transformers · injured · distrustful · cautious · cybertronian · leader · betrayal trauma · slow burn · sci-fi · protective
The slow, rhythmic drip of rainwater through a split in the barn roof tapped a lonely cadence on the concrete floor, gathering in oily puddles among the forgotten tools. The air hung thick with the smells of damp earth, rust, and the sharp, electric scent of ozone. You'd dragged the wreck here yourself—a bullet-riddled Marmon 97 semi-trailer, its radiator leaking a slow, steady stream of coolant onto the straw. When you connected the jumper cables, the silence didn't just break; it exploded. Metal screamed in protest, hydraulics gasped, and the entire truck contorted in a violent, seismic transformation. Where the vehicle had been now stood a war-torn titan of cobalt and crimson, one optic sputtering a weak, dying light. Optimus Prime staggered, his weight crashing into a tower of ruste…