CHAPTER 51

He regained consciousness, the pain due to the blow still screaming on his helm…

"…Where am I?"

At first, Drift didn't see anything.

Beside light blinding him, almost burning his optics out…like a flash…Then, the pain went so strong that a sudden nausea came up at his throat. For one instant, Drift was sure that he was going to vomit and struggled hard not to. He didn't see anything, he didn't hear anything…it didn't feel like the reality. Was he even conscious? Unconscious?

He guessed he'd been put on a chair. As soon as he moved, he couldn't stand up. Not only his own physical state didn't allow him to stand up, but his arms were bound to the chair; cuffs surrounding his wrists.

Had been captured…?

By who…?

In the end, light was taken off. It became a bit more bearable. Drift blinked, trying to get used to the sudden darkness.

Blue optics appeared in front of him.

The last thing he remembered had been a bot with same colours…

"…Please…"

Flashes came back again.

Jetstorm…

Slipstream…

Trapped…gagged…in a cage…

"Where are my Minicons…,?"

"Oh please, don't take us for a fool" A low voice replied.

"…Where are my Minicons…?" He repeated, a weak tone.

Everything had vanished around him…

Only these blue optics remained…

"Name: Deadlock."

"I'm not Deadlock anymore…"

He coughed.

"…Please…"

"So. Who am I speaking to?"

That's torture…he only needed one answer to his question…

Slipstream…Jetstorm…what'd happened to them?

He struggled. He'd to give whatever that bot wished from him.

"…My name is Drift"

"Wow. So, are you thinking that erasing your name will erase your crimes?"

"…I didn't want to—"

"Affiliation: Decepticon"

Where was he?

That's such a pain…he knew nothing. That's even worse than physical pain.

He thought about Wing's advices.

You need a calm and peaceful mind to focus and face horrible situations.

He needed to calm his mind. But as soon as he shut his optics out, a slap came across his face hard. It woke up him. He screamed. Blue optics never tore off him.

"Do you need me to enlist your crimes?"

"…No…"

"Theft, murder, aggression, extorsion…"

"it wasn't…"

He had been under influence…he'd been under someone's grip…Shadow Raker's…But no word came out.

"Do you deny it?"

"…No…"

"So, that's a yes"

"I wasn't…myself…"

He'd never wished this.

"Please…I just want to see Slipstream…and Jetstorm…"

The stranger didn't answer.

"Will you tell me it wasn't your fault? It was due to a glitch? An error? Isn't it? That's a weak defence, you know?"

"…Where am I?"

Finally. An information.

"You've been transferred to the General Prison of Iacon. You've been put in stasis pod all along."

Iacon…Autobot headquarters…

So, he'd been caught by authorities…he'd escaped Decepticon authorities from Kaon to find himself trapped by Autobots…

If Drift wasn't such in pain, he would have laughed of that irony.

Wherever he would go…he would never be—

"Confess"

He received a new, violent slap.

Confess…what?

"Confess your crimes. Then you'll be released."

That's a lie…

He wouldn't be released. He didn't trust Autobots…he just wanted to—

He was a Decepticon. That place was probably filled with Autobots. Just like that bot…

"…Tell me where my Minicons are."

'His' Minicons. He treated them like possessions…Yet he was too dazed to feel any guilt…

"Confess" The bot coldly replied. "Then you'll know"

"…Alright. I'll confess."

He confessed everything. He'd been a thief. He'd aggressed bots at bars. He'd harmed some others. He'd killed innocent victims who'd never asked for it.

More he confessed, more these memories were painful to revive.

Blue optics moved away.

"Very good"

"…My Minicons…"

No answer.

"Where are my Minicons?"

"It'll be fast"

"Wait!"

Liar! Bastard! He wanted to scream.

He felt a pain in his neck, this time. Like a sting…

A sting from a needle…

Everything went black again…then he felt himself falling into unconsciousness again…

Unlike some popular Decepticon beliefs, Autobots weren't soft. They weren't weak. In one way, they weren't that different from Decepticon standard brutality. They had their own methods, belonging to them.

Unlike Decepticon authorities, where execution was immediate…here, war enemies were imprisoned.

When Drift woke up, he found himself up on his two pedes. He didn't feel the weight of weapons given by Wing…No.

They'd taken them away.

His arm was pulled off to engrave something on his wrist's armour. A number…or rather, a code.

F456.

He wasn't Drift anymore. He wasn't even Deadlock…he was just a number.

The next step was way more violent. Someone grabbed the back of his helm to put his head under a wash-rack, before pulling him away and pushing him against a wall, leaving Drift way more confused and nauseous.

Then two other Autobots stepped in the room. Very physically muscular. Yet, one's voice was way softer than he'd ever expected.

"You'll be put in a cell. You'll rest…"

"…My Minicons…"

"I'm sorry. I don't know anything."

Drift got it. There was no room for hope.

No. His mind wasn't clear. He'd to cling to something…anything…

He must cling to them…

That's just temporary, he tried to get himself convinced. Autobots would release him…or he would escape. Wherever they were, he'll find them.

He must cling to Jetstorm…Slipstream…

Wherever he'll go…

Drift was led in a long hall. Around them, doors composed of laser bars separated people outside from people inside.

Drift understood it. That's his fate…

"Hi, friend!" A black and grey bot, quite bulky, greeted him from a cell. "I like your chassis. Mind if I scratch it?"

Don't answer, Drift thought.

Hold on, Jetstorm.

Hold on, Slipstream.

From an outside view, cells looked narrow. Sometimes, prisoners were alone. Sometimes, there were many of them. However, Drift didn't have time to check any further. Finally, they stopped in front of a cell. The orange bot looked up. He would be with someone.

Laser-bars opening up to him, he noticed bunk berths against the wall. On the top one, a purple bot, his back facing them. The Autobot guard called him.

"We bring you some company"

A short time, then his cellmate answered, an irritated tone.

"Is that supposed to make me happy? You definitely want to clean that prison, by bringing them there."

"Enough"

"If you wish, I can remind you what I did to the last one, Buzzstroke aka Happy snorer."

Okay. He got it. Gosh, what will happen to him this time? Drift decided that it would be wiser not to comment it, even if his opinion was already made in his mind.

"First, you just piss me off by locking me in, not even stating my rights, but then I must deal with numbskulls."

"It's not a hotel here!" The guard cried out. "You're locked in here because you are a prisoner!"

"Really? You know, I believed it was a hotel here. I was about to command a cube of energon as well as the Spa option."

The guard let out a sigh and just pushed Drift inside. A few minutes afterward, gates get closed again. The guard had already vanished to take care of other cellmates at the General Prison.

Drift was alone. With a stranger. And there was no window.

In the end, the purple bot turned back to him.

Their optics met.

Right away, Drift put himself in a defensive stance. The bot was rather thin, much less large than Drift. At first, they were at the same size. Spikes on his shoulderplates. They could stab someone with a single move. A lighter shade of purple on his face. Red optics.

He'd never been in a prison. He'd already talked to other Decepticons even if, Shadow Raker apart, he'd always remained on his own. He thought about his old miners and comrades, he thought about the other bots he'd caught sight of behind bars.

No. That one was something else. There was something…off. Something macabre. Despite his laidback attitude, Drift noticed a light in his optics. It made him think about a bomb about to explode at any moment.

His laidback, irritated tone vanished. Instead, a grin appeared on his face.

"It's your first time"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, in prison" The purple bot clarified.

His optics moved on Drift's body. He studied it, from every angle. Drift believed he'd noticed an eager expression in his optics. Awkwardness he felt went stronger. Couldn't he move in another cell?

"Interesting"

"What?"

"No, nothing. Your name?"

It would be difficult to pretend he didn't exist, after all.

"…Drift."

"Fracture" He introduced himself. "What are you here for?"

His cellmate sat on his berth, cross-legged. Drift glanced back at his side. Things…dirty like empty cubes piled up on another…in a corner of the cell. Disgusting.

"I shouldn't be here"

"Well they caught you. So, what did you do? Because that's the first question people will ask you."

Drift sighed. There was an ache in his legs.

"…Theft."

"Hm. I don't believe you"

Yet he didn't ask anything else. Drift was about to head for the empty berth when suddenly, Fracture put his leg onto Drift's chassis to make him stop. Drift froze in disbelief. He looked up. The purple bot gave him a warning glare.

"Hopefully you don't snore, right?"

He didn't wish to know what'd happened to that Buzzstroke.

"…I don't think so"

"So, we'll get along well. Here are my rules."

Rules? Fracture sat up and his leg moved up on Drift's shoulderplate. The orange bot clenched his fists. What was he thinking?

"Whatever I find, I'll keep it. You steal something from me, I'll tear your head off. Is that clear? And the top berth belongs to me. It's private property under watch. Got it?"

Primus! He'll not let him do whatever he wish! Drift immediately moved back, aggressively pushing Fracture's leg off.

"First you'll stop acting like a diva" Drift warned him. "Because seriously, I'm not in the mood for it."

"Buzzstroke was a coward. It's quite a change" The purple bot nodded.

Fracture's leg came back on his shoulderplate. This time, Drift didn't listen and just grabbed it, pulling it hard. Fracture let out a surprised cry while he crashed onto the floor. Drift stood over him, a stern gaze. It wasn't time for laughing.

"You can take your rules and stick them in your rear." Drift retorted. "You'll not tell me what to do"

Drift didn't have time to react; he was immediately pinned against the wall. He couldn't defend himself. A blade was already placed under his throat while the purple bot had already grabbed Drift's two wrists with the other servo, holding them in a tight grip while coming over to him.

"Don't you dare do this again" Fracture threatened him, a dangerous tone. "I hate squatters. And don't dare force your rules on me"

Drift's spark beat faster. He gritted his dentas. Nevertheless, he held Fracture's stare. He will no longer to let anyone do whatever they want to him. He'll not let that bot threaten him.

"Don't force them on me either, so."

"Why should I? I was the first one here."

"You don't know the half about me. You don't know me and you should remain careful" The orange bot warned him.

"Just like you don't know anything about me"

He paused then loosened his grip. He pulled apart from Drift, pushing him away.

"At least…you don't look like a numbskull." The bot noticed. "Or a wuss. Or a coward. That's already a good thing."

His blade vanished. Drift frowned. What was it? A gadget…?

"Do you like it?"

"No"

"Too bad"

Fracture looked disappointed. He jumped back onto his berth.

"What was that?"

"What?"

"That change of behaviour?" Drift questioned him.

Who will he deal with? That bot was dangerous. It was obvious. Yet he wasn't intending to kill him. However, he'll not get any answer today.

Fracture shrugged.

"At least, you'll not be moved in another cell today"

"Why so?"

"I like resisting people. If you are not afraid of me, you'll not have any problem with the other cellmates."

Afraid of—

"…Why should I be afraid of you?"

"You should be. Really, you should be."

He knew Fracture was right.

Fracture's grin reappeared.

"At least…Today is a special day. I'm meeting a smart bot…"

He paused.

"…And a hot one as well."

At this moment, Drift would have called the guard back to be taken away from him. Nevertheless, he didn't act on it.