Transformers Short Story

Smokescreen

Ratchet was working at the main monitor, his optics looking over his work briefly before focusing on the ground bridge as the green portal powered on with a whirl. Bumblebee sped through and into the base, his tires screeching on the concrete as he skidded to an abrupt stop, immediately transforming into his alt-mode. Ratchet huffed, opening his intake to scold the younger bot but the scout ignored him and stormed past the Medic to his hab-suit down the hall with an angry buzz. Ratchet raised his optic ridges before rolling his optics, watching the rest of the scouting party enter the base. The ground bridge closed, removing the green hue from all of Team Prime and N.E.S.T's soldiers. Ratchet meet Optimus's optics with a questioning look, their private link already open, "What is wrong with Bumblebee?" Optimus recycled his optics, looking at the room of rowdy soldiers filling up the previously empty base, "He is upset about the mission. One of the soldiers said.....commented on his voice box." Ratchet winced, anger starting to color his tone, "And by one of the soldiers do you mean Smokescreen?"  Optimus nodded his helm briefly, moving closer to the Medic to stand at his side. Ratchet rolled his optics, and hissed quietly, "That mechling needs to have his processor rewired. This is the third time this week I've heard anyone complain about what he's said Optimus." Optimus ex-vented softly, glancing at Ratchet's work before replying, "Ultra Magnus has already talked to him. I believe Smokescreen doesn't understand how his his words affect....everyone." Ratchet narrowed his optics at said scout, watching the race car talk comfortably with the N.E.S.T soldiers. "Has anyone on the N.E.S.T Team complained about Smokescreen?" Optimus tilted his helm slightly at the question, wracking his processor for any answer, "I do not know...no one has come forward about any issues." Ratchet huffed, poking the taller mech in the chest plates, "Then you need to talk to him." Optimus wilted slightly at his stern tone, "I will try." Ratchet nodded his helm in satisfaction, "Good, I don't want to hear another thing about Smokescreen...it's giving me a processor ache." Optimus hummed, nodding briskly before approaching the group Smokescreen was talking too, standing close enough to hear their words but out of their sight range. The group laughed at something the mech had said before continuing their conversation, "Yeah Rose has been in the service for a long time, probably longer than a lot of people at this stage." The group chuckled again and Smokescreen narrowed his optics thoughtfully, "She's quite young even in if she were to be a Cybertronian...its interesting how she is already so highly ranked and respected." Epps raised his eyebrows, sharing a meaningful look with Lennox, "Oh, just you wait. Rose is a good as it gets, trust me." Smokescreen tilted his helm and said, his tone full of disbelief, "Really? She's your best solider?" Lennox frowned, not liking Smokescreen's tone of voice, "Yes..er...you got another opinion?" Smokescreen shrugged, "She's just very young...I thought someone more experienced would have a role like hers." Epps looked aghast, "More experienced? I'm pretty sure she's seen everything at this point." Smokescreen shifted, oblivious to their growing dislike of the conversation, "I'm sure you and the rest of the group are equally as experienced, sure...but from what I've heard she had a golden life on Cybertron and a pretty good one here on Earth too." The base fell quiet as the rest of N.E.S.T's team looked to the mech, overhearing his words. Lennox and Epps glanced at each other and then to the rest of the soldiers watching them. Lennox cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice even, "I don't know what you've heard, but it may seem like Rose has had a pretty decent life and not going to lie, in some ways...yes...but she's had a lot of horrible experiences with things you can't even begin to imagine." Smokescreen raised his optic ridges, "She has two sets of Creators, who might I add adore her, she's got a bunch of siblings, a stable life, a job and she's highly ranked and successful." Epps moved to open his mouth but Lennox interrupted before he could say anything, "Yes and you know what? For 30 years she didn't know Optimus and Ratchet, for four years she had a no-contact policy with her family due to her job, she's fought tooth and nail for everything she's earned so don't go thinking she gained this shit based on luck...oh and another thing she doesn't ever talk about everything she went through to get to where she is now but I can say that whatever it was....it was fucking horrible." Smokescreen narrowed his optics at his words, "That sounds like an excuse for her abilities. It still sounds like she in unqualified for the job." "Unqualified, huh?" The base went deadly silent as Rose entered the room, her eyes falling on the mech with a sharp look, "Care to repeat that?" Smokescreen ex-vented harshly, looking to other bots for support but they were all inclined to watch the conversation unfold and no one stepped forward to help the sports car, "I said, I don't your experienced enough for your position." Rose tilted her head, looking around the base, "Does anyone else think this way?" The base remained silent and every single person seemed to shrink under her imploring gaze, "No?" Smokescreen rolled his optics, "Oh come on. Your young. In Cybertronian terms you'd be only a little younger than Ironhide and without his extensive training you still managed to land a very high power job." Rose raised her eyebrows and hummed, "So you want to know what got me here?" Smokescreen nodded his helm in satisfaction. Rose blinked, "I got promoted to my rank and my billet and the rest is history." Smokescreen ex-vented and rolled his optics, "That can't be all." Rose seemed to struggle with something in her mind but eventually just nodded with an easy smile, "It is." Smokescreen shook his helm, "It doesn't work that way." Rose glanced to Optimus, standing quietly behind the mech, "Does it? Optimus Prime, the 13th Prime after Sentinel....the Matrix choose him, a data clerk....hmmm." Smokescreen seemed to puff up, his plating rattling as he stood to his full height, "That is different...Primacy works in strange ways...your don't have a choice when the Matrix decides and you have the help from previous Primes for a title you deserve." Rose hummed again, "Then it is similar...This position was chosen for me, I didn't have a single word in the game otherwise." Smokescreen deflated slightly, "You didn't request this position?" Rose laughed, the sound hollow, "Fuck no, you think I would go through eight years of medical school for this shit?" Smokescreen wrinkled his olfactory system, "Medical school?" Rose rubbed at her face, waving her hand, "Nevermind, I came in here to get Lennox...we've got a briefing in five." Lennox glanced at the younger bot before moving to her side, leading the two of them out of the room and into the command center. The door closed with a bang, the only sound in the building. Epps rubbed at the back of his head, "Yeah..I'm going to..." He turned and ushered all of the soldiers into the private quarters, leaving the bots behind with a meaningful look in Optimus's direction. Optimus opened his intake to begin what was undoubtedly a long lecture when Smokescreen questioned to Ratchet, "Medical school? Like....to become a Medic?" Ratchet shifted on his pedes with a disgruntled look, "Similar, yes." Smokescreen furrowed his optic ridges, "This makes no sense...you know that right?" Ratchet hummed, "I forgot you don't know everything that we do...should have done your research kid....Rose was previously a doctor...which is a Medic, just...here they have various medical personnel with different titles." Ratchet paused, "In this case her title would be the highest....Unfortunately she was reassigned to a specialized team as a new Captain and changed her MOS from Medical to Infantry." Smokescreen tilted his helm, "And? I feel like there's more to that story." Ironhide huffed, "And you don't need to know it unless she tells you, got it punk?" Smokescreen wilted under the weapon masters glare, "Uh, yeah Ironhide."  Ironhide nodded in satisfaction, "Good, what's done is done and I don't think any of us care for the way you talk about her." Smokescreen shrugged, "I was just being honest, I didn't think she'd be sensitive about it." Ironhide puffed up his chest plates, "Sensitive? You make it sound like she's weak....she ain't so get that out of your processor." Smokescreen wrinkled his olfactory system, "I don't think she's weak but..." He trailed off and looked to Ratchet, "Was she a Medic on Cybertron?" Ratchet turned back to his work, typing quickly on the keyboard, "She was to young for a position like that...She'd just moved into her own apartment and gotten a job working for Alpha Trion when the first war started." Smokescreen winced, "Oh, I assumed she'd been older at the time...or working for Optimus." Ratchet smirked, "She was very independent for her age for your information.....she had her own little world." Ironhide chuckled, "You can say that again...it was a processor ache to get her to visit." Ratchet nodded slowly, "It was....she rarely had free time for herself." Smokescreen ex-vented, "She wasn't well known except for being the Prime's femmeling." Ratchet glanced to his sparkmate with a huff, "Yes, well she was a lot more than that." Ironhide nodded, "Yeah she was her own bot." Smokescreen hummed thoughtfully, "She was always so reserved when I saw her....always on her best behavior and kinda of....cold." Optimus cleared his throat pipes startling the sports car, "That was my doing I'm afraid....I fear she saw how I carried myself and thought she had to do the same." Smokescreen eyed the larger mech, "Huh...I guess I can see that, though I don't really see anything wrong with that....she just didn't open up to anyone so I guess none of us got to know her well." Ironhide snorted, "It's a good thing too, I think Rose didn't need the added distractions." Smokescreen looked to the weapons master, confused, "What do you mean?" Ironhide blinked sheepishly at the two Creators, "No offense Prime, Ratchet, but the femme had a lot of pressure on her shoulder plating....being the Primeling en all." Optimus stiffened at the title, "That wasn't her concern." Ironhide snorted, "Well when you grow up hearing the title and then you've got bots talking about your heritage every single cycle...you learn to think a certain way....she was scared of letting you both down...that if, well, she didn't receive the Primacy Title she would be tearing that legacy to shreds...I don't think she wanted to even think of doing anything else but what her ol' Sire was." Optimus seemed to deflate at his words, "She thought that?" Ironhide shrugged, "A little I'm sure but she never told me the full picture...you're going to have to talk to Drift or Swerve to know for sure." Ratchet stopped his work to share a look with Optimus, "She was very close with those two mechs." Ironhide snickered, "Closer than you think." Ratchet huffed, his optics narrowing, "And what does that mean Ironhide?" Ironhide chuckled, "Nothin, nothing Ratch...I'm just busting your plating she was just good freinds with em' is all." Ratchet snorted, "Good."