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wyntir_knightDisclaimer: Transformers belong to Hasbro and Takara, and are licensed to IDW and Dreamworks. My original characters are my own and any similarity between them and any existing characters from canon or fandom is purely coincidental. I claim no ownership by writing this work.
Author’s Note, the first: It is complete! And for those who want to look back or need a refresher, Part 1 can be found here and Part 2 is here, Part 3 is here, Part 4 is here and part 5 is here.
The Smelting Pools
We made the way to the safe house to the Smelting Pools quickly, ensuring that we weren’t being followed. Throughout the trip something bothered me about the whole thing. One of the first rules of the con was that you never went in flat-footed. Not if you could avoid it. This was going to be a lot more difficult than a simple smash-and-grab, and I was worried that we had no plan at all.
“Hey, Ap?” I whispered. “What’s the plan? If this is a normal shipment, there’s no way we’ll be able to get it out on our own.”
“Don’t worry about it and just follow my lead,” she said dismissively.
I opened my mouth to ask another question but she cut me off with a quick gesture.
“No questions! Just do as your told,” she said sharply.
She had never spoken to me like that before, but I assumed that she was upset over the loss of Dynamo. In the back of my mind, my instincts told me something was wrong, but I dismissed them all. Today I would have known better, but back then I was too young, too inexperienced.
We arrived at the Smelting Pools and found them practically deserted. A single guard stood by the boxes, staring off into the pools’ orange glow, ignoring us completely. We snuck forward as quietly as we could, and still the guard didn’t acknowledge us.
I moved closer to Apogee to voice my concerns but was stopped by a shake of her head. She motioned for me to move closer, to check out the scene. I shook my head, motioning that we should pull out. I knew something was wrong, even if, Apogee wasn’t seeing it. Our silent argument probably saved my life, because as I told her again that I wasn’t going out there, a concussion force shook the entire platform, loud enough to temporarily short out my audio sensors.
It was like watching events in slow motion without any sound. First the guard seemed to come apart at the seams, blossoming out from within. Then the shipment boxes rolled precariously close to the edge of the nearest pool. And looking up, I saw the cause of it all. Decepticons, flying high above us, being led by Dynamo, surveyed the scene, searching for something. Knowing that we were probably that something, I slid further back into the shadows, hoping that I wouldn’t be seen, hoping that Apogee was doing the same.
The Decepticons landed and began to look around. It was a small contingent, only Dynamo and two Seekers, but those three were more than enough of a threat. As I continued to hide I watched in confusion and fear as Apogee ran out to them. Dynamo grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a quick embrace. She pulled back, shook her head, and pointed in my direction. Dynamo yelled something back at her, and the two Seekers laughed and elbowed each other, obviously thinking that the argument was a lovers’ spat.
Apogee shook her head again, more emphatically this time. Dynamo gestured furiously in my direction then narrowed his optics. He peered into the shadows and then raised his arm and fired at an area just above my head. While the shot missed, whether by accident or design, it did succeed in flushing me from my hiding place. As I was about to raise my puny weapon, Apogee threw herself between me and Dynamo. It was then that my audios finally came back online.
"So this’s yer choice, Ap?" Dynamo spat out.
"No, but there has to be another way, I can't loose Shell! Not again!" Apogee cried.
"Primus damnit, Ap! He's not -," Dynamo stopped suddenly and narrowed his optics. “Ya know what? If this is what ya want, then fine! I’m done with it and you!”
He spun and fired at the shipping crates, pushing them fully into the Smelting Pool. The last thing I saw were the Decepticons taking to the sky as the shipping crates exploding. The force of it knocked me off my feet and offline.
When I came to I thought I was alone for a moment, until I realized that Apogee was sitting nearby, in a small, miserable ball.
“Are you alright?” I croaked.
“Fine,” she said. Her voice was filled with sorrow, but sharp at the same time. A silent ‘drop it’ was laced into her words.
“What happened?” I asked, crawling up to her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Apogee stood suddenly and began to walk away.
“Come on,” she said, “we have to get back to Argent.”
“But what do we tell him?” I asked standing up and following her. “We’ve lost the shipment. We can’t go back without an explanation.”
“That’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter,” she said. Her voice was cold and distant, and she never looked back at me or slowed.
“What do you mean? Of course it matters!” I cried. I sped up and moved to block her path. “We can’t just go back to him! He won’t accept a failure like this!”
“And what do you suggest we do?” Apogee sneered.
“I … I don’t know,” I said, taken aback by her tone. “We could hide! We could go to the Autobots!”
“Neither of those are options, Smokescreen. We need to go back to Argent and you know it,” Apogee said, stepping around me and walking away.
“But if you want to renege on your debt to Argent then be my guest, but I am going home!” she spat out.
“I … Apogee, I don’t understand! What’s wrong with you?” I cried.
Apogee stopped and sighed. She turned slowly toward me.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I’m just a little thrown off by all of this. … Look, you have no need to hide. Argent won’t take anything out on you.”
Her voice was still flat, expressionless. But I took her at her word, and followed her back to Polyhex.
Warehouse District, Polyhex
We returned to Argent’s warehouse in silence. Little did I know that I was to loose more that night than a few shipping crates. Reflecting back on it, however, I’m sure that Apogee knew what was in store for her. I think she had known from the very beginning.
Getting into the warehouse was business as usual, as was getting into Argent’s office, but that was where things went terribly wrong. The moment the door opened Apogee was grabbed and dragged inside. I moved to follow but found myself facing Juggernaut’s massive chest. He blocked the doorway with his bulk so that I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could hear. Oh yes, I could hear everything. Even today, vorns later, I can still hear her screams as they beat her to within an inch of her life.
Finally after what felt like forever Juggernaut stepped aside and ushered me in. The first thing I saw was Apogee’s still form, and Slice hovering over her.
I was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to process the scene before me. Apogee lay in a pool of her own fluids, her body broken, her once proud crest shattered.
“I believe that is enough, Slice. I’ve made my point. Feel free to do with her as you will, as long as I never see her again,” Argent said, wiping her fluids off his hands with a cloth.
Those words were enough to break my stupor.
“NO!” I screamed, launching myself toward Argent. I hadn’t even taken a step when Juggernaut had me in a crushing embrace. He pulled my arms back until I was sure that they would break off, but even the pain didn’t stop me.
“No! Argent you can’t! I’m the one who messed up! I’m the one who lost the shipment! If I’d followed her orders none of this would have happened! Leave Apogee out of this!” I cried.
“That may be true. But she took an oath to bear your burden. She knew what she was doing when she agreed,” Argent said. Behind him Slice was eyeing Apogee, his hands twitching in anticipation.
“That was ages ago! I’m a full member of this gang and you can’t expect her to still be responsible for me!” I gasped in pain as Juggernaut twisted my arms a little harder.
“Yes, you are that,” Argent said. “In fact I’d be tempted to say that you’ve exceeded your mentor and that you are now an even more important part of my team then she ever was.”
He walked up to Apogee’s huddled form and crouched beside her.
“In fact, my dear, I would say that your student far exceeded any expectations I ever had of him,” he said, gently stroking the shattered remains of her crest. Apogee barely flinched at the pain he was causing her.
“Then let her go! I’ll take her place! Take on any debt she still owes!” I cried, straining against Juggernaut’s hold.
“Oh, that was what you were going to do anyways,” Argent said. “That offer hardly impresses me. And Slice has placed a far more … interesting request.”
“No!” I screamed. “You can’t do this!”
Argent stood and approached me slowly.
“Why do you care? Why do you have any concern for this femme?” Argent asked. “It’s not as if she has any feelings for you. All you are is the body double of a mech she lost long ago.”
He leaned in close, lips almost touching my cheek. “When she lays with you at night, all she sees is Shell,” he whispered.
His words were like acid, they burned as they hit me, hanging limp in Juggernaut’s grip.
“Feel free to do with her as you will, Slice. I’m tired of picking up after her messes,” Argent said, turning away from me.
I looked up, barely seeing anything, but somehow, his words sank in.
“Argent, I’m the one who messed up. Please, don’t blame her for my mistake,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” he asked, turning back to me. “This isn’t about the shipment and this isn’t about your mistake. Though believe me, if you ever screw up like that again, what I did to her will be minor compared to what I’ll do to you. No, this is about Apogee and Dynamo and where their loyalties really lie.”
“I don’t understand …,” I whispered.
“No, of course you don’t. You’re still far too young to understand the true subtleties of loyalty. So consider this a lesson. Dynamo was once in your position. When Apogee turned her considerable attentions to you, he decided that it was time to prove himelf. He sold his services to the Decepticons in the hopes that he and Apogee would be protected from the debt they owe me. That little accident at the Smelting Pools was intended to be used as cover for their escape. More than likely you were intended to be the recipient of an untimely accident.”
“That’s not true,” I growled.
“Oh isn’t it?” Argent said, arching one optic ridge. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that if I were you.”
“Well, if it is then you drover her to it,” I spat out.
“Hold onto that belief if it helps you sleep at night,” Argent said, dismissively. He turned and looked down at Apogee’s ruined form. “Take this away, Slice. We’re finished here.”
I watched, mute, as the medic pulled Apogee from the room, trailing mech fluid in his wake. I no longer had the strength to fight Juggernaut’s hold. All I would do was watch and mourn in silence.
Argent turned back to me and brushed his hand over my cheek.
“Learn from this little Sparklet. You owe me as much as she did. Take this as a reminder of what happens to those who defy me. And remember, there is nowhere on this planet that you can go where I can’t find you.”
I nodded my head, refusing to look him in the optics. Juggernaut released me and I sank to the floor. I heard both Argent and his brute leave the room, and I still remained kneeling where I had fallen. In one single act, Argent had taken everything from me. I swore in that moment that I would pay Argent back for everything he ever did to Apogee. I didn’t know when that would be, but if there was one thing that she taught me, it was patience. I could wait. Eventually the time would be right. Eventually all the pieces would be in place. And eventually, Argent would pay.
Author's Note: the second: For what happens next to Smokescreen, please see Regrets and Bad Day. Both are Ratchet and Wheeljack centric, but appearances Smokescreen (more so in Bad Day than in Regrets)
