A Steadfast Friend

++ Skyline Tower ++

Every apartment inside the Skyline Tower takes up half of an entire floor, and every last one of them has a magnificent view of Translucentia Heights, and Iacon, outside. The building has its own security team to keep out the riffraff.

At the moment, Blurr is hanging around his Translucentia Heights apartment, going through some of his things. A drone hovers over his shoulder, waiting for fetch quests or whatever. This isn't something he'd normally be doing himself, but drones can't decide for him which trophies to keep or toss. There are just...so many of them.

Well, the drone will probably find an old bronze colored box that looks old and not like a trophy at all sitting at the bottom of one of the boxes Blurr is sorting through. Perhaps it will won't even bother Blurr with it, but instead try to toss it immediately....

Something about that box catches Blurr's attention, though. It's not one of the trophies, so how did it land here? He digs it out of the crate and starts to open it.

The contents of the box look old, although it would appear that they weren't put in the box too long ago. The top layer of the box is a data pad, bound in an old-fashioned metal casing that has these words burnished on the front of it.

*I'll think of you, as I go*

*So when I leave, you're not alone.*

*And no matter where we are, we will never be that far, because I'll think of you as I go.*

*Oh it's a long and winding road,*

*but you don't have walk alone.*

*Because no matter where we are,*

*I will keep you in my heart.*

*Please think of me,*

*when you're down.*

*When your heart is on the ground,*

*And you don't have to lose your way,*

*Even when the skies are gray,*

*Because I will think of you when you're down.*

The data pad also appears to be a video log of some sort, although of what kind Blurr won't know until he plays it.

Huh...Blurr frowns, confused. He doesn't remember having this. Well it's a nice little rhyme, anyway. Oh, maybe someone came over and left it here. Is there a name on it anywhere? He turns the box over and over in search of one, or maybe on the datapad. Anyway he plays the video to see who it belongs to.

None. There's nothing to identify the owner of the contents of the box whatsoever. Although it does say that the little rhyme was written by some crazy aft poet named Sky Byte.

Perhaps Blurr will be surprised to find the video logs are of him. But they're .. old? The first clip shows Blurr back when he couldn't talk properly. And surprise, surprise, there's a small caption of text down at the bottom of the screen that reads as follows:

Day 01. Patient identifies himself as Blurr, although Axle and the other scientists at this complex simply refer to him as 00341-x. He seems unable to speak in a comprehensive fashion, and displays symptoms of severe loneliness. It was nice meeting...Blurr.

Oooh! Blurr suddenly realizes these must belong to Rung. Yeah, Rung enjoyed that sort of thing. Obscure poetry, that is. At least out of all the people he knows Rung's the most likely one to keep that sort of thing around. He closes the box and picks it up, though he doesn't put the datapad back. Instead he keeps watching the video logs while he heads out of the complex toward the first place he'd expect to find his old friend.

The video log keeps playing. The videos are all similar to the first, but they show Blurr's progressive improvement. Perhaps Blurr will remember one of them particularly well--the first time Rung told Blurr he was his own individual. It happened after Blurr had repeatedly refused to comply with one of Rung's therapeutic procedures.

*~"Blurr, you don't have to do any of the things I ask you to do. In fact, you don't have to do what anyone tells you to do if you don't want to. You are yourself, no one can choose your actions for you save yourself. But sometimes, we obey out of love--not because we have anything to gain from obeying ourselves, but simply for the benefit of the other person we care for. This is called self-sacrifice."~*

But Blurr won't find the complex his friend used to work at. Instead, all he will find is a dark mound of ash that has now cemented into a dusk colored hill slightly obscures the setting sun. At the top of the mound of ash it a simple memorial, dedicated to Rung and all those who died in the clinic bombing. And perhaps by that time, Blurr will have reached the end of the video log and found the will at the bottom of the box...

Blurr is shocked to find that the clinic isn't even there any more. Perhaps it's odd that he hadn't even realized what had happened--it had been all over the news. Or maybe he had, but after the interrupted compression procedure the memory of it might have gotten lost.

He hurries over to the memorial, hoping against hope that he won't find that familiar name there...wait, is there something else in that box? He pulls it out.

But he will simultaneously find the will and the very first name on the memorial.

Rung. ?-45th cycle 801 Founder of the Cybertronian Psychiatric Clinic of Iacon. Primus rest his soul, as he never refused a patient. Ever. His purpose of existence was to do right in a lost and chaotic world.

The first line of the will reads as follows:

*Blurr, I know this may be a hard pill for you to swallow, but you are only reading this because by now, I am long gone...*

Blurr's spark sinks as far as it can possibly go at the sight of Rung's name. This doesn't make any sense...how did had he not even been aware that this happened? Quickly, he searches the datanets for information about the clinic, and sure enough, he finds that not long ago there had been an attack that destroyed the clinc along with everyone who worked there--including Rung.

The racer sinks to his knees, a sickening wave of dread washing over him. How could he have just -missed- this? He holds up the will. No...he can't read it. Not now. It's too much...but somehow he can't resist. It's the least he can do for Rung, right?

The will continues on:

*Do not be sad. Take comfort in knowing that I probably died among those who loved me and dared not live life apart from what I had provided them.*

*Oh, Blurr, there are so many things I wish I could say to you but not enough time and it cannot be condensed into a will. But I would ask two things of you: First, that you remember the day I told you that you were your own property, and that no one should force you into obedience, for that is slavery. I want you to choose your own path and fate, willingly, knowing that whether it brings you joy or pain, it was a choice you decided to make yourself. Do you remember the subsequent moment? When I told you about self sacrifice? This is a beautiful thing and I hope that one day, you will fully understand it and perhaps be the one to exhibit it to someone you love dearly.*

*Secondly, that you will take care of all that is left of my possessions. I trust you Blurr, and I know that you will take special care to ensure the safety of everything I own.*

*Lastly, I want to apologize for pushing you away so often. I forbade you to see me because I was afraid. Afraid of what they might do to you if they thought I was causing you to act in a way that they did not prefer. I also couldn't bear to see what they had already done to you. They.. unmade you. They forced so many things upon you, that I wished so desperately they wouldn't. And you didn't know. You were so young, so naive--and perhaps you still are. But I cannot change the past and eventually I realized I had to stop trying to do the same thing that your superiors were doing to you--trying to make you into the person I wanted you to be. I had to let you choose. Yes, it was painful, perhaps often more than what I could bear. But it was the right thing to do and I do not regret it. Every time you came knocking on my door, begging to be let in, wishing for old times--I started to think the same way. because every time you thought you badly wished you could go back and rewind time to when it was just you and me, I wished it ten thousand times that. But I knew that wasn't right, and hoping for what could have been is no good--and letting you back into my clinic would set me onto the path of wrong desires.*

*I wish you joy, peace, and freedom, Blurr.*

*A steadfast friend until death, Rung.*

Blurr just...stares at the will for a very long time, even after he's finished reading it. There are so many questions in his mind. He remembers the times, all too clearly, when he came knocking on the door and wishing for old times...

...he wishes for old times right now.

But he still doesn't understand why Rung thought shutting him out was for the best. He wishes right now that he could just go and find him and ask him...oh but what use is it now? He puts the will and the video logs back in the box and closes it, then sets it on top of the memorial with a sigh.

But as he picks up the box and puts it up on the memorial, two things tumble out. One is a small data chip, what it contains, Blurr will have to perhaps investigate later. The other is one of Rung's prized ships--maybe Blurr will remember that he liked to collect them, and that this one, in particular was Rung's first and favorite. Up until this point in time, Rung wouldn't let Blurr hold or touch it. But now, it's here, in the box of things that Rung has left for him. On the bottom of the tiny little ark is yet another wistful little rhyme.

 *One day, when the moon comes back,*

*There will be nothing we lack.*

*Upon the wings of our dreams,*

*We will fly.*

*We will take to the skies, and beyond.*

*- cycle 0353, Sky-Byte*

Blurr moves quickly to catch the model ship before it might break! Turning it over, he reads yet another rhyme that just makes him even sadder. He subspaces the chip, and stands up, still staring sadly at the memorial.

Suddenly, his face hardens, and a fist clenches as something seems to dawn on him. The clinic was -attacked-. It was no accident. He glances down at the datapad again, where he's brought up a news article about the bombing. The Decepticons, of course. Those savage anarchists, -they- were responsible for this! They wanted to change the world for the better, well they sure had a way of doing it! Rioting, blowing up clincs, killing innocent civilians? Was -that- the kind of world they wanted to live in?! Yeah, let's make the world better by doing things that actually make it -worse-! How that made sense was beyond him.

Angrily, he takes the box back, and turns away from the memorial.

LATER

Blurr returns to his hab suite at the Skyline Tower with an old-looking bronze colored box and looking very upset. Probably more so than he's looked for a while. He looks depressed and angry all at the same time...

"... Blurr?" Feint asks gently, walking up to him from behind. She's been concerned every since Cipher showed up, now it seems as if there's even more trouble. Living in the mines was -less- drama than this, but she's given her word, and she's going to make this turn out happy in the end.

Blurr doesn't reply right away, and just plops himself down in the sitting area with a sigh, the box still in his hands. He just...doesn't know how to describe what he's feeling right now. << Rung is dead. >> Though she probably already knows that. Somehow he hadn't known about it, that was the part he didn't understand.

Feint sits down next to Blurr, offering him feelings of warmth and sympathy. "This is your first time experiencing loss, isn't?" she asks gently. She's experienced it before herself, but she isn't sure about Blurr.

Blurr slumps his head against Feint's shoulder. Yeah...it is the first time he's experienced a loss like this. The warm feelings help a little bit, but they don't change the fact that Rung is gone. << I didn't even get to say goodbye to him... >>

"Sometimes life is like that. Loss, accidents and the passing of those we care for can happen before we are prepared for them," Feint says, putting an arm around Blurr. "The loss hurts, and it takes time before it begins to ease in our sparks. The best way that I have found to deal with it, is to remember all the good, wonderful things you had with that person, and cherish those. As long as he is in your memory, a part of him will always live on."

Blurr nods at her words and wraps his arms around her as well. << I didn't always treat him as well as I should have, Feint. I hadn't even seen him in so long. I don't understand it, how did I not even know about the clinic being destroyed?! You heard about it, didn't you? Have you ever lost anyone .... like that before? >>

"You didn't hear because your memories have been compressed, put out of the way of your conscious mind," Feint explains as gently and softly as possible. She's been trying to reason with Blurr for some time him about this, about what was done to him, and it may take the death of Rung to finally open his eyes to a modicum of truth. "When we joined, I saw how much had been done to your memory core. There's much you've experienced that has been pushed away from you. You were compressed again when I tried to find you, when Axle took you." She doesn't say any more than that; now is not the time to plead with him, unless he is interested in knowing more.

"Yes, I've lost people I cared about, many times over. I have seen friends and co-workers killed in accidents, in cave-ins, or watched them shut down from lack of fuel, because their work was taken from them. I've been hurt, afraid, alone, and had to dig myself out of rubble before. I've seen others hate me and fear me for what I am. I know pain. I wish you didn't have to."

Blurr stares at Feint as she tells her story, almost in disbelief. << I can't even imagine what it was like for you. >> Suddenly he looks somewhat guilty. << I'm sorry, this probably feels insensitive to you. You've been through this a million times over, and I just-- >> But the sentence isn't finished. He shakes his head. << I know they modified my memory banks, but like I said it was just business, they have to make sure I perform to their expectations without any personal issues geting in the way.... I guess I can see why they might have compressed it. >>

"It's not fair to you, Blurr. They're not allowing you to grow and mature, to understand and be able to handle the tough parts of life. You learn how to win by losing, and if you forget wht losing feels like, winning is never as sweet, or as meaningful." She smiles. "All I ever wanted to do since you took me in was be a help to you, to help you figure out your way in life and be the best and strongest -you- that you can be. I've made mistakes, I know, but I've come to love you much more than I ever thought possible, and I hope you can bear with me as I learn and grow, too."

<< Life is never fair. >> Blurr replies to the comment about fairness. He's never heard that bit about winning and losing, though. Because, well, he's never really truly lost a race. There have been a few intended losses, for the sake of reputation or other gain, but only because he allowed it. << But that's not their goal. They're not in the business of maturing people, they're in the business of making money. So it's just business and that's how business goes. >> Oh aren't those Axle's words. He used to say that all the time.

"And if killing Rung was good business for someone, would that make it right?"

Feint looks Blurr in the optics, squarely. "If selling me and keeping me away from you helped make more money for the IAA, is that okay, if it's just how business goes?"

Blurr's optics widen. << Well, no, of course not! >> He shakes his head quickly. << That wouldn't be right for any reason! Unless someone else was going to die... >> But that's a complex moral dilemma to consider another time. But then his expression hardens. << But they didn't kill Rung, Feint. Those insurgents did. >> A fist clenches. << They think they can make a better world by killing innocent people? Destroying things? How does that even work? How does that make ANY sense!! >>

"When you're hungry and desperate, you become capable of doing things you regret later." She's been there. She's bridging on that desperation now, seeing how deeply imprisoned Blurr really is. "I'm not saying that what they are doing is right - it isn't - but people who don't want to suffer anymore, who don't want to die, will do whatever it takes to live, even if it means stealing, hurting others, or killing."

That doesn't do anything to calm him down. Blurr just looks even more furious. << How does killing Rung help them live? How can it possibly help someone else survive? Rung HELPED people survive. He kept people from committing suicide! They have to stop! And if they don't, someone will force them to! >>

Feint is coolly steadfast, moving past Blurr's youthful outbursts of emotion to try to reach him with reason and truth. "Mercy without justice is chaos, but justice without mercy is tyranny. Tell me dear, would you be just as angry if a police officer beat a worker to death because he didn't like what they were saying?"

<< I... >> Blurr pauses, cooling off a little bit. << I guess not. But something has to be done about those terrorists! They can't just be allowed to run around killing whoever they feel like killing and justifying it! >> He folds his arms, still pouting. << Rung was a GOOD mech. Why would they want to kill him? He never beat up anyone because he didn't like them, or anything like that! I don't understand it. >>

"He was, but sometimes people are killed because they know too much, and someone doesn't want them to tell what they know. Rung knew many secrets, and that could make him a target," Feint says. "Who are terrorists, Blurr? What do you know about these people, anything at all? Maybe we can figure out what happened, and help justice be done."

Rung knew secrets? But what secrets? The ones with Shiftlock? He remembers that, now...But why would someone want to kill him for it?

No. It doesn't even matter.

Blurr nods resolutely. << Yes, we will. They have to be brought to justice, whoever or whatever they are. >>

He doesn't even know who the terrorists -are-. Feint has a sudden feeling of helplessness. Blurr is simply going to keep running into walls of his own ignorance and he's going to drag her along with him unless she can think of a way to mitigate his memory deficiencies.

"Let the authorities handle it," she helpfully suggests.

Blurr says nothing for a moment, staring at the floor. << I guess you're right. I guess it isn't my job to make those things right. I'm just. >>

<< ...glorified entertainment. >>

"And I'm a mining tool," Feint agrees.

A moment of awkward silence ensues, after which there is a signal that someone is at the door. Blurr gets up and moves to the door as it slides open.

And guess who's at the door. Yep, it's Cipher, with his usual polite smile. "Oh, good cycle to you Blurr." he nods to Feint as well. "And you as well, Feint."

"Pleasant to see you as well sir," Feint greets. She's cautious but polite. "How can I help you?"

Cipher shrugs, still smiling as Blurr lets him in with a nod. "Oh, nothing much." He is carrying a reactangular case, which he sets down on a table. It opens, and various equipment begins to expand out of it. "In fact, it might be better if you...left us for a few moments. I'm sure you're aware that during the... -incident- that killed Axle, Blurr's databanks were damaged. It's my job to keep him in the right order, so that's what I'm here to do."

There's a pause as he finishes the setup. "I hope you won't mind."

Here is where the rubber meets the road. "Yes, about that," Feint interrupts pleasantly, "Axle said he was going to erase me from Blurr's memory entirely, right before he shot me in the shoulder and the proceeded to try to kill me and everyone else in the lab with a reckless use of security drones in a confined space." Feint beams, cheerful in tone but blunt about her choice of words. "Now, having been inside Blurr's mind as his conjunx endura -- Do you have one of those, Mister Cipher? It's a wonderful experience -- I am quite aware that there has been damage done, and you will understand if I am somewhat uneasy with further "repairs" from IAA officials. While I believe you absolutely have Blurr's best interests in mind, he is, after all, a highly profitable investment on the part of your company, I am not convinced the IAA has -my- best interests in mind." She folds her hands in her lap. "What guarantee do I have, Mister Cipher, sir, that you do not intend to simply make good on Axle's threat and finish the erasure he attempted to start?"

Blurr stares at Feint, shocked at her blunt words despite her polite tone. << Feint, what... >> He begins, but doesn't finish.

"Ah," Cipher smiles and walks over to Feint, sitting down next to her on the couch. "I thought you might ask about that. But you needn't worry, since you've made a request, I will do what I can to make sure every memory of you in his mind is preserved. After all, it's a beautiful thing, what the two of you have between you." Yes of course, the fans love it!

<< I want to know if he means to truly help you, or if he's just here to exploit you. If he really is going to help, I'll back him one hundred percent. >> Cipher's arrival and preparation to dig into Blurr's mind has forced Feint's hand to some degree.

"Thank you. I'm perfectly willing to be of assistance to your company; I just want to help Blurr be the best he can be. My concern is over how well his brain module is going to hold out from these repeated restructuring. I've seen the damage first hand; if these edits continue, I'm afraid the IAA will wind up with a very speedy drone, and that can't be good for business."

"Play ball with me and I'll play ball with you, sir. As I tried to tell Axle multiple times, I only want to know what's going on so I can -help-."

Blurr sighs and seems to prepare for a potential catastrophe. << Okay, okay. Just don't attack him, either physically or psychologically. Can you at least not do that this time? >>

Cipher nods. "Well then, it sounds like you and I want the same thing, that being for Blurr to be 100% the best he can be at all times." he says reassuringly. "And yes, of course! You are absolutely correct. A drone cannot appeal to -people-, not on the level that we need. So you can be sure that I completely understand your concerns, Miss. Which is why I'll be employing a method that will be much less invasive, but will yield the same results. And I'm confident that you'll be quite happy with them." Should she trust him? Well, he isn't -lying-.

<< I never wanted to. Unless you're in immediate danger or I'm being shot at - which happens to me a lot when i want to help people, it seems - nothing will happen. >>

Feint nods to Cipher. "All right then, I'm going to trust you. I certainly hope this can be the beginning of something much better for all of us." She stands from the couch. "As per your former request, I'll leave the room for now, and demonstrate that I meant what I just said." And she does just that.