re_alignment | [video]

[Haven, you know what? You look like you could really use one of Drift's wackadoodle theories right now. ]

The First Forged aren't telling us everything.

[Drift does not mince words. Bad guys, yes. Words, not so much.]

There were other settlers here before us. Over and over again. They died. We're not the first. We're not special or chosen. [And part of him hates that thought.]

And the First Forged couldn't--or didn't--protect them. [This is all review for the old-timers, but there are new people here, and besides, it's a dot he's trying to connect up.]

Wing and I and the others found a cave where some of them had lived. They died. All of them. But they're trapped here, as ghosts. [Another dot.]

And worse--we went back, and their bodies were...reanimated. Like zombies. They attacked us. They were trying to protect something in the cave.

[He frowns, because he really doesn't like public speaking, especially this next part.]

A lot of people disappeared recently. Like whatever it is--the call, Unicron, whatever--like it's gaining strength, picking up steam. We need to do something. Because I don't know about you, but, well, for a lot of reasons, I don't want to have to suddenly find myself fighting a zombie Ultra Magnus.

[Or Vandal. No, he can't even go there in his head. He's connecting dots and it is a really unpleasant picture.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Those in power rarely tell anyone everything.

I ain't expected to be special or chosen since I dropped through my first dimensional space-time rift. Probably because it was obvious I wasn't. [He never had the illusion so it never had a chance to break.]

And from what I heard, they weren't just 'like' zombies. They were. And they need to eliminated. And maybe we need to be prepared for the possibility of fighting the remains of our friends, but it sounded like our undead guests were mostly localized to that settlement we found.

I just, well, I think I wanted--a lot of us wanted--to feel that we were special. That we could make a difference here. At least, not make the same mistakes we made before.

[Without that to atone for, what are they doing here?]

Localized, for now. I know Wing and the others want to seal the cave off, or just mark it, but...well, if there's something dangerous there someone bad can try to use it.

[Logic: lay a weapon out, someone's going to try it. Especially if that someone's of a race that's been fighting for a few million years.]

Just because there were others before doesn't mean we can't make a difference. That we can't make up for the past.

[He's still trying to save some Cybertron, after all.]

In that case, the only reason our friends would end up like that was if they went into that cave. So there's that, at least. And I don't doubt someone would try to use it. It's happened before, other places.

What we need to figure out is what caused it and how to stop them - and stop it.

[And preferably jettison all things involved into space where no one can reach it.]

And how much the First Forged might know.

I know. We still owe this place not to destroy it with our wars. It would just feel better if we were, you know, wanted.

The question is, where do we get those answers? The First Forged are being awfully quiet.

[Seriously, what do they do all day? Mani/pedis?]

I can't speak as t'the others, but Solus spends a lot of time working. C'n usually get into contact with her, though.

[He'd just have to find an Acolyte.]

Some of 'em might want us around, but I'll be the first to say we ain't exactly been easy to get along with, all things considered.

Working.

On what?

[Because really, how much stuff do they need? Don't they have Acolytes for that?]

They haven't been easy for us, either.

She never said and I never asked; a mech's projects are their business until they choose t'reveal them.

[Besides, it's not polite to pester people about all their unfinished doo-dads. It always felt kind of like looking over someone's shoulder to Barricade.]

Yeah, I know. And I ain't usually one to cut Primes slack. We've all gotta meet in the middle here. Them and us.

Hnh.

[Yeah, because that sort of respect for privacy = Pharma's 'cure' for the Red Rust.]

Then we can't count on them at all. Not if they are too busy to talk to us.

Because your leader during your war was always available to talk to you?

[He quiets to let that sit for a few moments.]

Maybe we oughta try calling them directly before we start deciding that they're completely untrustworthy and we're on our own in every way.

[There's a quiet laugh.]

There was a time when he was, yes.

[Megatron had sent Lockdown personally after him, even.]

Maybe you'd have better luck.

[He's tried and been stonewalled by both Alpha Trion and Megatronus.]

I think. We generally have better luck talkin' with our own First Forged. The one whose Glyph we wear.

[He shrugs.]

Solus has been willin' t'talk to me in the past, anyway. Even when it didn't help.

[Which he could at least appreciate, even if he didn't like feeling useless to save his closest friends.]

Maybe you do. Then again, you're not, well...me.

[He laughs. His experiences with Vector have been sort of talking to a severely disappointed dad. ]

Would you mind asking her? The only times I'm at Solus's, I tend to be not in great shape.

[Because Barricade has been a pretty reliable mech as far as Drift knows him.]

Not much luck with Vector, I take it? I'll see if I c'n catch her when she's not working, I oughta talk to her anyway.

[To apologize for all those walls he and Knock Out took out while they were building their clinic. Oops.]

Yeah, I get the feeling most folks don't come by the temple unless one of their arms has fallen off.

[Such is the problem with clinics: no one visits unless they're bleeding everywhere.]

Vector's, uh, hard for me to talk to.

[It's the aggrieved sighing Vector seems to do all the time.]

[He winces.] Yeah. Uh. So...it's not just me. [...yay?]

Quite a few of them seem that way.

[Which is why he's wary about talking to many of them, really.]

It's not. It's pretty normal, in fact. Medics are scary. [He understands from personal experience.]

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