Spy Wars: Interrogation Time!

So--a Decepticon wants to be interrogated by the Autobots. A Decepticon named Outbound. Odd, right? And just screaming some kind of trap or trick or something. But, if Intel wants any kind of chance at figuring out what exactly Outbound is up to, it was going to be necessary to take some risks. Risks such as agreeing to do as Outbound has asked. Thus far as Blurr and the others can tell, there hadn't been any traps or ambushes.

And...that footage. Yeah, it could have been staged, but at the same time it couldn't have been fabricated. Hence, since Outbound had agreed to this interrogation on Autobot terms, no promises or guarantees on the preservation of his life or state of mind, it had been decided. They would go ahead with Outbound's request. So he's been brought here in stasis cuffs to a small, bare room near the entry to brig, where Blurr, Tailgate, and...yes, Repugnus are waiting.

Once again, Tailgate is uncomfortable. But lately just being alone in the same room with Blurr and Repugnus made him nervous. It wasn't like they were going to find out about how he'd engineered the bomb unless he decides to tell them..but.. still. And adding Outbound to the equation wasn't really helping at all. He clasps his hand servos together, alternately tapping his feet, left, right left...

Repugnus is currently sharpening an overly large machete on a metal file, the file casting sparks with each pass. "Oh, boy, I've always waited to meet you, Outbound," Repugnus says cheerfully. "He says that you're terribad at being a Decepticon and, now that you've finally realized it, you decided that you wanted to be a slightly less bad Autobot or something." Scrape scrape scrape. "So, uh, tell me a little bit about yourself. I mean, Blurr told me everything, except he didn't."

Outbound sits before the group of gathered Autobots, his indigo optics staring most intently at Repugnus as the monsterbot sharpens a machette--likely for intimidation, but the look in THAT one's optics... Certainly if any Bot could make him feel slightly less at ease it would be that one. "Likewise... I have been awaiting this moment for some time," the Decepticon replied, his wrists bound in stasis cuffs which rise slightly and extend forward as if he was attempting to shake hands. "My apologies... I would offer a hand in friendship, but..." the infantrymech smirks and offers a light shrug

"Ah, yes... A terrible Decepticon," Outbound muses, a hint of amusement within his expression. "If being a good Decepticon means being a completely short-sighted moron with shaky beliefs and ideals long since buried beneath a heap of propoganda and filth that merely shadows and obfuscates the initial principles of individual sovereignty and self-responsibility that were espoused by Megatron in the earliest days of the war... Then I would say that I am, indeed, a /terrible/ Decepticon." Was that him telling about himself? The infantrymech glances toward the other Bots, his indigo gaze remaining on Tailgate for a hint longer than the others.

Blurr watches the cuffed Decepticon warily, his arms folded as he is standing against the wall behind Repugnus. His brow ridges rise slightly at Outbound's words. "So--you resent Galvatron's ways, then? Are you afraid of the Decepticon Justice Division, Outbound? Is that why you're doing this? Is that why you're here? Why you're afraid of simply...defecting?"

Optics narrow.

''What are you -really- trying to accomplish... ''

Repugnus smiles at Outbound. "Well, yes, pity you didn't know the whole movement was a scam from the start. Ah well, tough luck, better luck in the next formatting..." He waves the machete about a few moments. "Smart move not shaking my hand, btw." He actually pronounces the letters aloud, not the words they stand for. "Hands are always a bit sticky from the... last victim." He admires his reflection in the machete for a moment.

Repugnus turns his attention back to Outbound. "Fair question from Speedy over there. I mean, defecting would be a lot safer. If the 'cons found out about this they'd have you flayed. But us, shoot, even if you were just an infiltrator we'd just lock you up. And Rodimus, man, he's such a big-hearted dunce he probably wouldn't even keep you in there too long."

Tailgate remains silent. When Repugnus makes optic contact with him for just a little too long, he glances away, down at the floor. He rocks back and forth on his heels, feeling even more unnerved than before. Terrible Decepticon, heh, maybe. Then how come it was only he who actually managed to treat Tailgate with some degree of sincere respect and dignity? He didn't like this one bit, no siree..

"Galvatron? Hah! I've never even SEEN the mech," Outbound replies to Blurr, scoffing. The last time that he was put in stasis for being too much of a 'soloist' for Command's tastes it was Megatron who ruled the Decepticons, and that was quite some time ago. Galvatron... He was starting to doubt the mech even existed. "Some of the first data I gave you was that none have seen Galvatron for some time now... None heard even a peep. How can one respect a leader, follow a leader that he has never known?" Outbound snorts contemptuously at that and his gaze shifts to Repugnus. "...I see only the slow rotting decay of my lasercore as a result of clear defection. Look at my file, I am certain that you have at least /some/ information on me. I roam, I do as I please for the most part, and I despise restriction. Even now the Decepticons, as oppressive a regime as they have become allow me a considerable amount of freedom... They know my worth. Still, the Empire is a mere shadow of it's former self and your mech Hardball mentioned something to me on Bar Moon that I have not forgotten. The fighting 'spirit' of the Autobots is a true boon to you and your cause, and occult as it may be it is indeed what is likely to carry your side to victory in the end." Outbound pauses a moment, his optics staring silent before he seems to remember his main point. "I defect outright and the Decepticons put the largest bullseye you've ever imagined on my aft. That is suicide, as traitors always die first. I can no sooner simply walk over to your side than you can end the war by strapping bombs to your chests and simply charging into Darkmount. No thank you... I'll take my chances feeding intel until this conflict is resolved."

"'A shadow of its former self', huh." Blurr reiterates. "Why don't you elaborate on that? What specific changes happened, and when, that made you begin convincing yourself that we were the ones who were bound to win in the end, and that you were therefore on the wrong side of the equation?"

Repugnus listens to Outbound with a skeptical on his face, then turns to the other bots and says, "Well, I guess Operation Out With a Bang is going to have to be called off. It's too bad, I was looking forward to that one." Operation Out With a Bang is in fact a real operation proposed by Repugnus to send waves of Autobot suicide bombers against the Decepticons, and it was of course unanimously shot down by everyone ranking above the Monsterbot. Whether or not Repugnus was trolling or if he was really serious is something no one wanted to ask.

"But seriously, though," Repugnus says, waving his machete about, "Your odds of survival are better with us. Especially considering if I think you're starting to regret being an informer for us. If that's ever the case, I'll just kill you." He glances at Blurr and Tailgate. "In self-defense, of course! Relax, guys! Ahem, but yeah, another good question from Blurr. Honestly the Autobots have come so damn close to losing this war, more times than I can count. We're just too nice and stupid for our own good. I got a question, too: What's the 'con chain of command looking like? Who's throwing their weight around the most? Are all the king's men starting to jostle for power and authority? Because I'd really like to see another Decepticon civil war."

<p class="MsoNormal">While he waits for an answer, he glances at Tailgate, noticing how nervous the minibot is. His optics narrow.

<p class="MsoNormal">The said minibot is practically doing a happy dance of nervousness. When Repugnus mentions killing Outbound, his anxiety skyrockets, and he clasps his hands so tightly behind his back that his gears start winding too hard, making little scraping noises. Tailgate avoids Repugnus' gaze and insteads glances around, trying to look very innocent.

<p class="MsoNormal">Outbound doesn't miss a beat when Blurr poses his question. "The dream that Megatron outlined was... Well, you all know I am certain. Self-actualization, individual sovereignty, order and peace through becoming the best, the most powerful that we can be individually and together as a race. He offered a solution to the energon crisis, one that did not necessarily require the destruction of others--the destruction that this war had wrought because certain parties felt it wrong to take resources that were not even being /used/ by the indigenous peoples of the targeted worlds." The infantrymech chuckles, a somewhat dark sound to be sure. "That I feel is one of the great tragedies of the universe... Although to be fair some of that line of thought must be credited to another Patriot of Cybertron. But I digress. While not all Decepticons were what you would call intelligent we believed in something real. Something true. Speak to most of them candidly today and you will find that a great many of them do not even remember what we were fighting for to begin with. It is...pathetic."

<p class="MsoNormal">Outbound cannot help it. This Repugnus fellow is amusing...though to be fair OB had no idea that the Monsterbot had actually proposed such a thing. "Hah..hah...hah. I have no doubt of that," he replies to Repugnus' threat on his life. "In self defense...naturally." Annnd time to move on from THAT line of thought. "You say that my odds of survival are greater with you... Please, go on," the infantrymech invites explanation with a nod to the Monsterbot.

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus could have any number of motivations for encouraging Outbound to defect. Some might even be genuine. "Well, see," Repugnus says, picking at something on his finger with the machete, "If you're found out, you know, and, say, you get called up to meet with your superiors, you're not gonna know for sure if they found out you're a defector until you're already surrounded by other 'cons with guns at your head. And if you suspect they did find out, and run off, well, they're gonna know something is up for sure either way! And you gotta consider guys like Soundwave. They EXCEL at finding people like you. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last time I meet you, frankly." He shrugs. "But suit yourself. Whatever floats your boat. And stuff."

<p class="MsoNormal">The Monsterbot makes a show of looking at his wrist. "Oh, gosh, look at the time. Blurr? Tailgate? Mind stepping outside for a minute? I'm going to conduct the 'private' part of the interview now."

<p class="MsoNormal">"You're not being specific." Blurr says flatly. "You're complaining that the other Decepticon have forgotten what exactly it is they're fighting for, is that it? And because of that, you'd rather be an Autobot, because we do remember what we're fighting for."

<p class="MsoNormal">''Heh. Well, do we? ''

<p class="MsoNormal">A glance in Repugnus' direction.

<p class="MsoNormal">The speedster suddenly steps forward. Well, the naked optic can't really even perceive the movement, it's so fast. He just kind of...appears in Outbound's face. "Look, why don't we just cut the extra fuel lines and get to the point. Give us one reason why we should believe a single word you're saying. Anything to give even slightest implication that you aren't just making up a bunch of rustwash," He holds up the microchip Outbound had left with him the other solar cycle. "Because honestly? Who's the say this piece of slag wasn't staged? You could have easily manipulated those humans, even manipulated Triggerhappy--slag, from what we know of him, he'd bite at any good excuse to shoot at something."

<p class="MsoNormal">He finally steps back as Repugnus makes his request, deciding to leave it at that. The speedster moves toward the door, ushering Tailgate along with him. "Don't get too rough with him, Repugnus." he reminds the Monsterbot. "Wouldn't want Rodimus hearing about anything like that, now would you?" He then turns and leaves the room, the door sliding itself shut once the two of them had exited.

<p class="MsoNormal">Outbound sighs heavily and leans back uncomfortably in his chair, the infantrymech clearly thinking that his chances of survival are certainly not better if he openly defects! Then there's the matter of Blurr insinuating that he's got organics on the payroll. Urgh... "Fortunately at the moment Soundwave is...indisposed. I have not seen or heard from him in quite some time as well-- To answer another question that I missed it appears as if Shockwave now runs the show. He is adept at keeping the majority in line and unquestioningly loyal and blind to further investiation into the status of 'our' missing 'Leader'," he notes, optics lowering to the machette. Eeee...

<p class="MsoNormal">"Yes... On to the TORTURE," Outbound says with a darkened laugh. "Although I am certain that I do not enjoy pain... I am also most certain that I respect the new you, Autobots," he offers, optics flashin between those present. "Although I must admit... Optimus Prime must be rolling in his-" Blurr seems to keep Outbound from finishing his statement. Somehow OB gets the impression that the speedster does that a lot.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Before you get to that unpleasantness..." Outbound looks to the Monsterbot. "I do not want to be an Autobot. I want to survive this conflict, and the best way to do that is to avoid creating more enemies and antagonizing those that I have. The middle path, I am no true friend, nor am I foe... I want peace...eventually. Truth is that I still believe in what Megatron spoke of millions of years ago, still to this very moment. The basic principles anyway." A shrug is offered and the Decepticon's glances toward Tailgate. "Also truth be told you Autobots have changed drastically from what you once were as well. You cannot even keep the idealism that the last Prime dedicated this entire life to, the idealism that he died to protect alive... The Decepticons and this war have corrupted you as well, as you seem to resort to backstabbing and possibly even torture to get what you want. I am not judging you, mind... Just pointing out the facts. I wish for consistency in my philosophy, in my processor, and in my lasercore. You cannot offer that, but neither can the Decepticons," is offered as the others exit leaving him alone with Repugnus.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tailgate allows himself to be ushered out of the room, but this doesn't make him anymore comfortable. In fact, it makes him more anxious. The realization that he is NOT going know what Repugnus will do to a possibly innocent Deception who is changing for the better bothers Tailgate greatly. He drags his servos as they leave the room, sparing one backwards glance over at Outbound before leaving with a heavy sigh.

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus whistles casually as he props a chair up against the door once the other Autobots have left. He turns to Outbound, smiling. "Oh, good, you know how this works. Yes... see, here's the thing. I hate Optimus Prime. I hate everything he stands for. And if he's rolling in his mausoleum right now, upset over the stuff I'm doing... well!" He gets right in Outbound's face, and the look in his eyes should give the impression that Repugnus truly is insane. "I say GOOD! Slag him! And something else you misjudged me on... it wasn't the 'cons that corrupted me! Well, the war may have led to a chain of events that made me the bot I am today, but you people aren't getting the credit for me, no sir."

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">The Monsterbot grabs Outbound by his stasis cuffs, and yanks him hard and about until he slams into a wall. Repugnus puts the blade of the machete to the Decepticon's cheek, dragging it along until it opens a wound. "Enough with the silly nonsense. I want some answers to pertinent questions. For instance, where the HELL is Trypticon right now!? He's your base on this planet, don't expect me to believe you don't know where he is! WHERE! WHERE IS HE!?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Would one call it corruption, as Outbound had, or simply...evolution? They were Cybertronians, whose signature ability was to shift, to change shape. Change was in their nature. It was inevitable, unavoidable. Part of who they were. Those countless vorns of war and devastation were bound to have the sort of impact they'd ultimately had. To harden and corrupt, densensitize. Surely Outbound knew that, Blurr thought as he overheard the last of the Decepticon's words before he left the room with Tailgate.

<p class="MsoNormal">The speedster glances down at the nervous minibot, and shrugs helplessly. "Sorry, mech...nothing we can do--for what it's worth, I wasn't the one who put Repugnus in charge of Intel. So whoever did, let's hope they won't regret that decision, even after today."

<p class="MsoNormal">Oh great... While Outbound had thought about this bit extensively for a moment there he actually thought that the other Bots would make sure to leave at least one of their lot around to make sure that Repugnus didn't get too crazy. Slag. "Hate is such a strong word... You should be careful how you use i-" Outbound is interrupted as he's yanked to his feet and then cast aside, his head slamming into the wall. Owwww... The infantrymech laughs, this time truly amused at his own misjudgement, and yet... "Bra-voh! I knew I liked you..."

<p class="MsoNormal">From the deck the Con shifts his weight, moving to lean up against the wall before the blade was suddenly there at his face. Optics stare blankly straight ahead as he's sliced, though the fear is there he realized that Blurr was right, maybe not about the Bots not being able to do anything but Outbound himself was stuck. "As far as Trypticon is concerned... I do not know. I made sure that I did not know when I came here to offer myself to you today. You want the bigger better intel... You don't torture your informant half to death or just frag him. Good things come to those who wait, Repugnus...for unless you do I simply cannot help you."

<p class="MsoNormal">Tailgate emit He doesn't even look at Blurr. For the record, he doesn't think so highly of the dandy speedster. Well, at least his regard for him isn't as low as his regard for Repugnus. When he hears the sound of mechanical body slamming against a wall, he winces hard and covers his optics, hanging his helm. This probably hurt Tailgate more than it did Outbound...

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus visibly weighs different factors in his head as he considers Outbound's words. "Heh. Yeah, well, on the OTHER hand, it would be really fun to just kill you right now. Nice and slow." Abruptly, he transforms, the machete clattering at his feet--and now completely unneeded as Repugnus's talons snap out. "I could, say, bite off your armor, piece by piece, slash your fuel lines, then leave you to bleed out in the sun! Would you like that? I would!" He sounds giddy at the prospect. "Ah, but that's only if I decide to let you out of this room. Hrm, maybe I could say you tried to escape..." He glances pointedly down at the machete, then up at Outbound, grinning a bit. "I'm sure no one would notice if I put that in your hands after the fact!"

<p class="MsoNormal">The Monsterbot stares at Outbound, thinking again. Finally, "Or maybe I don't have to lay a hand on you at all! I could start with something light and relatively harmless. At first." And Repugnus's optic sensors strobe in a variety of colors at Outbound--it's uncomfortable to look at and quite disorienting. "You SURE you don't know where ol' Trypti is?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus twists and flips around into his horrific creature mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr actually grimaces as well when the sound of Outbound's body hitting a wall is heard. He synthesizes a sigh, shaking his head. "Look Tailgate...he's just playing us, I know it. He wants us to trust him. All that slag about being convinced we're going to win--it's just a load of rustwash." he says, trying to ease Tailgate's circuits, though that probably isn't the best way to go about it...

<p class="MsoNormal">Well, even if he wanted to give Repugnus the intel that the crazy Autobot was asking for he couldn't do it! That's the trouble with going to extremes in order to keep some kind of an ace in the hole for negotiation... "You could do a lot of things," Outbound states blandly. Oh yes, by now there's simply no point in oiling himself. This was a huge gamble to begin with, so the Decepticon was already resolved to his fate if things went poorly.... Hah, yeah right, this slag is terrifying! "Oh, thats disgusting!" Outbound exclaims as Repugnus transforms, his optics dimming as he presses the side of his face hard against the wall mimicing an iconic shot from the movie ALIEN 3 when Ripley was face to face with the black death itself. Totally underrated movie.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Positive..."

<p class="MsoNormal">The minibot doesn't look at Blurr. Instead, he sits down and buries his helm between his knees, trying not to think about what kinds of horrible things Repugnus might be inflicting on Outbound...

<p class="MsoNormal">Bug Creature <Repugnus> leans in, a long tongue flicking across his needle-like teeth. "Oh, sorry, am I causing you to be uncomfortable?" he purrs, optics still strobing. "Kind of the idea. Hnnnh. Wellll. It WOULD be fun to kill you, but, I AM curious to see if you actually come up with something I can use. So. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm gonna let you go. But don't let me see your aft again unless you've got something juicy for me, because these claws?" His arm snaps out and fully buries a talon right into the wall, and then he pulls it out. "They'll go through about anything. Including your face."

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus transforms again, moves the chair away from the door, and opens it. "Well, I think that was a very informative interrogation! I'm gonna let the prisoner go now, Blurr. I'll be looking forward to our next meeting with him!"

<p class="MsoNormal">....

<p class="MsoNormal">

<p class="MsoNormal">Great. Blurr watches his attempts at consolation fail horribly. Something comes to his mind, though. "Tailgate...that bomb you made...

<p class="MsoNormal">"You claimed it was encased in a null field, so--how exactly did Outbound manage to disarm it before it went off? Shouldn't the field have kept him from doing that before it was too late?"

<p class="MsoNormal">The creature spins and twists about into Repugnus's robot mode!

<p class="MsoNormal">He doesn't want to lie. But Blurr outranks him, and he knows he'll be in trouble if anyone finds out. But who would find out? If he lies now, how would anyone know that he was? Unless Outbound decides to repeat to Repugnus what he told him, however unlikely that seems at the moment. "...there was a delay." he says finally.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tailgate finally looks up from having buried his helm in his knee servos.

<p class="MsoNormal">And then the door opens and Repugnus informs Blurr that he is going to let Outbound go for now. The speedster glances at him, noticing the cut on his face but otherwise he appears relatively unscathed. He gives Tailgate a 'see now that wasn't so bad' look before turning back to the Monsterbot.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Very well, sir. Tailgate and I will see him to an exit." The speedster puts a hand on Outbound's shoulder and begins firmly directing in the appropriate direction, nodding toward Tailgate to follow. "A delay, you say? And why's that?" he asks the minibot.

<p class="MsoNormal">Tailgate doesn't finish his train of thought, as he's very reluctant to tell Blurr why the bomb was the way it was. "I'll open the gated doors," he says, hurrying ahead of Outbound and the speedster. He hopes Blurr won't bring it up again.

<p class="MsoNormal">Oh thank Primus! Another moment and it's almost a certainty that the Bots would've been calling for a clean-up in the interrogation room, and for the rest of his existance Outbound would be the aft of every joke to come out of their territories. Fortune strikes again! Exhaling heavily the Decepticon's optics seem to flash on again, but he doesn't move from his spot on the floor. Obviously the Con's legs were too weak for the moment, though whether it was due to pain or terror is unknown (bloody fraggin' terror, dude!).

<p class="MsoNormal">"Be...seeing you..." Gulp.

<p class="MsoNormal">Outbound rises as he feels Blurr's hand on his shoulder, albeit with a little help. Those knees are still a bit wobbly! "That Bot..." Outbound begins. "Are you all certain that he was not a Decepticon first?"

<p class="MsoNormal">Blurr gives Outbound a sharp look. "Get a move on, Decepticon. Wouldn't want to overstay your welcome." He says, prodding the infantrymech forward with the barrel of his stun weapon. As he does so, a miniscule tracking device and audio transmitter is ejected from within the barrel of the electro-laser. It attaches itself to a joint crevice in his lower back, making itself as invisible as possible. At the comment on Repugnus, he just shrugs. "That doesn't concern you."

<p class="MsoNormal">The speed demon doesn't press the issue of the bomb for the moment, but it will come up later. The pointed look in his optics made that bit quite obvious.

<p class="MsoNormal">He watches as Blurr marches Outbound towards the exit. Tailgate looks up to make optic contact with the Decepticon as he leaves, his expression apologetic. He doesn't say anything, and as for Blurr, he just avoids looking at the speedster.

<p class="MsoNormal">"It's okay, kid... Not everyone 'says he's a good guy can live up to the name," Outbound offers Tailgate in passing, his optics trained straight ahead as he allows himself to be marched toward the gate only to pause. "Wait... Not this way. Take me out another way, there could be optics on these gates."

<p class="MsoNormal">Repugnus waves at Outbound's back as he leaves. "Come back anytime!" he calls out.

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===================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/110                    Posted        Author My assessment of Outbound         Fri Feb 08    Repugnus --       Repugnus appears in his intel office, sitting behind his desk, which currently has various statues depicting various forms of torture across the galaxy. A lot of them look pretty demented. "So I chatted with Outbound today. Well, me and Blurr. Tailgate was there too, but he was too busy examining the floor to take part. Anyway, we asked him a bunch of questions. Outbound repeated his desire to give us intel and emphasized his--supposed--disgust with his fellow connies. He didn't wanna defect outright because he thought it would be more dangerous. Just you wait, kid. Heh!

"Anyway, we also learned that Shockwave seems to be running the Decepticons right now, which is disappointing because I was hoping for civil war. Maybe that'll change if one of Galv's other lieutenants swings back home. We DIDN'T learn of Trypticon's location, which is annoying and suspicious at the same time. See, informants follow two separate patterns, based on my experience. If they're genuine, their intel will be of a highly variable quality. If they're not, their intel will start off slow, then get progressively better, then slide back down again as they start feeding us bad intel once they gain our trust. Like a bell curve. So, I'm thinkin' this guy is in the latter category, and while he might get us something really nice, eventually he'll start handing us crap. The trick, here, is to off the guy when he's at the nadir of his bell curve. It's tricky but I've managed to pull it off before. Of course, we could also just say screw it and kill him off." Repugnus shrugs. "Let the games begin!"

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===================== Autobot =================================== Message: 3/111                    Posted        Author Assessment Addendum               Fri Feb 08    Blurr --       Just thought I'd say that I echo Repugnus' discernment on this situation. Oh, and I put a tracking device and transmitter on him, so if we need to track him down, we can. Plus, it might give us a clue on what he's really up to. Blurr out.

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