Untouchable

Chapter 5

Arcee tried to ignore the voice in her head. Those pictures coming to her, haunting her forever. She tried to forget, but to remember. To hold on, but let go. To keep him alive, even though he died.

Even though Cliffjumper was dead.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Pictures of Cliffjumper, after Megatron brought him back, kept replaying in Arcee's head, kept tearing her apart. Kept destroying her, bit by bit. 

She wrapped her digits tightly around the only piece of Cliffjumper she had, his horn. She shook and trembled, remembering. Remembering all those times she had with Cliff, all those times she never would have again.

Today was the day. The day, when would never see Cliff again, when she watched him fall. When he was back, only it wasn't him.

Today was the anniversary of Cliff's death.

She got a message from someone. A recording. Ordinarily, Arcee would have played it and listened. But today wasn't ordinary. Today was Cliff's death. 

Today was the day when she could no longer ignore the past. The day she couldn't ignore who Cliff was to her and how he died.

So, of course, she hadn't listened to the message. She just trembled on, shaking.

Remembering, those nightmares coming back to her. The past taking over her, reminding her. Demanding her to react.

So she ignored the message.

_______________

Smokescreen didn't respond. He didn't know how to.

"Shocker isn't it?", Darkrun said, still smiling that ever annoying smile. 

"Get to the point, glitch", RainDrowner said.

"The only glitch here is you", Darkrun shot back. He turned back to Smokescreen and smiled again, bugging him.

"Well, Smokescreen. Where to begin? Decepticons and Autobots. Such a war we have between them am I right? How many have we lost?", Darkrun laughed.

"How many died? How many suffered through this pain, for being born on the wrong side? You see, we intend to stop this all. End this war, unite us all. We want to destroy Decepticons and Autobots. We intend to call ourselves who we are, Transformers, not by which side we're on", Darkrun continued.

Raindrowner took out a blade, sharp and shiny. She put it at Smokescreen's neck.

"And you will help bring us our victory," she said, smirking.

Smokescreen felt conflicted. In a way, it sounded a good idea. Ending this ever-lasting war. But his instincts told him no. And it was his instincts that kept him alive.

"Well, yes or no? We don't have all day mech.", Raindrowner said impatiently.

"If you want peace, then why are you-", Smokescreen began but was cut off by the Raindrowner's knife cutting deeper into his neck. He felt a bit of Energon blood (someone please give me the correct term) trickle down and swallowed.

Smokescreen felt scared. 

It was an unfamiliar feeling to him. He felt defeated before, yes. Ready to give up, yes. Mad, definitely. Sad too. But not scared. Always he felt determined, always. And brave, ready to take on whatever challenge came to him.

But you could only avoid fear for so long.

Where was Arcee? 

Yet he knew. Arcee had not heard his message. Had not cared enough. And did not know. Smokescreen, not ready to give up hope that his friends would save him, sent the recording to Wheeljack and Bulkhead.

Please, please.

Except because of his location and signal, he couldn't send. In his head, he silently set off a string of curse words he had been saving for special occasions.

"Smokescreen! I thought you would know better! Just because we want peace between the sides, doesn't mean we're peaceful", Darkrun said looking offended.

"Also we don't intend peace. We don't want it and don't intend using it. We want power. Yet what good is it if you get it in the losing side? Or one side in general?" Raindrowner said. Her voice scared Smokescreen.

"We want power over everyone control. And we're going to get it through destroying, not peace", Raindrowner continued.

Smokescreen found his voice again, his will to speak his mind.

"You have the right ideas. Right brain. Bringing Autobots and Decepticons together. But you don't have the right heart. I'll never help someone like you", Smokescreen said.

Raindrowner roared, raising the blade to kill Smokescreen. Smokescreen smiled, an idea forming. He put his hands up, still handcuffed. Raindrowner hit them with her blade.

The handcuffs broke and carefully slipped his hand through the bars to deactivate them. He then ran, not looking back.

He had escaped.

Darkrun smiled while Raindrowner cursed in rage. He didn't bother chasing after Smokescreen. After all, unless he had someone else unless he knew the way in, he couldn't get out.

Smokescreen looked for the Phase Shifter, but after an endless amount of searching, he couldn't find it.  He spotted a nearby computer. Happy he found something useful, he typed a message and sent it to Wheeljack and Bulkhead in a hurry.

But people make mistakes. Things slip, and when you're in a rush, you don't notice it. So of course Smokescreen accidentally sent it to someone else. 

Not knowing, Smokescreen kept on running on, hoping to find a weapon, the idea of escape keeping him going.

____________________

Knockout looked over himself and his paint job. He just buffed it out, a daily task in his life.

He got a message from someone. Knockout, (who didn't like getting interupted in looking at himself) groaned and went to listen to it.

He looked at who the message was from.

Smokescreen.