C.M.D: Just a reminder that Bumblebee and Grimlock are look and have the personalities more like their RID selves, 'cause, well, that series is ACTUALLY tied into the Rescue Bots continuity and Prime. I am though still keeping a few things the same, such as Grimlock being an awesome Cube player, etc etc, so please mind the differences should you notice them.
Hot Shot was heading out into the front yard for his scheduled sweeping when he heard voices echoing from behind the school. Dragging his broom behind him, the red youngling slowly crept up the side of the Academy, peeking out around the corner curiously. He was alarmed to see that Grimlock was standing in the courtyard, surrounded by the other recruits. Was there a lesson planned that he hadn't been told about?
"...so, yeah," Hoist was saying, his helm tucked down shyly, "Professor Ratchet says I need to avoid transforming to dino-mode until the next decacyle, when he can properly stress test my new ligaments and ensure they won't cause me problems."
"Well, I'm sorry that nasty lil' seed-sucker clipped you so bad," Grimlock replied, teeth showing as he grimaced irritably. "Back heels can be a tender spot for many a two-peded dinobot like us." He glanced down as best as he could in his tyrannous form, glaring at his ankles sourly.
"What is going to happen to Lazerbeak, Professor?," Medix asked. "Heatwave has been holed up in his office for a long time since the minibot's...uh... appearance, and we're still instructed to stay clear of that portion of the hallway- even when doing chores."
The t-rex looked up, shuttering his optics in confusion for an astrosecond as he processed what the tiny Autobot had said. "Oh. Yeah, Optimus sent Bumblebee instructions on that," he informed casually, "That's what I'm here for. Bee's gonna tag the little squawker with a no-fly chip and then he's gonna be relocated back to our base for some, um... what did he call it... rehabilitation?"
"He's staying on Earth?!," Whirl cried out in surprise. "Why? I thought all Decepticons were supposed to be incarcerated!"
Grimlock squinted at the recruits in puzzlement. "And why would he be?"
"Because Decepticons are evil and all are preset to kill," Hoist supplied immediately.
That made the dinobot snap his helm upwards in alarm, giant fangs bared as he leaned back down to the younglings with a snarl. "And who told you that exactly?," he demanded.
The green triple-changer squeaked frightfully at the sudden aggression, hopping behind Whirl as she too gulped at the unexpected change in their teacher's attitude. Only Medix didn't take a step back, though his optics were flared warily. Even Hot Shot felt his plating quake in terror, unnoticed by the group in his hiding spot. "...We overheard Professor Heatwave talking," the white youngling answered finally.
Grimlock snorted in ire, taking a step back and pacing about for a couple kliks. He stopped shortly, turning to the recruits again with a heavy vent. "Listen, you're young sparks so I'm going to let it slide, but you do not get to comment on the things of the past."
"But-," Medix began.
"No," the older mech snapped, baring his fangs again. "You do not pass judgment calls on things you know nothing about! You are observers to an event that ended before your time; you have no understanding of what really took place or how it affected those who lived through it. 'Bots are more than a badge, recruits, and not everyone had a choice in which side they stood on."
Blank stares met the dinobot and he cycled a deep intake. Taking a step back, there came the sounds of an initiating transformation sequence and suddenly, there was a large mech standing in the spot that the t-rex had just once been in. "P-professor!," Hoist exclaimed first, "Y-you have a bipedal form?!"
Hot Shot leaned closer around the side of the Academy, his optics flared brightly at the surprising turn of events. Broad shoulders, easily as big as one youngling each, massive calves, and a mouth full of smaller fangs under optics that twinkled with child-like joy- who knew that their teacher was both terrifying and kinda cuddly-looking as a real 'bot?
Grimlock shuffled in place for a couple moments, swinging his arms back and forth as he twisted his helm side to side. "Yeah, I know. I sometimes hang out in dino mode too long and forget I got working fingers myself." He paused, grinning as he waggled long claws at the trio, before his handsome face became serious once more. Kneeling, he gave each of the triple-changers a pointed look, continuing the somber conversation, "I know it can seem real easy to say you know things -what with all those books condemning Decepticons- but data texts only carry so much and they leave out the most important stuff."
"...They do?," Whirl asked hesitantly.
The dinobot nodded. "Yes. The war was long and it was cruel, young sparks... I won't share with you the things I saw, but I need you to understand something very important: A badge is not a 'bot. Plenty of poor sparks got swept up into Megatron's machinations, and yeah, some heinous things were done by his closest associates. Yet there were many more who were threatened, or tricked or simply beaten into wearing his mark. And at the end of the orn, they were expendable; just another pawn to gain some ground in his war or die trying. Megatron didn't care. He knew he could find more or have more protoformed for his purposes."
The recruits all looked horrified at the information, frames drooping contritely as their teacher spoke. Hot Shot felt his knee joints weaken under him as well, tanks roiling hard, leaving him nauseous. Decepticons were that cruel, even to their own kind...?
"...ya know, Bumblebee doesn't talk about it, 'cause to him it don't matter, but I once carried the Decepticon brand," Grimlock shared, reaching up and scratching at the Autobot symbol painted on his shoulder plating. "I'm big and strong, a perfect soldier... I was caught by some Decepticon helm hunters. But no matter what they did, they could not break me." He smiled at the younglings, though it didn't reach his optics entirely.
"A brand doesn't make a 'bot. Some of the older 'bots forget that -and they're willing to destroy anybot who came from that side just 'cause of their own horrible experiences- but there's even more of us trying to live right and shed that nightmarish part of the past. Sure, you got your zealots, unwilling to give up Megatron's fight... One 'bot though is not completely the same as the next," the dinobot said kindly, "And Optimus Prime will be the first to tell you that every spark is deserving of a chance at redemption. He never stopped believing Megatron could change, even at their final face-off."
Hot Shot felt his equilibrium shift abruptly and barely caught himself on the wall, realizing that his processor had blanked for a few astroseconds at the flux of information. It was hard to believe that someone like Grimlock could be a former Decepticon -the gigantic dinobot who was laughably clumsy at times no thanks to his size, who enjoyed a good game of Cube with friends and was terrified of cats- but wasn't that what he had just told them? And Bumblebee -Megatron's killer- was okay with it?! Perhaps even more shocking was his hero, Optimus Prime, willing to defend any Decepticon, Megatron included.
The multi-changer felt his energon chill in his lines, his optics, in contrast, heating exponentially. What would Optimus think of the youngling if he knew that he hated all Decepticons and said that they were evil, and scum, and deserved to be killed...? His nausea spiked, causing Hot Shot to slap a servo to his mouth in fear that he would purge out of stress alone.
"Hey, what's going on, guys?," Bumblebee's vocalizer called out as the ex-scout walked onto the courtyard from the Academy's back door. Intakes cycling in broken heaves, the red recruit peeked back around the corner of the building, watching as the yellow mech approached the group.
Already, Grimlock had returned to dinobot mode, his great tail moving in time with his helm. "Nothing much. Just talking to the recruits about... well, unfortunate things...," he confessed sadly.
"Ah," Bumblebee replied, his own expression softening in joyless understanding. He smiled at Hoist, Medix and Whirl, adjusting the cage he carried in one servo. "I don't want to tell you not to think about this stuff, but I promise you all, Cybertron has changed from those past vorns. The people here now are all working to be the best they can be and if you need to, just remember, you can always talk to me about your worries or questions."
"Professor," Medix started first, his optics shifting to Lazerbeak repeatedly, glaring out from his mobile cell, "What is going to become of Lazerbeak?"
"Oh yes, him," the ex-scout sighed, his tone a bit more jovial despite the sound. He lifted the minibot's cage up, locking optics with the avian. "Well, he's going to have to spend some time with my team here on Earth for a while. He'll get some privileges, limited freedom to roam within our base perimeters and whatnot, but Lazerbeak will need to stay under periodic supervision. He'll also need to be punished for some of his uncalled behaviour since being planet-side. I'm thinking he can help Fixit catalogue his Earth critters, starting with formal cybertronian lexicon, followed by region, colouration, special attributes... The works."
"That's his punishment? Filing?," Hoist piped up, confused.
"That and some other menial chores and whatnot. I'm sure our human friends can think of some other activities for him to partake in too," Bumblebee added.
"Is it wise to let him near humans?," Whirl asked, peering at the minibot from a safe distance. "What if he hurts them- accidental or otherwise?"
The yellow Autobot inclined his helm toward the femme, sticking a finger into the cage to gently prod at a wing. "Well, if he does that, it'll count against his parole and that would be unfortunate. Lazerbeak isn't a loyal Decepticon -in fact, he's really only faithful to his previous master, Soundwave- and if he'd simply try, he'd have a really nice life here. Slag, Soundwave could have a chance at freedom too if he'd just stop trying to uphold Megatron's past ideals," Bumblebee said, giving Lazerbeak a wry look. "Even Starscream let the Decepticon cause die out after ol' Megs took off; you'd think Soundwave would have more than a fraction of the common sense Starscream carries regularly."
Lazerbeak gave a trumpeting squawk of outrage at the statement, lunging forward to snip at the intruding finger. Fortunately, the ex-scout was quicker. Angry that his target had retreated to the relative safety outside the cage, the avian flapped his wings as he turned away from the Autobots, lifting his tail feathers up at them in silent ire.
"Hey!," Grimlock growled at the rude gesture.
"Oh, don't mind him," the ex-scout soothed, "He gets cranky and gives people the silent treatment, heavy with attitude, when things don't go how he likes. Particularly if it involves insulting Soundwave in some fashion."
"How long is he expected to stay on Earth?," Medix inquired. He was looking more dubious about this whole plan, following Lazerbeak's childish fit.
Bumblebee hummed, studying the sullen minibot for a few astroseconds. "You know, I'm not really sure," he answered honestly. "This is all Optimus' idea. He thinks that, seeing as how Cybertron is a bit too... tense... for Lazerbeak right now, that our lil' friend here might have a better time rehabilitating himself among more open-minded peers. Only if he's willing, of course. So-"
He'd heard enough. Hot Shot slid back to the front of the Academy quickly, dropping the broom in his haste, visual pixels scattering as his optics were swamped with tears and his processor pounding. Optimus Prime was willing to forgive Lazerbeak too. The Decepticon minibot! If he knew of all the things the youngling had done, the older mech would surely be disgusted with him. A sob choked its way out of his vents as Hot Shot raced into the school and through the quiet halls to the empty student quarters. Running for his berth could not change how the multi-changer's spark broke in the knowledge that he opposed all of his hero's ideal and was still wrong in his stance.
Yet that pain did not hold a candle to the agonizing memory that rose up just then: Of Wedge's tortured expression as he bared the brunt of the red recruit's unfounded condemnation and wishes to disappear.
And he really had vanished from their lives, just as Hot Shot had wanted.
xXx
"Hot Shot, would you mind following me?"
The recruit paused, turning his helm towards Heatwave. "U-uh, yeah. Sure thing, Chief," Hot Shot replied, putting the broom back in the utility room and closing the door. He hurried to catch up with his mentor, who'd already set off at a slow pace through the academy halls.
"I'm glad to see you've been keeping busy," Heatwave began casually, the hint of a smile showing from the side of his visage. "I admit you were pretty rough around the edges when you first arrived but you've really grown into your potential. I'm proud of your efforts, Hot Shot."
The youngling felt his spark rotate quickly, a grin of his own trying to rise up but struggling. The veteran Rescuer had been the hardest to prove his worth too when Hot Shot had come to Earth, and he'd been equally as unimpressed with his professor as Heatwave had been with him, yet he'd grown to admire the firetruck greatly over the months. Hearing that he made his mentor proud was like a dream come true! At the same time though, it was a jagged knife twisting into his side... His awe for Heatwave was rivaled only by that which he carried for Optimus, and only now did Hot Shot become aware of the glaring differences between the two older mechs.
Optimus advocated for the rights of all, plus the peace and good-will towards even those like the Decepticons. He would never condone hateful acts against others nor kill where he could save. Heatwave held a clean, cut opinion of the Decepticons; condemning them where they stood, whether or not they were guilty. He was set in his judgment that every 'con deserved to be locked away for the side they had been on and refused to remain in their presence longer than he could control. It was a wonder that he'd even allowed Wedge to be a recruit! Despite his extended loathing towards Decepticons, the Rescuer was still a loyal, supportive teacher who cared about the safety and livelihood of those around him and would do all in his power to maintain that. Knowing all this, Hot Shot could only be torn on where he stood in his beliefs. Who was right? And who was he supposed to follow: the mentor he respected or the hero he idolized?
"T-thank you. Sir," the youngling mumbled out, shuttering his optics repeatedly in an attempt to cool his overheating helm. He wasn't going to solve this spiritual conundrum this orn or anytime soon and getting a processor ache would not help his case either. "U-umm, what are we doing today, Chief?," Hot Shot asked, remaining on his professor's heels as they walked.
It did not escape the recruit's notice that Heatwave led them to the space bridge's room, his spark pulsing with a budding thrill of excitement. Maybe finally he'd get away from this Academy for a while and all of the troubles that were plaguing him. The firetruck smiled as he typed away at the bridge's control panel, sending an amused side-long glance to his protégé.
"Are we going off base?!," Hot Shot shouted out, unable to suppress his eagerness any longer. "Where are we gonna go to? A forest? City? Oh, oh, Cybertron!"
"We are not going anywhere ourselves," Heatwave answered, stepping over and standing beside the youngling, resting a strong servo on the other's shoulder plating. He gave it a reassuring squeeze as the multi-changer looked up at him curiously, just as the swirling vortex of light erupted, growing larger as the space bridge activated. "But I wanted my best student with me when we greeted the new class to the Academy."
Fuel tanks plummeting to the floor, Hot Shot watched with horrified optics as five forms began to appear through the blinding daze of the bridge's tunnel, held in place by the older Autobot's heavy servo, until finally a yellow frame was the last to cross the threshold and onto the Academy's grounds.
"Hot Shot!," Scorch called out, his devilish smile pulled wide upon his face under unreadable optics.
The red youngling shook silently at the sound of his name escaping those impish lip components.
Scorch was here to stay...
How could he have forgotten?
C.M.D: Drama train is picking up speed! Choo Choo!