This is Co-Written with Ultra Rodimus Prime

Queen's notes: I can't thank Ultra Roddy enough for helping me with this, not just for playing Drift but letting me work out ideas of this world in this story. Thank you sweetie! This story is apart of the same series as the Wrecker story 'A World You never Knew' so there's going to be some differences of cannon as well as much mushing of bits from different worlds together.

As to Perceptor... I think Percy is a neutral shell in body, meaning that Perceptor is neither 'male' or 'female' but since Percy is so slender in frame to start with in this world, she is called most often a femmie and doesn't mind. I'm also going to claim creative liberties as Perceptor is from a world I made n.n

Watch out for the preening peacock Drift XD you'll see what I mean as you read

Ultra Rodimus' notes: This is a lot of fun to work on. My Drift tends to be more playful than canon, but that's typical of all my characters, canon or OC. Also, the idea of "peacock Drift" is mine, and I proceeded to infect Icy with it

Into the Lower Levels

Chapter 1:

Being Saved at first Meeting

In the levels near but not too close to the surface of Cybertron it was already well into dark, moving from the 'natural' twilight lighting to being dependent on the spaced out and mounted glowing street lights, or at least their equivalent. Most of the surface mechs that don't come down this deep (let alone deeper) into the underground cities and in famous bars, were long since gone.

This section was relatively quiet, with only the sounds of a dripping liquid somewhere, and the soft sounds of both petro-rabbits and rats as well as both of the cyber beasts' two main predators. Turbo foxes and cyber raptors hunted alone or in packs as slightly as they could to feed themselves and kits. There were whole ecosystems with each level, a balance from the rodent pests to the massive slugs that helped clean the planet itself. It was a great place to visit and live, if one was brave and/or insane enough to do so.

White armor gleamed in the darkness as a medium-sized ground frame mech walked through the streets. Blue optics probed the shadows as the mech walked. Drift himself had originated in the lower levels of Cybertron, but this was deeper than even he had ever gone before.

The semi-contentedness in the air was shattered rather spectacularly, and almost randomly as a voice screamed. With no need for air like organics, a Cybertronian could not only get a powerful sound, but a very long one to come out of their systems. However, this scream wasn't very powerful, not really, not with that distantly high, feminine tone and the honest to Primus frightened edge to it.

That had been a scream of fear and maybe even pain. It echoed up from farther down the street like tunnel and out of the darkness of a side passage that led to the sharp drop to the next level. One of the shortcuts the Level Workers had made for themselves.

Drift jolted, then began running in the direction of the scream, his hands closing on the hilts of his short swords. Blue optics narrowed, seeking the source of that sound.

Taking the side passage, it would only take a few paces before the light of the shortcut was visible. Basically just a large opening in the ground into a chamber below, where more golden light came from. A look inside would show two very large mechs, red optics and Kaon in make at first glance. The high angle and the way they were standing blocked who was between them, though the person- a femmie? was still yelling, now as clearer words.

"Unhand me you barbaric ruffians! The Foreman will disembowel you alive for this!"

Drift lurked on the edge of the hole for a moment, optics narrow, glaring down at the two Kaonites. Neither of the two were at all aware of him. Drawing his swords, the white swordsmech jumped through the opening, landing behind the two. "I believe the femme told you to unhand her."

"What the slag?" One of the bigger mechs moved, looking back and down at Drift, startled, and then sneered. "The frack is this?" With his movement away, it showed the far more slender and mostly silver form of the caught femmie. Who was being held off the ground and trying her best to wiggle free. She was scowling and her green optics were narrow, while at the same time the barrel on and slightly behind the right shoulder was inching not only into a more upwards position, but also at her main captor's head.

"Don't just stand there sir- aid me! Please!" The femmie yelped.

"Put. Her. Down," Drift told the two in a cold tone of voice. Both swords were out and ready, the white mech's frame poised to spring.

"Like frag we will," the first speaker said as he fully turned around and flexed out his claws, "Do you have any idea how hard a Wrecker femmie is to get? Or how much they sell for?"

"Sell for...? I say, I am not a product you ill formed an' malfunctioning... bloke!"

Drift was a white streak as he leaped forward. There was no point in saying anything else to these two pieces of scrap. It wasn't long before both were down, one in stasis lock and the other flailing in the ground, the major hydraulic lines in legs and arms severed.

The moment the femmie was free, she had darted to the side and up a column of root like cables. From there she scowled again and had one hand on the shoulder mounted barrel, a few snipped comments were heard before she stilled. Unexpectedly she rotated to look at Drift, and then beyond him. The Wrecker fired the light cannon and although the shot at first looked to be aimed at the white mech it sliced past and impacted on the third mech of the small raiding party.

Drift turned to look at the third mech, regarding the twitching frame. Then he looked at the femme. "Nice shot. I did not detect that third mech."

"I was a sniper before becoming a platform master." The femmie held her head up in pride, "And, I am a Wrecker." She paused to blink, optics flashing dimly, before climbing down from her perch. Once down she retracted her claws and eyed Drift. "I must say, you sir are as proficient in the bladed arts as Wheeljack and the two assassins the Foreman favors... if not more so."

"I was well-trained." Drift sheathed his swords, tilting his helm to the side slightly. "I am Drift."

"Perceptor is my designation," The femmie linked her hands behind her back and inclined her head to the mech, "Thank you Drift for your timely and fortunate arrival and aid," Perceptor added, coming closer, and had no trouble walking on the head of one of the slavers, if she seemed to bounce just a tad to make sure the mech's face would well and truly be in the ground... she pretended not to notice.

Drift chuckled as he watched that. "Glad to be of assistance." He ambled toward her, deliberately treading on the other slaver, getting a groan from the nearly-unconscious mech.

Perceptor looked down at the mechs, making a face, "If the language came be forgiven, as it seems appropriate in this situation, I would like to get as far away from these wankers as possible." The femmie paused, hesitating as she looked upwards and then back to where she must have come from, "I believe that this is the last time I ever attempt to go to the surface on my own."

The white mech chuckled again. "I would have used stronger language, but that's just me. And it would be most advisable to avoid coming to the higher levels without an escort. There are many mecha like these slaggers, unfortunately." He kicked at a sprawled arm. "There's no guarantee that these three were the only ones lurking around."

The Wrecker hesitated, "...perhaps we should do a tactical retreat back to the platform and Crew. Being upon the back of either Sludge or Tar would discourage any ill attempts against my person, or yours." Perceptor couldn't help looking over the mostly off-white form of Drift, though hopefully her glance was more discreet than some that her Crew mates have done to outsiders.

"I can look after myself." Drift's grin took on a slightly nasty edge. One hand rested absently on the hilt of one of his swords. "But yes, it would be best to get out of here. Before any more of them come along."

"I have no doubt," The femmie was hesitant to admit, even with that culturally ingrained pride of a Wrecker to show that she too could defend herself... when not caught by surprise. Sadly though that seemed to happen a lot as the ecosystem was just so fascinating...! "There's a speedway over this way."

"Lead the way." Drift walked over to her, following her toward the speedway.

"Over here," Perceptor motioned, though remembered not to turn her back to the mech completely, not yet, as she lifted a hand to pull down a strange protective visor. It was more slender, fitting her frame and any human would say it looked more like glasses, "I must report this to X-Brawn and Red Alert, as we're moving the platform soon..."

Drift tilted his helm to the side curiously, watching the femme while keeping his sensors open for any other mecha who might be attempting to sneak up on them. "Those names aren't any I recognize," he noted conversationally.

"I imagine you may not," Perceptor inclined her head, "X-brawn is the head of security for the whole of Roadbuster's Crew, Red Alert more so for the home base platform itself as well as her medical officer duties." The wrecker waved her arms, "They have to do constant sweeps closer in and on job sites to keep the riff raff out and away from things they can and do hurt themselves on, in and against. Quite a bother really, though I do not know the attraction of coming to gawk at Wreckers at work. We, ahh, they, I mean the on-site workers can be very unruly and vulgar."

Drift chuckled. "No worse than some of the mecha topside. Especially the dockworkers." Spotting a flicker of light, he turned to see a glow beetle making its way in their direction, its crystalline shell glowing a soft yellow-orange. Three pairs of wire-thin antennae waved about on front of it, and he could hear the tic-tic-tic of its tiny feet hitting the metal ground.

"Oh!" Perceptor came to an abrupt halt, optics widening, "Is that a gemmed Insecticon? What in the name of Vector Sigma is it doing so far from any colony?" She demanded and diverted to investigate, almost as if she completely forgot Drift was there. Being lighter than most mechs and normal femmies as well, Perceptor came up to the glowing beetle. All but cooing in her fascination as she started to realize this wasn't what she first thought it was. "Fascinating...! Not too large, seems to have no cyber-venom ducts, so it can't have been from the time period of the last great war..."

"It's a harmless glow beetle," Drift interrupted. "They eat scraps of energon and nutrient-rich metal. On the surface you can find them anywhere." He picked it up and placed it in her hands. The beetle crawled over her palms, investigating.

"A surface dwelling mecha beast this deep?" The femmie lit up, "Oh, I very rarely see any outside of some imported pets. I wonder how it produces the glow." She trailed off, starting a passive scan, "Is it like what our cyber raptors can do with their crests?"

"I have no idea. But the little buggers get everywhere." Drift shrugged. He was a warrior, not a biologist.

"That is not a valid excuse not to learn in another field," Perceptor almost bristled as she frown up at Drift, holding the beetle with every intention of bring it back to her lab.

"It's not something I've ever been interested in." Drift shrugged again, watching the beetle's antennae tap against Perceptor's armor.

The femmie hummed back at the beetle, that softer tone she'd heard the caretakers in Insecticon colonies do. Wondering if the glow beetle could relate to that, "You never know when knowledge, sometimes random, is of great use though."

"I've never been able to wrap my processor around it," Drift admitted. "I'm a warrior at spark, not a science-y type."

"Ah, but I am a science-y type!" Perceptor all but chirped as she pulled out a container out of subspace to put her new beetle in.

Drift chuckled. "So I see." He watched the beetle explore its new environment. "Up on the surface, on the night side of Cybertron, if you sprinkle energon on the ground, it will attract a whole swarm of glow beetles in every color you can think of."

"Will it now?" The wrecker asked thoughtfully, "They must have amazing scenting abilities..." Perceptor said as she started to walk again, watching the creature as well.

"I guess that's what those antennas are for." Drift matched her pace, keeping an optic warily on the shadows. "I really don't know. I just know that spilled energon attracts them very quickly."

"I must see if there's any research done on them when I go up." Perceptor made the mental note aloud before looking up. She paused and took the next left, that lead to a more lighted tunnel that in turn lead to the brightly lit and very well maintained speed way. It was as good as the ones on the surface, like those in the larger cities in fact so it seemed a little out of place.

Drift blinked at the light, than looked the speedway over. It was not what he had expected to see this far underground.

"I said I was a Wrecker, sir Drift," The femmie beamed up at him, "We are level workers and this is a main line of this section."

"I've never been this far down," the white mech replied. "I really have no idea what's down here."

"Ahhh, than you are not aware of the races?" Perceptor smiled again, "I thought with a build like yours that was way you ventured down here."

"I ventured down more out of curiosity than anything else, and I have never had the opportunity to watch the races." Drift looked around, his blue optics taking in everything.

"This is one of the tracks that are used, so it's guaranteed to have a proper smoothness as well as traction if you have tires," Perceptor said, climbing a few stairs and then walking out onto the speed way.

"I'm a hover-vehicle," Drift replied. "No tires." He followed the femme, looking her over curiously.

"Going the left is back the platform, the right..." Perceptor paused and then hummed in embarrassment. "That would have been a safer way to the surface now that I think about it. Yet I had wanted to see wild cyber raptors in their native environment..." She looked both ways, unsure if she should go back now or to the surface as planned. From the way the femmie moved and how she looked gave no hint of what she could change into, and Perceptor seemed to have semi ignored the implied question of what she was in an alternate mode.

"Safer going with company than alone," the white swordsmech pointed out blandly, tilting his helm to one side while he continued to study his companion.

Perceptor turned to face Drift, slipping the container holding the glow beetle into a semi-subspace access compartment. Clasping her hands behind her back she looked up at him, "Would that be an offer of an escort sir Drift?"

"It is," the white mech replied, puffing his armor out slightly.

Perceptor inclined her head, "I would gladly expect it than, if you safely have me to my original destination and back to my Crew with the needed parts and cargo. I shall also be willing to compensate you for your time sir Drift." She motioned to the speedway they were on, "If you truly do favor races I am able to get you into the ones down here, either as a watcher or a racer if you are inclined to be so daring."

"It would be interesting to test my speed against the speed of others down here," Drift replied. He tilted his helm the other way, light glinting on the spines of his audial finials. "Where were you headed when those pieces of scrap found you?"

"To the Icon-3 Research Facility." Perceptor said with a not so hidden sigh of relief, air escaping vents, "They have some equipment that was just developed, I am one of those allowed to be the first testers. As well as some other things I need in exchange for my own research on the planetary slugs in the deeper levels, on their cleansing and mating habits."

There was a pause and then, "Also a shipment of Cyber Wolves and highgrade to be honest."

Drift chuckled. "I can escort you there and back here."

"To the Crew and platform," The femmie corrected, lifting a hand and smiled.

The warrior nodded. "To the Crew and platform," he repeated with a smile.

Perceptor clasped her hands together in the front this time, "Wonderful! You are a good bloke- I mean mech." she hummed again at the slip, trying to keep the normal Wrecker accent down as much as possible. At least for now. Drift grinned back, he liked this femme, she had attitude. "Shall we proceed?" She asked, motioning to the right and taking a few steps as well.

"Certainly." Drift followed, one hand resting on a sword hilt.

"Do you mind walking?" The wrecker asked after a few paces, realizing a slight flaw in her plan if he did.

The mech tilted his helm to the side. "You don't have a mobile alt mode?"

"Ahhh... not really." She admitted glancing away, "To be honest sir Drift, I do not even have a transforming cog."

Drift blinked several times. "Ah." He pondered for a brief moment. "No, I am not opposed to walking."

"Thank the Sigma," She muttered, and then louder added, "A few clicks down there is a walk way though, that will cut down the time."

"Lead the way." Drift inclined his helm to her, following his slender companion through the tunnels.