re_alignment_logs | I can hear them coming [closed]

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I can hear them coming [closed]

WHO: Kagerou, Arcee, Prowl & Chromedome
WHERE: Various locations of dubious purpose
WHEN: A few days Post-Pillar event
WHAT: Kidnap, brainwashing, terrible, terrible things.
WARNINGS:
Robot brain washing.

Constant contact with Kay had helped. But the girl needed space, too. He couldn't be with her all day every day. Checking in with her every few hours seemed like it was too trapping, too. He'd decided to give her some space, for a little while. She probably could use it, at least a day without him tripping all over himself, trying to make it up to her. The other BPs probably didn't want to see him for a while, after everything... even Power Joe.

So he'd kept to himself. Left the all a message not to worry. Another promise to Kay. He just needed some time to sort himself out. There were tasks he needed to return to, things and duties to pick back up again, he knew. He couldn't brood forever. But for now, it seemed like the only viable option. The sympathy and offers of help just flustered and confused him.

Time to think was the key. It had to be. Then he could return to stalking the police bot. Just as he'd promised Blurr.

And surely, being utterly alone on the roof of the temple was a great place to brood.

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Kagerou wasn't the only one who had plenty of things to think about since they had changed. Arcee had a glimpse of who she may have been and had if she had been allowed to live her life without pain and fury; she wasn't sure she liked what she had seen. It left her with plenty things to think about.

She did, however, have unfinished business to attend to.

Arcee's feet settle down on the roof of the temple, casually stepping towards the winged mech. She'd been watching him for some time, studying his movements since he had understood her. She was almost... impressed. Almost.

"You sitting here all by yourself?"

As someone approached, he tensed. Ready to run or fight if he had to. The last week or so left him paranoid, among other things. But as Arcee spoke, he visibly relaxed. He even turned a little, to face her.

It wasn't quite a smile, he couldn't really manage one right now, but there was a flicker of something at the corner of his mouth, anyway. He did remember speaking with Arcee, to be sure. But it didn't have the same flash of irrational shame and regret the other memories did.

He'd only been stupid, toward her. Not anything else. He could deal with stupid.

"Yes," he admitted, ducking his head in tacit apology. "I needed to think." His wings flicked. At some point, he'd need to get them repaired. "I can leave, if you need me to."

"I didn't lay claim to a roof."

Arcee had never seen a mech trust her like Kagerou did. It could have been different, if he hadn't gotten involved in things he shouldn't have. She understood the intent-- he was just trying to help, fit in with his brothers. Fitting in was still something she couldn't do. Even though she understood, this was necessary.

"You've been up to a lot lately," her tone is casual as she approaches, settling down behind the darker mech's back. She's mindful of his wings as she leans forward, settling her forearms over his shoulders.

"Neither did I... so it's fine if you need me to go."

Part of him realized he was being more... submissive, than normal. More self-depreciating. But the words were out before he could alter them. Worse, he believed the mindset now, more than he had before. What progress he'd made, what confidence he'd gained, he'd lost it all in the last week.

"I'm sorry," he said, before he could halt himself. It was sincere, despite the sudden abruptness to it. "It wasn't... I didn't like it."

He thought she meant when his mind was altered. When he hadn't been himself.

Then her arms are on him, and he literally jumps, his wings flaring up in surprise. He starts to turn toward her, genuinely surprised. People -- aside from Kay, or the other BPs -- didn't generally get so touchy with him.

"So sacrificing," she says, stepping back a bit when his wings flare.

Arcee's tone has shifted to the same friendly, but condescending tone she uses with Prowl.

"We always do at least a few regrettable things in a lifetime." She's not talking about his antics the week before, though she might as well been. Tilting to his side, she looks at his face, getting a glance at his green optic. She hadn't spent much time in person, though this wasn't the first time she's seen him off video.

"I'm sorry things came to this."

"It's not that," he says, turning his head around a little, to better speak with her. "It's truth. I'm only a prototype. You're more than I am... it makes sense."

He says it with complete, blunt honesty. He truly believes it. Maybe before the Pillar, he'd started thinking otherwise, but after what he'd seen... how could he dare to think that way? Look at where it took that version of himself.

He folds his arms over his chest, his shoulders hunching. He avoids her look, for a moment, out of shame, more than anything. "Everyone's been saying that," he says. "That there isn't any reason to be upset..."

He shakes his head, looking at her directly. There's a lot of desperation, a fleeting bit of hope, in that expression. "Please don't say that," he says, still fully believing she's talking of past events. He trusts her -- that much is clear from the look in his optic alone. "It wasn't anything you did... I just don't know where to go. From here."

"That's not what I'm talking about," she interrupts.

Arcee has no idea how to deal with a mech's self pity. It makes her plating crawl just how much she can't empathize with it, figure out how to react to it. It's irritating to her, and she can't help the slight scowl. It's not that she didn't like him decently.

"I'm apologizing for this."

She moves quick and sudden, grabbing Kagerou by the back of his head, then uses the force of her movement to slams his head straight down into the hard surface of the temple roof with all her weight. Twice for good measure.

If he'd been expecting it, maybe he could have fought back. He was never a slouch in a fight. He'd always been strong, in that area. Even when his body was not his own.

But Arcee took him utterly by surprise. There was absolutely no reason for him to suspect she was here for anything nefarious.

So it was easy for her. His body tensed, out of surprise more than alarm. But it wasn't enough. He didn't have time to cry out, let alone try to stop her. He could barely process what was happening.

Why is she--

The second slam was what did it. There was a short, vented huff of pain and muted fear before the ninja's body went limp.

Normally always willing for a fight, this time Arcee is silently content that Kagerou went down without a struggle. She crouches, checking his venting and systems, making sure that he was only unconscious and not in a more critical state. It's unfortunate she had to do this, but necessary.

Carefully, she picks up the ninja's limp body and throws him over her shoulder, taking a moment to adjust him so he won't slide off, and then strides to the edge of the room. Climbing around the temple, even as grip unfriendly, wasn't particularly more difficult even with his weight over his shoulder.

Time to bring him to Prowl.

Prowl had been waiting in one of the caves in the Maxic quadrant, having taken the time to preemptively modify it with restraints, signal jammers, and other cautionary measures for the recipient prisoner. It wasn't anything fancy, but it was functional, and it'd serve to keep Kagerou trapped and undetected for a few days while they figured out what to do with him.

He'd been running diagnostic tests on some of the rudimentary energy shielding equipment when Arcee entered. While it worked fine, it was still pieced together from items he found in the Junkpile.

Nonetheless, it powered on and appeared to be running smoothly. They should remain undetected as long as they stay within its field. Prowl finally turns to face Arcee,"That was quick. Even for you."

He moves to the offline stasis cuffs, waiting for her to deposit her cargo.

It's no surprise that Prowl was ready for her and her captive by the time she arrives at the cave. She'd let him know he was being watched before she made her move. Kagerou could have been spared easily -- all she had to have done was not let the police mech know -- though her loyalty lied elsewhere. Arcee believes in Prowl and the vision of peace he has for the colony. If he were to be outed, then that dream would never be realized.

The earth mech is thrown over her shoulder as she enters, held securely there by her arm. She only gives Prowl a brief look when he speaks to her, before she moves by him and dumps Kagerou as gently as possible. Even if he had been interfering, she didn't have to be a brute to him.

"I didn't need to sneak up on him."

Prowl had no particular personal grudge towards Kagerou either, despite being spied on. He doubts it was a personal vendetta, he hadn't done anything particularly heinous to the mech, until now. It was either spawned out of some general dislike the earth robots seemed to have for him, or he was sent. Probably the latter, if his algorithms had guessed right.

Which meant he needed to figure out who was sending spies after him, and have them neutralized. Quietly.

"Then you two knew each other,", Prowl got to work restraining the bot in place. Cuffed arms, legs, and a wing clamp. Quick and thorough. He just needed to make sure he wouldn't accidentally escape or manage to call for help. Should everything go as planned, he should be returned to HQ within a day or two.

He stands up and looks back at Arcee,"Any personal information will be useful to know for this."

He doesn't move. Not while he's lowered, not while he's restrained. Arcee did her work well. There's a bit of a stir when Arcee speaks, more in response to her voice than to anything being said. His optics flicker, the scanner flashing briefly, before he goes slack again.

He's starting to come around, but slowly. The knocks to his head smashed his face in more than it already was, and oil stains the entire lower half of his face, down to his chestplate. His wings spark a little, when Prowl restrains them, and that does garner a reaction. A quiet hiss of air through vents.

They flick, too, though whether it's an instinctive response or something else, remains to be seen.

Arcee watches Prowl as he moves to restrain Kagerou. She doesn't falter or flinch, but as he finishes she moves to patch the sparking wing, fingers pinching the wiring and bearing the zap long enough to wrap an insulating strip over it.

Her optics flick to her partner at the question, remaining quiet just a moment. She had no secrets from him. Nothing she could say would bring more harm to Kagerou. It was more... she didn't quite know how to answer.

"We understood each other." They had conversations that... she never really quite had with anyone before. Arcee could say she understood Prowl. But she couldn't say it worked both ways-- in fact, she often found herself... correcting.

"Aside from that, there's no personal connection."

Chromedome had covered his tracks. He always did, that was what made him the best Mnemosurgeon in existence. Knock Out wouldn't be remembering that he had fixed Chromedome's needles any time soon. He could have gone further and brainwashed the medic for later use, but he was still feeling a little rebellious.

He arrived at the location that Prowl had mentioned and walked calmly in.

"Knock knock."

Casual as ever, he knocked his fist against the side of the cave wall.

"Anyone home?"

Prowl had been waiting as Chromedome entered, having kept his blaster in hand as soon as someone had entered their vicinity. It was a mere precaution, really. Something to disable any curious eyes with the incredible luck to find this place to begin with.

The gun is lowered as he spoke, it didn't take long for Prowl to recognize who he was.

"Chromedome. Good to see you've come to reason.", he remarks calmly.

Arcee had found her perch as they awaited for Prowl's mnemosurgeion. She remembered Chromedome and the bit of banter they had. That was-- fun. Certainly not as fun as the thrill of a fight, but it had been fun. They had met only briefly before at Kimia, two weeks before Chromedome's 'departure' on the Lost Light.

"You never doubted he would, Prowl," she comments from high up on the crags of rock she clung to. Her own gun was settled across a knee, but was in a much more relaxed state than the police mech. She didn't need to be as tense.

"Hey, Chromedome. You feeling well?" Arcee calls casually. Things were coming together.

"Pretty good actually." Chromedome replies casually to Arcee, not really making any sort of eye contact with Prowl. Their little argument hasn't been forgotten, but Chromedome has no intention of bringing it up right now. It's less awkward that way.

"So where's my patient?" He didn't come all the way out here to chat after all.

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I can hear them coming [closed]

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LATER AFTER MUCH DRAMA

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