CHAPTER 2

The first thing Drift felt was the pain in his back. At the beginning, he believed it was only about a dream. This young girl only was figment of his imagination. Unfortunately, the pain left by Taser reminded him how much it was real. He frowned, realizing he couldn't move. He looked all around. His arms as well as his legs were chained up.
That was a trap. Somebody trapped him.
Here now he was a prisoner. He struggled, trying to get rid of his chains.
"Hi, Drift. How are you?"
He recognized this voice! Drift abruptly looked up at his jailor, clenching his fists.
Fracture. The Decepticon was leaning against the wall, deviously smirking back at him. Drift mentally blamed himself. Of course. How stupid was he. He should have expected his return. That was the Decepticon who had been the responsible of his alliance with Bumblebee, before becoming a permanent member of his team.
Fracture was a bounty hunter. Nevertheless, they had radically different approaches. Fracture totally was devoid of sense of morality. He was able to do everything for a bounty, even going as far as using sneaky tactics. Drift looked around him. The room was so grey…so dark…Where was he?
"What's wrong, Drift? No punchline? Cat got your tongue?" Fracture kept on, getting closer to him. His smirk wasn't wiped off his face.
Drift took a long breath. Everything would be fine. That wasn't the first time he crossed his road. It wouldn't be the last one. He managed to escape from him every time. He kept a peaceful look. He didn't try to resist anymore. He mustn't display fear when it came to Fracture. He will not give him such a pleasure.
Fracture stopped in front of him, standing up to his full height, dominating his rival.
"After all this time, Drift…you should have expected something like this from me." Fracture said. "It is easy to create a Decepticon signal. All you have to do is possessing useful gadgets."
The samurai didn't answer. He just stared up at him with an expressionless face. Fracture didn't get flustered.
"I'm disappointed. I thought you were more talkative. Too bad…I can do without it"
A blade came out of his wrist. It was a similar one to the ones Fracture used to spar with him, a malevolent glint in his red optics. His expression was filled with hatred mixed with pleasure.
Finally, Drift spoke up.
"Is it your goal?" He calmly asked him. "Kidnapping me to kill me?"
"I waited so long for this day…" Fracture replied with a smug smile.
"Sheesh…using such ways to get whatever you want…You really do not surprise me, Fracture. You never played fair."
Fracture's fist closed on his blade. It looked like he struggled not to cut his throat as quickly. Drift remained placid.
"After all, you have no honour"
Fracture's smile erased itself. Instead of using his weapon, Drift felt a strong kick in his side. He winced in pain without losing his stoic appearance.
"Stick your honour where the sun don't shine!" Fracture yelled at him. "What do you know about honour? You are the one stealing MY bounties!"
Here they come again, Drift thought. It was always about the same thing over and over.
"These bounties aren't yours" He explained. "Everyone is free to take it. Be reassured. It isn't my world anymore. You are absolutely free to do your so-called business"
"I'm a business man, Drift" He responded with a more fawning voice. "It's a normal thing to eliminate concurrence. Bumblebee's head was rightfully mine. He was mine and you took him away from me."
Drift sighed. Fracture was a serious threat but he acted like a capricious kid whose parents said no to him.
"As I said earlier, I'm not part of it anymore" Drift said. "As long as you do not touch Bumblebee and my friends, I have no reason to attack you"
Deep down, Drift had another reason. The day they nearly arrested Fracture, this latter had threatened to blow his own ship to scraps along with Jetstorm and Slipstream inside. Remembering this part just increased Drift's disdain for him.
"I think you didn't understand, Drift" Fracture spoke up, before kneeling down over him. His optics met his. "As you said, it is no longer about a bounty. It is only about you"
Drift glared at him. Fracture got up again, raising his blade up.
"This is the end. I said the day I would put you in your grave would be a day to remember." He cackled, a victorious smile on his face. "Don't worry. I will never forget about you"
Drift didn't care. He learned to face death a long time ago. He learned not to be afraid. He learned not to cry. He closed his eyes. The only thing he was thinking about was Jetstorm and Slipstream. He wondered what would happen to them. Bumblebee would take care of them, but would he be able to train them the same way Drift did?
Would Jetstorm and Slipstream remain in the right path?
Would they achieve their training?
Would they manage to live without him?
He took a long breath. He was ready for the coup de grace.
"Fracture! Stop! We already talked about this"
Drift opened his optics again. This voice also was familiar to him. Appearing behind Fracture, the door just opened up, Steeljaw blocked Fracture's arm, ready to stab his spark. This latter gave him a murderous glare.
"Stay out of my way!" He roared.
"You definitely didn't understand, Fracture" Steeljaw softly said. "Drift will be more useful to us if he remains alive. A lot more useful than dead"
Drift's eyes widened. What did he mean? What did he mean by "useful"?
In a firm grip, Steeljaw succeeded in pushing Fracture back, though the purple Decepticon still didn't lower his blade.
"Leave him to me! I may never have this opportunity again!"
"You swore loyalty to me, Fracture. You swore loyalty to Decepticon cause." Steeljaw coldly retorted. Nevertheless, his tone remained affable. "Drift will help us to lure his little friends into our trap. With this chance, we will be able to free the others Decepticons they imprisoned."
Fracture seemed to hesitate. Steeljaw didn't joke. Drift wasn't fooled by it. Were they actually planning to use him to release others Decepticons? No. Bumblebee wasn't stupid to believe it. Drift already knew they wouldn't let him go, especially if Fracture was so determined to eliminate him.
"Don't forget it, Fracture" Steeljaw warned him.
Fracture clenched his fists. Drift actually wondered if they would come to blows. Fracture finally lowered his weapon before disappearing out of his sight. Steeljaw smiled.
"I prefer this, Fracture. You are a good element to our team"
The purple Decepticon didn't listen to him anymore. Out of rage, he violently punched the wall before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.
Drift was now alone with Steeljaw. The wolf-con turned back to him.
"I think it would be useless to explain what we are planning to do with you."
"It's a waste of time" Drift collectedly replied. "Bumblebee will never surrender before fighting."
Moreover, Drift definitely will not wait here until someone comes to free him. He was not a damsel in distress. Do not push it.
"Possible" Steeljaw agreed. "But I don't think he would accept to lose one teammate. Another of his teammates…I heard he lost many of them during the war"
He paused.
"Do you really believe he would be able to live on with blood on servos?"
Drift remained silent. He tried to look away. Steeljaw gave him a satisfied look, before leaving too. He switched off the light, abandoning Drift to the darkness.