Resonance Dissonance: Downtime - Chapter 2
Title: Dissonance: Downtime - Chapter 2
Author: AotA
Rating: K+
Warnings: offscreen character death
Characters: Prowl, Smokescreen, Ultra Magnus
Setting: Bayverse, Resonance Exodus AU
Summary: A "what if...?" where Smokescreen didn't forcibly reassign himself to the Validus and instead took his original assignment under Ultra Magnus aboard the Starforge.
Notes: It occurs after Everything You Never Wanted, during the Resonance storyline with the alterations mentioned above. (Still haven't made it to Resonance yet, so no, nothing is posted for it at the moment.)
Everything titled "Dissonance" is NOT canon for the Resonance storyline.
Dissonances are things that could have happened, but didn't.
Chapter 1
To all Autobot forces:
When they got word of Prowl's fate, the news was already old.
Prowl, Second in Command of all Autobot forces, and de facto leader in the absence of Optimus Prime is now among the deceased...
Even so, hearing it made Smokescreen's optics flare a distressed white.
Due to circumstances beyond his control...
He scanned the transmission frantically.
Prowl took his own life in order to preserve the lives of his comrades...
Prowl, his strong, workaholic, former Core had committed suicide.
...and preserve the lives of all mechs under his command from a previously unknown and unforeseen enemy...
Smokescreen found a description of what those effects might be... lacking in the way of details. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was that put the glyphs of horror and relief he was seeing.
Despite the effect of the attack upon him, physically and mentally, he continued to serve with diligence and honor until the very last...
He didn't know if he had just taken the chance and bullied Prowl into changing his assignment that maybe he could have done something to change the outcome. He had almost done it, but had been side tracked on his way to tell Prowl what was what. By the time that he'd gotten everything cleared up, it had been too late to change rosters.
Prowl is to be afforded all honors of an Autobot who went above and beyond the call of duty in his service to the cause...
Smokescreen turned to Ultra Magnus with a quiet keen, burying his face against the mech who was still uncomfortable with the public display of emotion but nevertheless wrapped arms around the distressed Praxian.
As in accordance with Prowl's wishes and in keeping with established protocol, in the absence of Optimus Prime and Jazz, Third in Command of all Autobot forces and Head of Special Operations, command is to be conferred upon Ultra Magnus, former commander of the Starforge detachment, now Second in Command of all Autobot forces and de facto leader unless orders are given to the contrary from those of appropriate rank.
Ultra Magnus ran his hands soothingly down the trembling Smokescreen's back as he continued to read, grave with the "honor" of now having to command all the mechs he would never feel prepared to.
'Til all are one.