A Soldier's Will (Transformers Prime Fanfiction)

Reminiscing on Mon Frère

After school was over, and after Bumblebee had dropped them off, Claire went to sit down on the couch. She was silent... And pissed off. Jack noticed and looked at Raf. He was a little worried.

"What happened?" Jack asked. "She looks... Really angry right now."

"I don't really know," Raf replied. "But she was about to fight Vince before I showed up..."

"Fight Vince? That's not good..."

"Could you talk with her? I've tried to on the way here, but she didn't say anything to me."

"I'll give it a try, but Smokescreen's usually better at getting her to talk about this stuff."

Jack walked over to the couch and sat beside Claire. She looked over at him before looking away. She was not in the mood.

"Go away Jack," Claire said. "I don't want to talk."

"Oh don't be like that," he replied. "You weren't angry this morning, so what's up? Raf told me you almost fought Vince."

"...It doesn't matter."

"It does when you're about to fight someone on your first day of school."

Claire didn't say a word, not even trying to open up. If she was like this when she was younger, then she would confide in her brother. However, that would not happen; she knew that. She just wanted to be left alone. While she was grateful for friends, she didn't want to be bothered.

"...Just leave it alone Jack," Claire said gently. "Please..."

"Claire... You can't just bottle this up," Jack replied. "I may not be Smokescreen or your brother, but you can talk to me. I will listen."

The room was silent for a moment. Nobody spoke, leaving an uneasy silence. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile. Despite this silence, he wanted to reassure her that it was fine. After a while, Claire finally opened up. She talked about when Vince found the picture of her brother and how he practically dragged his name through the mud with petty insults.

"I felt so angry over what he said, even though it seemed petty and childish," Claire explained. "But I hate when someone disrespects the dead. That's when I was close to beating him senseless. I almost did before Raf showed up..."

"You have a right to be angry, and Vince should not have said that," Jack replied. "But you have to realize that you are not in a battlefield. You may be a soldier, but you are also like me. You're a teenager, and teenagers deal with dumb stuff like this all the time. You can't fight like a soldier in a school."

"...You're right, Jack," she chuckled. "Guess I've been on the battlefield too long..."

Jack and Claire talked more, the two chatting as a couple of hours passed. Eventually, Raf and Miko would join them. The four humans would be chattering up a storm, much to Ratchet's displeasure. However, he did hear some of the conversation when it came to Smokescreen.

"So what do you think of Smokescreen?" Miko asked. "I'm dying to know!"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Jack asked, looking at Miko.

"It's alright," Claire said with a chuckle. "Smoke's a fine Bot. Sure, he may act like a goofball, but he's capable. Reminds me of military recruits back in France."

"How so?" Raf asked, raising a brow.

"He's got a bright enthusiasm... He knows there's a war, but it doesn't faze him."

"Smokescreen is more eager, yeah, but is there anything else?"

"You're really eager about this, aren't you Miko?" Claire looked at her before looking up. "Well... In a way, he almost reminds me of Sebastian..."

"Sebastian?"

"...My older brother."

The room went silent. Nobody made a single sound. It created some uneasiness, as some people found the silence to be uncomfortable. Even Ratchet found the silence to be bothersome, as he now got curious.

"Forgive me for prying," Ratchet said. "But why compare a Cybertronian, Smokescreen in particular, to that of your own sibling?"

"Well," Claire replied. "Smokescreen is similar to Sebastian because he cares about the soldiers he's around. He does more than just be a soldier and move on; he tries to connect with them and become their friend. He'd also treat them like family if he's capable..."

Claire looked down and took a breath. Her brother was always a difficult subject, but she did her best to take it in stride. Ratchet did notice her behavior and got concerned. He kneeled down, looking at her.

"I apologize if I brought up something sensitive to you sergeant," he said

"Don't worry about it Ratch," she replied. "You were just curious."

"...What was your brother like?" Raf asked.

Claire looked at Raf, staring at him for a moment before she smiled. She brushed loose hair from her face before she spoke.

"Sebastian was a sweet and intelligent guy," she explained. "He was someone who loved his family and his country. He was noble, wanting to make sure his soldiers made it back home safely..."

Claire would highlight everything she could about her brother. From  his school life to when he became a lieutenant, she told them everything. They could see that she loved her brother so much, and that she was really close to him. She didn't even realize she had tears in her eyes until someone pointed it out to her. Realizing this, she merely chuckled.

"I guess... I still miss him," she said gently. "It's only been months, so it's understandable, but... But I shouldn't b-"

She got cut off by a hug from Raf. It surprised her, but... It also felt nice. She dried her eyes returned the hug. After all the comfort, everything went back to normal. The humans returned to normal chatting, and Ratchet went back to his work.

Eventually, Bulkhead and Bumblebee walked over to them. Miko was excited and headed to Bulkhead. Raf went to Bumblebee, while Jack left to look for Arcee. This left Claire alone, making her uneasy. She eventually found Optimus, who was talking to Ratchet. She took a breath before speaking up.

"Optimus, sir."

Optimus turned to look at Claire, and Ratchet looked as well. Ratchet wouldn't speak as Optimus would kneel down and hold his servo out to her. She'd get on and he'd stand with her in his metallic palm before speaking.

"Is everything alright Claire?" He asked.

"I'm just worried about Smokescreen," she replied. "What kind of mission did you send him on...?"

"I had sent him to look for an unknown signature. Whether it was of Autobot or Decepticon origin, we were uncertain of."

"...He should be back by now if he's found it already. He hasn't called me either, which worries me."

"I understand your concern. We shall begin our search for Smokescreen in between our Energon scoutings."

"Optimus," Ratchet said. "Our numbers are few. Are you sure it is wise to split our forces?"

"As you have stated, our numbers are few," Optimus replied, looking at Ratchet. "We cannot afford more losses on our part. If we can find Smokescreen and bring him back, then we must take the chance."

Claire looked at Optimus and Ratchet. She worried about her friend. She hoped that Smokescreen would come back to base soon. She lost one person already; she did not want to lose anyone else...