Love in the Stars

Chapter 7

The flames roared, consuming everything around them. Hot Shot struggled to lift the debris pinning down Wheeljack's legs. The weight of the rubble bore down on Hot Shot's arms, and he could feel the heat searing closer. Wheeljack, desperate, tried to push him away.

"Don't—! Leave me here! Get out of the fire!" Wheeljack yelled, the desperation in his voice clear.

But Hot Shot wasn't about to abandon his friend, not after everything they had been through together. "I'm not leaving you!" he shouted back, gritting his teeth as he strained against the weight. But the debris was too heavy, and Hot Shot's strength was fading.

Finally, Wheeljack, seeing that Hot Shot couldn't lift the debris on his own, yelled, "Just go get help! Don't let us both burn up in here!"

Reluctantly, Hot Shot made the choice. He bolted through the flames to get additional assistance, leaving Wheeljack behind in the inferno. As Hot Shot ran, the smoke stung his optics, and the heat made it feel like the flames were chasing him. Outside, Hot Shot reached his superior, but instead of understanding, his superior coldly refused to let him go back inside.

"That fire's too dangerous, Hot Shot," the superior said firmly. "We can't risk you going back in there."

Hot Shot's heart sank. He protested, "But Wheeljack—he's trapped! He'll die in there!"

But the superior wouldn't budge. "We can't afford to lose another bot. You'll have to stand down."

And so, Hot Shot stood there, helpless as Wheeljack's voice faded into the inferno.

On Earth, the sun was shining brightly, and the kids were gathered at the Autobot base, watching the awkward new recruit, Side Swipe, attempt to introduce himself.

"Hi, I'm Side Swipe! And I'm, uh... really excited to be here!" Side Swipe exclaimed, his enthusiasm clear, but his delivery was met with snickers from Rad, Carlos, and Billy.

"That was... interesting," Rad muttered, trying to suppress his laughter.

Alexis gave them all a scolding look. "Come on, guys, give him a break."

Blurr, standing nearby, looked less than impressed. As Side Swipe greeted him, Blurr's optics narrowed, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh, do I know you?"

Side Swipe, seemingly oblivious to Blurr's discomfort, stood on his head and called out, "Come on, Blurr! Remember? You saved me back on Cybertron!"

Blurr groaned internally, turning away. "Nope. No idea who you are."

Side Swipe, still undeterred, stumbled as he tried to jog Blurr's memory. "You totally do! I was the one stuck in that parachute, and you shot the rope down to save me!"

Blurr sighed and rubbed his optics. "I really don't have time for this..."

Flashback to Cybertron:

On a sunny day back on Cybertron, Side Swipe had found himself in a rather embarrassing predicament—suspended upside down, hanging from a rope, flailing helplessly. He had been stuck after what seemed like a botched parachute landing.

Blurr, who had been passing by, barely looked at Side Swipe as he shot the rope with his blaster, causing Side Swipe to fall to the ground with a crash.

"Thanks!" Side Swipe had called out, scrambling to his feet. From that moment, he had been determined to follow Blurr, his new hero.

But Blurr, not interested in gaining a fan, had walked away without a word.

Back in the present, Side Swipe had followed Blurr to Earth, convinced that they were destined to be teammates. However, Blurr had little interest in the enthusiastic bot and walked away once again.