[video]

[sword_redemption]

[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.]

Comments

[sword_redemption]

Is there a way to take them down if it is that Dark Energon stuff?

[dinnerdate]

Kill them? You can't cure them... Not that anyone ever really wants to cure bots like me and the others. Could always slice them apart then smelt them just to be sure I guess...

[sword_redemption]

If you're an example of this Dark Energon, then, what we faced out there wasn't that.

[Dead End can like...make words and stuff.]

...has anyone tried to cure you?

[dinnerdate]

...Why would they?

[sword_redemption]

Don't you want to be?

[He does not get you.]

[dinnerdate]

It doesn't matter what I want... I ask for help and I'll get turned into some science experiment.

[sword_redemption]

I don't think so. I have a, uh, a friend, who just got here. He could at least take a look?

[dinnerdate]

...A friend?

[sword_redemption]

[Throat clearing sound.]

Yeah, uh, a friend. I knew him from before. From my world.

[KNEW him pretty well.]

[dinnerdate]

Autobot?

[This is important.]

[sword_redemption]

Yes. But...he's my friend, Dead End. I used to be a Decepticon.

[dinnerdate]

...You did?

[sword_redemption]

I did. And Perceptor was one of the first to look beyond that, to give me a chance.

[dinnerdate]

How... Why aren't you dead?

[He doesn't mean to change the subject but he's never heard of anyone leaving the 'Cons and living.]

[sword_redemption]

Because... [He wants to say something cheerful about having friends, but he can't, not with Tarn here.]

Because the war is big and one mech, any mech, is too small to notice if they leave, or at least, too small to worry about chasing.

[Even Megatron had gone with a contractor, after all, to hunt Deadlock down. ]

[dinnerdate]

Oh... That must be nice. Not have needed to worry when it happened.