[video] [Locked to Brave Police and Kagerou]

[sword_redemption]

[Drift can't imagine the mechs he saw give their all to help fight the sharkticons as dangerous or threatening. They were good mechs, sparks in the right place, brave and honorable. Gunmax had nearly died, fighting to protect a world that wasn't even his. ]

[But at the same time, he doesn't disbelieve Kagerou. He can recognize that tone of borderline fear and desperation. And if what Kagerou is saying is true...?]

[This is all a mistake. A misunderstanding. It needs to be straightened out one way or the other. If he needs to protect Kagerou, he will.]

[He pings the Brave Police, then Kagerou. The new arrival can listen in, even if he doesn't say anything, so he can hear for himself.]

Brave Police.  There's something I need to talk to you about.

[Ouch. Rough start. He sighs, thinks, starts again.]

Whatever was on your world, your Japan, it's not here. Old grudges, old missions. They don't apply here.

[He frowns.]  You're honorable mechs; can I have your word on that? 

[There's clearly something behind why he's asking.]

Comments

[Video]

[patokichi]

Drift... of course. You have my word on that. I don't particularly harbor any grudges at all.

What is this all about?

[Have all the honest concern in the world.]

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

It's... [He doesn't know how to start this. It is sort of accusing someone of something pretty horrible.]

A robot. A mech. Like you and me. We have a right to live, right?

[Video]

[patokichi]

Well, of course. We are all self-aware, thinking, feeling beings. We all have as much right to live as anyone else in the universe.

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

What if a human decided you had to die?

[Video]

[patokichi]

That's already happened once. In a way.

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

And? [He leans forward, because the answer is really important.]

[Video]

[patokichi]

And it was wrong. Wrong.

VIDEO;

[engrishdetective]

Yeah, I hear that.

...Sure. But what the hell brought this on?

VIDEO;

[sword_redemption]

Gunmax. [You! Scaring him with threats of overhearing Ratchet back in the Medibay! But still. You were a good mech. He knows this.]

Because it's important. Others are coming from my world, Decepticons, Autobots, and they need to know that their war isn't here.

It's just...the same applies to your kind. [He's trying so hard to dance around the accusation. And probably failing.]

VIDEO;

[engrishdetective]

They'd better know that. I'm not gonna get involved in whatever stupid internal faction bickering they might back. And I'm not gonna let any innocent people get involved in that, either.

Well, that's nice. You seem to have the idea that we have some internal bickering, too? Unbelievable.

VIDEO;

[sword_redemption]

[Alright. Medium-sized tick.]

I just...look. I heard something. Humans made you, right?

VIDEO;

[engrishdetective]

Yeah. And?

VIDEO;

[sword_redemption]

How much control do they have over what you do? In your world?

[mccrane]

[McCrane is confused by this.]

Of course, Drift.

Is everything alright?

[sword_redemption]

I'm fine. Sorry to bother you after the procedure. [Drift figures that Ratchet requires his own recovery time.]

I heard from someone who said he was from your world. [Third try, and he's still not happy with how this is starting out. ]

[mccrane]

I feel alright. [He pauses, doing a basic systems check.] I think.

[Wait.]

...

[The pause is much longer this time, as he runs through everyone from his world and compares it to what Drift has suggested.]

We're officers of the law, Drift. Grudges would be unprofessional of us, especially in a world where cooperation is our only chance for survival.

[sword_redemption]

Ratchet does good work. [He might be terrified of the medic, but he respects the mech's skills.]

So. If you ran across someone from your world that you had chased, would you try to arrest them here?

[He is probably not as subtle about this as he thinks: ex-Decepticon, ex-Wrecker--not really known for being tactful.]

[mccrane]

He does. I had been under the impression I'd be be different, but...

[He shakes his head.] I'll let you know, after I've tried more energon.

[The next question, he gives more thought to.]

Our job is to arrest those who commit crimes, so they might be tried by the justice system. We're not programmed to be a justice system ourselves. If they were a danger to others, I would want to arrest them. If they were not...

Then I don't know. I don't have experience with that. It would depend on the person.

[He doesn't know what he'd do if, say, one of the Chieftains showed up.]

[sword_redemption]

Did you want to be different?

[It's a reasonable question. But no. He can't let himself get distracted.]

[Softly.]What if the person's only crime was in existing?

video; | WHOOPS wrong journal sorry

[thxforthememories]

[Hi there how do I lock entries.]

[He's just... sort of watching all this, looking overwhelmed and confused.]

I... didn't think you were really going to do this.

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

I gave my word. I want you to trust me, Kagerou. Give me a chance. Give yourself a chance.

[Video]

[thxforthememories]

[He's really only trusted one other living being in his entire life. Then again... there really wasn't anyone else to trust.]

I'm making the attempt. It... isn't all that simple.

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

I know. It's not simple. Nothing about life ever is.

[He thinks about Wing and how hard it was to trust him, trust himself.]

But that's what makes it worth it.

[Video]

[thxforthememories]

It was simple.

[When it was just the two of them. Alone. And the world could catch fire and they'd never...]

[He sighs.]

I miss... simplicity. But I like... I like living.

[Video]

[sword_redemption]

I know. Even in the gutters, things were simpler. Survive. That's all we cared about.

But trust me.

It's worth it.