Chapter 3
The young Autobot took aim at the target at the far side of the room. A hum and the crackle of electricity filled the air. Bvvvvvvt… the mech squinted and let loose a powerful burst of energy and shrapnel flew in all directions, missing all of those nearby by mere meters.
"Uh, kid, you know you weren't supposed to… well, you know…" Ironhide frowned, and all the other students at the shooting range stared. Firespark felt his face grow hot as he stared out the gaping hole he had blown into the wall. Aww…slag… He ran out of the range, head down, trying to hold back angry sobs. Frag it all… why can't I ever do anything right?!
"Oof… Watch where you're - oh hey, aren't you supposed to be at the range with your class? What's wrong?" Firespark looked up through angry tears at Bumblebee.
"I… I hate this place!" Firespark pushed his way past Bumblebee and just ran. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't care as long as it was away from the academy. As he ran, he noticed that the halls were suprisingly empty, and he thanked Primus for small things such as that. His footstep clicked down the halls and he couldn't believe that no one could hear him running… surely Prowl would come out of nowhere and swoop down upon him, ask him if he knew that it was forbidden to leave the grounds without permission during teaching hours, and inform him unneccesarily that he was to be written up. But Firespark burst through the massive double doors unhindered, and continued running across the dusty soil of Gamma Terceri and didn't stop until he fell face first into the dirt. The impact knocked the tears out of his optics and he sat for a full five minutes crying bitter tears. Sure his parents were both Autobots, and well-known at that, but he couldn't help thinking he didn't belong at the academy. They said he was too impulsive and eager to please, and that only made him want to please them even more.
Firespark glanced back in the direction he'd come and even though the academy was out of sight, he crawled over to a nearby rock and sat behind it. He sighed and stared out at the horizon. Two of the planet's moons had already risen, and he wondered when the others would come up. But other questions about the landscape surrouning him were put on hold, as he got the feeling he was being watched.
"Hello?" There was no answer, and he blinked and giggled nervously. "Right, of course, why would anyone be out here, it's just me, and I should probably start heading back…" A faint breath of wind cut short his rambling. What was that.. I could've sworn I heard someone say… naw, but I'm probably just imagining it… but what if it was? What would that be then? Sounded like 'dongo'… or… 'don't go'… Firespark gulped and stood up, now genuinely afraid. He had managed to convince himself that something was out there and he wasn't going to find out what it was. He took one step toward the academy and yes, there it was again, that was definitely a voice, only this time it had said 'please.' His legs seemed to turn to rubber underneath him and once again he was crying in the dirt, only this time out of fear, and as he pulled himself on tired legs and jittery arms toward a distant school, he found himself wondering why he had left in the first place. A shadow fell over him and he instinctively curled into a ball. When, after a while, nothing happened, he glanced up, but carefully, so as not to expose any vitals. A mech was squatting next to him, looking, if possible, almost as uncomfortable as Firespark. Firespark sat up and stared at the strange mech. Something about him wasn't quite right, maybe it was that he had a visor and Firespark couldn't tell what color his optics were, and he couldn't find a symbol on him because he was covered in mud. The mech cleared his throat with a grating sound and dug in a small satchel at his hip. He pulled out two candies. "Uh… I brought these for you, F-Firespark."
