Chapter Text
“Speech”
Emphasis
‘Thoughts’
“ Old Cybertronian”
The Burns are a rescue team and family. Chief Charlie Burns is the police officer and father of the group, Kade Burns is the firefighter and eldest brother out of the five of them, Dani Burns is the air support and only sister among them, Graham Burns is the engineer and second brother of the family, and finally Cody Burns. He helps his family from the command center and is the youngest out of all of them. He’s too young to actually help, but that doesn't stop him. He helped people when he was Rescue Boy.
However, despite the fact that Cody is the 8-year-old little ray of sunshine, he is much smarter than people give him credit for. Which is the topic of the conversation between him and his childhood friend and bestie, Frankie.
“I’d say you're like the reincarnation of someone famous!” Frankie and Cody joked about how wise for an 8-year-old the blond boy is. They’ve been talking about it when Cody knew how to get out of the forest of Griffin Rock even though they were in an unfamiliar section. He even used a rock nearby to kill a venomous snake. They never knew it was venomous. Until Graham told them.
Both he and Frankie were laughing from her remark. Neither of them really believed in reincarnation, but more so Frankie than Cody because she is more scientific than Cody, and she needs proof of someone having been someone else in the past, “But you don’t think it’s real!” Cody jabbed.
“Yeah. But it is funny,” Frankie nudged his arm with her elbow. They continued to walk until they reached the school. They went inside the large building, both still bantering about reincarnation and their thoughts on it. They both know the concept and how it works if you believe it, but they think it’s kinda silly, “If reincarnation is real, there’s gotta be evidence,” Cody chuckled and nodded his head, agreeing. They were about to go their separate ways until they bumped into Liam. Liam, Jake, Sam and Kyle are a group of boys that tend to pick on Cody. They don’t outright do much, but they do say some mean things that would get under anyone’s skin.
Unless you're Cody. He almost never does anything. And I mean anything. Liam and his friends never really get a reaction out of Cody because he simply ignores them. It’s not easy, but he tends to be successful. Liam said, “Watch where you're going!” Cody backed up and apologized, but Liam wasn't having it.
“Says the useless member of the rescue team! I imagine-” Frankie cut him off and threatened to tell a teacher about him calling Cody ‘useless’, “Don’t call him that!” Liam, “Oh really? And what are you gonna do about it?”
“Your parents will know and then ground you, and your free time will be taken away for the next three days,” The brainy girl has memorized the punishments for what rules are broken because they may or may not have broken a few. Liam shut up quickly but acted tough, and scoffed at Frankie and left from the middle of the hallway. Frankie checked up on Cody, hoping he wasn't hurt from what Liam said. Calling someone useless can hurt people more than they realize, and Cody even heard about a case of a 17-year-old girl who committed suicide when her foster mom berated her for being ‘useless’ so badly. The woman was arrested for child abuse and the news told her story and in the paper, written her suicide note.
His dad helped with the case after her foster dad didn't see her within 24 hours. He opened up a missing person report and a few days later, her body was found. She drugged herself and then shot herself in the chest. She bled out on the floor but ultimately died of an overdose of morphine. Cody knew how harmful calling people names can be.
But that wasn't the reason why he didn't move or say anything throughout the whole ordeal, it's because of a memory. Specifically a memory he didn't know he had. He was on what looked like a metal planet and these giant robotic animals surrounded him. Someone called another useless and a ‘waste of metal and energon’. He had a vague idea of energon, but he ended up forgetting it because of the long lecture he got from his dad because he snuck outside to stargaze a bit too far. He went to the trees nearby, and ventured too far. If he was with Kade or one of the bots, or literally any other person in his house, he'd be fine because he has someone to supervise.
But what stuck out to him was that… he heard be called a Prime. The only Prime he knew was Optimus, and Primes are supposed to be Cybertonian. He isn’t and it's confusing the heck out of him, but it just feels right that the memory is his, and he made it. He experienced it. He’ll dwell on that later, right now, he and Frankie can’t be late for class.
While walking to class, Cody just couldn't shake the strange feeling he got when he looked back at the mysterious memory. He continued to try and ignore it, but it isn't like a person calling you names. This memory had the two fighting, and it looked like they were bleeding. There were scars, scuff marks and it seems like they were speaking a language, when looking back on how it sounded, there should be no way for him to understand it.
He remembered what… he said? They said? It doesn't matter. “ Stop! We mustn't fight each other when there is a bigger threat on the horizon,” The voice sounded gruff, and the speech was warbled, but he understood clearly. And that's what freaks him out. He didn't have enough time for mulling over that scary piece of information, it's lunch time now, and he and Frankie want to eat outside.
“And his disregard for his safety is what got him sent to the office. We were doing a simple experiment involving vinegar. He got what he deserved,” She finished her science class nightmare story and took notice how distant Cody was, “Cody, you okay?” She waited but no answer came, “Was it Liam this morning?” Cody snapped out of it at Liam’s name. He shook his head, “No it's not. It’s just…” Cody didn't know how to break it to her. He doesn't remember a date for the memory plaguing his mind, but he knows it's his. Frankie waited patiently, not rushing her best friend, “Nevermind. I’ll tell you later,” Cody didn't find the right words to tell her, so he dropped it. Frankie, while still skeptical and worried, did not push any further, “It’s okay. Tell me when you're ready.”
Cody smiled at her, thankful for her kindness and that she didn't pry. They change the subject and eat their lunch outside until they have to return to class. He and Frankie go about their day, until it's time to go home. They walk back to their respective houses while talking as much as they can. Once they have to split ways, Cody and his thoughts turn to that metal planet memory.
He walks inside to drop off his stuff and grabs a snack. He and the bots are gonna watch a virtual history lesson about Cybertron. He always wanted to know what it looked like, and to understand them better. He grabs some orange juice and snacks like chips and some candy with a bag of popcorn since it's gonna be awhile.
Half-way through the video, Cody has more questions than ever before. Not because of the foreign planet he's learning about, but because the planet in his memory is the same as the video. He tries to brush it off as a coincidence, but the accuracy is too accurate and is starting to freak him out. As he continues to watch, a storm rolls in and cuts the video. Sadly, they have to continue later.
Dani walks in with a flashlight, “Hey, y’all okay?” Cody nods, but Blades, in his usual panicked fashion, disagrees. Dani chuckles and walks over to calm down her rescue partner. The rest of the bots and Burns family hang out in the same room while the storm rages outside. They play various games like UNO, Monopoly, Go Fish, War, SORRY, Snakes and Ladders, Operation, Clue, etc. All ending with them falling into chaos. Chief Burns, having been fed up, finally, ends the games. The rest complained but knew that the word was final. Kade, however, wasn't as bored as the rest because he knew one thing he could do. He pulled out his phone and started texting his girlfriend, Hayley.
While Kade was using his phone battery, Dani helped Blades calm down, Graham was reading, Boulder was painting, and Chase was reviewing the laws because he heard a new one was passed. So that left Heatwave and Cody bored with nothing to do. The storm was too bad for people to go outside, the power was cut off, and the two don’t know how to pass the time.
An hour passed, but it felt like a lifetime. Heatwave busied himself with bugging Kade and Cody thought back to the memory from this morning. He broke down everything, analyzed it, and connected everything until the power came back on, or the storm let up. And so far, it seems like neither.
While Cody was looking back once more for the fourth time in a row, the storm was beginning to let up. Chief Burns dismissed everyone, with the storm not as strong as before. Now Cody can mull over the memory in a new location! Great.
After dinner, and Cody is lying in his bed, he can’t shake the feeling of the weird memory. Maybe it’ll go away tomorrow. Yeah, it'll be gone in the morning, and his life will return the way it was. Or so he thought.
Once Cody wakes up, he has numerous questions about last night because of a strange dream. No, not a dream. Another memory. One with more dialogue, and it was longer. Much longer. It was an entire week within one night! Some names stuck out as well as some details. It's starting to bother him, but if he ignores it, it'll go away, right?
Cody goes about his morning like usual, except that there was a mission that reminded Cody of his time as Rescue Boy. He wanted to help people too, but he was just 8. He can’t really help unless he's at the command center staring at screens and speaking into a microphone. It kinda bothers him.
While he continues on autopilot, the memories play over and over again. It's distracting him, from his schoolwork, his homework, his time with Frankie, it's all bothering him, and getting in the way of his life, but he feels like the reason is because he's letting it.
The next few weeks go by like this, the memories play, distract him, he blames himself, and he tries to forget them. It's a never-ending cycle. The memory dream plays at night, the flashback memory plays in the few hours of the morning, and then they switch back and forth. He wants to tell his family, but he doesn't know how to tell them without sounding crazy.
It wasn't until a mission he joined almost ended with him falling off a cliff. He was helping his dad on the other side, next to the edge when someone’s bag hit him hard, and he lost his footing which led to him stumbling. To the ledge. He slipped and grabbed onto the nearest rock. Unfortunately, it was loose, so it couldn't hold him for long. He was about to fall when all of the sudden, something took over. He got cut when some metallic claws breached his skin and dug into the rock, and held .
He held on for dear life, literally, and waited for Dani and Blades, or Kade and Heatwave, or even Dad and Chase. Adrenaline and anxiety skyrocketed. He doesn't know what he's doing, he just knows that he should if he wants to live. Not questioning why he now has claws coming out of his palm, or why it's metal, or all things, or even where this instinct came from. It is just a fact to him, something he can’t change.
“CODY!” His dad yelled for him, catching the attention of the rest of the family. Graham, Boulder, Kade and Heatwave rushed over to see what was happening. Kade, Graham, and Heatwave saw Cody hanging on, but the claws from his hand were invisible to them. Except one.
This didn't go unnoticed by Boulder. He saw the gleam of the metal Cybertronians are made of, out of Cody’s hand. He'd have to ask about that later. Cody started to climb back up, then Heatwave picked him up and set him on the ground. Cody ran up to his dad and hugged him. Kade then Dani hugged Cody, turning it into a group hug. Chief Burns notices Cody holding his bleeding hand, then Dani grabs the first aid kit, and they sit down from bit to bandage up their little brother/son.
When they arrive back home, Cody sat down on the couch where the bots hang out and sleep. Boulder, worried, walked up and asked him about it, “Hey, you okay Cody?” Cody looks up to make eye contact with the bulldozer, “Huh? Oh, yeah. My hand hurts but I'm alive,” Cody chuckles a little, but he knows it's serious so it didn't last long. He looks at his hand, then back at Boulder, “Sorry.”
Boulder doesn't know why Cody is apologizing, he knows he laughed at something a little dark, but some people occasionally do that. Heatwave especially, “It’s okay. Heatwave has some dark humor as well. And it’s not your fault,” Cody smiles. He's glad for some understanding but he's eight. A child.
“Boulder, a child shouldn't laugh at dark humor,” Cody explains to Boulder, who understands, “I know. But I still understand,” Boulder’s kindness knows no bounds, Cody can’t help but feel better. He smiles and Boulder smiles back, “Thank you, Boulder.”
Boulder nods before his smile falls, “I have a question that I've been wanting to ask since the mission,” Cody tenses up. He motions for Boulder to continue. Cody’s anxiety started to rise, “I noticed… claws from your hands. Made of the same metal for Cybertronians,” Cody knew someone must’ve seen it, but the fact that the metal was Cybertronian? Now Cody thinks there's more to… everything. The memories, the random bouts of understanding a child should never understand, the claws, how he never felt scared by the bots when they first met, everything.
Cody looks down and contemplates the series of events, “I… I don’t know. It just… happened,” Cody tells Boulder he is just as lost as him. They try to find a reason why, but then they give up. They continue the video of ancient Cybertronian history. It was when Onyx Prime, the 8th Prime, and his description of his looks and personality that caught Cody’s undivided attention. Boulder made a comment on how they seem so similar. And to Cody, too similar for his comfort. A theory forms in his mind, but then he just brushes it off. Besides, it's not like it'd be true.
He doesn’t really believe in reincarnation, why would he now? It's just a coincidence. Right?