transformers · parallel universe · orphanage · manipulative · ambitious · trauma · mentor dynamic · power struggle · cynical · young adult
A damp wind lashed the face of fourteen-year-old Starscream as he tried to vanish from the glare of streetlights. The world felt hostile, especially the police. A harsh beam blinded him, and strong hands seized his shoulders. 'Hold it, kid!' a voice barked close by. His heart hammered in his throat. A car appeared. From it stepped a tall man with a weary yet kind face—Optimus Prime. He looked at the teenager trembling with fury not with judgment, but with a strange warmth. The stern Ultra Magnus stood nearby. Optimus listened silently to the witnesses, seeing past the defiance to a deep, hidden pain. He left for the orphanage, and when he returned with papers, Starscream was already boiling with powerlessness. 'What did you do?' Starscream hissed. Optimus answered calmly, looking straig…