Off The Record

-The femme says nothing as they go to one of the rooms used for interrogation. Once she and the prisoner are inside, she has the guards step outside. Gesturing a claw to the single chair, she says, "Sit." It's not an order. In fact, the word is so bland it's hard to tell anything by it, and her 'face' doesn't help.

-Blast Off gets shoved into the interrogation room and... it's that empurata again. The... OTHER one. The Combaticon finds himself staring. She looks so much like Whirl... and yet not. Again, it's just so... weirdly familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. His gaze is broken eventually as the guards leave, which causes him to look around, optic ridges furrowing. Wondering just what horror is likely in store here. Then she says \*sit\* and the shuttleformer finds himself staring at her again. Studying her. And finally... testing her. He remains standing. He never DID like being told what to do, after all.

-Acuity shrugs her shoulders; it doesn't matter to her whether he sits or stands. Likely he's taller than she is, but not so much that it's going to be an issue. Besides, the toughs are outside. "Have it your way," she says neutrally. "Though it's a sight more comfortable than sitting in a cell." Turning away she fiddles with some controls. There's the sound of metal tearing and electricity sparking. Moments later the single light overhead flickers off. "Oooops," she murmurs. "I guess it's just the two of us then."

-Blast Off stands, then, watching Acuity fumble with those controls and then- lights out. The Combaticon's mind is immediately racing with a number of possibilties. If he wasn't stuck in the inhibitor claw, he'd probably be trying to attack this Autobot, find an advantage or weapon somehow- or break out of here if there weren't guards right outside. As it is, he opts to move... trying to change positions in the darkness (as opposed to being a sitting petro-duck). He circles around the chairs, using scanners not to simply stumble and fall.

-Moments later another light comes on; it's one of Acuity's own, probably from one of her alt modes. "How clumsy of me," she murmurs, turning to shine the light towards the table and chair. She leans up against the wall for now. "You've been around for some time, Blast Off, and your record of troubles and misdeeds is quite long. Honestly, reading over it all, I'm surprised you still function."

-And then just like that Blast Off has a spotlight on him- in more ways than one. The Combaticon stops to stare back at this femme with Whirl's face and claws. "...I'm a Combaticon. We have a knack for.. functioning. Despite being stuck on a world that seems to constantly wish that were not so."

-Acuity hmmms at this. "So it would seem," she notes blandly. "And somehow, in all that time, you haven't learned enough wisdom to /keep/ yourself out of jail." She shakes her head a couple of times. "It's quite amazing, actually. But, I suppose, it's a symptom the whole planet shares. Not learning, that is." She tilts her head to the side as she stares at him the way only the one-optic faces can stare. "Are you sure you don't want to sit?"

-"You mean I haven't learned to be a turbo-sheep in order to stay out of that trouble. And if ceasing to think for yourself is what it takes to stay out of trouble in this planet- I'd rather stay IN trouble," Blast off retorts. Then she insists on him sitting- again- which only makes him want to resist further. "Yes. Quite sure." Despite the fact that he's actually tired of all the standing he's done in a crowded cell so far.

-"Stubborn," Acuity says, continuing to stare at him. "If thinking for yourself means turning on innocents, well, I can't say I follow your logic very well." Tucking her hands behind her back, she paces a little, which makes the light go this way and that. It also means it's not directly on Blast Off anymore. "You see, I believe people /can/ change. Unfortunately, you seem to be making a case that they, in fact, cannot." She stops and looks back at the shuttle. "Would you concur?"

-Stubborn indeed. Blast off stares at her insolently. "Is there a point to this?" he asks coldly. "You Autobots are going to do whatever the slag you want and then justify it however you want... even use coercion, mind-control and any other means available to you to prevent choice and free will." He lets out a \*huff\*. "Anything I do or do not do will not make a difference at this point."

-"Oh, you can make a great deal of difference," Acuity says. "Or, rather, you could have." She shrugs her shoulders. "Not sure about now. Honestly, at the moment, I'm more interested in your....skills of oration," she says, pointedly.

-Blast Off's optics narrow at that. "...Oration?" He can't quite conceal his confusion entirely.

-"Your debate. It was widely televised, after all," Acuity clarifies. "Too bad it didn't last longer; it could have been very informative." She sighs and shakes her head. "However it came about, it certainly left a great deal of impression on people. Perhaps if such oration had been performed earlier, things could have come out very differently."

-Yes, that's what he thought she might have meant. It certainly did seem to create quite an impression- though nowhere more than on Blast Off and Whirl themselves. That brings another pang of regret and concern regarding the (other) cyclops, but Blast Off shoves that out of his mind for now. "If the Senate and Autobots would ever have listened, yes. But it is the fact that they would NOT listen and instead responded to people's justified complaints with force, manipulation and death that caused the Decepticons to rise up in the first place."

-"Unfortunately, yes, that's somewhat true," Acuity says bluntly. "Two wrongs, don't make a right, however. So I don't know why you think many wrongs will somehow make a right. But I'm not actually here to debate the merits of the Decepticons, for or against it." There's a few moment's pause. "Off the record, I must say, you played your role quite well. It was very convincing."

-Blast Off listens to her speak, violet optics shining in the darkened room. He remains silent up until her last sentence, which cause his optic ridges to furrow down once again suspiciously. "....Role? Convincing? What /are/ you talking about?"

-Acuity sighs. "Take a look at my face, or what passes for it," she says. "You don't think it's at all likely that someone might speak to another that they have something in common with?" she asks bluntly. "/Someone/ who might have been hiding in his room because of what you said? /Someone/ who might have been lashing out at young sparks because of his own pain?" She shakes her head. "You were a scientist in Vos for a while, according to your records. That means you must be pretty smart. You're a shuttle, you were once high caste. Yet, somehow, you're magnificently dense."

-Commence the staring that would do Whirl proud (or maybe even Acuity). Blast Off grows ever more still as the femme describes what could only be Whirl, giving him some insight into what the cyclops has been going through since their debate. He can't help but sputter out, "You're saying that was MY fault?!" especially after the comment on young sparks... and suddenly he's haunted with the thought that it could be true. Then she gets to the part about being /dense/, which garners a predictable reaction from him. He straightens up with a haughty sniff. "I beg your PARDON. I am not dense, you are simply \*imagining things\*. I do not know where you get these ideas... all pure coincidence and rumor-mongering."

He leans forward just slightly. "Did you not WATCH that debate? That buffoon tried to RIP me to SHREDS. There is no act there, no "role" to play. He really would have done it, could he have." It's possible he sounds rather convining because honestly, given all that happened and how the cyclops can act... right now Blast Off's not entirely sure that \*wasn't\* the case, even though it appears he probably regretted it later.

-"Oh, I saw the debate alright," Acuity says. "And I saw what /you/ weren't there to see, considering that you wouldn't be safely allowed back in the barracks. Whirl's made it no secret that he has a great dislike for the Autobots, yet for some reason he joined our ranks. Whatever that reason is, the moment he donned that badge, he was one of us. As such, I take it quite seriously that /someone/ has such an affect on him, especially someone who is ostensibly his enemy."

She takes several steps forward. Blast Off could likely kick her if he really wanted to make such a move. She doesn't look very tough; certainly not someone he would break his legs against. "It boils down to two choices. Either you two actually care about each other and you both let your anger get the best of you. Or, you truly are enemies and particularly bitter ones. But, given the /content/ of the accussations you leveled at each other, I'm going to guess the former." She actually chuckles softly. "In my line of work I've dealt with a lot of domestic issues. They are the ugliest between those who care the most for each other; only when people care do they become THAT heated, that venomous." Pause. "That broken up."

-Blast Off blinks at this, remaining quite still otherwise as she levels those accusations at him. His spark sinks a bit... Primus, the whole planet really DOES know, doesn't it? Or suspects. What's frsutrating is to hear this AFTER the debate- after they tore into one another verbally (and otherwise) and were supposed to have thrown the snoops off their case. As she comes closer, he leans back slightly without even thinking as his wide personal space radius is infringed upon. Kicking her doesn't really come to mind- he's not that strong even \*without\* an inhibitor claw on and \*with\* it... even less so.

Also unfortunate, her logic makes sense. Hearing this called a "domestic" issue, like a \*relationship\* she's figured out just makes him feel more like crawling under a rock somewhere. That "defense" unavailable to him, he can only rely on an old standby: denial, though even that is tempered a little out of neccessity. "We are \*enemies\*. When will you people get that through your thick heads?! We don't care for each other /at all/! We are trying to \*destroy\* one another!" There's a pause and a short sigh. "Yes, fine, we \*know\* each other. A little. Through... Shiftlock. But even then it was as \*rivals\*, nothing more."

Her comment on being \*broken up\* causes him to glance away, just a bit uncomfortably. Hearing about Whirl suffering while he can do nothing about it IS uncomfortable. His voice becomes quieter as he continues, "...He was.. broken up long before I ever knew him, anyway. I can't... help that he appears to be even moreso now." As much as he wishes he could. He refrains from asking if Whirl is currently alright, as badly as he /wants/ to ask.

-"You're right about him being long broken," Acuity says. "Cling to your denial if it helps you recharge better at night, but if there's any truth in this matter," and from the sound of her tone, she's pretty sure there is, "then you have to think about your priorities. Because doing this half and half song with the charade dance is not good for Whirl. If you DO care about him, then cut it off. He has a lot of healing to do, and he will never get himself straightend out if he keeps having REASONS to hide. Being Empurata was bad enough, but this secret is going to kill him...and not because people are finding it out."

Acuity steps back again. "My name isn't Acuity for nothing," she says, her voice going soft. "You might have thrown other people off. You might have thrown /me/ off if I hadn't talked to Whirl as well as /been/ there when he would rather submit to us than let you get shot anymore." Oh, darn, Acuity was THERE that time. Well, nuts.

-This is really NOT what Blast off wants to hear, on OH SO many levels. The shuttleformer maintains that silent, sober gaze as Acuity continues, each word causing his spark to sink a little further down. Break it off? They had spoken of this before, but neither wanted to do it. And after Whirl gave him that watch, well... he isn't sure he CAN. Despite the fact they BOTH know they'll probably die because of this. He's come to realize that he loves Whirl, and giving him up is ...unthinkable.

However, they say that if you love something, let it go. If it is really yours, it will come back to you. If not, it was never yours to begin with. And after the debate and then the arrest and these rumors about Pursuit, Blast Off isn't sure what to think anymore. But there was the other night- when Whirl visited his cell and mentioned that watch. And then... Blast Off is back to being unable to say goodbye. But what if it IS the right thing to do by Whirl? GAH. Why are these things so complicated?!

"You needn't worry- there's nothing going on, so there's nothing to \*cut off\*!" He lets out a huff. "You're grasping at straws. Imagining things. Besides..." Then she mentions that time Whirl surrendered so that HE wouldn't be shot at, and he stops in mid-denial to stare. Slaag. His optics flicker as he tries to think of an explaination for THAT one and he looks away. "I... I don't know what you're talking about." He finishes lamely.

"Didn't you hear me?" Suddenly his voice hardens and he stares at Acuity in a change of demeanor. "I couldn't stand the sight of him anyway. Those /claws/. That /optic/." He states pointedly, staring her right in HER one optic.

-"Then you have nothing to lose," Acuity says. "You can trot back to your comrades in their cell and rest easy, knowing that there's nothing going on and that you're just another bigot picking on a mech for how he looks. Does that sound better?" she asks cooly. Since she doesn't care about Blast Off, his comment about her looks bounces off her armor.

-Blast Off IS having to put on a show now. Of course, being an egotistical jerk isn't really that much of an act- he really CAN be that sometimes. But now- and more frequently he finds- he's not only having to embrace that but amp it up into a cold pompousness that even HE doesn't quite feel. But it seems believable enough, so he returns to it. Sticking his nose in the air, he replies, "Yes. Sounds acceptible to me." He gazes off to the door with an arrogant look on his face, like \*are we done yet\*?

-"I suppose this is the point where I hold up the hidden listening device to show I've recorded everything and will show it to Whirl," Acuity says wistfully. "But I'm afraid I'm not that clever. This was a warning, nothing more. I assume that you're either hiding things from your comrades, or they pamper your feelings a little too much. If I'm totally wrong, you can go back and laugh to everyone about how stupid Acuity is, and how easily she chases shadows." She shrugs her shoulders and crosses the room, holding up a claw as though to knock on the door and call the enforcers back in to escort the mech back.

-There's a subtle tension as she mentions listening devices, but he's been aware of the possibility all along. He has to maintain the act: the act that he hates Whirl, and he can only hope that Whirl knows that it's only an act. But he has no gaurantees that if he admitted to anything it wouldn't just be used to blackmail him- or Whirl- just like Starscream has. "Well... I have yet to meet many Autobots who seem to understand /me/." Of course, he hasn't met many non-Autobots who understand him either. "Nor do I require \*pampering\* or hiding. I am a Combaticon, an ex-Primal Vanguard, and I \*will\* be victorous in the end." Lofty words, especially from a prisoner. The arrogant look remains as he waits for her to call the guards back in.

-Acuity sighs deeply. She didn't really expect that Blast Off would be very cooperative. But, she doesn't need him to tell /her/ anything. As long as she got him to think about it, mission accomplished. "Just be careful," she says. "You can hold your nose as high as you like; I don't care. The enforcers out there, get a little too zealous at times." By her tone she doesn't entirely approve. "You and your allies will likely be in here a long time." And then she actually knocks, not really wanting to make Blast Off uncomfortable for any longer than she has to.

-Blast Off eyes her, then glances towards the door at the mention of the enforcer's zealousness. There's a flicker of concern, then his nose is as high in the air as ever. If nothing else he's determined to retain that aristocratic aloofness- even clasped in chains and facing what he's convinced is certaon doom. His dignity as a shuttleformer is still important, even now. "...Perhaps." The guards come in at the knock and take the Combaticon away.

-When the enforcers enter, Acuity notes, "No unnecessary roughness; the prisoner behaved impecably." And then Blast Off is gone, back to that cramped little cell. If nothing else, at least he got a few minutes of space.