"A....truce?" -- Starbase Rugby: Medlabs

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Date Posted: 20:29:15 08/18/01 Sat
Author: Rotor
Subject: "A....truce?"
In reply to: Rampage 's message, "The crab did not draw a gun in defence..." on 17:01:14 08/18/01 Sat

Rotor pondered his words. This was NOT the Rampage he was expecting. The concern sounded genuine, but didn't fit with any profile of the infamous psychotic before him. Was this the same Rampage that had once massacred nearly every living being on Rugby, leaving the bartender Tankup alive only by the grace of an inaccessible vault? In many ways, Rotor knew it was not. THAT Rampage had died in battle with the Maximal Depth Charge beneath the ocean of Earth, long ago, according to reports transmitted to Rugby from sources unknown. Howitzer, or someone in Rugby Intel, must have had a source on Cybertron itself to have such detailed information. Of course, Rugby being a waystation for many travellers, it was not inconcievanle that word had simply spread.

No, the Rampage that committed THOSE heinous acts had paid the price long ago. Rumor had it that this incarnation was resurrected by Scaleblade herself, her love so great that she defied death itself to restore his spark. But it was precisely the acts of this incarnation which caused Rotor so much mistrust. Had he not attacked Rugby alongside Scaleblade and Dinotron? Had not a rescue squad been sent to retrieve Alcatraz himself when the two absconded with him to a town on a far off world? The warden was only a few hovercarts away, and what Rotor was even considering would be treason, against every fiber of justice in his being.

Rotor was no questioning the very veracity of the justice he served, measuring legal justice against true justice. The system to which he committed his life, the very book with which his every decision complied, seemed so flawed to him now. In truth, Rampage was the accomplice in the most recent crimes against Rugby, a mate fiercely defending his beloved. It was Scaleblade who had callously orphaned Ali McCormick, who had invaded even the sanctity of the medlabs on more than one occasion. As for the other perpetrator, the odds of him getting off with a simple exile, one which he could potentially escape or be freed from, were growing. The way the trial was going, there was a good chance Rotor himself would be called to question, had in fact already been on the witness stand, for his own actions against the defendant. Even following the book to the letter, the prisoners had still escaped, the Warden and one Officer Jon Matthews still critically injured, and Rotor would still possibly be punished. Following procedure had nearly killed his best two Maximal Lieutenants, and there was a good chance that Scaleblade herself was responsible for her daughter's injury. Scaleblade had been in custody, and every law in Rotor's precious book meant nothing. It was a twisted chain of events, a monstrous ouroboros from which Rotor yearned to escape.

It was simple logic: if Rotor was going to be punished for doing his job, and if doing his job brought harm to his coworkers and those whom he promised protection, then perhaps he needed to bend the rules, even if once, to truly help someone. He still kept Rampage covered, and had not spoken in the long moments over which he struggled with the moral dilemma. He did not yet speak, instead pondering the other things the crab had said. The nearest debris field was of course right outside Rugby, where a WR@-usurped Commander Anderson had feverishly activated the self-destruct of the SP Boardhopper. Most of the debris had been cleared or salvaged even as crews set about building the memorial to the fallen. What little remained did not fit the description of a "black rock"; most of the debris were metal and Rugby's defensive satellite perimeter had a laser system for dealing with any asteroids that might pass to close to Rugby or Manar below. The nearest debris from battle that came to Rotor's mind next was light years away, and it took a moment for him to recollect the old holos. He recited almost by memory under his breath: "The Orbit of Aegis Fragments: The Sector of the SPU where Motocron and his allies defeated the last Shard and destroyed the Death Shard." It couldn't be, unless she had portalled, and a quick internal scan of the Docking Bay's scanners showed that she had not. So he examined next for any forceable redirections. It was a rare thing but there had been the occasional gravitational rift opened in the bar enough times for redirection technology to be put into effect. Rotor ran the search, ot expecting to find anything, and was surprised to find a report of illegal portal use in the Holorooms! The report was sketchy, and mentioned a man being taken into custody. Though the report said he wasn't talking, Rotor dismissed his prescence as irrelevant and coincidental; a portal HAD been opened and the initiator repelled to the Docking Bay. Detective wits quickly constructed a scenario whereby Scaleblade teleported her daughter all the way to Aegis even as she herself bore the brunt of the redirection. The particulars of how she accomplished such a feat were beyond his grasp though, as was the connection of the mysterious man known only as Samuel. Perhaps a visit to the brig would be in order. For now, Rotor had Rampage to deal with.

Lightning fast, the security officer snapped a silvery circuited bracelet around the Predcon's wrist. He opened his mouth in protest but the expression changed to awe when his own arm seemingly morphed and changed color, becoming boxier in form. A glimpse at the polished surface of an unused hovercart revealed a considerably more generic Cybertronian face. Apparently, the wrist-piece was...

"A portable image inducer. That should keep the locals from panicking. And we ARE gonna work together to help Fireshard and nail Scaleblade, but on MY terms. That little device doubles as a tracker...you try and renege, and I'll hunt you down. You try and remove it, and it WILL self-destruct. I been thinking about your story...some parts don't add up, but I have a theory that makes it seem plausible. Once FORTRAN is done operatin', he should be able to analyze the debris they take out of her and confirm it's from where I think it was. But that's only half the problem, and only serves to confirm your story about where you found her. The tricky part is figuring out how Scaleblade did it, and finding her.

We need to talk, but not here. With the warden nearby, not to mention all these folks who might stop and realize your look different than when you brought her in, we should go someplace to talk. Bar's never been the quietest, most secure place to chat, but I think I know a better place for us to talk. Why don't we go then? We'll work out the terms of this 'truce' and our next course of action, and maybe I'll figure out how I'm gonna keep my job and my own can outta the brig.

Rotor nodded to the door and waited for Rampage to proceed before he followed...

Martin Riggs: "We're going to get bloody on this one, Rog."
Roger Murtaugh: "Are you really crazy? Or are you as good as you say you are?"
Martin Riggs: "You're just gonna have to trust me."
-Lethal Weapon, 1987

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Replies:

Rampage examined the device on his arm.... -- Rampage, 21:24:51 08/18/01 Sat
- Terse Departure -- Rotor, 21:05:51 08/19/01 Sun
  - Venturing Mind.. -- Fireshard, 21:09:04 12/07/01 Fri