[ INTRO LOG ]

[robotsatan]

You don't know how you got here. One minute you were walking, sleeping, maybe dead -- then you're here, your feet suddenly carrying you down an empty street. Where's here?

Any Cybertronian would recognize this as their home planet, Cybertron, but it's not a Cybertron they've ever known. It has all the familiar hallmarks, but none of the specifics -- the city isn't one anyone here could identify, and even at a glance it's obvious that no one's set foot on the planet's surface in hundreds of years. The city and its surrounding areas all bear the marks of devastating war, of dust and rust collected over centuries. With no one in sight -- right at first, anyway -- there's plenty to explore. In fact, if you start walking, you'll find that your feet may just carry you in one particular direction.

A) The crater.
On one edge of the city is a massive crater left by some wartime weapon that seems to have taken out a large chunk of the surrounding metropolitan area. At the center of the crater it's broken through the surface of the terrain to reveal what looks like it might be a promising energon deposit. There is some strange but native vegetation growing around the edges, too, that no Cybertronian would be able to identify -- small, metallic, brittle-looking sprouts that bear a curiously organic-looking fruit of some kind that doesn't look like it's intended for consumption by any natives of the planet. In one rocky nook of the crater, light catches on the surface of a pool of water, which seems strangely out of place on Cybertron. On closer inspection, it seems that somehow an underground water source has formed a spring in the crater.

B) The center of the city.
If you follow where your feet seem to want to carry you, you'll find yourself in the middle of the ruined city. It seems that the center of the city was once home to a massive forum, and some of the pillars and structures still stand. At the very center of the forum is a massive, elaborately constructed fountain, although it has now long since run dry of whatever used to fill it. One of the low, inner walls of the forum has a terminal embedded in its surface, although it looks curiously ancient, out of place with the rest of the city, and unlike the rest of the technology still left around, there doesn't seem to be any way to power it on or operate it. There are a few scattered pools of water and a few of the strange metallic plants in the city, too, but they're not quite as plentiful as in the crater.

The planet was obviously once home to a massive network of communication relays, but those have all been long since destroyed. However, with the bits and pieces left behind and a few determined minds, it wouldn't be too hard to build a working, if rudimentary, one...

Comments

[rodders]

"You're alive!" The Autobot symbol should be a big clue, but Rodimus isn't really paying attention to that right at the moment. Instead he's running to meet Drift, grabbing his upper arms and just staring at him. "Why didn't you call? I thought-- I mean you could have died, Drift. You could have been dead and I wouldn't have known."

Death by DJD is something that strikes home at the moment, after being told what happened to the other Lost Light, after Trailcutter. And Drift had just been, been wandering out alone in space - prime pickings for any overly zealous zealot who didn't get the memo that Megatron had switched sides. It had been bad enough losing one of his crew to Tarn, losing Drift?

Rodimus didn't even want to think about it.

He comes back to answer the question after a second, a shake of his helm. "No, no just-- just you."

[auramatic]

Drift looks a little taken aback at the way Rodimus grabs at him -- okay, yeah, Rodimus tends to be just a little prone to dramatics, but even so Drift can sense something's not right. Rodimus really was afraid Drift's life might have been in danger, in some way or another.

"Whoa, hey, what's wrong?" Drift's optics narrow a little in concern, and he reaches to put a steady hand on Rodimus's shoulder. "I couldn't reach the Lost Light -- long-range comm isn't working, I guess -- besides, I just saw you a few hours ago. Did you run into something on your way over here?" He glances around sharply, scanning the area for a threat -- but he hasn't seen so much as a skittering glitchmouse since he got here.

[rodders]

He still can't quite believe it. It's been months since he's last seen Drift, and Ratchet was supposed to have gone out to try and bring him back and Rodimus felt guilty about that too, since he couldn't go himself. Not with everything going on with Brainstorm. He had a duty, and as much as he wanted to go running after Drift he just... he couldn't abandon everyone to Megatron. One of his hands leaves Drift's arm to rub the back of his helm, mouth twisting down for a moment.

"Blaster isn't answering my comms either. _{I swear, if he thinks he can undermine my authority by ordering my crew not to answer my comms he's got another thing coming.}" Focus, Rodimus. He vents out his irritation in a sigh, casting a look around them for the first time since his arrival. "This isn't even the first time in forty eight hours the Lost Light's gone missing. Once I get my hands on Brainstorm I'm going to--" Wait.

A few hours?

"Drift-- I haven't seen you in at least six months."

[auramatic]

"That's weird. I wonder if there's something in the atmosphere that's interfering with the -- sorry, did you say six months?"

Drift boggles at Rodimus for a moment -- then he lets out a short but not very convincing laugh and claps Rodimus on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Come on, Rodimus, there'll be plenty of time for pranks later -- we really need to focus on getting out of here."

Cute, Rodimus, really! Drift's even good-spirited enough not to mind being the butt of a prank, but seriously, save it for later.

[rodders]

Yeah, Rodimus isn't laughing. He actually winces when Drift laughs, and it's then that he catches a glimpse of the Autobot badge on Drift's chest. Yeah, see, that wasn't there last time he saw Drift. So something is wrong.

"Your badge." Oh no. "Wait-- did Ratchet actually find you and bring you back? I would have gone, you know I would have, but Brainstorm's trying to kill Optimus Prime."

He's not joking but he really does feel like this is slowly making him the butt of the world's biggest and possibly cruelest joke. Get his best friend back, and what? Have him not know what happened to him? There's no way Rodimus wants to talk about, not in a million years. It still hurts, it and everything related to Overlord and he can't stop thinking about it. About how he failed his crew, how he failed Drift.

[auramatic]

Rodimus isn't laughing, and that's…a bad sign. The smile evaporates completely from Drift's face, his optics narrowing in concern and disbelief. Basically nothing Rodimus is saying is making sense, but there's a growing sense of dread forming like a knot of lead in his tanks.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Since when do you send Ratchet to get anyone?" Like Ratchet would even go on his account. Drift's pretty sure he'd give Rodimus a withering look and probably a hearty middle finger, too. He's way more concerned about the next bit, though, and it shows. He puts a hand on Rodimus's shoulder, looking him in the eye -- he is one hundred percent in "shit is serious" mode, a gear he generally has an easier time shifting into than Rodimus, but the fact that his best friend looks like someone just kicked him in the tanks is cause for some pretty serious concern right there. "Back up, Rodimus. What's this about Brainstorm? Did one of his weird inventions go all -- Brainstorm again?"

[rodders]

He looks away from Drift after a moment, optics focusing on something that isn't the face of his best friend. Okay, slow. He can do this.

"What? No - his briefcase is a time machine and he's going back into the past to kill Prime before he's Prime. Because he's a Decepticon." Right, because he forgot to specify that. One of his hands comes up to rub at the back of his helm, letting his head fall back. "I didn't send him, it was just kind of something he decided he was going to do and I didn't stop him. We're not-- on the best of terms right now."

As if he was ever on great terms with Ratchet. But that's not the point, and he finally looks back at Drift.

"You've missed a lot, Drift." But- at the same time, this is his chance. He can have Drift back, and this time he's not going to let him do something as insanely stupid as take the fall for him. Not this time, he's not losing any more of his crew.

[auramatic]

Okay, if Rodimus can't even look him in the eye to tell him this, Drift knows there's something seriously wrong. And as it turns out, there is a lot wrong with what his friend is saying. Briefcase time machine? Brainstorm a Decepticon? And trying to kill Optimus Prime? Ratchet coming after him of his own accord -- and most troublingly, the implication that Drift isn't even on the Lost Light at all? He's never liked feeling so thrown, so disoriented. Drift feels his spark constrict in his chest, a sinking feeling in his tanks, and he looks vaguely sick.

"I think I need to sit down."

And he does, sitting down heavily at the edge of the fountain in the forum, rubbing a hand over his forehelm. There's so much here that makes so little sense and he's kind of reeling from it -- he doesn't even know where to start. Might as well back this bullshit train up as far as it can go.

"Okay -- okay. Why don't I remember any of this?" Drift looks up at Rodimus, his expression troubled. "Is that why I don't remember how I got here?"

[rodders]

Rodimus sits next to him and it's hard to slump on a ledge, but he's certainly giving it his best shot. He doesn't even know where to begin to explain everything that Drift's forgotten. Or, or something, since he's still wearing that badge. How is he supposed to explain to Drift about the exile? How it was Drift's idea? His tanks churn ominously, but he's just not going to think about that.

"I dunno. Maybe? Guess it could always be time travel." Thanks Brainstorm for recently making that an acceptable reason for just about anything. The idea that Drift just isn't remembering what happened to him is slightly more comforting than Drift not knowing, because there's a chance that it'll come back. He brightens up slightly, an idea coming to him. "If Chromedome shows up we can have him take a look."

And with Rewind back he'll probably be far more agreeable to it! Excellent.

"Uh, what is the last thing you remember?"

[auramatic]

Drift nods distantly, but truthfully he's really not sure about letting Chromedome poke around in his brain for anything. Don't get him wrong, mnemosurgery certainly has its applications, but…there are certain boundaries that Drift would rather keep. He rubs at his face with the heel of his hand, trying to wrap his brain around all this time travel nonsense. Drift's all about taking it in stride, but it's just -- a lot all at once.

He glances at Rodimus, the cheerful expression totally evaporated from his face. "The last thing I remember? Ratchet had just finished building you a new set of arms, after the -- after you got them caught in the quantum engines to trap the sparkeater."

[rodders]

"I was supposed to get them stuck, Drift. Part of the plan and everything." An ecoraging grin and a clap of Drift's shoulder to be as reassuring as he can be. Even though there's nothing to reassure him of at this point in time. "Guess I have a bit more talent than another me, cause I didn't die doing that while he did."

Do normal people brag about this? Probably not.

"But that's- it's been a year at least since then! And you - you've missed more than just Luna 1 and Megatron's trial, you don't remember Hedonia or... or Delphi or anything." But maybe he can us this. Maybe he can fix things and no one has to die. No one has to die and Drift doesn't have to do something stupid to save his plating and maybe things will be like they were supposed to be.

[auramatic]

Somehow, every time Rodimus opens his mouth, Drift winds up more confused -- and a little bit more devastated. The hand on his shoulder only provides so much reassurance. Drift had been thrilled to see Rodimus at first, but now his mind is reeling now, his spark heavy in his chest. He presses his fingers to his forehelm, his expression grave.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. I don't understand any of this." Drift looks back at him, his optics entreating. "I don't know how any of that could have possibly happened without me remembering it. Luna-1's bene lost for ages, Megatron is dead, and you -- last I checked, there is definitely only one of you. Rodimus -- what's going on? What happened?"

[rodders]

Where to start? Rodimus fumbles around for a moment or two, trying to latch onto something that he actually wants to talk about. Luna-1. Yeah, he can delicately tip-toe around that, no problem. He just-- he doesn't want to lose this time with Drift by talking about the things he did and the things he didn't do. He has his best friend back, anything else is just. Unacceptable.

"We found Luna-1, but Tyrest found it first and set up shop on it. Also: he's crazy. Megatron isn't dead, and no one was actually surprised because that's sort of his thing. And there's only one of me but when we jumped and the duobot thing happened it created another Lost Light and I died on that one. So there were two of me for a bit, and of everyone else who was on-board at that time. At least that's what I was told before the Brainstorm thing happened." A beat. "I think that covers it."

He's got this.

[auramatic]

No, Rodimus, it super doesn't cover it. Even if things are making vaguely more sense now (sort of), there's a lot that doesn't fit in, and also, these are some seriously monumental events Rodimus is talking about here. Drift knows Rodimus is prone to exaggeration, but he doesn't know how any of this could be exaggeration without it being straight-up fabrication. Drift looks at Rodimus and suddenly he looks extraordinarily tired, and he lowers his face into his hands.

"I think I need to lie down."

Unfortunately there isn't anywhere convenient for him to do that, so he just stays where he is, sitting on the edge of the fountain, face buried in his hands. After a moment he glances back at Rodimus, looking grave.

"You said Ratchet left to find me. I was -- off the ship? What, for...some kind of solo mission or something? Did I lose contact with the Lost Light?" Because honestly, Drift can't imagine a good reason why he would leave the ship, not with what he knows.

[rodders]

"Uh. Not exactly. Look, it doesn't matter why, just that we're getting you back." That's the important part here as far as Rodimus is concerned, and he uses his grip on Drift's shoulder to pull the other bot close enough to wrap his other arm around him. Drift. Drift here.

"I've missed you." And he can practically hear Magnus' disapproving tone and Rung's question of what about Drift did he miss but Rodimus ignores both. "I mean it. I really missed you."

He knows things have changed since Drift left, he knows he's changed since he last saw him, but right now he has his best friend back and that's all that Rodimus cares about. He'll deal with the rest later.

[auramatic]

Drift wants to press the issue further, but honestly, he's still reeling from the rest of the massive, incoherent exposition dump (thanks, Rodimus) and he can't get himself to dwell on it too hard now -- not when Rodimus has got his arm around him and Drift can rest some of his weight against him. It's a small comfort, at least.

Drift vents out slowly, leaning against Rodimus, and he slings his arm around Rodimus' shoulders, too, the weary look starting to lighten a little. "I saw you just a couple of hours ago, but -- if it'd been a year since I'd seen you I'd have missed you, too. I'm glad, Rodimus."

[rodders]

This. He's missed this. The close comfort of having someone who likes you, who's there to support you. And it's not like Ultra Magnus isn't - Rodimus relies on him more than he thinks he knows, some days, but Drift is different. Drift will always be different. There's a small smile on his face when he rests his helm against the side of Drift's, hold tightening briefly.

"Me too. Glad that you're here, I mean. Not that I'm not glad you would have missed me, 'cause yeah, totally am."

He's ruining the moment by being Rodimus, don't mind him.

[auramatic]

Likewise, Drift doesn't quite have any friends like Rodimus. He doesn't have many real friends to begin with, if he's perfectly honest with himself -- that's as much his own doing as it is others', he supposes, but that doesn't change the fact that Rodimus has always been able to look beyond his past and see the good in Drift. Drift finds that more reassuring than he'll readily admit. Sometimes he wonders about himself, but Rodimus -- his confidence in Drift never wavers.

Drift even lets out a soft breath of a laugh at that, drawing Rodimus in closer for a brief squeeze around his shoulders before he relaxes. "I'm glad you're here too. I don't understand why we're here, or how, or why I'm -- from a different time, I guess, but..." Drift glances skyward again, his gaze roving over the city around them. "I think we must all be here for a reason."

[rodders]

Rodimus has not heard something so completely Drift since he's run into him that he can't help but laugh as well, relaxing even as he pulls away. Not too far, because part of him wants to make sure that Drift is still right there and not a figment of his imagination that this world has thrown at him in order to put the cap on some of the weirdest forty eight hours of his life.

"Well if we're here for a reason we'd better start figuring out what it is, huh? Maybe the others ended up here - can't say that I wouldn't at least like to find Perceptor." They want the science guy here, Rodimus just knows it. Reluctantly letting Drift go so he could rub the back of his helm, Rodimus also takes stock of where they are, frowning. "Either Brainstorm really did mess with the timeline or this is what letting Starscream rule Cybertron ends up in. Not that I'm surprised."

[auramatic]

Hearing Rodimus laugh like that -- it's refreshing, and it brings some much-needed levity to the conversation. Drift grins, leaning his shoulder against Rodimus', and he's even starting to feel a little better about the situation. Stay positive, right? Leave your door open for the universe and the universe will come to you. Maybe he just needs to...release it, and deal with the situation at hand.

"I don't know, Rodimus, this seems like the result of something more than just messing with time travel...and please tell me that quip about Starscream was a joke."

[rodders]

"Where's Team Rodimus when you need 'em, right?" He misses his ship and his team of intellectual powerhouses. "Guess we're gonna have to replace Brainstorm with Perceptor now." As if Drift had just rejoined the ship and regained his rightful place among the command staff. It doesn't even occur to Rodimus to phrase it another way, even if none of that had happened to Drift. This Drift. Details.

Oh. Right. Starscream. "Wish it was. But nah, he won the election fair and square apparently. Goes around talking about 'his people' and all that." It is the worst, Drift. The worst.