Chapter 7: A Conversation Between Father And Son

Back at the Academy, Hoist was sadly sitting around in the lounge, feeling absolutely miserable about what happened between him and Hot Shot as a result of the incident with the Dimension Bridge.

"I've never felt this guilty and sad in all my life." he sighed. "I really wish I was more careful and actually tested my Dimension Bridge before having Whirl try it out."

"Everything okay, Hoist?" asked a voice.

It was Salvo, Hot Shot's former guardian, who had recently joined the Academy staff as a counselor.

"Oh, hey, Salvo." said Hoist. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not very long." replied Salvo. "I just noticed you moping around, so I wanted to see if everything was alright, and it is clear to me that something is wrong. Would you like to talk about it?"

"Okay." nodded Hoist.

With that, Salvo took Hoist into his counselor's office, which was set up like a human psychiatrist's office, with a desk and chair on one side of the room, a couch on the other, and a bookshelf in between. Salvo took a seat in the chair while Hoist took a seat on the couch.

"Now then, what's troubling you?" asked Salvo.

"Well, you see, Salvo, me and my friend Fixit built this Dimension Bridge that can take you to other dimensions." Hoist explained. "I was so excited about showing it off that I didn't even bother to actually test it and see if it works properly. Then I had Whirl come try it out, since she always gets excited about new tech or a new invention I made."

Salvo nodded as a way to tell Hoist he was listening.

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"After Whirl went through the portal, the Bridge started malfunctioning as it was powering down." Hoist went on. "And when Hot Shot found out about it, he got very upset with me and told me he doesn't want to talk to me every again. I've tried to get him to listen to me several times, but he just won't listen. He even blocked me on Bot Blog."

"I see." said Salvo. "And where was Hot Shot before he found out?"

"He was with Heatwave on Cybertron." Hoist replied. "They had gone to a lobbing game together."

"That sounds nice." said Salvo. "Now, about Hot Shot. Why did he get so upset with you over what happened with Whirl and your invention?"

"You see, I'm not sure if you heard, but Hot Shot and Whirl are pretty much in love with each other." said Hoist. "Even going so far as to refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend respectively."

"Well, since you put it that way, I can see why Hot Shot would be so upset about this." said Salvo. "I mean, if I had a girlfriend and something like that happened to her and one of my friends was responsible, I'd be pretty mad too. But still, that does not give him the right to be treating you like this. Have you told him how you didn't mean for it to happen?"

"Yes." nodded Hoist. "But like I said before, he just won't listen. Bumblebee told me twice to just give Hot Shot time to cool off."

"And have you been giving him time?" asked Salvo.

"Sort of." shrugged Hoist. "Of course, earlier today, I saw him trying to fix the Bridge himself. I offered to help him twice, but he just kept ignoring me."

"So I see." said Salvo. "Well, if you ask me, I think it would now be best to tell Heatwave what's going on."

Hoist knew Salvo had a point.

"Okay, I'll do it." he said as he got up from his seat.

"Great." smiled Salvo. "And if you ever need to talk to me again, just ask."

"Thanks, Salvo." said Hoist as he left the office.

Hoist soon found Heatwave in the garden watering some plants.

"Heatwave?" Hoist asked as he went up to Heatwave.

"Yes, Hoist?" replied Heatwave as he turned off the water jets on his knuckles and turned to face Hoist.

"Can I talk to you later?" asked Hoist.

"Sure." nodded Heatwave. "Just go wait for me in my office and I'll be with you shortly."

"Okay." said Hoist as he went back inside.

Soon, Heatwave had finished his chore and went back inside to meet Hoist in his office.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked as he sat down behind the desk.

Hoist told Heatwave about how Hot Shot had been treating him, including how Hot Shot had blocked him on Bot Blog. Heatwave, needless to say, was shocked.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" asked Heatwave.

"I don't know." sighed Hoist. "I guess I just wasn't thinking right."

"Hoist, whenever you have a problem with another bot, you must tell me or any of the others immediately." said Heatwave.

"I'm sorry." said Hoist.

"It's okay." replied Heatwave. "You told me now, and that's all that matters. As the humans would say, "better late than never". And now that I do know what's going on, I'll talk to Hot Shot about this."

"Yes, sir." nodded Hoist.

With that, Hoist left, now feeling somewhat pleased.

"Boy, I feel much better now that I've talked with both Heatwave and Salvo." he said. "It's like a huge weight has been lifted off me back."

In his quarters, Hot Shot was once again sparring with the sparring dummy when he heard his door buzzer.

"Oh, who can it be now?" he groaned.

Hot Shot went over to the door and opened it with the door controls, and when he did, he saw Heatwave, whose face sported an expression that made it clear he was angry about something.

"Oh, hey, Dad." he greeted. "What's up?"

"I'd like to speak with you." said Heatwave in a stern voice.

Hot Shot, knowing Heatwave meant business, didn't hesitate to step aside so the older bot could enter the room.

"It's about Hoist, isn't it?" asked Hot Shot.

"Yes it is." nodded Heatwave. "He came into my office and told me how you've been behaving towards him lately, especially about you giving him the silent treatment because of what happened with Whirl and the Dimension Bridge, ignoring his apologies, and refusing his help in trying to fix it. Look, it's okay to be angry, but I think that, from what Hoist told me, you're letting your anger take full control of yourself."

"But how would you feel if your girlfriend was in another dimension with no way of returning back home?" asked Hot Shot. "That's what happened to Whirl, and it's all thanks to Hoist."

Heatwave couldn't deny what his son had said to him was true.

"Okay, yes, if I was in your position, I would feel the same way." Heatwave agreed. "However, your feelings about what happened with Whirl and Hoist's invention do not justify the way you're treating Hoist. In fact, let's suppose that you did something that made Hoist upset and he was treating you like you are treating him right now. Would you like that?"

It was then that Hot Shot began to realize how rotten he had been behaving towards Hoist.

"No, I would not." he sighed.

"Furthermore, if Whirl were still here and saw you treating Hoist like this, would she like it either?" asked Heatwave.

"No, sir." said Hot Shot solemnly.

"Also, and I'd really hate to bring them up, but what about your parents?" Heatwave went on. "How do you think they would feel if they were still alive and saw this kind of behavior? Do you think they would like it?"

As soon as those words left Heatwave's mouth, Hot Shot's optics started to well up with oily tears.

"No..." Hot Shot replied in a broken voice.

Heatwave could tell his son's emotions were starting to manifest him, and decided it was best to leave him alone.

"Hot Shot, as soon as you're able to, I want you to find Hoist and apologize to him." Heatwave finished as he started towards the door. "And it is not a request."

Hot Shot simply nodded, and once Heatwave was outside the room, he dropped to the floor and started to let his tears go.

"Medix and Wedge were right all along!" he sobbed. "So were Slash, Brushfire, Laserbeak, and now Dad! I've been such a fool! I haven't felt this guilty since that time I ran away from the Academy!"

Hot Shot continued to cry. As he did, he didn't notice and apparition of his late mother, Tinder, giving him a hug from behind.

"It's okay, my sweet little mechling." she cooed. "I'm right here."

Eventually, Hot Shot began to feel better. As he shed his last tear, he stood up with a look of determination.

"I know what I have to do now." he said confidently as he held up his fist to express his current feelings. "I've got to make things right with Hoist."

End of Chapter 7