| abstract | - Leaning against Red Alert's desk (probably while Red Alert is trying to do real work) is Nightbeat. He's not seated in his own cubicle, hunched over a screen, like he is at any other given time. No, he's leaning, watching the door. His left hand is closed tightly around something, and when he shakes it (which he is doing), it makes a rattling noise. The door to the security room, now with 'DETECTIVE OFFICE' taped over it creaks open, and Grapple slowly walks in. It is almost like seeing a ghost, Inferno, but with no ladder, and the purest orange. In his right hand, he holds a case that is bulging with notes and blueprints, and he smiles at Nightbeat as he saunters up to him. "You wanted to see me?" And then... suddenly as he says that he makes a SUDDEN dive for the window, one hand covering his head, the other one suddenly clutching a gun as he shoots at Nightbeat, crashing through the glass. "YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE LAWMAN!" he screams. Unfortunately since Metroplex is in space, rather than sweet sweet freedom, he ends up with a forcefield in the face, and crashes back to the floor You strike Nightbeat with disruptor. Hot Spot has recently been locked out of his own quarters—actually, to cover up the fact that Nightbeat destroyed them while searching for evidence that he had somehow killed Inferno out of fire-engine-envy. Of course, Hot Spot doesn't know this, and really, no one wants him to know. Still, the mystery has vexed him to the point that he arrives at the Security Office, ready to demand some answers—when Grapple shoots Nightbeat. "Holy hexidecimals!" Hot Spot yells, running over to Nightbeat as the forcefield takes care of Grapple's face. "Are you okay, Nightbeat?! Can you hear me?!" Shot in the side by a construction laser, Nightbeat growls and clutches the wound with his right hand. Smoke drifts between his fingers, up to the ceiling where it's sure to agitate one of Red Alert's 800 smoke detectors. "Yeah... Hot Spot, I'm great," he grunts, removing his hand to flash Hot Spot the smoldering wound in his side. As Grapple lies down on the floor from his forcefield makeout session, Nightbeat bends down, steps on Grapple's trigger-finger, and says "Listen carefully, Grapple. Turn around, and put out your hand... palm up." "Red, who was that on the proximity sensor?" Nightbeat asks in a less gruff voice, back toward Red Alert. Red Alert leaps to his feet. "Grapple...?" He seems momentarily confused, before whipping out his blaster. "I knew it! I never trusted you! -Never-!! You've been influenced by the Decepticons, haven't you??" Once he gets going, he says his lines with a strange ease and confidence, almost as if he's been practicing. "Ever since the incident with the Dinobots...and Mirage...and Gears...I've just been waiting for them to try again!" He stops and looks at Nightbeat. "On the sensor? Why, that was Inferno." He jabs his blaster towards Grapple again. "Or an incredibly detailed facsimile..." Grapple lies on the floor, one hand clutching at his head as the forcefield wraps around it, choking and spasming. Beaten, dejected, he slowly does as Nightbeat orders, trembling. "How... how did you know?" he gasps, still winded from the knockdown, and giving an evil glare towards Red Alert. Is he as defeated as he looks though? And what is the architect's secret. And why... does he have flecks of red paint over him? Hot Spot is a good guy. He's not really too suspicious of much—which makes him out of his element here. "What in the name of Optimus Prime is going on around here?!" he demands to know, his laser drawn even though he doesn't know if he's ready to shoot it at a comrade. "You're all acting crazy!" Perhaps in a gay way, Nightbeat presses his palm to Grapple's. He withdraws his hand, in in Grapple's palm are 5 laser bullets. The kind that would fill Nightbeat's space revolver. "Hold onto those for me, would you?" A *beebooeeet* happens, and Nightbeat's shoulder holster springs open. He clutches his Revolver in his right hand, opens the chamber to show only one bullet loaded, spins it and closes it. He presses the gun to Grapple's head. "every time you give me an answer I don't like, I pull the trigger. And I only have to feel 1/6th as bad about it. Do we understand one another?" He looks over his shoulder. "Red Alert. Look into that fake Inferno for me. Watch him. Hot Spot... you don't belong here. You're not... old enough," Nightbeat barks. Grapple looks down at the bullets in his hand. "You... you wouldn't dare!" he yelps in shock, suddenly staring down the barrel of a gun. "I... no. No. YES YES I understand!" he suddenly shrieks, like a little quivering girl. A girl that looks like an orange Inferno who is also a gigantic robot. His other hand, his MISSILE hand, slowly moves up to his side, trying to do so without the detective noticing Red Alert nods grimly. "Yes, of course Nightbeat." He marches off to go investigate the fake Inferno...on the way he stops, opens his desk and pulls out a few spare rockets, an extra power clip for his blaster, and some TF-sized claymore mines. "Good luck, Grapple." He says grudgingly, in kind of a 'nice knowing you' tone. "Nightbeat, stand down!" Hot Spot yells, even though he's Ops, not Intelligence, and a Lieutenant or something, not an Officer. He barges over to try and shove the maverick Detective—the 'Living Lethal Weapon,' one might say—away from his prone Autobot comrade. "If Grapple is under some outside influence, this isn't the way to handle-- LOOK OUT!" He sees the missile hand coming up, and attempts to kick it away from anyone—better someone lose a cubicle than Nightbeat lose a limb! Hot Spot strikes you with Kick for 9 points of damage. If last week's removal of Nightbeat's arm is any indicator, he's good at staying his ground... he's pushed, and wavers, coming to an unglamorous landing on both knees instead of one, Hot Spot smudging his paint with rough, eager hands. "Hgn. You stand down, Hot Spot. I have questions for you next... and getting in my way isn't going to make me adopt nicer methods for you," he hisses. Putting his face freakishly near to Grapple's, he whispers, "When did you last see Inferno, Grapple?" The revolver is certainly cocked. He doesn't bother to thank Hot Spot, because, well... fire truck. BLAM! At Hot Spot's kick, Grapple's missile hand is knocked askew and blasts itself into the ceiling. He curses loudly, jerking down and clutching the end of his arm in pain as it goes off early. His face screws up as he glares into Nightbeat's optics. "I don't know." he hisses. "Who's Inferno?"
* CLICK* The space revolver's chamber turns. "Safe for this round, Grapple. Let's try again," says Nightbeat, cool and collected. "When did you last see Inferno? Since you didn't answer the last one, we'll make this two for one. When did you last see Inferno? What's all that red paint all over you?" His hand stays steady, barrel pointed right at Grapple's forehead. Having averted an assassination, Hot Spot can only watch, his own gun at the ready. "This is insane," he mutters, and the subroutines in his body flare up to say 'YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING YOU NEED TO BE DOING SOMETHING GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO.' "Nn," he mumbles, trying to resist the urge to break up the interrogation. Grapple stares up at Nightbeat, robo-sweat encrusting his forehead. "I..." he stares down at the gun as if reconsidering. "I... I've not seen Inferno in a while, okay? Not for ages, and you know what, good riddance! There's plenty of people who can... take over from him..." He falls silent again "That's enough," Hot Spot says, caving to his base need to be bossy and run around doing things. "That's enough for now. Nightbeat, calm down. Grapple, I have no idea what's gotten into you, but you're going to the brig. Nightbeat, you can question him there later." He reaches down to heft up the orange robot. "On your feet. Let's go." Report: Grapple - Hot Spot "Hot Spot reporting in. I..." "Er, hold on a second." "Sorry, /Operations Division Commander/ Hot Spot reporting. Today while trying to figure out why exactly I've been locked out of my own quarters, I came across Grapple attempting to assault Nightbeat -- possibly in connection to Nightbeat's ongoing investigation. Red Alert theorizes Decepticon influence, which may well be the case -- in any event, I have detained Grapple in the brig where he may be interrogated and examined at a later date. No matter what he says, don't let him out -- something's obviously very wrong here, and I won't have people letting their friendships get the better of them and get us all in trouble. Division Commander Hot Spot, out."
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