1. [Voice]

[warborn]

[for a long few moments, there's only the sound of ventilation. fans cycling a mech's air systems. he's clicked on his radio, yeah, but now?

now he has no idea what to say, except something slightly hysterical.]

This is a lot different than I thought the Pit'd look like.

[said in the tone of someone-please-tell-me-I'm-totally-incorrect]

Comments

[Video] oho?

[warborn]

[only that he hasn't heard from you in...years.

or had a chance to make contact.

what with the whole prison-being-taken-over-thing.]

...operational.

[ah. ha. quietly hoping he hasn't been privy to a few of the...other conversations on here.]

[Video] Just that Optimus knows nothiiiiiiing

[ichooseboth]

[Yeah, well, about that...]

Good to hear.

[Optimus doesn't make a habit of listening in on other people's conversations. He simply gives the bot an approving nod, despite the rather lacking reply. It has certainly been a while, even for him. ]

How is the situation back home? I've been...a bit out of the circuit for a while now.

[Video] |D

[warborn]

...you're not the only one, Prime. I've been...out of contact for the past three.

[Video] ;D

[ichooseboth]

[...Great, more fragging around with the time stream.]

'Out of contact'? What happened?

...And what was the date back home when you arrived here? I have already heard reports on a number of grave things that happen beyond the point where I was last home.

[Which doesn't exactly fill him with confidence, given Max's tone.]

[Video]

[warborn]

[oh god

oh god how does he report this

he doesn't even why give him a minute while he tries to compose himself for Worst Report, sir]

...Garrus-9 was taken over by the 'Cons. Sir. [and since mun doesn't know how the robots calculate date, he gives the approximate time of when he woke up out of Delphi.]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

...

[What. WHAT. He does not recall that in any of Jazz's reports on the future. AT ALL.

Had they missed something? ...Or had it not even happened before the others showed up in the Nexus?]

...What happened?

[Video]

[warborn]

[OPTIMUS WHY ARE YOU ASKING HIM THAT

sure he's the only survivor but HE IS THE WORST PERSON TO ASK he is visibly not. really thrilled to be saying this.

give him a moment]

...we were attacked, and...overwhelmed.

[END OF STORY END OF REPORT]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[SORRY NOT THE END OF THE REPORT.]

...status and casualties?

[Optimus automatically modulated his tone, keeping his voice calm and neutral.

But he had to ask. Even if everything about Fortmax's transmission screamed that it would not be a good report in the slightest.]

[Video]

[warborn]

...After I woke up, I was told I was the only survivor.

['survivor' here used loosely.

very loosely.]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[He nods grimly, understanding far too well.]

One final question for now.

When was this? And what point in time did you arrive here from?

[Because if he was going to keep hearing about these terrible things happening in the future, he was going to keep trying to prevent them when he went home.]

[Video]

[warborn]

It took three years for a rescue to be mounted.

[he can't-he probably should have said it another way, but if Prime's taking most of this in so well, then - then maybe he'll /understand/, maybe he'll understand it wasn't all Max's fault, and maybe-

he gives the date again, mun again cheating with strikethrough and text because what is current MTMTE date i don't even]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[That...would normally be a massively unacceptable time lapse. But that period in their war, he knew, was especially volatile. Even if it hadn't happened to Optimus yet, personally.

Gathering intel on the future was going to break his processor one day, he was sure of it.

If his spark didn't break first.]


...I am sorry, Fortress Maximus. I would give you an explanation, if I knew it. That is beyond the point in time I was pulled from.

[Video]

[warborn]

[there's a...long pause between Optimus' reply, and Max responding. for a while, he's just...sitting there.

'duty of care'.

at least one of the chain of command feels the damn concept. he wants to think - say - something about how if Optimus'd been there, since he clearly wasn't, but - frag, it's confusing. he hadn't heard of any disappearance. he doesn't understand it, and with all that had happened what seems like only an hour or two ago, not accounting for him blacking out...]

The only one I need to hear an explanation from is Prowl.

[he may or may not have a familiar expression on - it's the neutral mask any soldier wears when they're hiding their emotions on a particularly volatile subject. and Max has learned damn well how to wear it, how to hide how conflicted he is, and how moving back to Prowl is almost a defense of his own, moving back in to familiar, 'safe' territory...

...that of finding someone else to blame.

he's aware of what he's doing...sort of...but he can't bring himself to do otherwise]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[He waits patiently for Max to respond, processor spinning.

Was the fall of the prison related to the internal betrayal he had heard so much about from Jazz in Axiom? Probably. So much was crammed into that same time frame, so many lost, so many pointless casualties.

All likely tied to one event. To one mech.

...which is why Fort Max's mention of Prowl catches Optimus so off guard.]


...Why Prowl?

[Video]

[warborn]

He'd be the one who set it up. The rescue. Wreckers handled it, but I know how it works - they go where they're pointed.

[and Prowl would have been the one to point them at Garrus.]

Figure I deserve an answer as to why it took so long.

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

...That is something I would like to know as well.

[Truly. Prowl seems to have a number of things to answer for.]

I've heard a number of things all occurred around that same time period that might make it difficult to stage a rescue, but without being there myself I can't give you any excuses.

[Video]

[warborn]

[oh Prime

you have no idea what your support does for him. he's actually cracking a smile at this point, however faint.]

I believe you. Hell of a time to be - what, 'out of the circuit', you said?

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[Optimus' lips twitch under his mask. A smile is a good sign.

It means he isn't hated for yet another thing he has - will- fail to stop or deal with.]

...It certainly is. At the very least, hopefully some good will come from my learning of all these incidents, if I can ever return home.

[Video]

[warborn]

...you figure you can stop them?

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

I can damn well try.

How could I do anything less?

[Video]

[warborn]

...so.

How're you getting back?

[he's not asking for pointing out flaws - if Prime's going to try, well.

that's an /interest/ he's showing.]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

That... remains to be determined. [He nods easily. Optimus understands.]

It is something we are all going to have to figure out, if we ever wish to leave here.

But I was supposed to be returning to my own time when I ended up here. I supposed I could have been...intercepted by this Lambda.

[Video]

[warborn]

[no attack plan, but Prime's come up with some on the spot, before. he trusts him. the point remains, though;]

Think you could bring someone from a different time back with you?

[a k a a certain ex warden]

[Video]

[ichooseboth]

[He blinks, honestly surprised by the suggestion.]

...I honestly don't know. I would assume it is possible, if not recommended.


Has the future become so bad that you simply do not wish to return?

[Not accusing. But morbidly curious.]

[Video]

[warborn]

Garrus...didn't need to happen. Not the way it did.

[and that's. all he'll say. hopefully it's enough.]