Untouchable

Chapter 3

Smokescreen felt surprised. He hadn't expected to have an actual conversation with Knockout. But here he was.

"I guess I'm fine." Smokescreen replied, his voicebox feeling a bit rusty after not using it for so long. His voice cracked a bit as he tried to get used to talking.

"You're either fine or not fine. You don't guess what you're feeling, you feel what you're feeling. Also based on the fact that all you do is mope around indoors all day, I'll assume the guess is incorrect" Knockout responded back, optics still looking at the Ipad.

"I don't mope around all day!" Smokescreen said, feeling defensive of himself. But then he realized it was true, all he did was mope around indoors all day.

"Uh huh. All you do is stay inside. And mope around. Totally not moping around all day."

"Whatever" Smokescreen muttered.

"It stinks doesn't it?" Knockout said sympathetically, "Saving the world, only to see that the world doesn't care about you."

"Shut up! You don't know what it's like!" Smokescreen glared at Knockout who seemed unfazed and unaffected by Smokescreen's words, untouchable.

In a way, just like him.

"And how would you know I don't know what it's like? I may not be forgotten like you are, but I'll rather forgotten than hated and remembered for who I was, not who I am" Knockout coldly said.

"But I care. You don't. You act like as you understand but you don't. You act like you're better than us when you're not! The only thing you care about is your paint job!" Smokescreen yelled back, regretting it as soon as the words left him, and he saw the look on Knockout's face. 

Hurt.

But it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, Knockout seeming to be unfazed at his words. Untouchable.

"Well, you're right about one thing. My paint job is better than yours." Knockout carefully replied back. Smokescreen glared at him.

Smokescreen felt guilt as he got up and left for being rude to Knockout. He knew he shouldn't have taken the years of resentment that he built upon on Knockout, it wasn't his fault. The guilt he felt, however, soon turned into anger as he hardened it, refusing to blame himself. 

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Knockout sighed. At least people don't look at you like they do to me, he thought. Smokescreen hated him as the others did. Like all the Autobots did. He didn't know why he expected anything different. 

How many years has it been since he switched sides? Knockout didn't feel up to doing the math. But it's been a long time. Yet everyone still treated him as he was still the same. As if he was still a Decepticon.

Just like how it's been many years since Breakdown's death yet I still...... He couldn't put the feeling into thoughts, his emotions still too much for him to contain into words. He felt himself breakdown under the feeling.

The feeling.

Guilt.

Guilt. His fault. Everything. 

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Smokescreen felt trapped in his thoughts full of shame and anger and felt himself explore this unknown world of thoughts in his mind. However, he didn't notice the world surrounding him, only paying attention to the one in him.

He didn't notice.

Didn't notice the black, stylish, sleek car following him. Didn't notice it transform into a former ally, the bot's face grinning as he knocked out Smokescreen.

Smokescreen's last thought as his world went black was, It's not my fault.