GHOSTS
Timeline: Cycle 8834 - 980 Years Ago (5 Years after Volume VII)
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Deadlock sighed as he paced around in his cell. For the past ten years ever since his capture, he had been transferred from prison to prison, planet to planet. Now he was here on Elba, at the Autobot rehabilitation facility Garrus-9. Although it was more decidedly more comfortable than most prisons he had been to, it was no trip through the Helix Gardens either.
Sighing for the dozenth time in five minutes, he plopped himself onto his berth, sitting dejectedly against the wall.
"Might as well shut yourself into stasis lock, pal," said an inmate from the cell next to his. "These Autobots aren't going to release you out of pity."
"I'm fully aware of that, thanks," Deadlock snapped. After a moment's silence, he then said, "Why aren't you in stasis lock?'
"I trust these Autobots about as far as I can throw them," the inmate said. "You never know if they'll decide to execute you while you're sleeping just for the heck of it."
Deadlock rolled his eyes at the mech's paranoia. "So how do you pass the time then?"
The other Decepticon paused before saying, "I carve drawings into the wall. You?"
Deadlock hesitated as well before answering, "I reminisce about my past."
"Is it an exciting past?"
Deadlock snorted. "Depends on your definition."
"Well, if you're looking for ways to pass the time, why don't we exchange stories of ourselves."
"Why would you care about my stories?"
"I'm out of space for carvings."
Deadlock smirked. "All right, fine. I'll humor you. It all started on the streets of Rodion...."
-Twenty-one years ago-
"You pathetic pieces of scrap."
He winced as one of the two thugs kicked him again, harder than the last one. He struggled to get back up only to be kicked down again.
"Honestly, Runamuck, where do these guys come from?"
"Don't know, don't care." The white and orange one called Runamuck cracked his wrists. "Long as they make good target practice."
The other thug, who was black and red, snorted out a laugh. "Good point there."
He punctuated this with another kick and Drift could feel his internal systems starting to fail. He opened his mouth to cry out for help but was cut off as Runamuck grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up from the ground.
"Say, Runabout," the thug said. "What noise do ya think he'll make if we tear him in half?"
Runabout chuckled. "Lengthwise or at the waist?"
"Whichever."
However, before the two brutes could go through with their next action, a calm voice called from behind them. "Unhand that innocent bot."
The duo turned to see an old mech standing there, colored in white and gold. Runabout glowered at him.
"What'cha gonna do about it, old man? The authorities ain't here to cover you skidplate."
The stranger smirked. "I do not need the authorities for protection."
Runamuck growled as he released Drift. "We'll see about that after I smash in that smug face of yours!"
He charged towards the gold mech and threw his fist at his face, which the stranger easily deflected before tripping the thug with his long legs. He then did the same to Runabout as the latter attempted to tackle him. He then easily put both of them out of commission by throwing them into a parked armored transport, knocking them out cold.
The struggle having ended as quickly as it had begun, the stranger turned to Drift and smiled as he offered him his hand. Drift weakly took it and was gently pulled up to his feet, though he had some difficulty in standing.
"Thanks," he murmured. "Can't say I've ever met someone who was concerned for my safety."
The stranger chuckled. "If such people are rare, then you'd better improve on your defensive techniques."
Drift snorted. "How? I can't join the Seekers 'cause of my alt mode, and the Autotroopers have turned down my application five times already. Hardly anyone will accept me."
The stranger smiled warmly. "I wouldn't say 'hardly.'"
Drift gave him an odd look. "What are you-? Wait, who are you again?"
"I am Sensei Yoketron, Grand Master of the Cyber-Ninja Corps."
-Present-
"Yoketron... I've heard that name before."
Deadlock smirked. "I'd be pretty surprised if you hadn't. He was a pretty big deal back in the day; offered a place on the High Council at least twice a year and declined them each time."
"So he taught the Cyber-Ninja arts?"
"Yeah, just the basics though," Deadlock said. "It wasn't long after he took me in under his wing that the Great War started. I once again tried to enlist into the Autobot army, but they still counted me as an Empty and thus refused to accept me yet again.
"So, left with little choice, I hitched a transport due for the neutral territories. It then got attacked by Decepticons and they killed all of the Autobots on board and took non-military bots like me prisoner."
"And they conscripted you, didn't they? Why?"
"Because the leader of the raid- a mech called Banzai-Tron- had also been a student of Yoketron and saw potential in me and took me in," Deadlock replied. "I didn't last long under his command, though; got transferred to Turmoil and eventually became his second-in-command. Got my name changed from Drift to Deadlock, too."
"So you never saw Yoketron again?"
Deadlock frowned. "I did, actually. One of my first tasks was to assassinate him. I was a pathetic Autobot-at-heart back then, though, so I couldn't bear the though of killing him in person."
"I see. So what did you do?"
Deadlock sighed. "I set the dojo on fire."
"Did you then make sure he was dead?"
"Yes. I dug through the rubble and found his mutilated body. He was still alive, but his spark was very faint. He looked up at me and... said it wasn't my fault." He put his head in his hands, trying not to shake with the emotional regret he now felt rising up within him. "Then... then he died."
His fellow inmate was silent. After a few minutes, Deadlock said. "Anyway... that's my story. What about-"
"All right, that's it!" An Autobot guard came storming up to his cell. "Who the Pit are you talking to? You've been rambling on and on for half a mega-cycle now!"
Deadlock frowned. "Just having a friendly chat with a fellow inmate."
"What inmate? You're the only one on this block!"
Deadlock's eyes widened. "Really? But-"
"No 'buts'. Just mute it, ya cog!"
Deadlock fell silent as the guard strode away. Later on, though he knew better than to speak up, he could swear that he heard fingers carving into steel....
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Author's note (9/2/2015): The Autobot guard in this story is/was intended to be Rollout.
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