"You hurt my friends and I swear! I don't trust any of you...not after you did this...not after your boyfriend hurt my sparkling!" Alpha snarled and then walked over to HT.
She poked him. "Get up."
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe went over, and Driveby jumped up, startled.
'Ty? What did you do to her!?"
"Nothing. Just stunned 'er, that's all." Klutch replied, smirking.
She backed away from the lamborginis. They kept coming, and backed her into a corner.
"Leave me alone!" she yelled. Sunstreaker grabbed one arm, and sideswipe grabbed the other. They turned her around and clapped the candcuffs in place.
"That isn't really nessesary." Indy put in.
"it's for your protection, my dear." Klutch smiled at her. Indy glanced at him and after a moment smiled back. They headed out of the cell and across the large room, where the smaller rooms were situated.
Alpha growled. She went into Klutch's mind, "How dare you?!" She growled, but then left it quickly so he wouldn't know it was her that had said anything. She kicked HT softly.
"Get up!"
HT mumbled.
"go away."
Alpha kept poking.
Klutch glanced around, then looked at Alpha. But he turned his attention back to the situation. He wan't sure where the thought had came from. "It couldn't be my little Indie, now could it?" he thought.
Indy glanced at Alpha as they walked. "nice to know I'm not the only one of my kind. Klutch told me I was the only one." Indy said in her thoughts, wondering if Alpha had heard.
Klutch waited outside, and the twins led the white carfemme inside to a chair. Indy followed, and they left the room. The usually calm, logical Driveby glared. "If you think you're going to find any wrongdoing in my memories, you're wrong.
Indy smiled back. "Then you have nothing to fear."
Alpha growled and kicked him. "They have Driveby!" She then looked at Indy.
"No, you are not the only one. Though, I have these powers because of my birthright. Why you have them, I do not know." She sighed, "I sense good in you...please...don't rearrange my friend's memories...you can't...we didn't do anything wrong..."
again, suprise sounded in the voice. "I cannot do that. I can only see memories. Download them. Not rearrange them."
The tank finally onlined one optic. "unless the Ark is about to blow up, let me sleep." he growled, and rolled over so his back was to the blue femme.
Indy rubbed her hands together to get rid of the cold. "It won't cause you pain unless you resist may." she said.
Driveby still glared, but kept still as Indy put her hands on either side of the femme's jawline. She closed her eyes...
"Good. don't even try it, either, for if you do, my mind won't be as welcoming. After all, I'm stronger in this than you." Alpha smirked.
She then glared at HT and sighed. "You're hopeless! How about...they plan to go into your mind and look through your memories?"
The tank finally onlined his optics. "Whuh-huh?" he sat up and looked around. "what did I miss?"
Indy either chose to ignore the comment, or was too busy to hear. She tried to concentrate on the femme across the table from her.
Driveby tried to resist at first.She cried out at the sharp pain, then let her mental barriers drop.
Indy saw a city.
A shining golden city with tall spires and winding roadways.
In an instant, it changed to one wraught by war. Smoke billowed up from wide gouges in the planet's surface. Explosions rocked the ground, and the metal under the white car's feet trembled.
She heard someone, a male voice, to her left say "We have to get out of here."
Driveby turned to look at the owner of the voice, and Indy stifled a gasp.
Alpha sighed. She looked at HT. "They're. Going. To. Go. Through. Our. Memories. Do I need to go any slower or are you going to go back to sleep on me?" She asked, leaning against the wall.
"Well..." the tank looked thoughtful for a second. Alpha whapped him.
"You still hit like a girl."
He finally sat up. "You think she has enough energy to? I thought it takes a lot of mental energy. Even for you."
Klutch drummed his fingers on the windowsill outside impatiently, watching.
"Don't resist." Indy's voice sounded inside the femme's head
"I'm not. I lost my memory. I've...never seen this before."
"We have to evacuate the area. Now." the mech beside her said.
"Prowl! but what's he..." Driveby stopped talking abruptly as the scene went on.
Driveby only nodded, and followed him down the alley the way they had came, ducking out of sight as another squad of seekers swooped out of the sky, most likely looking for any Autobots who had been crippled or otherwise left helpless by the last series of bombs dropped on their city.
Iacon.
It had once been a great city. Gleaming in all it's splendor, the Autobot's capital city.
now it lay in smoldering ruins.
Alhpa sighed and hit his chest plate, keeping her wrist straight.
"How was that?" She sighed, "Why do I even bother? You're still gonna say I hit like a girl...anyways...she may or may not, but...she'll get some of us..."
Her optics flickered, "And right now she's got Driveby..."
"Dri!" HT went over to the bars and leaned over, trying to see into the room across the large area.
"You'd better not hurt her, or so help me!..."
"You'll what? spontaneously teleport over here and kick my butt?" Klutch called back, chuckling.
HT snarled.
"hey Alpha, can you still teleport." he asked loudly.
Klutch turned around. Sideswipe looked at the bot, then at HT.
"Don't worry, I don't think he can." he said.
HT growled, wishing he could.
Driveby mentally took notice of her form as they ran. A white and grey hovercar. A black and purple seeker came out of nowhere and nailed prowl in the chestplate with an energy bolt.
Verona/Driveby ran and hit behind a fallen peice of metal.
Alpha smirked. "Of course I can! And I can easlily bring you out as well. Shoot! I could teleport us all out of here." She smiled and then looked at Klutch. "How would you like it if we escaped from right under your nose?" She asked, smirking.
The femme folded her arms and made her markings glow in a threatening way. She smiled at HT.
Ht grinned threateningly. Klutch reached for his stun weapon.
Sideswipe and sunstreaker simultaneously reached for their guns.
Prime walked in. "Progress report." he said.
"Unknown. Indy is still with her." Prowl said.
Prime walked up and looked at the two through the window. Indy had her optics offlined, head leaning forwards slightly, and Driveby had a faraway look in her eyes.
---------flashback----
she heard him take off after saying something, then peeked out from behind cover. She stifled a cry, thinking he might be...
Then he moved. "Verona!" Prowl nearly dropped his blaster. the femme ran up to him and wrapped her grey arms around him.
"I thought you were...I thought he was going to..." she let the rest of her sentence drop into silence, deciding it didn't need to be said.
Indy tried to stifle her suprise. "I don't..believe it..."
Driveby was equally startled. "I was.."
"an Autobot" Indy finished for her.
The red car carefully nudged Driveby's mind to go forward a bit, weaving around the mental barriers that had somehow been created, which were blocking her memory.
"I fell...my memory circuits were damaged" Driveby thought.
"I see." Indy replied
Alpha looked at the two. She swallowed, but her markings glowed brighter.
"HT," She whispered, "They hurt her, I'm going in." She reached her hands through the bars and took Omega's hand.
"Wait." HT grabbed her hand.
"Dri lost her memory. Maybe Indy can help her get it back. As much as I hate to say it." the tank said. then looked across the room. "But so-help me, if she hurts her, I'll rip her to shreds with my bare hands." he growled.
They continued on, trying to keep their speed, but avoid all the debris and scattered chassis that littered the streets. Suddenly, a burst of light lanced out from the shadows, catching Verona in her side. She swerved, hitting Prowl, and knocking him off the road into a pile of half-melted metal. The wall it was in front of collapsed, burying the white and black mech under it's weight.
Verona transformed and pulled her blaster, firing back as she went to try to help. Prowl tried to squirm out from underneath it, but found he was caught on something. A loose cable or something he couldn't tell. He noticed the steep ledge behind the Decepticon; Where one of the bombs on the underlevel had torn through the metal of the upper level they were on.
Indy looked closer at the Decepticon tank. His gun turret had become a large sgotgun, and the treads were on either side of his lower legs.
"Hammertread." Indy thought.
"no! it can't be!" Driveby shouted back.
"look closer." Indy concentrated on the mechs face.
Driveby whimpered.
"It can't be..."
but there he was. In all his bulky, grinning glory. The red-opticed Decepticon tank...
Hammertread.
Alpha sighed, but nodded. She let go of Omega's hand and then concentraited. She saw what Dri was going through. "They are...they're going through and finding her memories!" She whispered, but then glared at Klutch.
"Good goin', twit. Your girl's helping us out." Alpha smirked. She poked his mind. "Thank you."
Klutch glanced at the rows of cells, and frowned. "So, someone else around here is psychic also." he smirked.
he felt her poke his mind again. he saw HT intently watching. "I wonder who it could be... Oh well, I'll find out soon enough" he thought.
-----flashback----
She could hear more shouting, off in the distance. Obviously someone had taken notice. Prowl fired three shots in a row, aiming for the mech's legs. Hammertread lost his footing, and fell back off the tilted overhang. Verona started to run towards the Datsun
"No, just get out of here." he yelled over the din of weapons. "I'll meet you in Iacon." He shouted.
She turned away to transform, but it was allready too late. Three triangular Decepticons jets swung down, firing all the way. Prowl struggled harder to get free. The trio of jets dropped a load cluster bombs as they swung down, and the world exploded into fiery red and orange around her.
Verona/Driveby screamed, and felt herself falling.
She caught a glimse of the tank as they plunged into the darkness below..
---present----
Hammertread started to pace back and forth in his cell, glancing up every so often.
Alpha growled and swallowed. "It ain't who ya think it is, aft brains." Alpha growled. She then looked at Indy.
"What's going on?"
Klutch looked at the cell HT and Alpha were in .
"Oh, I think I do know, little girl" he thought.
Indy didn't reply. She heard the whisper, but was concentrating too hard on the car's memories.
"dunno" she quickly thought.
Driveby/Verona heard voices in the darkness.
"Her memory circuits were badly damaged" he heard someone say.
"She may not even remember who she is.."
more silence and darkness.
She started to hear sounds again. "Wake up." someone said. She opened her eyes.
"So you're awake finally."
"How long has it been?"
"Three cycles. Do you remember who you are?"
"n...no."
a tank laying on the recharge berth next to hers looked over at her. "Yeah, well me neither. Seems these quacks can't do anything right." he gave her a look.
Another voice sounded. "Well, how is she?"
"Awake." said the first. It sounded like he shrugged.
the second walked up. a tall grey mech. She couldn't really make him out, her vision was still blurry.
"Driveby." he said. "That's your name."
"Are...are you sure?" she heard herself say...
"hiya dork, I mean doc. I'm Hammertread." the tank said.
"You can be quiet." the grey mech said, and pressed a button. The tank froze when the shock hit him.
"You'll have to forgive him, he's kind of a brute." the grey mech said. The tank growled, but that was about all he could do, since he couldn't move or speak.
Indy let go, and swayed in her chair. She opened her eyes.
"I..have to rest now... we'll continue...later." she said. she swayed to one side, but caught herself, taking a step.
Alpha growled. She seemed suprised. "So ya got it right. Big whoop. Whatcha gonna do about it? Your girlfriend already knows I'm a psychic." She grinned.
klutch smirked. "get out of my head. I already knew it was you. Indy told me evrything. And she will neva help you, eitha. I've made sure of that."
Klutch walked into the room.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe came and escorted the car out of the room, while Klutch talked to Indy.
Driveby looked at Prime and Prowl as they passed, then looked to make sure Klutch wasn't listening.
"The day the Ark took off from Iacon, one femme was left behind.."
she looked at Prowl and smiled "verona."
"How did you!..." Prowl stopped mid-sentence.
"it's true...isn't it?" he glanced at the tank, and driveby's gaze followed his.
"He isn't who you think he is, Prowl. He's the slaggin tank that tried to kill us." she said.
Klutch looked up.
Driveby stopped talking.
"Later." she said.
Alpha growled. She heard everything. "I doubt Driveby'll be on our side now, HT..." She muttered, looking away. "I think we lost Prowl's help too..." She leaned against the wall.
"Oh and Klutch, I don't WANT your girlfriend's help. If she's stupid enough to follow YOU, believe me, I'm better off without her. And make me leave."
"Dri!" hammertread called. Driveby glared at him, and let herself be led back to the cell.
"We'll continue this laytah." Klutch said, helping Indy out of the room.
Prime stopped him. "Aren't you going to transfer the memories to a storage unit?" he asked.
"She hasn't found anithin yet." Klutch replied. Prowl took a step forward.
"We would like access to all the memories Indy obtains, whether pertinent to this investigation or not."
Klutch nodded, and two of the human soldiers came over carrying a small box. Indy went and sat back down, and pulled out the data transfer cord from her side, plugging it in. She offlined her optics, and the box beeped for a minute. Then she onlined her optics and stood up.
"It's all there." she said wearily, letting Klutch guide her out the heavy doors.
Alpha huffed. She sat down on the bed and buried her head in her hands. "We're all gonna die."
HT growled. "no we're not. And even if we do, we'll die trying to escape." He watched Driveby be led back to her cell. He turned around and sat down on the cell floor, thinking.
After a minute, he looked up at her. "Hey." he nudged her.
Prowl and Prime watched them leave. "I want a portable veiwer in here. Sideswipe?" The red warrior nodded and left. Suinstreaker watched him leave.
"So can I go back to what I was doing now?" he frowned. Prime nodded. "I'll call you when I need you again. And don't talk to anyone about this. That is an order."
Sunstreaker nodded and walked out.
Alpha looked down at HT. "What is it?" she asked, looking at him.
"I forgot, they didn't disconnect our comms."
he clicked his on. "Dri?"
"Leave me alone!"
"come on, Dri, talk to me."
"Leave me alone you bastard! you tried to kill me!"
"I didn't mean to... would it help if I said I didn't remember it?"
there was a disgusted snort on the other end and Driveby hung up."
"oookay.."
Prowl walked up to Driveby's cell. Ty moved in front of the bench. "Leave her alone!" she warned.
"It's..okay, Ty." Driveby said from where she was sitting behind her.
Ty moved away, and sat down.
"It is true, isn't it?" Prowl asked.
"Who told you?" driveby countered.
"Hammertread remembered who he was when we were in the mountains." the tactician admitted.
Alpha sat down next to HT. "I can...try to talk to her for you if you want." She offered softly, looking at the mech.
"No." the tank replied. "She'll talk to me when she's ready to."
he thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't care, though. Do what you want."
Driveby looked away. Then got up and came over to the bars. Prowl clicked them off long enough to enter, then they switched back on. Prime was not too far away, watching for Prowl's signal to be let out.
Alpha nodded. She touched her comm. "Driveby, can I talk to you?" she asked, looking at HT. She then sighed and looked down, "Please?"
"no." click
Driveby just looked at Prowl for a second, then said: "I fell... my memory circuits were scrambled. I was partially rebuilt, repainted. Hammertread was there, too. He's...He's a Decepticon!" she blurted out.
HT heard her and looked away, frowning. He sat down with a thump and a creak. He folded his arms and stared at the wall.
Alpha sat down next to him. "Hey, give her some time. Remember how you were when you regained your memories?" She asked and then smiled nervously, rubbing her throat.
Hammertread snorted. "Not when she remembers I was a Con trying to shoot everything in sight."
"It..really is you?" Prowl asked. "I don't believe you." he looked away. " Tell me something only Verona would know."
"But you remembered you were a 'Con trying to shoot her..." Alpha chuckled uncomfortably at the memory. she then sighed. "Don't worry. She'll figure everything out and realize you've changed."
meanwhile, in the repairbay...
Daze shook her head.
"I just decided," she repeated.
"uh.huh. You know it's not nice to lie to me, when I allready know the truth." Ratchet stated.
"Bluestreak told me already."
Daze blinked. "What did he say?"
Ratchet blinked. "Uh..he said you and Jazz were talking about it during the movie."
Daze whimpered. "But Jazz didn't say anything about it during the movie..." Her optics widened. "Oh slag."
Snow sat across from Terra in the Ark's rec. room with her legs crossed.
"Terrablast?" she asked. "When you were in the Decepticon base, did Forceblock ever... do anything to you?"
Terra blinked. She swallowed. "Like what?"
Snow opened her mouth and closed it a few times.
"Well... nothing. It doesn't matter."
"Tell me." Terra said softly, looking at Snow.
The femme looked down.
"He... he made me do something. But I don't know what to call it."