Transformers The Hatchling

From dreams to nightmares

Storm's POV

The night sky stretched out endlessly before me, an ocean of stars reflecting the gleam of the metallic earth below. I soared through the sky alongside my kin, our wings cutting through the cool air as we glided effortlessly. The ground below shimmered, like molten silver, mirroring the heavens above in perfect harmony. It felt like freedom, an unspoken bond shared among those who roamed the skies, untethered, untamed, and unbroken.

As we flew, the horizon beckoned us, a faint glow rising to meet the darkness. Where were we going? I didn't know. But it didn't matter. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was truly free untouched by the worries of the world below. This was a dream a dream that repeated itself over and over. The dust of distant deserts on Earth, the thrill of battle alongside Optimus, protecting my family from above, and the pure bliss of flying with others of my kind no fighting, no chaos, only peace, only safety.

But then the peace shattered, and with it, the illusion.

OWW!

A sharp, searing pain jolted me awake. My optics flickered, the world spinning as grogginess gripped me. The familiar warmth of stasis was gone, replaced by intense discomfort. The pain seared through my body, an unrelenting fire that wouldn't fade. I tried to push myself up, to fight through it, but something was wrong I was trapped. My limbs were pinned, my plating caught in something thick, metallic, and... suffocating.

I snapped my optics wide open, panic surging as I realized I was tangled in a mass of metal and blankets a cocoon, a prison of my own making. Something sharp was digging into my side, stabbing at my plating, and I could feel my strength waning with every passing moment.

Twisting, I tried to roll out, letting out a strangled, pain-filled squeal. Every movement was agony, the pressure in my body growing with each shift. Finally, with one last push, I tore myself free from the cocoon, but the damage had already been done weakness clung to me, my systems still sluggish, unable to fully wake from stasis.

As my vision cleared, I felt a sickening sense of dread settle in. Something was crawling over me they were tiny, fast, relentless. I could feel their jaws gnawing into my plating, tiny but sharp, tearing at my armor like a thousand little insects. Parasites. I could hear the sound of their tiny jaws clicking, gnashing, and it filled me with disgust.

With a guttural growl, I shook my body, trying to dislodge them, but the parasites clung on, refusing to relent. My own desperation surged as I threw myself to the ground, crashing against the floor in a desperate attempt to crush the creatures. The impact was enough to loosen some of them, but not enough to stop the infestation. They were still crawling, still biting, still trying to tear into me.

Rage exploded inside me. This was MY nest, MY sanctuary they had no right to be here.

I unleashed a massive roar, and without hesitation, I sent a continuous stream of fire surging from my mouth. The flames engulfed the parasites, melting them into nothing, turning them into smoldering heaps of scrap. My nest, my home was burning too, but it didn't matter. I needed to be rid of them, all of them.

Some of the parasites managed to escape the fire, darting around with terrifying speed, but I wasn't about to let them get away. I fired off multiple fireballs, most of them missing, but they kept coming, rushing at me, biting and tearing. With a snarl, I used my sharp teeth to pick them off one by one, crushing them in my jaws, snapping through their tiny forms with ease.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of fighting, the last of them lay dead at my feet, their twitching bodies a testament to the violence I had unleashed. But even then, the damage was done.

My body trembled as I surveyed the wreckage. My armor was scratched and torn in places, energon leaking from wounds I didn't even remember receiving. The pain was still there, but the rage that had fueled me was beginning to subside. I felt both relieved and sickened by the aftermath. The parasites were gone, but my nest... was ruined.

I looked down at the remains of my sanctuary, the remnants of my home, now nothing more than a puddle of melted metal and charred remains. The walls were cracked, scarred by the battle, and scattered across the floor were the broken bodies of the parasites. The fires still burned, smoldering in the corners of the room, their heat licking at the air.

I couldn't believe it. Everything I had worked so hard to create... gone.

Before I could fully process the loss, I heard the sound of footsteps, heavy and purposeful. A voice rang out—Ratchet's voice.

"By the Allspark!"

I looked up to see Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee rushing into the room, followed by the human kids—Miko, Jack, and Raf. Ratchet's expression was one of shock and disbelief, and I could understand why. My once-pristine berth room was now a warzone, a reflection of the chaos that had just unfolded.

Miko's voice rang out, loud and brash. "Woah, that's some carnage! Why did I miss it? Must've been so cool to watch."

My optics narrowed, my irritation flaring. The nerve of her! Here she was, standing in the wreckage of my home, as if it were some sort of spectacle. Did she not realize the danger she could have been in? The chaos I'd just unleashed, the panic, the very real possibility that *I* could have hurt her in my frenzy?

I hissed in response, my patience at its breaking point. I couldn't help it. She had no understanding of the dangers, no grasp of how close she had come to being caught in my blind rage. If she had been here, if any of them had been in the room with me, they could've been crushed, set alight, or worse—torn apart by those parasites.

Ratchet seemed to sense my rising frustration. He stepped forward, placing a calming hand on my snout. "Easy, Storm. You're okay now," he soothed, his voice a low murmur that cut through my anger.

It wasn't Optimus' calm assurance, but it was enough to steady me. I let out a soft whimper, lowering my head in submission. Ratchet's touch was grounding, his presence familiar and comforting. I placed my snout into his hand, letting him stroke it gently as he began to assess the damage.

"She'll be fine. They didn't get past her thick armor, thankfully," Ratchet continued, his voice steady as he looked over my battered form. "We'll buff that all out when this is all over."

I purred, the sound rumbling deep in my chest. Despite the pain, despite the loss of my nest, his words brought a sense of comfort. I was safe now. The fight was over. The parasites were gone. And though my room was destroyed, I had something even more precious now—*my family*.

For the moment, that was enough.