," said Bumblebee, optics soft as he gave Smokescreen's servo another, gentle squeeze. "Can you hear me Smokescreen?"
"B-b-bee?"
"That's right, it's me. Just focus on me ok? It's going to be alright."
"Bee..." His voice cracked and he squeezed Bumblebee's servos back.
"It's ok Smokescreen, it's ok. You're doing so good. Talk to me if you can Smokescreen, talk to me."
"I...I..." he stammered, fighting to find his voice. "Th-th-the sparkling."
"What about it?"
"Th-they wanted to take it away," he said, wings drooping anxiously. "They took our sparkling away."
"They?"
Smokescreen just gave a noncommittal shrug. "They wanted to take it away. I wasn't responsible enough to care for it. You were...offline. I don't...I don't want it to be taken away."
Releasing his hands, Bumblebee carefully cupped Smokescreen's face between his servos. "Listen to me Smokescreen, no one is going to take it away from us. I promise, I will never let that happen. Ratchet wouldn't let that happen. Pits, I doubt Knock Out would let that happen either. And once our friends know about it, I've no doubt that they won't let that happen."
"I just...don't want to lose it."
"I know. I know. And I won't let that happen. I promise."
Smokescreen was quiet for a moment, vents still puffing away softly. "What if...what if I screw up? What if I do something wrong and...and...lose it."
Bumblebee's optics softened as he pulled Smokescreen in closer. "You aren't going to screw it up."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I know you. You've been so careful, and you care so much. And Ratchet and Knock Out are keeping an eye on things too, they won't let anything happen." He bumped his forehead against Smokescreen's as he spoke. "And besides, right now, our sparkling is in the safest place it could possibly be. It's safe in you, protected by you."
"I'm just...I just...I'm scared."
"I know, I know," said Bumblebee. "I can feel how scared you are. But I promise, I won't let anything happen to you, or to our sparkling. I know you won't either." He pulled Smokescreen in, servo resting on the back of Smokescreen's head as he let him lay on his shoulder, the other gently stroking his cheek. "I'll be ok, I promise. And you...you're going to be such a good parent to our sparkling. And such a good..." Bumblebee paused a moment, searching for the right word. "Carrier. You're such a great carrier already."
Smokescreen shuddered, taking long, shaky vents as he leaned on Bumblebee, arms wrapped around him. For a while they sat in silence, Smokescreen's vents slowly evening out and quieting as Bumblebee spoke in soft, soothing tones.
"Feeling any better?" asked Bumblebee.
"A little I think," said Smokescreen.
He smiled and rubbed Smokescreen's cheek softly. "That's good."
"How are you so good at this?" asked Smokescreen, nuzzling the crook of Bumblebee's neck.
Bumblebee sighed. "I have...experience with panic attacks. Ratchet helped me through a fair few. And taught me what to do, in case it happened while I was alone."
"Oh. That's...'m sorry."
"Well, I haven't had one for a long time. I just never expected to have to do this for someone else. But I'm glad you're feeling better." He released Smokescreen from his hold and took his servos between his, holding them close. "And I know I said it already, but it bares repeating. I promise, I won't let anything happen to our sparkling. No one is going to take them from you, from us. Anyone who tries is going to have to get through my sparkless corpse first. And I'm not going to make that feat easy, I'm not going to leave you either."
Smokescreen smiled, optics softening as Bumblebee squeezed his servos gently.
"I'm glad to have you at my side Bee."
"I could say the same about you," said Bumblebee. "We'll get through this together." He pressed a hand lightly to Smokescreen's chest, about where his spark chamber would be located. "All three of us. I promise."
Notes:
chirolingustics is actually a thing in transformers. It seems to be a method of communication using hands. I figure that while dealing with his voicelessness, Bee probably learned a variety of way to communicate (we know he knows Cybertronian Sign Language.
Chapter 21
Notes:
TIME SKIP TIME!
B/c the author wanted to move the plot along or otherwise we're never getting to the sparkling birth lol
Also, this now puts Smokescreen at about 6 months along (thereabouts). To get an idea of the timeline.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
4 Months Later...
Cybertron was positively flourishing. At least in comparison to how it had been.
With more ships arriving by the day, reconstruction efforts sped up significantly, with rebuilding beginning in places outside of Iacon. More and more cities were becoming livable.
Places to live, to sleep, to work, to play, even a new medical center had been built in the city to help take some pressure off of the hospital ship. Something both Ratchet and Knock Out were grateful for, especially now that more medically inclined bots had arrived.
New arrivals were directed to the hospital ship; with no idea where anyone had been the last thing they needed or wanted was a parasite or unknown pathogen sneaking onto the planet and becoming a problem from the citizens. The second hospital allowed them to filter regular citizens or less severe cases there, reserving the ship for new comers and cases that required more experienced hands, like Ratchet.
With the city actually livable now, Bumblebee and Smokescreen had found themselves taking on patrols around the city, which mostly just consisted of driving around the streets and making sure everything was on the up and up and looking for any sign of trouble and dealing with it.
Given that most of what they dealt with were what one might call 'troublemakers' more than hardened criminals, Ratchet had okay'd allowing Smokescreen to take part in these rounds. It wasn't overly stressful and it did give him the chance to work on building up his stamina and keep himself active. It also kept him near to Bumblebee, which seemed to help with his mood swings and clinginess. Bumblebee also promised that if something came up that was more serious he would handle it in Smokescreen's place. Though quite frankly, if petty nuisances like noise disruptions, childish vandalism or just being a general annoyance were the worst they were going to get, well Bumblebee wasn't going to complain.
The only downside to everything, at least in Smokescreen's opinion, was that he couldn't go as fast as he would have liked. Not because of anything Ratchet had said or ordered, but because as the sparkling grew in size and weight, the increased weight slowed him down.
"Of course you're moving slower," had said Ratchet when Smokescreen brought up his concerns. "You're carrying a bunch of extra weight inside you at the moment. And it's probably only going to increase in the coming months."
Which it had, meaning Smokescreen had no choice but to take things slower. Bumblebee didn't seem to mind, the leisurely drives for patrol were nice, but for the speedster is was awful. He just wanted to go fast and now he physically couldn't do that.
He supposed though, going slower was the least bad side effect of all of this. The mood swings had been bad, but what was worse the purging. At some point during the first few months, the mood swings decided to give way to something worse, a queasy feeling in his guts and the inability to keep anything down. For weeks off and on, Smokescreen found himself leaning over the edge of the berth, emptying the contents of his tanks, something that landed him back in the med bay to be monitored and so Ratchet could try to find some way to keep anything in him.
In his words, his insides churned something awful and fuel went from appetizing to the worst thing he could imagine, which made it near impossible for him to fuel up, as the taste made him wretch almost instantly.
It was horrible to watch and even worse to endure.
Ultimately, Ratchet had put him on a drip while he worked to figure out a way to get him to keep things down. Or his body finally ceased rejecting things for more than a day. It had been awful and Smokescreen was glad when his internals finally began to calm down and he could eat on his own again.
It still wasn't totally gone, there were some mornings when he woke up feeling horrid and just wanted to curl up and remain in bed all cycle. A few times he actually had done that. Bumblebee had wished he could have stayed but he did have a job to do.
They also alternated their patrol duties with welcoming in incoming ships and bots, directing them to the appropriate places, Smokescreen especially as it fell under 'light duties'.
It was simple, something easy for him to do even when he was feeling under the weather, and it was routine, something which seemed to help quell Smokescreen's anxieties, as routine meant no unexpected surprises.
Up until the day that Bumblebee received a summons to Ultra Magnus' office.
"What does it say Bee?" asked Smokescreen, leaning down and over his shoulder to look at the message.
"Just that he wants to see me," said Bumblebee. "Oh, I hope I haven't done something wrong. Like forgot some kind of forms or files. I swear I turned in everything I was supposed to." The last thing he needed was to end up in trouble because he forgot to fill out or hand in a form, or filled it out incorrectly.
"Well, good luck I guess," said Smokescreen, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.
Bumblebee vented heavily, he would have liked for Smokescreen to come with him as some kind of moral support, but Smokescreen was helping out around the hospital ship that day.
"Thanks, I'm probably going to need it."
Previously, Ultra Magnus had been using a room in the ship as an office and sort of base of operations. But with all the rebuilding he had relocated to a place in the city, to a larger building that doubled as a sort of base of operations and a hub for their security and communications systems. Which meant that Soundwave had relocated there, to rooms on an upper floor, but the same building regardless.
Which meant that Bumblebee was going to have to take a drive into the city, prolonging his worry about the summons even longer. Could Ultra Magnus have made it any more cryptic sounding?
He sighed heavily as he came to a stop outside the building, anxiousness eating away at his insides.
Stepping inside the first thing he heard was the faint sound of music filtering down from somewhere above. Which meant that Soundwave was in and working. After one too many times of individuals getting startled after walking in on him while he was working, Soundwave had taken to playing music to indicate that he was in there and working. Where the music came from was anyone's guess (Bumblebee suspected it came from the Decepticon himself), but if it was playing, he was in there, so a least knock first.
Wringing his servos together, Bumblebee made his way through the halls towards Ultra Magnus' office. Time to get this over with.
Bracing himself, he knocked on the door to announce his presence.
"You requested my presence sir?" asked Bumblebee, peeking in.
"Yes, come in Bumblebee." Ultra Magnus gestured for him to come in. "Thank you your prompt arrival."
"I uh, I would like to know what this is about," said Bumblebee, trying to swallow his nervousness. "I haven't made a mistake somewhere have I?"
"Not at all. In fact your performance has been exceptional and should be commended," said Ultra Magnus. "Which is what I summoned you to talk about." He set aside the datapad he'd been working on as he placed his hands on the desk, affixing his gaze on Bumblebee. "I have been quite impressed by your performance as of late and have decided that not only is it time, but that you are more than capable of taking on some extra duties."
"Extra duties sir?"
Ultra Magnus nodded before picking up the datapad and tapping on the screen a few times before holding it out to Bumblebee.
After a moment of hesitation, Bumblebee strode forward, taking the datapad from him.
"As you may be aware, along with the rebuilding efforts we have also begun to train up new recruits." He was, vaguely aware of that fact, having heard something about them building an academy in another city to help in training up new bots. While they didn't necessarily need soldiers right now, new bots did need to learn how to, well, be bots, so it made sense that they would have built an academy somewhere. But beyond that he didn't really know much.
As Ultra Magnus spoke, Bumblebee looked at the tablet in his hands and the screen that had been brought up on it. It was a student profile for a young Autobot.
"And this is?"
"One of the students, cadet Strongarm. She has shown great promise and I feel it would be beneficial for her to get some on the job experience."
"Sir?"
"I would like you to train her. Starting tomorrow, she is going to accompany you on your city patrols."
Bumblebee froze, nearly dropping the pad. Him. Train another bot. The closest he'd ever come to anything like that was with Smokescreen when he'd first joined the team, but that was more supervising him and familiarizing him with the rules and the new world. But proper, actual training? Never. He was always the newbie, the trainee, never the trainer.
"I...I...I don't know what to say sir. Are you...are you sure about this?"
"I have the utmost faith in your ability to handle this task," said Ultra Magnus with a nod and the smallest traces of a smile gracing his face.
"Th-thank you, thank you so much sir. I won't let you down."
Ultra Magnus just nodded. "I'm sure you won't."
If Bumblebee had had wings, he would have flown back to the ship. He didn't, so he had to settle for driving back as fast as he could, which almost felt like flying and he was sure if he hit a bump he would end up airborne. (It didn't occur to him till later that he could have used his jets in bot mode to fly there instead of merely driving.) He was practically vibrating out of his struts with excitement, he couldn't wait to tell Smokescreen about this.
Training, he was going to get to train someone!
"Smokescreen, Smokescreen!" He whipped through the halls of the ship looking for him. He wasn't sure where Smokescreen was exactly as 'working on the ship' could mean anything from cleaning, to restocking the supply room to showing bots around. So really, he could be anywhere.
"Hey, Knock Out, you know where Smokescreen is?" he asked, sticking his head into the lab.
"Well, he should be helping the ship that came in a few clicks ago stock up on supplies," he said. "At least that's what he was doing the last time I saw him. Why, is there an emergency?"
Bumblebee sighed, door wings drooping a bit. "No. I just got back from my meeting with Ultra Magnus and I really wanted to talk to him."
"You're going to have to wait then," said Knock Out with a shrug. He glanced over at Bumblebee as he picked up a wrench and put it in the toolbox in front of him. "So, go well?" he asked. "Or badly?"
"I wasn't getting scolded or anything, if that's what you mean."
"Then it went well."
"Yeah. I guess so. It was, not what I expected at any rate."
"Care to share?" asked Knock Out, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he looked at Bumblebee. "Or is this some hot secret you only want to share with Smokescreen."
"Oh, no it's not a secret, and everyone's gonna find out eventually. I just really wanted to tell Smokescreen first." He shifted about on his feet, still trying to contain his excitement until he finally couldn't anymore. "Ultra Magnus wants me to train someone, one of the younger bots."
Knock Out raised an eyebrow. "That is a big job. Think you're up to it?"
"I don't really have a choice," he replied. "It sounds like she's going to be accompanying me on patrols, so I think I can manage that."
"I suppose it couldn't possibly be any harder than training up a new lab assistant."
"I just hope we'll get along."
Knock Out chuckled, "Nothing worse than a teammate you can't get along with. Believe me."
Now it was Bumblebee's turn to laugh. "Had a few of those I take it?"
"Do you have ANY idea how many times I wanted to throw Starscream out of the airlock?" He shook his servos in frustration, grabbing at the air. "He wouldn't stop messing with things in my lab. Science officer be damned, it was my lab. And to say nothing of Shockwave turning ME into the assistant. In my own lab."
"Gee, why don't you tell us how you really feel Knock Out?"
Knock Out vented in frustration before clearing his throat. "Anyways, my point is. It'll be a lot easier if you get along with your teammate. Especially since this one is a trainee."
Yeah, he couldn't exactly start throwing hands with the bot he was supposed to be training. That definitely wouldn't look good for him.
By the time Smokescreen was finished helping restock the ship out on the pad, Bumblebee could barely contain himself, sprinting to meet him.
"Well, going by your smile, I'm guessing the meeting wasn't a total disaster," said Smokescreen.
"I get to take on a trainee!"
"That sounds like a success to me." He smiled, "Why don't we go grab a cube later and you can tell me about it? And then I can tell you about my day."
Arguably the most surprising thing to come out of rebuilding was Maccadam's Oil House just suddenly opening. Every time anyone had gone by it, it was had been locked up tight with a surprising amount of security for a bar. And then, one day, out of the blue, it was open. The doors were unlocked, the lights were on and there was someone inside, tending the bar. He said his name was Maccadam, that he ran and owned the place and always had, he'd just been busy for a while and had to close it down while he was away.
He didn't seem to have an ulterior motives, coming off as very friendly and open, willing to let anyone in regardless of faction or history. Slowly, bots began to trickle in, a bit wary at first because naturally it was a bit suspicious. But, eventually it became clear he was harmless (unless someone tried to start shit in the bar) and there was nothing nefarious going on.
Oddly enough, despite him saying he'd been away and busy, no one could remember him being among any of the returning bots, certainly neither of the medics recalled seeing him. It was odd but, well, he seemed harmless enough and no one was really going to complain about having an oil house again, so the oddness was quickly forgotten.
Once they were sure it wasn't shady in any way, Smokescreen and Bumblebee also ended up in there to see what it was about.
The owner/bartender was indeed a friendly bot with a presence that seemed to make them feel instantly at ease. He also seemed to be very perceptive.
The first time they went in for a drink, he set a cube of high grade in front of each of them before pausing, looking at Smokescreen a moment and then taking his back, swapping it out for non-high grade.
They had no idea how he could have possibly known that Smokescreen couldn't drink it, they hadn't said anything, or given any indication that was the case and there was no visible cue to give it away. But he seemed to know.
And he never forgot either, bringing them the same thing any time they went there, unless asked.
So it was no different this time as well, their regular orders slid their way the moment they sat down.
"So, a trainee huh?" asked Smokescreen as he took his cube.
Bee nodded, door wings wiggling with happiness. "Ultra Magnus wants her to get some on the job experience and he seems to think that shadowing me on my patrols, having me train her will be the best way for that."
"You're moving up in the ranks Bee," said Smokescreen with a smile. "Good for you."
"Yeah..." Bee gripped his cube tightly, servos shaking slightly. "I've just, never really trained anyone before. Not like this at least."
"Do you know anything about her?" asked Smokescreen.
Bee reached into his subspace, pulling out a tablet and quickly pulled up a profile for a bot named Strongarm."Let's see...Seems like she's top of her class...very enthusiastic...a quick learner...sharp memory..."
"Sounds like a good kid." said Smokescreen. "You shouldn't have to much trouble if she's that good."
"I hope so. I guess we'll find out tomorrow," said Bee. "We'll be meeting her then."
"Well, here's to you becoming a trainer," said Smokescreen, lifting his cube. "And hopefully to everything going well."
Bee smiled, raising his own cube and clinking it against Smokescreen's. "To a successful job." As they sipped their drinks, Bee turned to Smokescreen again. "So, what about you? Anything interesting happen today? Knock Out said you were helping to a ship restocking."
"Oh, yeah!" Smokescreen smiled excitedly. "It was the only ship that came in today, but it was a weird one. I think it was actually two ships that they'd managed to merge into one."
"Two ships made into one?"
Smokescreen nodded. "It seemed to fly just fine though, so whatever they did worked."
"So, restocking? They weren't sticking around then?"
Most ships that came in actually stayed, but occasionally, there were some that didn't, and the ship that Smokescreen had been helping with was one of those. The inhabitants of the ship did get checked out, just in case, but they were mainly there to refuel and restock on supplies before leaving. Mostly medical supplies.
"Nope. They stuck around long enough to refuel, so for the better part of the day, and to restock their sick bay. They said they wanted to continue exploring the stars. Honestly, sounds kinda fun. I bet there's so much to see out there." He set his cube down as he leaned back in his seat. "They were, an interesting crew to say the least."
"Oh?"
Smokescreen shifted on his pedes as he watched the ship come in on the landing strip. It was an odd looking thing, looking like it was made of two different ships fused into one. According to the transmission they'd received, the ship was called ' Gemini '.
The rockets roared and groaned as it landed and the doors rolled open, the gangplank lowering to the ground below.
"You our welcoming committee?" called out a purple and yellow bot as she walked down the gangplank and onto the landing strip. She was around Arcee's size, perhaps a little taller, but the wings on her back indicated she was a flight frame bot. She was a deep purple with vivid yellow accents. Peculiarly, her right arm, from the elbow down, was a completely different colour from the other, a vivid orange-red as well as being a slightly different build, and the top of her right wing looked as if it had been sheered clean off.
"Are you the captain of this vessel?" asked Smokescreen, looking from the datapad in his hand to the bot before him.
"If you mean am I the one in charge of this lot, yeah I am. More or less," she said.
Smokescreen nodded. "Your hailing message said you needed to refuel and restock on medical supplies, correct?"
She nodded, "Yeah, our sick bay is running low on, well everything, and we need to refuel. Last thing we want is to end up out of fuel in the middle of space."
"You're not sticking around?"
"Naw. There's a whole wide universe out there to see, and we want to see it."
Refuelling was going to take a few hours at a minimum, especially for a ship of that size, and everyone aboard was going to need at least a physical, especially if they were going to wander around while planet-side, something Smokescreen went over with the ship's captain-Star Shot as he learned her name was- as they talked.
As he finished explaining everything, she turned back to the ship and called out to it. "Oi, Rocky, you get all that? Round up the rest of the crew so we can get a move on. And make sure you got that list of supplies ready."
'Rocky' was Rock Blaster, the crew's medic and a larger bot of red and yellow and a build somewhere between Ratchet and Bulkhead, tall and broad. Smokescreen certainly wouldn't have guessed 'medic' as his occupation had he not been told. He looked exceedingly tired as he stepped out of the ship, datapad in hand and several other bots trailing behind him.
Among the crew were two more fliers with a near identical build to Star Shot, though their colours were the inverse one another, one being turquoise with pink accents while the other was pink with turquoise accents; and a snow white and sky blue flier, though where the three femmes had light, jet style frames his was a bit bulkier like a plane, clearly not build for speed; on the flip side the tiny silver, blue and grey bot that that just about whipped out of the ship clearly was, the wheels on his feet spinning under him as he was restrained and chastised by probably the oddest looking bot Smokescreen had ever seen. He(?) was black and red, with a single red optic and long audial horns that looked more like antennae than anything.
He held onto the tiny mech with his claw-like servos to keep him from zipping off, while he walked on FOUR legs. For a moment Smokescreen had thought perhaps he was an Insecticon of some kind.
From how he spoke to the smaller mech–Quicksilver he assumed, as Smokescreen heard the name uttered several times–trying to keep him from escaping was clearly not an unusual occurrence.
They, along with a few others, were herded into the hospital while Smokescreen lead Rock Blaster to the store room to gather their needed supplies.
While they were a bit of an, eclectic group, Smokescreen hadn't thought to much of it, until he noticed their insignia, at least on the ones that bore any. On one side they wore half of an Autobot insignia, and on the other was half of a Decepticon logo. There was almost certainly a story behind that choice, he was sure, but what it was he had no idea and never really got the chance to ask.
"Wait, they had both symbols?" asked Bee, interrupting Smokescreen's story.
"Mmhmm. Half of each symbol," said Smokescreen. "They seemed like good bots though, at least from my limited interaction with them."
"Sounds like you had an interesting time."
"They were an interesting group to be sure," said Smokescreen. "I'm sure they kept Ratchet and Knock Out busy enough, there were plenty of them." Some more than others if what he'd seen was any indication.
"Think they'll ever come back?"
Smokescreen shrugged. "Maybe. At the very least, they know they have a place to come back to." He leaned back slightly in his seat. "I kinda envy them. As much as I like it here, as much as I'm glad to be here...there's so much to see and experience out there.
Bee smiled and placed a servo on his. "We have plenty of years ahead of us. Maybe one day."
"Maybe." Smokescreen glanced down slightly, optics lingering on his chest a moment before looking back to Bee. "But certainly not for a while." No way they could pull of space travel with a sparkling. There was so much they didn't know, so he'd rather remain near Ratchet for the time being.
"I guess there's just all kinds out there," said Bee.
"And there's all kinds down here too," said Smokescreen, turning to look around the room.
It really was filled with an eclectic mix of bots, mingling and drinking and chatting. It was warm and inviting, a pleasant place to be.
Smokescreen smiled, the tips of his wings shifting slightly.
"It's a nice sight isn't it?"
He spun back around to see Maccadam behind the bar, having reappeared from wherever he'd gone off to, a cube in one hand and a cleaning cloth in the other as he wiped it off.
The bartender was a friendly fellow, though he had a disconcerting ability to just vanish and reappear without warning.
"I wish everywhere could be like this," said Smokescreen. "It's nice. It just, seems too idealistic of me to hope for."
"Nothing wrong with a dream like that," said Maccadam with a comforting smile. "Gotta start somewhere after all."
"We've managed it in the hospital ship," said Bee. "And while it's not perfect, we haven't exactly run into anything major yet on patrols."
"Fingers crossed on that one," said Smokescreen, holding up a servo and crossing his digits. "I'm just worried the peace won't last."
"Seems to me like you're doing a pretty good job of it so far," said Maccadam, setting down another cube in front of each of them.
"I really doubt we're the only bots who want peace," said Bee. "Or just not have to fight anymore. We've been fighting for so long, at this point, who wouldn't welcome the chance to just...not?"
Maccadam smiled, his spectacles almost seeming to shine. "It would be nice, to see Cybertron at peace once again."
"It would be nice to actually experience it," said Smokescreen. "By the time I came online, the war had already been going for cycles."
Bee nodded. "Me too. This is the first time I've had anything close to peace. Earth was peaceful but we were still fighting."
"Well, to future peace then," said Maccadam, holding up an empty cube.
"To future peace."
As they lay in bed that night, the conversation lingered in Smokescreen's mind, a servo resting on his chest.
He shuttered his optics with a soft sigh. If Ratchet's estimation about the sparkling's growth was correct, and it probably was, then there were only a few months left in its development, at least before it became to big for his body to physically contain.
All Smokescreen wanted was for them to come into a world that wasn't ripping itself apart. He wanted the peace to last, if not for his sake, then for that of the sparkling he was going to bring into the world. And by Primus he would fight bolt and screw to ensure that happened.
Notes:
1) I checked the lore for the Aligned continuity and, there's nothing to say that Maccadam couldn't be alive. :3 So he is.
2) The crew of The Gemini are in fact, OCs of mine! :D They were not made for this (or even TFP specifically) but I needed some characters and thought 'hey, they'll work'
The short of it for their story is, they're a group made up of Autobots and Decepticons who, after having to work together to get out of a situation decided they didn't want to turn around and go back to fighting the bots they'd just worked alongside. So they didn't. They teamed up and left together.Also oops bringing in RiD characters anyway b/c I can lol
Chapter 22
Notes:
In which Bumblebee gets to meet his new trainee for the first time.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Bumblebee wrung his servos together anxiously as he paced back and forth outside on the landing strip. He was supposed to meet the new cadet that morning and he was nervous. So nervous that he was an hour early, having wanted to make sure he wasn't late.
He would have dragged Smokescreen along, except that he had his monthly check up with Ratchet, to go over his recovery progress as well as that of the sparkling's growth. So there was no sense in him getting out there early just to go back inside to see them.
So it was just Bumblebee out there, one hour early, pacing around as he waited for his trainee to show up.
"Oi Bee, ya keep that up and you're gonna wear a rut into the ground!"
"Jazz?" He looked up to see his friend standing there, servos on his hips.
"What's got yer processor in a tizzy man?" he asked, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "You been pacing for like 15 minutes straight."
Bumblebee laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "I've been assigned a cadet to train, and I get to meet her today. So I'm a bit...nervous."
Jazz gave a low whistle. "Wow, you're moving up in the world Bee."
"I just hope I won't frag it up," he said. "I've never trained someone before. I know she's gonna be a ride along to shadow us but still."
Jazz patted Bumblebee reassuringly. "Don't worry man, you got this. I've seen your patrols, you'd have to work real hard to blow that."
Bumblebee squeezed his servos together tightly. "I sure hope so."
"Say, what's this trainee of yours look like anyhow?"
"Huh? White and blue paint job, kinda squarish shaped, probably smaller than me. Why?"
Jazz pointed ahead. "Like that?"
He followed Jazz's arm out across the landscape towards a small blue and white car driving their way. The markings and paint job did look similar to what was in the file he'd been given.
"Oh. Uh. Yeah that should be her. Damn, she's really early."
As the car drew closer it transformed back, confirming Bumblebee's suspicions, it was in fact Strongarm.
"Well, good luck man." Jazz gave him one last pat for luck and reassurance before releasing him. "You can tell me all about it later."
"Wait, what, Jazz wait!" It was to late, he was already gone, driving off and away from Bumblebee, laughing to himself.
"Oh, Lt. Bumblebee! I-I apologize, I thought that I was early. I apologize for my tardiness!" She snapped right to attention the moment she got close, shooting him a rigid salute.
As assumed, she was at least a head and shoulders shorter than him. Damn she really was young.
"No no, you're not late, you're still plenty early," said Bumblebee. "We both are. There's still," he glanced at the time. "At least half an hour till we have to leave. And we're still waiting on someone anyways."
She frowned and looked around, then at something on her wrist before looking back to Bumblebee. "I wasn't told there was going to be another ride along sir."
"No, he's not a ride along," said Bumblebee. "It's my partner. He's on patrol duty with me today. So it'll be the three of us. You're still reporting to me though."
She looked a little skeptical, but nodded nonetheless. "When will he be arriving, sir?"
"I'm not quite sure," said Bumblebee. "He has something to take care of first and there's no telling how long it'll take."
The minutes ticked by and still Smokescreen hadn't appeared, which was a bit odd because a regular check up shouldn't have taken so long.
"Is...is your partner usually this late?" asked Strongarm cautiously, as Bumblebee looked back towards the ship again.
"No, not usually. Let me see what's going on."
He tapped the comm link, bringing up their personal link. "Hey, Smokescreen, what's the hold up?"
"Oh, Bee! Sorry, we ran into a, ah, some technical difficulties," said Smokescreen on the other end. "I told you doc, it won't work. And now I'm running late, can I just go and we'll deal with this later?"
Bumblebee couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, just a heavy sigh from Smokescreen after a moment of silence.
"Smoke?"
"I'll be there in a bit, once they let me leave." And with that the line went dead.
"He's held up at the moment, but he'll join us in a bit."
'A bit' turned out to be closer to 10 minutes by the time Smokescreen finally made his appearance.
"Is everything alright?" asked Bumblebee, optics wide, trying no to worry to much. Smokescreen was there, on his own two pedes and he didn't seem bothered so whatever had held him couldn't have been to concerning. But he was still worried.
"It's fine, like I said, some minor technical difficulties and Ratchet just being fussy," said Smokescreen, rubbing the back of his head. "Nothing bad I swear. I'll fill you in later. Now," he looked towards Strongarm, who looked like her optics were about to bug out of her head as she looked at Smokescreen. "Are you going to introduce us?"
"Oh, right! Cadet Strongarm, this is Smokescreen. Smokescreen, this is my new trainee, Strongarm." Bumblebee gestured between the two of them as he spoke.
"Well, it's nice to meet you cadet," said Smokescreen, holding a hand out.
"It's...nice to meet you too, sir," she said, cautiously shaking his hand. "Although, I wasn't informed about there being anyone else on the patrol. Sir," she said, before mumbling, "Or that you were so big either."
Smokescreen laughed. "I won't get in the way I promise. And you don't need to call me sir."
"If everyone's ready, we can head out," said Bumblebee, clapping his servos together. "And I'll explain what we do while we move. Sound good?"
"I can learn while driving."
Bumblebee nodded, "Good. Let's roll. The city won't patrol itself."
Despite not being much of a morning bot, Smokescreen did enjoy the morning patrols more than others. They were quiet and generally uneventful, and there was something peaceful about the cool morning air against his plates and the gentle light of the sun at that hour.
He trailed a length or so behind Bee, listening as he filled in Strongarm about what they usually did and how they did it, about their routes through the city.
Strongarm was listening intently to him, a nice break from her quoting the rule book at him. It certainly didn't seem like they were going to have a problem with her following the rules, as it seemed like she had memorized the rule book start to finish. She'd even quoted some rule about lateness and the rules regarding how that was handled, as if Bee could somehow punish him. It wasn't even his fault, Ratchet way the cause of the hold up. Which he did point out, stating if someone should get a write up for his lateness, if should be given to the good doctor. While Bee had laughed at that, Strongarm had not. Not much of a sense of humour that one apparently.
Bee had to explain that yes, while Smokescreen was late, as long as they completed their patrols and he turned in a report to Ultra Magnus by the end of the day, it wasn't too big of a deal if they didn't start exactly on the dot. Maybe once that would have been the case but, Ultra Magnus seemed to have eased up just a bit on things.
"Are patrols usually this...uneventful?" she asked as they drove through the city.
"Morning patrols are," said Bee. "But I chalk that more up to no one really being up at this hour. If no one's up they can't cause trouble."
"I'll take a quiet patrol any day," said Smokescreen.
Strongarm shifted her mirrors around as they drove. "Really? Quiet? Even with all the...Decepticons wandering around?" she asked.
"I mean, there's been a few scuffles here and there," said Bee. "But nothing we haven't been able to handle. Certainly nothing arrest worthy at any rate."
"Usually we can just break it up and chase them off," said Smokescreen.
The first time they'd encountered a scuffle he'd worried they'd have to pull out their weapons and start firing. For once in his life, he actually didn't want to start brawling. But it hadn't come to that, if only because everyone involved had bolted, in opposite directions, and there was no way to chase all of them down. Bee had decided to just call out 'and don't do it again' as they fled. Whatever the problem might have been, they didn't see that lot causing problems (at least with each other) again.
"Believe me cadet, a quiet patrol is a good one. And, just because there's Decepticons around doesn't mean there's going to be trouble," said Bee.
"If you say so..." she said, not sounding all that convinced.
Smokescreen supposed he couldn't blame her too much, she probably didn't have much in the way of experience with 'Cons and probably only knew of them as the enemy.
They continued through the city, passing though the quiet business district-nothing was open at that hour and really it was just to make sure no one was trying to break in anywhere-along the edge of the city and towards the center of the city.
As they neared the center they neared the latest construction project, The Hall of Heroes. It wasn't so much a hall as it was an outdoor memorial, a celebration of those who lost their lives in the war. They had wanted, originally, to make it a tribute to the heroes who has saved Cybertron, with grand statues to them. And they were doing that too, but Team Prime had managed to convince them to make it a memorial. To all those who where no longer with them, who had fought and died for the peace they now had.
The current construction project was a large statue of Optimus Prime, currently about half built.
"Think we can stop here for a short break?" asked Smokescreen, taking a look at his clock. "It's closing in on noon, which means I need to break and fuel."
"Is it that late already?" asked Bee. "Huh, time flies. Sure, we can stop and stretch a bit." He transformed back, stretching his arms over his head and flexing his door wings out. "Oh that feels nice. Come on cadet, time for a short break."
"But sir, it's not the scheduled break time yet," said Strongarm with a frown as she transformed back, pulling something up on her arm panel. "Rule point 7, section 3 clearly states that breaks are only to be taken at the scheduled times. And the first break isn't scheduled for another couple hours."
"Well, doctor's orders supersede those," said Smokescreen as he sat down. "Since I'm not confined to the hospital any more it's on me to make sure I get my fuel and medicine at the appropriate times."
She hesitated a moment, staring at him. "Medicine? Are you...sick sir?"
"Not sick, and I said you don't need to call me sir," said Smokescreen as he pulled out his rations. "After we landed on Cybertron there was a massive fight and I got injured in it. Bad enough to be put into a coma for months. How long was it Bee? Like 8 months?"
"Closer to 10 really."
Strongarm's optics widened. "Whoa."
"I came out of it about 6 months ago but, Ratchet says it could take a long time for me to get back to where I was before that," said Smokescreen. "Outwardly I'm fine, obviously enough. But inwardly, less so. Plus even with working out, my stamina and endurance is just shot to the pits. That's the part that he said will take the longest to go back to normal. Assuming it ever will." It wasn't really a lie, all of that had happened and was still happening to him, and it would be a long time before he was 100% again. It just happened that he was also fuelling for two and needed the extra fuel and nutrition for that reason. But no one else needed to know that little fact. Using the technical truth seemed to be the best way to explain everything at the moment and it had worked thus far. "So I have a specific schedule to stick to. And Ratchet will know if I don't. He always does. He knows everything when it comes to this kind of stuff."
"I can't even imagine what that must be like," said Strongarm as she took a seat as well. "10 months. That's a long time."
"Ratchet was surprised he even woke up," said Bee. "I don't think most bots recover from something like that, let alone end up this mobile after 6 months. I'm glad he did though."
"You and me both." Wordlessly, he downed his rations, tucking away the empty containers.
"'Is also why we drive as slow as we do. He can only go so fast right now, and I'm not about to just leave him behind," said Bee. "He takes patrol with me because it gets him out and moving and doing something, while also being light duties, so it doesn't put undo strain on him."
"I appreciate it," said Smokescreen.
"Good luck on your recovery then," said Strongarm with a nod. "I hope it goes well."
Once Smokescreen was fuelled up and had rested his struts a bit, they set back out, Smokescreen sparing a lingering glance at the tribute statues.
Perhaps one day, once it was finished, he could fulfill the promise he'd made at Optimus' resting place, the promise to bring him home. He deserved to rest on the planet he'd fought so hard for, to finally come home.
The rest of patrol went off fairly uneventfully, the most exciting thing they encountered were some delinquents in the midst of graffitiing some buildings, which resulted in Bee and Strongarm chasing after them. A chase that Smokescreen could not follow, as they moved far too fast for him to keep up, so he just remained behind. They did return eventually, dragging the two miscreants behind them.
It wasn't exactly an arrestable offence, as least as far as Bee was concerned, as no one was being hurt. It was just sort of annoying as it would take some time to clean off. Which meant someone, namely them, would have to oversee things to make sure it did get cleaned off.
If he was being honest, Smokescreen didn't really mind having to supervise as he didn't have to do much (and it wasn't like they didn't know he couldn't chase them down). Though his suggestion that if they absolutely had to deface something, to do it on condemned buildings was met with mixed opinions. Bee seemed receptive to it, the buildings were going to come down anyways so it didn't matter, but Strongarm was vehemently against it, quoting various rules and laws regarding the defacing of public property. For a moment, he thought something was going to burst inside Bee.
"Let's just, get this cleaned up first before dealing with, all that," Bee said finally, doing all he could to not blow a gasket. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Bee so glad for a shift to be over as they headed back to Ultra Magnus' office, the trouble makers in tow to find out what he wanted to do with them.
"I really hope that every shift isn't going to be like that one was," groaned Bee, leaning against Smokescreen's side as they departed for the evening. "I think I need a drink after all that. Let's go see if Bulkhead still has a stash of high grade, and you can tell me about your morning while I get wasted."
"It wasn't that bad Bee. Strongarm is just...very passionate. I'm sure she'll mellow out once she gets a feel for your leadership style."
"Primus I hope so. But seriously, I could really use a drink."
One raided stash later, Bee and Smokescreen found a quiet place to settle in and talk where they wouldn't be disturbed.
"So, 'technical difficulties' this morning huh? What was that about?" asked Bee, leaning back against Smokescreen's chest as he seated himself in his lap, cube in his hand.
Smokescreen sighed. "Yeah, about that..."
Smokescreen drummed his digits on his knees as he watched Ratchet go through the results of his physical and scans, wishing he would hurry it up so he could just leave and join Bee.
"So, how is it?" he asked.
"Well, everything looks on the up and up for you. However, with the sparkling growing so much, it's also going to need more nutrients, so I'm going to increase your fuel intake, just to be on the safe side," said Ratchet, making a few notes.
"What about the sparkling?"
"As best as I can tell it seems to be doing just fine. Of course, I would like to be able to examine it first hand, not just through a scan," he said, rubbing his jaw.
"Like...like looking inside me?" asked Smokescreen, glancing down at his chest. "Inside my spark chamber?"
Ratchet rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about Smokescreen. Yours wouldn't be the first spark chamber I've had to examine. Although, usually I'm examining for damage not something like this. It's strictly medical in nature."
Smokescreen shifted around anxiously, the idea of exposing his spark to someone, at least someone that wasn't Bee, just felt so embarrassing. It was so private! But he did want Ratchet to be able to better monitor the sparkling's health. "I-I suppose we can try," he said, shifting back on the berth.
"Just relax. I'm not going to reach in, I just want to look, see what we're dealing with."
That was a little more reassuring and Smokescreen leaned back against the berth with a sigh. His chest plates slid apart, transforming as it opened up. He didn't think anything of it, until-
CLUNK
Huh, that was weird.
"Smokescreen, why did you stop?"
"I-I didn't? I think something's stuck." He could feel it, the last several plates and mechanisms just, wouldn't move. Scrunching his face, he focused on the remaining plates, only to be met by resistance and alerts flashing up every time he tried to part them.
"Is something the matter?" asked Ratchet.
"Yeah. I think they're, locked," said Smokescreen with a frown. "I keep getting 'access forbidden' warnings. I don't think we're getting in."
"And that's about when you commed in, while we were trying to figure out what was going on. Ratchet kept trying to get me to bypass the messages but nothing was working. If anything it hurt trying to force it."
Bee frowned as he tilted his head back, looking up at Smokescreen. "Why was it doing that? I've never heard of that happening before."
"Well, Ratchet seems to think it's some kind of safety mechanism, to protect the sparkling. Can't hurt it if you can't get to it," said Smokescreen. "At least that was his theory." He smiled as he leaned down and kissed Bee's forehead. "Don't worry, the little one is safe and well."
"Sounds like your body is making extra sure our bitty bot is safe in there," giggled Bee.
He wrapped his arms around Bee, cuddling him close. "Ratchet thinks I should only have a few more months left."
Bee hummed softly, almost thoughtfully. "Do you really think we can do it?" he asked after a moment.
"Do what?"
"Look after it and not screw it all up. I don't know anything about this, you don't know anything about this. You really think we can raise this sparkling?" he slumped against Smokescreen's chest with a sigh, cheek pressed his chest plate. "I don't wanna mess up Smokey. I wanna do this right, you know? But I dunno how."
Smokescreen's optics softened as he let Bee lean on him, rubbing his shoulder gently with one hand. "I'm sure we can figure it out. Besides, it's not like we'll be alone. I'm sure everyone else will be there for us. At the very least we'll have Ratchet. And probably Knock Out."
"I wish Optimus could be here. I'm sure he'd know what to do. He knew how to-to look after us," said Bee, voice crackling a bit. "I bet he'd love to see a sparkling."
"I'm sure wherever his spark is, it's watching over us Bee," he said. "At least I hope so."
Notes:
Bee is very flexible when it comes to the rules.
Chapter 23
Notes:
Reminder that text .:LIKE THIS:. is text appearing on Soundwave's visor
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Bee groaned as he threw himself across the table, arms flung out in front of him dramatically.
"Arcee. If I was ever a little scraplet of a newbie you have my deepest apologies," he groaned, face down on the table. "Because I think I'm being punished for some kind of wrong doing in my past."
Arcee cocked a brow as she looked down at at him, cube in hand. "Is your trainee really that bad?" she asked. "From how you talked about her before I thought she was as straight laced as they came."
"She is, almost to much," said Bee, lifting his head slightly. "I swear, she has the whole rule book memorized. And she constantly quotes it, to the point it feels like the book is her trainer, not me."
"She can be a bit, overzealous," said Smokescreen.
"I thought she'd chill on it but no. She won't stop. And half the rules are barely even relevant with what we're doing." He dragged his hands over his head with a groan. "It's just. It's not much of a problem now but, if something big does happen, I need to know I can trust her to follow my orders. How can I keep her safe if she's going to quote some obscure rule about ride alongs always needing to remain with their trainer? Like yeah, sure, makes sense, but if there's danger and she pulls that stunt instead of going to safety, she could get hurt."
"Have you tried talk to her about it?" asked Bulkhead.
Bee lifted his head, almost glaring at him. "Of course I did Bulk. But I don't think it's sticking because "the rules" and all that."
Smokescreen patted his back reassuringly. "You'll figure it out."
"Primus I hope so." He sighed heavily. "And the rules aren't the only problem either."
"Oh, there something else?" asked Arcee.
Bee sat up and leaned back against his chair. "Decepticons. She seems to be a bit...biased. I don't blame her, it's a hard thing to unlearn, even I'm still working on that. But, she really seems to believe that 'once a Con, always a Con' and always assumes one is up to no good." He frowned as he looked at his cube, drumming his fingers on it. "And if that keeps up we'll just end up back where it all started, before the war."
Yeah, Smokescreen had noticed that while on their shared patrols. While Strongarm would jump on any troublemaker, if there was a mix of 'Bots and Cons, she always seemed to zero in on the Cons first. Which was more than a little alarming to say the least.
"Maybe some did horrible things in the past, honestly who didn't? But...that's the past, and I don't think they should be treated badly just because of who they were. Besides, we wouldn't have Cybertron back if it wasn't for them. Even if we did revive it, the rebuilding efforts were done by Autobots AND Decepticons. We...kind of owe them." He vented heavily, his vents whining softly. "I didn't want to be that kind of superior but, I might have to be a bit more strict with her. I don't want to be the bad guy but, I dunno what else to do."
"Maybe you should take her to see Knock Out," said Smokescreen jokingly. "I mean, he was a 'Con once."
Bee was quiet for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Hmm. maybe I should." He leaned back, looking towards another table. "Oi Knock Out, think I can swing by your lab tomorrow with my trainee to say hi?" he asked.
"Why, are they sick?"
"No, but I think they could do with a change in perspective on some things."
He leaned his chin on the back of his servo, "Well, colour me interested Bumblebee. Anything I need to do?"
"Just be your regular charming self."
"I'm sorry sir, we're doing, what?" asked Strongarm, looking up at Bumblebee.
"Field trip. I'm not getting reports of anything that needs our immediate attention, so I thought we could take a bit of a...detour before hand."
She scrunched her face up, pulling up the rulebook on her arm pad again, flicking through furiously and Bumblebee groaned internally. "But sir, according to subsection 4, point 2a, all deviations from regular protocol must be submitted 3 cycles in advance to a superior officer to be cleared in advance."
Bumblebee sighed, pinching the bridge of his helm before running a servo down his face. "Listen. Strongarm. I appreciate the enthusiasm and willingness to follow the rules. However. There is a time and a place. And today, we're doing something a bit different. And if it bothers you all that much, you can rat me out to Ultra Magnus later," he said. "But, I'm the one training you and, I think this would be a valuable learning experience."
Strongarm frowned, shifting about on her pedes and looking very uncomfortable. "What kind of field trip is it?"
Bumblebee smiled. "We're actually going to visit a few bots. I think you could learn a few things from them. And our first stop is actually right here," he gestured to the hospital ship.
"The...hospital sir?"
"Yup, he works there. Actually, when you first got here, who did your intake exam?"
"Someone named Pulse."
Bumblebee nodded. That meant Knock Out was on duty that day, Pulse being the bot he'd been training as an assistant. "I see, guess that means you haven't met him yet. I can still work with that." He gestured for her to follow as he started towards the ship.
Despite being morning, the hospital was abuzz with activity, as usual.
"We won't be bothering them will we?" asked Strongarm as they made their way down the hall.
"If he's busy we can just wait, it won't be the end of the world."
They eventually came to a stop outside of a room and Bumblebee knocked on the door, several short raps with his fist. "Hey Knock Out, you with a patient?"
"Not for a few hours!" he called back and Bumblebee nodded.
"Come on Strongarm, there's someone I want you to meet."
The doors slid open and they strode inside, where Knock Out was working, one servo transformed into a welding torch as he worked on something in a tray on the table.
"I hope we're not interrupting," said Bumblebee, noticing what he was doing.
"No no, I can multitask," said Knock Out with a dismissive wave. "So, how can I be of assistance today?"
"Strongarm, this is Knock Out, one of our two doctors on the ship. The bot that did your intake exam when you first got here reports to him," said Bumblebee. "Knock Out, this is cadet Strongarm."
Knock Out lifted his head, transforming the tool away as he held out his hand. "So, this is the young cadet I've been hearing about. Hope you're not giving out little warrior here too much trouble."
Strongarm froze a moment before shaking his hand. "I certainly hope I'm not." She glanced past him to the table he was working at. "What-what are you working on there?"
"Servo repairs. Some poor bastard broke theirs the other day, so I've been given the oh so glamorous job of repairing it." He rolled his optics. "This is why you always watch where you put your limbs and take pinch points seriously."
Bumblebee watched as Strongarm hovered around the doctor, curious about his work and letting loose a stream of questions, questions Knock Out seemed surprisingly willing to answer.
"So, Strongarm, what do you think?" he asked, once she finally took a break from questions as Knock Out went to fetch something else for the repair job.
"You mean about doctor Knock Out?" Bumblebee nodded. "Well...he's clearly dedicated to his job. And...he's a friend of yours?"
Bumblebee nodded again. "Uh-huh. He's even been partly responsible for Smokescreen's care."
"You must trust him a lot sir."
"I do. I'd trust him with my life, at least on the operating table."
"Hey!"
"Please, we both know you're not built for a direct fight if it might mess up your paint job."
"Doesn't mean I can't do it. Breakdown and I had each other's backs all the time on the battlefield. I just need the right tools."
"I'm teasing you Knock Out. I know you've got my back."
"You must have fought together for a while, to have that kind of trust," said Strongarm and a tiny, scrap eating grin tugged at Knock Out's facial features as he turned back to his work.
"Actually, we've only been fighting together about, how long? A year and a bit? Not quite a year and a half," said Bumblebee. "Pretty much since we landed on Cybertron."
Strongarm frowned, looking between the two of them. "I don't follow. Were you serving under different officers or something?"
"That's...one way to put it," said Knock Out with a laugh.
Bumblebee cleared his throat, trying to stifle a laugh. That was certainly a way to describe serving on different sides on the conflict. "Well...yes. Because, Knock Out wasn't always an Autobot."
Strongarm froze and he thought for a moment she was going to short circuit as she looked between the two of them.
"He's...he's a Decepticon?!"
"WAS a Decepticon," said Knock Out, very matter-of-factly. "I made my choice."
"That's...I..." Strongarm squirmed on the spot. "So...he defected?"
Knock Out shrugged, "If you wish to look at it that way. I simply chose a side."
"You just didn't want to end up locked in the brig."
"Can you blame me? Besides, if you're to be pointing digits at anyone, you ought to be talking to Smokescreen. He was the one that opted to give me a second chance and not lock me up." He set down the tool in his hand. "I would have been a fool to not accept such a generous offer, especially given the circumstances."
Strongarm frowned, face scrunching up. "Was he allowed to do that?" she asked. "No offence sir but, I thought Smokescreen was your equal, isn't a decision like that, above him?"
Bumblebee rubbed the back of his head with a soft sigh. "It's...a bit more complicated than that, and is a whole other story in and of itself."
"Well the two of you have all day to talk about that," said Knock Out. "Now, was there anything else you needed from me? Because if not, I do need to finish with this," he gestured to the servo on his table. "So I can reattach it. I'm quite sure the owner would like it back."
"No I can't think of anything else. I just, wanted to introduce you, and perhaps give my cadet a new perspective on things." Although, he wasn't quite sure if it had worked, he supposed only time would tell. Change didn't happen that fast after all. "Is there anything you wanted to ask about cadet?"
Strongarm shook her head. "No sir. Although, I am a bit curious what you mentioned earlier. The 'complicated story'."
He sighed. Yeah he'd expected that. This was going to be an uncomfortable trip down memory lane.
After saying their goodbyes they departed the ship, Bumblebee leading the way into the city. Wordlessly they made their way to the Hall of Heroes, finally stopping before the half built statue of Optimus Prime.
It took him a few moments to steel himself before he began the painful retelling of events, beginning with Optimus' death.
He hadn't realized how hard it would be to talk about till he found himself having to stop a few times to compose himself, not wishing to lose face in front of his cadet. When he mentioned Smokescreen's ascension to Prime he was glad that he'd told Strongarm to sit down, as she looked like she would have collapsed on the spot.
"He's a PRIME?!" she sputtered, optics bugging in her head.
"Was," clarified Bumblebee. "That injury he told you about? It was bad Strongarm. Bad enough to put his life in danger. The only reason he's even alive now is because he forfeit The Matrix, and the title and power with it. He's not a Prime now, which is why I said it was complicated." He squeezed his arm tightly as he spoke. "I'm just glad he's alive. We came really close to losing him as well."
"And he...gave Knock Out a second chance?"
Bumblebee nodded, "He did. Seemed to think it was a good idea. And seeing how it's worked out, I can't say I disagree. Knock Out's put in the work."
"But, why? I mean, he was a Decepticon, your enemy. Why would he just, do that?"
"That you'd have to ask him. I wasn't in the room at the time when he made that decision," said Bumblebee. While Strongarm was mulling it over, an idea came to him and he stood up. "I know someone else we should visit, if you're up for another detour."
"We've already taken one today," she said with a sigh and a shrug.
Their next destination found them at the communications building, the same one that housed Ultra Magnus' office, a fact which definitely seemed to confuse her.
Faint music filtered down from the upper level as they stepped inside, a good sign because it meant Soundwave was in fact in. He indicated for her to follow as they headed up a floor and down the hall.
"Who are we in to see?" she asked as they approached the door, the music growing louder the closer they got.
"Our current...head of communications. Among other things. Hopefully an impromptu visit won't be to much of a bother for him."
As they reached the door, Bumblebee raised a hand to knock on the door, only for it to slide open before he could.
Inside, Soundwave was working at the computers, all limbs out and tapping away as he looked between monitors. He paused a moment, turning to regard them and Strongarm froze in the doorway. Bumblebee could practically feel the tension in the room rise from behind him.
"Sir, that-that's..." she trailed off, holding onto Bumblebee's arm tightly. "That's Soundwave! One of the most notorious warriors under Megatron's command! he Decepticon CIO!"
"Yes, it is. I see his reputation precedes him. At least I won't need to introduce you."
The music dimmed down as Soundwave turned to face them, flexible limbs retreating inside his body. A ? flashed up on his visor as he looked at them.
Bumblebee scoffed. "As if you don't already know what we're doing. I'm bringing my cadet around for a field trip as it were. We already visited Knock Out earlier."
"Sir, why are we here? Why is he here?" she asked, in a quiet hiss, staying behind him.
"He's working," said Bumblebee. "I told you, we're visiting the current head of communications. And this is him." He gestured to Soundwave with an arm. "The transmission that was sent out calling everyone home? He did that. Picking up the signals of incoming vessels? Soundwave's the one picking up those and passing them along to us." There was a chirp as Laserbeak detached herself from his chest and flew over to Bumblebee, landing atop his head. "And Laserbeak helps monitor things around the city. And sometimes outside," he said, reaching up to give the tiny bot a light pat.
"Are you telling me, one of the most dangerous Decepticons, is an Autobot now?" asked Strongarm, looking from Bumblebee to Soundwave.
"😡"
Bumblebee snorted. "No. Soundwave is still a Decepticon. But that doesn't change the fact that he's working with us."
"But, why?"
"Freedom, in exchange for help." A recording of Knock Out's voice crackled out from his speaker system. "We need his help. If you don't trust him, then trust me," came Bumblebee's a moment later. "Helping helping helping."
"What he said," said Bumblebee. "We needed his help and expertise and, he was stuck in a, not very pleasant place. So we made a deal." Ultra Magnus' angry voice crackled out and Bumblebee sighed. "Yes, I did get in some trouble for that, thank you for the reminder."
"😏"
Strongarm frowned, rubbing her arm anxiously, fingers dragging over the plating. "I just don't understand. If he's a Decepticon why would he want to work with you, with us? Even with a promise of freedom."
Soundwave cocked his head slightly for a moment.
.:GOAL: THE SAME. PEACE. EQUALITY:.
.:WORK TOGETHER. BENEFICIAL FOR ALL.:.
He turned and walked back to the computer system, Laserbeak flying after him to recouple with his chest.
"He's not wrong," said Bumblebee. "But also, it's what Optimus would have done. I never understood why at the time, but he was always willing to offer a second chance to anyone if they were willing to take it. So...why should Soundwave be exempt from the offer? Especially since there was no reason for us to keep fighting each other." He glanced towards Soundwave, who'd gone back to working at the computers. "And I guess he must have felt the same way, because he hasn't done anything to make me regret that decision. Which is good, because I risked a lot to keep him from getting locked up."
"What do you mean sir?"
"Well...we didn't exactly ask first when it came to freeing him from where he imprisoned. I'm sure if Ultra Magnus had his way he would have locked him up. But, the fact was, we really did need his help. He had skills we didn't have. So, I took the responsibility for him. If something went wrong, if he did betray us in some way, I'd take the blame and punishment for allowing it to happen."
"Bumblebee. Honourable." A mix of mashed together voice clips sounded out from Soundwave, catching Bumblebee and Strongarm both off guard, both turning to look at him.
"I...uh...thank you?" said Bumblebee. "You've been a valuable ally too. And thank you for humouring us, we'll let you get back to your work now." He started to turn away, to lead Strongarm from the room, when something suddenly grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.
Looking down, Bumblebee saw one of Soundwave's flexible grippers holding him by the wrist. Then, the silent Decepticon tugged, pulling Bumblebee across the floor and towards him.
"Uh, Soundwave?"
It wasn't a rough, aggressive tugging, if anything it felt like he wanted Bumblebee's attention. As he neared, he saw that Soundwave was pointing a long digit at one of the computer monitors, specifically at the message that was displayed on the screen in front of them. It was a message, one that seemed to have come in just recently.
We have one of yours. You have a cycle to come and get him before we turn him into scrap metal.
The message ended off with what appeared to be coordinates and the Predacon logo for a signature.
Oh dear. Well that did not bode well for some poor b ugger .
"Strongarm, looks like this field trip is over. Time to show you the other part of my job."
"The ... other part sir?"
"Soundwave, I know you have a portable ground bridge, think you could send us to the coordinates listed here?"
Soundwave nodded before pulling out something and beginning to type away.
"I hope you don't mind getting to see some of Cybertron outside the city," said Bumblebee. "Because that's where we're headed."
A warbling, rushing noise ripped through the air as a ground bridge portal opened up in front of them.
"I'll explain on the way."
Strongarm hovered around the portal, experimentally reaching an arm out and sticking it in the portal curiously.
"This is safe, right?"
"It's just a ground bridge. I've been through plenty of times." He gestured for her to follow as he strode forward. "Though fair warning, you may feel a bit off kilter the first time you go through."
One moment they were in a building in Iacon city, the next they were miles away, at the foot of massive, towering sky scraper of a building. One Bumblebee had only been to once or twice before.
Darkmount.
" Oh man. My frame feels like it's going to rattle out of my plating," said Strongarm with a shudder, the portal vanishing behind her as she stepped through . " Sir, where are we? And why are we here?" asked Strongarm , looking around at the new location.
"Where? This is Darkmount Fortress, former stronghold of Megatron himself. As for why? Tell me, what do you know of Predacons?"
She frowned, scrunching her face up thoughtfully. "I know they were some of the first life on Cybertron. And they all died out many millions of years ago in the Great Cataclysm."
Bumblebee nodded. "About what I expected. And you're not wrong, however, there are in fact, three living Predacons on Cybertron."
There was a metallic screech as Strongarm came to an abrupt stop. "You're pulling my fan belts sir. Predacons are extinct."
"You're technically not wrong. These three are clones, so not...naturally created. But they're alive and here. Which is why we're here," said Bumblebee as they made their way across the long bridge towards the citadel. "We need to retrieve someone."
"Is this a, hostage situation?" asked Strongarm. " Or a kidnapping? Surely we need more backup for this."
"No no, it's neither of those," said Bumblebee with a dismissive wave . "It's more, prisoner retrieval? The message Soundwave gave me just says they have someone of ours and to come and get them. So that's what we're doing. I don't have all the details, I'll find out when we get there. But if I had to guess, someone not only trespassed on Predacon territory but probably caused problems. " He glanced over Strongarm, who still looked very confused. "We have, something of a truce with them. We leave them alone and they leave us alone. And if someone ends up on the other's territory, they're subject to their rules and laws. That's why they're able to have a prisoner." He pointed up the upper ramparts and exterior platforms of the fortress. "One of the places they've claimed as their own is up there. Apparently it's a good place to s un themselves. And that's where we're going."
"Is...is that safe?"
"One, we have an invitation to be here. Two, even if we didn't, as long as we follow the rules we'll be fine," he said. Strongarm seemed to light up a bit at the mention of new rules. "The main thing to keep in mind is to be respectful. Predacons are proud and they don't take insults lightly, to them or to their home. But it also depends on which one we're dealing with."
"Sir?"
" As I said, t here's three of them; Predaking, Darksteel and Skylynx. Predaking is the boss, their king if you will . He's the largest one. He's also the most agreeable, surprisingly enough. Speak to him politely and respectfully. 'Your highness' seems to work the best, but 'sir' is also acceptable. And a polite bow never hurts either. Darksteel is...not the brightest but it's not hard to keep on his good side. He likes a good laugh, or a good brawl. Skylynx is smarter but has the shortest temper and isn't all that personable. I'm not sure he'll ever warm up to us. Keeping it short and sweet with him works the best." As he spoke he counted off on his digits, moving his hands and arms about all the while. "In general when on their territory just don't cause problems. You're a visitor, if you wouldn't want it done to you where you live, don't do it here. Understood?"
"Yes sir! But I fail to understand one thing," she said. "Why you in particular? You said this was part of your job. But, why you? I mean, no offence but surely someone bigger would be better suited for this kind of thing, right?"
Bumblebee laughed. It was true though, the Predacons were huge and he was not. In a fight he would be easily outmatched by even one of them. "Well, without sounding like I'm tooting my own horn, the Predacons like me. Or Predaking does at least. He likes me so the other two tolerate me. So it ended up part of my responsibility to rescue any poor schmuck that ran afoul of them. Luckily it doesn't happen too often."
They came to a stop inside the doors of Darkmount and Bumblebee looked around before pointing to a platform in the middle of the room. "There, that'll get us to the top."
"Do you know which one we'll be dealing with?"
Bumblebee shook his head. "They didn't sign it. That said, it didn't sound aggressive enough to be Skylynx. And it's not Predaking's usual style so if I had to guess, it's Darksteel."
He tapped away at the control console as he spoke, the platform revving to life as it rose through the floors. Up and up it rose, till it came to a stop at the top most floors.
"Regardless of who we're dealing with, let me do the talking, alright? The faster we get this over with, the better." He didn't expect any problems, there never really had been before, the few times he'd had to do this, but he'd also never brought someone along before. Hopefully Strongarm could follow the new rules. After all, while they may have been on Cybertron they were on Predacon territory now.
Bracing himself, had made his way towards the door to the outer platform.
The first thing he spotted as he stepped outside was a large, blue and copper coloured, bird-like beast sprawled out asleep on the stairs and broken throne. Ah, so he was right, they were dealing with Darksteel after all. While he would have liked a chance to say hello to Predaking, Darksteel was at least preferable to Skylynx.
"Darksteel!" he called out, "I got your message, I'm here to collect!"
The griffon-bot cracked an optic open , rolling onto his side for a moment as he looked at Bumblebee, before standing up , yawning and transforming. "You got here quick."
"I happened to be around when your message came in," said Bumblebee. He looked the Predacon up and down. "You're looking well."
He hadn't really seen the Predacon after he'd been released from Ratchet's care after his stint with the Scraplets, but he looked to be healing and recovering quite well. One could barely tell that he'd nearly been eaten alive only months earlier.
"What can I say, your doc's a wiz," he said, flexing an arm. He sniffed at the air and shot Bumblebee a curious look, tilting his head. "You didn't come alone?"
"I'm training her and she was with me when your message came through," said Bumblebee. "So she's with me. And will be on her best behaviour." A tiny muffled 'yessir' came from somewhere behind him where Strongarm was keeping out of the way. "I'm sure you'd like to get back to...napping, so I'd like to take the troublemaker off your claws."
"Oh. Ye a h I'll grab him , hang on."
He turned and lumbered off, heading towards the crumbling throne before stomping around behind it and grabbing something.
"Please don't eat me, please don't eat me!" A slightly muffled, panicked voice screamed out as Darksteel bent down and Bumblebee frowned. That voice, it sounded familiar somehow . Then, he made his way back over, carrying a small, squirming and panicking bot in one hand. A small, bright red bot.
"Oh no." Bumblebee put his face his hand with a groan. There was no way this was who he thought it was. He couldn't possibly be this stupid.
"Here you go. Please get rid of him," said Darksteel, dropping the bot on the ground at Bumblebee's feet. "He's so noisy."
He was a small red bot, not much taller than Strongarm but with a more slender build. It looked like h e was bound up in steel cables, limbs pinned to his sides and keeping from going anywhere. And it was definitely a bot that Bumblebee knew. A troublemaker, a harmless but a repeat offender that had crossed his and Strongarm's paths a few times on patrols . His usual MO involved driving at high speeds and revving his engine as loud as possible to cause a commotion. Annoying but not really criminal level offences.
And apparently, he was in fact this stupid.
"Sideswipe," he groaned, running his hand down his face. "Do I even want to know what you did?"
"Please, please get me out here, before that, that thing eats me!" he cried, wiggling across the ground like a worm.
"He interrupted my nap." said Darksteel with a huff . " H e's not even worth a snack. I'd be picking him out of my teeth for weeks."
"I'll handle it from here Darksteel. Thank you for not hurting him." He knelt down, slicing through the cables with his weapon and hauling Sideswipe to his feet, keeping a firm grip on his arm. "Let's go."
"As long as you're getting me out of here! This place is insane. "
With Sideswipe between him and Strongarm, Bumblebee made his way back to the platform inside, at the same time Darksteel morphed back and sprawled out across the stairs, wings flared out for maximum sun absorption.
"Honestly. I knew you were reckless, but this is a new one, even for you," said Bumblebee. "What were you even doing all the way out here in the first place?"
"I just wanted to explore, rev my engines a bit ya know? And you lot keep getting in my gears back in the city for everything so I thought I'd be fine outside the city."
Bumblebee sighed heavily. "Leave it to you to find the one place controlled by the Predacons. Consider this your lucky day Sideswipe. Because Darksteel didn't have to let us know he had you. He could have scrapped you and would have been well within his right."
"WHAT?"
"This is Predacon territory, the topmost floors at least. Which means you're subject to their rules and laws, not ours. So consider this a lesson on what not to do."
Whether the lesson would stick and he'd actually learn anything from the experience, well only time would tell on that front.
Bumblebee sighed as they departed Darkmount. What was he going to do with him?
Notes:
one of my mild pet peeves about RiD is that, despite it being set post war, they act like every 'Con is a bad guy and criminal who should be locked up, and only ever give us bad ones. Let me see reformed Cons. Let me see Cons just doing, fuck all and not actually bothering people man, or their only crimes are *extremely* petty and not really worth being thrown in jail.
Mix it up a little.Also I wanted Strongarm to meet some 'reformed' cons.
And now Sideswipe has joined the cast
Chapter 24
Summary:
In which Smokescreen and Ratchet have a heart to heart talk about the future and what it holds for him and his place in things.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Smokescreen knew something was up when he lifted his arms and felt a twinge in his left shoulder. It wasn't painful, more like a sudden pinch. But it was alarming because it wasn't supposed to happen, and it was annoying. Every time he moved that arm, especially raising it, it twinged.
It wasn't impeding his movements or transformations though, and it didn't hurt exactly, so he marked it down as something to get checked out later, after he ran patrols with Bee.
Until, unfortunately it did start acting up in the middle of patrol, starting with causing him to have a list to one side as he drove. As if he needed more issues driving.
H e tried to ignore it, he really did , but it soon became very apparent to everyone else that something was wrong.
"Let's make a pit stop here," said Bee, bring ing them all to a stop before immediately going to Smokescreen's side. "Is everything alright? You've been driving ... weird , all morning."
"Yeah, he's driving like he's drunk or something!" said Sideswipe, earning a whack across the back of his helm from Strongarm. After his rescue from the Predacon, the rambunctious young bot had been placed into Bee's care in the hopes of straightening him out a bit and keeping him from getting into any worse trouble. Not that Bee could really think of worse trouble at this point than tangling with a Predacon. Maybe wandering into a Scraplet infested building.
"I'm not drunk," said Smokescreen, rolling his optics. "But my shoulder's been acting up . I was gonna have Ratchet take a look at it after our shift."
"I think you should go back now, I can handle these two on my own," he gestured over his shoulder to Strongarm and Sideswipe . "With how you're drifting to the side, I don't think you can handle anything right now."
"You sure? I don't want to bail on you mid shift."
"I'll be fine Smoke, I promise. Get your arm checked out, before it gets worse. Besides, you know what Ratchet'll be like if he finds out you put this off."
That was a valid point. If he were to put off getting it looked at and Ratchet found out, there would be no hearing the end of it .
" Fine fine," he said with a sigh, rubbing his shoulder. "I'll update you later, I hope it's nothing."
"Hey doc, if you have a minute, can you look at something?" asked Smokescreen, knocking on the door to the med bay.
Ratchet opened his mouth to gripe, before realizing who was standing there. "Oh, Smokescreen, is something the matter?"
"That's what I was hoping you could tell me," he said, taking the acknowledgement as confirmation he could come inside. "It's my shoulder. It feels...off."
"Off, how?"
"Like, every time I move it there's this, twinge in my shoulder. And when I was driving around earlier it kept dragging me to one side."
Ratchet gestured for him to take a seat as he went to grab the med kit to start inspecting his arm.
"What were you doing when this first happened?" he asked.
"Nothing. I was just doing normal stuff, and I lifted my arms and, ping, I felt like this, twinge in my shoulder."
Ratchet frowned as he began to poke and prod gently around the area. "I was worried something like this might happen."
"What do you mean?"
He tapped Smokescreen's shoulder with the back of a digit. "This is the shoulder you dislocated fighting Megatron. Even though I put it back in place and tightened everything, once a limb has been dislocated it can, re-dislocate easier in the future. Sometimes it happens all at once and sometimes it just loosens over time ." He carefully popped open the shoulder plates and picked up a wrench to begin re-tightening the bolts inside. "We'll have to keep an eye on this. If this does become a chronic thing, I'll show you and Bumblebee how to do the maintenance yourself. It's not too difficult."
Smokescreen frowned, silently listening as Ratchet worked. It was the arm Megatron had dislocated, and it was also the same side that Bee had had issues with helping him move during the early stages of his recovery. He didn't want this to keep happening but, from how Ratchet was talking, it just might.
"Doc...I am ever going to be ok again?" he asked after a moment, voice quiet. "It seems like, not only am I not getting better, I just keep getting worse."
Ratchet frowned, optics trained on the interior of Smokescreen's shoulder as he worked.
"I don't know," he said after a moment of silence. "Traumatic injuries can take a long time to recover from, and even then there's always lingering effects. You were in a coma for 10 months Smokescreen. The fact that you came out of it as well as you did, it's nothing short of a Primus given miracle. I've seen mechs in shorter comas take far longer to even get walking again than you did, and yet..." He shook his head. "I wish I could give you a solid answer. But I don't know. Maybe one day you will be back to 100%. And maybe you'll never get there. But the truth is I don't know."
Smokescreen stared at his hands, tracing his digits over the scar on his chest plate . Logically it made sense that it would take awhile, but that didn't mean he liked it. And the uncertainty, it gnawed at his chest. Could he even look after his sparkling if he wasn't 100% ?
" I just feel like I'm falling apart at the rivets sometimes," he said, letting his good arm fall into his lap. "If it's not one thing it's another. I just want to be normal again. "
R atchet gave the last bolt a tighten and pressed the shoulder plate back down and into place. "Alright, give it a whirl, see how that feels."
Slowly he lifted his arm, rotating it around a few times in each direction . The twinge was gone , although it still felt weird, though he chalked that up to just having had it tightened.
"It feel s much better," he said. "Thanks."
Ratchet nodded as he put his tools away. Then he straightened up and made his way to the door. "I'm going to tell you something, but it doesn't leave this room, understood?" he said as he shut the door.
"Alright."
With the door closed, Ratchet made his way over to the bench that Smokescreen was sitting on. "Do you know why I retired from field work?" he asked. "Why I spend more time in the med bay than out?"
Smokescreen opened his mouth to respond, but stopped , shutting again as he mulled it over. "If I say 'because you're old ' , you won't get mad and hit me will you?"
Ratchet laughed roughly, frame shaking. "That's certainly a factor. But I retired from going out in the field long before my age caught up to me." With a grunt and no small amount of effort he lifted his leg up and onto the empty space beside Smokescreen and pointed at his knee. " Field medics aren't usually combatants, although we can fight if it calls for it. But that doesn't mean we're safe. Many are lost, and those that come back," he slapped his knee with a clang. "Don't always come back unscathed."
" You don't seem injured to me."
"You ever see me run?"
"Not really."
"Exactly. My knee doesn't let me, not for any extended period of time and not without great difficulty at least ," he said. "And forcing it only makes it worse." With a huff he put his leg down . "Sometimes, you have to adapt to a new normal. You're already going to have a new normal in a few months anyway," he said, gently rapping a knuckle against Smokescreen's chest plate. "What's one more thing to add to that?"
"One more thing for me to worry about?"
"I told you, we'll keep an eye on it in case it happens again. And we'll fix it if it happens again."
" I just...don't want to be a burden."
Ratchet scoffed. "Puh-lease. Smokescreen, this is my job. It's not a burden to keep you functional." He placed a gentle servo on Smokescreen's arm . "Don't be so hard on yourself."
S mokescreen just hummed thoughtfully, wringing his servos together as he sat there and Ratchet sighed. " Something else bothering you? "
" I just...feel so lost. I don't know what to do with myself, or how I fit in anymore," he said. Ratchet raised a brow curiously as he continued. "When I first joined the team I was the rookie, I took orders, I did my job. I had a role and knew what it was. And then, then suddenly BAM, I'm a Prime. But at least I still knew my place and-and role , even if it was a lot all at once . But I have no idea what I am now. I'm not a Prime any more , so I don't really have that rank now, but I'm not really a rookie anymore either . Yeah I take patrols with Bee, and-and I help out around here and with new arrivals but...I just feel lost."
"I think we all feel a little lost right now," said Ratchet. "It's been so long since we've had peace times, and for many the first time experiencing it. I think a lot of us don't know what to do with ourselves now."
"At least a doctor is always needed, so you don't have to worry about what to do with yourself," said Smokescreen. "At least when I was stuck in the hospital berth I didn't have to think about my role, but now, I just don't know anymore."
"Well, I know one role you're going to have," said Ratchet. "The one that'll be part of your new normal in a few months."
Smokescreen looked down, pressing a hand to his chest. "Yeah. I'm worried about that too. I don't know what to expect, what if I screw it up? Bee says I won't but...I don't want to screw up but, I'm scared."
Ratchet sighed heavily. "Where did that loud, reckless, self assured hot-shot we rescued from that escape pod all those cycles ago go? Because while I might have been concerned that that Smokescreen would be too reckless to care for something like this, you're not that bot."
"That bot had the fate of two worlds thrown on his shoulders and couldn't make any mistakes because someone that wasn't him could die. He couldn't afford to screw up even once ," said Smokescreen, almost bitterly as he hung his head , optical fluid beginning to blur his vision . "He had to grow up and stop screwing around and look past his own wants and dreams."
Ratchet's optics softened and he placed a hand on the back of Smokescreen's head. " Oh I am going to give Optimus the dressing down of his afterlife for making you endure such a burden so young , once I finally join him over there that is ," he said. " I'm sorry that you had to grow up so fast. However, you have grown up, and while I might have thought that Smokescreen to be far t o o reckless for something like this , you aren't him. I ... do not know why you seem so...insistent that you will mess up, but I have the utmost faith in you. " He rubbed Smokescreen's helm gently and continued. "Besides, it's not like you're going to be doing this by yourself. If nothing else you have Bumblebee at your side. And I promise to be right there for you, and your little one."
" I'm just scared."
"I know. There's no shame in being scared. The unknown is frightening for everyone. "
S mokescreen sighed, frame shuddering as the vent left him. "It's just...I always imagined that I was going to be a great warrior someday, you know? It was like, the only dream I had. I have no idea what I'm going to do now. I sure didn't picture my life becoming, this. "
" We all have plans for our lives, and seldom do they ever work out as we expect," said Ratchet. "But, we must adapt all the same. And I have every faith you will." He straightened up , arms falling to his sides. "And you know, for what it's worth, in this old bot's optics, you are a great warrior Smokescreen."
" We're stopping here for now," said Bumblebee, hitting the breaks as they came to a small ridge near the outskirts of the city as he ended the call on his comm link . "Smokescreen's finished up with Ratchet and he's gonna meet us here."
Sideswipe groaned. "If he's that injured why's he even on patrols with you anyways? He's not even that fast! Surely he's just slowing you down."
"Sideswipe!"
"What? You know I'm right Strongarm. You've seen how slow he is. He can barely keep up with me! "
"Because," said Bumblebee with a frown, folding his arms over his chest. "He's my partner and I'm not going to abandon him. And he's not that injured. He can keep up with me just fine. It's city patrol, not a battlefield. If Ratchet and Knock Out think he's fit for duty, then he's fit for duty."
"I'm just saying, he's clearly seen better days."
Bumblebee tilted his head as he looked over at him. "Well, we could always put you in a coma for 10 months and see how well you're doing when you come out of it. I'm sure you'd jump back so fast after all."
Sideswipe stiffened and Strongarm hid a laugh behind her hand. "Now now, let's not be hasty , " he said, optics darting about nervously.
"I'm not asking you to like either of us," said Bumblebee. "Just don't be an aft plate? Got it?"
"Yessir," he squeaked.
"Good. So we're waiting for Smokescreen. Beside s , we could all use a break to stretch our struts anyways. And the edge of the city has a nice view. "
He wasn't wrong, it DID have a nice view, looking out over the sweeping landscape below, the sunlight glittering off the shimmering, metallic surface of the planet. To see it looking so alive, it made Bumblebee's spark burn with joy.
Eventually the sound of a familiar engine reached their audials and Bumblebee lit up, turning to greet Smokescreen.
"So how did it go? All patched up?" he asked, running a hand over Smokescreen's arm.
"Yup. Doc said it was just loose. Apparently that can happen with dislocated joints," he said, rotating his arm around. "So doctor's orders are 'don't do anything stressful and you'll be fine'. So , you know, the usual for me."
"I'm glad it's nothing serious."
Sideswipe looked between them, clearly aghast. "What kind of scrap are you two getting into that a dislocated limb is 'nothing serious'?" he asked.
"Well, when the alternative is being offline d; a dislocated arm and battle scar," Smokescreen traced a digit along the scar on his chest. "Is a small price to pay. Besides, I'd be in a lot worse shape if not for Bee."
" How come?" asked Strongarm.
Smokescreen looked between Bumblebee and the two younger bots before casting him a raised eyebrow look. "You mean you haven't told the story of how you saved my skid plate yet? Would have thought for sure you'd be revelling in that one. I mean, not everyone can say they saved the life of a Prime."
Sideswipe gaped, spinning to look at Strongarm. "Wait. You weren't yanking my chains about that? That he is-was a Prime?! "
Strongarm scowled, folding her arms over her chest. "Why would I lie about something like that?"
"I don't know, to make me look like a fool?"
"You don't need my help to do that Sideswipe."
"Hey!"
"I'll be taking that as a no then," said Smokescreen, hooking an arm around Bumblebee's shoulders.
Heat rose to his face as he fans began to spin. "I never got that far in my story alright."
"Well, since you're all taking a break, we can tell it now," said Smokescreen. "I mean, who doesn't want to hear about you going to toe to toe with Megatron to save my chassis?"
"It-it was hardly toe to toe," said Bumblebee.
"Oh don't be so modest."
"You were the one fighting him. I just, got the drop on him."
Smokescreen rolled his eyes before pulling Bumblebee to sit down and gesturing for the new younger bots to do the same. "Since someone wants to downplay his achievements, I suppose it's up to me to tell the story. How far did you get anyways?"
"About as far as, you becoming a Prime and...all that entailed," said Bumblebee, a note of pain in his voice as he averted his eyes.
"Oh, yeah. I can see why you would have stopped there." His voice softened as recognition hit and he gave Bumblebee's shoulder a light squeeze. "Sorry."
Despite how long it had been, Optimus' death still felt raw and he'd found it difficult to talk about, barely managing to get through the story when telling it to Strongarm.
Once the other two were seated, Smokescreen took the lead to tell the story of how they stormed the Nemesis to save Ratchet, about the fight as they battled for control, about how he went toe to toe with Megaton. About how Bumblebee saved his spark by delivering the final, killing blow.
B umblebee was proud of the achievement, no doubt about that, but hearing the way Smokescreen told it, was almost embarrassing. Smokescreen did seem to be enjoying singing his praises though, he couldn't deny that.
As he looked over at the two younger bots, he couldn't help but to smile a little. They sure did seem entranced by the story, hanging off his every word, even when Smokescreen paused to say things like 'right Bee?' or get his input on the story. He'd half expected Smokescreen to be bragging about his own achievements, but no, he was too busy hyping up Bumblebee's. For once, Sideswipe was actually quiet.
He had half a mind to kiss Smokescreen right there, but no, it was going to have to wait till after their shift was over, when they could have more pr i vacy. That was fine, it would make the wait worth it.
"I'm glad to have Bee watching my back," said Smokescreen, optics softening as he looked over him. "A good partner is one of the best things you could ask for."
Bumblebee felt his fans click on as heat rushed to his face. Again. For the love of Primus, did he have to be so sappy in front of them?
" Smokescreen please."
"What, am I not allowed to gas up my partner?"
Bumblebee could only sigh, hanging his head in defeat. There was no stopping him now. Oh well, he could get even later, once they were off shift. And he intended to.
"You know how mean it is, to flatter me like that, when I'm on the clock?" asked Bee, nuzzling up against Smokescreen as he curled against him.
Honestly, Smokescreen hadn't been sure what the problem was, it wasn't like Bee didn't like flattery, or even bragging about his exploits. Because he did. But for some reason when Smokescreen was hyping him up he just looked and acted like he wanted to crawl into a hole. And now he was calling it, mean?
"Whatever do you mean?" asked Smokescreen.
"When you get all mushy it makes me want to kiss you. But I can't do that in front my ride alongs."
"Sure you could."
"Smokescreen are you out of your processor?" asked Bee, reaching up to tap his helm. "I would never hear the end of it if I did that. Besides, I need to remain professional while on the clock. "
"Well, you can kiss me all you want now ," said Smokescreen.
Unwinding after work had found them grabbing a cube and sitting on the outer , upper platforms of the hospital ship , watching the sunset. Bee had s ettled himself in Smokescreen's lap, legs stretched across it as he leaned against his chest.
"Oh, don't tempt me , " said Bee before taking another swig from his cube.
"I meant what I said out there," said Smokescreen. "I am glad to have you watching my back. I couldn't ask for a better partner." He leaned down as he spoke, kissing him gently, the taste of fresh Energon still clinging to Bee's lips. He pressed a hand into Bee's lower back as he held him close.
" I could say the same," said Bee, reaching up and dragging his servo along the side of Smokescreen's cheek .
Smokescreen kissed him again, wings twitching happily as he held Bee close to his chest. Even as they parted, Bee pressed in close, nuzzling against the crook of his neck as they sat in comfortable silence.
"Hey...Bee. Can I ask you something?" asked Smokescreen after several minutes of quiet.
"What is it?"
"What would you say if I said I was thinking of...retiring from patrol duty?"
Bee sat up right, looking up at him, optics wide in shock. "What, why? Do you not like it anymore?"
"It's not that Bee. I do like doing it, the problem is, I can't do it. Let's face it, I can't partake in high speed chases anymore, and as the sparkling grows that's only going to get harder to do. And Primus forbid we get into a fight with someone , I definitely can't take part in that. And soon enough I'm not going to be able to transform either , I can feel it getting harder and harder . I'm just a hindrance, a liability."
" Smokescreen that's not-"
"It is true. You don't need to act like it's not. And, even once it's born, it's not like I can just jump right back into things. I'll be juggling looking after myself, my recovery, and the sparkling. Face it Bee, I won't be able to do this for much longer. Maybe...maybe it's it time."
Bee reached up, caressing his cheek softly as his optics softened sadly. "Is that what you want?"
"I...I don't know. I like going on street patrol with you. But I'm not foolish enough to think I can keep doing this. I'm not going to ask you to stop doing that. But I don't think I can."
"I suppose taking time off because of the sparkling means you'll at least have time to think about what you want to do instead ," said Bee.
"That's true," said Smokescreen with a thoughtful hum.
"Can I ask, what brought this on?" asked Bee.
"Just...talking with Ratchet earlier while he was working on my shoulder. It got me thinking about my future, about what I want to do. And that, what I've always wanted, may not be what my future holds."
"When we first met, you told us you hoped to be a great warrior someday. And you know what," said Bee, reaching up and grabbing his face, turning it down to face him. "As far I'm concerned, you are one." Raising himself up he pressed his lips to Smokescreen's softly.
" Have you been talking to Ratchet?" murmured Smokescreen. "Because he said the same thing earlier."
"If that's the case then you know I'm right," he said with a scrap eating grin. "And I am right." Smokescreen opened his mouth to speak but Bee slapped a servo over it to stop him before he could. "No, shut up and listen to me Smokescreen. You led the assault on the Nemesis that lead to us capturing it. You brought the Omega Lock to Cybertron and revived it. You brought back the Allspark! Sure it was a team effort but we were following your lead. We have a home again because of you. And if that doesn't make you a great warrior, then I don't know what does."
Smokescreen sighed, when it was put that way, he really had done a lot hadn't he? For some reason, when he looked at it, it didn't feel like he had done a lot. After all, everyone had played a part, he couldn't take all the credit. But, he supposed Bee was right, they wouldn't have gotten that far if not for him.
Smiling, he wrapped his arms tighter around Bee, pulling him flush to his chest as he nuzzled his helm .
"And you know, I'll support whatever decision you make," said Bee, tilting his head up to bump their helms together. "And hey, if it comes to it, you can just remain home to raise our sparkling and I'll bring home the shanix for us."
Smokescreen laughed, frame shaking as he buried his face into Bee's neck . "You really think you could manage that?" he asked.
"Sure, why not? You deserve a break anyways."
"We can keep that plan on the back burner then," he said, smiling softly as he leaned on Bee , allowing his field to reach out, brushing against Bee's, which itself was a bubble of warmth . He'd felt so worried before, worried about what Bee would say, would think, how he'd react. But as he held him, as Bee reached up and wrapped his arms around Smokescreen's neck and his EM field brushed against Smokescreen's, it felt as if his worries were melting away.
" You know, we should go out on a real, proper date sometime," said Bee.
"A date, really?"
"Why not? We haven't actually been out on one, like a real one. With dinner and drinks and, all that other stuff," said Bee. "Could be fun. And we actually have the chance to do so now."
"When would that be?"
Bee shrugged. "I dunno. We can figure that out. What do you say?" asked Bee with a grin as he looked up at Smokescreen. "Go out with me? "
Smokescreen laughed, pressing a servo to his chest dramatically. "Why Bee, I thought you'd never ask. I'd be delighted."
"It's a date then." Bee's digits hooked into the back of his head, pulling him down and crashing their lips together again with a soft sigh.
" I really am so glad to have you at my side ," murmured Smokescreen against his lips, hands dragging along Bee's back and side s as he held him.
"Me too. "
T hey did, eventually, make their way back to the berth for the night, and , at his insistence, Bumblebee found himself curled against Smokescreen's back, nuzzling against the crook of his neck and arms wrapped around him. He was always being the one cuddled, which was fine don't get him wrong, he loved being wrapped in Smokescreen's arms and pressed to his chest. But this time, this time it felt like Smokescreen deserved to be the one held, and he was not going to let something like his size get in the way of that.
He hooked an arm under Smokescreen's, hand pressing gently against his partner's chest as he curled close , kissing the back of his neck softly.
" I hope you sleep well, " he thought, shuttering his optics as he leaned into him. Whatever choice Smokescreen made, they'd figure things out together, he was sure of it.
Notes:
I just think characters should be allowed to have lingering issues after severe injuries, ya'know?
Also I have a soft spot for Ratchet and Smokescreen bonding.
Chapter 25
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
SIDE A
Strongarm prided herself in being observant. She had to be after all, when handling a case every little detail mattered and if anything slipped by that could mean the difference between solving it and letting a perp getting away.
So when shift that morning started, she knew right away that something was off with the Lieutenant. She didn't know what of course, that she was going to have to investigate, but something was off. She knew what he was like when he clocked on for the day. And today he was off .
H e was in a good mood, which itself wasn't that unusual, but like, he seemed to be in a really good mood. To the point of almost seeming like he was distracted. Perhaps he'd had a really good recharge? That was possible she supposed, but that shouldn't have distracted him the way it was .
Whatever had him distracted, he at least wasn't letting it keep him from working . For the most part.
He seemed to be running a bit faster than usual , as if he wanted to get through their patrol quickly.
"Does he seem, a bit off to you?" asked Strongarm while they stopped for a break, Bumblebee off talking on his comms to someone, probably Smokescreen.
"No, not really, why?" asked Sideswipe, casting her a sideways glance.
"It's just that he seems, off."
Sideswipe shrugged. "No shavings off my hide. "
She rolled her eyes, of course he wouldn't care. Why he'd been assigned to them she would never understand. He wasn't any kind of recruit, he was a-a menace! A hooligan! And this wasn't doing anything for his attitude no matter what the lieutenant or commander Ultra Magnus said.
Oh well, she'd just ignore him, he wasn't her problem. Technically whatever was going on with Bumblebee wasn't her problem either, but it was an unsolved mystery and that was going to gnaw at her processor until she could get some kind of answer.
B ut maybe it was just a really good recharge that had him in a good mood and the weirdness would eventually wear off.
The weirdness did not, in fact wear off, in fact it seemed to get worse. The longer their patrol went, and the closer it got to the end of their shift, the more distracted and anxious he seemed to get. As if he was just counting the ticks till he could get off, like there was somewhere else he wanted to be.
And sure enough, the moment the time came for the end of the shift he was GONE.
"I'll see you two later, I have...somewhere I need to be, bye!" he'd said as he took off, practically burning rubber, as if he couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Strongarm turned to Sideswipe, pointing at the exhaust cloud that was Bumblebee. "Ok, that is absolutely weird," she said.
"What, a guy wanting off work? Seems normal to me."
"The lieutenant clocked out a whole 5 seconds earlier than he usually does. He's never taken off that quickly before."
Sideswipe just stared at her, mouth slightly agape in a sort of stunned response. "Wow," he said finally. "I can't believe you actually track all that. Lame."
"Doesn't it bother you that something is clearly going on with our team leader? Something had his processor elsewhere today."
He just shrugged nonchalantly as he shifted about on his struts. "Not really no. I can't blame the guy, I count down the minutes till this scrap ends everyday. "
Strongarm could only grunt in disgust. How could someone care so little for something as important as this? "Well, shift's over so you can just speed off then," she said with a dismissive wave. "I'm going to go find out what's gotten our lieutenant so distracted." Without waiting to hear his response, because really there wasn't any point nor did she care, she transformed and took off in the direction of his dust trail.
E xcept, Sideswipe DID follow her, whipping after her and catching up in seconds.
"Wait wait wait, you want to follow him? After hours?" he asked.
"It-it's just recon. If something's bothering him, we-well I-should help him. Being distracted on duty is only going to be a hindrance and could be dangerous."
Sideswipe muttered something that sounded like 'always the goody goody', but this time Strongarm opted to ignore the jab, she had more important things to think about.
"Well, this I have GOT to see. If only to watch you get in trouble," he said and she could almost visualize the scrap eating grin on his face.
Tailing him w a s tricky, she had to stay far enough back so that she wouldn't be seen, but also close enough to keep him in her sights . And he had plenty of experience on his side so he would notice. Hopefully, whatever had him distracted had him distracted enough not to notice his tail.
H is first stop was...a cleaning station? Strange, it wasn't like he was that dirty that he needed such a cleaning. And he'd never struck her as the vain type.
Ughh, this could take a long time if he was making a stop there, cleanings could take hours ! But, a stake out was a stake out, so wait she would.
A bout an hour and a bit later, Bumblebee finally emerged, looking shinier and cleaner than she'd ever seen him before, the sunlight glinting off his yellow and black paint. Even the glass on his door wings was clean and clear, almost shimmering as he moved.
He took a moment to flex his door wings as he admired himself in the window out front of the cleaning station , turning this way and that, almost proudly.
"Congratulations Strongarm, you just found out the boss bot went for a spa treatment," said Sideswipe mockingly as he leaned against the wall behind him.
"Please Sideswipe, there's no way it's just that simple. No bot gets that excited for a cleaning. Even if it does feel nice."
And like that, Bumblebee was off again , oblivious to his tails and looking like a whole new bot.
His next stop was a small shop, though Strongarm couldn't tell what he was picking up from there as it was something small that he quickly tucked away as he stepped out.
Curious, but it really didn't help her figure anything out. Nor did it help Sideswipe's snark.
Eventually, their tailing of their superior landed them back at the hospital ship of all places. Strange, he didn't need to get all shined up for a doctor's visit.
Not that he was going for one it turned out, as all he did was pace back and forth, twisting his servos together in an anxious manner all the while. Every now and then he would pause and look at the ship before going back to pacing around.
"Do you think he's waiting for someone?" asked Strongarm, glancing back at Sideswipe, who was lounging while they waited.
"I don't know. Maybe?"
"Smokescreen!" Strongarm didn't even need to turn up her audio receptors to hear Bumblebee that time, and turned back to see Smokescreen emerging from the ship and making his way towards Bumblebee.
Much like Bumblebee, he looked very shiny and clean, more so than she had ever seen him for certain. It really made the gash in his armour plating stand out .
Peculiar though, they saw each other all the time, they didn't need to get all cleaned up just to meet each other.
They smiled as they greeted each other, door wings (or just wings in Smokescreen's case) twitching in a sign she knew was happiness and excitement. They were talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying, not nearly close enough to hear. She could pick up snippets, typical sounding pleasantries from the sounds of things. Once again, nothing that was all that useful to her.
"Let me guess," said Sideswipe, "You want to follow them to find out what they're doing?"
"That's how investigations work Sideswipe. Besides you don't need to follow me."
"Oh no, I'm following, just so I can watch your tailpipe get in trouble when you finally get caught."
If Strongarm had thought waiting outside the cleaning station was boring and time consuming, then what came next was even worse, as the pair rolled up out front of an oil house. Which meant Primus only knew how long they would be.
"Brilliant job detective ," snarked Sideswipe, rolling his eyes as he dragged behind Strongarm. "Your detecting led us to them going for dinner and drinks. Like any normal bot would do after work."
" Like I said, y ou don't need to be here . If you think you're going to be so bored you can buzz off."
From her vantage point, all she could really tell was they were inside and drinking. And it wasn't like she could go in. Aside from the fact that she would definitely be noticed, she wasn't near old enough to be allowed in. Also it looked, expensive.
So outside, across the way, was where they remained , sitting and trying not to look like they were stalking their senior officers.
Time dragged on and the sun began to dip, painting the roadway in hues of orange and pink . At some point they had found a spot to sit, and after no small amount of whinging on Sideswipe's part, grabbed something to drink to curb their appetite while they waited. On Strongarm's coin of course because as expected Sideswipe didn't have any, at least none he was willing to confess to.
They were still in the midst of draining their drinks when a pair of familiar bots stepped out of the oil house across the road, Bumblebee leaning on Smokescreen's arm .
"Finally!"
Strongarm watched as they made their way down the road, walking not driving this time, Bumblebee a little wobbly on his struts as he held onto Smokescreen. Strongarm craned her neck, watching as they made their way down the road, away from where she and Sideswipe were sitting.
S he quickly downed her drink before taking off after them, at least as quietly and as discreetly as she co u ld manage.
It was so weird, to see Bumblebee like this. He was like a totally different bot now that he was off shift and in the company of someone that wasn't them . He was so much more relaxed and laid back, as if he'd left the rule book at the end-of-shift bell. Of course, he did also seem to be a bit...drunk , so that probably had something to do with it.
Eventually, the pair stopped and something happened that Strongarm did not anticipate. After all why would she, she'd never seen any indication it was possible.
Smokescreen pointed at something in the distance, and then, Bumblebee released Smokescreen's arm and rose into the air on jets in his feet! And Smokescreen followed suit, the small wings on his back suddenly transforming out into long, full length wings.
"Ok, now that's new," said Sideswipe as he pulled up beside Strongarm. "Did you know they could do that?"
"I have to say. I did not."
She'd seen their alt modes, neither of them were fliers. How could she possibly have anticipated that they could fly? Ok, she'd seen the lieutenant's boosters, he'd used them a few times to catch up to a suspect. But, they certainly couldn't make him fly. Except apparently they could, so long as he was in root mode apparently. And she had noticed Smokescreen's small wings, but had just assumed, based on size, and him not having a flight frame, that they were decorative. It wasn't like that was unheard of.
This was going to make following and finding them a lot harder.
And it really did, by the time she tracked them down to a rooftop half way across the city, it was already growing dark and they'd clearly been there for a bit. They were sitting side by side, legs hanging over the edge and Bumblebee pressed up to Smokescreen's side and laughing.
"Ugh, I can't hear anything from here," she grumbled as she, and Sideswipe, who still hadn't left her side, hunkered down behind an old cooling unit on the opposite side of the roof. They'd had to climb a ladder and somehow hadn't been noticed, but they could not get any closer. Or really make any more noise, lest they be heard. Though the rumbling of the unit seemed to be masking their noise for them.
Peeking up over the edge of it, she watched them.
They were so, touchy feely with each other, the hands between then linked together and helms pressed together. Then, Smokescreen lifted his other hand and cupped Bumblebee's face as he moved closer.
Oh.
OH.
Sweet Solus Prime.
Strongarm dropped down into her hiding place, covering her face with her servos as it flushed with heat and side vents burned.
Suddenly a lot of things were falling into place. This wasn't just some 'outing' that Lieutenant Bumblebee had been looking forward to.
It was a date!
With Smokescreen.
Because right now, on the far side of the roof, the pair were currently in the midst of swapping oral lubricant.
Ohhh she was not supposed to be here, not supposed to be seeing this.
"Sideswipe we need to leave now," she hissed. "This, this is-"
"The boss bot's date? Yeah no scrap Strongarm. Did you just figure that out?"
"I-that's-what-wait, are you telling me you knew, the whole time?" she sputtered, fighting to keep her voice down.
"Uh, yeah? I kinda thought it was obvious." He gave her an incredulous look before breaking into the most awful, smug, scrap eating grin. "Are you telling me, Miss Observant spent the whole afternoon and evening tailing them, and it didn't occur to you till right now, that you were tracking a date?"
"Of course not, why would I even think that?"
"Because, it's so obvious. I mean, a wash and polish, buying stuff, dinner and drinks, an evening walk. They're on a date," said Sideswipe, clearly trying not to laugh. "Besides, I overheard Bee talking to Smokescreen about it during our break earlier."
"You eavesdropped on a private conversation?"
Sideswipe just gave a non committal shrug, as if that wasn't a massive breach of privacy and boundaries. "Besides, they're obviously fragging on the regular, so why is it so surprising?"
"What?!" Instantly she slapped her servos over her mouth before grabbing Sideswipe as she bolted back over the edge of the building and down the escape, hoping to get out of there before Bumblebee got to the far side of the building to catch her.
Safe on the ground and a few buildings away she finally released him, which was good as he'd started to laugh which would definitely have blown their cover.
"What the pits Sideswipe? What are you talking about? They're not-are they?"
He laughed, wiping an optic with one hand. "Uh, yeah? Have you seen them Strongarm? The way they look at each other, they way they talk. How they're always just, touching each other? The only way they could be more obvious would be if they started making out on-shift. They're so sappy I don't know how you didn't notice."
No. Nononono, there was no way in the name of Primus that Sideswipe had been more observant about something than her. He was clearly just trying to grind her gears.
"They are not that obvious," she said, folding her arms over her chest.
"Are you kidding? Like, five minutes seeing the two of them together and even a blind bot could see they're nuts-o for each other." He grinned smugly, leaning into her personal space , servos on his hips . "Besides, Bee calls Smokescreen his partner all the time."
O h. Oh.
Ohhhhhhh.
Partner. He HAD introduced Smokescreen that way the first time they'd met hadn't he? She'd just assumed he meant 'partner' in a professional manner. But clearly, evidently, Bumblebee had meant partner in a much more. Personal sense. A romantic sense.
Strongarm groaned, hiding her face in her servos. How in the name of Primus had that escaped her notice?
"You know, I take it back. Following you all night was totally worth seeing this ."
O h that was IT. He had known the whole time, that Bumblebee and Smokescreen were a couple, that she was tailing their date, and he'd said nothing. Not once. Instead he'd let her make a fool of herself, in front of him.
"You punk!" she lunged at him, arms extended and he jumped back and within moments they were taking off down the road, Sideswipe laughing as Strongarm charged after him.
And up on the rooftop, Smokescreen and Bumblebee were none the wiser.
SIDE B
Several hours earlier...
For the first time since he'd started taking them, Bumblebee could not wait to get off his patrol. He was practically counting the minutes down and if he could have clocked out early, he would have. Because, he had a date planned. And not just any date oh no. When they'd pulled out a calendar to see what days would work best for such a thing, they, or at least Smokescreen, had realized that there was a perfect day coming up in a relatively short amount of time.
Their anniversary.
Bumblebee had been a bit surprised that he could remember something like that, but Smokescreen admitted that it would be hard for him to ever forget the day that Bumblebee first kissed him. Which he seemed to consider their anniversary. And even if it wasn't, the second kiss, when Bumblebee 'paid up' after he apologized to Ultra Magnus, had only come a couple days later, and either one of those could be their anniversary.
So it was not only a date but a way to celebrate their anniversary. Especially since they hadn't been able to celebrate their first one.
And Bumblebee could hardly wait, almost vibrating with excitement.
They hashed out plans during Bumblebee's break and he felt like he was on cloud nine.
As soon as shift ended he was gone, he had a few things to take care of before their date after all, the first of which getting cleaned up. Properly cleaned up.
With more and more citizens arriving on the planet, more and more places had begun to open up , including a cleaning station, which he intended to check out. He'd heard good things about it and it would probably be more thorough than he could be.
As he made his way in he wondered how Smokescreen's day was going.
"Hey, Knock Out, where's the rotary buffer?" asked Smokescreen.
"I put it away so it doesn't get stolen by sticky servos. Again," said Knock Out pointedly and Smokescreen gave him a sheepish smile. So he still hadn't let him off the hook for the last time. "Why?"
"Oh. Bee and I have a date later and I want clean myself up a bit before hand ."
Knock Out practically perked up at that, turning to look at him. "A date huh?"
"Yeah. We've never really, had a real, proper one. And it is sort of our anniversary so-"
"Wait, this is an anniversary date?"
"Yes?"
Suddenly, Knock Out grabbed his wrists and dragged him into the room. "And you intend to just go out with a buff job? Absolutely not. A date like this requires you to look you absolute best. Now, let me get my things. You are not leaving this room till I am finished with you."
Knock Out did find the rotary buffer. Along with multiple attachments of various sizes and types, several waxes and polishes in brands Smokescreen had never even heard of and soft finishing cloths.
The first step was a wash, getting all the dust and grit off of him and out from his joints and wherever it had gotten to. Which, as the pressure washer got into all the crack and crevices, some he didn't even know he had, was apparently a lot of places.
"Why are you even doing this?" asked Smokescreen as Knock Out clicked on the buffer and started the first round of buffing. "I mean, I thought you hated finishes flashier than yours."
"Oh I do. But, I cannot, in good conscience, let you go out to something as important as an anniversary date, looking anything but your best. That would be positively criminal. Lift your arms for me please."
Smokescreen complied, raising his arms out of the way as the buffer moved along his sides and under his arms.
"You'll be thanking me later."
Knock Out was surprisingly quiet as he worked, something which surprised Smokescreen. Normally he was chatty, snarky even. But right now he was focused and diligent and eerily quiet.
He clicked off the buffer to switch the heads, ready for the next pass over Smokescreen's plates.
"Are you sure you just don't want someone to fuss over?" asked Smokescreen. "You don't exactly seem like you hate this."
"Well, it's not like I have Breakdown-" said Knock Out, before cutting himself off abruptly. "Never mind," he muttered, shaking his head. "Now, stop wiggling or this will take forever."
I t took all of Smokescreen's will power and strength to not move as Knock Out worked, as the sensation of the buffer just felt so good and he just wanted to melt into it. It also tickled, which really made it hard to hold still.
Knock Out went through several different sized heads and texture counts before he was done and picked up the polish and polishing cloth. Smokescreen watched as he worked, even going so far as to shine up his servos as well. His attention to detail was second to none, to say the least.
" Hey, Knock Out?"
"Hmm?"
"...Thanks a lot for this," said Smokescreen.
"Don't thank me yet. I'm not done and you haven't had your date," said Knock Out . "So hold still."
G etting buffed and polished wasn't bad, the problem with having someone else do it arose whenever they passed over any of the incredibly sensitive areas of his body. The transformation seams, his struts, his wing bases , they were all sensitive to the touch, as they were on any bot. Which made getting cleaned and polished around them somewhat awkward, the gentle vibrations stimulating and pleasurable. So while it was fine if Bee did it, it could become mortifyingly embarrassing if he wasn't careful.
W ith the polishing finished, Knock Out pulled out the wax and Smokescreen could only brace himself for more rubbing and pray to Primus he wouldn't do anything embarrassing. Though with how focused Knock Out was, he wasn't sure that he'd even notice.
As Knock Out was polishing his chest plates, Smokescreen glanced at the table and raised a brow curiously as he noticed some of the brands .
"Is it really ok to use this on me?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well it's just...those are some expensive brands," said Smokescreen. "They must have been hard to get. Would have thought you'd have kept it for yourself. Or a special occasion."
Knock Out was quiet as he worked the wax into Smokescreen's arm. "I haven't had any use for it myself as of late. Certainly no...special occasions." His voiced carried an almost pained note as he spoke and he pressed just a little harder as he worked. "Besides, I think this counts as a special occasion, don't you?"
"I suppose but-"
"Then don't complain and let me work."
The waxing took a lot longer than the polishing and buffering, requiring a lot more work to work it in properly. Smokescreen was almost glad when he finally got to sit down so that Knock Out could work on his legs, at least he could finally relax a little bit. He watched as Knock Out worked, watched the way his plates seemed to shine under all the wax and polish. He wasn't sure he'd ever been this clean and shiny in his life.
"You know, if you ever get tired of the doctor job, I bet you could make a killing doing this," said Smokescreen, stretching his wings out for Knock Out so he could work on them.
Knock Out threw his head back with a laugh. "Oh Primus no. Like you said earlier, why would I make someone else's finish flashier than mine?"
"Because you're nice?"
Knock Out put his servo over his chest dramatically, as if he'd just been accused of the heinous crime in the world. "How dare you."
Smokescreen laughed, frame shaking in response, which earned him a lighthearted smack from Knock Out so that he could finish up.
Knock Out took a step back, rubbing his chin with a servo as he admired his handiwork. At the same time, Smokescreen was looking himself over, flicking his wings experimentally as he turned this way and that.
"I do believe I've out done myself with this," he said with a nod. "So you'd better make sure to go out there and knock Bumblebee off his struts with this date, got it?"
Smokescreen laughed softly as he retracted his wings back inside his body. "I don't think that's going to be much of a problem."
"Then go, it's rude to keep your date waiting you know," said Knock Out, all but pushing Smokescreen out of the room to send him on his way and so he could clean up.
Once he was out of sight he turned back to the table and all his supplies and sigh. "Oh Knock Out, you're getting soft sparked," he said, shaking his head.
As he picked up the wax and polish a melancholic twinge settled deep in his spark. They'd been a gift some time ago, from Breakdown. So he could 'make himself look pretty' for their dates and special occasions. And he had. He hadn't even wanted to know how many shifts and jobs Breakdown must have taken to be able to afford them. Of course, he wasn't exactly going to be going on many of those nowadays was he?
"I hope you don't mind I used it on someone else," he said idly as he gathered them up to put away. "It's just, it would be a shame to let them go to waste."
Well, as long as Smokescreen enjoyed himself, he supposed it wasn't all bad.
Bee was already outside and waiting by the time Smokescreen was freed and he could only pray that he hadn't been kept waiting for too long.
He was pacing around when Smokescreen found him and, before he even had a chance to say anything, Bee noticed him and bounded towards him, sunlight glinting off his plates. He practically seemed to sparkle in the light as it danced over his black and yellow paint job. Even the glass of his windows, which was the cleanest that Smokescreen had ever seen, seemed to shimmer, light bouncing off of them with a soft, iridescent sheen as he moved.
"Wow! Bee you look amazing!" he said.
"I think that's my line," said Bee, servos ghosting over Smokescreen's arm, optics roving his form slowly. "You look gorgeous. And a wax job too? Damn, you really went all out."
"You can thank Knock Out for that," said Smokescreen, catching Bee's servo in his. "I let slip this was an anniversary date and he would not let me go. He insisted. And this was the end result."
Bee smiled, flicking his door wings happily as they spoke, Smokescreen returning the gesture in kind. "I'll have to remember to thank him later then," he said. "For making you so pretty for me. Shall we then? Join me for a drink?"
"I thought you'd never ask," said Smokescreen. "I would be honoured to join you."
Side by side, they drove off into the city, their destination a small oil house. Not Maccadam's, no this time they wanted something a little bit nicer, something different.
It was a small place and surprisingly quiet inside, a nice change of environment. Not that either of them were paying much attention to anything aside from each other. The tips of their digits twined together across the table as they talked, Smokescreen almost losing himself in Bee's optics. Primus he just wanted to scoop him up in his arms and kiss him, but they were in the middle of a restaurant, so it was going to have to wait.
They split a dish of cobalt chunks, covered in a savoury mercury sauce and garnished with a dash of spicy cinnabar powder.
Bee absolutely could not resist the temptation to playfully, teasingly lift the spoon up towards Smokescreen's mouth. What he didn't bank on was Smokescreen responding in kind by opening his mouth expectantly, resulting in Bee having to finish feeding him the spoonful of food.
"It tastes good," said Smokescreen, taking a spoonful for himself as Bee finally dug in. It had been what felt like eons since he'd had something besides Energon and oil for food, something with a different taste and texture. The spice of the cinnabar prickled on his tongue and mingled delightfully with the thick, creaminess of the mercury sauce.
This had definitely been a good idea as far as he was concerned.
The drinks were equally as good, mild drinks made of Energon and the smoothest oil he'd ever drunk. If he hadn't been carrying, he might have been tempted by some of the stronger drinks on the menu, as they did sound good. Another time perhaps.
"So, what do you think so far?" asked Bee, cleaning off his spoon.
"Best date I've ever been on," he said and Bee laughed.
"Yeah, me too."
It was probably the most peaceful meal Smokescreen had ever had, able to just, relax while he ate and enjoy Bee's company. It was almost a shame when it finally ended, their plates cleaned and drinks consumed.
"So, where to next?" asked Bee as they made their way to the door.
"I was thinking we could go for an after meal walk," said Smokescreen with a shrug as they stepped outside. "I didn't really have a destination in mind yet."
They were only a couple steps outside when Bee nudged his arm lightly. "Hey, look," he said.
Smokescreen followed his gaze across the way to a small outside seating area at another place across the way. At first he didn't know what Bee was getting at, till he saw a familiar pair of bots sitting there, sipping away at drinks.
"Looks like they hang out even outside work," he said. "You wanna say hi or...?"
Bee shook his head as he guided Smokescreen away from Strongarm and Sideswipe. "Naw, they get enough of me on duty. I think we can let them have this. Let'em enjoy their little date." He looped his arm around Smokescreen's, taking his servo in his and lacing their digits together. "Come on, let's go."
"You ok there?" asked Smokescreen. "You look a bit...wobbly." He was swaying a bit on his struts, moving from side as he used Smokescreen for support.
"My drink, maaay have been a bit stronger than anticipated," admitted Bee, leaning into his arm. "But I'll be fine. If anything, this walk will help clear my head."
"Just don't fall on your face please."
Bee scoffed. "How drunk do you think I am? I had one drink Smokey. Was it strong? Yeah a bit, but not that strong."
"Alright, alright."
He sighed softly as they walked, his optics flicking about the cityscape around them. He'd never thought he'd get to see this again, to see Cybertron look and feel so alive. The ground beneath his pedes seemed to hum and shine with life, a brilliant, healthy glimmer replacing the dull and lifeless look it once had. Bots walked and ran and drove and flew past, the city abuzz with life and activity. It made his spark ache, in joy and in sadness. Joy to see it again, and sadness knowing that there were some who weren't there to see it, to see what they'd accomplished. The roads were no longer crumbling and falling apart, shops and services that trickled with business were springing up in the once derelict streets. It was just so alive!
It was also a big surreal, not just to see it alive, but to see Autobots and Decepticons mingling with little issue. At least for the most part. It wasn't perfect but, it was something and it was working.
"You know, someday you should take me on a real tour of the city," said Bee. "You probably know it better than I do. All I know are the routes I run."
"I did know it, but at this rate I'm going to be needing a map. It keeps changing. Not-not that that's a bad thing. It's alive again, I can't be upset about that." His optics softened slightly as he spoke. "It's nice, you know, seeing it like this again."
Bee made a thoughtful humming noise as he leaned back, turning his gaze skyward. "Say, you think we'll see more sparklings in the future?" he asked. "Like, once our little spark is born, and we know more about, all that. Do-do you think we'll see more sparklings? Just, little ones running all around."
"I dunno. But that would be nice, don't you think? That we could be so safe that that could happen," said Smokescreen with a smile. He doubted it would be anytime soon, but it would be nice if that came to pass someday.
They continued walking, just taking in the sights of the city as the sun began to set, before Smokescreen gave Bee's arm a tug.
"I know a place we can go," he said. "But, it'll be faster if we fly, think you're stable enough for that?" he asked.
"Course I am, what do you take me more?" asked Bee, playfully sounding offended. "So, where is it?"
Smokescreen pointed out across the city, "That way."
"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Bee, the boosters in his feet roaring to life as he lifted into the air, still holding Smokescreen's servos in his.
Smokescreen laughed as he transformed his wings out and followed after Bee. Bee didn't even know where Smokescreen wanted to go and he was already raring to go. Taking to the air he led Bee through the city, passing by and over buildings, the streets flying by below them.
They finally came to a stop on a building that over looked some of the less built up areas of the city, facing westward and towards the gradually sinking sun.
"The view from up here is amazing," said Smokescreen, leading Bee towards the edge of the roof and sitting down.
"A sunset view for the evening, how romantic of you," teased Bee as they sat down, leaning into his side.
Smokescreen just smiled, resting his servo on Bee's. "I just thought it would be a nice way to spend the evening," he said. "It's quiet, a bit out of the way, has a nice view. A good place to spend some time. And we don't have to be disturbed."
"Well I like the sound of that," said Bee. "I've been wanting to cuddle and kiss you all evening. It's been sooo hard to resist."
"Is that why you decided to feed me dinner?" asked Smokescreen with a playful smile.
"I wasn't expecting you to actually take it," said Bee, giving him a playful shove. "You goof."
"Well you shouldn't have offered."
"Oh, that reminds me!" Bee released his hand as he rifled around in his subspace. "I bought you something." He pulled out a small box, pushing it into Smokescreen's hands.
"What is it?" asked Smokescreen, carefully taking it from him. It had a surprising weight to it, despite its size.
"Well, open it," said Bee expectantly, swinging his legs back and forth.
Carefully he lifted the lid, and nearly dropped it again.
Lead sweets. It was a box of round, lead sweets. So Bee had been listening to him, as he'd been craving lead something fierce as of late.
"Why don't you try one?" asked Bee, picking up a sweet from the box. He raised his hand and Smokescreen leaned down, allowing him to press it into his mouth.
Lead was soft and sweet, making it a common and popular treat. But as he bit down, he was surprised to be greeted by an even softer, energon filled center. The shock must have been evident on his face as Bee smiled. "Good isn't it?"
"It's delicious. But. I mean, you didn't have to do this."
"Sure I did. You've been wanting this stuff for a while now. And if all those Earth movies taught me anything, you gotta bring your date gifts," said Bee. "So, I thought, what would be more perfect than some sweets?"
"Well, now I feel bad for not getting you anything," said Smokescreen.
"It's fine. This date is plenty. Besides, you went and got all prettied up for me. Seems like a pretty good gift to me."
Smokescreen laughed as he leaned in, bumping their helms together lightly. "Well, I'm glad you like it," he said, moving the box of sweets aside as he twined their fingers together. "I suppose I'll have to thank Knock Out later. In the meantime, I know one way to thank you." He brought his other hand up, cupping Bee's face gently before leaning in and kissing him.
Bee sighed and relaxed, leaning into his touch as he kissed him back, door wings flicking softly. He shifted closer, resting his free hand on Smokescreen's arm. They parted for a moment before Bee chased him back down for another kiss, digits gripping his arm tightly.
Smokescreen felt his spark flutter in his chest as he pulled Bee closer, his wings twitching against his back. Bee was warm as he pressed against him, arms slipping free to wrap around him, pulling him down and in as Smokescreen wrapped his arms around Bee's middle, servos pressing into his lower back.
Entwined in each other's arms, and ignorant of the world around them, they failed to notice the muffled squabble happening behind the cooling system behind them, and by the time they finally parted it had long since ended, the only sounds to be heard distant noises on the streets below.
Eventually, they slid apart and settled in beside each other, Bee pressed up against Smokescreen's side happily, watching as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky, quietly sharing the box of sweets between them.
"The view really is beautiful," said Bee.
"You know. We should go someday, to see the auroras," said Smokescreen. "You, me, and the sparkling. Just our little family."
Bee smiled as he nuzzled up against Smokescreen, lacing their fingers together. "I think that would be nice."
They sat together in silence, watching as the sun began to sink and the sky darkened. As the stars and moons became visible in the sky above. Bee occasionally stole tiny, flirtatious kisses from Smokescreen, who seemed to be trying not to laugh as Bee teased him.
"Ohh, it should be illegal for you to be this pretty," said Bee, stealing another kiss as he playfully walked his fingers up Smokescreen's arm.
"What are you going to do about it 'officer', arrest me?" asked Smokescreen teasingly.
"Well..." Bee paused a moment, almost looking thoughtful before looking back at Smokescreen with a cheeky grin. "I DO have handcuffs."
Heat rushed Smokescreen's face almost instantly and his fans whirred to life. That was not in fact what he had expected Bee to say, and certainly not with that expression. Oh sweet Primus. He sputtered wordlessly for a few moments before getting out "Well at least wait till we're not in public!"
Bee laughed. "Oh don't worry, I intend to. Just as I intend to mess up your lovely polish job. A shame too, it IS nice. Knock Out's gonna be upset."
"I don't know, I think managing to get me laid would count as a success," said Smokescreen. "I don't think he'll mind."
"Good." Bee reached up, gripping the bottom of Smokescreen's chin, other servo resting on his leg as he leaned in closer, lifting himself up off the edge of the roof slightly. "Because I am going to completely and thoroughly ruin your wax job tonight. And, I may even use the cuffs too."
Sometime later, Knock Out would find a small parcel left in his lab, containing a brand new microfiber cloth and bottle of Hi-Grade. Attached was simply a tag that read Thanks for everything! - BB & SS
Notes:
I had to pull up the wiki to see what other kinds of things they actually eat for some ideas. Then had to figure out how to make metal and stuff sound appetizing lmao
Also all of this shit is highly toxic to humans lmao Lead, Mercury, Cinnabar, Cobalt, das alllll poisonous. Also yes lead is a very soft metal and some compounds are sweet tasting. So I think lead would make for good sweets for Cybertronians.
Chapter 26
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Smokescreen sighed as he stared down the datapad before him, stylus held between his denta as he wiggled it back and forth.
Ever since he'd brought it up with Bee, he'd continued to think about and weigh his options on stepping back from taking patrols. And ultimately he'd come to the conclusion that was for the best. Unfortunately it meant there was paperwork that needed to be filled out, and it was so mind numbingly boring.
Really he didn't need to fill out all this stuff, taking the patrols had been something done on the advice of Ratchet, and he could just as easily say he was stepping down for the same reason, or even just tell Ratchet and have him take care of it. But it was the principle of the matter really. He wanted to do things the right way.
"Ughhh. I bet Optimus never had to do this stuff."
"Do what?"
Smokescreen startled, engine screeching in surprise as he fumbled around, grabbing at the tablet and stylus as he dropped them in shock.
"Sideswipe! Don't sneak up on me like that!" he said, catching sight of the young red bot from the corner of his optics. "And what you doing here, aren't you supposed to be with Bee and Strongarm?"
"You mean the rules brigade? Pfttt." He dropped down beside Smokescreen and craned his neck curiously. "So, what're ya doing?"
"Filling out some paperwork for Ultra Magnus. Since I'm going to be stepping back from patrols soon, I gotta fill out the proper forms, apparently."
"Wait, you're leaving?"
Smokescreen nodded as he swiped through the pages on the datapad screen, trying to find his place again, "Yeah. In a couple weeks I intend to step back from taking patrols with Bee."
Sideswipe sputtered quietly and Smokescreen heard the soft tapping of his digits before he spoke up again. "It's not 'cause of what I said about you being slow and stuff, is it?" he asked finally.
"What? No! I mean, it has nothing to do with anything you said. It's just my...medical issues, that's all."
Sideswipe didn't look convinced, twisting his digits about as he sat there. "Do you really have to go though?"
"It wasn't an easy choice. But, if I can't keep up and can't fight, I'll just be a hindrance to Bee, and I'd rather not. Something like that could put him, or you guys, at risk."
"But–"
"Sideswipe! It's fine, I promise. Bee and I talked it over already, it's for the best. Besides, it's not like I'm going to be gone-gone, I'm still going to be around. I just won't be following you lot around all day." He groaned as he stretched his arms out, over his head. "That is of course, if I don't die of pure boredom first trying to fill out this paperwork." He glanced over at Sideswipe, the youngster still looking a bit anxious, his small finials drooping, and reached over, patting him on the head. "It's fine kid, I promise."
Sideswipe seemed to relax just a bit, though he still kept looking over at the pad, almost curiously.
"So, if you're not going on patrols, what are you going to do?" he asked.
"I'm not sure yet, but I've been tossing around a few ideas. Not in any rush though. Like I said, I still have a few weeks before I leave."
As he swiped down the page, his comm link beeped with an incoming message.
-Bee-
Hey, I hate to bother you but if you see Sideswipe around could you let me know? He didn't show up for patrol and we haven't seen him.
Thanks.
Smokescreen lifted his head and looked around for Sideswipe, the youngster no longer hanging around beside him. By now he'd evidently gotten bored of watching Smokescreen work (valid as far as Smokescreen was concerned, he wouldn't have wanted to watch him work either) and was whipping about, driving in circles, as if to see how tight a circle he could make.
With a soft chuckle he took a quick recording of his visuals before tacking it into a reply.
-Smokescreen-
>video file.wav<
Yeah I have a visual on him.
-Bee-
🤦
Of course he's there.
Would you like me to come and retrieve him for you?
- Smokescreen-
It's fine. I can handle him on my own.
-Bee-
Alright, but if he does become to much just let me know and we'll come and get him. After all if he starts racing we both know you're not catching him.
Smokescreen glanced back up at Sideswipe, now driving around in large figure-8s and dodging various bots carrying cargo and milling out around the outside of the hospital ship.
"Ok," he sighed, rubbing the space between his optics. "Time to stop him before he takes out someone's kneecaps." Or someone took him out. He tucked away the tablet and stylus into his subspace before leaping down from his seat to go deal with Sideswipe, he could work on this later when he wasn't distracted.
-Smokescreen-
I promise I'll be fine. I'll keep him too busy to cause problems.
And then he switched his comm link off before turning his attention to Sideswipe. "Hey, knock it off before someone gets hurt!" he called out as he made his way towards him. "Namely you, Sideswipe."
"Aw come on, I'm being careful. It's just a bit of fun."
"I'm sure you are. However," he lifted a leg, placing his pede down on the hood of Sideswipe's vehicle mode, using just enough force to keep him from going anywhere. "I'm not sure everyone else shares your sentiment, and they may be...less forgiving. So maybe tone it down while you're around here. Unless you want to end up seeing how the medical staff operates first hand."
While he was sure most of the bots around would shrug him off and at most chase him off, there were bound to be some who would in fact be a bit more violent if he pushed them far enough. And he really didn't want that to be how Sideswipe got well acquainted with Ratchet. Or Knock Out.
"Man, you're no fun. You're just like Bee," he whined.
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Smokescreen, removing his foot and taking a step back to let Sideswipe transform and stand up. "Now, if you want to go driving, I need to make some deliveries for Ratchet. If you think you can behave, you can follow me." Otherwise I will have to call Bee.
Once he had Sideswipe at his side, he headed to pick up the delivery order, a crate of medical supplies to be taken to the hospital in the city, all loaded up on a trailer and ready to go.
He sighed as he hooked the trailer up to his fender, trying to shake off just how weird it felt to have something hanging off him like that. It was heavy. If he hadn't been slow before he sure as pits was now.
"Please try to stay with me," said Smokescreen. "Even if I could go fast normally, I wouldn't be able to with this hanging off my aft."
Sideswipe groaned. "Fiiine. But this better not be lame."
Smokescreen laughed, "Guess that depends on you," he said. "Anyways, I have to get this stuff to the hospital. If you really want something to do, perhaps make sure no one hinders me in my job?" If he could give him something to do, something to keep him distracted, maybe it would keep him out of trouble. At least for a time anyways.
Sideswipe seemed quite happy with his new duty, even if there really wasn't much to do outside of blasting his horn at anyone who might have gotten in their way.
At the hospital they were greeted by a rather dour looking bot, who looked and sounded as if she just wanted then out of her sight as fast as possible.
"I just need you to sign here and-" Smokescreen was cut off as she swiped the tablet he presented her to sign from his servos. She tapped through, signing off on it and shoving it back into his hands. "Oh-kay. Just, just let me know where you want all that put then," he said, gesturing over his shoulder to the load.
"Man, who leaked in her oil this morning?" mumbled Sideswipe and Smokescreen coughed quickly, blaming it on dust in his intake and praying that the doctor had not heard Sideswipe's little jab. Sure he was thinking it too, but that didn't mean it needed to be said out loud.
They dragged the supplies to a loading dock around back, handing it off to another bot before they left.
"Is she always like that?" asked Sideswipe once they were a safe distance from the hospital.
"I have no idea," said Smokescreen. "This is the first time I've met her. Hopefully she's just having a bad day."
That was one thing ticked off of his to-do list at least.
"What next, more deliveries?" asked Sideswipe.
"Well, since we're here I was planning on turning in my forms to Ultra Magnus," said Smokescreen. "But someone kept me from finishing them earlier." Sideswipe gave an innocent whistle as he looked away and Smokescreen sighed. "So I am going to try and finish that up and you are going to keep out of trouble while I do. Got it?"
Sideswipe groaned and sighed, shoulders slumping as he hung his head.
This time, Smokescreen did manage to finish up his paperwork and they headed off to the main base of operations and Ultra Magnus' office, though Sideswipe seemed very reluctant to go there.
"It won't take long," assured Smokescreen. Even if Ultra Magnus wasn't in, which he usually was, he could simply leave it in his office for him. But as presumed, he was in the office and Smokescreen directed Sideswipe to wait outside while he dropped things off with Ultra Magnus.
They shared a brief conversation, Smokescreen insisting that yes, he did know what he was doing and he had thought this through and was sure of this decision.
Saying his goodbyes he sighed and exited the room, now he just had to let Ratchet know that the delivery had been made successfully.
"Alright Sideswipe time to-Sideswipe?" He glanced around the hall for the youngster and frowned. Sideswipe was gone.
"Aw scrap."
The moment Smokescreen had stepped inside Ultra Magnus' office they'd begun to talk and Sideswipe could only groan. So much for a quick stop, they were going to be in there forever.
Well, if that was the case then he was just going to take a little looksie around. Just a small one, they'd never even notice he was gone, he'd be back before they even knew he'd left.
He'd never really had a chance to actually explore this place and he was decidedly curious. The only other time he'd been in there was when he'd been dragged in BY Ultra Magnus after getting into a scrap of trouble. Honestly he was worse than Bumblebee, Strongarm and Smokescreen combined. So strict, it was like he'd never had fun in his life!
Whatever, he was busy right now anyways, so nothing was going to stop him from one teensy little exploration.
The first thing he wanted to check out was the music he'd heard. The last time he'd been there he'd heard some music coming from the floor above, which had piqued his curiosity. He didn't hear it now but that wasn't about to stop him.
Quietly, or as quietly as he could, he made his way to the lift between floors and with the press of a button, up he went.
Now he just had to figure out which room the music had been coming from. It hadn't sounded like it was far away, so it had to have come from one of the rooms nearest to the lift. Which narrowed it down a little bit, but there were still a few to check. Which was fine, more things to explore.
Most of the doors seemed to be locked or led to clearly unused rooms.
"Ah, now this is more like it!" A room a few doors down from the lift was both unlocked and, as Sideswipe poked his head in, clearly not unused. Monitors lined 3 of the 4 walls, with various images, videos, text files and the like brought up on them. Maps and radars blinked and flashed on a few.
"Man, you must be able to see all of Cybertron from here," he said with a low whistle as he made his way towards one of the computer monitors. "Wonder what else you can do?"
He definitely, probably shouldn't have been doing this, it was a bad idea, but when had that ever stopped him? Especially from doing something that seemed fun.
A shrill, repetitive beeping sound suddenly flooded his audio receptors, sending him stumbling back from the console as something whipped around his head furiously. It was fast and small, whatever it was, and emitting the most horrible noise he'd ever heard. He flailed about as he stumbled, trying to smack whatever it was away. At least, until, something wrapped around one of his arms. Something long and flexible.
"What the-" His other arm was caught in the same, long flexible material and before he could figure out what was happening, they were both snapped to his sides, pinned there tightly. Ok, so maybe he had made an error in judgement. The flexible cables wrapped around his body, pinning his limbs to his side before spinning him around and bringing him face to visor with another bot. Tall and lanky they didn't appear to have a visible face or even optics, just a blank visor plate that stared(?) back at him. The long cable like arms (???) seemed to come from its back while two normal, if very spindly, arms hung at their sides. The whistling beep sounded again and Sideswipe watched as a small, flying minicon circled the other bot before attaching to its chest.
Slowly, they tilted their head side to side, as if curious about him. At least he hoped it was curiosity. Otherwise his situation was about to be a lot worse than it already was.
"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!" A sound wave flickered across the visor as a mechanical, almost prerecorded sounding voice sounded. "UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" he squirmed and wiggled against his bindings, panic flickering in his spark. This was the second time now that someone had bound him up so he couldn't escape. He could only hope that this bot was a bit more forgiving than the Predacon. A hope that began to seep away the moment his optics landed on the Decepticon symbol on their shoulder.
Oh scrap.
Still holding him in their cable arms, and repeating the phrase 'unauthorized access', the mystery bot turned and made their way back towards the doorway, Sideswipe lifted just high enough that his pedes barely scraped along the ground as he dragged behind them.
"Oh, Soundwave! I don't mean to bother but have you seen a...small...red...bot..."
Smokescreen's voice came from somewhere past them as the doors opened. The bot holding Sideswipe paused, head turning between him and Smokescreen.
He groaned, shaking his head as he put his head in his servo. "Oh Primus end me."
"Ohh, hey Smokescreen, uhhh, how did your talk go?" Sideswipe laughed weakly. Oh if only the ground could open up and swallow him whole right now. That would be nice.
Soundwave (?) looked between Sideswipe and Smokescreen a few times before offering up a confused emoji on their face plate.
"Yeah, I'm afraid he's with me," said Smokescreen, rubbing the back of his helm. "I hope he didn't cause you any problems."
"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS!" repeated Soundwave once more before dropping Sideswipe at Smokescreen's feet rather unceremoniously.
"Of course you did," groaned Smokescreen, rubbing his brows with his digits. "I am very sorry about him. I'll get him out of your servos and...talk to him."
Rubbing his wrists, Sideswipe pulled himself to his pedes, half dragged there by Smokescreen as well. Oh he was gonna get such a lecture for this wasn't he?
After offering Soundwave another apology, Smokescreen guided Sideswipe back to the lift and down the main level once again, all the while keeping a servo on him so as to ensure he didn't run off. Again.
They were just about to leave the building, Sideswipe stewing in his thoughts while Smokescreen was quiet, when a familiar, imposing blue bot made his appearance and Sideswipe wondered just how much worse his day could possibly get.
"Sideswipe? Were you not assigned to work with Bumblebee?" asked Ultra Magnus, raising a brow curiously as he looked between the pair, Sideswipe trying to slink behind Smokescreen and out of sight.
"I-uh-that's-you see sir," Sideswipe stammered, tripping his way through his words as he tried to muster up the right thing to say, though no matter what he couldn't seem to form a single coherent sentence.
"If it's not working out with Bumblebee, I can have you reassigned to some bot else, someone more suitable for..."
Reassigned. He felt his spark go cold and everything around him feel so distant at hearing that. Ultra Magnus wanted to reassign him, to send him away and saddle someone else with him. Again. He didn't want to be moved again. Bumblebee had been the longest he'd ever had someone assigned to him, as they usually tired of him fairly quickly and sent him off to be someone else's problem.
And after what had just transpired, there was no way that Smokescreen or Bumblebee would want to deal with him. He was just a screw up and a trouble maker, he wouldn't blame them for wanting rid of him. Especially them.
He tensed up, digging his digits into the palms of his servos as he lowered his gaze to the ground. He didn't really want to get shafted again. He actually sort of liked it there. Liked Bumblebee and Smokescreen, even with all their strictness and rules. And what if the new bot left Iacon City? It wasn't like it was the only place on Cybertron after all.
"Sideswipe?"
A servo landed on his shoulder and he jumped with a squeal from his engine.
"Sideswipe, I said it's time to go," said Smokescreen, as if repeating himself, looking down at him.
Sideswipe looked around and, for the first time, noticed that Ultra Magus wasn't there, or rather he was walking away from them. When...when had that happened?
"Oh, uh, yeah ok. Um. I'm not getting reassigned to someone else, am I?"
Smokescreen cocked his head in confusion, frowning slightly. "Do you want to be? I can go back and tell Ultra Magnus you want to be reassigned but, I sort of assumed you didn't."
"No! I mean, no I don't want to be sent away."
Smokescreen nodded. "Then let's go."
Sticking close to Smokescreen he followed him out of the building and back onto the streets of Iacon.
"Alright so," Smokescreen pulled out a datapad from his subspace with a small wave. "I need to get this to Ratchet so he knows I got the delivery made."
"Oo-h, yeah, right. Let's do that that."
The trip back to the hospital ship was quiet, Sideswipe sticking surprisingly close to Smokescreen as they drove. He also seemed, strangely distant and quiet. Had Ultra Magnus really been that scary? Ever since they'd left the office building he'd been uncharacteristically subdued.
"I know Ultra Magnus can be intimidating, but don't let him get to you," he said after a bit. "He's not a bad guy, really."
"What? Oh I'm fine really. He didn't scare me, no way!"
"If you say so."
"I do say so!"
There was clearly something weighing on his processor, but Smokescreen knew well enough that pushing would not get him any answers. Not with a bot like Sideswipe.
By the time they reached the hospital ship, Sideswipe seemed to have finally relaxed, at least more so than he was before. Which was good, he didn't like seeing him so freaked out, dare he say, scared.
"So uh, I bet you have some cool war stories huh?" asked Sideswipe as they rolled down the streets to meet up with Bee.
Smokescreen gave a weak laugh. "Not as many as you would think actually," he said. "And you've probably heard most of them from Bee already."
"What? No way! You were a Prime dude! You gotta have lots of awesome stories from before that."
"I had couple of months, if that, of actual honest to Primus combat experience before I was thrust into that position," said Smokescreen, almost bitterly. "I was trained at the Elite Guard, did security detail here in Iacon and then ultimately ended up in a long term escape pod in stasis. I...probably spent more of the war in stasis than I did out of it." He vented in frustration. "Believe me, I wanted to see action. But Earth was my first time seeing proper action." He swivelled his mirrors towards Sideswipe. "I don't know what all Bee's told you, so I might have some stories still left but, it's not nearly as many as someone like, Bulkhead or Arcee. Or scrap, even Bee!"
"So, how did you end up a Prime then? I mean, no offence but like, well..."
"It's fine, cause you're right," said Smokescreen. "I hardly sound like the most qualified bot for the job. Especially with everyone else that was on Earth at the time. But...I don't know. Maybe I was just the closest, right place, right time." He turned slightly, shifting his mirrors towards Sideswipe. "But you know, for as much as I say that I don't understand, that I wasn't ready or was the wrong choice, it did work out. If I hadn't accepted the Matrix, hadn't taken that burden upon myself, I don't think we'd be here right now, wouldn't have a planet again, a home. So maybe they weren't as out of their circuits as I thought. Someone needed to do it, and that someone ended up being me."
Sideswipe gave a thoughtful hum as they drove.
"What's it like," he said after a moment. "Becoming a Prime I mean? It's gotta be pretty cool right?"
Cool. He supposed that was one way to put it, he knew he'd have thought the same thing before it had happened to him.
"Painful," he said after a moment.
"Painful?"
"The Matrix it, changes you, inside and out, right down to your very frame, changing you so you can handles the power that comes with it, changing you to be what you need to be to wield it. I didn't used to be this big after all," he said. "The power it fills you with is, unimaginable. You feel like you can do anything." He sighed. "It's a lot. Probably more than any one bot should ever have, if I'm being honest."
"Sounds like enough to make a guy break," said Sideswipe quietly.
"Or lose themselves to it. But, luckily I had my friends, my team, to have my back and keep me in check. I had Bee to call me out on and keep me from being an aft. Still, I don't think I'd wish that on anyone."
That seemed to give Sideswipe something to mentally chew on as they drove, humming thoughtfully to himself till Strongarm and Bee finally came into view.
"You! You-you, punk!" The moment they transformed, Strongarm nearly leapt at him, servos outstretched. "I can't believe you ditched us today! Have you no respect?"
"Should we stop them?" asked Smokescreen, looking from the pair of young bots running around to Bee, who was tying to avoid laughing.
"Naw, it's fine. They'll be fine. Let'em blow off steam a bit." He inclined his head as he looked up at Smokescreen. "So, how'd your day go? He didn't give you any problems?"
Smokescreen shook his head as he folded his arms behind his helm. "He was fine. A bit energetic but nothing I couldn't handle. Oh, he did get to meet Soundwave earlier."
"Soundwave? How did you manage that?"
Smokescreen snorted. "I turned my back on him for a minute to talk to Ultra Magnus. Don't worry, Soundwave didn't hurt him, though I think he did scare him a bit."
Bee just sighed, rubbing his brow. "And here I thought the Predacon incident would have taught him a lesson."
"Second time's the charm?"
"Primus I hope so." He looked towards the pair, Strongarm now holding Sideswipe in a headlock and sighed. "Now, help me break them up before they end up needing to take a trip to visit Ratchet."
Notes:
I made the executive decision to tweak Sideswipe's design juuuuust a lil bit (I mean I am still effectively working with Prime and not RiD here, even tho it's just writing not drawing but w/e) and gave him some of those little ear finial things. I think they would look good on him + I want more ways for them to be expressive. He's more or less the same just with twitchy bits on his head now.
Chapter 27
Notes:
So. You may notice this chapter is a day early.
The tl;dr is, I leave for vacation on Saturday and won't be able to update then. More information on that in the end notes.Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
True to his word, within a few weeks Smokescreen stepped down from patrols, to the lament of Sideswipe. It took quite a bit of reassuring (again) to convince him that he wasn't leaving forever and he would still be around, he just wouldn't be taking patrols with them, that was all.
As the months ticked by, the sparkling grew and sure enough Smokescreen found himself transforming less and less, till he stopped altogether, literally, physically unable to do so.
His checkups moved to once a week, mostly to monitor the sparkling's growth. Everything seemed to be going smoothly as far as Ratchet could tell. And every time Smokescreen saw the sparkling on screen he felt his spark race with excitement and no small amount of anticipation. On more than one occasion, Bee looked like he was ready to start crying, his little door wings wiggling and flapping with excitement at seeing their sparkling.
Of course, the real excitement came when Smokescreen realized that, despite being tucked up safely in his spark chamber it sometimes moved. The first time it happened it startled him something bad and he dropped everything he'd been carrying, to his utmost horror. After cleaning up that mess he excused himself to be alone to see if it would happen again.
And it did.
And he promptly made for Ratchet. He needed to know what was happening. Was it time? Was it in distress? It was the sparkling moving right?
After calming him down and running diagnostics, Ratchet was able to confirm that yes, it was the sparkling moving. No, it wasn't ready to be born yet. No, it wasn't in any sort of distress. It was just, moving. Shifting its position, like a sleeper rolling over and shifting around for comfort. But, he noted that it could be a sign that it was nearing to the end of its growth cycle.
Once it was confirmed that it was nothing to worry about, he knew he had to tell Bee, wanted to show him and see if he could feel it when it moved as well.
It was such a strange sensation, feeling it moving around inside him. He hadn't been able to feel it before, no matter how much he moved, and yet, a small wiggle and shifting of its tiny form and he felt it.
Many a night found them curled together in the berthroom, Bee lazily tracing his servos over Smokescreen's chest as they mused about what their little one was going to be like, what to expect. Was it going to be a mech or a femme? What sort of colours would they have, their alt mode, who would they take more after?
Which was how the pair found themselves curled together that night, idly pondering these questions as Bee lay his head on Smokescreen's chest, listening to the sound of their sparkbeats and trying to see if he could hear or feel the sparkling when it moved. Unfortunately there was no predicting its movements or when it would choose to do anything.
"Do you think it can hear us?" asked Bee, audial pressed against Smokescreen's chest. "Do you think it knows our voices?"
"I dunno. I never thought about that," said Smokescreen, idly running a servo along the back of Bee's helm.
"I hope so," murmured Bee. "I want them to know how excited we are to meet them, that we love them already."
Smokescreen smiled at him. It was such a nice change to see Bee so excited for the sparking, a stark contrast to how concerned he'd been early on. Concerned to the point of being so distant that Smokescreen had worried he didn't want it. So this was a nice change. "I'm sure they know. And even if they don't, they will."
Bee just gave a thoughtful noise as he lay there, letting his optics dim. Smokescreen followed suit, venting softly as he relaxed.
In the dark and quiet of their berthroom, he felt it, that telltale twitch from inside his chest cavity. As he onlined his optics again he found Bee staring at him, optics wide and smiling excitedly.
"I-I think I heard something," he said. "It was faint but I-I think I heard something."
"You did, it just moved. You wanna feel something else?"
"What do you mean?" asked Bee.
Smokescreen smiled. "Reach out with your EM field, but be gentle," he said, pulling his own back.
Bee's flicked out, warm and gentle as it brushed against his. Then, a flash of surprise rippled through it and Bee stared at him. "What...what is...is that...?"
Smokescreen nodded with a smile. "Yeah, It's our sparkling. I've been feeling it for a bit now. I thought I was imagining it at first, till I had Ratchet check. They're producing their own field."
It wasn't as strong as a grown bots field, but it could be felt, even by an outsider. It was warm and soft, and felt like it was reaching for them, asking for comfort.
Bee's door wings flicked excitedly as he rested a servo on Smokescreen's chest. "It's so amazing, that something's growing inside you. That it's...alive. And that we can feel it already." Scooting up he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Smokescreen's derma. "You're amazing. And I can't wait to meet our little bitlet."
'Bitlet' was another term he'd come to use occasionally to refer to the sparkling, as it was, in his words 'itty bitty'.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. Ratchet says we're probably in the final stretch now. I certainly hope so."
And once that happened, everything was going to change, forever.
....
"Isn't this something you should be getting Ultra Magnus to sign off on, not me?" asked Ratchet, looking from the datapad that Smokescreen had just handed him, then back to Smokescreen.
"I will, but given what I'm asking, I want a doctor's clearance first, because I know he won't ok it unless you've okayed it."
Ratchet sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Professionally, I think it's a bad idea. I don't like the idea of you doing that much heavy lifting, or being off planet and away from me and this med bay, so late in this," he gestured to Smokescreen's chest.
"I wasn't planning on doing the heavy lifting, I was going to bring a team to do that."
"You really want to do this, don't you?"
"I promised Ratchet. Before we left for Cybertron, I promised him I would do this. That I'd bring him home," said Smokescreen softly. "And, the Hall of Heroes, and his statue are finished. I can't think of a better time to bring him home than now."
Ratchet's optics softened sadly as he looked back at the pad and the request Smokescreen was asking of him. Clearance to return back to Earth to bring back the bodies of Optimus Prime and, if they could find any part of him, Cliffjumper. It had always hurt him to just leave them both there, so far from home, so alone. But at the time there was nothing to be done, and the still living bots had taken precedence.
"I'm still a bit leery about Cliffjumper," he said with a frown. "I know you mean well but, even if you do find him...there may still be traces of Dark Energon on him. And I don't want any of that near you during the best of circumstances, but I especially don't want it near you right now."
Smokescreen grimaced. He'd heard from Bee and Arcee about what had happened, how Cliff had been turned into some kind of Dark Energon zombie. He didn't want to get near it either, it sounded like nasty stuff.
"I was thinking, we have ways of tracking its energy signature right? If-if we can pick up the signature it'll help us find him. But it would also tell us how much there is right?"
"Smokescreen, you haven't seen what that stuff does, even a small amount can sap the energy right out of a perfectly healthy bot!"
"If it was contained though, it would be safe right?"
"Safer at least."
"If I oversaw the search, and we had something to put Cliff in, it would be safe to collect him, to bring him back and decontaminate him, right?"
"You seem very adamant about bringing him back, even though you never knew him," said Ratchet.
"I didn't. But I know he was important to the team. Some more than others. It just feels so wrong to leave him behind if we have the chance to bring him back."
Ratchet's shoulders fell and he looked back to the datapad in his servo. It was quite clear there was no convincing Smokescreen out of this.
"I will sign off on this," he said and Smokescreen perked up, wings rising. "BUT, with the stipulations of my choosing, understood?"
Ultra Magnus looked between the datapad, then Smokescreen several times, as if confirming what he was reading.
"And Ratchet has cleared you for this duty?" he asked.
"Yessir, all his stipulations and restrictions for me are written out right there," said Smokescreen. "I just need your clearance for this mission."
Silently, Ultra Magnus read through the documents, flipping through them; Smokescreen's proposal, Ratchet's stipulations, his optics slowly scanning each line.
The silence and the tension was suffocating and Smokescreen could only wish it would end.
"Well, this seems to be a very clearly written out proposal, you've thought this through," said Ultra Magnus, lifting his gaze slightly.
"I have sir. I want to do it right. For Optimus."
He nodded slowly before setting the pad down on the table in front of him.
"Then, bring him home Smokescreen."
There were a number of things Smokescreen needed to do to prepare before they could leave. He needed to gather the rest of Team Prime as well as plenty of bots to help dig. Mining bots seemed like the best option on that front.
He needed the coordinates of the old Energon mine from Soundwave, as well as something to pick up the energy signal of Dark Energon, just in case.
Ratchet was taking care of things Earthside, letting Agent Fowler know what was going to happen and when. The last thing they needed was to stir up a panic by suddenly space bridging in a bunch of Decepticons.
Again.
While waiting for new springs and mines of Energon to appear on Cybertron, they'd made use of the ones on Earth, which had meant sending in the mining bots on more than one occasion. The first time they'd done so they'd neglected to alert Agent Fowler ahead of time and that was not something they wanted to repeat.
Getting the team wasn't hard, the moment he told them what the plan was they leapt at the chance. They had had to inform Sideswipe and Strongarm that no they could not come along, and that they would be under Jazz's care till they returned. Sideswipe seemed stoked to follow Jazz around.
Even the Decepticons were quick to agree, less out of any kind of loyalty or love to the fallen Autobots but more so out of boredom and a chance to do and see something different for a while. As long as they were willing to help, Smokescreen really didn't care what their motivations were.
"Nervous?" asked Bee, touching Smokescreen's arm gently as he shifted about on his pedes anxiously. They were finally ready, finally going.
"Just a little," said Smokescreen.
"Hey, Smokescreen?" a light servo touched his other arm and he looked down to see Arcee at his side, looking up at him, optics soft. "Thank you."
"Save your thanks for when we've found him," he said. "Once we get him back, then you can thank me."
With Ratchet controlling things from Earth, and the coordinates from Soundwave to the destroyed Energon mine, they set off back to Earth.
The mine was, a lot larger than Smokescreen had anticipated, stretching downwards for miles. And they were going to have to dig through all of it.
Minutes ticked into hours; rock and twisted metal debris were lifted and dragged aside and out of the mines. Hours ticked past and day turned into darkness, headlights now illuminated the caverns as they dug, Smokescreen directing them with the scanner in his servo.
There was a very faint trace of Dark Energon, somewhere deep, deep below them, barely even registering on the scanner. It had to be Cliffjumper's remains. At least Smokescreen sure hoped it was, because he really didn't want to know what else it could be.
Darkness once again turned into light and in the wee hours of the morning, a cry rang out through the mine.
"I think I found something!"
With a flick of his wings, Smokescreen flew towards the source, the scanner beeping even more loudly now. Amidst the rock and steel and Primus knows what else, was an arm sticking out, the fingertips reaching to the sky.
Holding the scanner out it beeped, the dot on screen flashing. It was him alright, it had to be. But, there was still one way to check.
"Hey, Arcee, would you mind coming over here for a second?" he asked through the comm link. "You might want to brace yourself."
He didn't know what Cliffjumper looked like, he'd never met him. But Arcee did. If someone, anyone, could identify his body though, it would be her.
"Did you find him? Did you find Cliff?"
"I-maybe. I hate to ask it to you but..." He gestured over to where several Decepticons had gathered around the partially buried body part. "Do you think...do you think you could identify if that's Cliffjumper or not? I know there's not a lot but..."
"I'll try."
From a distance he watched as she made her way over, the small crowd parting to allow her space. For a moment she was quiet, then a sparkbreaking cry cut through the air, all but confirming Smokescreen's suspicions.
"Get him dug out, now!" he called before looking to some of the other workers. "Get the container ready. We don't know how potent the Dark Energon still is, and I don't want to risk anyone unnecessarily."
Furiously they dug and dug, hauling aside debris as they worked to excavate Cliffjumper. Or part of him at any rate. It was only about half of him, as it looked like he'd been sliced in half from shoulder to hip. This part of him contained his head, arm and a chunk of his torso.
Which meant there was another part out there, somewhere.
Once he was excavated and safely in the makeshift tomb, Smokescreen checked the scanner again. There did seem to be a second signal, though how much farther down it was, was anyone's guess.
Looking around he spotted Arcee seated next to the container, back pressed against the cold steel, knees drawn to her chest and head bowed.
"Hey, Bulk, think you could check on Arcee?" he asked. "I just, wanna make sure she's holding up."
"Yeah, I can do that."
The next time Smokescreen saw them, Bulkhead was seated beside her, a large servo on her back gently as they talked in quiet tones.
The hours continued to tick by, and the sun continued its path through the sky, from low to high to low again before they finally found the other part of him, buried deep, deep under the rubble of the mine and mountain.
Arcee looked as if she was going to cry as they loaded Cliffjumper's remains into the box.
"Smokescreen...thank you." Her vocalizer cracked slightly as she spoke, wiping her optics with one hand. "You really didn't have to do this, you didn't even know him."
"But you did. And he's important to you, and to the rest of the team," he said. "So I had to at least try."
"I didn't think I'd ever see him again, in any capacity. We never even got to bury him properly."
"Are...you going to be alright?" he asked.
She laughed weakly and slapped his arm. "Don't worry about me big guy. I'll be alright."
Slowly, everyone bridged their way back to the Earth base, bringing with them both Cliffjumper and a small amount of Energon that had been picked up in the process by the miners (despite their best efforts to conceal it, as if it were contraband). It wasn't a lot and frankly Smokescreen was willing to let the mining bots divvy it among themselves once they got back to Cybertron, it really wasn't worth making a fuss over. So long as everyone took a decontamination bath first, just to be sure.
While everyone prepared for bringing Optimus back, Smokescreen went on ahead to the remains of Omega Outpost One.
"Hey Optimus, I can't believe I'm back here already," he said, kneeling down before the memorial, placing a servo atop it. "But...we're bringing you home at last. You're finally coming home sir."
The exhumation of the gravesite was a faster, but nonetheless sombre affair as they very carefully uncovered the makeshift tomb. It was exactly as it had been left, if a bit dustier.
Once the casket was removed, they carefully put the rocks and debris back, replacing the memorial. Even though Optimus wasn't going to be occupying the area anymore, it could still remain a memorial for the fallen, for him.
If Arcee had looked about to cry when they'd brought out Cliffjumper, Ratchet looked ready to fully breakdown at the sight of Optimus' casket, optical fluid glittering around his optics.
The procession through the space bridge back to Cybertron was quiet and somber. Smokescreen went through first, followed by the bots carrying Optimus' and Cliffjumper's caskets, then the rest of Team Prime, with Ratchet the last through, ensuring the portal closed behind them.
They were greeted on the other end by the rest of the bots, including Ultra Magnus, who raised a servo in salute as Optimus' casket was brought through.
On Ratchet's orders, everyone involved in the retrieval was given a decontamination bath to be safe, while he worked to clean and decontaminate Cliffjumper's remains. As well as working on doing what he could to weld him back together, to at least return some dignity to him, he'd said.
"Let me see him." The moment Ratchet emerged from the medbay, Arcee was on him in an instant.
"Arcee, I really don't think-"
She cut him off abruptly. "No Ratchet, I don't want to hear it. I never got to say goodbye before, and the last time I saw him he was...mutated. Please, just let me have this. Let me say goodbye to my partner. Properly."
He sighed heavily, shoulders falling. "Alright. It's still not particularly pretty but...I did what I could for him."
"Thank you."
The medbay room was quieter than it usually was, no sounds of life, no beeping computers, just the faint, quiet hum from the lights.
Cliffjumper's body, no longer red but a dull, gunmetal grey, lay on a medical slab. Across his torso ran a long, jagged weld holding the two halves together. He was covered in dents and burns and holes, likely a result from being caught in the explosion and being buried under literal tonnes of rubble.
"I never thought I'd get to see you again, Cliff," said Arcee, gently laying a servo on one arm. "I just wish it were under different circumstances, better ones." A small sob caught in her vocalizer and she covered her mouth with her other servo as optical fluid blurred her vision. "If you can believe it, we're finally home Cliff. We're home." She leaned down, touching her forehead to his, tears splashing onto his lifeless face. "You're home. Rest easy now partner."
She lingered in there for a good while, just holding his servo as she wept.
After she left, the rest of the team took turns saying their own goodbyes, even Smokescreen went in, long after everyone else had been through.
He'd never met Cliffjumper before and had only heard stories about him, but it was clear how important he was to the team.
"I'm sorry we never got to meet each other," he said, pulling up a seat beside him. "Arcee seems to think we might have gotten along. Or that you would have been able to keep me in line during my early days." He laughed softly. "I wonder if that's true." He was quiet as he sat there, looking him up and down. Cliffjumper wasn't a particularly large bot, about the same size as Bee, similar build too. "I don't really have many things to say, what do you say to a guy you never knew? But, there is one thing I can say." He stood up, chair squeaking as he placed a servo against Cliffjumper's forehead.
"Welcome home."
Over the next few days, the air about the ship, and the city itself, just felt different. More subdued and somber, almost sad, as they prepared to properly inter their bodies at the memorial. And, as they prepared for the Festival of Lost Light.
It seemed fitting, with the dead now brought home to rest at last, for such a celebration to be held. A time to properly mourn and remember and celebrate the sparks extinguished by the war.
Even Soundwave was setting it up so that the festival could be broadcast throughout the city, as Ultra Magnus seemed to have some kind of speech planned and there was no way everyone could fit in the Hall of Heroes.
"Smokescreen, everything alright," asked Bee, placing a gentle servo on his arm.
"Hm? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just, thinking," he said. "And a little nervous, for some reason. I'm not sure why, I'm not the one up there doing the big speech for everyone."
Ultra Magnus had offered him the option to say some words as well, they'd all been given the option, but Smokescreen had turned it down. Aside from not being sure what he could say that Ultra Magnus wouldn't have already said, he wasn't sure he could get through something like that while keeping himself together.
"It's just so surreal I suppose," he said.
Bee was quiet before he rose into the air, lifting himself to be optic level with Smokescreen, servos resting on his shoulders.
"Thank you, for bringing them home," he said quietly, tears filling his optics as he leaned his helm on Smokescreen's. "For bringing Optimus home."
"It was the least I could do. It didn't feel right, to just leave him there, after everything he did for us. After everything he gave for us."
Bee flung his arms around Smokescreen's neck, burying his face in the crook of his shoulder as he sobbed, frame shaking with every broken sound that freed itself from his voice box.
"I miss him so much Smokescreen," he sobbed. "I know it's been almost 2 years, but...I keep catching myself expecting to see or hear him, or thinking I need to tell him something. And then I remember..." his voice cracked as he sobbed. "It hurts, it hurts so much."
Smokescreen wrapped his arms around Bee, placing a servo on the back of his helm gently as he held him close, just letting him cry.
"I've known him longer than I've known anyone," said Bee. "Served under him longer than anyone else. He was...was always in my life it's felt like. Always been a part of it. I thought he'd always be there. He seemed like he was invincible. No matter how hurt he got it seemed like nothing could stop him. Until it did." He sobbed, clutching at Smokescreen as Smokescreen moved to sit down, still holding him. "Giving his life to save ours, that's such an Optimus thing for him to do isn't it? He always wanted to protect us. But still...I miss him and it hurts. It hurts so much."
"I miss him too," said Smokescreen quietly.
Bee let out another sob, optical fluid running down his face and splashing onto Smokescreen's shoulder. He just sat there, sobbing as he buried his face into Smokescreen, vents heaving in time with his sobs.
Smokescreen wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't find the right words. But, maybe Bee didn't need words. He rubbed his head and back gently, just letting him sob it out, the same way Bee had let him sob it out about Alpha Trion once. And cry he did, sobbing into Smokescreen's shoulder till it seemed like he had run out of optical fluid, producing nothing more than stuttering venting sounds.
"Do you...feel any better?" asked Smokescreen.
"A little bit I think," replied Bee with a sniff, lifting his head to wipe at his optics with a hand. "S-sorry about making a mess on you."
Smokescreen smiled softly. "It's fine. It sounded like you really needed to just, let it all out."
Another stifled, shuddery vent escaped Bee, permeating the silence around them as Bee carefully unwound himself from around Smokescreen. "Come on, we need to get going, it's going to start soon and we should be there."
It seemed as if all of Cybertron had come out to Iacon city, not a single square inch was free. Bots of all shapes and sizes and factions filled the streets, carrying lanterns, usually one but sometimes more. At one point Smokescreen swore he caught sight of Soundwave, carrying multiple lanterns in his limbs, Laserbeak flying alongside him.
Bee and Smokescreen each held a lantern in their servos as they made their way to the Hall of Heroes, where Optimus and Cliffjumper would finally be laid to rest. And where Ultra Magnus was going to be broadcasting his speech.
The rest of the Autobots were already there, all carrying their own lanterns, even Ratchet was there, a lantern clutched between his servos.
Ultra Magus cleared his throat, preparing himself for the speech he had planned. He looked the very picture of calm and composed, barely a trace of emotion etched into his features. Except he wasn't. From the way he gripped the podium just a bit tighter than necessary, leaving dents beneath his fingers; from the hitch and tightness in his voice that wasn't usually there and the way his optics creased as he spoke, it was taking every ounce of control he had to hold himself together as he spoke.
Not that Smokescreen could blame him, though he also wouldn't have blamed him if he hadn't kept it together either. It wasn't like anyone else was holding it together.
Ratchet was doing his best to keep it together but was clearly failing, servos shaking and tears rimming the edges of his optics. Knock Out had given up all pretenses of trying to hide any emotion, openly crying, albeit quietly and constantly wiping his face with an arm.
Smokescreen was pretty sure there wasn't a dry optic to be seen. And they weren't just crying over Optimus, because while his burial was part of this, this whole thing wasn't just about it.
It was, as Ultra Magnus was saying, about every spark that had been extinguished during the war, every spark lost in pursuit of this peace, every spark lost too early. Everyone there knew at least one bot who hadn't made it back, who couldn't be there.
This was to remember and celebrate them, to honour them and the sacrifices they had made. And most importantly, not to let their losses be in vain.
Smokescreen's spark twinged in his chest at that and he tightened his grip on the lantern. Ultra Magnus was right, they'd come so far and lost so much, all of them had. This peace, won through to many lost sparks and spilled Energon, they couldn't let all that be in vain. They had to make those losses worth something. Carry on for the ones who couldn't. Be they Autobot or Decepticon.
And for the lives yet to come, thought Smokescreen, idly looking down at his chest. Be they sparkling or those born from the Well, they deserved a peaceful life, a better one than the one they'd had.
Bee leaned into his side gently, shaking slightly as silent tears trickled down his face.
Listening to Ultra Magnus speak, his thoughts drifting back to Optimus and Alpha Trion; it made his spark ache something fierce, a twinge rippling through it. They should have been there.
As the end of his speech drew to a close, lanterns began to light and take to the skies, bots raising their arms to the heavens as they released their lanterns, each one a memory for someone who couldn't make it.
Smokescreen looked down at the lantern in his servos, the soft glow illuminating them and warm against his plates. A heavy vent stuttered out as he held it up, slowly releasing it among the others, a sea of glowing, glittering lights. Like a cascade of sparks, now flying free and roaming the cosmos.
He stifled a small sob, rubbing at his optics with the palm of his servo. It was sort of beautiful in a sad sort of way.
At his side, Bee slipped a servo into his, lacing their digits together as they watched the sky.
"You ok?" he asked, looking up at Smokescreen.
"I'll be fine," he replied with a soft, sad smile. "I'm just–" He was cut off abruptly by a sudden, sharp pain, dead center of his chest. Like a sudden sharp snap. He stumbled forward a moment, grabbing at his chest plate with a pained yelp.
"Smokescreen? That didn't sound fine to me," said Bee with a frown and worried look. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I..." Smokescreen grimaced as the pain radiated outwards from his chest, a pulsing, sharp pain. "I don't know," he grunted.
"I'll get Ratchet, he'll know what to do," said Bee, giving his servo a squeeze before slipping past him and darting towards Ratchet.
Smokescreen clenched his denta, venting heavily as he did his best not to cry out, the last thing he wanted was to make a scene and draw attention to himself, especially here. But it was hard because it hurt.
A gentle servo on his arm startled him, momentarily taking his mind off the pain and he saw Ratchet at his side, looking at him in concern.
"Let's move you somewhere quieter," he said, gesturing for Bee to help him lead Smokescreen out of the crowd, trying to play it off as him just being overwhelmed and emotional.
Slowly, Smokescreen lumbered through the crowd, leaning on Ratchet as he walked till he was directed to sit down in a more out of the way spot.
"Can you tell me what happened?" asked Ratchet, flicking open his arm scanner.
"Chest pain," he wheezed, tapping the center of his chest plate. "Like...like I was hit or something. From the inside. Like something...snapped."
Ratchet frowned, looking between his scanner and Smokescreen, several times, optics slowly widening. "Oh my."
"Ratchet?"
Ignoring Smokescreen he reached for him comm link. "Knock Out, I need you to run ahead to the hospital and prepare sick bay for Smokescreen...No, it can't wait...I have him here and we'll meet you there." As he ended the call he turned back to Smokescreen and placed his servos on his shoulders. "Smokescreen, I need to you vent deeply, stay calm and listen to me."
"O-oh ok? Is-is something wrong?" he asked, optics flickering with nervousness as he gripped his knees.
"No, I wouldn't say anything is wrong. I believe that you are, as the humans would say, in labour."
Notes:
That chapter ending huh? :D
So. *sips coffee* As mentioned, I'm leaving for vacation on Saturday, in the morning specifically, which is why I'm dropping this early(and cause I'm probably gonna be busy most of Friday). I'll be gone from August 2nd to the 16th (I return on the 16th). This also means that, this is going on break till I get home (b/c I will not have access to the internet during that time, at least outside of my phone, so no updates). So, you're not getting a chapter next week. Next one will probably come either late on the 16th or on the 17th tho.
So uh, enjoy the cliffhanger and, idk, feel free to speculate about the sparkling, I'd love to see what people come up with.
But when I come back, it'ssssss sparkling time! :D
Funny thing is, I did NOT plan it out this way, but when I was counting the chapters some time back to find out where I'd leave off before break, it just so happened that it was this one.
Chapter 28
Notes:
We're baaack! And it's sparkling time! :D And, I guess this sort of marks the end of 'Part 1' and beginning of 'Part 2' of this fic. Before sparkling and post sparkling.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Smokescreen was dying.
At least, that was the conclusion Sideswipe had come to. Over the last few months he'd noticed that Smokescreen seemed to make a lot of trips to the medic's, more than the usual bot. Smokescreen said it was due to the injury he was recovering for, which was partly true but it seemed almost excessive. And as the days went by he had gotten slower and slower, to the point of dropping out from patrols all together.
In an attempt to to assuage his fears he'd followed Smokescreen one day on one of his doctor visits. Unfortunately the thick, double doors hindered his ability to hear anything, but what he did hear was alarming enough. Something about there being 'only a few months left' and that something would be 'over soon'.
And most recently, just now, he'd spotted Smokescreen and Bumblebee vanishing through the crowd of the festival with the medic, Smokescreen in visible distress.
So clearly, the only logical explanation was that Smokescreen was dying from some terminal illness that he hadn't told them about.
"He's not dying Sideswipe," said Strongarm with a roll of her optics.
"Oh yeah, then how would YOU explain it miss smarty pants? Face it, Smokescreen is dying and he didn't tell us!"
S mokescreen was not, in fact dying. But oh lord did he feel like he was.
Every movement sent his frame throbbing, the ache coming from the center of his chest. And he had to move because Ratchet wanted to get him to the hospital. Because the sparkling was being born. One way or another, that sparkling was coming out.
On previous scans, Ratchet had noted that the sparkling seemed to be connected to Smokescreen's spark by what looked like strands of energy. Strands that, as he scanned Smokescreen where he sat, were no longer there. It wasn't connected to his spark, which explained the strange twinges he'd been feeling and the painful 'snap' sensation, the connection was breaking in preparation for its emergence. On top of that it was moving, a lot, which could only mean one thing.
He huffed as he lumbered across the ground, taking long, deep vents as he just tried to focus on walking and leaning on Ratchet , dismissing various alerts that were flashing up on his HUD . He really, really didn't need those right now. He knew he was in pain, he didn't need the system to send him alerts about the pain levels and the stress it was putting on his system .
How in the world could this possibly hurt so much?
"What is going on?" asked Knock Out as they trudged through the doors, Ratchet and Bee leading him to the medical berth.
"It...it sounds like it's sparkling time," said Bee as Smokescreen dropped onto the berth with a groan.
"WHAT?! NOW?!"
"Yes Knock Out, now," said Ratchet, attaching sensors to Smokescreen's arm.
"Believe me-urgh-I wish it wasn't," hissed Smokescreen, fingers scraping and dragging against the berth. "But I don't exactly have a say in the matter. Ohhhh it hurts like a glitch!"
"Smokescreen, I know it's going to be hard but I need you to open up your spark chamber for me."
S mokescreen stuttered, venting heavily. "Wh-what?"
"To get your sparkling out. I would rather not have to cut you open if I can avoid it."
He groaned in pain, leaning his head back as he shut his optics. Would it even work? The last time he'd tried, his system had throw n up warnings and it had been locked. But, he supposed he had no other choice, and if wors t came to wors t he would just force it , warnings be damned .
Grimacing through strained vents he felt his plating begin to shift and move, sliding open bit by bit to reveal the inner portions of his chest. Unfortunately every movement hurt and he kept finding himself stopping the transformations in some attempt to alleviate the pain. It wasn't even a long transformation, normally taking mere seconds to do. And yet it felt like an eternity was passing with each little movement.
"Smokescreen!"
"I know but it hurts! I can't....I can't..." he half sobbed in pain, fans spinning furiously , optical fluid rolling down his cheeks, coolant beginning to seep onto his plating.
Bee took his left servo gently. "It's ok Smokescreen, you got this, I know you do."
"Bee..." With a shudder and another deep vent he squeezed Bee's servo tightly, focusing as hard as he could on the transformation.
Bit by agonizing bit they moved apart, eventually exposing his spark chamber. His still closed spark chamber.
"Good, good, you're almost there," said Ratchet , servos gentle against his chest plating.
His spark chamber, that was the last thing he needed to open, it was the only way to get to the sparkling. But it hurt, and every time he tried to focus on that, another wave of pain washed over him, breaking his concentration. His servos flexed as he clenched his jaw against the pain.
A sob rattled his frame, he couldn't just fail now. Not after spending months keeping himself in shape, keeping himself healthy, doing everything he could he protect the vulnerable sparkling growing within him. And now he was halted by his own body.
Every time he thought he was close, his concentration would break and he was back at square one.
Their voices swirled around him, Ratchet trying to get him to focus on something, like his voice or taking deep, heavy vents, anything; Bee and Knock Out talking to each other , though about what he had no idea as it was drowned out by Ratchet talking to him . It all muddied together in a sensory overload ; the noise, the pain, the lights of the room, it was just so much. T o o much. He offlined his optics and turned down t he volume in his audio receptors, dulling the world around him i n a desperate attempt to cut down on the sensory input and allow himself to focus.
He had to do this, he had to.
But he just, couldn't.
A servo touched his helm, gentle and almost comforting and he felt another slip into his other hand, curling around it gently, a thumb tracing soft, lazy circles around the back of his servo.
It'll be ok. I know you can do this.
Smokescreen shuddered as he squeezed the hand, taking another long, deep vent as he focused in on his spark chamber once again and the release mechanism to open his spark chamber. He could do this, he could push through.
*CLICK*
The mechanism released and in an instant, a wave of relief washed over him in a full body shudder, like all the tension that had been held back was released.
With a groan and sigh, everything seemed to fall away, the voices around him growing distant and more garbled as his head swam and his body felt so light and numb. A complete system overload that felt as if he'd just come crashing down, everything slamming him all at once.
As his senses re-onlined themselves, the first thing Smokescreen was aware of, aside from the frame deep ache that wracked his body, was a soft but frantic beeping, chirping sort of noise and an EM field prickling and lashing against his. Both the sound and field were distressed, immensely so, and it made his spark ache, instinctively drawing him to it, like all he wanted to do was make it stop.
He groaned, blinking slowly as his vision returned to him, trying to pinpoint the source of it all.
"Ah, welcome back," said Knock Out from somewhere to his left.
"I wouldn't move to much if I were you. You crashed down hard, take it easy," said Ratchet, moving around somewhere on his right side. "And I still need to finish cleaning you off."
Cleaning, what did he mean by that? Shifting slightly he realized his chest did feel a bit wet. Moving his head slightly he noticed that his chest was smeared with, was that Energon? Huh, how did that happen?
Slowly he blinked, turning his head from side to side to try and look around. Bee was sitting down, one servo splayed out on a table while Knock Out was standing there, seemingly working on it. Ratchet on the other hand was on his other side, and carrying something in his servos. Something small and wrapped and–OH that was where the beeping was coming from! And the scared field! The wetness and mess on his chest was forgotten almost instantly as all his attention zeroed in on the beeping. While he wanted to know what was going on with Bee, the distressed sound was far more important and every fibre of his being wanted him to go to it and protect it. Because he did know that field! He'd be too out of it to realize it at first, but he knew that field. How could he not? After all, it was his sparkling's!
"Congratulations Smokescreen," said Ratchet, carefully positioning Smokescreen's servos as he set the tiny, chirping bundle in them. "You have one healthy looking little sparkling."
The sparkling was so so impossibly small, fitting easily in a palm and he instinctively pulled them close, resting them against his chest as he began to cry again. But this time it was tears of joy. He couldn't believe it, he was finally holding them, finally holding and seeing his sparkling!
"Be careful, their outer plating hasn't hardened up yet so they're still quite soft," warned Ratchet as Smokescreen cuddled them close.
The sparkling chirped softly, wiggling against Smokescreen's chest, as if clinging to the warmth emanating from his plating. Their EM field pulsed rapidly, uncontrolled as it reached out and Smokescreen carefully let his reach back, enfolding it, warm and gentle, protective. And familiar. A signal that they were safe now, there was no need to be scared. And sure enough, the frantic panic began to calm and settle.
"You really like that huh?" he asked, optics soft. "Comfortable?"
"I'm not surprised," said Ratchet, pulling out a cloth as he began to carefully wipe around the seams of Smokescreen's chest plates. "After all, they spent the last 9 months tucked up against your spark. The warmth from it, the sound of its sparkbeat, it's probably comforting to them."
Smokescreen smiled, nuzzling the sparkling gently. Before he'd wondered if it was worth it, if the 9 months he'd spent agonizing and worrying and walking on egg shells was going to be worth it; if the pain of labour was worth this. But, as he looked at the sparkling in his arms, the impossibly small protoform curled against his chest, he knew the answer.
It was so worth it.
The sparkling chirped softly, tiny optics opening slightly as it looked up at him and Smokescreen felt his spark skip a little in his chest.
"She has your optics Bee," he said, gently rubbing a soft cheek with the tip of a digit. Tiny, bright blue optics stared back at him, growing and shrinking to try and focus on him as she made soft peeping sounds. "Oh. She's perfect."
"She? Our sparkling is a femme-ling?" Bee perked up, optics lighting up as he sat up a bit straighter, door wings wiggling as he looked at Smokescreen and the sparkling.
Smokescreen nodded as he cuddled her close. "Yeah."
Bee gave a muffled yelp and there was a clank followed by "Will you stop moving?" from Knock Out.
"What...what happened to you?" asked Smokescreen, frowning at he looked at Bee, finally deciding to address the cyber-phant in the room. It had looked like Knock Out was doing something to Bee's servo, but what and why?
"Ah, you sort of. Broke my hand earlier," said Bee. He went to lift his servo, only for Knock Out to whack the back of his helm with his other servo.
"Stop moving or I'll weld your servo to the table!" he snapped. "And then you to the chair."
"I-I broke it?"
"Yeahhhhh. You squeezed it and it just went crunch," said Bee with a weak smile. "It-it's fine, Knock Out's been repairing it. Said it's an easy enough fix"
"I won't if you keep trying to move, Bum-ble-bee," hissed Knock Out, forcing him back down as he tried to stand again. "If you ever want to be able to hold your little bundle of joy then sit still and Let. Me. Work." He turned to Smokescreen. "It has been impossible to get him to sit still, he keeps trying to get up and see you."
"I-I'm sorry," stammered Smokescreen. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't even realize."
"It's fine I swear. Like I said, Knock Out says it's fixable," said Bee. "It's not your fault. You looked like you were in a lot of pain. I know you didn't mean it. And next time I'll just remember to put something that's not my hand in yours."
Silence reigned as all optics suddenly trained on Bee.
"What do you mean by next time?" asked Smokescreen. He'd only just delivered their sparkling, and Bee was thinking of more?
Bee's face flushed and Knock Out had to stop what he was doing to laugh, before he actually welded Bee's servo to the table and not intentionally. Even Ratchet, who'd paused what he'd been doing, gave a short laugh.
"That's-that's, you know what I mean," he sputtered, face flushing blue.
Smokescreen sighed as he looked down at the sparkling, who was already beginning to dip off to sleep. "Can you believe it? You're just born and your sire is already planning on siblings for you."
"You know what I mean!" he protested and Smokescreen only laughed as he held the sparkling close as she chirped softly.
Finally, Knock Out released Bee, who all but flew to Smokescreen's side to see the sparkling. "It's a simple patch job that'll hold for now and it moves," he said. "So don't do anything too rigorous. I'll fix it up proper later."
"Mmmhmm, yeah, thanks," said Bee, clearly only half paying attention, most of his focus on the sparkling in Smokescreen's arms.
"She's so tiny Bee! So so tiny! I didn't know anything could be this small."
"She really takes after you," said Bee, gently stroking her cheek with the back of a finger. "Look, it looks like she even has a little chevron." He indicated to a tiny crest on her forehead, the closest thing she had to kibble at the moment as everything else about her was rounded and soft, almost grub like more than bot like. Much like Smokescreen she was white in colour, though Smokescreen did note patches of washed out colour, perhaps she would grow into her colours later. Her only other colours were her bright blue optics, which looked just like Bumblebee's, and tiny biolights, which pulsed and flickered softly.
"She has your rounded features and optics though," said Smokescreen. "Isn't she beautiful?"
She beeped again, wiggling about in her swaddling cloth, tiny face scrunched up in a tiny frown, optics pressed shut.
"It's ok my little spark, I've got you," cooed Smokescreen, holding her gently to his chest. "I've got you."
"I think she might like you a bit better, if you offered her something to eat," said Ratchet. Finished cleaning, he pushed a small cart over to Smokescreen's side, the tray atop it containing several cubes and a small dropper style pipette. "This is for you, you'll need the energy. This is for her," he gestured to the smaller cube and the droppers. "It's a special blend for fragile patients, highly nutritious but gentle on the insides so as not to irritate them. Thought it would be the best choice for something like her." He picked up one of the droppers and demonstrated how to use it, giving the soft bulb a light squeeze as he dipped it into the cube and sucked up some of the Energon. "Then you can feed her. Slowly."
With his free servo he carefully picked up the sparkling, much to Smokescreen's immense displeasure, whining softly as she was lifted from his chest, and slowly brought the tip of the pipette to her tiny mouth. Almost instantly she clamped down on it, making muffled squeaking sounds as she proceeded to drain the pipette of fluid.
"And I thought I got hungry," laughed Smokescreen. "She's as ravenous as a Scraplet."
"Hopefully not as bitey as one," said Bee.
"Well, I will leave that for you to find out," said Ratchet, placing the sparkling in Bee's servos, though she didn't remain there for long, ending up back in Smokescreen's in short order. "I need to do damage control with the rest of our team."
"What do you mean?" asked Smokescreen.
Ratchet sighed heavily, rubbing his brow. "Your abrupt departure was, in fact, noticed and they have been flooding my comm link almost since we got you here. I had to shut it off just so I could focus on you." His shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm not going to let anyone in until you think you're ready for visitors but, I am going to have to explain what's going on and about, her," he gestured to the sparkling. "I just need to figure out how."
Yeah, it had been one thing to hide the sparkling's existence while it was still growing inside him, but now that wasn't an option. She was there and visible and sooner or later they were going to know.
Once Ratchet was sure that they understood how to feed the sparkling, he left them to continue with that while he went to, as he had put it, do damage control.
"You know, it's amazing," said Knock Out, leaning over Bee to look at the sparkling as she slurped down more Energon. "How something so small can cause so many issues."
"Isn't she cute though?" asked Smokescreen, patting her gently as he held her close.
He sighed, "I suppose she IS cute."
Smokescreen sighed as he lay back, staring up at the ceiling of the medbay. He was exhausted, all he wanted to do was just fall into recharge. But he also wanted to hold and cuddle his sparkling, whom he was currently holding as Bee fed her.
"I know you need your hand fixed but, could you keep an eye on her for a bit?" he asked as Bee set the empty pipette down. "I need to sleep but I don't wanna like, drop her or squish her."
"I can manage that," said Bee, placing a servo on his head gently. "You just rest, you need it more than anyone."
"Thanks."
The sparkling cooed softly, snuggling against his chest as Smokescreen shuttered his optics, one servo gently placed over the sparkling, holding her carefully.
'Don't worry little one, you're safe here. I promise.'
As he drifted in and out of recharge, a sleepy thought occurred to him. Someone had been at his side earlier, holding his servo, comforting him through the birth. But, that didn't make sense? It wasn't Bee, couldn't have been, his servos were too small and, as it turned out he spent most of the labour getting repaired. And Knock Out had been fixing him. Perhaps Ratchet? No, that wasn't right, he'd squeezed the hand he'd been holding and both of Ratchet's were functional and unbroken.
But, there was no one else in the room aside from them.
But he'd felt it, felt the servo on his head, felt himself squeeze something. Even through the haze of pain he knew what he'd felt. That comforting presence, touching him, assuring him.
Perhaps, perhaps it was just a pain and stress induced hallucination? But he'd never had that before, and it had felt so real.
He sighed softly, letting recharge finally claim him and for a moment, just before he drifted off, he swore he felt that same warm, comforting touch that let him know he would be alright.
Notes:
Introducing, Artemis! (her name will be revealed in-story in a couple chapters but I'm dropping it here!
Also, if u wish to see what she looks like, I have DRAWINGS!
https://www.tumblr.com/authoratmidnight/792078803204702208/new-protocols-chapter-28-icypheonix
(if that link doesn't work, here's the image url directly- https://64.media.tumblr.com/af58dd49908cd7b6550860b170318c75/845fbd0d7bfee565-73/s1280x1920/99b06c94d30dea332b51f7439791cbfdba939ee8.pnj )
Chapter 29
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Bumblebee sighed as he watched Smokescreen and the sparkling rest, the little one comfortably sleeping on his chest under his servo, beeping softly as she snoozed. It felt so surreal to actually see and hold her now. She existed now, she was real!
He couldn't wait for her to meet everyone else, even if he had no idea how that would go or what he would say.
While they slept, Knock Out returned to working on Bumblebee's servo, smoothing out the dented and sharp edges and making sure all the components still worked and moved as they should.
Unfortunately for them, the nap did not last long, the sparkling waking with soft, distressed beeps only a couple hours later, which in turn woke Smokescreen, something which would eventually turn into a very tiring pattern. She'd eat, nap for about an hour or two, then wake up and demand more food.
"So, does she even have a name?" asked Bee as she fed. "I mean, we can't just keep calling her 'her' or 'sparkling' can we?"
Smokescreen looked down at the sparkling, currently in the process of attempting to devour the pipette whole just to get to her Energon, one tiny limb having slipped out of her swaddling and flailing around.
"I'm not sure," he said. "I know we knew our own names after we came online but, I'm not sure in this case. I suppose we can wait and see if she, tells us somehow. Gives us time to think of a name in case she doesn't." He gave the pipette a small tug, wiggling it free from her tiny grasp, with an almost sad whimper from her. "I'm sorry but you can't have that."
"Weh," she whined at him, turning her squinted optics to look at him as she squirmed and wiggled about.
"You're not still hungry are you?" asked Smokescreen, looking at the now very empty cube. "I think someone's going to have to asked Ratchet to get more if she's going to keep eating like this."
"I'll see if I can find him," said Bee as he stood up. "I need to track down something to eat myself anyways."
Smokescreen looked down at the sparkling, cradling her gently. Hopefully she wouldn't get too fussy in the meantime. If she did, he had no idea what he was going to do. Not that he had much of and idea of what to do regardless.
After Bee left, Smokescreen turned his attention to Knock Out, who'd been pointedly been keeping his distance from sparkling.
"You know it's ok if you want to say hi," said Smokescreen. "I promise. She won't bite and neither will I."
"No it's fine, it's fine," he said dismissively.
Smokescreen rolled his optics as he shifted his position, sitting up more in an effort to pull himself off the berth, or at least to the edge. If Knock Out wasn't going to come to him, then he could go to him.
"What are you doing, you're supposed to be resting!"
"I'm fine," said Smokescreen. "I'm only a little sore." Wincing, he shifted around and swung his legs over the side. Ohh, if he ever did this again he was absolutely asking for his pain receptors to be shut off during it so he didn't have to feel anything. "Come on Knock Out, you've basically been a part of her life since we found out she existed. You're the one who discovered her after all. If it wasn't for you she may not even be here. Come and meet her."
Slowly, almost begrudgingly, Knock Out made his way back over to Smokescreen's side and Smokescreen patted the empty spot beside him on the berth, gesturing for him to sit.
"She is...very small," he said after a moment.
"She really is," agreed Smokescreen with a soft laugh. "I keep being afraid I'm going to squish her or-or drop her." He let out a heavy sigh, plates shuddering. "I'm glad to have her, I am, but I'm so scared. What if I screw this up? Like. She was real before but now she's REAL-real. I can hold her and see her and her and...oh Primus it's terrifying Knock Out. I have no idea what I'm doing. She depends on me, I don't wanna frag it up."
Knock Out watched him quietly as he spoke, just letting him speak and vent his worries.
"You want to know what I think?" he said after a moment when Smokescreen stopped to compose himself. "I think you'll be fine. You spent the last several months studiously taking care of yourself for this little one. You care. A lot. You're not going to screw this up." Hesitantly, he placed a servo on Smokescreen's arm. "And you have Bumblebee at your side to help as well, so you're not exactly alone. You have...quite the support network at your side. You'll be fine."
Smokescreen looked at the sparkling, touching her tiny face gently as she cooed and burbled. "Can I count you to be part of that?" he asked, lifting his optics slightly.
Knock Out froze, servo stiffening where it rested. "I...uh...you have Ratchet for your care, why would you need me?"
"It's not just about my care," said Smokescreen, rolling his optics. "You're...a friend, I should think. And like I said, you've been part of her life before it even began. You helped me make sure she could come into this world."
"I only followed Ratchet's orders."
"Even so, you were a big help, and I appreciate it." He looked between Knock Out, still looking a bit unsure of things, and the sparkling, now with both tiny arms freed and chirping as she grabbed at the air. "And you know..." he scooched closer to Knock Out, adjusting the position of the sparkling in his arms. "I think she likes you already."
She beeped and chirped excitedly, reaching in Knock Out's direction, blue optics wide with curiosity.
Knock Out shifted and fidgeted where he sat, as if trying to decide if he should move or not.
"Do you wanna try to hold her?" asked Smokescreen.
"O-oh no, I think I'm good. I wouldn't want to drop her or poke her." He wiggled his digits in the air, as if to remind Smokescreen how long and pointy they were in comparison to his. "I don't think anyone would forgive me for that, including her. So I'd rather not."
"I should think you're a bit more careful than that," said Smokescreen. Then with his free servo, he reached for Knock Out's and carefully pulled it towards him, gently placing it under the sparkling's head to cradle her. "See. Just be careful. You're a doctor, I should think you'd be good at that."
She beeped and chirped excitedly, optics spinning wide as she looked up at Knock Out, whining as she reached her tiny arms out.
Still holding her head, Knock Out very carefully brought his other servo over, extending a finger down towards her tiny servos. Almost instantly and with a speed he did not think possible for something so small, she wrapped her tiny hands around a single finger, tightly. She was so small that her fingers barely even made it all the way around the width of his finger.
"Looks like you're trapped now," laughed Smokescreen.
"Didn't expect her to move so fast." he said. "Or have such a strong grip."
"It's going to bother me till I find out but, what was Ratchet cleaning off of me?" he asked. "Why did I have, Energon all over my chest?"
Knock Out pointed to the sparkling with his trapped digit. "She made a very messy entrance. At first we thought you'd ruptured something, but it turns out the sparkling was encased in some kind of, sac? It was sort of, hmm, squishy? But it made a big mess coming out, especially after getting her out of it."
"A-a sac?" He sure didn't remember seeing anything like that on his scans. But perhaps it didn't show up.
"Ratchet theorizes it was what was feeding and protecting her while growing inside you," said Knock Out.
Clinging tightly to his finger, the sparkling suddenly tugged on it, pulling it down towards her tiny mouth, as if to chew on it.
"Ohhh no. You don't want to put that in your mouth," he said, trying to pull away.
"Weh weh." She whined, tightening her tiny grip in response, face scrunching up as the excited chirps turned into beeps of frustration and agitation.
"Come on sweetspark, please let go of Knock Out," pleaded Smokescreen, trying very gently to wiggle her fingers off of Knock Out's without hurting her. The more he fussed with her, the tighter she held on and the more she complained, face scrunched up as her chirps and beeps rose in pitch, more and more frantic. Finally, Smokescreen popped her tiny fingers off Knock Out's. His relief was short lived however as she whimpered, bottom lip quivering before letting loose an audial piercing wail.
Knock Out yelped, stumbling back as he covered his audials with his servos while Smokescreen began jostling her gently, cooing and trying to calm her.
"Nononono, it's ok sweetie it's ok. You don't need to cry it's ok," he pleaded, trying to remain calm as she wailed, her now distressed EM field slamming against his, lashing out wildly. "Knock Out, is there anything around that would be...safe for her?" he asked. Maybe if they gave her something else to cling onto she'd quiet down.
Unfortunately for them, Bee chose that moment to return.
"Wh-what are you doing in here?" sputtered Bee as the doors opened and the wailing hit him full force. "I left you guys alone for like 5 minutes and now she's screaming."
"I'm sorry," said Smokescreen, still gently rocking the sparkling.
"We were trying to keep your little bundle of joy there from poking herself on my fingers," said Knock Out as he stalked around the room looking for something. "Unfortunately, she seems to disagree."
"Help me make her stop, please," begged Smokescreen. "Or I might start crying." How could something so tiny be so loud?
Setting down the Energon he'd been carrying, Bee began to wiggle his own fingers over her and coo in a soft voice. It did not help as she batted them away while continuing to cry and squeak.
"Please stop crying little one," said Smokescreen, holding her close to his chest again as he patted her back. The last thing he wanted was for Ratchet to hear the racket and come back in and chastise him.
"Here, try this." Knock Out shoved a small, slender metal rod into Smokescreen's face. It was thin and cylindrical, with rounded, blunt ends.
"What-what is?" asked Smokescreen as he took it, looking it over.
"It'a stirring stick for mixing solutions and the like." Smokescreen grimaced, optics flicking frantically between it and Knock Out, who sighed and rolled his optics. "Oh don't worry, I got it fresh from the autoclave, it's sterile and perfectly clean."
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to try..." Shifting her around again, he lowered the stick into her line of vision, moving it back and forth in an effort to catch her attention. "Hey, hey hey, is this what you want? You wanna play with this?"
She made a soft 'eep' as her optics caught sight of it, chirping softly and sadly as she followed it around with her head.
"Yeah, that's right, see, much more fun, much more fun. No need to cry, no need to be upset."
Little by little, the siren like wails began to die down into wobbly chirps and beeps.
"Well, at least we know one thing," said Bee, watching as she grabbed at the stick, grasping it tightly with her tiny fingers. "Her vocalizer works perfectly fine."
"Unfortunately for my audio receptors," grumbled Knock Out, rubbing the side of his head. "Well, I'm going to let you three bond while I go rest my audials a moment."
"Wait, Knock Out," Bee grabbed his arm as he strode past. "While you're out, could you look for warming pads and, something we could use as a bed for her? So we can put her down once in a while."
Knock Out paused, looking between them before sighing. "I suppose."
"Thanks."
....
Sparkling care was so much more intensive than either Smokescreen and Bumblebee had possibly imagined. Sure, they had enough sense to know that they were going to have to do everything for her, she relied on them completely. They just, hadn't anticipated how much care she really needed.
While they really only needed to eat a few times a day (even less than that when they were in proper health and not exhausted), she needed food seemingly every few hours and got very cranky when she didn't. And her sleeping habits were worse, only sleeping when she wasn't eating. Something they quickly realized meant they weren't going to get any real sleep.
Respite only came when Bee suggested for them to sleep in shifts. Smokescreen could sleep while he cared for their sparkling, feeding her and carrying her and keeping her warm, and when he needed to sleep they would trade off.
The room had been transformed to accommodate them, a second small berth dragged in for Bee to sleep on and a small bassinet had been fashioned and lined with warming blankets obtained by Knock Out, so they could put the sparkling in it when they needed a rest. As much as she liked to sleep on Smokescreen's chest, he didn't want to risk dropping her while he was resting, or rolling onto her, so a warm bed was the next best option. Even if she did complain about it.
"Shh shh, it's ok little one," said Bumblebee softly as he paced around the room, the sparkling cradled in his arms. Smokescreen was blessedly fast asleep at last(and hopefully for more than a couple hours this time), something he desperately needed and he didn't want to disturb him. "No need to wake up your carrier. He needs to rest too you know." She whined softly and wiggled, face slightly scrunching up. "You can't be hungry, you just ate. Are you cold?" He readjusted the blanket wrapped around her, making sure she was snug and swaddled up before holding her close to his chest. "I'm not him but I'm warm enough, I have a spark too," he said.
She squeaked softly, turning her face into his chest plate, wiggling against him as he patted her back gently. "Yeah, there we go, you like that right?"
He still couldn't wrap his processor around how darn small she was, easily fitting in his servos, and dwarfed by Smokescreen's. How could something so tiny even exist? How could he, how could they have even made this? It still seemed so hard to believe, and yet, there she was, in his arms.
He couldn't wait to show her off, to be able to go 'look what Smokescreen and I made!'. He was proud, how could he not be?
But for now, he just wanted to enjoy some time with Smokescreen and their little one, even if Smokescreen was probably going to spend most of it sleeping. Even Knock Out had vanished to try and get some recharge in, now that most of the excitement had died down.
Holding her close, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to Smokescreen's cheek. 'Hopefully you're in better spirits when you wake up.'
From the far end of the room, there was a beep as the doors swung open and a tired looking Ratchet made his way back in.
"How are my patients?" he asked.
"Sleeping right now."
"Good good. And how has the sparkling been?"
"Hungry, loud, at the very least we know her vocalizer works just fine. Hopefully she figures out volume control soon though." Bumblebee shifted the sparkling slightly in his arms. "How's everything outside?" he asked. "With the team, I mean."
Ratchet vented heavily, shoulders falling. "Well, I finally convinced them that everyone is doing alright in here," he said. "I'm still not sure they actually believed me when I told them about the sparkling. I can't blame them, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own optics."
"It IS pretty unbelievable," said Bumblebee, moving to sit on the small berth. "Honestly, it still feels unreal. I've had 9 months to prepare myself and yet, I still can't wrap my head around it. She's here and real and, Ratchet she's so small! I thought, I thought I'd been prepared for small things, what with the humans and all that but somehow she just seems, even smaller and more fragile than that." His frame shook with a sigh, his doors drooping slightly. "I think...I think I understand a little of what Smokescreen must have been feeling these last few months. I look at her now and I just, I can't even fathom putting her out on a battlefield. I don't want that for her, I want her to have a better life, a peaceful one. I don't want her to know that pain and fear; to always be worried if she's going to die or if someone she knows is going to die." He held the sparkling close to his chest, earning a soft, sleepy squeak from her.
He'd long decided even before she was born that he would do anything it took to maintain this peace, but now, actually seeing her, he couldn't possibly imagine sending her out to fight. He couldn't do that to her. But with more and more bots coming by the day, he grew more and more worried about something, anything, shattering the tentative peace they had formed.
"I'm going to do everything I can for you my little spark."
"How about getting a good recharge?" said Ratchet. "It is," he paused checking the time. "Late, and you need rest as much as Smokescreen does."
"But, what about–"
"I can look after her for a few hours while you rest," said Ratchet. "I am quite capable of that. But if you don't rest, you won't be able to look after her."
Bumblebee looked down at the sparkling. He did need sleep but he didn't want to let go of her, even if he did trust Ratchet.
"She'll be fine, I promise. I'm used to looking after fragile patients."
With a small amount of coaxing, Ratchet did eventually convince Bumblebee to hand over the newborn sparkling and to get some rest. Something he clearly needed as he crashed out within moments of laying down. Just because he hadn't been the one birthing the sparkling didn't mean that the excitement hadn't worn him out.
Ratchet sighed as he looked down at the tiny bot, asleep in the palm of his servo. He could barely believe it himself, that something so small could exist.
He looked from the sparkling back to her sleeping creators. Honestly he could hardly believe that of all bots it was those two that had somehow made this little miracle. They were handling it all with a surprising amount of maturity all things considered. Then again, he supposed it really wasn't accurate to call them kids anymore. They were young yes, younger than the rest of them in fact, and he had known Bumblebee for the vast majority of his life, so he'd always be a kid to him. But they weren't kids, not really, not any more.
"I hope your creators conjunx themselves soon," he said with a sigh, looking down at the sparkling. "It would make my life a lot easier." Ratchet scoffed softly. "I'm tired of trying to make up reasons for why Bumblebee's privy to Smokescreen's medical information and why he gets to be in here when no one else is. At least everyone will understand if they're conjunxed."
Her only response was to 'eep' softly and wiggle around a bit, her blanket slipping loose.
"Ahh, let's fix that, wouldn't want you to catch cold now would we?"
Gently, he set her down on the table in front of him and unwrapped her swaddling, which had clearly been rewrapped, albeit poorly, at some point since he'd first swaddled her. As the blanket unwrapped and the cooler air met her soft protoform she began to whimper, face scrunching up in discomfort.
"Just hold on a bit longer," he said gently, working as fast as he could. "There we go, much more comfortable now I'm sure."
Tiny blue optics peered up at him as she peeped softly.
"Well, so much for you sleeping while I worked," said Ratchet with a soft huff. He had been intending on updating the medical files, creating one proper for the sparkling and prepping more of the special med grade, as it seemed like the little one ate quite a bit and very frequently. He could still do that of course, he would just have to multitask and watch the sparkling as well.
Well he supposed it wouldn't be the first time he'd had to watch over a patient while working on other things. At least this time the patient was small enough to carry around without being in the way.
"Oh, Optimus I wish you were here," he said with a heavy, sad sigh. "Surely if there were records of this sort of thing you'd know of them."
Had there been sparklings born in the past, then the Hall of Records would have been the place to find information on them. Or there would have been records at one point, the place was destroyed and he doubted very much there were any functioning records left. But surely Optimus would have known if there had been, at the very least.
The only other place they could have gotten information, as he'd learned from Bumblebee, was Shockwave and his research notes. Unfortunately, both of these were missing. All of Shockwave's notes, at least anything of use to them, had been purged from the computers and they couldn't find hide nor bolt of him or his labs. And the few labs they had found were empty of anything of use in this case.
They really were trying to figure out this sparkling thing from scratch.
"Eeee?" The sparkling chirped at him softly, optics following him as he moved around, watching him, almost curiously.
"You certainly are Bumblebee's sparkling that's for sure," said Ratchet. She may have been nearly a tiny mirror to Smokescreen, but her face sure did resemble Bumblebee's. Especially her optics. "Well, I suppose I should get to work. We have a lot to do."
Working while looking after her couldn't be that difficult, right?
It was a few hours later when Smokescreen awoke, and promptly beelined right for the sparkling, who was in the middle of another meal.
At the sight and sound of Smokescreen however, she released the end of the pipette to look in his direction, beeping excitedly, furiously wiggling in Ratchet's servo, as if trying to wiggle her way to Smokescreen.
"E-easy there little one," said Ratchet, setting the pipette aside so he could ensure the sparkling didn't wiggle right out of his servo and onto the ground. The last thing he needed was to drop her.
"She knows who she wants," said Smokescreen, reaching for her. "Did you miss me?"
"You should still be resting, you haven't been in recharge nearly long enough given what you went through."
"I'm fine," said Smokescreen. "Now. May I have my sparkling back?"
Ratchet sighed heavily, shoulders falling. "Well, I suppose it will allow me to get more work done if you take over the feeding," he said, handing over both the sparkling and the energon.
As Smokescreen took her, the sparkling chirped and trilled happily, optics wide. His wings twitched happily as he snuggled her close. "I think someone did miss me," he said with a smile.
"While you feed her, I'll grab your vitals," said Ratchet, gesturing for him to sit down.
"My vitals? Why? I feel fine," he said.
"Smokescreen, you went through a frankly unprecedented medical procedure, I need to make sure there's no...side effects or unexpected complications," said Ratchet.
"Alright, alright," said Smokescreen with a sigh as he sat down. As Ratchet attached monitors to him, Smokescreen turned his attention back to the sparkling, who kept her little optics trained on him as she clamped down on the end of the pipette.
"I swear, you'd think she'd never have eaten in her life with how she goes," said Ratchet.
"Hopefully a healthy appetite is a good sign," said Smokescreen.
"I'd be more concerned if she was rejecting it. She's kept everything down so far, and her vitals look good."
Smokescreen smiled. "That's good. So she wasn't to much of a problem for you?"
Ratchet scoffed. "Puh-lease. Despite being a literal handful, I've had grown patients that were more of a handful to deal with. At least she can't go anywhere."
Smokescreen laughed softly before nuzzling the sparkling gently, who chirped happily. "Of course you were a good little sparkling for Ratchet."
"Well, everything seems to be in order," said Ratchet. "Sparkling and carrier seem to be in good health, all things considered."
"So, how long do you think we'll be confined here?" asked Smokescreen. "I mean, if we're both healthy and in good shape, we should be able to leave right?"
"I would like to monitor the two of you, just a bit longer to be sure," said Ratchet. "Besides, we'll need to have your habsuite retrofitted so you can look after her," he gestured to the sparkling. "And that's going to take a little bit of time." Smokescreen sighed, shoulders slumping slightly and Ratchet offered him a soft smile. "Buuut, once that's taken care of, you can probably be discharged. You certainly won't be confined as long as your first stint here."
Smokescreen perked up at that before looking back at the sparkling. "You hear that? Sounds like we shouldn't be here too long then."
She gurgled softly, energon dribbling down her chin as the pipette slipped out of her mouth. He felt his spark swell in his chest just looking at her. Oh, he couldn't wait to introduce her to the rest of the team.
Hopefully by then he would have a name for her.
Being the middle of the night meant that Smokescreen was the only one awake; Bee fast asleep, Knock Out back in his quarters and Ratchet having stepped out to give them some space. It was nice though, getting to spend time with his sparkling now that he didn't feel exhausted.
He paced around the room softly, holding her close to his chest. It still seemed amazing that he had made her, that she'd grown inside his spark chamber and now she was here. Honestly if anyone had ever told him that one day he'd grow a whole new life inside his body, he probably would have thought they were crazy.
She made tiny, soft contented beeps as she lay on his chest, taking in the warmth of his plates and the soft hum of his spark. While still lacking control over it, her EM field had finally calmed down, no longer lashing out and smacking into everyone around her but a warm haze of content around her instead.
"You really are amazing," he said as he sat down. "I hope you grow up big and strong, my little spark." He sat down on the edge of the berth, humming softly. It wasn't anything special, just a tune he'd heard on Earth.
She yawned softly, wiggling against him and for a moment Smokescreen felt something flicker in his spark.
"Artemis?" He rolled the name around his mouth as it popped into his processor, though from where it came he had no idea. "Is that your name, Artemis?"
She gave a soft, warbling beep and Smokescreen smiled.
"Artemis. My little spark, my Artemis."
Notes:
Her name is now officially revealed (in the fic at least, I mentioned it in the notes/on the art last time).
also, autoclave = a machine used for sanitizing and sterilizing scientific/medical equipment and stuff. So it means the metal rod is perfectly clean
i like 'little spark' and 'my little spark' as terms of endearment for sparklings
Chapter 30
Summary:
In which everyone is slowly introduced to the sparkling.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
If there was one bot that wasn't known for spinning tall tales, it was Ratchet. If he told you something, you could trust he wasn't lying.
Which was why Arcee could not understand what he was telling them. Because it sounded like the kind of far fetched scrap that Bumblebee or Smokescreen, or even the humans, might spin as some kind of joke.
It hadn't escaped her, or the rest of the Autobot's notice, that Smokescreen and Bumblebee had dipped from the festival early. And from asking around, it seemed like Smokescreen had been in immense distress as well.
Concerned, they'd tried to comm Ratchet for answers, till he shut off his comm link. So they tried Knock Out, but he seemed to be ignoring them.
For hours it remained like that, no one giving them answers on what in Primus' name was going on.
And the answers they did finally get, when Ratchet finally emerged from sick bay and turned his comm on to call them together, made even less sense. While he reassured them that Smokescreen was not dying, that would have made more sense than the apparent reality. According to him, Smokescreen had, to use a human term, given birth. For the last 9-ish months he had been growing a protoform inside his spark chamber. He swore to Primus, on all 13 Primes and Optimus himself, that this was the truth.
But it made no sense, they didn't give birth, they didn't grow protoforms inside their bodies. And yet, he swore it was true and had happened.
And the more he explained about how it worked and had happened, the more outlandish it seemed.
And they still couldn't see Smokescreen. They had seen Bumblebee exactly once, when he'd slipped out to the mess hall for some fuel, and he hadn't been overly forth coming, only repeating that Smokescreen was fine but he needed to go back. And then he was gone again.
"I don't like it Bulk," said Arcee, dragging a finger round the rim of her glass. "I trust Ratchet, I do, but this, this sounds out there, even for him. He won't even let us see them!"
"Relax 'Cee. I'm sure it's fine," said Bulkhead. "I know it's weird but, if that's what he says is happening, we gotta believe him." He threw back his cube of Energon with a big gulp and sigh. "Besides, it does explain a few things bout the kid. Like why he's been on the med grade for so long."
"And why he made so many trips to the med bay," added Wheeljack.
She sighed and leaned back in her seat, the lot of them had congregated in the mess hall that morning, after once again being turned away from the med bay. "I guess I'm just worried. We've all been through so much, I don't want anything to happen to them. I don't want to lose anyone else."
"What do you think a sparkling even looks like?" asked Bulkhead.
"Like us but, small?" suggested Arcee, making a shrinking motion with her hands. "What I can't figure out is how did they hide this from us for nine months? They're not that good at keeping secrets."
"I mean, they did hide a whole relationship from us for months," said Bulkhead. "I think they're better at it than we give them credit for."
"But, why hide it? Surely this is something we should know isn't it?"
Bulkhead simply shrugged. "What do you think Jazz?"
"I think the whole world's gone crazy when I wasn't lookin'," he said with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.
It was another full cycle before Ratchet pinged them saying that if they wanted to go in and visit Smokescreen and his sparkling, they could, as they were now up for visitors.
Within minutes, Arcee, Bulkhead and Jazz were all gathered at the doors to the sick bay, waiting for Ratchet to let them in.
"Now, I'm going to ask you to try and keep quiet," said Ratchet as he opened the doors and led them in. "The little one is sensitive to loud noises."
Despite having been in the med bay before, this time, as they followed Ratchet in through the double doors, it just felt different. With everyone inside, Ratchet departed to get some rest.
The first thing they noticed was that Smokescreen and Bumblebee were up and about, talking quietly as Smokescreen wandered around the room carrying something in his arms.
"Oh, guys! You're here!" he said, optics brightening at the sight of them.
"Smokescreen!" said Arcee. "Are you alright? Ratchet told us what was going on but it didn't...make...sense..." she trailed off as the bundle in his arms chirped softly and a tiny, tiny arm reached out from the cloth folds. "Uh."
"Oh!" Smokescreen smiled as he sat down, carefully lowering his arms so they could see what he was holding. And what he was holding was the smallest protoform that Arcee had ever seen. Bright blue optics that looked suspiciously like Bumblebee's looked back at her, growing and shrinking with curiosity.
"This is Artemis," said Smokescreen. "She's, well I'm sure Ratchet already told you about her and what she is."
"Wow, she really is tiny," said Bulkhead, leaning over Arcee to look at the sparkling.
"And this was...growing, inside you? Fer the last nine months?" asked Jazz.
"Basically," said Smokescreen.
"I almost can't believe it."
Smokescreen laughed softly. "How do you think I feel? I'm the one that got the news dropped on him that he was, somehow, growing a new life in his spark chamber."
"Weren't you scared?" asked Arcee.
"Positively terrified. But, after we found out that it was alive, I-I wanted to see it through." He smiled as he looked down at Artemis, the sparkling babbling away with nonsense chirping noises. "I'm glad I did."
"Wait, are you telling me, that you were, uh, carrying this, when you joined us for demolition duty?" asked Bulkhead.
"Uh, yeah," admitted Smokescreen, a somewhat guilty look on his face.
"Isn't that like, dangerous?"
"Ratchet cleared me to do it! Besides, why do you think I took the Phase Shifter with me? That was the only way he would let me go. Can't get hurt if nothing can hit me."
Bulkhead sighed, rubbing his brow.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" asked Arcee. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Smokescreen sighed. "I didn't know what was going to happen. This was all so new, for all of us. I didn't want to be treated differently. And because we didn't know what would happen, or if this would even work, I didn't want anyone else to know, in case something did go wrong."
"So, who all actually did know?" asked Jazz. "Jus' you, Bee and Ratchet?"
"And Knock Out," added Bumblebee.
"Knock Out knew? And he managed not to say anything?" asked Arcee, cocking an eyebrow.
"Of course I knew, who do you think told Ratchet about it?"
All optics suddenly shifted past Bumblebee and Smokescreen to the table Knock Out was working at, having apparently just noticed him.
"Yes, I'm here, hello," he said with a wave.
"He's right," said Smokescreen. "He's the one that discovered the second spark and got Ratchet back here."
"And, it might surprise you to know, when it comes to things of a medical nature I do know how to keep things confidential. I'm not about spreading other bot's medical information around." He strode over and handed something to Bumblebee, the whatever it was he'd been mixing up. "Here you go, prepared exactly the way Ratchet showed me."
"Oh, thank you."
"What is it?" asked Bulkhead.
"Food, for her," said Bumblebee. "All she really does at the moment is eat and sleep. And well, she's not sleeping."
Arcee watched as Smokescreen shifted his hold on the sparkling while Bumblebee set about using a small pipette to drip feed her the Energon mixture. They were so gentle and attentive. Which she knew they could be, they'd handled the humans just fine. But this just seemed different somehow. It seemed so strange to think that this was the same reckless Smokescreen that had emerged from that escape pod, or that Bumblebee was the same wild child scout she'd grown to know and fought beside for all those years.
If anyone had told her that Smokescreen and Bumblebee were going to be left in charge of, what basically amounted to, in human terms, a baby, she would have thought they were crazy and that was the worst idea ever, they couldn't possibly be responsible enough for that. And yet...
"You gotta admit," said Bulkhead. "It is really cute."
"I know right?" Smokescreen's wings wiggled happily as he looked at Bulkhead. "I wonder what we would have looked like if we'd been sparklings."
"I can tell you what Bulkhead would have looked like," said Bumblebee and several faces turned to look at him. "A bowling ball." He made a round shape with his servos. "You would have been so round."
Jazz stifled a laugh behind a servo, and Arcee did laugh, making no attempt to hide it. He was right, if Bulkhead was round in shape now, a much smaller, younger form of him would probably be round like a bowling ball. Which, frankly, she had to admit, was a very amusing mental image to conjure up.
"Well, you'd probably look like-like an earth-grub," said Bulkhead, pointing at Bumblebee.
Soft laughter filled the room as they chatted, Bumblebee feeding the sparkling while Smokescreen gently rocked and soothed her back to sleep once she was done.
Eventually the small group departed and sometime later Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus filtered on in, Wheeljack more to see this mysterious sparkling he'd heard about while Ultra Magnus wanted to check in on his men.
Much like the first group, they too were amazed by Artemis, who by that point was sleeping soundly in her makeshift cot.
Ratchet had already informed Ultra Magnus that, due to obvious, new circumstances, both Bumblebee and Smokescreen would be off duty for a bit. At the very least until such time that Artemis actually slept through the night and her care wasn't nearly as intensive. As it was, while sleeping in shifts worked for taking care of her so they could rest, it was not at all conducive for working.
Despite how grumpy he seemed about the situation, he did seem to soften just a little bit when he saw Artemis. At least, Smokescreen swore he saw the normally strict bot's face and optics begin to soften when he looked at her.
Ratchet did eventually arrive to relieve Knock Out, who seemed quite ready to take off, citing something about 'peace and quiet at last'.
Except, he didn't go to his quarters. At least he didn't stay there, grabbing a flask of Engex from where he'd stored it before going to find somewhere quiet to drink and think.
The arrival of the sparkling had really shifted the mood around the hospital as word travelled like cosmic rust. So many bots wanted to know what it was, what it looked like, how did it come to be, all of that. He didn't blame them of course, this was new and basically unheard of, of course they were interested. So far the only ones who'd been in to see her and her creators had been their friends and, bit by bit, any bots that were assisting him or Ratchet, as there was no sense to keeping them in the dark any longer.
Which was fine, except for the fact that he couldn't seem to escape hearing about her or being asked about it.
He took a swig from the flask with a sigh and shudder. He didn't hate the sparkling, she was a sweet little thing, for something that did little more than eat, sleep and beep frequently. But the sight of her, and her with Smokescreen and Bumblebee, it made his spark twist up in uncomfortable ways, ways he couldn't quite place a finger on.
Jealousy? Envy? He shook his head, no that couldn't possibly be right. He'd seen how tired Smokescreen and Bumblebee were already, and his audial receptors had suffered through Artemis' wails and shrieks, and he was NOT jealous of that. And yet...
"Breakdown, I bet we would have produced the cutest sparklings," he said before sitting down on a ledge with a groan and huff. "Especially with my looks."
"Are you talking to yourself?"
Knock Out jumped, very nearly at least, spinning around at the sound of a voice, optics landing on... "Oh, it's just you," he said.
"Gee, contain your enthusiasm," said Bulkhead, rolling his optics.
"And no I wasn't talking to myself," scoffed Knock Out as he turned back. "I was...thinking out loud."
"Right."
For a moment there was silence, followed by a heavy thunk and groan and Bulkhead sat down beside him.
"What are you doing?"
"Sitting. I thought that was obvious."
"Hmm." Well, whatever, it wasn't like he'd claimed the area or anything. He turned his attention back to the flask and took another swig.
"Should you even be drinking that?" asked Bulkhead. "Given your job and all?"
"I am off shift till tomorrow I'll have you know," said Knock Out, very matter of factly. "What I do in my own time is my business. And you aren't my boss."
"And in the morning?"
"I'm not on morning shift. If I'm hungover, that's a problem for future Knock Out now isn't it? I'll be fine before my shift, if that's what you're concerned about. I do have some degree of professionalism I'll have you know." He paused a moment. "Besides, that's what Pulse is for."
They lapsed into silence as they sat there, Bulkhead tapping his fingers on his knees, as if trying to think of something, anything to say.
"You know. For what it's worth, I miss him too."
Knock Out tightened his grip on the bottle, a vent hitching in the process. "I suppose...you did have a history with him, didn't you?"
"More than anyone else on the team at least," said Bulkhead. "We fought a lot."
"So he liked to tell me."
"Nothing good I assume."
Knock Out laughed. "Oh no, it was all about him kicking your aft."
"Sounds about right."
Knock Out stared at the bottle for a moment before holding it out to Bulkhead wordlessly.
"Uh..."
"Hurry up before I change my mind on this generous offer. I won't last long."
Knock Out smirked as Bulkhead swiped the flask from his servo and took a quick swig of it before handing it back.
Knock Out leaned back with a heavy vent, turning his face skywards. "Slag that vile wretch Airachnid. If she shows her sorry faceplates around me I'll make sure she ends up on my lab table. See how she likes to be disassembled." His servos shook as he spoke, vents puffing in frustration.
Bulkhead tilted his head curiously, looking over at Knock Out. "What did she do to get on your bad side?"
"She disassembled my conjunx like a piece of scrap! And then left him for M.E.C.H. to scavenge." Bulkhead's optics widened in shock and Knock Out cocked an eyebrow. "What, are you telling me you didn't know what happened to Breakdown?"
"No? Why would I? I thought that M.E.C.H. got him, I didn't know about...all of that."
"He wasn't so foolish as to get caught twice," scoffed Knock Out. "Unfortunately, he was foolish enough to try and take on Airachnid alone, without his backup. Far to eager to throw servos with someone."
"Don't I know it," said Bulkhead. "He was always trying to cave my faceplates in."
Knock Out laughed. "You always were his favourite to fight. Said you always put up a good one and gave as good as you got." He released a shuddery sigh, optics softening. "I wonder...if he were still here, what things would be like. Would you two manage to...to get along? I mean, you can beat each other's face plates in without trying to slag each other."
Bulkhead shifted awkwardly in his seat. "I...don't know. We had a...spotty history. Might have been hard."
Knock Out sighed, leaning back on his servos. "Hmm. Maybe. I suppose it's moot point, not like we'll ever know now." His voice ached as he spoke.
Bulkhead's optics softened slightly. "No, guess not." He glanced over at Knock Out, who was downing the last of the Engex. "Still though, even if he was around I can't imagine you with a sparkling."
Knock Out wheezed, nearly inhaling his drink in the process and began coughing and venting furiously. "WHAT?"
"I heard you earlier. I really couldn't see you or Breakdown with a sparkling. I mean, you obviously have to be gentle with them."
"Hey! Breakdown could be plenty gentle when he needed to be."
Bulkhead scoffed, "Him, gentle? Yeah right, and I'm a Seeker."
"I'll have you know that Breakdown was an absolute maestro with a rotary buffer. No one could get my plates as shiny and polished as he could. And he could get into all the places I couldn't reach!" Knock Out folded his arms over his chest as he spoke, the wheels on his back spinning involuntarily as he waxed poetic about Breakdown. How could anyone dare to think his beloved Breakdown wasn't gentle? "Really, Breakdown was just a big, gentle giant once you go to know him."
"There is no way we're talking about the same bot," said Bulkhead. "I mean Breakdown, the same one that pounded me into the dirt, that Breakdown, gentle?"
"Yes. He just didn't need to be gentle with you," said Knock Out with a nod. "But, not like it matters anyways." After all, the option to have sparklings with Breakdown had been snatched away from him before he'd ever even known it was an option. With a sigh he tilted the flask upside down, watching as absolutely nothing fell out before stuffing it away in his subspace. Then, with a groan he just, fell back on the ground, staring up at the sky.
"Uhhhh, Knock Out?"
"What?"
"Oh. You're still conscious, ok."
Not that he stayed that way for long, as the next time Bulkhead looked over, his optics were offline and he was clearly passed out or sleeping. He sighed heavily, he could leave Knock Out there, and it would be his own fault too. But he probably shouldn't.
Carefully, he picked up the passed out medic and slung him over his shoulder, sure it may be future Knock Out's problem, but right now it was present Bulkhead's problem.
He hauled the medic back to the hospital ship, ultimately dumping him off in an unused room to sleep it off and hopefully not be too hungover later.
Elsewhere in the hospital, another problem was brewing.
Sideswipe was pacing around a common area, chewing on the ends of his fingers anxiously, his processor racing. He'd SEEN Smokescreen be escorted away from the festival in distress. And after that, nothing. And that had been several cycles ago.
And worse still, he hadn't been able to find Bumblebee either. Which only served to prove his point, Smokescreen was dying, or worse, dead, and Bumblebee was off grieving.
Strongarm didn't agree, insisting that couldn't be the case, though even she was beginning to sound like she didn't fully believe what she was saying.
Which was the sight that greeted Bumblebee's optics when Strongarm dragged him through the halls and into the room, having finally managed to track him down.
"Please, you need to do something, he's been freaking out for cycles and I can't get him to stop," she said.
He looked like a complete nervous wreck. His fingers showed clear signs of being chewed on for a while and he was shaking all over, optics daring around and Bumblebee really didn't like he way his venting sounded
"What is going on?" he asked.
"Bumblebee!" Catching sight of him, Sideswipe ceased pacing and bolted to his side, throwing his arms around the yellow mech's middle very abruptly.
"Sideswipe what-?"
"I'm so sorry Bumblebee!"
"What?" he looked from Sideswipe then to Strongarm, silently begging for answers.
Strongarm sighed. "He...seems to think that Smokescreen is either dying or dead," she said. "He's...he's not dying right? Or dead?" Her voice softened slightly as she spoke, clearly also worried.
"What? How in the Primes did you come to that conclusion? No, Smokescreen isn't dead or dying. He's quite alive. Ratchet even gave him a clean bill of health."
"But-but but, I saw him leaving the festival and he looked really bad. And he's been sicker and sicker recently and-and-"
"Sideswipe!" Bumblebee clapped his servos on the young bot's shoulder. "Sit down and just, take a deep vent or two, please."
Sideswipe stumbled back, dropping onto a seat as he looked up at Bumblebee, servos on his knees.
"Just, vent. In and out ok? In and out."
Sideswipe shuddered, his whole frame shaking, but he followed Bumblebee's instructions, drawing long, deep vents.
"Ok, good. Now. Smokescreen isn't dead. Or dying. He's perfectly fine, I just talked with him a few minutes ago, I promise. Like I said, Ratchet's even given him a clean bill of health."
"But...then what's going on?" asked Strongarm. "This is the first time either of us have seen either of you since then."
Bumblebee sighed, given that he was going to be taking time off, they were bound to learn sooner or later what was going on.
"I think it'll be easier to show you first, then explain everything," he said. "Come on." He gestured for them to follow him, Sideswipe slowly lifting himself from his seat, still shaking and wringing his servos together anxiously.
As they walked through the halls he commed Smokescreen to let him know he was bringing back some guests to visit.
They came to a stop out front of the med bay doors and Bumblebee turned to face the younger bots. "So, before we go in, I need you to promise that you'll keep your voices down. No loud noises or sudden movements, alright?" They both nodded in agreement and Bumblebee turned back to the door, placing a servo on the panel to open it. "Good, now come on. There's someone I want you to meet."
The pair exchanged a confused look but followed him through the doors and into the room.
Smokescreen was pacing about the room slowly, Artemis held close to his chest as soft music chimed out, something he'd gotten from Ratchet earlier. The sparkling was fast asleep, snuggled close to him.
He stopped walking when he noticed Bumblebee and his face lit up. "You're back, and with guests."
"I did warn you I was bringing them back," said Bumblebee. "How is she?"
"Fast asleep. I don't know if it's me or the music Ratchet found that she likes."
"Um, sir, who are you talking about?" asked Strongarm.
Bumblebee smiled and gestured for Smokescreen to sit down before indicating for the pair to come closer. "We may not have been entirely truthful about the nature of Smokescreen's condition," he said. "He IS recovering from his coma yes, but, well there was more going on. This," he indicated to Artemis, scrunched up and curled against Smokescreen's chest. "Is Artemis. She's, well Ratchet called her a sparkling."
"What's a sparkling?" asked Sideswipe, lifting himself up on his pedes to look over Strongarm's shoulder.
"She looks, kind of like a protoform," said Strongarm. "But, much smaller."
"She sort of is," said Bee.
"Except instead of being created the normal way she, grew inside me," said Smokescreen.
Strongarm and Sideswipe just, stared at him, optics flicking between the sleeping sparkling and Smokescreen.
"What?"
"How?"
Gesturing for them to sit, Bumblebee did his best to explain what Ratchet had explained to them, or at least the bare basics, that in the right circumstances the merging of two sparks could result in a new spark being made.
Sideswipe tilted his head curiously as he looked at Artemis, then to Smokescreen. "So...so all the doctor visits..."
Smokescreen nodded. "They were checking up on her. As best as Ratchet can tell, there haven't been any sparklings born since before the war, so we didn't really have much information to work with, still don't. Whatever we did must have worked though, because Ratchet says she's just fine."
"What about when you left the festival?" asked Sideswipe. "You looked, well, really bad."
Smokescreen laughed softly, frame shaking and jostling Artemis slightly, though she didn't waken. "Well, someone decided that this would be he prefect time to emerge," he said. "I suppose she couldn't wait any longer. Or she thought we needed something a bit more cheerful to break the mood, who knows. I promise, I'm much better now."
"So you're...not dying?" asked Sideswipe.
"I am not, I promise."
Sideswipe visibly relaxed, his posture loosening up and his optics brightening. "That means you'll be coming back on patrols right?"
Now it was Smokescreen and Bumblebee's turn to wilt a little.
"I don't know Sideswipe. Maybe eventually but, for the moment, she's my priority. Maybe, once she's older and I can leave her with someone else to care for her. But...I honestly don't know," said Smokescreen.
"And, I hate to say it, but I'm going to be out for a little bit too," said Bumblebee, rubbing the back of his head.
"What? Why?"
He looked towards Smokescreen and Artemis. "Smokescreen needs my help to look after her. At the moment she requires a lot of care. More than he can handle alone."
"But, what about us?" asked Strongarm with a frown. "What does that mean for us? We can't patrol without you."
"I spoke with Ultra Magnus about that," said Bumblebee. "You two are going to be, temporarily reassigned to someone else, just while I'm on leave."
Sideswipe's face twisted into some mix of horror, confusion and hurt. "I don't want to be reassigned to someone else."
Bumblebee reached out for his hand, to reassure him that it was only temporary, but Sideswipe pulled his hand back, drawing away from him. Then, before Bumblebee could say anything, he stood up and stormed out of the room.
"Sideswipe wait-" but he was gone, the door swooshing shut behind him, muffling the sound of his stomping pede falls as they headed down the hall. Bumblebee groaned, sinking his head into his hands, he'd really fragged it up now.
"Why don't I try talking to him?" asked Smokescreen as he stood up. "He might listen to me."
"Sure. Whatever," he mumbled, putting his head in his hands. Smokescreen sure couldn't make it worse could he?
He listened as Smokescreen made his way towards the doors, the swoosh of the doors as they opened and closed, the silence that lingered.
Strongarm as quietly, tapping her fingers together as her optics darted around the room. "Um, sir?"
"I'm sorry Strongarm. I swear it is only temporary. I-I don't know how long, maybe a few weeks or months, it all depends, but I will be coming back."
"I-I'm sure but um. Sir?"
"What?"
"I was going to ask, is...is it ok that he left the room with the sparkling?"
Oh scrap.
Notes:
Ever since I decided on the sparkling route, I always knew that I wanted her reveal to the rest of the team was going to be Smokescreen and Bee basically turning up with a newborn sparkling and going 'look what we made :D'. I thought it would be the funniest possible way for the rest of them to learn about sparklings.
I promise I'm not always putting Knock Out through it. He's just, having the realization that is is a future he could have had with Breakdown, but now never can b/c it was taken from him before he ever knew it was a possibility.
Chapter 31
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Smokescreen looked up and down the halls, optics scanning the area as he searched for Sideswipe. The kid had left on foot, and he hadn't heard the sound of spinning wheels or a rumbling engine, so he couldn't have gotten too far yet.
A flash of red whipped down a corridor and he started off after it. He couldn't leave things like this, didn't want to see him upset like that.
"Sideswipe!" He charged after him, following him around corners till he came to a stop, Sideswipe sitting on the floor, back against the wall, knees drawn tightly to his chest like he was trying to hide. His frame was shaking slightly and Smokescreen felt his spark twist painfully at the sight.
"Sideswipe?"
"Go away," he sniffled.
Gingerly he knelt down in front of him, reaching a hand out gently, placing it on his shoulder. "Come on Sideswipe."
He kept his head bowed, hidden behind his arms. "I don't wanna be reassigned. You guys are like...cool...or whatever. And you actually seem to like me and stuff." He paused, shifting slightly. "Don't tell Strongarm I said that though."
Smokescreen smiled, "Don't worry, I won't. And you know, I think you'll like the guy who's taking over Bee's job. He's pretty cool too."
"How would you know?"
"Because I was there when Bee discussed things with Ultra Magnus. He specifically requested the bot that's taking over his job. And I know him. He is pretty cool, at least Bee thinks so. So I'm sure you'll get along with him."
Sideswipe sniffled, lifting his head slightly. "Are y–" he stopped, trailing off as his optics moved down from Smokescreen's face and just sort of, stared.
"Sideswipe?" Smokescreen frowned, casting him a curious look.
Slowly, and wordlessly, Sideswipe lifted an arm and pointed towards Smokescreen's chest. Smokescreen's optics drifted down to where he was pointing and he froze.
Oh.
In his haste to find Sideswipe he'd sort of acted on auto pilot, he'd just up and left to find him. He'd been so focused he hadn't even realized that had hadn't left Artemis with Bee, or set her in her little cot. He was so focused on finding Sideswipe that he had left the medbay, still carrying her to his chest.
Miraculously, she was still asleep, the noise and movement apparently not disruptive enough for her, the sparkling beeping away softly as she clutched at his chest plate.
"Ohhh. Bee and Ratchet are gonna have my hide. Ratchet hasn't let me take her outside yet."
"I can't believe she's still asleep," said Sideswipe. "And Bee warned us to be quiet."
"Yeah, she only ever sleeps a few hours at a time so we want her to stay asleep once we get her asleep. Looks like she might be a heavier sleeper than we gave her credit for." He sighed, shoulders falling back as he looked at the ceiling. "Still. Oh man. I'm in trouble now."
"Better you than me."
"We should probably get back," said Smokescreen. "Because Bee is going to notice his sparkling isn't there and he is going to come looking."
"I don't wanna. I don't wanna see him."
"He won't be mad at you, if that's what you're worried about," said Smokescreen, placing a comforting servo on his shoulder. "He might however, be mad at me."
"Why aren't you supposed to take her out?" asked Sideswipe, slowly standing up as Smokescreen did. "I mean, it doesn't look like she can go anywhere without you anyways."
"Ratchet wants to take it slow, limit how many people she's around for the time being," said Smokescreen.
Sideswipe looked to Artemis, the tiny sparkling sleeping soundly against her carrier's chassis. "She really does need a lot of care, doesn't she?"
"Oh yeah. Even though it's just sleeping and fuelling right now, it's a lot." He placed a servo on Sideswipe's head gently. "Kid, we're not going anywhere, ok? We might not be on patrols but we're not leaving the planet or anything, we'll be around if you want to visit."
"It's not the same," he mumbled, rubbing his arm as he spoke.
"Yeah I know."
Sideswipe followed him in relative silence, twisting his servos together, looking and feeling very small.
Smokescreen sighed, he didn't want the young bot to be upset, they weren't leaving him, they'd still be around.
It hadn't escaped his notice that Sideswipe was, in a word, clingy, that he really didn't like it when bots around him left. When he'd mentioned taking a step back from patrols months ago, it had really upset Sideswipe, so he should have known he wouldn't take it well hearing that Bee was also going to take time off. Not that he expected Sideswipe to actually admit any of this if he were to be confronted about it.
Artemis wiggled slightly, burying herself further under his servo with a sleepy 'eep' noise and Smokescreen smile softly. At least she seemed woefully oblivious to everything around her, that was good he supposed.
Bee met them on the way back to the room, servos on hips as he glared up at Smokescreen.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I swear I didn't mean to make off with her. I just...forgot."
Bee sighed, shaking his head before holding his servos out. "Maybe I should take her for a bit. Give you a break."
Smokescreen made a distressed noise, optics flickering to Artemis, then to Bee, still waiting expectantly.
"Smokescreen, I'm waiting."
"Fine fine," he said. With a shudder he reluctantly handed her over to Bee. He knew she was safe there, with her sire. There wasn't any reason to be so worried or upset about handing her off, and yet his spark seemed to ache the moment she wasn't held close to it.
Artemis, for her part, barely reacted. She made a soft 'meep' noise, wiggling slightly as she was placed into Bee's servos.
"I can't believe you're still asleep," he said, jostling her gently as he held her. He then turned his attention to Sideswipe, still hanging back behind Smokescreen, kicking at the floor quietly. "And you. If you had stayed around a little bit longer, you would have heard me tell you that Jazz is taking over my job."
"J-Jazz?"
"Yeah, you remember him, we've run into him on patrol before," said Bee. "He'll be taking over my patrols for a bit. I'm sure you'll get along just fine. He's certainly not going to be anything like Ultra Magnus, if that's what you're worried about."
This seemed to assuage Sideswipe's fear a bit, the young bot visibly relaxing beside Smokescreen as they walked.
"Besides, it's not like I'm dying or going off planet or something. I'll still be around, you can still find me when you're off patrol. I'm not going anywhere."
He swiped the door to the med bay open with his free hand and strode inside, taking Artemis to her tiny cot, gently setting her down, wrapping her blanket around her lightly. She whimpered softly, wigging around as she rolled onto her side, tiny servos clenching into little fists.
"There we go, now we don't have to worry about you getting lost," he said.
"I wasn't going to lose her," said Smokescreen, following him through the room. "What do you think I'm going to do, set her down somewhere and forget?" He hadn't even wanted to hand her over as it was, there was no way he'd just leave her somewhere. Right now all he wanted was to be close to her.
"So, we're going on patrols with Jazz?" asked Strongarm. "And-and we can, come see you when we're free?"
Bee nodded, "I have no problem with that, Smokescreen?"
"Sure, just drop us a line first maybe?" Last thing he wanted was someone dropping by while he was recharging after being up all night.
While Sideswipe didn't say anything, he did seem to brighten up, a small smile cracking across his face as he shifted back and forth on his pedes, and action that didn't go unnoticed by Smokescreen.
Hopefully this would smooth things over and he wouldn't be as upset with things.
...
True to his word, Ratchet had their berthroom cleaned and retrofitted for looking after the sparkling, her cot and warming pads moved in there, along with a surplus supply of pipettes ('so you don't have to reuse them' he'd said) along with a supply of her Energon mixture. On top of that, he also made sure to show the two of them how to properly mix it up so they could prepare her fuel themselves rather than needing to seek him out every single time.
So, a couple days after her arrival, once Smokescreen and Bumblebee had time alone to bond with Artemis and relax, and had introduced her to their friends, and her outer plating had begun to firm up, they were finally given a clean bill of health and released from the med bay, free to go back to their berth room.
Smokescreen hummed thoughtfully as he looked at Artemis, gently poking her belly with the tip of a digit. The three of them were laying on the berth, Artemis laying on her blanket, between her creators. She beeped softly as Smokescreen pressed on her belly, not a beep of discomfort or annoyance, it was a beep that sounded more like a giggle than anything.
She wasn't as squishy as she had been when she'd been born, her plating having begun to harden and firm up, but it was still soft compared to theirs. and Smokescreen couldn't help but to give her a light, gentle poke.
"Shanix for your thoughts there?" asked Bee, leaning his cheek on his servo. "You've been awful quiet."
"Mmmm. It's just, I'm still wrapping my processor around it all. You'd think I'd have stopped by now but, it's just, look at her. She's so tiny, and real! We-wewewe made her! When we came back to Cybertron, I certainly never expected that this is what I'd be dealing with. Ever." He relaxed his hand and she grabbed at a finger, tiny digits wrapping tightly around the very tip of it. "She's amazing Bee."
"Yeah, she is isn't she?"
"I certainly never imagined my future would hold this," he said. "But you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world." He stroked Artemis' tiny cheek with a finger, "I wouldn't trade her for anything." He turned his gaze to Bee, who was watching their wiggling, chirping sparkling. "Bee?"
"Hmm?"
"If...if you had known that sharing your spark to save me, would have resulted in this, would you have still gone through with it?" he asked. "Even if you didn't know how it would turn out?"
Bee was quiet a moment before reached over and placing his servo on Smokescreen's, Artemis still clinging tightly to it. "I don't think you understand just how desperate I was Smoke. I would have done anything to see you again. Maybe it's screwed up say, but yes, even if I had known what would happen to you, what I'd be doing to you, I'd probably have still gone through with it." He looked away as he spoke, shame dripping from his voice. "Scrap, if Shockwave himself had walked through the doors and said he knew a way to save you...I don't know if I would have turned him down." He took Smokescreen's servo in his, turning it palm up and pressing a kiss to the center of it. "I love you Smoke, I love you so much. If I had to make that choice, even knowing the outcome, I'd make it a hundred times over, because I'd still get to see you again."
"Oh Bee..."
"I'm sorry. I must sound really fragged up, saying stuff like that," he mumbled. "But it's true."
"You know, I'm glad you made the choice," said Smokescreen. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. And we wouldn't have this wonderful, little miracle of ours." He wanted to reach for Bee, but Artemis still had a veritable death grip on his little finger and he was sure she would start complaining should he make her let go, and he really didn't want to deal with that. "I know this is probably really fast, most bots probably have a much longer courtship before doing his but...Bee, I want you to be my conjunx."
"Smokescreen..."
"I-I know it's fast but, but really what reason do we have to wait? For Prime's sake, you hold my spark and we've literally made a new life together. I know it's not the most romantic way or place to propose but, I don't want to put it off any longer. You once said that you would like to become my conjunx if that's where I wanted to take our relationship. And I do. Conjunx me Bee."
Bee opened his mouth to speak but stopped as tiny whines filled the air, Artemis beeping and chirping softly.
"Weh, weh." She gripped Smokescreen's finger tightly, wiggling around as she tried to look at both of them, looking back and forth.
"Hmm. Seems someone else has some opinions on the matter," said Bee with a laugh. "Is someone upset that we're not talking about her right now?" he asked, giving her belly a light, playful poke. "Is that it? You want us to pay attention to you instead?"
"Meep!" She kicked her tiny legs, flailing her arms around with a happy, burbling noise.
Bee smiled before looking back to Smokescreen. "Smokescreen, I would be honoured to be your conjunx."
"You hear that Artemis? He's going to be my conjunx now. Now we're really a-a family."
She tugged on his finger, shaking it back and forth as she grabbed another finger with her other tiny servo.
"Which is good," continued Smokescreen. "Because then we can figure out, all of this, together. Cause I have, no idea what to do really."
"Family..." Bee seemed to muse over the word as he looked at Artemis, gently stroking her cheek with a back of a finger. "Hey, Smokescreen..."
"What is it?"
"When she's a bit older, a bit bigger at least, I-I want to introduce her to Raf," he said. "He's-he's family too, so he deserves to meet the rest of my family. And you know, tell him about us. Because we probably should."
"Take her to Earth?" His fingers slipping out of her tiny servos, Smokescreen carefully scooped Artemis up in his hand, pulling her close to his face as he touched his helm to hers, his spark thrumming happily at the closeness. "We are certainly overdue for a trip there aren't we?"
Despite their promises, they really hadn't had the time to go, and Earth-side they lacked the appropriate safety equipment for all of the kids to come to them.
"We could make it a group trip," he said, lifting his optics to look at Bee. "I'm sure Arcee and Bulk would like to visit as well. Introduce Artemis to everyone at once."
Bee smiled, reaching across, reaching gently for Artemis, the back of his fingers drifting over her plates. "I like the sound of that. Everyone together again, just like before." A twist of sadness crossed his face as he quietly added, "Almost."
"I know Bee. I miss him too."
"I wish he could have met her. I bet Optimus would have loved sparklings."
"Can you imagine Optimus holding Artemis? She would look so tiny in his servos," said Smokescreen with a soft laugh. "She looks small in mine but in his, she'd have been so tiny."
Bee laughed softly, a few tears trickling from the corner of his optics. "Yeah." A vent hitched in his throat as tears began to roll forth. "I just...I just wish he could have met her Smokescreen. I wish he could have been there to see me graduate to warrior. I wish I could tell him that I'm going to be conjunxed." He began to cry, voice cracking as he spoke and optical fluid puddling under his cheek.
Gingerly, Smokescreen scooped up Artemis and moved her to the bedside cot before scooping Bee up in his arms, pulling him to his chest. one arm wrapped around his middle, along his lower back, while the other wrapped around his shoulders, servo resting on the back of his helm.
"He never even got...to hear me speak again...with my own voice." Bee wrapped his arms around him, gripping him tightly as he buried his face into Smokescreen's chest. "I always thought...always hoped...he'd get to hear my voice again someday."
"I'm sorry."
Bee sobbed, his whole frame shaking, fingers digging into the seams of Smokescreen's body as he held him.
"I miss him, I miss him Smokescreen. There's so much I want to tell him, to show him, and I never can and it hurts."
"I know...I know..."
Bee always had seemed like he was the closest with Optimus, aside from Ratchet of course. And he had said that he'd known Optimus nearly his whole life, so it made sense. Idly he wondered if Optimus ever saw Bee like a sparkling, like his own sparkling. Would Optimus have ever had sparklings if he'd had the option? Surely he at least had to have known what they were.
"You know, back on Earth, sometimes I would visit where we buried him, just to talk," said Smokescreen softly. "I dunno if he could hear me, but it felt like it helped. Maybe you can't tell him all this in person but, maybe it would help you too?" Bee shuddered and sobbed and Smokescreen rubbed the back of his helm gently. "Maybe we could take Artemis there some day, so she can meet him. And you can tell her stories about him, I'm sure you have lots of them. More than I do that's for sure."
"M-maybe," he sniffed, unwinding an arm to wipe at his face. "Do you, really think it would help?"
Smokescreen shrugged, "It couldn't hurt at least." He pressed a kiss to Bee's forehead gently. "And I'm sure, wherever he is, I'm sure he knows, and he's proud of you."
"I hope so. He means-meant, so much to me Smokescreen. I thought he'd always be in my life. I never thought he'd be gone so soon."
"I don't think any of us thought he would leave us so soon," said Smokescreen. He pressed his optics shut as he leaned against Bee. "I'm sorry. Maybe if I had been stronger, or faster, maybe he'd still be here."
"Oh Smokescreen. It's not your fault, it was never your fault," said Bee. "Please, stop blaming yourself. I don't blame you for what happened, no one does." He nuzzled against Smokescreen's chest as he spoke.
"I know, it's just...I feel like I should. And every time someone talks about him and how much they miss him, it makes me feel like I should have been able to do more, like it's my fault. Because I'm here, and he isn't."
"You did everything you could, I'm sure of it. I know how much you looked up to him, you wouldn't have let him die if you could have saved him." Bee tilted his head up, nuzzling under his chin. "Yes, I miss him, I miss him so much. But please, never think I'm upset with you for what happened."
"Do you think it'll ever stop hurting?" asked Smokescreen.
"I dunno," said Bee. "Probably not. At least not for a long, long time."
Smokescreen shuddered, wings shaking and Bee leaned into him, still trembling himself as he held Smokescreen. "I promise, you'll always have us. Me, Artemis, you'll always have us, no matter what."
"And I'm glad for that," said Bee with a small smile. "And, now I get to tell everyone that I'm going to be conjunxed." He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to the edge of Smokescreen's jaw. "And to a most wonderful conjunx at that."
"That's what I should be saying," replied Smokescreen, dragging a servo along Bee's cheek. "My Bumblebee, my conjunx."
A shrill chirping noise cut through the air and Smokescreen laughed. "However, it seems, love, someone else demands my attention."
"Well, it should be about feeding time," said Bee.
While Artemis was fairly punctual when it came to her feedings, letting them know, and quite loudly at that, when she was hungry, they nevertheless set up a series of alarms to go off every two hours. While it wasn't needed all that much while they were awake, it was needed by the time they turned in for the night for a recharge.
Smokescreen opted to take the first shift with her, allowing Bee to get some rest while he got up every two hours, either to the sound of the alarm or Artemis herself. Usually a mixture of both.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Smokescreen groaned as the 2 hour alarm dragged him out of his rest yet again. He didn't even need to look at the clock to know it was the dead middle of the night. At least someone in that room was getting some shut eye, even if it wasn't him.
Slowly sitting up, he shut off the alarm as he rubbed his face, onlining his optics in the dark.
Oh, huh, the alarm had actually beaten Artemis this time, that was a first, usually by the time he was shutting it off she was already making noise for fuel. Well, first time for everything.
"Alright sweetspark, mealtime," he said, reaching over and into the bedside cot. He hesitated as his fingers brushed against her. "Sweetspark?"
BANG
BANG
BANG
The sound of metal on metal jostled Ratchet from a very pleasant recharge, one he'd been looking forward to for a while, the cacophonous sound echoing through his room. What in the pits? Who was at his door at this ungodly hour?
Grumbling he made his way to the door, smacking the button to open it.
"This had better be—Smokescreen?" He stopped grumbling the moment the door opened and he lay his optics on Smokescreen. His optics were wide and he was trembling all over, his frame practically rattling with the fear that was etched on his face. Then, Ratchet's optics fell to his servos, which were shaking nearly as much, and gently clutching Artemis, the sparkling making the most tank churning hacking noises Ratchet had ever heard.
"What's wrong?"
"Ratchet..." his voice cracked and wobbled as he spoke, as if he was about to cry. "Something's wrong with Artemis."
Notes:
what, you thought I *wouldn't* find a way to inject drama into this?
hahahaha
Chapter 32
Notes:
In which Artemis is a very sick little sparkling and Smokescreen worries A LOT (as he should).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When he'd been woken by the alarm before Artemis, Smokescreen hadn't thought to much of it, it was bound to happen at some point after all. But the moment he reached for her he knew something was wrong. She was quiet, almost unsettlingly so for how chatty she usually was, beeping and chirping up a storm at any given time. And then he touched her and panic raced through him. She was hot to the touch, so very hot, hotter than she should have been. She naturally ran warm due to her size and age (according to Ratchet) but this was hotter than that.
Hot was never good, for any bot, it was why they had ventilation systems and fans, to cool their bodies and internals off. Overheating was as bad as getting too cold; externally, heat could melt plating and warp metal, and internally it could fry the systems, fry the processor and cause irreparable damage. And that was assuming it didn't kill them.
It was dangerous.
So he did the only thing he could think of and raced to Ratchet. He didn't even stop to wake up Bee, he just grabbed her and bolted to Ratchet. Ratchet was smart, if anyone would know what was wrong and what to do, it would be him.
Smokescreen paced around the sick bay, his spark racing in his chest, aching painfully, as Ratchet examined Artemis, the tiny sparkling laying on the table. His prods were gentle, but it seemed like every little touch made her squirm and whine in distress, when she did make noise. And the noises she made were horrible. Gagging and gasping, as if she was struggling to vent.
"Knock Out, you better wake up right this instant!" he barked, one hand on the comm link, the other one fanning Artemis. "Yes of course it's important, I wouldn't be waking you up otherwise. I need cooling sheets right now. Yes NOW! Get your aft in gear!"
Smokescreen wrung his servos together anxiously as he looked over at them. Seeing her in such distress, oh it hurt so so much, he just wanted to do something, anything to help. But he couldn't, he didn't even know what was wrong.
"What's wrong with her Ratch? Can you help her? You can help her right?"
"Right now I want to focus on getting her temperature down before I do anything more. Over heating is bad enough for a bot like you or I, but for her?" He shook his head before going back to fanning her. "Once her temperature is stable I can work on diagnosing her. But from a cursory glance, it seems like her ventilation system is gummed up."
"But, but how?" asked Smokescreen, shakily making his way over. "She was fine just a few hours ago. Then I got up to feed her and she was just...like this."
"It's possible that due to her size and age, whatever is wrong just came on fast."
Smokescreen gripped his servos tightly as he looked at Artemis, face scrunched up in obvious discomfort. "Please. You have to help her."
Ratchet's optics softened as he placed a gentle servo on Smokescreen's shoulder. "I will do everything in my power, I promise you that."
A couple clicks later, Knock Out came barrelling through the door, cooling mats heaped in his arms. "Plenty of cooling mats as requested!"
With a short 'good good', Ratchet grabbed one and tossed it on the table, carefully setting Artemis atop it, still fanning her with his servos.
"Come on little one, lets bring that temperature down. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better when you're not cooking in your own mesh."
Knock Out's optics flickered to the sparkling for a moment. "I'll go prepare a small tub of coolant, and cloths."
"Please do. At this point anything will help."
Powerless, that's what Smokescreen was, powerless. Again. Someone he cared about was once again in trouble and he was powerless to do anything but stand and watch. And he hated it. Why couldn't he ever do anything? Why couldn't he ever help?
Optimus, Bee, now Artemis. Someone was hurting and he couldn't do anything but stand there and watch.
"Ratchet, is there...anything I can do?" he asked, swallowing a heavy vent.
"Right now, I just need to get her temperature down. It's dangerously high and I don't like it," said Ratchet with a deep frown. "When Knock Out comes back, soak some cloths in coolant."
Never had a few minutes of waiting felt so agonizing, dragging on as if it were hours more than minutes. And when Knock Out did return, Smokescreen very nearly bowled him over to get to the supplies. A cloth. A small bottle of coolant. He swiped both from Knock Out and began soaking the small cloth, trying to steady the shaking in his servos.
As he touched the edge of the cloth to her forehead she cringed, whimpering as she clenched her optics shut. "I'm sorry," he muttered quietly. "I'm so sorry."
It was slow, or at least it felt slow to Smokescreen, but bit by bit her temperature began to lower, though it remained uncomfortably high for Ratchet's liking. He swapped out the cooling mat for a new one, the first one having soaked up so much heat it wasn't doing much anymore.
When Knock Out brought back a small tub of coolant, Ratchet carefully moved her into it, using one hand to keep her tiny head above the liquid.
He sent Knock Out to fetch a small fan to help get air circulating around and through her, anything to help in cooling her and keeping her cool, as she seemed unable to do it herself.
It was hard to watch, but even harder to not watch and Smokescreen found himself once again pacing around, chewing on his thumb. He wanted to be close, to comfort her. But he couldn't. Just touching her seemed to hurt her, and as it was, Ratchet needed the space to work.
He watched as Ratchet set up the tiniest drip he'd ever seen in order to get fuel into her as she was in no position to take it orally. It really only served to emphasize just how tiny and fragile she was.
Ratchet muttered to himself as he worked, though Smokescreen couldn't really understand what he was saying and, eventually, he found himself sitting on the floor. His back was pressed to the wall, knees drawn up, head bowed and servos resting on the back of his helm.
All he could do was sit. And listen. And pray.
Deep in a much needed recharge, Bumblebee was suddenly, abruptly jolted from it by a sudden strong surge of fear and panic. It raced through his spark like a flame through oil and shook him right to his core. It was such a heavy, frame deep fear that he instinctively began to look around for Smokescreen, because he wasn't scared which meant it must have been coming from his partner.
"Smokescreen? Smokescreen?" He groped about the berth, only to find a whole lot of nothing. No Smokescreen and, as he realized seconds later, no Artemis either.
Had he taken her for a late night walk? No, no that didn't make sense, and it didn't explain the fear that was gripping him, fear that wasn't his own.
As he stood up, climbing off he berth, he noticed an unread comm message. From, Knock Out?
-Knock Out-
Come to the med bay
It was short and right to the point and very alarming. Why was he needed in the med bay?
Suddenly fear gripped his spark, and this time it was his own fear. There were only a handful of reasons he would be needed there and none of them good.
On shaky legs he made his way from the room and down the hall, all sorts of horrible scenarios racing through his processor. Was something wrong with Smokescreen? Or Artemis? Or both of them?
He quickened his pace, his spark racing and vents puffing.
No no, they had to be fine, they had to be. Maybe, maybe someone else was in trouble?
He clenched at his chest before transforming and racing down the hall in the direction of the med bay. He nearly crashed through the doors, stumbling as he transformed back, optics darting around anxiously.
"I-I-I got the message, what's going on?" he asked. "Where's Smokescreen? Where's Artemis?"
"Smokescreen is over there," Knock Out pointed towards a spot on the floor where Smokescreen was sitting, head bowed and knees drawn to his chest. "Your sparkling is...currently in Ratchet's care."
His spark dropped and his optics darted around the room, finding neither Artemis nor Ratchet. "What, what do you mean, why?"
"That's what Ratchet is hoping to figure out," said Knock Out. "Now, I need to get back to work, you might want to check on your partner." He indicated to Smokescreen again, before wheeling a cart of supplies through the doors into the second part of the room.
"Smokescreen, what's going on? Where's Artemis? Why is she with Ratchet?" He bounded over to him as he spoke, voice shaking and Smokescreen slowly lifted his head. Then, the moment he was within arms reach, Smokescreen suddenly wrapped his arms around Bumblebee's middle, burying his face into his chest. Optical fluid stained his cheeks and face, leaving clear tracks down his face plates. He'd been crying, a lot. Scrap that wasn't good.
"She's sick Bee," he said quietly, through broken sobs. "I-I-I don't know what's wrong. But she was so hot. She's so sick and, oh Primus I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." He shook and sobbed, and all Bumblebee could do was wrap his arms around him, servos pressed against the back of his head as he held Smokescreen to his chest.
How, how could she be sick? She'd been perfectly fine earlier, was it possible to get sick so fast?
"Oh Ratchet, what's going on?"
A ventilation infection, the more he examined Artemis, the more it seemed like she had contracted a simple infection. Which, under normal circumstances wouldn't have been a problem. Many bots came down with such infections, their ventilation systems gummed up, which in turn made it difficult to cool themselves. And clearing it up was usually a simple matter of berth rest and solvents to help loosen up the gunk so the bot could expel it as they fought off the infection.
Usually.
Oh, this was going to be difficult.
Carefully, he lowered her into the ventilator he'd had Knock Out build for him. While the ship did have ventilators to help bots with venting issues, they were far to big for something as small as Artemis.
It was a small glass box, the bottom lined with a cooling mat and sides set with tiny fans and pumps to circulate air around to help cool her down and get air flowing through her sticky vents. The coolant bath had helped to lower her temperature but it was a short term solution and wouldn't help with her infection.
She whimpered and whined, face scrunched up as she was set down, squirming and wiggling.
"I know, I know little one," said Ratchet softly, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. "You just rest now, you have a long fight ahead of you and a long, long night."
Closing the lid he sighed heavily before turning his attention to the door to the other room. He couldn't possibly begin to think how scared Smokescreen must have been. It was bad enough to see a teammate or friend get sick or injured. But this was different. This was his sparkling.
"You keep an eye on things, I'll, go talk to them," he said, looking over at Knock Out for a moment before heading back to the main room.
Smokescreen was still seated on the floor, face hidden in his knees and arms, but now Bumblebee was sitting beside him, rubbing his back with one servo.
He'd barely opened his mouth to speak when Smokescreen's head snapped up in his direction.
"Where is she? Is she going to be ok? Can I, can I see her, please?" The words all tumbled out of him like a fountain, furious and nonstop.
"Take it easy, take it easy," said Ratchet gently. "She is stable right now."
"What's going on Ratchet?" asked Bumblebee, looking up at him with wide, worried optics.
He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "From my preliminary exam, it seems like she's contracted a simple ventilation infection, which has gummed up her fans and vents and is preventing her from regulating her temperature."
Smokescreen bit his bottom lip, digging his fingers into his knees. "That's, treatable though right? I mean, even I've had one of those. It sucked for a few days but I got over it and it was easily treated."
"In a normal circumstance yes," said Ratchet. "For a regular patient I would prescribe a treatment of bed rest and oral solvents, maybe even a solvent bath, to help loosen things up. But she's not a regular patient and solvents are solvents, they can be very harsh. I fear that giving her a solvent, at this stage, may do her more harm than good."
"So, so what does that mean?" asked Smokescreen, voice rising in volume and intensity. "Can you treat her or not?"
"Ordinarily, I would expect their body to be able to fight off the infection on its own, let the antibodies and nanites do their job. But that's the issue. She doesn't have any, at least nothing that can fight them off."
The pair frowned, sharing a look before Bumblebee spoke up. "How is that possible? We all have nanites, shouldn't she?"
"Ordinarily yes, we come online with nanites prepared to fight off infections and patch up minor injuries. But she doesn't. I suspect it has to do with how young she is, they haven't developed yet. I compared a sample from her with one I had on file for you, and the few nanites she does have are, unprogrammed, so to speak."
"So, what, is there nothing we can do?" asked Smokescreen. "She just, has to suffer?"
"That's not what I said," said Ratchet, doing his best to maintain calm in the face of a pair of panicking parents. "In fact, I need something from you, Smokescreen, that may help."
"What do you need? Anything, I'll do anything."
Reaching into his subspace, Ratchet produced a small glass vial and held it out to Smokescreen. "I know this going to be a strange, and deeply personal thing to ask but, I need a small sample of your Innermost Energon." Smokescreen froze, just sort of staring at him, arm half extended towards the vial. Ratchet didn't blame him, one's Innermost Energon was potent and very special, and generally not touched except for extremely rare and special occasions.
"Why?" he asked after a moment.
"Your Innermost Energon is the most potent energon in your body, it also contains fresh nanites and antibodies, the kind that Artemis needs more than ever. When you carried her she was protected by this Energon. If I can give her an infusion of it, it may help to bolster her immune system and help it to learn how to produce its own nanites and fight the infection. And you are most likely the best match to help her."
"And you're sure it'll help?"
"It has to." He handed the small vial over to Smokescreen before excusing himself to give him the privacy he needed to get such Energon.
Smokescreen looked at the tiny vial in his servo, the clear, faintly blue liquid sloshing around inside. Would this even work? It had to, and if there was anyone he trusted to make it work, it was Ratchet.
Carrying it like it was the most precious thing in the world, which honestly in that moment it really was, he tentatively stepped through the door to take it to Ratchet.
"Can I see her, please?' he asked, catching Ratchet by the arm as the medic turned to leave with the vial.
"Smokescreen I don't think–"
"Please! I just...I need to see her."
Ratchet studied him for a moment before sighing, shoulders falling. "Alright. But I'm going to warn you, it might be difficult to see."
Difficult was, an understatement to say the least. Inside the ventilator, she looked so, so tiny, surrounded by fans puffing away, and a cooling mat under her little body. Even the Energon drip, attached to one tiny arm, looked comically large compared to her, and that was even using the smallest tubing and needles that Ratchet had been able to source. Her plates were horribly flushed and she whined and whimpered where she lay, occasionally sputtering wet, hacking noises.
"Oh. Oh sweetspark..." He pressed his servos to the glass of the incubator as he looked at her, his spark twisting painfully in his chest. He wanted to hold her, to cradle her close and tell her it would be alright. But he couldn't, separated by panes of glass. And it hurt. All he could do was watch.
"Please. Please." He slid down to his knees, shaking and sobbing. "I can't lose her too. Not like this. Please. Primus please, let me just have this. Don't take her away from me too."
Smokescreen absolutely refused to budge from his new seat, the floor beside the makeshift ventilator. Looking at her may have been hard, but the idea of leaving her hurt even worse. What if something happened, what if she got worse while he was gone? He wanted to be there, he had to be there. And nothing Ratchet said or did was going to convince him to move.
It should have been a joyful time, he should have been out telling everyone who would listen that Bee had accepted his conjunx proposal.
Instead, he was sitting on the floor of the infirmary, with his aforementioned conjunx sprawled across his lap, asleep, like some kind of weighted blanket. How Bee was managing to sleep at all he had no idea, fear and anxiety was keeping him from sleeping. But he was, having originally come to stay with him, sitting at his side to keep him company, before he'd ultimately fallen into recharge, sprawled across him.
Smokescreen could have moved him, it wasn't exactly a difficult feat, but he didn't. It gave him an excuse to stay where he was. At least that was his story and he was sticking to it.
Silently, he reached into his subspace and pulled out a datapad.
It wasn't anything special, just a regular old pad he'd gotten from Ratchet while he was camped out beside the ventilator. Ratchet couldn't spend every waking moment there, so Smokescreen had taken it upon himself to take notes for him, just in case.
Whether the notes were going to be any good, Smokescreen had no idea.
Entry 1
Hour ???? not sure, forgot to look, but we've been here for at least two. or it feels like it.
Observations: Artemis' temperature is still high. Plates are flushed. Venting noises sound like venting through water. Wet. Bad sounds.
Ratchet took some of my Inner Energon earlier to make something to try and help her.
Note: see about getting smaller medical equipment, regular equipment is too big for a sparkling.
Entry 2
Hour 2
Observations: I still have the feeding alarms turned on. Ratchet has her on a feeding drip so I haven't needed them. I should turn them off.
He gave her an injection that contained some of my Energon a little while after the first entry. Can't tell if it's helped yet.
She's still warm and venting weird sounds.
my spark hurts justt looking at her. i want to hold her so much
Entry 3
Hour 4
Observations: she's quieter now. still venting weird, but better? hard to tell. i think she's just sleeping now.
her temperature's down a bit now. Ratchet says that's good. i hope it is.
Note: Knock Out keeps bringing me Energon. says my levels are low too.i'm fine tho
Entry 4
Hour 7
Observations: not much change. she's been sleeping a lot. Ratch says i should as well. Bee woke up and says i should rest too
don't wanna. what if something happens?
temp has stabled at least. venting still wet sounding. heard coughing earlier.
coughing good?? i hope??
Entry 5
Hour 8
Observations: she coughed a lot. coughed up some kind of. goop. probably not hte proper word but that's what it was. thick, greyish goop. kind of oily? tacky? really gross
Ratchet says that's good, it means she's expelling the stuff gumming her up.
temp still stable
please please please
Entry 6
Hour 8.5
im holding her!!
Ratch wanted yo clean her after she coughed up the gujnk. cleaned her, even wiped out her mouth, an patted her back to help her cought out more.
hes wiping down the ventilator before she goes back
still holding her. wwriting one handed
my spark hurts less now. she seems quieter too.
cause um her carrier?
note: writing onehanded is hard get stylus
Entry 7
Hour 9
Observations: temp is stable. venting sounds better. still bad but not as wet and ragged. she's sleeping now.
i feel, lighter? my spark doesn't hurt as much now
Entry 8
Hour 11
Observations: she woke a little while ago. seems more alert now. still warm and coughing.
I think she knows my voice. when i talk to her she looks in my direction. Ratchet says her vision is probably blurry right now, but she knows my voice. she reacts to me. she chirped at me when I spoke to her.
that's good.
maybe because i'm her carrier?
but she reacts to me, to my voice.
i just want to hold her
Entry 9
Hour ??? 18? I think?
Observations: So I absolutely fell asleep. And they just. let me. sleep on the floor. what the frag guys
Artemis is awake now. Her temperature is normal. It looks high but Ratchet says she naturally runs a little warmer than any of us, so it's normal for her. Probably because she's a sparkling and growing.
She's still on the drip and in the ventilator. Ratch says she'll probably be that way for a bit. I don't know how she hasn't pulled it out yet since she clearly doesn't like it.
Bee says Ratchet cleaned her up a few more times while I was sleeping. She's been expelling more of the gunk.
Her venting is still rough, but better.
Thank Primus.
Note: Newborn sparklings should be given their Carrier's Innermost Energon as part of their first feeding.
Might help make sure this never happens again.
Also, should probably be quarantined for a bit before being allowed around other bots. Longer than we did.
We really need to procure medical equipment sized for sparklings.
Note 2: Still need to find a stylus to make writing faster and easier.
Entry 10
Hour
Observations: Not to much different. Ratchet says she'll probably be very tired for a while even after this. He wants to keep her for observation for a bit after she clears up. And keep her on the drip till she's ready to feed normally again.
I just want her back. Watching her inside the ventilator hurts.
She still reacts to me, to my voice. She's more alert, and fussy.
I'll take that as a good sign.
Smokescreen pressed a servo to the glass case of the ventilator as he looked at Artemis, the sparkling having rolled onto her side as if to look at him. She beeped sadly, optics cycling big and small as she wiggled.
"I know, I wish I could take your out of there," he said softly. "But Ratchet says no, you need to be in there just a little longer."
"Eeeeeee." She made a sad, squeaking sound, tiny arms reaching towards him, as if trying to grab through the glass.
"Oh my little spark, I'm so sorry, I wish I could do more for you."
He wanted to hold her, to make her feel better, to take away her pain. It hurt to watch and hurt more knowing he couldn't do anything. Even reaching out with his own EM field to reassure her, to comfort her, wasn't doing much. At least for him.
He looked up at the swoosh of a moving door and clanking of pedes, spotting Ratchet making his way back in.
"I can't believe you let me sleep on the floor," said Smokescreen. "For hours."
"You needed to recharge. It wasn't ideal but I wasn't about to wake you now that you were finally resting," said Ratchet. "Especially given how reluctant you were to rest before. How are you feeling now?"
Smokescreen gave a noncommittal shrug. "Better I guess. I'm still worried about her. And I feel. Useless."
Ratchet's optics flickered to Smokescreen's other servo and the datapad he was holding. "Those your notes?"
"Oh, yeah. I tried to make some notes about her and her condition for you. I was hoping maybe they'd be helpful later. But looking at them now I'm not sure sure." They really were pretty disjointed and frankly seemed more like his own thoughts in places than anything useful for a doctor. He looked to Artemis, then back to Ratchet. "Actually, could I keep doing it? We don't have any information about sparklings so...I could, I could take notes. About her growth, about changes and...stuff. She's going to be around me anyways."
"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt," said Ratchet, rubbing his chin. "If anything it could only help. The more information we get the better."
Smokescreen's shoulder's relaxed, wings twitching slightly. Maybe he could do something, maybe he wouldn't be useless after all.
Notes:
So any typos spotted in the datapad entries, are intentional. As in, I typed fast/not as carefully and left in any fuck ups that happened (in order to make them look legit as opposed to trying to fake typos). I figured things like worry and exhaustion would make his writing suffer/make him not care enough to fix anything.
Also my keyboard was a bit fucky when I was writing that chapter so that contributed a bit I think.
And the one with the footnote about writing one handed. was actually typed one handed. Which was an experience.
The hour number on the entries is just in reference to how long he's been there, not the time.The usage of Innermost Energon here is actually inspired by how, in the real world, the first milk produced by mammals (called colostrum) is chock full of antibodies and shit that the baby needs to essentially kickstart their own immune system. Which is why nursing from mom in those first few days is so vital.
Since obviously, they do not produce breastmilk nor nurse like that, I needed an alternative. And the wiki does state that the Innermost Energon around their spark is extremely potent. Therefore, a Carrier's Innermost would become quite potent and nanite rich for their sparkling.
Pages Navigation
Wildrace_bumblebeefan on Chapter 1 Sat 01 Feb 2025 05:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 1 Sat 01 Feb 2025 07:39PM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 1 Mon 07 Jul 2025 07:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
Alina306 on Chapter 1 Sat 13 Sep 2025 08:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
Sk_danny on Chapter 2 Wed 12 Feb 2025 02:17AM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 2 Wed 12 Feb 2025 03:04AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 2 Mon 07 Jul 2025 07:54PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 2 Tue 08 Jul 2025 03:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 2 Tue 08 Jul 2025 11:05PM UTC
Comment Actions
pawprint_paxillus on Chapter 3 Sat 15 Feb 2025 02:44PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 3 Sun 16 Feb 2025 12:10AM UTC
Comment Actions
Sk_danny on Chapter 3 Sat 15 Feb 2025 08:30PM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 3 Mon 07 Jul 2025 09:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 3 Mon 07 Jul 2025 09:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 3 Tue 08 Jul 2025 03:49AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 3 Tue 08 Jul 2025 11:05PM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 3 Mon 07 Jul 2025 09:38PM UTC
Comment Actions
mikeyfangirl811 on Chapter 4 Sat 22 Feb 2025 07:58AM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 4 Sat 22 Feb 2025 08:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
mikeyfangirl811 on Chapter 4 Sat 22 Mar 2025 04:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 4 Mon 07 Jul 2025 10:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 4 Tue 08 Jul 2025 03:51AM UTC
Comment Actions
pawprint_paxillus on Chapter 5 Sat 01 Mar 2025 09:18PM UTC
Comment Actions
Sk_danny on Chapter 5 Tue 04 Mar 2025 01:45AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 5 Mon 07 Jul 2025 10:17PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 5 Tue 08 Jul 2025 03:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 5 Tue 08 Jul 2025 11:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
MirageBootyCall on Chapter 6 Sat 08 Mar 2025 07:21AM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 6 Sat 08 Mar 2025 03:26PM UTC
Comment Actions
MirageBootyCall on Chapter 6 Sat 08 Mar 2025 08:46PM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 7 Tue 08 Jul 2025 05:16AM UTC
Comment Actions
Nautalis_Shell on Chapter 8 Sun 23 Mar 2025 02:42AM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 8 Sun 23 Mar 2025 04:14AM UTC
Comment Actions
ThatOnePerson67 on Chapter 8 Tue 08 Jul 2025 05:19AM UTC
Comment Actions
Nautalis_Shell on Chapter 9 Sun 30 Mar 2025 05:48PM UTC
Comment Actions
IcyPheonix on Chapter 9 Sun 30 Mar 2025 06:12PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation