[The connection goes silent. Spinister stands up and steps out of his room, taking one last look around the shared apartment. Then he puts a little note on Krok's chair, neatly folded.
'gone to get some parts. be back soon!'
He makes sure their door is locked before he leaves for all the good it had done them. And then it's off to find the person who'd been taking their lives apart.]
[Chromedome takes a moment to mentally prepare himself before he leaves Prowl's apartment. He's not in any hurry, but he also doesn't want to get caught before he gets there.
It's funny how familiar this feels. He's done this walk before. The knowledge that he's going to die, that someone is going to kill him, fills him with both dread and relief. For the life of him, he couldn't remember why he continued living the first time. Did he summon up some inner strength and walk out of that clinic? Well. There was no getting out of this one.
Feeling strangely calm now, Chromedome approached the Welcome Centre and waited.]
[Spinister wasn't quite so worried about getting caught: his trail had been covered for the time being. Chromedome had helped a bit with that after all; no reason for Krok to worry about the heli going to hunt an Autobot down anymore, was there?
The Welcome Centre was quieter right now at least, what without the newcomers and the crowds that'd come to greet them. It's easy enough to spot Chromedome, and when he does, Spinister comes to a quiet stop a dozen or so meters away.
It doesn't feel like a trap. More's the wonder. Giving the other mech an expectant look, he gestures towards the quiet alley way Chromedome had dragged Fulcrum into before.]
Chromedome agreeably goes where Spinister wants him to, placing himself well within the Decepticon's reach. He doesn't really expect this to be quick, but it should be over soon, right?
He stands where Spinister wants him to stand, and then looks up at him patiently. All this has been very civil so far. Surprisingly so.]
[Once they were out of sight, Spinister pulls a laser scalpel from his inventory. He takes an almost gentle hold of Chromedome's shoulder and pushes him firmly against the wall.]
You did wanna die.
[He doesn't sound terribly surprised. The heli does debate not going through with it just to spite Chromedome. Fortunately for the slagger, killing him still meant the others were safer.]
[Well, looks like he's right about this not being a slow death. Chromedome eyes the laser scalpel with mild apprehension. Maybe it's best for it to hurt a lot.]
And you want to kill me.
I think it all works out.
[He says in an extremely casual tone.]
Keep wasting time and I'll have to rearrange your memories too. What would you be like if you never met your misfit friends? Want to find out?
An Autobot killer all the same. Was a pretty okay one anyways.
Now, don't go rushing me.
[Spinister makes a quick, precise cut to the back of Chromedome's neck. Deep enough to sever the motor relays from the brain module, but the neural relays should still be intact. He did want the slagger to feel what he was doing, after all.]
[He guides Chromedome's limp form into a sitting position before picking up one of the limp arms and carefully tilting the palm back. Then it was matter of taking some of the plating off so that he could get at the mechanisms that would snap the needles out.]
[His hands were his livelihood. They're his most important tools. To see his needles being surgically removed makes his spark pick up with both fear and anger. His needles are his curse. He can't live without them.
Which is convenient, since he's not going to be living for much longer.]
Yeah? Would've thought the lines ran all the way up to your brain. Suppose it makes sense to just modify some neural relays instead.
[If they were still at war, then this might have been pretty valuable information. There were no on-panel Decepticon mnemosurgeons after all. The craft seems to be primarily Autobot. It might well be banned considering how badly Megatron reacted to the very idea of it.
Well, for Decepticon medical science then. He makes quick little cuts at latches holding the armor together on Chromedome's arm and peels each layer off until he could get at the circuitry under it. The heli works efficiently, and with callous carelessness just as he's always done with the corpses he'd had to scavenge.]
[It's easy to feel brave when he's walking to his death. Far less so when it's being drawn out like this. Chromedome would reply, but he's too busy trying to hold back a howl of agony as Spinster brutalizes his arms.
He can't control his body, but a slight tremor goes through his limbs.
He asked for this, but panic threatens to overwhelm him as he watches Spinister removes the most valuable part of him. Those are his! He's nothing without them! He has no right to take them!
A whimper of pain escapes him and his engines kick into overdrive in response to his dramatically increased sparkbeat.]
[At the whimper, Spinister pauses in middle of easing the delicate lines out out of Chromedome's arm. He reaches up to cup the Autobot's face, gently urging him to focus.]
Shhhh. I get this and you get to die. Don't make me cut your vocalizer as well. We're almost done.
[He only has time to take apart one arm before killing Chromedome, which is really a pity. The problem with doing things back-alley.]
His vision wavers, but he reluctantly pulls Spinister's unforgiving face back into focus. Every part of him wants to beg him to just finish it off now. Let him die. He still has some sense of dignity, however, and somehow stays quiet.]
Ughn...
[Not that staying quiet is hard. It's hard to speak through this cloud of pain.]
[Well, close enough to quiet. Spinister keeps an audio out for any approaching footsteps but he keeps his hands steady. He flays each of Chromedome's fingers open until the lines were exposed and then...
Everything comes out in one piece. The shimmering green of the bridging circuitry slips out of Chromedome's arm. It takes a bit more of a delicate hand to tug it out of the cuts in the Autobot's fingers along with the needles, but delicate is what Spinister does.]
Awful pretty for something that could take away a mind. [He takes a moment to admire it and holds it up for Chromedome to see.]
[The heli tilts his head at the reaction, but he takes mercy on the mech. He's not sure Chromedome deserves it, but something compels him to set the needles out of the mech's sight anyways.
Spinister then gently flattens the Autobot out on the ground before reaching over his shoulder and unsnapping one of his rotor blades. He rises onto one knee and holds the blade over Chromedome's chest, bracing himself.]
[It's wrong to feel a rush of affection for someone who's preparing to murder him, especially after they just finished torturing him. That's what happens when one hates himself so much that anyone who wants to end him is pretty okay. As far as he's concerned, this big, brutal, Decepticon is his favourite person now.
An expression of relief and gratitude spreads briefly across his faceless face before he shuts off his optics.
[Searching an entire city is bad enough, but despite everything, Ultra Magnus scrambles. He has to find Chromedome before he submits to this.
The screaming in the distance helps him track all of this down, of course, but by the time he pulls up and transforms into his root mode, it's far too late.
Spinister's just killed him and mutilated him.
His spark sinks. Chromedome had lost it and injected two Decepticons, two that really didn't seem to mean much harm. He injected himself who knows how long ago in order to forget Rewind.
It's down to this. Ultra Magnus has failed him.]
Spinister.
I have to arrest you. Do you know what this means?
[By the time Magnus pulls up, Spin's just... sitting quietly next to the corpse, energon covered blade resting between his knees. He doesn't feel guilty, not yet; Misfire would have been next if he hadn't killed Chromedome. This had been the only thing he could've done.
But he hadn't expected this sadness.
The heli looks up when Magnus arrives, feeling more tired than he'd ever felt in his long life.]
I don't know. [He says it with unhappy honestly. There wasn't a brig to throw him in. Execution, maybe?]
[He goes through the motions. He has to go through the motions. It's not the first death he's ever witnessed, nor will it be the last. He just didn't expect it in a place like this.]
It means I need to take you in. I don't have a cell to lock you in.
So, for now, I will have to place you under house arrest. I'll discuss with Krok on what needs to be done with you.
For now, I request that you submit your weapons to me and allow me to cuff you. You are not in danger of being harmed in my presence at this time.
[That sounded a lot like the old Autobot-Speak for 'gonna beat you up later when you can't run'. Spinister doesn't protest however, although house arrest seemed... suspiciously mild.
He uncurls, leaning off the wall before standing up.]
Alright.
[He pulls his gun out before flipping it around so that it was pointed handle-first at Magnus when he holds it up for the Autobot. The rotor sword... didn't really have handle-end.]
[The gun is taken calmly from Spinister. The sword doesn't have a handle-end, but regardless, Ultra Magnus is taking it as well. Even if it digs into his plating, that's the least of his concerns.]
You will accompany me to my flat for the time being. If you attempt to escape prior to my discussion with your captain, I will use force to catch you. Remain calm and there will be no trouble.
[He pauses, looking down at Chromedome. He tries to not express his grief; it's hard not to. The crew is under his supervision, and he had failed Chromedome. Moreover, Chromedome couldn't live with Rewind's death and chose to wipe everything away -- taking the best Chromedome had to offer.
Carefully, despite the mutilation, Ultra Magnus scoops up Chromedome into his arms. As if he's afraid to hurt a corpse.]
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AUDIO; Private
Do your worst, Decepticon.
AUDIO; Private --> Action
I'll see you there.
[The connection goes silent. Spinister stands up and steps out of his room, taking one last look around the shared apartment. Then he puts a little note on Krok's chair, neatly folded.
'gone to get some parts. be back soon!'
He makes sure their door is locked before he leaves for all the good it had done them. And then it's off to find the person who'd been taking their lives apart.]
Action
It's funny how familiar this feels. He's done this walk before. The knowledge that he's going to die, that someone is going to kill him, fills him with both dread and relief. For the life of him, he couldn't remember why he continued living the first time. Did he summon up some inner strength and walk out of that clinic? Well. There was no getting out of this one.
Feeling strangely calm now, Chromedome approached the Welcome Centre and waited.]
Action
The Welcome Centre was quieter right now at least, what without the newcomers and the crowds that'd come to greet them. It's easy enough to spot Chromedome, and when he does, Spinister comes to a quiet stop a dozen or so meters away.
It doesn't feel like a trap. More's the wonder. Giving the other mech an expectant look, he gestures towards the quiet alley way Chromedome had dragged Fulcrum into before.]
Action
Chromedome agreeably goes where Spinister wants him to, placing himself well within the Decepticon's reach. He doesn't really expect this to be quick, but it should be over soon, right?
He stands where Spinister wants him to stand, and then looks up at him patiently. All this has been very civil so far. Surprisingly so.]
Action
You did wanna die.
[He doesn't sound terribly surprised. The heli does debate not going through with it just to spite Chromedome. Fortunately for the slagger, killing him still meant the others were safer.]
Action
And you want to kill me.
I think it all works out.
[He says in an extremely casual tone.]
Keep wasting time and I'll have to rearrange your memories too. What would you be like if you never met your misfit friends? Want to find out?
Action
Now, don't go rushing me.
[Spinister makes a quick, precise cut to the back of Chromedome's neck. Deep enough to sever the motor relays from the brain module, but the neural relays should still be intact. He did want the slagger to feel what he was doing, after all.]
Action
I'm just saying. It'd be pretty... ugh pretty terrible if someone interrupted us.
Action
[He guides Chromedome's limp form into a sitting position before picking up one of the limp arms and carefully tilting the palm back. Then it was matter of taking some of the plating off so that he could get at the mechanisms that would snap the needles out.]
Action
Which is convenient, since he's not going to be living for much longer.]
Y-You'll have to... ugh.
[The pain is already pretty bad and he grimaces.]
My arms. Not just my hands.
Action
[If they were still at war, then this might have been pretty valuable information. There were no on-panel Decepticon mnemosurgeons after all. The craft seems to be primarily Autobot. It might well be banned considering how badly Megatron reacted to the very idea of it.
Well, for Decepticon medical science then. He makes quick little cuts at latches holding the armor together on Chromedome's arm and peels each layer off until he could get at the circuitry under it. The heli works efficiently, and with callous carelessness just as he's always done with the corpses he'd had to scavenge.]
Action
He can't control his body, but a slight tremor goes through his limbs.
He asked for this, but panic threatens to overwhelm him as he watches Spinister removes the most valuable part of him. Those are his! He's nothing without them! He has no right to take them!
A whimper of pain escapes him and his engines kick into overdrive in response to his dramatically increased sparkbeat.]
Action
Shhhh. I get this and you get to die. Don't make me cut your vocalizer as well. We're almost done.
[He only has time to take apart one arm before killing Chromedome, which is really a pity. The problem with doing things back-alley.]
Action
Almost.
His vision wavers, but he reluctantly pulls Spinister's unforgiving face back into focus. Every part of him wants to beg him to just finish it off now. Let him die. He still has some sense of dignity, however, and somehow stays quiet.]
Ughn...
[Not that staying quiet is hard. It's hard to speak through this cloud of pain.]
Action
Everything comes out in one piece. The shimmering green of the bridging circuitry slips out of Chromedome's arm. It takes a bit more of a delicate hand to tug it out of the cuts in the Autobot's fingers along with the needles, but delicate is what Spinister does.]
Awful pretty for something that could take away a mind. [He takes a moment to admire it and holds it up for Chromedome to see.]
Action
It has to be almost over.
Please.]
Action
Spinister then gently flattens the Autobot out on the ground before reaching over his shoulder and unsnapping one of his rotor blades. He rises onto one knee and holds the blade over Chromedome's chest, bracing himself.]
Close your eyes.
Action
An expression of relief and gratitude spreads briefly across his faceless face before he shuts off his optics.
His last words are barely audible.]
Thank you.
Action
And then drives the sword into Chromedome's spark chamber.]
no subject
The screaming in the distance helps him track all of this down, of course, but by the time he pulls up and transforms into his root mode, it's far too late.
Spinister's just killed him and mutilated him.
His spark sinks. Chromedome had lost it and injected two Decepticons, two that really didn't seem to mean much harm. He injected himself who knows how long ago in order to forget Rewind.
It's down to this. Ultra Magnus has failed him.]
Spinister.
I have to arrest you. Do you know what this means?
no subject
But he hadn't expected this sadness.
The heli looks up when Magnus arrives, feeling more tired than he'd ever felt in his long life.]
I don't know. [He says it with unhappy honestly. There wasn't a brig to throw him in. Execution, maybe?]
no subject
It means I need to take you in. I don't have a cell to lock you in.
So, for now, I will have to place you under house arrest. I'll discuss with Krok on what needs to be done with you.
For now, I request that you submit your weapons to me and allow me to cuff you. You are not in danger of being harmed in my presence at this time.
no subject
He uncurls, leaning off the wall before standing up.]
Alright.
[He pulls his gun out before flipping it around so that it was pointed handle-first at Magnus when he holds it up for the Autobot. The rotor sword... didn't really have handle-end.]
no subject
You will accompany me to my flat for the time being. If you attempt to escape prior to my discussion with your captain, I will use force to catch you. Remain calm and there will be no trouble.
[He pauses, looking down at Chromedome. He tries to not express his grief; it's hard not to. The crew is under his supervision, and he had failed Chromedome. Moreover, Chromedome couldn't live with Rewind's death and chose to wipe everything away -- taking the best Chromedome had to offer.
Carefully, despite the mutilation, Ultra Magnus scoops up Chromedome into his arms. As if he's afraid to hurt a corpse.]
Let's go.
(no subject)