[Original RPG] Aero Blade's Secret

[Scout]

(Single post contains the elements of the conversation Aero Blade had with Smokescreen in Broken Peace: Autobots.)

Smokescreen led the way down the hall and up a smaller empty corridor with office-type rooms. He stopped at one and motioned for Aero Blade to go inside. Inside there was a desk, chair, sitting bench and a few metal puzzles and a tf-sized magnetic chess board.

Aero Blade walked inside, looking at the various items. The room seemed rather enclosed, but the games gave it a friendly atmosphere.

Smokescreen walked in after and closed the door. He smiled, though with a serious expression and sat down on one end of the bench, motioning for Aero Blade to sit down as well.
"Come join me."

Aero Blade sat down beside him without a fuss. He started across the room, thinking a bit. Where should he start? He wasn't entirely sure why he'd asked to talk to Smokescreen in the first place, but it was too late to back out now.

"We're alone here my friend. I imagine it must be worrying for you to be so far from home, but is that what's troubling you?"

"No.." Aero Blade answered. "It's what I left behind....and what followed me..." His voice sounded cryptic, but at the same time he seemed to be referring to himself in some manor. Aero Blade sighed lightly, then started, keeping his voice calm and even. "In my home demention, durring the period of cycle E79238 through E79538, Megatron authorized Protoform Spark Engineering expirements for the purpose of breeding workerbots for the Decepticons military forces. During the period of the experiements, only one of the scientist managed to properly engineer a specimine; number 25 of 572, name designation: Aero Blade..."

Smokescreen listened and then nodded.

He closed his eyes seeming to drop into a memory. "...When I first became aware, I knew my purpose was technical and mechanical work. It was all I thought about. But.. when I saw the other Decepticons and learned what their purpose was, and after some..events..that happened to me, I could not bare the thought of aiding the hurt of others in any way, even if I was not the direct cause. I left the Decepticons in search of a peaceful existence, but I soon learned there was no-where I could find it..."

Smokescreen became still as he considered what was being said. "If I understand properly, you were an engineer and your function was to help the Decepticons?"

"That was the purpose that I had been engineered for..." Aero Blade answered. For some reason, the statement seem to have a certain kind of cruel irony to him, one that he had gotten used to...

Smokescreen folded his hands and looked at them with a wispy smile. We were all created for one function or another Aero Blade. We were servants or warriors. An engineer would be more inclined to build things than destroy. I can see why you'd have felt uncomfortable."

"You and I are were not created in the same manor," Aero Blade answered, beging to become defensive. "You may have been designed for something, but you still have the right to choose your function. Ever since you were activated you've known free will...When I had been awakened, everything had been decided for me. My purpose, my function, even my physical form. I awoke with an alternate mode already installed on me..but that was not the least of things... I later found that my engineering went past my physical form. My mind had been altered. My personality, my likes and dislikes, my emotions..."

Smokescreen's dark blue optics became slightly darker and his smile faded into a saddened expression. He listened attentively and nodded.

"I have no knowledge of who I was, or may have become, only my decided function..."Aero Blade sighed, returning to his memories. "After much time wandering, I sought to join the Autobots, but because of my origin, my peaceful will was met with agression, violence, and capture. I was imprisoned in Iacon, left abandoned and forgotten for unknown periods of time, until my jailors returned.... There were alot of angry Autobots, and to many it didn't matter who had hurt them, just as long as they could get revenge on a Decepticon, any Decepticon...I never did anything to any of them..."

Smokescreen nodded again and waited to see if Aero Blade was going to say any more.

Aero Blade straightened up, eyes still closed, his voice changing slightly. "After even my jailors finally had forgotten and left me for dead to slowly wither away in a cell, one of the Autobot beauractrats discovered my presence. He was the first to ever listen to me, to my plight...he got me out of the jail, helped me learn the Autobot ways, to join the Autobot millitary...and then finally, to get me off of cybertron... There was a small base on Earth with few workers and few Deceptions in the area. I was sent there to help aid them in liberating minicons from the Decepticons, but that alone may have been one of the worst mistakes to happen upon..."Aero Blade openned his eyes, his voice trembled slightly. "Megatron was on Earth... He had been there at my activation, and he had not forgotten me...He tried to claim me, but Optimus would not allow it. I suffered as much grief on Earth as I did on Cybertron, perhaps even more. It was imprinted into my circuits that Megatron was my master, but though I would not obey him, I still greatly feared him."

Smokescreen nodded again.

When I was somehow brought here, I saw a chance to start over, to be free of my constraints, but the closer I got to the Autobots, the more troubled I became. By being silent of my origins, I felt as though I was lying to the Autobots, but I also feared the reprocussions of a confession, or even worse, if it was discovered by another..."

Aero Blade stared at the floor. He was shaking badly. "I....I cannot be imprissoned again...I won't survive if..." he said almost as quiet as a whisper.

Smokescreen looked up and smiled reassuringly. "I understand, Aero Blade. Well." He paused in thought and then continued.
"Many Autobots have haunted histories here. You needn't be afraid of being imprisoned. You've proven your personality already. You helped another Autobot several times over. You're trustworthy, or you wouldn't have told me about your history and be having the reaction you are. Noone else needs to know." Smokescreen paused to watch Aero Blade's reaction.

Aero Blade closed his eyes, his voice at a whisper. "...I just want to serve the Autobots....It is the only decision I have ever made of my own will...."

Smokescreen smiled again. "Here in our group Aero Blade, you will not be forced to do anything you do not want to do as long as you do not harm or interfere with the protection of the Autobots, base or the humans. We harm no innocent sentient life, but the Decepticons in this time do want to harm us. We will have to fight against them- however, not all Autobots are fighters. We have a medic named First Aid who is a pacifist. He only fights when it is the ultimate last resort, and even then, he'd have a hard time doing it on his own. You will have a choice here too. And you can choose whatever you'd like to try. If you want to learn science, you could study with Perceptor. Medicine, other functions- you'll be able to if you want to."

"The only thing I can find myself doing is technical work or engineering. It is a part of my programming I can not avoid or change," Aero Blade answered, opening his eyes. "And quite frankly I don't want to. It is one of the few things I enjoy, but I would like some time to think..." He hesitated. "...and sleep.."
Aero Blade's anxiety seemed to be slipping away. "I now understand the high demand for energon around here. No-one get's the opportunity to rest properly..."

Smokescreen laughed and then picked up a metal puzzle and started tinkering with it. "We're a jumble of smart programs. We can learn. We can learn emotions and develop our personalities from events and emotions." He pulled a ring out from the twists of chains and held it up. "Underneath though, we can all make our own choices. That's our real core program. Aero Blade, you'll be fine. Would you like some rest?"

"Is there any in supply?" Aero Blade asked, a tired humor slipping into his voice.

"You'll be able to rest easy now, yes." Smokescreen nodded and stood up. He clasped Aero Blade on the shoulder gently and briefly before turning around and opening the door. "Anything you might need, or anytime you want a listening friend, I'm around."

Aero Blade stood up when Smokescreen opened the door. He didn't usually associate touching his shoulder with anything asside from grief, let alone kindness or friendship, but first with Hound and then with Smokescreen...it was something he could quickly become used to. "Thankyou," Aero Blade answered, bowing his head in a polite gesture. He started down the hall, back towards the rooms.

Smokescreen returned the nod as he stepped out into the hall. He smiled again as he watched Aero Blade head down the hall, and then got a puzzled expression as a memo came over his messaging system.
*Returning now to the thread*