the best valentine's ever

[fun_police]

Who: Prowl & Chromedome
What: Partnerships are strained.
When: Feb 14
Where: Laboratory in Liege's Temple
Notes: N/A

The untouched, shimmering metallic equipment of one of their patron Firstforged's labs would be what waits for Chromedome when he decides to respond to Prowl's hailing. A lot had changed since his initiation, including Prowl's connection to the temple itself. There was a supernatural drive to work and operate within its walls. The limitation wasn't unexpected, but it left him wishing to start making the temple a base for their activities. Not that he mentioned any of this, of course.

As far as Prowl was concerned, Chromedome would just know that Liege had chosen to personally gift them an upgraded workspace. One that was useless to Prowl himself - all the equipment needed for statistics were in his head - but that could be valuable to his partner. An institution from which he could operate safely should any extended work be needed. It was safely buried within the mountain's labyrinth, out of the way, and the Acolytes had nothing to say for their own moral codes.

So Prowl himself would wait, leaning against the wall opposite to the entrance as he stewed over their plans and the changes to his systems. He found himself feeling slightly impatient, tapping his fingers on a counter top as he made eye contact with his reflection on the floor.

Comments

[needlefingers]

"It'd probably be easier if I took care of it."

He stopped and gave the door a glance. It didn't seem like anything all that important, but this was Liege's temple they were in. Lies and secrets seemed to be his speciality. Fitting that he was here.

"What a lovely door. If you had told me that it was a door exchanging holiday then I would have gotten you one too."

[fun_police]

Prowl doesn't laugh at his joke.

In fact, there's a long, awkward silence as he brushes past Chromedome - perhaps a little too irritably, and presses a pad on the wall to open it.

Facing Chromedome, he waits to see his reaction to the room. The lab itself.

"McCrane won't be a problem. But I don't suspect that will always be the case. Now we have a more organized contingency."

He gestures to the room.

"After you."

[needlefingers]

Prowl hasn't laughed at one of Chromedome's jokes in a very, very long time.

He shrugs and pushes past. Years of being extremely aware of how much even the tiniest bit of body movement can say about a person had taught Chromedome how to hide himself. He saw the laboratory and knew instantly why Prowl brought him here.

On the surface, he seemed completely indifferent. Deep down, however, anger, fear, hurt engulfed his spark. Memories of a past life threatened to invade. A life that Rewind had saved him from.

"I see."

His voice was casual. When wasn't it?

"A present from Liege I take it?"

[fun_police]

"You could say that."

Prowl hovers in the doorway, almost as if guarding it. Making sure he'd stay inside and follow through.

Of course, he moves past and closes the door behind them. Leaving just him, Chromedome, and the indifferent equipment.

"I had it reconfigured to something you will likely find familiar. I imagine you won't need an introduction to these machines."

Nearly all of it was cerebroscience tools. There were some medical tools, but that was for the sole purpose of preparing whomever might be trapped inside.

Prowl hovers by one of the berths, running a hand over the surface,"Do you find this adequate?"

[needlefingers]

"It's better than what I was expecting, that's for sure."

He paused for a moment to examine his surroundings some more. Some part of him finds the instruments familiar and comforting, while the other part of him (the part that spoke in Rewind's voice) hated everything about this room. It was almost instinctive how much he wanted to continue working. To inject into others and peel apart their thoughts and memories. That power was his alone.

And it was a power that would eventually kill him.

"Prowl... Can I say something?"

His voice softened as he trailed one hand over the shiny medical table.

"It's about before."

[fun_police]

Prowl knew Chromedome enough to get the sense he couldn't turn down something like this. An opportunity to perform his talent and be appreciated for it, in his own way.

His mouth pressed into a thin line as the words came out, betraying enough to say that he was still thinking about 'before'.

But he doesn't yell, or object at him bringing it up again. Or mention how he denied it and how it enraged him when he did.

"What is it?"

[needlefingers]

"I'm sorry."

There was an earnest note to his voice.

"I was wrong for what I did, and I was wrong for denying that I did it. You were right about me, and I'm... I'm really sorry about it."

He paused, looking over at Prowl before glancing away.

"Sometimes I wish... things weren't like this between me and you. It feels wrong."

[fun_police]

Prowl, surprisingly, remains silent a long minute after his apology. He almost felt a little guilty for forcing this on Chromedome.

A subtle dance of emotions played back surprise, slight pity, and regret in his optics. Most people would have completely missed it.

"When was the last time it was ever right?"

There's a heavy sigh as he leans forward on the medical table he was by for support.

[needlefingers]

Nothing went unnoticed. Chromedome hadn't expected a reaction. Perhaps he had gotten so used to Prowl being cold and unmoving that the idea of him actually feeling emotion seemed ridiculous. It was unfortunate really, as Chromedome knew better than most about what went on in Prowl's mind. They had always shared a little bit of kinship over how similiar they were.

How far had the two of them fallen? And whose fault was it?

He pushed himself away from the table.

"I haven't been right in a while. I always seem to do things that screw things up for myself. You don't help with that, just so you know."

[fun_police]

"I'm aware."

He's pretty much asking Chromedome to destroy his own life with this lab. For his own plans.

Prowl is staring at his reflection in the table, seeing the fatigue in his own features, thinking thoughts similar to that of his friend's.

"It's... easier to see things objectively, Chromedome. Without getting attached. You do what's necessary and end your emotional involvement at that."

[needlefingers]

"I understand."

Chromedome hesitantly reached over and touched Prowl's arm. He moved a little closer, as if making a quiet offer of forgiveness.

"But that way of thinking has destroyed you as a person. Do you even remember how you used to be? Don't you ever wish... you could go back to that?"

Soft words, earnest expression, an apparent desire to fix what has been completely and totally broken.

All of it

Was just another lie.

Out of Prowl's sight, Chromedome allowed his needles to slip out and he reached up, his pointed tips inching towards the back of Prowl's neck. He had reached one hand out in friendship, and the other...

The other is there to destroy.

[fun_police]

Prowl turned away from the arm touching him, letting the words seep in. For once, Chromedome got the chance to see his words have a thorough effect on him.

A combination of Prowl having been reflecting about where he'd ended up and the effective acting from Chromedome left him in his thoughts.

Maybe he was right. He was tied to this temple, but maybe that could change. There was always a chance to right what they'd done. He would just need to-

to-

He'd need to take a close look at the reflection of the medical table. Needles. Something dark enters Prowl's expression as he quickly realizes what is about to happen.

The reaction is quick. He spins around to meet Chromedome with an elbow to the face - a trajectory quickly calculated from where the needles were positioned and the arm on him.

[needlefingers]

Chromedome is knocked a few steps back, but he recovers quickly and launches himself at Prowl to knock him over. There's another shing as the needles on Chromedome's other hand come out.

He was going to end this here and now. The progress they might have made was instantly cast aside, and Chromedome attacked, a vengeful fire blazing in his optics.

"Did you really thing I could forgive you, Prowl?"

Chromedome's voice is choked with anger and hatred, the earnestness having vanished completely. It is a terrible sound.

"You ruined my life! You... You brought this on the both of us!"

He forces himself forward, his needles reaching for Prowl's face. He would fix this. He would make it all better. Then maybe Rewind would trust him again.

This was the only way, and it was all Prowl's fault.

[fun_police]

Chromedome would get his answer, though it lacked any of the fire and anger in his voice. It was quite the opposite, being as unfeeling and impersonal as the equipment that surrounded them.

Weaponry bristled out of the Decepticon frame almost instinctively in that extra second that he'd been given to react. He needn't worry about reaching for a gun when it was already built in.

One arm rose, aimed and coldly fired a single shot at Chromedome's leg as he lunged forward. He needn't kill him, that was unnecessary, but Prowl needed the mnemosurgeon disabled to be able to plan what to do next.

[needlefingers]

"Gah-!"

His leg gave away beneath him, and Chromedome finds himself on the floor. Anger is a great and terrible thing, it helped him as he tried to keep pulling himself upright. A difficult thing to do when your leg has been fried.

"You-"

There's something else he wanted to say. It escapes him though as he grips the edge of the table.

[fun_police]

Prowl watched him struggle to get up, a cascade of his own rage and betrayal hidden behind a detached mask.

"Stop squirming. You're going to hurt yourself further."

He stepped over Chromedome and paced a few steps away, falling out of the harsh lights that illuminated the medical tables. Chromedome wouldn't be able to see the little betrayals of emotion and he'd be out of the mnemosurgeon's reach.

But what to do? He couldn't very well leave him like that.

[needlefingers]

"Oh please, just kill me."

He had lost. After everything he had lost. To Prowl. His bitterness and resentment are apparent.

"I won't remember the last few moments."

[fun_police]

"Your wound isn't so grave as merit that."

It was getting easier to swallow the livid anger that made his hands clench into fists hard enough for the metal to dent. Chromedome may have betrayed him while he was vulnerable - but at least he faced the consequences of that action.

Prowl looks down at his communicator, beginning to sift through the different contacts he had accumulated while here.

At the same time, his mind began to churn with ideas.