Transformers Prime: Project Predacon

Into the Mind

The husks piled up, some bodies still moving and twitching as the fight was finished just as soon as it began and suddenly the scene flickered and the large room was empty again. The pillars lacking the damage they just took, the flooring just a beautiful as when Smokescreen first walked in. Stumbling inside of the doorway, the poor bot took a moment to gather himself. "These must be memories of hers, but I'd never seen her before, then." Smokescreen thought to himself. And Alpha Trion. . . He had always thought it was Decepticons that knocked him out, not his own friend and assignment. He looked around the blank room for anything that would give a clue on where he should be going next, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His pedesteps echoed through the huge opening, and the doors slid shut behind him, locking him inside with Summer's last memories.

 Smokescreen decided to follow where Alpha Trion had dragged his body, hoping perhaps that would be a clue for finding Airachnid. Rounding the same corner that Alpha Trion had followed through, Smokescreen expected another memory to play, but nothing of the sort happened. It was just an empty, pristine hallway. The lack of color in the building was strange as well, as if the memory of what the Hall had looked like was just melting away. He followed the long hallway, poking his helm into a few unremarkable rooms before finally reaching one of the final doors on the left of the hallway. His vision flashed suddenly as details appeared before him, a dark grey trail on a colorless floor sparking before him. It took a moment to realize that the trail was energon and Smokescreen followed it into the partially opened doorway, careful to avoid the puddles, even while knowing his body wouldn't affect the memory as he walked through it. The door had been blown off its hinges, but recollected and propped up against the gaping entry in a hurry. Smokescreen attempted to push the damaged door out of the way to enter the room, but his hand simply passed through without so much as a whisper. He could hear sobbing and wheezy breathing and Smokescreen already knew what he was about to witness before he laid his optics on the scene. The noise died as soon as he peeked around the doorway. His spark dropped to his toes as he found the body of Alpha Trion tucked into a corner, Summer holding him in her lap as the energon flowed out of a gaping hole in his chassis. She was saying something to him, but no sound flowed from her lips, just as the other memory had before. Smokescreen crouched next to the two of them, his spark wrenching with guilt and sympathy as his old friend lay in the femmes arms. She was crying hard, her tears running down and dripping onto the forehead of the body that lay in her lap. Smokescreen was struggling to understand what was being said, it was so difficult to read lips. The only thing he caught from Alpha Trion was "key" and reading Summers lips was even harder. The emotion that ran through her and appeared on her face made the words muddled but Smokescreen could understand "he's gone" and that was all. He watched as Alpha Trion's optics flickered off for the last time and the femme held him even closer, her chin tucked to her chest as her sobbing grew harder. Smokescreen stood, watching the terrible scene play out, his own tears filling his optics. He never knew how Alpha Trion had gone and never thought he would find out, either. Knowing made every memory of Smokescreens younger life on Cybertron with Alpha Trion that much more bittersweet. The memory faded yet again, the pooling energon disappearing just as soon as it had appeared. Smokescreen stood for a moment in that room, looking at the walls and sconces that gave no light. The corners of the room seemed erased, faded and endless. "Airachnid must be doing some real damage, I need to find her." He lugged the sword over his shoulder, laying the flat of the blade on his armor. It was time to finish this. Exiting the room, he took a left to continue down the hallway, coming to the final door. Smokescreen knew where this lead, it was the inner sanctuary of the Hall of Iacon, where he had played security guard for many years during his earlier training. The door opened before him and he knew then that he had found the right place. There were webs covering the place from top to bottom, books were scattered and shredded on the vast floor. This was absolutely the boss room. Stepping carefully into the room, he listened for any noise that would give Airachnid away. The only sound he heard were his own pedesteps again. He checked each wall from top to bottom, knowing Airachnid was most apt to hide and ambush him put Smokescreen on edge. He stepped carefully over several webs, avoiding them the best he could as he continued to advance into the room. Just before he approached the small flight of steps that led to the center dais of the room, something moved out of the corner of his optics. Whipping the blade full length to his right in anticipation of a sudden hit, Smokescreen was met yet again with another memory. This one flickered in and out as if struggling to stay in existence. There was no sound yet again, but the two frames that sat on the steps were in full color and Smokescreen recognized Summer in an instant. She was younger than the battle that had played before and she sat with a bot to her left, the two of them nearly touching the other. Smokescreen moved to view them from the front and watched the mech, vaguely recognizing the frame and color scheme. Summer talked to the bot next to her fondly, using her hands to express her words, whatever they were. The mech beside her watched intently, fully focused on the femme that sat next to him, his gaze never leaving hers, smiling in response occasionally. He said something, and Summer burst into laughter, closing her optics and shaking with amusement. She reached for the mechs arm, pulling him close to her and squeezing his bicep as she laughed heartily. He beamed with joy, chuckling along with her and seemed content to sit and laugh as long as she liked. Smokescreen found himself smiling with them and upon seeing the face of the mech that sat before him, the smile turned into a huge grin. He knew this bot! It was Ratchet! He was tons younger of course, that's why he was almost unrecognizable, but it was truly him.