Down With the Police

Words. They can end wars yet they can also start them. Yet a far greater instigator is the truth. That has been found out and revealed by Hot Rod and his ragtag pack of misfits, the righteous rebels of Nyon. Hot Rod has had to leave to get the word out to the rest of Cybertron, to be met mostly with sympathy and maybe even compassion, though neither of those are immediately effective. What it boils down to is that there is a bully who has sought to use Nyon as his own punching bag and now that the truth is out there... the gloves are off.

The central police headquarters is here Nyon Police Department chief Breach had been holed up, running the operations throughout the city. His special task force, his empowered thugs, The S.C.U. have fallen (all save for Cuffs). What Breach has left are black-painted, repurposed sanitation drones: reprogrammed only with what they are to sanitize - the uncooperative citizens of Nyon.

Breach exits the central police HQ with Cuffs at his side as around him these now-mindless drones spill out, armed with weapons they were able to round up (left from what the rebels hadn't claimed). This is his breaking point, this is where the big powerful bot will prove himself.

Nyon Police HQ is just about the last place one might expect to find Hot Rod, so that's naturally where he's marching, flanked by rebel scum right and left. He's fresh back from PREACHING THE TRUTH, and fired with righteous indignation. His eyes are brilliant, bright with it, as he makes his way through the streets of Nyon.

"Breach!" Hot Rod pauses some distance away to watch as the poor, repurposed disposables-turned-drones spill into the street. "Breach, your time is up. Your thugs have been overturned. You can't disguise your brutality as order any longer."

Rollin' right alongside the Hot Rod and trailing this way and that way behind and around the group of rebels is the energetic and hyperactive: CHEETOR. He's skidding around as if he's got nothing else to do but make sure that he's on this side and on that side, in case of any particular attacks coming from these various directions. He looks like he's in the middle of people attempting to call an audible or something.

"Yeah!" Cheetor is back by Hot Rod's side by the time he yells that off into the direction of the Bad Cops (Bad Cops, What Ya' Gonna' Do!) and stuff. He's clearly ready and willing to jump into the mix here. But he's definitely following Hot Rod's lead. As much as he can.

He's skidding off to the side again. Damn ADHD.

Not having given time to her own repairs, Arsenal's dome is still missing and her face is cracked in half. She keeps most of that though hidden behind the rifle that she has up, ready, as she advances alongside Hot Rod, with those rebels. "There's only one way this ends," she cautions, her 'game face' on even if it is missing.

Breach holds up his hand, which immediately causes the police drones to halt in their outward march. "I was hoping you would make it back," he growls at Hot Rod. "I shall write my own invitation to the Decepticons with your energon," he vows as he advances in the rebel leader's direction. "You and me, you little punk. To the victor goes Nyon." With that he breaks into a run - not away from this gang that has come to challenge him - but RIGHT AT THEM! Fists out and fury in his optics.

As Breach moves so does Cuffs, hot on his heels, and the drones raise their weapons as they move once more.

"Watch Cuffs. Don't let her nail your feet, Cheet," Hot Rod says for the love of rhyming. As Breach growls and charges, Hot Rod takes just a second to study the YX units. Whatever dismay he feels is for another day, another time. "He turned those YX units into drones, didn't he. The slagger. Don't be shy about unloading, Arsenal."

Light on his feet as Breach charges, Hot Rod skims to the side and past the first bull rush. "Did you ever think you could just /ask/ them?" he taunts. Weapons activating on his arms, he fires after Breach. "Try-hard much?"

Cheetor smirks as he does some cool wheel-spin that only he can do since he's on wheels. "Feet? What's feet?" Somehow Cheetor manages to wink an optic before he's skating off towards the group of drones and what not... and kind of not in the direction of Cuffs. Because he's not trying to get nailed to the ground. Instead, he's lifting off and swirl-flipping into a pile of drones with both of his blades swinging like mad!

"Mind if I cut in?" Cheetor looks up and over at a wall that doesn't exist. He winks. Oh yeah, back to fighting.

"Understood," announces Arsenal as she takes aim, fires and then fires again. Her targets? Those drone units. They are kind of like YX, only painted all black (but have white 'N.P.D.') on their chests, but seems more.. basic. They are an older model - the LV line that was in use when Nyon was first built. Clunkier, mindless; thus Arsenal begins to pick them off before they can pick off citizens. A few though, since they are all fanned out, as taking them down would be much better for someone faster like...

Cheetor to the rescue! Multiple times even!

Initially the bots of Nyon might have stepped out to see what is happening but now any and all in harms way are scurrying to find safety.

Cuffs directs her attention to Arsenal as well as her fire. She has clamped onto a weapon and fires it, the aim off as it strikes Arsenal's weapon. "Before you can draw another, let me have those hands," she states calmly as she moves to engage the much larger bot.

Speaking of bots fighting those much larger than them...as Breach misses Hot Rod he turns, his arm raised as a riot shield transforms out of it to take those shots from Hot Rod. Breach advances on Hot Rod again, this time slower and at a steady march. Behind his shield he draws his own weapon. "If you think I have begun to try, you are mistaken. Once you are put down and Nyon is under my boot, then as more of Cybertron falls, who do you think the Decepticons will \*want\* to maintain order for them after the chaos? Somebot who has proven himself already. Me! Why ask when I can \*take\*, you fool. It is \*my\* future I seek to secure, not theirs."

"Metaphor!" Hot Rod shouts back at Cheetor. "Try it some time!" He mutters something about it being a way higher form of art than a pun, which just goes to show he's totally mad he didn't come up with as good a line as 'cut in'.

Distracted a moment watching as Arsenal and Cheetor set themselves on the drones, he calls a pleased, "Nice!" of encouragement as the other bots clear the street. With bystander casualties minimized, he turns his attention back to Breach just in time to catch him drawing a weapon.

"Whoa, buddy -- seriously, under your boot? What else do you think the Decepticons are fighting for if not getting /rid/ of boots?" (Breach is right. Hot Rod is totally a fool.) He flanks, moving to Breach's unguarded side to fire at his joints where the armoring is going to be weaker. "Going about this all wrong. I know a guy! I could introduce you!"

You want them, you can have them," Arsenal snaps to Cuffs. Her weapon has been shot out and she has so many more that she could draw yet... she takes a page from her idol's playbook and does the unexpected. She reaches for Cuffs rather than another weapon, to hammer her fists down on Cuffs' shoulders. The smaller bot buckles but doesn't go down.
In the background, speed and yellow and blades are put to use. So much use. Cheetor dashes and darts, and where he's been poor mindless LV units are left destroyed.

Breach cries out as Hot Rod goes for those joints. He topples to a knee but uses that to steady himself as he takes aim. And fires, with all of his skill and poise, at Hot Rod's mouthy face. "They will need boots, strong ones, to squash misguided bots like you, bots that think they have the ability to claim a greater place in history than they deserve. Just because you can dream it doesn't mean you have the power to claim what you want, you arrogant little punk!"

Not the face! Hot Rod flings his arms up, taking the shot in a blow across his forearms where the armoring is thicker to handle the built-in weapons. As Breach presses, he's forced to focus. He has to put his trust in his team, throwing full faith in Arsenal and Cheetor's ability to handle Cuffs and the LV units. Drawing strength from their presence, he's able to shake the hit off and grin right back at Breach.

"All we've got are dreams, mech, and if you think that's not powerful, just look around." Hot Rod flings his arms wide and pivots in a circle to sweep the gesture at all of Nyon. "Senate uses us up. Enforcers kick us down. Then you're there to grind your big dumb boot on the embers." He puts his back to Breach only for a nanosecond: even in a fit of dramatics, he's not /entirely/ foolish.

Coming back around, Hot Rod says, "But you're never going to put us out." He pairs the words with another blast, this one aimed at Breach's shoulder, just above the shield. "As long as there's just one spark, there's a fire!"

Dude, have you seen your Cheetor? Likely not because where he was is where he no longer is and where he just was again is someplace he's already left. He darts about slaying drones like it's his royal duty or something.

Cuffs takes the dual punch, yet down on a knee she reaches up to clamp her claws over Arsenal's wrists. "Got you." She smiles. "You always had a soft spot in that giant shell of yours, Arsenal. I told it would cost you. Better to stripe away your emotions. What use are they? Your weakness means my gain." Those claws seal and Cuffs releases them to activate new pinchers. arsenal grunts, straining against the magnetic binding that now draws her clawed wrists together.

The flourish, the words, they enrage Breach far more than his missed shot has. He has tried to smash this particular loudmouth out with everything he has, just to prove that he can... and he hasn't. Not only is Hot Rod not going down, the bot is \*taunting\* him! Hot Rod's shots lance off his shoulder and Breach is forced to turn, his arm removing the shielding as he has to plant that arm to steady himself. "Then... even if you are the last spark I am able to extinguish then I shall! If your spirit will not be crushed then I will have to rip your spark out to ensure that it breaks, when I snap it in half." Breach draws himself up, sets his feet and fires again, this time going for Hot Rod's center mass. He'll fire and fire again, content to unload his weapon at Hot Rod.

It's not that Hot Rod is /running/ or /retreating/ or anything -- he's just /dodging/. Rapidly. Away from Breach. The sound of laughter rises in his wake. "/That's/ not happening."

Hot Rod leaps and tucks into a roll that ends with him transformed into the long lines and sweeping curves of his speeder alt. He whips around in a tight turn. A shot hits the street near his back tire as it spins with the shift of gears into a hard drive forward. He takes two shots across his chest, now hood, where bright flames are impossible to miss, and closing fast. He times his drive so that he's able to transform and leap at Breach with all the furious momentum of his alt-mode's speed driven into the chief's face in the form of flame-wreathed punch. "Crush /that/," he snarls into the clash.

Arsenal strains, not to go for a gun, but rather to extend her hands to either side of Cuffs' head and then... she lets go. Violently her wrists come together with Cuffs in between them. The resulting blow is a loud \*CLANG!\* and one that knocks Cuffs unconscious. She falls and with it the magnetic pull of those cuffs is gone. "Wrong. Those emotions are my strength. I died a little with what we did, what I watched you do. Never again," she states as she then turns away from the prone Cuffs. A pistol releases from an arm, which she takes as she moves to help Hot Rod with Breach.

Behind her and all around them, fanned out from the central station, those drones have advanced... but not gotten far. Cheetor's skill and speed keep them contained and as the LV unit numbers dwindle, it will only be easier for the prince to dispatch them.

Breach stands his ground as Hot Rod first dances then dodges and then finally comes at him. He's ready. Each shot misses, even those that hit, as Breach wants each to be a killing blow. He's ready for this to be over. When Hot Rod leaps at him, Breach tosses his gun aside to free up his hands. Why? Well, he takes that punch. His cheek is turned by the blow of it, but those steely hands are quick for his size. He means to grab Hot Rod around the neck. "It's happening, punk, no matter what you wish to come of this. You die in and your little resistance goes out with you. A fire.. burning drive... whatever you want to call it, it all leads to me razing this worthless city with my bare hands if I have to! I will crush any bot that gets in my way, that keeps me in this hellhole any longer! I was here when Nyon was built! I have watched it fall! I know what it needs and that is to be wiped off the map! It deserves to give me that!"

"Ugh. This is takin' way too long. I'm already gettin' bored."

Cheetor does something that he probably shouldn't be doing right now: He skids to a stop. Right in the middle of those LV Drones. He just stands there, holding a blade in each hand and he's just standing there. Waiting. Not even watching. He's just waiting. His head lowered just a bit and his optics dimmed to the point of it looking like there's nobody home.

As the LV Drones start to close in, Cheetor doesn't move. The only thing that happens is that his hand grips the handles of his blades a little bit tighter. Ventilation happens, as if signifying there's a breath that he's taking.

"Psst. Hey Rent-A-Cops." Cheetor's voice is low before he raises his head swiftly and brightens his optics back up to their full fury. He's got a huge smile on his face. "Question..." And that's when there's the sudden explosion of body spinning in place like some kind of mad tornado of yellow and brown fury. His body just picks up more and more speed as he turns into a blurring shape a centralized and controlled tornado. His body starts to ping-pong and pinball around, those sharp shimmering blades of his taking swipes and slices at crucial joints and sections of these drones. It all happens so fast that drones are probably not even falling apart. Not yet.

Almost as quickly as it began, it ends. Cheetor is back in the middle where he started from and he spins himself to a stop so that he can finish his witty banter. "Cat got your tongue?" Okay. Now they can fall apart.

Hot Rod scrambles as Breach reaches to grab him by the throat. He ran the risk of coming in close for a hard hit but close is /close/, close enough to grab. Well, that's why they call it risk! He kicks, and claws a moment at the hands reaching for him. He lifts his chin, and his cocky grin goes a little strained. Hot Rod's words, however, remain fierce: "Never. It's never been about me. There's a fire in Nyon you'll never extinguish."

This probably isn't the first time a cop has wanted to pick Hot Rod up by the neck and shake him. It might not even be the first time that it's happened. It is, however, the first time that Hot Rod answers with more than a smirk and a retort. As Breach grabs him, Hot Rod stops struggling.

(What, is he playing dead? Does he think that he can just play dead, and get out of it? He can't possibly, can he?)

Hot Rod drops his hands, then curls them, knuckles rotating in to bring the weapons on his arms to bear on Breach. "No. Nyon deserves freedom!" He fires in an explosive shot at short range right into Breach's chest.

As if on cue, they do fall apart. The LV clutter the streets as they fall, in pieces. There is some irony there, perhaps, that now they litter the streets they once kept tidy oh so long ago.

"HOT ROD!" That is Arsenal screaming in panic and frustration as she runs towards him, only to see him grabbed. When he goes limp she stops in her tracks and gasps. "No," she whimpers.

And then.. POW! It all changes in a moment. Breach's chest explodes and he stumbles back. Hot Rod is dropped as he stays on his feet... but barely. Breach clutches his chest where his plating at been, but now there is only smoke and an open cavity - his spark is now exposed. He looks up to Hot Rod, somewhat in shock but still in anger. "I bled for these streets back when they were something, before you were even born. I cared too... once. What it got me was... ruin, nothing but ruin," he seethes. Breach looks up, away from Hot Rod to Nyon around him. Dirty, littered with his would-be army. Broken. His optics settle on Hot Rod again. "This is how it ends," he points to himself. To his open spark, faint and barely pulsing. Whatever he was, once, like Hot Rod... this is what Nyon makes of that. Breach looks down to his own pathetic spark, shakes his head and reaches for his other sidearm.

Cheetor smirks and raises both of those blades up and sticks them to his back because it looks so much cooler when they clatter to the ground behind Cheetor because he doesn't keep them back there. He keeps them attached to his arms. It messes up his heroic pose as he turns around to see his arm blades on the ground. He snatches them up and then speed-skids off in the general direction of where all the REAL action is. He's not jumping in anything but he's definitely going to make himself available to assist if he needs to. But he dang sure ain't gonna' mess up Hot Rod's moment! He's here for back up!

Hot Rod stumbles when he is dropped, attention caught. He stares with awful fascination at the spill of light from Breach's exposed spark. He seems a little surprised to see violence result in injury, particularly violence at his hand. That's no /dent/ -- that's something awful, and deadly, and it's so, so hard for him to look away from it.

"They are something," Hot Rod says -- or tries to say, really, words a little too quiet and rough at the edges where his vocalizer clicks into static. "Nyon, I mean. It is something. Still. Maybe it's a ruin, but that's not at all it is." His words gain strength and speed as he continues. "And it can be more. It /will/ be more. You could be more, too. But not like this. You want to join the Decepticons? Fine. Go. Leave Nyon. There's no place for you here. But brutality isn't the answer. It never has been. Maybe you can learn that there."

Ha ha HA HOT ROD IS SO WRONG.

For all of the bluster of wanting to leave Nyon... perhaps Hot Rod can see it, in Breach's optics. Jealousy. Bitterness and rejection. The sidearm he drew... is lowered. Is it possible to still care? "I failed it," he stammers, awe-struck. Perhaps Hot Rod's blast wasn't so terrible as it was Breach's own desire to expose his spark to Hot Rod. To make this upstart see what Nyon has done to him. Maybe that would finally push Hot Rod into submission and then together they could join the Decepticons or... something. All of his plans have failed, Breach sees now, because they were the wrong ones. "I failed Nyon," he blinks, clearly seeing that now. He gave up. Breach looks at Hot Rod. "Is it still? I ... I stopped seeing it," he admits.

That's when the knee Hot Rod shot up is taken out from him, from behind. Arsenal, relieved Hot Rod still functions, moved to help. As Breach falls to his knees she puts her gun to his head and clicks off the safety. "We can't let him walk out of Nyon. What kind of message would that send?! He has to pay for what he's done and not done. Everything he allowed." She presses the gun more firmly to Breach's head. "Let's clean up Nyon but first, he has to be held accountable."

With the LV units dispatched and thus the streets clear.. the citizens of Nyon that scurried to safety prove that they did not run far. It's not like there is really anywhere to go that is safe enough from Breach and what he has done. Yet, now in the middle of the street, the chief is on his knees with a gun to his head, looking up to Hot Rod for judgment. And Nyon is watching.

"Then try again!" It's easy for Hot Rod to say that when he's all of -- well, never mind just /how/ young he is. (So, so young.) "Nyon's still here, mech. You can't have failed it that badly. You're not that big. Anyway, as long as it's here, there's hope."

Holding his hands up in a placating gesture, Hot Rod says, "Easy, easy," to Arsenal. "You heard Orion Pax." WWOPD. It's hard to miss the echo of Pax's recent words in Hot Rod's answer: "Let's send the message that we believe in mercy. That we believe in change. That we have hope. We're going to build a better future, and we're going to built it out of /that/, not out of vengeance."

Hot Rod lifts his head, looking past Breach to the street and citizens. "If he's to be held accountable, he got to be held accountable to the people of Nyon. Not to us. We can't take that from them, Arsenal. /Never/ take that from them."

And, you know...

Hot Rod is right.

Arsenal knows it. She lowers her weapon. Breach knows it and bows his head. He has much to answer for. The people of Nyon know it as they empty into the streets. There is a lot to clean up, starting with the mess that is here. Yet, there is a lot more than what is on these streets to clean up with Nyon but for tonight... it is a place to start.