Stars & Constellations: A Transformers Fan Fiction

Chapter 22

8/25/2023

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We were standing in front of Smokescreen's old home. Everything was crushed inwards, collapsed, and overall, completely destroyed. I sighed, holding Smokescreen's servo with my own. He was sad, I felt it. "So... where was your favorite spot to hang out?" I asked, hoping to distract him from the sadness. "Oh, I remember I used to like hanging out at the park near the energon sweets place." He said excitedly, pulling me along, as we ran down the streets.

Making several turns before finally arriving at what once was the park. "I'd run around with my friends after school, before we would head to the energon sweets, and practically raid the place, using the money our parental units gave us for lunch." He laughed, before sighing deeply.

"You know, when Ultra Magnus and the other autobots found me that night, and took me under their wing, they taught me the important things. Always said to look forward. But now that I'm back here, to where it all started for me, I can't help, but look back." He said, his voice mixed with grief, anger, and helplessness.

"I know you wish you could have done something. I wish I could have done something myself. But in the end, It wasn't our fault. It may feel like that, and it haunts you, but, at some point, rather blame yourself, blame those who committed to it." I said softly.

"Says the one who nearly went on a rampage the other day." Smokescreen teased. I laughed. "True." I replied in agreement. I looked away from him, turning, as I looked up at the sky. "Hey, what's wrong?" Smokescreen asked, placing his servo on my shoulder.

I sat down nearby. Sighing. "You want to see?" I asked, looking at him. I watched him sit down next to me. He nodded slowly.

I was wandering alone. I wandered alone for a long while, walking through the desert, following the commands of something in me. I couldn't sleep. My dreams were haunted by the pained face of someone. I had long since abandoned the stuff I had in my bag. Something told me, I wouldn't have use for it anymore. The sky was growing light, and soon the heat began to crawl from its hiding place.

The cold of the night didn't bother me. I was used to being cold. I was a person who used to live in a forested, alpine region. I remembered how long I was walking to find a place to live. I remembered I would use what little money I had to buy cheap things for food. And use gym showers to keep clean.

I remember I would say I was 16, when I wasn't, just to get a job at a Mcdonald's. Spending the night in a tent, out in the woods.

I pushed the memories away, as I continued walking through the desert. The rocky outcrop in the distance growing near, as whatever was controlling me, continued forcing me forward. Before it finally let me rest in the entrance of the cave it brought me to.

I felt Smokescreen's uneasiness about the memory.

After a while of resting, I continued through the cave, noticing the glowing blue crystals poking from the walls, soon I noticed these metallic beings, large, mining at the crystals. They noticed me, instantly stomping over, freaking me out, but unable to move. A skinny looking one showed up, as I realized how familiar it was. It grabbed me, Smirking at my feeble attempts to escape, before squeezing the air out of me, causing me to black out.

Only to wake up in a strange, new place. "What do we do with these metal pieces in her spinal strut?" One spoke, red, and frowning. "Nothing. The formation will just give her extra armor there." A purple one said, looking down at me with his one creepy optic.

"H-hey! Let me go!" I yelled furiously, growling, as I glared at them. "Hm... Cyberwolf would do good for you." Purple said simply, noting it down on some sort of electronic.
I felt terrified. Finding I was stuck to the metal slab they put me on.

"Alright, then what do we do with those things in her audios?" Red asked, turning to Purple. "Remove them. No use for them." Purple ordered. Red walked over to me, reaching for my head. "H-hey!" I said quickly, trying to move away. "Don't touch me! I don't know where those hands have been!" I growled, trying to relax with my humor.

He only replied by pinning my head down, carefully grabbing my hearing aid, and removing it. Following through with the other side. He let me go, peering curiously at the little metal things in his hand, before crushing it, and throwing it away.

"Hey! I have to pay for that!" I yelled. Their voices were now muffled. I sank into my misery, as they continuously poked me with their claws, assessing me for something. Finally, when they were done, They stabbed me with some sort of liquid...

I bounced out of the memory, as I didn't want to continue.
Smokescreen sighed sadly. "It keeps bothering me that they ripped away my family, so that I would be theirs to use." I said quietly, leaning on Smokescreen.

"I know, but you're not alone anymore, you have me, Ratchet, and everyone else. Alright?" He asked softly, hugging me. "I know." I replied. "I just... can't stop looking back. I look too far forwards, and too far back. I don't pay attention to now, only when." I sighed.

Smokescreen looked at me, sighed softly, and rubbed my back. "I know. But, try to think about here, now. Alright? Forget everything else, just focus on now." He suggested. I relaxed, and tried what he suggested, I leaned on him, He continued rubbing my back, as I studied the gray ground, several splotches of long-dried energon on it. Several shades of grays, browns, oranges, and greens stretched across the metal, with little crumbs of metal pebbles stretching across.

"I love you." I said softly, as I watched the now darkening sky. "I love you too." He replied, hugging me closer.

"I wish things turned out differently, better." I said softly, as I looked up at the sky. "We all do." Smokescreen said, as I leaned on him, as we watched the darkening sky, slowly growing dark, blue, and indigo. "I still feel drawn to the sky, the night. Even now that I'm not on Earth anymore." I say quietly, as if being too loud will scare away the night. "I don't know the feeling, but I always assumed seekers always felt drawn to the sky, they always seemed fidgety if they were on the ground too long." He admitted, as we continued to watch the night.

I was about to relax, and go to recharge, until I heard some distant sound. "Stay here." I said quietly, Smokescreen gave me a good disapproving glare. "I'll be fine. Alright?" I asked. He sighed, and nodded.

I transformed to cyberwolf form, stalking forward towards the direction of the sound. I quickly left the street, out of sight of Smokescreen. I was stalking towards the sounds, which continued coming. Scratching noises.

I lifted my muzzle, sniffing the air, noticing an odd scent, not one I smelled before. I continued forward, sniffing every few steps, cautious.
I wouldn't let myself get too careless. I stalked forward some more, my paws tapping along the metal ground, as I slinked forward quietly.
I finally found the source of the scratching, or what was left of it. It was a hollow spot, fresh scratches dug it up.

I frowned, sniffing the ground, as I wondered where whoever was digging went. I had a feeling of being watched. I turned around, growling. Spotting several pairs of eyes staring at me from the alleyway I came from.

"Who are you?" I heard growling, I turned to the source of the growls, finding a cyberwolf. They continued snarling, as I stared at them in shock, the rest of their pack slinking out from the shadows.

I tilted my helm curiously, as I tried figuring out how to talk. I let out a little yip. They looked at me with confusion.
The leader stared down at me, with cold optics. "A pup?" They asked, confidently raising their tail.
I shook my helm, as I sighed. "Bring her to me." The leader barked at the others. I lifted my tail in confidence, as I growled from warning, unsure. The leader was curious. "What are you?" He asked, as I was shoved gently forward. "I– Don't...... Knowww?" I barked awkwardly. The more I listened to them, the more my instincts took hold, granting me knowledge of how to talk to them.
"Hm, you're odd. You smell odd. You smell of bi-pedes." He growled.

I crouched down, and shrunk. "I am Y/D..." I yipped, sweeping my tail slowly, as I wagged submissively. "Well, Y/D, where did you come from?" He barked, sitting down, as I relaxed, and sat up. "Elsewhere. Experiments." I said simply, unsure of what to say. The black cyberwolf huffed, and growled quietly. "You look exactly like Horizon Trotter. Our leader, until recently." He snapped, bringing his muzzle close to mine. "A Bi-pede shot her down, brought her down, and took her energon." He growled.

I stiffened. "Shockwave..." I growled, my optics dimming from anger. "Shockwave? We heard of him. Heard from some cassettes that he was looking for cyberwolf CNA." He growled. "I'm sorry... I wish that didn't happen. I wish I didn't happen." I said quietly. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I was an organic. Until recently. Shockwave stripped me from my pack, and changed me into this." I said sadly. He looked at me curiously. "I am Shadow." He said simply, as if sensing my uncertainty, my uneasiness. "You are a triplechanger, aren't you?" Shadow asked.

I nodded slowly. "Demonstrate." He said. I nodded slowly again.

I transformed to bi-pede, which shocked most of them, except for Shadow. Then, I transformed to jet mode, and stayed still on the ground, before returning to cyberwolf form. "Interesting." Shadow hummed.

"Y/D!" someone yelled. I turned towards the alleyway where it came from, just as Smokescreen stumbled in, yelling in surprise at the many cyberwolves. The pack was lunging forward towards him, as I yelped in shock, my protective instincts going on overdrive faster then I could control it, I lunged forward, streaking forward faster then the others, Growling as lifted my tail in confidence.

"Leave Storm alone." I snapped. Shadow calms everyone down with a quick bark, before stalking forward. "Storm, eh?" He asked. I relaxed instantly, my protection instincts settling down. I nodded. Smokescreen looking concerned. "My sparkmate." I barked, straightening my tail in confidence.

"Keep him safe. Something I could never do for Horizon Trotter." Shadow said sadly, dipping his helm, and flattening his audios sadly, before lifting his helm. He stalked forward, touched my nose, before stalking away, leading the pack away.

I transformed to bi-pede as they left. "What was that about?" Smokescreen asked, still unsettled from the scare. "Nothing much. Apparently Shockwave shot down Shadow, the leader's mate Horizon Trotter, to make me." I said matter-of-factly, sighing sadly.

We walked back to the park, settling down in a nook we found, and went to recharge.

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Sorry for the shorter chapter, But, i needed to slap this in, so i can continue the story.