Playing Doctor

Rumble is still here, because Soundwave requested that he keep watch over the newest member of the family. He's sitting in the corner, cleaning his laser-rifles.

The new tape has been out for awhile. The spark is settling (unhappily) into its new body... fortunately there's no rejection. Soundwave did his work well. She starts to stir, waking up. "... where am I?"

Rumble glances over as the little dataslug-femme awakens. He stands back up and wanders over to check on her. "Hey, toots, you're inna recovery room," he says. "I'm just here to make sure you're doin' okay, an' it looks like you are...you hurtin' at all?"

"I'm not hurting, just kind of confused, that's all," Noise says softly. "I have feelings out of nowhere I don't understand completely. Like... I'm really glad to see you. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I feel a lot better now that you're here."

"I think maybe Soundwave made you with parts of a spark from someone else," Rumble admits very softly to Noise, in case Soundwave's lurking around near the door. "I dunno how he did it, but you're rememberin' things that a girlfriend of mine knew. Things I never told to no one else. So how else can that happen."

"I dunno... maybe ... something of her is in me?" Noise answers.

"I ain't no scientist, but I think so," Rumble says, still glancing toward the door furtively. "Does the name Shiftlock sound familiar? Cause that was my girlfriend. How about Rumble? Cause, um, that's me," he adds with a grin.

Noise thinks about it for awhile. ".... The first part... kinda not. But the second one? Yes. Yes I remember that name." She sits up. "I remember that a lot --" She stops, optics flickering for a moment. A blink. "Why am I thinking of a couch and you were waaaay smaller."

Rumble chuckles. "Cause she was bigger than I was," he explains. "Or /you/ were, or...I dunno how many of you there are in that spark of yours, so I'm just gonna say you're right. That happened. That was my habsuite in Kaon."

"Seemed like a really good time. So do we get to do it again?" Noise asks somewhat (only somewhat) innocently. She looks at her arms, and legs. "... I want more colors than this. Maybe I'll decorate myself a little."

"We can do that anytime you want!" Rumble answers cheerfully. Frenzy only WISHES he was this lucky, he thinks to himself.

"It sounds like fun! How do you make that work?" Noise asks in REAL innocence this time.

"Here, I'll show ya..." Rumble has a seat up on the table beside Noise. "See, there's this interface wire thing," he says as he opens a small hatch on his chestplate. "And we connect and it's a lotta fun."

And this is when they might both become aware of Soundwave standing there. Well, not RIGHT there, but close enough. There's one look at THAT and: "RUMBLE." It's got that parental \*OMP you are in SUCH TROUBLE BOY\* tone to it.

Noise is even startled, and she flinches back. "... I'm sorry!" She holds her head and cowers down.

Rumble looks over in surprise as Soundwave suddenly enters. "She was askin' about it! I was just bein' instructatory!" he exclaims.

"I was just curious!" Noise adds in Rumbles defense.

After spending several breems having quite a serious talk and practically lording it over Barricade, Soundwave is now reduced to very nearly facepalming. If he was apt to /siiiigh/ he would do so now. Striding over to the two lovebirds, he puts up two big, broad hands to tell them to \*stop\*. "Rumble, you are supposed to be \*watching\* her, not interfacing her." He still sounds slightly cross- at least for him. For most people it would probably sound like his regular monotone inflection.

"Oh. Y'didn't tell me that was off limits..." Rumble doesn't seem particularly embarassed -- perhaps he's just not the sort to embarass easily. But he does put his interface cable away. "Anyhow, she's doin' fine."

Soundwave may pick up that in place of embarassment, there's emotional impressions Rumble has of very awkward, conflicting emotions. There's elements of curiosity, fear, suspicion, nervousness, and confusion.

Ok, now Soundwave \*does\* sigh just a little. The femme has cowered herself right back into cassette form, and the outlier picks her up and gently places her inside his chest once again. He stands there, taking in Rumble's emotions without even having to think about it. His annoyance turns to sympathy, and he moves to sit down next to the small mech.

"I know you meant well. It is just... she is not well right now, Rumble, even though she might appear to be "doing fine.""

"Well if you want me to watch her without interfacin', I can do that, I can 'control myself'...I ain't like, a mini version of Starscream or nothin' like that," Rumble promises with a smirk. "Lissen...you don't hafta answer this...but I guess I really need to know...is...did you put some of Shiftlock's spark in her? Cause she knows who I am, but not details like you'd tell her. They're memories from when I first met her in Kaon. She gets all the details right. So that's why I was wonderin'."

Soundwave listens quietly to Rumble's questions, then scans the area to make absolutely sure that no one else is there. No one is, so he leans in and gives the mech a small nod. That monotone stays quiet. "Affirmative." He places his hands on his knees and continues. He would have preferred not to tell Rumble just yet, but he's figuring it out on his own anyway and so he will have to be let in on the secret.

"She needs to stay with us for awhile, Rumble. Until she gets better. But the fact that it is \*her\* MUST remain a secret. She could be killed if that secret got out, do you understand?"

Rumble nods. "I won't tell. I won't even tell Frenzy," he promises. And he means it, too. There's been nothing he wouldn't share with Frenzy, at least not up until this moment. If Shiftlock's new reincarnated life hangs in the balance, Rumble's going to keep things very secret.

Soundwave nods. "Good. Shiftlock is very vulnerable right now. And she may want to do things that would not be a good idea in the shape she's in." He looks up for a moment. "As I understand, she was young and very confused, and she often acted impulsively. She felt alone and often sought out connection with others. Including interfacing random strangers, searching for that connection. This lead her into a lot of trouble. There is nothing wrong with interfacing itself, but there can be if you use it to mask other issues in your life, as she apparently did."

He looks down at Rumble. "I know that you care for her, and she cares for you. But she is extremely vulnerable, and right now she needs to learn new behaviors- healthier coping mechanisms. And I know that you can help her. She needs family, and she needs time to find out who she is before she shares that with someone in that way. It could even harm her, overwrite her own data."

"Oh!...Okay, then next time she asks about it, the answer's gonna be a big, big NO cause I don't want her last memories gettin' rewritten," Rumble decides. Now he's pretty glad that Soundwave caught them right before the act! He always thought it was harmless fun, and...most of the time it WAS, but she was a special case.

Soundwave looks down at the smaller mech, then reaches a hand down to place it on Rumble's shoulder. "I know you meant well. And if she asks, tell her no... but you can do so gently. Let her know it is because you are her friend that you do not. She may not understand that, either, but sometimes "no" is the kindest thing we can say." His grip squeezes slightly, then releases. "The thing she needs most right now is someone who is \*constant\*. A friend who is there, but does not take advantage of a moment of weakness- hers or his. I know you can be that friend."

"I didn't know it woulda hurt her, though," Rumble admits. "But then again, she didn't know that either. So...so yeah. I'm gonna be there for her." Soundwave really makes a considerable impression on Rumble, without even having to resort to any mental manipulation. This is a reflection of how much the mini-miner respects Soundwave. It might even be on a level approaching love, but who can measure \*that\*. "If it's safe for her later? Then maybe. But not till it's safe." He grins.