TG'verse. An engineering lab in Iacon. Lost is found.
Rodimus looked up at the tall drone, feeling vaguely intimidated by its size. "Reminds me of Abominus."
Blazer glanced at him, then looked up himself. "It's one of the remote control ones?"
"Uh huh." Rodimus put his hands on his hips and unconsciously tried to stare down the unactivated drone, then realized what he was doing and looked away. "The cannon fodder. Harder to blow apart than Astrotrain's head, but if they do come apart they're supposed to just snap back together like a Junkion."
Blazer nodded, though he didn't fully understand the references.
Then he frowned. "I think it's online."
"Huh?" Rodimus looked up again, frowning himself. "No... Keepsake would have warned us. It's not even fully programmed yet, it's still on wireless hookup to Teletraan 3."
Then he started as he caught the unmistakable flicker of light in the drone's optics. "Houston... we may have a glitch."
He barely had time to jump aside as a massive fist slammed down on the patch of floor where he and Blazer had stood moments before. The impact of landing on his head scrambled his processor slightly, but he didn't even have time to shake it clear before he was scuttling away from another blow.
"Override Rodimus beta eight nine gamma one two!" cried a voice over the din.
Silence fell over the lab, broken only by the door swishing open and the startled and concerned voices of technicians.
And then Rodimus pushed himself up to his feet and stared at his bridge, who looked guiltily back at him from where he crouched to one side. The Prime absently answered a few of the techie's questions, then nodded Blazer toward the office overlooking the lab. The young mech went quietly and then stood to attention, his face calm despite the guilt that it continued to carry.
Rodimus made sure that the door was closed, then looked at him and said quietly, "Do you mind telling me where you got that code?"
Blazer straightened a little more. "No, sir. I got it from you."
"Nuh uh. Because the only thing I've ever told that security override was Teletraan 3, and I've never used it."
"I know that." Blazer's chin firmed. "You changed your mind about the last number twice."
Rodimus blinked, then stared at him. "How do you know that?"
"I was there when you did it."
"No..." the Prime trailed off as understanding dawned. "What was Spike doing in the control room on the first of June 2____?"
Blazer's face darkened slightly, but his voice was even as he answered. "Composing a three dimensional greeting card for Panacea. One that... she found in my system when she and Perceptor went in to see why I was crashing... after he died."
"You're that slagging AI."
"Yes, sir."
Rodimus regarded him in silence for a few moments, his optics sharp and wary. "Ratchet told Panacea you died."
"I... think I did."
"Wouldn't you know if you wound up in the Allspark?"
"Yes. And I did... but this isn't the spark that I had then. So I'm not sure."
Rodimus stared at him, giving in to the urge to rub his head. "Start at the beginning."
Blazer did, and at the end of the story Rodimus was still rubbing his head.
"So," he said, putting a hand over his mouth and then leaning on it. "Where's Prima's clone?"
"Oriana's living in another reality with a friend of Auspex's." Blazer sighed, thinking that he had to go and see her still.
"Why didn't you bring her here?"
The younger mech's gaze finally dropped. "I thought it would cause too much pain. I... really didn't understand emotion yet then."
"And now that you do? Where is she?"
"She's not Prima."
"No, but she's family, anyway. We want to know her." Rodimus scowled at him.
Blazer nodded without looking up. "She... sees me as her creator."
"I guess you're family too. Fine. You've already got the good looks." The taller mech shrugged one shoulder, then cocked his head at a com message from Keepsake. "What do you mean, 'wrecked your lab'? It was your drone that wrecked your lab! No, we weren't messing with the controls... alright, you don't need to get that upset. We didn't break... oh us? We're fine. Yeah. Sure."
He scratched his head as he shut off the comlink. "Wheeljack was never that excitable. I wonder why he built it into her. Anyway." A glance at his bridge. "Let's go see how many of the headhunter mechs try to kill us."
"Yes, sir." Blazer blinked and stepped forward.
"We're not that busy next Saturday. Think Oriana'd like to come then?"
"...I can ask her."
"Good. Do that."
Blazer glanced at him, then looked up himself. "It's one of the remote control ones?"
"Uh huh." Rodimus put his hands on his hips and unconsciously tried to stare down the unactivated drone, then realized what he was doing and looked away. "The cannon fodder. Harder to blow apart than Astrotrain's head, but if they do come apart they're supposed to just snap back together like a Junkion."
Blazer nodded, though he didn't fully understand the references.
Then he frowned. "I think it's online."
"Huh?" Rodimus looked up again, frowning himself. "No... Keepsake would have warned us. It's not even fully programmed yet, it's still on wireless hookup to Teletraan 3."
Then he started as he caught the unmistakable flicker of light in the drone's optics. "Houston... we may have a glitch."
He barely had time to jump aside as a massive fist slammed down on the patch of floor where he and Blazer had stood moments before. The impact of landing on his head scrambled his processor slightly, but he didn't even have time to shake it clear before he was scuttling away from another blow.
"Override Rodimus beta eight nine gamma one two!" cried a voice over the din.
Silence fell over the lab, broken only by the door swishing open and the startled and concerned voices of technicians.
And then Rodimus pushed himself up to his feet and stared at his bridge, who looked guiltily back at him from where he crouched to one side. The Prime absently answered a few of the techie's questions, then nodded Blazer toward the office overlooking the lab. The young mech went quietly and then stood to attention, his face calm despite the guilt that it continued to carry.
Rodimus made sure that the door was closed, then looked at him and said quietly, "Do you mind telling me where you got that code?"
Blazer straightened a little more. "No, sir. I got it from you."
"Nuh uh. Because the only thing I've ever told that security override was Teletraan 3, and I've never used it."
"I know that." Blazer's chin firmed. "You changed your mind about the last number twice."
Rodimus blinked, then stared at him. "How do you know that?"
"I was there when you did it."
"No..." the Prime trailed off as understanding dawned. "What was Spike doing in the control room on the first of June 2____?"
Blazer's face darkened slightly, but his voice was even as he answered. "Composing a three dimensional greeting card for Panacea. One that... she found in my system when she and Perceptor went in to see why I was crashing... after he died."
"You're that slagging AI."
"Yes, sir."
Rodimus regarded him in silence for a few moments, his optics sharp and wary. "Ratchet told Panacea you died."
"I... think I did."
"Wouldn't you know if you wound up in the Allspark?"
"Yes. And I did... but this isn't the spark that I had then. So I'm not sure."
Rodimus stared at him, giving in to the urge to rub his head. "Start at the beginning."
Blazer did, and at the end of the story Rodimus was still rubbing his head.
"So," he said, putting a hand over his mouth and then leaning on it. "Where's Prima's clone?"
"Oriana's living in another reality with a friend of Auspex's." Blazer sighed, thinking that he had to go and see her still.
"Why didn't you bring her here?"
The younger mech's gaze finally dropped. "I thought it would cause too much pain. I... really didn't understand emotion yet then."
"And now that you do? Where is she?"
"She's not Prima."
"No, but she's family, anyway. We want to know her." Rodimus scowled at him.
Blazer nodded without looking up. "She... sees me as her creator."
"I guess you're family too. Fine. You've already got the good looks." The taller mech shrugged one shoulder, then cocked his head at a com message from Keepsake. "What do you mean, 'wrecked your lab'? It was your drone that wrecked your lab! No, we weren't messing with the controls... alright, you don't need to get that upset. We didn't break... oh us? We're fine. Yeah. Sure."
He scratched his head as he shut off the comlink. "Wheeljack was never that excitable. I wonder why he built it into her. Anyway." A glance at his bridge. "Let's go see how many of the headhunter mechs try to kill us."
"Yes, sir." Blazer blinked and stepped forward.
"We're not that busy next Saturday. Think Oriana'd like to come then?"
"...I can ask her."
"Good. Do that."