Click

Arcee transforms to vehicular mode outside of Maccadams, then she explains to Road Rage as she heads down the main avenue, "<< Blurr's been on the lam for a few astrodays...I'm going to see if I can convince him to return on his own volition. I've heard from Intel that he's been seen racing on Brake Street...>>"

Road Rage stands there for an instant not transforming. "<< ... are you sure we need to transform? I mean, uh, I don't exactly have the best driving history if you know what I mean...">> She frowns and looks after the departing Arcee.

Arcee scoots to a stop. "<< Not even for a short drive? We're not that far! >>" she insists.

Road Rage looks around. No one else is here? "<<... uh, okay, well... don't say I didn't warn you...">> She transforms into her hypercar mode and PEELS THE HELL OUT. "OHHH YEAHHHHHHHHH!" She catches up with Arcee far too quickly and then overtakes her. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She swerves a little, fishtails for an instant, and almost loses control. She recovers, goes straight again... right into a statue of a minor Cybetronian dignitary from the days before the war. The statute disintegrates.

"<< Wow, >>" Arcee exclaims. "<< Damn, I didn't think anyone drove worse than Hot Rod. You just won the prize. Look out for that -- uh -- yeah. Just...meet me down at Brake Street. Please? >>" She's beginning to feel a little bit of stress.

    Uraya is the entertainment capital of Cybertron. It was once replete with activity, although in recent times many of its most famous attractions have fallen to disuse. Racing had always been one of the planet's main forms of entertainment, and with much it outlawed the city's economy suffered.

    Still, no law could stop racing completely. There are still numerous underground racing circuits running illegally by those who simply could not let go of their favorite pastime. It should come as no surprise that some of it is happening in Uraya. Like right now. As Arcee and Road Rage make their way down the street, several drag racers whiz past, nearly running the two fembots over.

Road Rage's headlights shine REALLY ANGRILY when the drag racers blast past here. "OH YEAH, YOU CHUMPS THINK YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MESS WITH ROAD RAGE?" Her engine ROARS. And she goes even faster. It's like someone is dumping gasoline directly into her engines. Faster. Faster. Faster. Suddenly her back wheels roll up and wings pop out of her sides. She is suddenly a weird jet propelled car, blaster forward dangerously, erratically fast. She must have a forcefield on her front end or something, because columns, road signs, enerfruit cars, basically anything in her way is eradicated with nary as scratch to her. "COMMMEEE BACKKKK HERREEEEE!" she howls as she gains on the drag racers.

Arcee doesn't even have a hope of catching up to the drag racers. Or Road Rage, for that matter. "<< ...Uh...You still there? >>" She sighs heavily, heading in the direction where she just saw the racers and Road Rage go, figuring she'll eventually end up in the same place as them as long as she keeps them on her scanners.

    They ignore Road Rage's shouts, turning a sharp corner down a narrower street that leads into a long, dark tunnel that heads into the bowels of the city.

Road Rage is unprepared for the turn and SMASHES into a building! Dust and chunks of metal go flying and there's a huge cloud of debris growing. Does that mean Road Rage is stopped? No. A series of windows near the top of the building shatter as Road Rage, gracelessly flies out. From the air she zooms and waves, dashes between buildings, trying to find the drag racers that ditched her. "WHERE ARE YOU?" she screams. And eventually notices the comm attempts from Arcee. "<<WHY DO YOU DRIVE SO SLOW??>>" is all she says.

"<< You know...I think you were right all along, I probably shouldn't have asked you to drive. That was just a bad idea, >>" Arcee admits. Eventually, she passes Road Rage and continues following the drag racers. "<< But we need to find Blurr! So come on, chop chop. >>"

Road Rage hovers hopelessly as Arcee finally catches up and abruptly disengages her wings. She lands on the street from about a three story drop with a tremendous CRASH. She seems completely unharmed by this. "<< YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TO GO FAST!!>>"

   The tunnel slopes gently downward, taking them to an entirely new sector of the city. Down -here- are where all the races are. Ahead looms an underground arena, just like the ones in Ibex albeit a bit less fancy and a bit more functional. There's quite the crowd down here, too. Well what can we say, racing was one of Cybertron's most popular sports!

"<< I've noticed, you have a...knack for going fast, >>" Arcee says carefully, trying not to rile up Road Rage any more than she already is. (Darn it, she didn't SEEM crazy back at the bar,) she thinks to herself with a sigh. As she nears the end of the tunnel, she begins feeling more optimistic. "<< Road Rage, this has to be it. You know what Blurr looks like, don't you? Look around and see if you spot him! >>"

Road Rage blasts down the tunnels, scraping against the walls, first on one side, then the other. She sometimes moves around Arcee, sometimes cuts her off. <<"A KNACK FOR GOING FAST? I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE!">> She again cuts off Arcee and then gains massive speed again. A nitro boost? Something. <<"HE'S THE BLUE GUY! I'LL LOOK FOR HIM!">> She immediately rear ends a drag racer who goes flying off the road and spins to a halt. The drag racer transforms and shakes his fist at Road Rage. "Watch we're you're going!" he bellows. Road Rage ignores him and just goes faster.

    Down on the tracks several racers are zooming around and over obstacles as the crowds cheer. And guess who's in the lead? Yep, Blurr. There's no mistaking that stylish blue frame, as he crosses the finish line in first. The audience is roaring its approval, many of them standing up and jumping around.

    Though their view is obscured, they can probably see him on the videopanes located around the stadium, waving to the crowds as they shout his name. The cameras follow him until he leaves the arena, disappearing through a pair of doors on the east side of the arena.

Once they begin approaching the stands, Arcee focuses on the fans, because wherever THEY are, Blurr is likely to be. She notices the videopanes, and hopes that maybe they still have a chance. "<< He IS here. Come on. East end. We need to find a way into that area. And no, we can't plow through the track, we'll get kicked out of here. >>" She transforms back to root mode, heading through the stands hoping to find alternate access. "<< As long as his fans are here, he'll probably stick around for a while. >>"

Road Rage transforms into her robot mode and somehow winds up on her knees, panting. She hops to her feet, looking MORTIFIED. "Ohnoohnoohnoohnononono! Did I do something bad? Arcee? Are you okay? Is everyone okay? I'm soembarassedIcan'tbelieveit." She blinks. Arcee wants go into the stands? She can do that.

"Blurr's going to foot the property damage bill, so don't worry about it," Arcee quips. "We're fine, uh...no one died, right? Things can be put back together. Let's just see if we can get into the east end of the stadium."

Road Rage follows Arcee to the east but keeps yammering on. "Ohhh! I don't know why I always do this! This is why I don't like transforming. It's like, I have this ball of nerves in my chestplate and I just can't think straight and then I got so mad but driving fast is so fun and Ijustcan'tseemtostayontheroad I--", she breaks off. "Was that him just now? Did he just go in there?" She points at a huge doorway. It probably wasn't Blurr. BUT WHO KNOWS?

    They can skirt around the back of the stands without being noticed for the most part. The crowds are busy cheering, drinking, and exchanging shanix from bets. Most of them are super overcharged and slag.

    Actually, Blurr just came -out- of a doorway. Not a huge one, but close enough right? He doesn't look very good, now that they can see him up close. He looks...exhausted like that one night in Harmonex.

"Oh, I hear you, look, no worries," Arcee tells Road Rage as she continues making her way through the stands to the eastern side of the track. "I'm just glad you decided to come down here with me, this place is a little bit weird and it's just good to have someone familiar around." She pauses as Blurr emerges from a doorway. "Hey, Blurr...are you okay?" She frowns uncertainly, apparently not encouraged by his haggard appearence.

Road Rage nods a couple of times to Arcee, still embarrassed. "Uhm, I'm glad to help!" She pauses and quietly adds, "...next time, you drive." She looks away. And then Arcee spots Blurr. Road Rage heedlessly dashes at Blurr and tries to give him a big hug. Does it matter that she barely knows him? NOPE! "Blurr! Hey! So great to see you!"

    Blurr doesn't resist the hug, just kind of...stands there awkwardly as Road Rage embraces him even though she only met him once. "Uh." he stares at her. "I think I met you--once."

    But his optics light up with recognition more at the sight of Arcee. "Oh, Arcee. Thank Primus you're all right. I-I thought they might lock you up."

Road Rage holds the hug just slightly too long and then lets go. "Yeah! Remember? It's like old times! Me and you and Arcee... we were all there together, talking about how we were gonna REBEL AGAINST Zeta Prime... AND THEN HE WALKED IN! That was so funny." She pauses. "Okay, not funny. Scary. SorrrysometimesIrambleIdon'tmeanto." She bites her lip and looks to Arcee for direction. "Uhm, I'm glad you're okay, though."

Arcee looks very worried. She definitely doesn't mind it when Road Rage gives Blurr a hug -- he probably needs all the positive attention and good vibes he can possibly get right now. "She's worried about you, Blurr, and so am I...I know there's reasons why you don't want to come back, but I really wish you would reconsider. Look, I spoke to Prowl, I explained things, and things turned out better than expected."

    Blurr shakes his head. "You don't understand, Arcee. I can't do what they're doing. I can't cooperate with Megatron, not after what he did to me. Not after what he did to Feint. Don't you get it, he'll kill me if I turn myself over to him!"

    He arches an optic ridge at Road Rage. "That...wasn't funny." Because it totally -wasn't-. The racer stares at the ground, trying to hide the fact that despite all outward appearances only moment ago, he really he is terrified deep down.

Road Rage looks between Blurr and Arcee, back and forth several times before saying something. She sounds suddenly confident, saying, "I'm... I'm a bodyguard, you know? I'm a tough lady. I've been in a lot of fights and I've taken more than my fair share of damage looking after people who couldn't protect themselves." The confidence leaves her voice, "...but... Orion Pax is dead... I miss him. And Megatron... he scares me. Not a lot of people scare me. But..." She looks at Arcee. "He scares me. What are we going to do? They want us to register. They want to keep tabs on us. I just... I think it's going to be Zeta Prime all over again. Megatron is going to... purge us."

Arcee nods. She can definitely understand the anxiety behind following Megatron. "Listen, I think that right now, there's a good possibility that putting on the /appearence/ of agreement might be safer than trying to hide," she notes. "That doesn't mean agree with everything he says and does. But there's safety in numbers, you know? And right now, most of the Autobots who remain are in Iacon. Blurr, they don't want to kill you. They could have killed me when i turned myself in, but...as you can see, they didn't."

   "-They- won't kill me of course they won't but who is going to stop Megatron from doing so if he decides he wants to!" Blurr nods at Road Rage. "Exactly. He claimed to hate Zeta Prime so much, and yet he's turning into a -clone- of him!"

    "I-I..." He stammers, stumbling into the back of the stands. Has he not recharged in three megacycles or something? It looks that way.

Road Rage tries to put her arm around Blurr's shoulders. "Whoa, there, partner. You look pretty wiped out. You need a drink of energon? Maybe you need to sit down."

"No, he gets like this when he's too high-strung to rest," Arcee says to Road Rage. Apparently, she's seen Blurr in this condition before, and she also knows it's not the best idea to be in his immediate proximity when he's wigging out -- but she's not going to discourage the affable bodyguard from showing Blurr that she genuinely cares. For her own part, Arcee is speaking quietly, and not making any sudden moves. "Blurr, it kills me a thousand different ways to see you out here like this. You trust me, don't you? And you can scan for yourself, I didn't come down here with a bunch of Decepticons...I don't like them any more than you do. But hiding in the underground...that isn't the answer. Your friends -- not your fans, but your /friends/...are worried sick about you. They want you to come back. I want you to come back."

    Blurr mumbles something too fast to be comprehended by normal people, then falls on his face.

"He's super light," Arcee says. "He's lighter than a mini, in fact, see?" She scoops him up. "Want to carry him back? He weighs nothing at all. Or I could. Thanks for helping me find him, by the way. He /thinks/ he can survive out here, but he can't really."

    Only moments after Arcee scoops him up, Blurr suddenly jerks awake once more, his optics wide and fearful. He doesn't attack her this time, though he tries to struggle out of her grasp.

"Um...I'm not 100 percent sure, but -- gah!" Arcee is suddenly interrupted, and nearly falls over as Blurr suddenly wakes back up and begins struggling. "Hey. Easy now. Relax, you went into a forced rest-cycle," she tries to explain to the panicking racer.

    Road Rage manages to pin Blurr's arms down, though he seems to calm down slightly when Arcee speaks soothingly. "A-arcee...I'msorry..." he mumbles. It's not quite clear what exactly he is apologizing for.

"It's alright, it's okay...just...you've done nothing wrong. We've got you, alright?" Arcee bites her lip, looking toward Road Rage pensively for a moment. Then, she tightbeams to the other femme, "<< I'm thinking we can probably take him back to Medical in Iacon...don't say that to him, though, he's...not in his right mind and he could panic and run. How about you carry and I'll just keep talking to him? That might work. >>"

    "N-no!" Blurr insists, though he doesn't resist being snatched. "Yes I have! I've done -everything- wrong. You helped me...you just wanted to keep me safe...a-and I thought you were crazy. Th-they tried to kill you because of me!! B-but they erased my memories so I wouldn't ever know what happened--!"

    "But now I do."

"Because war, that's why," Arcee quips to Road Rage as she hands over the 'big baby'. At first, Blurr's talking just kind of goes over her head, because she's only half-listening due to his instability. Then, something he says catches her attention, and she stares at him for a long moment. "....." What had changed? He always thought that she was crazy, telling him about the happenings within the Institute. He told her right to her face that he didn't believe her. But now, he DID. Was Feint involved? Did something just 'click'? How did he KNOW? "So you do remember now," she murmurs. "Okay, we have a lot to discuss, then, don't we..." She glances back toward the racing crowd in the distance, then she turns her attention to Road Rage. "Let's find a back way out of here, and...yes, let's walk this time. Might be a little less conspicuous."

    Blurr nods. "Everything..." Yes, even the parts Cipher thought could never be restored. But then again, Blurr is a very unique individual. There is no one quite like him on all of Cybertron.

    As they head for the exit, he makes one last request of her before stasis locking. "Arceeplease...don'tletthemgetmeokay..."