"Barricade was easier the first time around," the medic muttered as he readied his tools.
"He had a reason to trust you," Drift remarked softly.
Ratchet's head whipped up and he turned abruptly. "He had as much as you, Drift. He didn't think that his spark-bond to Jazz would keep us from deactivating him either! We are not Decepticons!"
It got him a soft rattle. "I know."
"You're a neutral now. What would we gain from deactivating you?"
A shrug. Raoul watched the exchange silently. Ratchet waited. Finally Drift unlocked an armor plate and Ratchet gave him a small nod.
He set to work.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Sam arrived late in the evening from Yuma, accompanied by a change in the weather. Clouds had come in and in the distance, over the mountains, the rain was already coming down heavily. Thunder rumbled through the air and lightning flashed across the sky at the horizon. The base had been locked down already since the forecast predicted a brief but heavy period of bad weather.
Nodding his greeting at the guards, Sam walked over to Will. Aside from the Prime rune, the other glyphs were quiet and had apparently disappeared. Of course, they were never truly gone. As if to confirm it, a small string of Cybertronian crawled over Lennox's arm.
"Hey, Sam."
"Hey. Heard what happened. Never a dull moment, hm?"
Lennox chuckled and they walked down into the underground base. They took the freight elevator to the lower levels where the medical area was located.
"Optimus told me about your daughter."
Will nodded. "Came as a shock," he said quietly.
"I can believe that. She knows everything?"
The other man laughed darkly. "How do you want to hide anything after she found out about alien mechanoid life hiding on Earth? She saw me, Sam. Nothing can explain this stuff."
Sam nodded. "Guess so. She okay?"
"As okay as one can be. Remember what you felt when you were caught in the middle of an alien war on Earth?"
The technopath chuckled. "Only too well."
"She hasn't been exposed to the violence, but the shock is the same. We talked about a lot of things, but a lot more is still missing."
"Like Ironhide?"
"Or being a Prime. Or the shape-shifting capabilities." Lennox sighed. "I need a life time to explain all of it."
They stepped into the reception area of the medical facility. Bumblebee accompanied him while Lennox fell back. The mech radiated tension.
"I'll be fine, Bee," his partner said with a fine smile.
The scout shot him an apologetic look. "Habit?" he tried.
Sam gave him a smile. "Appreciated."
Ratchet tilted his head toward one of the secure rooms. Sam walked inside.
Meeting Drift was… interesting. While he didn't get a clear vibe off him at first, the little he sensed had Sam interested. His technopathic encounters with Decepticons could be counted on one hand, but so far they had always been unique. Drift was no different. Looking into the red optics he kept his shields in place, not making a provocative move.
"Hello, Drift," he greeted their guest politely. "I'm Sam Witwicky."
"Hello, Dr. Witwicky."
"It's Sam. Optimus told you what I'll do?"
A nod. "Yes."
"You're the guy who's scanning him?"
Sam looked at the young man who came around the red and silver mech. He was of Spanish descent, with dark eyes and long hair that had been bound into a pony tail. He was dressed in jeans, a black shirt and a black jacket thrown over the shirt. Raoul Vega. The driver and owner of the car, and Drift's friend for ten years. Hostility was radiating off the mechanic in waves. Even though Sam was a technopath and couldn't sense anything from humans, he didn't need to to pick up on that.
"You're a kid!"
Sam smiled. "I'm older than I look."
"Old enough to shave? How come you're a 'Doctor' Witwicky?"
"I wrote a few papers, they gave me a doctorate or two," Sam said, trying to ignore Raoul.
"Two?"
Now he did ignore him, his eyes on Drift.
Drift tilted his head, then looked at Bumblebee. He briefly seemed to scan the Autobot, then his attention was on Sam again.
"I do this voluntarily," the Decepticon explained. "Optimus Prime explained the basics to me and I want to do this."
That would help in the process, Sam knew. "Thank you."
"Where…?" Drift made a helpless gesture.
"You can sit down. No need for an examination table. Just relax, let me do the work."
Raoul was still tense and hostile. "And what is it you really do? Sneak into his mind and pry into his thoughts? Maybe you can reprogram him to your liking?"
"That's not how it works," Ratchet spoke up, clearly miffed. He was watching Raoul with barely contained annoyance. One more wrong vibe from the human and he would lock him out of the exam room. "We explained it already."
"And you want me to believe this guy is some comic novel super hero? He can read machine minds?"
Sam shrugged. "Believe what you want" He met the red optics. "Drift?" And he gently touched the mind he felt.
Drift made a surprised noise and knelt down to look at Sam more closely. Bumblebee shifted uneasily. The Neutral's optics were wide and awash in red light.
"You did that?"
"Yes."
"What?" Raoul demanded. "What is he doing? What are you doing?" He whirled on Sam.
Drift just held up a hand, shushing him. "Raoul, shut up. This is serious."
The mechanic fell silent, gaping.
::I won't hurt you:: Sam said softly through the surface connection. ::This is what I am::
::Amazing::
::I know:: He smiled.
Drift settled back, on the floor, fascinated optics never leaving Sam. The technopath took his place across from him. It was an unusual sight, with Raoul sticking to Drift, shooting Sam angry, suspicious looks, and Bumblebee keeping in the background. He had been Sam's anchor long enough to know when he was needed.
Sam reached for Drift's mind again and touched it, familiarizing himself. Drift made no counter-moves, actually inviting Sam inside.
::This won't hurt:: Sam promised.
And he let himself slip inside.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Raoul understood nothing of what was currently going on, even though Drift had told him that some freaky mutant guy was going to scan him. It sounded like out of a B-movie. That the freak in question looked like he was even younger than Raoul himself didn't help. The yellow and black mech who had accompanied the Sam guy was watching the whole procedure attentively, but his optics strayed to Raoul sometimes.
"What?" the young man demanded.
Bumblebee, Raoul remember he was called, slightly shook his head. Raoul just scowled. Whatever was going on, he didn't like it. But right now he had to go with the flow, let Drift decide. Because if things worked out, they'd be free.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x xx x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Drift was amazed at how easy it felt to have another mind next to his. Sam's touch was gentle, light, almost non-existent. If he hadn't known and concentrated on the contact, he wouldn't have realized the connection.
::How do you do it?:: he wondered.
::I was on the wrong end of an Allspark energy pulse::
Drift felt a ripple. ::You are not like the other human. Will Lennox. Bella's father::
::No. He had more profound changes. He actually absorbed a piece of the Allspark::
Sam dove deeper, like a swimmer leisurely exploring the depth of a new ocean. Drift watched, feeling a little more tense now that he realized where Sam was going.
A soft caress had him whirr in surprise.
::Nothing I do will harm you, Drift::
::It's not that. My past is… violent::
For a brief moment Drift thought he saw a humanoid figure standing close to him, then that shadow was gone. Like an illusion that had never been there at all.
::I've seen a lot already. Relax::
So the Decepticon tried to do just that. He bit down on his reflex to push the other away from his more protected areas. Sam stepped back now and then, waiting for Drift to relax, or he would gently pry open a door.
No, it didn't hurt, but it was weird sometimes. A tingle, a ripple, a small poke. Now and then he felt memories flash past him, some of them nothing to be proud of. He was standing back and watched as Sam confirmed what Drift had told the Prime already, and he wondered how the technopath would judge him.
So much violence and carnage and death. He had been a Decepticon warrior, an assassin, and he still had those skills.
Sam's presence seemed to hum softly, calming him down as his agitation rose.
::They all killed, Drift. All.::
Autobots and Decepticons. To survive and to win a war.
::How many did you touch?:: Drift asked.
::Enough::
::How many were like me?::
::More than you think:: Sam replied evenly. ::More than you think…::
While Drift was a special case because of his neutrality claims, he didn't feel different from the minds Sam had touched in the past. If it came down to the basics, all Cybertronians were the same. Some were a little more complex, like Blaster because of his symbiotes, and some had special features, like Jazz or Barricade because of their spark bond. But essentially, they were the same.
Carefully looking through Drift's processor, always aware of the mech hovering close by, anxious and slightly more tense than he probably wanted to come across, Sam let the data scroll past. It wasn't until he looked into one particular area that he stopped and frowned.
It was storage. He had seen it in others. A data dump where unpleasant or unimportant memory was stored. It was a place you usually only went if you had to recall those events, and because they were either very unpleasant or unimportant, the mech rarely to never went there.
Sam did.
And he almost drew back in shock.
Large ripples disturbed Drift's mind and the Decepticon tried to block the access to the dump, but Sam simply pushed him aside with force. Gentle force, but force.
::Sam, no….:: he begged.
But the technopath was already in the middle of it.
In the middle of pain and torture and the feverish wish to just end it. He looked into cold red optics, saw machines in the background, knew he was on Cybertron, in a lab, facing…
::Shockwave?::
Drift's mind grew more agitated.
Sliding deeper, now with a purpose, he went through the memory files and felt the shock deepen.
::Why didn't you tell Prime?::
Drift didn't answer.
Sam was too shaken to press any further, but he did wade through everything and he knew the other Primes had to know.
Drift trembled, his presence pulling back.
Sam reached out and held him. ::Don't. There's no shame::
::I was weak::
::You were trying to survive::
Drift trembled more. ::If I had followed orders..::
::I wouldn't be here today. Neither would you or Raoul::
Drift nodded.
::You paid a high price for it. Don't let it be for nothing::
Another nod. Drift moved back, away from the memories, and Sam let him. He looked at the dark times this mech had lived through. As dark as many. He knew the war had damaged them all. He had seen what Bumblebee had gone through, how he had been tortured by Megatron, his voice box crushed. He had seen into Barricade's past and shared the horrors of a shock-trooper's life. Barricade lived with it just fine; it was simply him. His personality wasn't jaded, but he also saw no wrong in what he had done at the time. He had followed orders.
Drift had disobeyed orders and paid the price, had been sent out again… and made the right choice at the right time.
::Optimus owes you his life:: Sam whispered.
But Drift didn't answer. He had retreated, a coiled up presence in the back of his own mind. Sam approached him, waiting. He finally connected to the mech and let a few things of his own life and past fifteen years trickle through. It got him an immediate reaction.
::Prime?:: Drift exclaimed.
Sam smiled. ::Yes::
Confusion rose around him. Sam let more bleed into the area where their minds touched. Drift made soft noises of fear, awe, respect and panic.
::You'll be fine:. Sam calmed him.
::The Dynasty is returning?::
::Not the one of old. We're the new kids on the block. But we're trying out best. I know Optimus won't judge you by your past; if at all, he will thank you for what you did. Like all of them out there you took lives. Barricade feels no remorse of it either and he is our ally::
::I don't want to be an ally. I want this to end!::
::And we won't force you. Being a Neutral supersedes being a Decepticon, in my opinion::
Drift nodded carefully.
::And I know your intentions are true. I believe in Optimus, even without what I saw and know. He isn't a freshman, Drift. He's been around for a while::
That got him a smile.
He smiled back and carefully disentangled himself from the mech's mind, then moved back along the path he had come. He already felt the beckoning call of Bumblebee's mind, his anchor, and he was glad to touch it.
tbc...