Getting the Big Scoop

++ Main Floor <Hall of Records> ++

Arcee strolls into the Hall of Records in her disguised mode as 'Shutterfly', and checks in at the front desk. This place is so large, she thinks, she would take a long time to find what she's seeking in here, but she knows who can locate information quickly. She puts in a request with the bot at the main desk that she would like to see Rewind at his earliest convenience.

It doesn't take much time at all before Rewind is scurrying out to greet Arcee. "Oh! Hi!" He runs up to greet her, giving her a courteous nod of the head. Given her disguise, he doesn't recognize that they've met before. "I was told that you wanted to see me. Heh, I don't get many personal requests!" His blue optics peer up at hers. "How can I help you?"

"You came very highly recommended," 'Shutterfly' says with a smile. "Actually...can you keep a really big secret? I probably should have told you ahead of time that I'm dealing with information of a sensitive nature."

Rewind's optics light up, and it's quite possible the small mech gets \*excited\* at the thought of danger, more than avoidant of it. However, he's also quite discreet. He nods, placing his hand upon his chest. "I /swear/ I can keep a secret. Actually, you'd be surprised the secrets I know." He seems to wink a little. "Not that I'm tellin'."

'Shutterfly' chuckles. "Well alright then. I know you've already checked out my press pass, which says I'm Shutterfly and I work as a photojournalist for KNN...and while it's true that I am working there...I'm actually Arcee, on undercover assignment. A name came up recently, and I need to find out who this person is. Was wondering if you could research the name and see if anything exists on record."

Rewind blinks, then stares up at Arcee. "I knew you looked familiar, but.... Huh." He strokes at his chin thoughtfully, then seems to smile under his faceplate. "It's good to see you again! And sure, no problem! If there are any records, I should be able to find them. Who do you want to learn about?"

"A mech by the name of 'Cypher'. I'm not trying to dig up 'dirt', per se, but I want to get an idea of who he is and what he does. And I'm not even sure where to begin," Arcee admits with a slight shrug. "But I knew \*you\* would know a thing or two about researching someone with very little to go on!"

Rewind ponders this. "Cypher... that name sounds familiar..." He automatically starts running through his database, though that may take awhile. "I'm not sure why off the top of my head, though." The small mech continues to look thoughtful. "Any associative subjects, places, or people that might help me narrow my search?"

Arcee says "P...possibly something to do with Ibex or IAA, although that's not entirely certain," Arcee says. "...Boy, have I been wanting to talk to you, and not even just about this. I'm posing as a photojournalist...or \*trying\* to. I should send you some of my work so far, so you can critique it! You'd know what a good photojournalist does!""

Rewind goes back to tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Ah... Ok. That helps narrow things down..." He adds the keywords in, narrowing his search. He glances up at Arcee. "And you mentioned KNN... do you think he's in Kaon?" As to the rest, he appears to grin under the faceplate. "Sure! I... well, I don't know how \*good\* I am, I'm... not very experienced..." He looks shyly to the floor, "But I'd be happy to give you whatever input I have!"

"I'm not entirely sure if he's in Kaon or not at this point," Arcee mentions, "But his name sort of...came up in some strange context, and I thought it might be a wise idea to find out what line of work he's in." She smiles fondly at the cute little archivist. "Aw, come on, you're always filming! I wouldn't be surprised if you film your films and re-edit your edits at the end of each cycle! You'd know what it takes to be a pro in the field, I'll bet."

Rewind stares up at Arcee in astonishment. "How did you know?!" He suddenly looks around as if he's afraid he'll be caught or something, then looks back up at her in wide-opticed wonder. "OK... I admit, I'm got dreams of being a great archivist... maybe even making historical films. I've... tried my hand here and there, but..." He glances around again. "Of course, I'm a disposable... I'm not supposed to \*have\* dreams. And- and I work hard! I do! But... when I do have time off, I... have been known to... dabble, yeah."

"Well you're not 'disposable' to me, you're quite invaluable," Arcee notes fondly. "As far as I'm concerned, you're allowed to have all the dreams you want. Might actually be a more popular viewpoint than you would think."

Rewind tilts his head up at Arcee, and there is a small but warm smile under the faceplate. "...Thank you. I... yeah, I do. I just have to be... quiet about it." He pauses a moment, then asks, "Oh? Yes, I... I've been meeting people- here and there- and they seem to want to treat me like I'm... well, like I'm \*equal\* or something." He glances away, scratching at the back of his helmet. "It feels good."

"It's because you have a great personality. It isn't required, but it does help," Arcee notes. "Might not help you with everyday problems of 'class', but when you distinguish yourself in a good way, then sometimes that will work in your favor." She pauses briefly to go through some files, then produces an image file of Clench. "Know anything about this mech?"

Rewind chuckles. "Heh, thanks. And yes... a pleasant attitude goes a long way. Believe me, I know... I've had to deal with all sorts working here!" At the mention of Clench, he pauses to think. "Hmm. Another familiar name... I believe he works in Kaon, has some power and influence, though I'd need to look through my records to find out more. Oh, and speaking of which, I'm returning some results on Cypher."

He pauses as information seems to stream in. "Ok, Cypher's a well-respected neurologist AND psychologist working for the IAA. Intelligent- graduated from the Academy with top honors. Interesting... he recently replaced a mech by the name of Axel, who died in an accident."

Arcee sits back and listens, pondering the results Rewind was able to bring back on Cypher. "IAA, hm? See, I thought he might have something to do with that." She frowns, wondering to herself why Cypher would be 'controlling' Blurr, and what it signifies. "...Well, thank you. I may eventually need to pay him a visit," she admits.

Rewind nods. "I'm glad I could help! I'm searching for Clench, too... I'm not finding a lot... he seems to head a labor division in Kaon, employing miners there." He hops up onto a chair so that he can sit near Arcee, swinging his feet since his legs don't reach the floor. "It sounds like you get to go on a exciting adventures. I'd love to be a photojournalist... seen anything interesting? I mean... that you're Ok with telling me."

"If this mission wasn't so dangerous -- and I mean dangerous to the point of hunting sparkeaters look like a harmless game -- then I'd invite you to come to Kaon to see all the things I've been filming for yourself," Arcee says. "This Clench guy...he's apparently the 'pit boss' of the Forge. My work's taken me inside the Forge, right there with all the fighters and the dissidents."

Rewind's optics go wide. "Woah, really? Wow..." He leans in a bit, imagining what that must be like. "Yes... I don't think I'd last long there, but... wow. The epic battles, the big fight scenes!" Another blink. "You know where the Forge IS? Don't they build those, fight in 'em, and tear them down again so outsiders can't track it down?" His optic ridges narrow down in concern. "If you're in there... yeah, you need to be careful."

He looks up at her "in disguise". "Well- it's good you have that disguise then... heh, that pink really... stands out." He scratches sheepishly at the back of his helmet again, glancing away. "But... anyway... I didn't know Clench was involved with that. I think there are rumors he's involved with shady dealings, but up until now it had seemed to be just that- rumors, and you know how those can be."

"I'm in contact with quite a few mechs, now, who go to the Forge on a regular basis...so if and when it gets move, I just follow the fighters. They ALWAYS know where the next matchups are going to be," Arcee says. "And you're right, I couldn't hide inside a pitch-black room with my usual paintjob. But yeah, getting back to the stuff I'm finding out...Clench is heavily involved with the politics surrounding those bouts. There's a lot more I'm finding out now, but I'm not in this alone. I have a..." She sighs. "I have a helper."

Rewind places his head on one of his hands. "Huh. Interesting. Well... it fits his profile. He seems to be a "type A personality"... always wanting to be in control." His head tilts again at the mention of the "helper". His voice echos the fact that he's not sure she sounded very... happy about that. "Aaaand... who is this helper? Or- well- if you can tell me, that is."

"Since I haven't really spoken to Prowl, umm...let's just say it's classified. For now. Only because I'm not sure yet if I'm allowed to bring it up. But he's going to be helpful in some very important ways." (If he doesn't drive me crazy first,) Arcee thinks. "I probably wasn't supposed to tell you about the mission either, but I know that you're not going to say anything. The job I have there in Kaon is kind of neat...I have my own office, I get to edit film for the news broadcasts...you'd love it there."

Rewind nods. "I understand. And yes, my lip plates are sealed!" He makes a crossing out motion in front of his face. "I want people to be able to trust me... when you're walking around with a video camera attached to your head, that's pretty important. I think of trust as a responsiblity, too... for instance, the camera gives me a little bit of power I wouldn't have otherwise, and it's important I never abuse that." He chuckles again, "Yes... that would fun. If you want to send me some footage for review, or whetever, I'd enjoy seeing it."

"Absolutely," Arcee says, and she decides to share some of her footage from the Forge as a token of appreciation for Rewind's assistance. She shows off her up-close-and-personal footage of a skeptical-looking Thundercracker, some 'towering' footage of the large Triplechangers...oh yes, and that guy Blast Off is in there, too. Also, an angry-looking Clench yelling at the empties, telling them that they're 'property' and have to remain inside the Forge until further notice. "...Kind of gets rude there toward the end," she admits.

Rewind optics widen again, and the small mech watches, fascinated. "Oooh- nice, you really got up close there. That guy looks \*big\*, too. Hmm." He takes the footage in, frowning when the video gets to the part with Clench. ".... Yes, it does." He shakes his head softly. "Aren't a lot of those guys Decepticons? I'd heard they were fighting against guys like that. That... well, that attitude, I mean."

"I'm not sure that all of them are Decepticons," Arcee admits, "But some of them, sure, no question. Many are sympathizers. Many more are just curious, and they want to learn more. It's a movement based upon strength, and competitive advantage. Power appeals to the powerless. They want some of that for themselves. After feeling powerless for so long, who wouldn't, right? In Kaon, this Decepticon message is really catching on in a big way."

Rewind nods his head thoughtfully. There's a furtive look around, and he leans in and says quietly, "Yes... honestly, I've been interested in their movement. I.. I kinda know how they feel." He sighs. "Though I don't know. I hear things... things that make me think some of them are just looking around for excuses to fight- like there in those pits. But other times- I think maybe they might end up doing some good?"

"The principles they're based upon sound extremely good, in theory," Arcee admits, "Because who doesn't want to be considered 'equal' with other mechs? The existing structure is flawed, there's problems for sure...but the more I see of this Decepticon group, the less I feel like they're the answer to all of these problems. They're every bit as rough as they look. Many are from rough professions such as mining and other heavy labor, and many of them harbor a deep resentment."

Rewind rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Yes... and that resentment can fester, cause problems. I wonder if they'll be able to show enough restraint to achieve their goals? They have reason to be unhappy... but sometimes it's hard to know when to push- and when to stop. Especially when you're sitting on a powder keg like they are."

"Time will tell, won't it." Arcee produces a business card-type datachip, and hands it to Rewind, closing his hand over it gently. "If you do come to Kaon, ask for 'Shutterfly'. I work in the KNN offices there if you ever want the grand tour. Just...keep in mind, it isn't anything like GNN's operations. It's a looooot smaller and a lot less fancy. Just be careful."

Rewind's optics shine at the datachip, happily accepting and subspacing it. "Thanks! Shutterfly, got it. Yes... if I'm ever out that way I'll be sure to look you up!" The small mech grins and gives her another wink. "I don't mind smaller. Sometimes smaller means "just right"." Then he hops off his chair, straightening it up and returning to look at Arcee once more. "I'm glad you came by. I had wondered how you were- I'm glad you're staying busy- and it certainly seems your life isn't dull."

"Oh, it's...quite a few things right now, actually, but you're correct, 'dull' is NOT one of those things," Arcee admits. "And thank you for the help. Once I finish up my work in Kaon, I think I'd better go follow up on this 'Cypher'. And maybe find out exactly what happened to his predecessor, too." She leans down and hugs Rewind, because he's just too cute for words. "You take care of yourself, okay? Hopefully pretty soon I'll have some exciting news for you." Arcee realizes that Blurr's going to keep her right on task because he's going to want to get this capture DONE.

Rewind grins- and then stiffens in surprise as Arcee reaches down and hugs him. The hug is quickly returned, however. Pulling away once more, he steps back and looks up, nodding. "Heh, thanks... you too. I'll keep your contact information and I'll be sure to let you know if I find anything else."