Transformers Short Story

Burying The Thorns

The sky was overcast, gray clouds blowing over the sun and throwing the surroundings into a chilly wasteland. Optimus peered out the silo windows from where he was perched on the human command center, watching the storm blow over. He pulled at his face with a sigh and turned away, surveying the base below him. The Autobots, with the help of their human counterparts, were adding the last touches to the decorations littering the deck hall. Optimus leaned over the rail, his form relaxed despite the turmoil in his mind and across his shared bond. He looked up when the base doors, the ones leading to command, were thrown open and Lennox stalked out. His form was hunched over from lack of sleep/food and his agitated expression cleared a path to the private soldier quarters. His second, Epps, handed off his work to the next soldier and followed after the newly appointed CO, a hesitant awkwardness in his steps. Muffled shouting echoed from the now-shut door and the rest of the soldiers paused to listen to the commotion. One of the soldiers, Optimus guessed Smith, motioned for the soldiers to continue on in their efforts, his words drowning out some of the fighting from the next hall. After a few minutes, the group finished setting up the decor and were milling about in the main hall, watching their third in command leave to assess the situation next door. Optimus rose to his full height, stretching the muscles in his back with a deep sigh. He peered down at the group below once more, following the stair railing down to the concrete floors. The soldiers nodded respectively as he passed, tapping him on his shoulder gently or offering short words of comfort to his absent mind. Optimus eyed the eerily-quiet soldier housing before coming to a standstill in front of the main door, adjusting his scanners to pick up any sound. He hesitated with his hand outstretched for the handle, a few moments longer, before turning and walking away, closing his eyes and choosing to ignore the situation; they could handle it...or at least he hoped they could. He walked, not conscious of where he was taking himself but relieving in his own thoughts and all the silence. Rose's face filtered into his mind and he stopped abruptly, blinking his eyes a few times to truly focus on his surroundings. With a pang, he realized he was in the memorial hall and that he wasn't entirely alone. Sunstreaker, in his true form, was watching the humanized Prime from his perch against the back wall, almost entirely shrouded in shadow except for his cyan optics. He shifted his helm, making the bright optics whirl softly as they recalibrated on the Prime. Optimus studied him before walking closer, choosing to watch the portraits as he edged toward the sports car. He stopped just before the racer's pedes, studying the bot in front of him. Sunstreaker avoided his searching eyes, focusing instead on the memorial wall in front of him. Optimus turned, looking for Rose's familiar face among the rest of the pictures. "...she didn't blame you...you know." Optimus startled, whirring to face the mech, whose hardened gaze was watching him, forced venom in his voice, "...for sending her away....for protecting her...I don't think she ever told you that." Optimus swallowed past the lump in his throat, "...she didn't." Sunstreaker leaned forward onto his knee joints to brush her portrait lightly, "She didn't tell you a lot of things...but she had her reasons...I'm not going to start spilling her secrets but..." The mech hesitated before ex-venting harshly, returning to his original posture, "...you were more alike than she ever cared to admit." Optimus closed his eyes, imagining Rose's twinkling personality in his mind, "...you talked with her often?" Sunstreaker shrugged, "Only when she felt she couldn't talk to anyone else...we-we had an understanding." Optimus sighed, taking in the new information, "She trusted you." Sunstreaker's optics narrowed and he growled, "Maybe she shouldn't have...she'd be here right now...whooping your sorry aft for mourning when we should be celebrating." The Prime looked over him with an empathic look, "Do you really believe that?" Sunstreaker looked his way before glancing back at the wall, defeat brushing into his usual icy tone, "No...I just...didn't think it would end this way...for all her faults...she-she really was, no is...alright...I wanted her...to have her own happy ending...but what do I know...Primus has more ball bearings than I do to take her out of this world...he's probably regretting his decision now." Optimus chuckled at his statement, patting the firm metal of the mech's pede, "You were good to her." Sunstreaker pulled away uncomfortable, optics focused on her portrait again, keeping silent.