Chapter 6: Getting to Know You
Smokescreen hit the road at neck breaking speed. My head was pressed to the cushion of the headrest and I smiled, loving this feeling of moving fast. It was different that rolling down a hill, which created the feeling that you'd get on a roller coaster. This gave me a sense of calmness while having fun.
"Do you need me to slow down?" His voice sounded.
"Go faster!" I grin. He chuckled and I was pressed further into the seat as he gained speed. The gage couldn't go any higher and I giggled, putting my hands above my head joyfully. All too soon, we were running out of road and we had to slow down.
"That was fun. A lot of fun." I say with a smile.
"Slag yeah!" He cheered. He made a turn and started to make his way into town. "So, what's your favorite color? Hobbies? Music? Give me a description of yourself." He said.
"Um okay. I really like music. Unlike my sister, I prefer softer tunes. I play the piano. I'm from Japan, but if Miko's said anything, you already know that." I say, pausing to think of something else. "I like the color red. And I think America's pretty cool. Alright, your turn." I say.
"Well, I'm an alien," He starts with sarcasm lacing his voice, although he was completely serious. "I'm a warrior, or the assist, as I dubbed myself." He said with sarcasm lacing his voice. "I trained at the finest academy back on Cybertron. I consider myself a jokester and pretty darn handsome." He said. I could hear a smirk in his voice and I smile at his words.
Smokescreen pulls back out onto the open road and we found ourselves on a desert cliff. It was beautiful. The sun beat down on us, but I was completely content with the weather. In contrast to the heat of summer in Japan, it was much drier here. I would survive, though.
Smokescreen popped the door open and I get out, taking a few steps back and I watch in awe yet again as he transforms. He stood tall and proud, the wings on his back held high. He took a look around and then down at me, kneeling down.
"You know this is a beautiful planet. Not that I've been to that many, but your planet is certainly unique." He hummed. I nod in agreement.
"What did Cybertron look like?" I ask curiously. It's not every day you got to ask an alien what their home planet looked like.
"It was beautiful too. There were tall metal buildings that shined when the sun rose. There were two moons that illuminated the sky at night. Our planet had a natural glow to it that was a beacon to travelers." He said fondly. I noticed his use of past tense and knew that this was no longer the case.
"But then the war happened. I was very young when it happened. Only a mechling. That's when I was put through training for war. They wanted the young to grow up strong to fight in the war." He frowned. "The war killed our planet." He said his face hardening. "I fight because I want the Decepticons to pay for what they did to our home." He said firmly.
"You'll get your revenge," I say sincerely. He looked to have snapped out of a daze when I spoke up and he looked down at me with a small smile.
"Yeah, it'll come soon enough. Now enough downer talk. Tell me something about Japan. I've never been there. Maybe one day I'll visit it on patrol" He shrugged.
"It's humid there. Really humid. There's a lot of people on the roads and on the sidewalks. Don't even get me started with the subway." I smile. "I liked the noise. It was hard to sleep through, but you knew you were never alone." I say.
"Tell me about your family." Smokescreen urged.
"Well, my parents are together. My mom is a schoolteacher and my dad is an expert in computer science. I'm the oldest sibling. Then there's Miko, who's a year younger, and our brother who's only eleven. I'm sixteen right now." I say. "Miko and I share a birthday month in February," I say. "Do you have any family?" I ask.
"Yeah. My creators. No siblings. It's typical for our race to only have one child unless it's split spark twins. But, when I went to the academy I didn't see them again." He said.
"Do you miss them?" I ask.
"Sometimes. It's been so long that I've almost forgotten what they look like. It was a long time ago." He shrugged.
"When did you arrive on Earth?" I ask.
"Now that's an interesting story. I've been waiting for you to ask 'cause now I get to talk about my skills." He said, puffing out his chest proudly. He explained to me in detail of his landing, his origins, Team Prime's initial mistrust, him taking down the Decepticon second in command who was wearing impenetrable armor, even if the mission ended in failure.
"At least you guys have the Apex Armor now. That's a plus." I say reassuringly. Smokescreen gave me a small smile.
By now the sun was going down and the horizon was orange and the air was beginning to cool. Smokescreen had settled into a series of random questioning like, 'what do Autobots eat?' and 'what's your favorite food?'.
I liked Smokescreen. He was a straightforward guy and he was funny. I found myself laughing frequently at the things he said or the expressions he made. He seemed to have so many stories to tell and I noticed his need to impress others. I thought it was kinda cute how hard he tried even though I'm pretty sure he knew that I was already his friend. He was a good guy.
"Hey, do you need me to drop you off at home? You wanna get home for dinner." He said.
"Oh yeah. Don't wanna miss that. A ride would be great." I say.
"Yes, ma'am." He said, standing. He transformed and this time I got into the passenger side. He pulled out of the dirt and onto the road.
"If you plan on coming to the base tomorrow I'll pick you up from school. Jack, Miko, and Raf use the 'science fiction club' excuse with their parents." He said.
"That's funny. Okay, yeah." I smile.
"Awesome! So did I give a good first impression?" He asks.
"Yeah. You're pretty cool." I say giggling.
"Then why are you laughing?" He asks, amusement lacing his voice.
"I like how straightforward you are. Few people are like that and I like that you're an open book." I tell him truthfully.
"Thanks? I don't know why I'm an open book, but thanks." He said.
"It was a compliment." I smile, patting the dash lightly.
All too soon, we arrived at my host parents house. I bid Smokescreen goodbye and he told me that Raf would put a comm patch on my phone so we could contact each other. Whatever that was...
"Oh, should I take you to school too? I know that the others do that with their charges." He asks.
"I think I'll let Kim take me. She may not like it if I'm getting dropped off and picked up by a stranger." I say.
"Good point." He agreed. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." He says, opening the door.
"Goodnight Smokescreen," I tell him, getting out and pulled my school things out with me too.
I head inside and I hear the sound of his engine fade away. Inside I find Kim and Joe setting up the table and Matt was on the couch playing his games.
"Oh good! You're just in time for dinner." Joe said smiling.
"I hope you're hungry. We're having Sloppy Joe." Kim said.
"I'm starving," I say truthfully. "I'll put my things away and I'll help you," I say, heading off to the bedroom. I put my backpack on the foot of my bed and I put my phone on the nightstand before I head out.
I was mid-bite when Joe started asking us all about our day. Matt said his usual, 'nothing much', and Kim went on to tell him about how there was an extremely rude customer that she snapped at and how she was now on 'probation'.
"Ren, how was your day?" He asks.
"I had a good day. Miko and I got together after school and she showed me her club. I joined it. I hope it doesn't interfere too much with our schedule. I'll be getting home about this time every day." I say.
"Everyday? What club is this?" Kim asks.
"It's a science fiction club. We discuss, debate, and hypothesize. We watch cool movies, do field trips, all that fun stuff." I say.
"Who's the leader? A local?" He asks.
"It's a couple of students from the school who organized it," I say.
"That's good. It'll be good for you to socialize." Joe said, looking pointedly at his son, who was playing his video game beneath the table, oblivious to his father's scrutinous gaze.
"Yeah." I agree, taking a bite of my Sloppy Joe. I was excited to go to the base tomorrow. I wanted to learn more about the team and especially my guardian.