Secrets in the Open

++ Rodion ++
Home largely to middle caste society, Rodion has the feel of both a burgeoning metropolis and a quiet little home town. Comfortable residential complexes rise high into the skyline alongside data processing offices, entertainment domes and various merchant complexes. Near one of last active hot spots, Rodion is also home to several Guild Assessment offices and Primary Programming schools, each capable of handling the nuturing of new sparks, as well as their education and placement in society. Rodion is also home to Maccadam's, one of the oldest and most well known bars on Cybertron.
Influenced by nearby Polyhex, the buildings and archeture have a distinct hexagonal, prismatic bias, though the color scheme leans mostly towards golds, bronzes and coppers, with roadways and pavement in silver-gray. The city enjoys a multi-level structure with dozens of roadways, paths and walkways in layers above the ground.
----
Knock Out at least waits until they're fully free of Maccadam's shadow, dragging Shiftlock along, before turning on her with a fully indignant expression on his face. "All right, you've got about five nanoseconds to tell me what you are, what is going on, and /why/ I should be doing anything /close/ to helping you."
Knock Off reverts back to Shiftlock in a wave of tiny transformation plates from head to toe. Her expression is dead serious. "All right, I'll answer those in order:" She counts off on her fingers as she responds to each question in turn. "One, I'm a Shifter. Two, I just broke away from being controlled by Senator Ratbat, and Three, Because I know how deep the corruption in the upper echelons of power goes."
Knock Out opens his mouth, closes it. There's a downward furrow of his optic ridges that makes him seem irritated at the interest of her response. "Well that's just--" He crosses his arms across his chestplate and considers her. "/How/ deep?"
"All the way to the Prime," Shiftlock responds, folding her arms over her torsoplate.
"Your big get is that the /Prime/ is corrupt?" Knock Out says with a clear scoff. "Not a particularly impressive insight."
"Did you ever register as a decepticon?" Shiftlock asks.
Knock Out startles a bit at the question, the sharp lines of his shoulders inching upwards. "I don't see how that's your or anybody else's business."
"Because there's a list, Knock Out. Everyone that's said the wrong thing, everyone that tried to register as a Decepticon, anyone that's downloaded a copy of samizdat writings of Megatron - they're on a list, and the Senate doesn't make lists unless they're planning to -do- something with that list," Shiftlock explains. She reaches into a compartment on her outer thigh and takes out a case, opening it in front of Knock Out.
Inside are an Autobot, Decepticon and Senate badge.
"Ratbat used me to get information on people, all kinds of people. You've seen what I can do - do you have any idea how easy it is for me to just walk into any city, any town, anyone's apartment, and get whatever information I want from them or their belongings? They used me to help make that list, and when I got an inkling of what they were gonna do with it.... I tried to kill Ratbat."
Knock Out is uncharacteristically quiet as she explains this, although there's quite a vivid variety of expressions that his face goes through. "I see." He considers her and her array of badges, and then frowns suddenly. "Is this what you were talking to Hot Rod about? Didn't you /just meet him/? It's bad enough that you're telling me, but at least I have some vague notion of how to blackmail you. But /really/, don't you have /any/ sense of self-preservation?" By the end, his tone is full-out exasperated.
"I told him because he's on the list," Shiftlock replies sadly. She shakes her head and looks back the bar. "What did that poor, stupid, hero-worshipping kid -ever- do to deserve being put in that slagging list? I had to get him prepared somehow, try to help him defend himself... that's when you came in and you kind of ruined it."
She closes the case and returns it to her thigh compartment, like stuffing a billfold in the front pocket of a pair of jeans.
Determination lights across her features. "When I attacked Ratbat, I threw away a chance at being part of the new order. I lost -everything-. I did it because I -read those samizdat writings-. Because self-preservation is the innermost energon of those holding onto power. When you let go of everything, Knock Out, you're free to do -anything-."
"Something stupid, I'm sure," Knock Out replies, much less worried about Hot Rod's well-being than Shiftlock, apparently. "On the contrary: self-preservation is the innermost energon of /anyone who wants to keep living/," he adds in disagreement.
"Oh you'll live all right. You just won't be -you- anymore," Shiftlock easily retorts. "What kept me in Ratbat's grasp for so long is that he's been -wiping my memory-. You heard me right: They've found a way to get into your brain module and read, write and erase. Somewhere on this planet there is a white room with a magnetic circuit slab, and there are mechs and femmes with needles and drills that get into your head and -change everything-. Think about it! They have a list of everyone that disagrees with them and a means of making you fall in line with them. Wasn't it really suspicious how Pious Maximus just suddenly changed him mind when he was one of the most outspoken anti-functionists on the planet?"
"I--" Somewhat irritated at Shiftlock forcing him to speak seriously on such matters, Knock Out grudgingly admits, "Yes. Yes, it was." He looks at her, his skepticism indignantly easing. "So you're saying this -- this is a really thing that's happening. On top of everything else."
"I've got the scars on the back of my neck to prove it. They got to Blurr, too. I showed him too much and they came for him and wiped him. He attacked me with a weapon that nearly fried my memory core, and he's still looking for me. I wouldn't have grabbed you like that if I didn't have to." Shiftlock's arms lower and her hands go to her hips as she looks at the streets. "Only one place left for me to go now that I'm an Empty - Kaon."
"Kaon's a mess," Knock Out says with surprising seriousness. "You go there, you're just as likely to get killed in the riots."
"What makes you think I haven't been there a hundred times over already?" Shiftlock asks with a wry smirk.
"Touche," Knock Out replies dryly. "I guess with your particular talent, you can get in and out of places easier than most."
"For awhile," she sighs. "Until my supply of element zero runs out. When that happens... well, I won't be healthy, we'll put it that way. I need to get to Megatron before then, try to tell him, show him, what's going on. At this point he's the only one that's going to be able to do anything about it."
"Element Zero," he replies with both interest and recognition that indicates he's aware of exactly how difficult that particular item is to get a hold of. "That's your plan, then? Take this straight to Megatron?"
"The Senate has their finger on him as the root and cause of the riots and the rebellion going on. He's the leader of the Decepticon movement. If anyone needs that information, if anyone can topple the Senate and get us out of the chains of the caste system... it's him," Shiftlock says with confidence.
"I wasn't disagreeing," Knock Out says, his tone going wry as he cants his head. "He /is/ the root and cause of everything, so I guess if you have information--" His shoulders roll in a shrug. "Good luck?"
"Thanks. And, for what's its worth? Your altmode feels like it would be really slick on the road," Shiftlock beams.
Suddenly there's that clicking sound, and it's Blurr standing in front of Knock Out. "Welp!" 'Blurr' announces, looking at the roads. "I'd better get started. Shouldn't be too far drive like this."
'Blurr' transforms and is just -gone-. The sonic boom and rush of wind come a few seconds later.
"It's way slicker than /that/ one!" Knock Out of course argues in that brief window before "Blurr" is gone. Ugh. UGH.