A Merging of Minds

Barracks



      This is the barracks area where the Autobot troops spend the time between operations. Recharge tables line the walls and in one corner is a training area for combat duels and such. A gun rack lies in another corner, and along the far wall is a holoviewer. Assorted Autobots are here joking with each other, practicing, or just simply resting. Along the back part of the wall is a long bar, stocked with various types of energon, and even a few human drinks stored on the shelves behind it. The build looks distinctly Junkion, cobbled together from spare parts here and there but overall quite sturdy. A truly oversized jukebox has been installed in one corner.





Skydive rushes into the barracks, optics glowing excitedly. He deadpans, searching for Brainstorm. Oh my, what's that strange spherical contraption tucked neatly under his arm? Perhaps something he stole from Jetfire's lab? Has a certain Aerialbot been naughty? It would appear so. Landing without a sound in the main corridor, he calls out for the Headmaster. "Brainstorm! You won't believe what I found in Jetfire's lab!"



Brainstorm   is snooping arou- I mean, inspecting quarters, making sure there are no engineering repairs needing done. He's helpful like that, after all. And he actually IS an engineer, so for once he does actually have some excuse. He turns around at Skydive's greetings. "Ah! My favorite aerialbuddy!?" Brainstorm looks keenly interested. "Oh reallllly? What did you find? Oooo.... what's that?" His optics gleam at the glimpse of the object Skydive is carrying.



"So don't tell anyone, but I totally nabbed this from Jetfire's lab. Guess what?! He has like, a BILLION secret projects that he keeps locked away under high encryption in hidden rooms! It's crazy, he's completely--not boring at ALL!" Skydive gushes. He waves the strange spherical device, leaning closer to Brainstorm so he can see it better. "It was labeled.. Project Neural Drift." The strange device has an odd, glowing purplish white liquid in its center that is constantly swishing around despite the fact that the device is not moving. Every once in a while, the liquid would electrify, and tiny bolts of energy would leap out of the viscous substance. "It's totally the solution to every problem ever. See that stuff swishing around? It's a really old specimen of a creature that's completely extinct now--but the young protoforms, immediately after they hatched had an ability to establish a neural connection to the first being it came upon. If tweaked correctly--it could help make gestalts stronger, glean information from Decepticon hostages, and even eliminate insubordination! Isn't that INCREDIBLE?"



Brainstorm looks like a kid in a candy store. "Oooooooooo...." His optics take the glow of a mad scientist, then... they suddenly look pained. "Oh, Skydive....you know, you almost break my spark." He closes his eyes and holds a hand to his chest. "How...sad, really, that Jetfire has all these wondrous toys and doesn't know how to SHARE them." Then the gleam returns. "Primus, I'm glad you're around to, uh ...*help* him (and us) get past the errors of his ways. This IS incredible! It's AMAZING!!!!" He reaches to grab the object. "We should try this out. Like, right now."



"I know.. I wonder why Jetfire keeps all of that stuff super confidential. I mean, if he continued them, we might even be able to end the war--like next week. I want to ask him--but, if he found out that I went and looked at them, he probably be really mad." Skydive says, disappointed. "It is amazing.." But before Brainstorm can grab it, he holds it out of his reach. "Okay, but first, you need to realize that this is a two way street. If we establish a neural connection, I will be able to see your feelings, thoughts, and memories, and you'll be able to see mine. That's okay with you, right?"



Brainstorm looks put out. "Yeah, Jetfire's a real stick-in-the mud. All those stupid...PFFFFT- MORALS getting in his way. (*whisper*And ours*/whisper*))-I MEAN- in the way of the AUTOBOT PATH of...TRUTH and JUSTICE...and whatever." He waves a hand dismissively. Then continues to reach for the prize, which is kept just of reach. "awww..." Then Skydive's last words register. "Wait, what? Really?" This makes him stop grabbing and look thoughtful...possibly even slightly nervous. "I DUNNNO....I think...I think you might not be able to HANDLE all of my genius at once. Maybe we should find someone else for you to link to..... I-I should probably just watch, anyway, so I'm available to do something if anything goes wrong...."

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<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, Brainstorm is reaping what he sows. Maybe he's really not had a very good influence on Skydive, because now Skydive is the one who is wanting to convince Brainstorm to act... more like himself. "Oh come on! You're the one who

<p class="MsoNormal">always 'pffts' at people who don't want to take risks! Besides if anyone else finds out I took this,.." he waves the device in the air, "they're going to take it away. And then that will be the end of that. Jetfire will up his security measures and change all his codes, and we may never get to see or touch this again." He grins. "Come on Brainstorm, don't be such a 'fraidy, strutless little mech..." And he shoves the device right into his hand.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   The first thing either of them know is that when both of them touch the device simultaneously, the whole things lights up and the little energy bolts flash brighty, leaping out of the viscous liquid and into the surrounding cavity walls, channeling straight into their chassis, hitting both of them like a bolt of lightning.

<p class="MsoNormal">   It doesn't feel good--and now, their consciences are drifting together...

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm is trying to back away when the Aerialbot takes him by surprise..."Wait, wait, hold onnnnnOOOOFFF!!!!" Too late, he staggers back in shock as the effect hits him. Frantically, he reaches down into subspace, pulling out a little device- what exactly, it would be hard to tell...but he begins pressing buttons super fast. It does seem to negate a little of the effect, but not by much. Brainstorm stands woozily. "WOAH, buddy- give me a little warning next time! YOU DO NOT GET TO GO ALL "MAD SCIENTIST" on the....mad scientist!!! When *I* do something crazy, it's...it's....because I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, OKAYYY??? You're still learning!!!" (He must really be frustrated to actually ADMIT to the "mad scientist" moniker.) Of course, as he talks about "mad scientists",....Skydive may be getting all kinds of crazy expiriment ideas running through his own head.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Skydive doesn't respond, his optics are glazed over, and his conscience is drifting hazily around Brainstorm's, It felt a lot like when he combines with the other Aerialbots to become Superion, except the link is stronger, and seems to be strengthening by the breem. The outer world is slowly fading away, soon, all either of them know are each other's minds, and the massive cache of memories that are each other's databanks.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Unable to control where his conscience resides, Skydive delves into the Headmaster's memories--old, old ones that date back to before the war.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Meanwhile, Brainstorm can see Skydive's very first few days as an Aerialbot.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   He can see the young Aerialbot, standing next to Silverbolt, peering at the other Aerialbots as they roughhoused each other in a friendly manner. "Skydive, these are your brothers--because we are a gestalt, we share a special bond with each other--a bond that is unlike the ones you will form with other Autobots," Silverbolt is telling Skydive. Skydive nods, watching the other Aerialbots fly around obnoxiously, having fun. Although he doesn't voice it, Brainstorm can feel that Skydive is a little confused and alienated. If we shared a special bond, then why don't I like doing the same things they do? They're so.. different from me."

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm peers into Skydive's subconcious. The Headmaster felt that merging with just "one" individual (Arcana) was complicated enough as it is.... he wasn't looking to merge with another anytime soon. As the merging grows stronger and stronger, the at-first unwilling particpant begins to stop struggling and watch more. His scientific side kicks in. Welp, this is INCREDIBLY fascinating, to be honest. The scene unfolds before him and he tries to take notes...inputing whatever data he can into whatever storage he can find. Logs begin to be recorded in his internal systems- and possibly Skydive's too. "Heh- well, I know how it is to be seen as "different". He whispers to the "young Skydive" he sees- "we march to the beat of a different drummer, kid, nothing wrong with that!"

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<p class="MsoNormal">   In the meantime, Skydive can see some of Brainstorm's own memories of being "different"... in this case, his clashes with the other Autobots on what is proper behavior for a 'Bot scientist. For example, Skydive can see Brainstorm's frequent clashes with the Ethics Committee of the Kimia Facility. Skydive sees such a past clash: Brainstorm stands before the committee with a weapon that he claims, when opened by an enemy, will be the last thing they ever expect to see- and then it kills them! The committee is positively scandalized by the very idea ..."If that even worked, how can you guarantee that only an enemy will open it?" Brainstorm eventually storms off, and Skydive can probably feel his frustration at being thwarted yet again. If only they'd cut him loose and let him do his thing, this war would probably be over by now!!!

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<p class="MsoNormal">Whether Skydive can hear him or not, remains a mystery, he still doesn't respond. Either that, or he's too absorbed in watching Brainstorm's memories unfold. His conscience follows Brainstorm as he storms out of the room full of self righteous committee members. He immediately identifies with Brainstorm's feelings of frustration--as he has felt the same way many times.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Brainstorm can now see the first time Skydive witnessed his leader getting knocked out during combat. It was quite traumatic, in fact, Skydive had never seen anything like that happen to Silverbolt before, and Brainstorm will be able to feel his pain, confusion, desperation over Silverbolt's physically damaged state. He can see as the young Aerialbot rushes to his leader's side, shaking him violently. "BOLT! G-Get up.. get up...." He cries frantically. "....help, somebody..." The other Aerialbots tear the young Skydive away from Silverbolt to make way for the medic. "'Dive, give them some space, geez, they're trying to fix him," they reprimand him. Skydive looks on, frustrated that he can't do anything--although more so that he didn't prevent it. It is then at that moment that Skydive realizes something--he isn't like the other Aerialbots who like to use force and brawn to defeat the enemy--he never enjoyed combat the way they did. The only way he knows to better himself and protect his brothers is through studying--ever since then, Skydive has dedicated himself to learning as much as possible about.. well, everything.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm sees another scene unfold before him. AS he watches, his first instinct is to shove the other Aerialbots out of the way..."Hey, I can repair him! Stand aside, bros!" His mind is merging with Skydive and suddenly it's a mixture of Brainstorm and Skydive there at the scene. However, he finds he can't affect the scene...in fact, no one seems to hear him at all. So he waits, and watches. Then sees how that incident affected Skydive's love of learning. Well, he can certainly identify with THAT! Brainstorm is a sponge for knowledge.... he's a scientist, he can't help it! He wants to know EVERYTHING. He's always been insatiable that way. He has to learn everything, know everything...BE everything. It's all so fascinating! And he wants recognition for his brilliance, as well. Skydive might even be aware of a slight sense of.. is it... desperation to be acknowledged at "worthy"? ...but if it is even there, it's extremely well hidden. It's a "blip" and then gone again. Then the sense of "I AM SOOOOO SLAGGING AWESOME" from Brainstorm returns and overpowers any earlier "inferiority complex" that might have just been felt earlier.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   What Skydive sees next from Brainstorm is one of his big successes, in fact. A time when there was absolutely no question that he did succeed and went from being seen as a crackpot to...someone "worthy". It was, of course, when Brainstorm came up with the Headmasters. Optimus Prime himself (!!!) was even proud of what Brainstorm had done. It was a moment no one can ever take away. There is a genuine sense of accomplishment and pride in his work.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm can see that Skydive is very dedicated to learning--like he is! He spends a lot of time studying, finding out about everything there is to know about aerodynamics, tactical strategem, and them some. Unfortunately, the other Aerialbots don't really see much value in what he does. They constantly tease him about reading too much, and not spending enough time in combat, ground pounding Decepticons, especially Air Raid and Slingshot. That bond Silverbolt had spoke of.. Skydive doesn't feel it very often. Bolt was different--he was easy to please, he appreciates Skydive's intelligence and expertise. The other Aerialbots, not so much. Skydive can be seen in his hab suite, all alone, studying schematics on a datapad, and Brainstorm can feel his loneliness and angst. After a klik or so, he throws the datapad across the floor, hugging his knees and putting his helm down. I know they care about me. So why do they treat me like dirt all the time? I'm not a freak, I'm just different. Why can't I just be recognized for what I'm good at?

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Skydive can feel Brainstorm's elation for being recognized for inventing Headmasters, and Brainstorm and feel that Skydive is happy for him. However, Skydive is starting to poke into some other memories that Brainstorm has, some that the Headmaster probably keeps buried deep down... He's seeing a laboratory, it must be Perceptor's, Perceptor is in there, looking very frustrated because all around him is a horrible mess, there are bare sparking wires everywhere, along with acidic goo burning a hole in the floor. And it looks like one of Perceptor's gumbies has gotten hurt, she's sitting on the floor, her left arm and right leg are sparking and leaking fluid everywhere. The other gumbies are attending to her, not allowing Brainstorm to get anywhere near her, in fact, they're all giving him really nasty looks.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm finds that he and Skydive have some similarities he wasn't aware of. Both want to be seen as "useful" but deal with being considered "freaks" or "crackpots" instead. Despite all they've accomplished!!! Skydive may feel a slight, peevish annoyance at this fact coming from the Headmaster. They deserve so much better..... Skydive can probably sense that it is this frustration that drives Brainstorm to even more daring (and possibly insane) stunts... if doing something is good, then overdoing is BETTER- and people can't ignore him anymore if he makes it BIG and LOUD.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Speaking of which... it was one of those rash, over-done expiriments that resulted in the scene that Skydive sees before him now. "Hey...hey, don't look at me like that!" Brainstorm protests to the gumbies....and Perceptor. Oh Primus, Perceptor! Skydive can tell that the Headmaster has a bit of a fanboy-complex going for Percy, despite trying to hide it much of the time. "HOW could I POSSIBLY EVER KNOW that was going to HAPPEN?" Brainstorm is backing away, waving his hands in front of him defensively. Perceptor just stares. "Well, perhaps....because I JUST told you? And really, Brainstorm... how could you NOT know those two elements would react the way they did? It's quite elementary scientific knowledge...." /"BUT-BUT- I thought it was Ununpentium, not Livermorium!!!" Brainstorm then points accusingly at the other scientist. "I thought YELLOW was Ununpentium!!! I can't help it if your gumbies get the COLOR CODE wrong!" /Perceptor:...."They don't ....color code them...... /Brainstorm: "...They don't? Oh." Brainstorm then whips out a bag of medical supplies. "OKAY, NOBODY PANIC. I'm here to take care of things, even if Perceptor doesn't know that EVERYTHING should be color coded in a laboratory!!! I mean *really*, Percy! *hmph!*" -and the Headmaster frantically works to try to help the gumby. Fortunately he succeeds...this time. The memory fades... and Brainstorm sees something else. Skydive's? Something about finding someone who was lost....... or was Skydive lost? He can't quite tell.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Skydive is very surprised at how much he and Brainstorm have in common. He can feel the burning anger the gumbies have against Brainstorm--they whisper among themselves, saying how they think he's the idiot responsible for getting all of Percy's revolutionary inventions banned by the committee, it's because of people like Brainstorm that committee bans certain things that seem too "risky." Skydive can't help but feel sorry for Brainstorm--sure, he might be kind of a stuck up prick, but everyone's so busy remembering all the bad things about him that they pretty much forget about any of the good he's done, like inventing Headmasters.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Perhaps he is, the memory is unfolding now, becoming clearer to Brainstorm...

<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm can now see that this is beginning of his gynophobia. Skydive always found females to be particularly puzzling and nightmarish due to their moody and unpredictable behavior. He can see now, that Skydive is flying over some Primus forsaken area on Cybertron--but he hasn't recharged in a while and he's distracted--busy trying to figure out the great mystery that is the opposite sex. Clearly, Skydive doesn't really know where he's going... suddenly, his wing clips a craggy outcropping and abruptly, he's spiraling out of control towards an old research facility that has an open vat of acid near to it. Skydive nearly falls into it, but in the nick of time manages to pull up and avoid becoming a pile of rust. Brainstorm can feel his fright--he had been very young at the time. Now, he fears misunderstanding of females will once again be his downfall--he still does not understand them and is very frustrated and afraid of what he does not know or comprehend.

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<p class="MsoNormal">Brainstorm watches and winces as the event unfolds. "YIKES." He feels sorry for Skydive, and understands some of his behavior better now...but Primus, that mech needs to get out more! MINGLE a LITTLE! YES, it is now going to be up to BRAINSTORM to get Skydive to finally get over his fear of females!!! (Never mind that as a geeky scientist always holed up in his lab, Brainstorm probably doesn't really know much more about females that Skydive.) WELL- WITH BRAINSTORM'S HELP, NOTHING CAN GO WRONG! In fact, it sounds like Skydive just needs more exposure to those things he does not know or comprehend- and TRULY, WHO BETTER TO HELP than BRAINSTORM? Strange and bizarre is his specialty!

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Suddenly aware of real time again, Brainstorm remembers to hit some more buttons on that device of his. Something seems to work this time, and "PooF!" The connection is broken. They both fall away from each other.

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<p class="MsoNormal">The withdrawal is not smooth or graceful, it's like retracing one's steps through a complex labyrinth. Brainstorm can feel himself falling through Skydive's memories, all the way up the present. As the connection dwindles, the ability to sense each other's feelings increases. Guilt, an overwhelming sense of guilt--because of what had happened with rescue mission--Skydive had left Blurr and they'd failed to break the innocents out of jail. Jealousy... and loneliness, he's always wanted to earn Air Raid's approval and to be his best friend, but that doesn't seem possible with Torque in the picture. Torque had never had to do anything particularly special to get Air Raid to take to her like none other, except smile, look pretty and patch Raid up. Skydive, on the other hand, had studied hard and done his best to be an excellent teammate--according to the dossiers, he was the most capable aerialbot, even so, Raid never managed to be anything other than jealous of Skydive. On multiple occasions, Skydive had tried to write out how he felt--but he'd never gotten past, 'Raid, I want to be your best friend,' so he'd simply gotten rid of that effort. I just wanted him to be proud of me, for once. For him to say, That's my mech. That's all. Nowadays, he's simply given up, because he figures Air Raid would never give up Torque for anything.

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<p class="MsoNormal">   Finally, as the emotional tidal wave reaches it's peak, the connection severs, leaving both of them rather disoriented. Skydive lies prostrate on the ground, dazed, and unable to speak. He reaches for Brainstorm, to make sure he's alright. It appears that he is. Silence. After everything he's just seen--there really is no need for words. He knows Brainstorm probably already knows what he might say.

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