Prowl meets Stockade and Sterling

Transformers 2K5 - Prowl - jeudi, septembre 18, 2014, 8:09 ---

Iacon General Hospital - Iacon

There are many hospitals in Iacon, but none as prestigious and well equipped as Iacon General Hospital. The numerous state of the art facilities housed within the hospital offers around the clock emergency repairs, upgrades, and mundane upkeeps. Iacon General Hospital is staffed by many of the Autobots' brightest minds where the non-combatants can do their part in contributing to the war effort.

Contents: Sterling Trailbreaker The comatose form of Elita One ICU Pod 2 ICU Pod 1 Medic 

Trailbreaker has arrived.

Prowl walks into the hospital to check on two patients for very different reasons. The Autobot scans the place looking for Stockade or any unfamiliar bot since he has yet to meet Stockade.

Off to the side, Trailbreaker is going over his forcefield schematics with the medical staff on hand. Apparently the one-trick pony is attempting to make his one-trick more efficient, and include many combat applications if possible (if Brainstorm and Wheeljack get around to inventing any).

Next to the invention/adventure party going on, Stockade is resting on a recharge slab. Wires hang out of his body this way and that, a small machine gives readouts as to progress right behind him. The medium sized Transformer isn't alone, however. One of the Guardian-Class Autobots is there, arms crossed in front of his chest; optics scanning over to the entrance of the room for any trouble whatsoever. Not finding any, Titan resumes his vigil watch over the wounded Tarn officer.

It seems witnesses aren't even safe in the hospital anymore!!

Prowl cracks a small smile when he spot his old Ark buddy. "Hey there Trailbreaker. Long time no see. Nice work with the munitions yesterday." He glances at Stockade with the guard next to him. Prowl takes a quick look at his datapad to confirm he has all the info before talking with both cops.

Glancing up from his work, Trailbreaker snaps his usual smug smile that warms even the darkest cores (trademarked by the way) to Prowl. "Hey, if it wasn't for Sandstorm's timely intervention.. those munitions would have been WRECKED!" he puns with no remorse.

No pun is safe around Trailbreaker, he will make them all.

"I'm not sure if the arena has any surveillance vidbots, so you might need to put the pressure on Bonecrusher. Find out what the explosives were for." he continues, stepping away from the medibots. "What brings you down here? I know someone as busy as you Prowl has more important things to worry about than making house calls over me."

The cop's optics look up for a fraction of a second as if making a mental note. "I have a deep cover agent inside Tarn who will be able to validate all that for me." He motions to the two guests "Actually I am here to see these two guys and after that I will figure out the next step. What are you working on?" he asks a bit intrigued.

"Well, the medibots are trying to streamline my energon flow.. get more gusto out of the old forcefield you know? I've been bugging Brainstorm and Wheeljack to develop more battlefield applications for it." Trailbreaker pratically shouts, so excited that Prowl asked him that question.

He's been waiting for someone, anyone, to ask that question.

"Hey, if I'm gonna be a one-trick pony.. I'd better make that one-trick pretty darn useful, am I right??" the Autobot gushes, giving Prowl a good natured slap on the back.

Titan's head immediately whips over when contact is made, his scanners identifying each Autobot, their history (what is documented anyways), and body language to read intent. After dismissing it as casual joyous celebration, the Guardian-Class Autobot returns to his normal look-forward position.

Prowl pats Trailbreaker on the shoulder "You are not a one-trick pony my friend. There is more to you than just the forcefield. You are smart, cool under fire and fearless. All these things are always useful, forcefield or not. Remember that." He walks over to Stockade "Greetings Stockade. The name is Prowl. How are you feeling?"

Another trademarked smile, Trailbreaker gets back to work with the medibots. "And you're more than a cop buddy, thanks for the uplifting words.. you know, if investigation doesn't pan out for you. You have a very promising career in motivational speaking!!"

Titan instantly perks up when Prowl approaches, scanning for any foreign bodies on his chassis. "Greetings Prowl." he bows his head, the scans revealing nothing of interest. When the cop has it under wraps, the Autobot guard stalks off to find some ener-java.. it's been a LONG shift.

The medium gray Cybertronian rises from his rest, optics fixated on Prowl. "I know who ya are, blasted glitch of a diode. Figured you'd not recognize me." he gruffs, rising to fix himself to an upright seated position. His arms shake and shudder on the handrails, trying to support his weight. "How do ah feel? Sterhlin' made a meat puppet outta mah innards. Bots fixed me up good nough though."

Prowl feels a bit bad and wonder if he should recognize him. "I am sorry if I did not recognize you. I was out of circulation myself for the past thirty years or so. I do have your file on hand though. That incident would have shooked anybody up but despite that, you chose to sign up with the Tarn PD in order to protect the people."

He looks him over "You are lucky Blurr and Crusade were able to stabilize you while getting directions from a medic over the radio. Mighty close call but you made it." He glances at Sterling who is locked on a slab (hopefully) further in the med bay. "Speaking of the big guy. Any reason he singled you in particular? Did you have something on him? Just plain bad luck?"

"Yeah, figgers." Stockade grumbles, shifting uneasily in the slab. It's a wonder how anyone gets any decent rest in the things, considering just how awfully uncomfortable they are. "I signed up with tha Tarn police depahrtment cause I.." he trails, looking towards a nearby window. "Owed somebody."

"Simple, I was in tha way." he answers, not entirely truthfully.

Prowl takes a few notes..."Fair enough. Just trying to get all I need to build an airtight case against Sterling. The corruption issue with Sterling and his partners. Did the chief know about it?" Does his best to look non-threatning an scribbles notes like a student in a lecture.

Shifting uncomfortably in the slab again, due to nerves this time, Stockade lifts himself up against all damaged odds to point a finger at Prowl. "Listen ere Prowl, the Chief is a helluva bot.. more bot than most of us, combined even." he growls, finger shaking. "He had nothin' ta do with any 'o Stehrlin's shenanigahns."

Shrinking back, Stockade's accusing tone reduces to a mutter. "Gah, days like this wish I could have ah drink." Peering around the room, he continues to answer Prowl's line of questioning. "Listen Prowl, I ain't no rat. I work mah beat, keep it clean, keep mah head down.. I ain't no snitch, yah hear me?"

Sterling /was/ bolted to his table, but the medics have allowed him to roam the rather small perimeter around it within a heavy containment field. He's pacing and glaring, naturally. At some point he pauses to watch the two of them openly, arms folded over his chest.

Prowl's optics narrow a bit. "If the chief had nothing to do with it. He still failed to notice it or do something about it. That alone is worth asking the questions don't you think?" The Autobot grabs a chair "I find it..interesting that you would refer to yourself as a rat or snitch. Usually when someone mentions ratting out snitching means there is something being covered up. That is what makes it worth digging." He leans a bit closer "Who are you covering for and why?"

"This whole precint is the Chief's proto, Prowl.. you think he wants to know that some ohf his chosen officers are.." Stockade trails, looking sidelong at Sterling behind the containment field. Just his presence alone sends a chill down Stockade's newly rebuilt spine. "You guarantee amnesty for myself and the Chief, ahnd I'll tell ya what I know."

Prowl looks at Stockade with a serious look. "I can guarantee amnesty but depending on what I hear but I cannot guarantee you will work in law-enforcement again. We do have other places, more secure, more friendly where you can start over if needed. I would require you to remain in Iacon for a certain time until proper cover is established and then you would be released. How does that sound?"

"About as good as it's gonna geht." Stockade relinquishes his bargaining position, resting back into the slab on his backside. "Where to start.."

Stockade's mind races over the past several years, deciding on a point.

"After Galvatron Jr right? Damn bugger tore me asunder, right in two he did." Stockade points to some medical scars of torso reattachment. "I'd ah been a bit more bugglehd if he'd decided to lengthwise me, yah?" Stockade chuckles nervously. "Anyways, dipped real bad into tha enerhol I did. Got demoted -again- fer bein' drunk. Sure nough, I was put back into tha werkforce. Drinkin' my fair share of engex and more, drownin' mah sorrows, it all looked bleahk."

Stockade's face is remorseful, his optics fight back the urge to shed tears. "That's when ah met tha Chief. He picked me. Not some bright neutral comin' out ah trainin'. Not some hotshot detective like you. Me, a good fer nuthin' drunk with a lifetime of scars." the old codger pauses, fingers flexed out in earnest.. legs too. "Got me clean, gave me ah purpose again, Tarn was tha reason to continue keepin' on."

Prowl listens eager to learn why the chief would need amnesty. While he does stop taking notes he remembers everything. Thanks to his leet memory skill.

"Then Sterhlin' came along." Stockade bites out, shooting a nasty glare towards the bot and his containment field.

"Either you was gettin' paid off by 'em, quite a bit eh.. heard some of the sergeants were livin' like fat turbo-rats, one even bought up Mirage's old estate before tha war. So you got bribed.. or you got shot fer tryin' ta snag his op." he continues to explain, getting a wicked bad case of the shakes again. "Or you like me, work ya beat and keep yer head down.. yeah yeah, I knew somethin' fowl was goin' on. But I had bigger things ta worry bout, like keepin' tha peace fer one. The Chief knew nothin', Tarn police depahrtment was his proto like ah said.. if anythin', he didn't see tha writin' on tha wall cause he thought better of us." Stockade confesses.

"Any reports ta indicate otherwise were covered up.. witnesses willin and wantin to speak out, silenced."

Prowl nods slowly as he finally gets confirmation of something he suspected all along but could not prove yet. "This means there are more corrupted cops out there that we cannot in good conscience allow to continue to work." He stands up and paces a bit "Try to put yourself in my tires for a minute. You have a situation like Tarn's. You walk in with very little intel. Spot a few things that seem off and behold...It is not just corrupted cop it is many. Now the population often complains of excessive force or brutality. So...you can imagine how I feel when I look at the big picture and say...It does not look good."

"I will need a list of those that were on the take so we can clean the place up once and for all.

Sterling smirks loudly, "Ya' gonna' arrest the entire police force of Tarn, Prowl?"

"Yeah yeah, you gonna rip em all off da force?" Stockade asks, head fixated on Prowl's calm optics. "There's some good mechs in that department, Prowl. How about lettin' the Chief handle this one, eh?"

Then Sterling pipes up, drawing the ire of Stockade.

"Listen, iffin I gotta testify fer this.. I will. I'll take tha heat, I'll resign. But you give me two things, 'ere?" he bargains again, rising to his seated position. "One. Promise 'o the Chief's position, he'll not be dragged through pistons o'er this. And two?" he actually breaks into a grin, pointing towards Sterling. "His core in a anti-grav nullification field after the trial."

Prowl turns to Sterling with a serious look in his optics. "You make it sound like an unanticipated scenario...There are plans and contigencies if such an action becomes necessary but I sincerely hope it does not. I expected more of your collegues to defend you. I half-expected to get a call from the chief to tell me to release you. I even considered the possibility of your collegues taking up arms over this but no...Nothing." He lets that sink "That should tell you something. You have no friends...and right now no power either."

Prowl slowly turns towards Stockade "This was not what we agreed on earlier. I will take note of it and discuss everything with Rodimus. As for the second requests. He cracks a slightly evil grin...almost out of character for those who know him. "His core floating in an anti-grav field is not the worse that could happen to him."

Sterling's grin fades. "Flaunt all you wish. My sole partner was Trefoil, but it seems she's betrayed me. I should've expected that. The chief is a fool."

"You're truly going to aid the Autobots, Stockade? Have you forgotten how they've oppressed Tarn to cause such unrest and hatred that its once harmless citizens have turned against the police force meant to protect them? The Autobots dole out commands on high and leave us to deal with the consequences! You think that is fair? I should've finished you off," he spits sourly.

"Aid tha Bots? Like I could give a boots lick bout them anymore. They turned their backs on me when I needed tha help most." Stockade spits ferrociously at Sterling, turning from his risen seated position to face the corrupt Tarn officer.

"The Chief though? I'd give my core and more fer that bot. Right don't make right, Sterling. Look at you, the Chief -believed- in you." he continues, going on a verbal tirade. "You were tha best of us, you were chosen to -help- bring peace to Tarn.. NOT LEAD IT INTO DARKNESS!"

To his credit, Stockade manages to draw a response from Sterling that's not a biting retort. It looks more like a glimpse of shame, and the large jet mech turns his optics elsewhere, the segmented plates of his wings clacking as he shifts his weight uneasily. "Hnn."

Prowl watches the exchanges that looks like student berating a mentor which was the other way around in that movie. He did get some more information that he was looking for. He walks over to the containment field looking at the larger bot. When dinobots hate your guts you have to get passed the whole size intimidation thing. "Trefoil was your only partner. You took orders from no one. This was your show. Why? Why turn your back on your brothers?" he motions at Stockade.

Shaking after the exchange, Stockade rests back on the slab. His mind is racing over what happened in Tarn, what is happening right now, and what is to come for his most recent newly chosen home.

The thoughts carry him off to rest, as Titan stomps back into the facility. Making note of Prowl's close proximity to the containment field, the large Autobot guard makes systems ready for combat. Never know what's going to happen on this episode of TRANSFORMERS. And so, he takes his guard position back up near the foot of Stockade's slab.

Brainstorm has connected.

Sterling glares pointedly at Prowl as he approaches and immediately dives back into angry murderous convict mode. But he doesn't try to lunge at the field. Probably because the field would fry him good, but it could have something to do with Titan moving on back. "I'm not telling you slag," he scowls, "Just lock me up with the rest and move on with your happy fraggin' life as the Autonanny here."

Brainstorm walks in carring what seems to be a robotic head, From the size it could be the size of Omega Supreme's head. Brainstorm staggers slightly through the door then walks towards the far side of the repair bay and slowly lowers it to the floor. He chuckles as he stands up and says to himself, "Always good to have spares..." he laughs as he turns around and says, "Hmmm, Sorry... I'm not disterbing am I?" he grins.

Prowl looks at Sterling trying to find one redeeming quality. A hint of regret. "You already told us alot. So did your ex-partner. I guess your only regret is that you got caught. You are probably not even sorry for everything you did. Besides we might learn some more when we get our hands on Flaxjax." He drops the name...just to see if anyhing happens.

Prowl steps away from the field and notices Brainstorm "Ahh Brainstorm." He raises a finger telling him to hold "I have something for you." He pulls out a small box and hands it over to Brainstorm. "I have taken this CPU out of some sort of spy drone. All the serial numbers were filed off so I have no clue where it comes from or to whom it belongs. The drone self destructed but I managed to save this." He looks up at Brainstorm "Can you salvage anything from it?"

Sterling grumbles and eventually turns away, going back to pacing. The mention of Flaxjax does earn a glimpse over the shoulder, however, but he doesn't comment.

Brainstorm walks over, his face change from a smile to a look of concentration, "Interesting, There may be some information to be gleened from the CPU but a shame you didn't salvage the rest of the drone... Let me take a look..." Brainstorm takes the chip and starts to examine it he shakes his head and then says, "Are you sure this is all you managed to recover?"

Prowl listens to Brainstorm's question...

FLASHBACK

Prowl is delicatedly working on the workbench. He removes the CPU but triggers a booby-trap causing the drone to explode and rain shrapnel through the Autobot's hand and all over his once pristine office. Screen = Stabbed. Desk = 3 pieces embedded. Ceiling = Shrapnel. Walls = Scorched and Shrapnelized. Chair = Don't sit there yet.

He nods again "Yes I am pretty sure that was it."

Brainstorm takes the chip to the far workbench and gently with a tool chips off a small chunk from the chip and places the fragment into a strange looking device that looks like a oven, he presses a few buttons on a console and places the other part of the chip on a black sheet on the table and attaches some wires from the console and says, "One second... Lets see what we have here... He then starts a program on the console and a flood of symbols flow across the screen as the processor powers up and a diagnostic scan starts. Brainstorm walks over to the oven looking device and says, "Quartz 5334... Nice... Rare..." he turns to Prowl and says, "This was not built on Cybertron..."

Prowl frowns and is a bit surprised at that comment "Really? Interesting. The drone itself was bird-like. Think of Buzzsaw but without weapons and leaner. A single shot took it down." Double-checks the prisonner and the guest as he moves over to Brainstorm's position and look important as if he understoof exactly what Brainstorm was doing. "It is not a rush job. Take your time with it and come back to when you have done all you can."

Brainstorm grins and says, "Indeed, But there are few things you should have... I need to find out where this came from..." there is a loud ping from the console and Brainstorm walks over and says, "the first stage of the diagnostics is complete... It's only the first stage but i can give you a little more information to work with..." he presses a few buttons on the console and says, "There as a subspace emitter on the drone, From this i can tell that at times the drone would record segements of data and send them to a yet unknown location... I can't at this moment tell when the last upload took place... Hmmm... I think i'll need more time to go over this data... Yes..." he then starts to read the data as he start the more indepth scan of the processor.

Nightbeat arrives from the Science and Technology District to the south. Nightbeat has arrived.

Prowl nods understanding full well the possible implications of the data being sent somewhere else. It was always a possibility. "I found it spying on me in Tarn in an alley. I do not know anything else besides the fact it was booby-trapped and exploded while I performed an autopsy on it." Prowl heads back for his office "Keep me posted Brainstorm. Thanks again."

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