AN: Welp, looks like I've got some catching up to do. ;P


Towerling

Chapter 28

Traitor


Mirage had long grown used to the whispers that followed him. From his first day in the Autobots, it had been no secret that he was different from the others: he talked differently, he acted differently, he looked differently. After a while though, the majority of the other Autobots had just accepted it, having bigger issues to deal with than his "otherness."

When a group of mechs pointedly stopped talking when he walked past their table in the rec-room, Mirage knew something was wrong.

He ignored the low whispers as he gathered his ration of Energon and sat down at his usual table in the corner. He didn't glance in their direction again, but he could feel their optics on him as he sipped Energon from his cube. It was harder than usual to ignore them though because they were the only other occupants in the room.

Mirage relaxed a little when Bumblebee entered the rec-room. The yellow Mini-Bot paused long enough to glance between the small group and Mirage before making a beeline towards the Energon dispenser. Mirage expected the younger bot to join the group, knowing the social tendencies of the mech, so he was surprise when Bumblebee pulled out a chair beside him.

Bumblebee smiled at him. "How's your day been going? I heard Jazz put you off rotation for a few days after the last skirmish."

Mirage nodded and took another sip of Energon before speaking. "Yes, he did. Of course, that is all dependent on how calm those days are."

Bumblebee laughed, drawing attention from the small group. A new flutter of whispers erupted, but Mirage ignored them along with Bumblebee. "I guess so. Cliff's been put off duty too, but I think Ratchet will keep him down even if something happens. He really damaged himself in that last skirmish."

"I saw. Have you heard anything about Bluestreak?"

Bumblebee's smile slightly fell, and Mirage had to remind himself that Bumblebee and Bluestreak were closer in age than most of the other Autobots—both just two younglings flung into war. "Only what I've heard from Prowl. Not even he seems to be able to convince Blue to come out of his room."

The group across the room began to disperse. The majority of the mechs headed straight to the door, but one slowly weaved through the tables to throw away the empty cubes that had held their Energon. Mirage kept a careful optic on the mech even as he continued to speak with Bumblebee. There was no reason for the mech to walk across the room when there was a disposal bin next to the door.

After disposing of the containers, the mech turned his direction towards their table. When he was only a table away, Mirage finally recognized him as a bot who had been transferred from an outpost near Kaon that had recently been taken by the Decepticons. Mirage had a split second to lift his cube off the table before the mech rammed his side into it. The mech spat in Mirage's direction. "Traitor!"

Mirage blinked at the mech's actions, but the mech quickly left before he could respond. Bumblebee had gone silent the moment mech bumped into the table, and he wouldn't meet Mirage's optics. Mirage sighed. "Well, I cannot say that I am surprised. However, I am impressed that Cliffjumper managed to spread the word so quickly while he is still the med-bay."

"Cliff' was talking before he even made it to the med-bay." Bumblebee shifted in his chair, tapping his fingers against his cube. "He tends to exaggerate things all the time though. I mean, you wouldn't choose a Decepticon over a fellow Autobot."

Mirage suddenly found himself unable to consume anymore Energon, and he carefully pushed his cube away. When he didn't attempt to affirm Bumblebee's statement in any way, Bumblebee's optics lit up. "You…you did. But Bluestreak—"

"Was panicking, yes, but we both know there would have been little I could do." Mirage pulled his cube closer again, though he only gripped the cube between his hands. "Only Prowl or Jazz would have been able to pull him out of such a panic attack."

"Ratchet had to practically inject him with every tranquilizer he had." Bumblebee's optics were still lit up in disbelief. "Bluestreak was in bad shape when Prowl brought him to Ratchet. I don't even think he knew where he was."

"I am sorry for what happened to him."

"So that's it?" Bumblebee questioned when Mirage didn't say anything else. Mirage stared back at the scout with a neutral expression, and Bumblebee's optics darkened to match his frown. "Cliffjumper's calling you a traitor, and you confirm it without any explanation?"

"What would you prefer I do?"

"Actually tell the whole story." Bumblebee shook his head when Mirage didn't react. "Cliffjumper's my friend, but even I know he jumps to conclusions all the time. Not everyone is just going to believe him, but if you don't say anything, what else are they supposed to think?"

Mirage stared down unseeingly into his cube. In his mind's eye, all he saw was Brigade's battered body along with the hundreds of other offlined mechs he had seen during the war. The idea of worrying over his reputation was such a distant feeling of the past.

He glanced up again, catching Bumblebee's optics. The mech usually exuded an air of youth, but there were times like these that he almost seemed as old as mechs like Ironhide or Ratchet. Much of his young life was being spent fighting to survive—fighting for a reason he probably didn't even know the full details of.

Mirage sighed, and Bumblebee automatically leaned forward. "The details are too personal to reiterate right now. However, if I am to be labeled as a traitor for comforting a dying mech in his last moments, then I will accept that. I will never betray the Autobots, but if our cause has escalated to the point that we turn our optic away from those in need simply because of the insignia they wear, then we are no better than what the Decepticons have become."

Bumblebee hummed. "Not a lot of Autobots would be willing to agree with you on that."

"No, they would not." Mirage stood up, taking his half-filled cube with him. Bumblebee remained sitting, and he shook his head when Mirage silently offered to take his empty cube. "That is why the war continues. The dichotomy between 'good' and 'bad' has become skewed. We can justify our actions by saying, 'They are Decepticons, and we are Autobots.' It is no different than the thought process that started this war—that the elite few were superior to the common majority."

"It's hard for mechs to think like that when they're watching their friends die."

Mirage nodded, having no way to contradict the statement. It was hard, and Mirage was sure it was why Cliffjumper viewed him as a traitor. Perhaps Mirage was only one able to see it because of the circumstances and people that led him to choosing to be an Autobot himself.

None of that seemed to truly matter though. What was one mech going to do in the middle of a war where the lines were so firmly drawn?