[Open] The worst is over now...?

[shutupndrive]

WHO: Smokescreen and whoever finds him
WHERE: Near the lake in Alpha Trion's quadrant
WHEN After the events with him and Bulkhead having to kill Optimus.
WHAT: A certain rookie is overcome with grief.
WARNINGS: N/A


Smokescreen had fled.

He probably should have stayed near Bulkhead, stayed with his teammate and helped him with..well..everything but the rookie couldn't handle it. Having to offline Optimus, having to be there when it happened, it wasn't something that sat well with him.

At all.

His spark felt heavy and his mind was a mess, the young Autobot not knowing what else to do but flee. So he did, making a break for the only place he really felt safe on this odd version of Cybertron: Alpha Trion's quadrant. For what seemed like forever he just drove, going in circles and just trying to forget everything that had gone on but things were never that easy. The death of someone he admired, looked up to..it wasn't something easy to just shake off, no matter what war had taught him and eventually he'd worn himself out to the point that he barely managed to transform, sinking down to sit by the edge of the lake.

Smokescreen's doorwings were heavy on his back, hanging almost completely limp as he drew his legs up and wrapped his arms around them tightly. It was childish--he was acting like a sparkling doing this but he just couldn't help it.

Primus did it hurt.

He felt like an absolutely failure, a disgrace to the Autobots because he hadn't been able to do anything to help. Their Prime had needed them--needed him--and in the end, Optimus had died because they couldn't help him. A large part of Smokescreen wished that it had been him, wished that he could have just traded places and been the one to die. Optimus Prime..he was everything to them. He was their hope for the future really and now he was gone.

A shudder coursed through him and Smokescreen dropped his head, optics offlining as he hugged his legs closer to his chest. The same word kept repeating itself over and over in his head, drowning him in the unanswered question...

Why?

Comments

[trionicpolarity]

Smokescreen has been an interesting enigma, since he arrived. Although Alpha Trion has only seen him through his network posts, he's noticed the way that the young Cybertronian seems at ease in his quadrant, and around his acolytes, and amidst piles of reference books. There aren't many who can say that.

"There are many datapads in my library that speak of the exploits of Optimus Prime," he offers, companionably, catching the relief in Smokescreen's voice and filing that into the other pieces of the puzzle. "He is an impressive mech, and a worthy successor to the title of Prime."

It was an area of study that he indulged in often, curious about his future and about the future of his brothers and sister.

"I am sorry to lose him so soon." His words soften, and he understands the sorrow that Smokescreen must face. There were too many dead, too often.

Slowly, but not uncertainly, he reaches out to place an hand on Smokescreen's shoulder. "Were you close?"

[shutupndrive]

"He's one of the most amazing mechs I've ever met, sir," Smokescreen said without hesitation, though there was a clear look in his optics that said Alpha Trion was right up there on his list as well. There was admiration in the rookie's optics, a look that clearly said he respected the other more than he could properly express.

His own expression falls a bit and he nods when the older mech speaks of losing Prime, glancing away just a bit.

"Losing him...it really sucks, to put it bluntly, sir," he murmurs before starting slightly at the touch to his shoulder. He looks up to focus on Alpha Trion once more, relaxing under the other's touch, seeming almost use to it in a way.

"I..wasn't on Earth long when I joined Team Prime, but I had heard a lot about him from...well from the version of you that I protected back on my Cybertron," he explained, optics dimming a bit. "He was everything I thought he'd be and a lot more."

[trionicpolarity]

"Losing the Glyphless is not an experience I would have wanted anyone to face." It is not the first time, for him. The last time, they'd gotten involved. The last time...they'd tried to save them.

He knows better, now.

That doesn't make the burden any easier to bear, especially for the new Refugees under his care. Swerve, he knows, is also taking this hard. "When there is something important to me, that I believe should not be forgotten, I write it down. Even when it hurts." From seemingly nowhere, he produces a datapad--blank. "Our memories live on that way, and...trust me." He manages the smallest of smiles, handing the data-pad over to Smokescreen. "It's how I've found some of the best stories, too. Remind me to tell you about the one where Optimus left Megatron trapped in gun-mode for two hundred years, some time."

The datapad is an ornate one, gilded in scrollwork but sturdy. It seems to have been crafted with care, at least...and given how he'd spent hours working with Solus to develop it, he could attest to that, himself.

"You have met me, before?"

His contemplation of Smokescreen and Optimus turns to surprise--suddenly, the way Smokescreen has been at ease around him makes sense, in a way he should have guessed at earlier.

[shutupndrive]

Yeah Smokescreen didn't really want to repeat it either. Honestly, he wished there was a way to just..reverse it all and fix things.

Sadly life was never that nice though.

His focus is completely on Alpha Trion again as the other starts to speak once more, a flicker of surprise going through the younger boy's optics at the appearance of the data pad. (Though it's really not surprising considering who it is that produced it out of thin air.) He takes the data pad when it's offered to him, carefully holding it like it's a prized possession.

Which, really, it kind of is now.

"I do, always, sir. And..I think I may give it a try," he says with a small nod before his optics brightened slightly. "Wait, what? Trapped in gun mode?"

Oh he needed to hear that some time, most definitely.

Tucking the datapad into subspace, Smokescreen nods, offering a small smile.

"Yeah, I was assigned to be your guard at the Iacon Hall of Records. I gotta admit, I wasn't all that excited about it, I really want to be on the front line, you know? But..you taught me a lot and became a really good friend to me back in my universe."

[trionicpolarity]

"I believe you won't be disappointed," he chuckles, the hand on Smokescreen's shoulder giving a small squeeze. Talking with someone has felt very good, even if the subject is a depressing one, and Smokescreen has lifted his spirits despite that. It is a reminder, in a way...that despite Unicron's attempts to drive wedges between them, they still remain.

"Apparently, one of my brother's decedents took a small, immobile weapon as his alt mode. Imagine that." Admittedly, imagining Megatronus reducing himself to his simplest form did produce a gun in his mind, but it was still a novelty. "Your Optimus--or one very much like him--was able to damage his transformation cog at just the precise moment to trap him that way, and it was quite a while before he was found again."

Releasing Smokescreen's shoulder at long last, he folded his arms, looking out across the lake. "It's an entertaining tale, and a good lesson in more ways than one. I would say that a warrior might be surprised how many tips can come from research, but...given that an alternate of mine was your friend, I believe you already know." He managed a wink.

"Which is good, because that datapad carries enough current to double as a weapon, in times of need. Who says scholars are unprepared?"

[shutupndrive]

"That...is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard," Smokescreen mused, grinning faintly now, unable to help himself. The idea of Megatron transforming into a gun and getting trapped as such? Oh that's something he would have loved to see!

While it's tempting to look out over the lake as well, the rookie watches Alpha Trion instead, noticing the similarities and the differences between this one and his one back home.

Still, the presence is the same, and so is that charm.

His grin melts into a smile and he nods, doorwings lifting happily.

"I do. I never really thought about it before I met you but I definitely understand how important research is now," he said proudly, optics flickering as the other mentions the data on the datapad he gave Smokescreen. "Whoa..I...thank you, sir."

[trionicpolarity]

"I'll lend you the report to read, if you would like. The best parts are the details." Really, that was the best part of any report.

And this?

This isn't so bad. It is a pleasant day, and the worst is now behind them. Repairing the damage done by the Glyphless will take time, but it will not be impossible, and with the information they've collected there might yet be a way to prevent it from happening again. He looks away from the lake, and down to Smokescreen.

"You are more than welcome. If you ever find yourself needing someone to talk to, again...feel free to seek me out. I may find myself doing the same, in return." Smokescreen had managed to make him feel better, himself, after all.

[shutupndrive]

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said happily. It'd been awhile since he'd done any reading, though he didn't always broadcast how much he liked doing it for fear of getting made fun of.

Perking up a bit as Alpha Trion's gaze lands on him again, Smokescreen smiles warmly at the duplicate of his mentor and friend, nodding.

"I will. And anytime you need me, sir, I'll be there to help," Smokescreen replied without hesitation, pleased that there was potentially something he could do for the other.