Not before I see this justice done

[dadcepticon]

Who: Krok, Ultra Magnus, other Autobots and/or Decepticons as interested; Krok and Chromedome (that one's private)
Where: Building 1; streets of the residential area (Chromedome only)
When: 5 July, evening.
Summary: Krok confronts Ultra Magnus about what's happened to Fulcrum. Chromedome, meanwhile, takes another step in dealing with the Decepticon infestation.
Warnings: Angry words, angst, memory tampering.

---

"ULTRA MAGNUS!"

Krok has never been imposing. He's neither tall nor bristling with weaponry, and his position as a strategist doesn't afford him many chances to practise being terrifying. But he has a voice, and it booms through the corridors like cannon fire as he storms toward the door of Tyrest's Chosen. If he holds onto his anger and his outrage, he can keep moving. If he holds onto the anger, he doesn't have to think about the way his spark aches and how he's inches from falling apart.

Fulcrum doesn't even sound like Fulcrum any more. It's like when they first found him. It's like the Fulcrum who made the leap for them is gone. And Krok knows who took him away. Krok knows who's responsible and there will be accountability or he will make his own justice.

He's pounding a fist on Ultra Magnus' door – the hand not clutching a plunger switch that he presses obsessively and repeatedly even as he stands there – before he even realises he's standing in front of it. He can barely see what he's doing; his optics are too bright, filaments overheating, light spilling from the corners in trails that follow him as he moves.

"ULTRA MAGNUS, ANSWER ME!"

Comments

[thehardway]

An angry small Decepticon pounding away on his door, right after Spinister claimed that Chromedome took something from them. It's concerning, but he isn't sure how seriously to take it. On one hand, Chromedome did attack Krok once, but on the other...

In any case, he cannot ignore this.

Wearily, he opens the door.

Ultra Magnus doesn't look well, his optics squinting down at Krok.

"Answered," he says tiredly. "What is it?"

[dadcepticon]

"Chromedome." Krok spits the name like a curse. "He attacked Fulcrum again and – and–" And Fulcrum is gone. "–HE MADE FULCRUM FORGET US!" His voice cracks now; he has to stop for a second or two before he can say anything else.

He wants to cry. He wants to shake Ultra Magnus until the towering jackass does something to make the situation right. He mashes the switch in his hand so hard his arm hurts.

"You're the law, aren't you?!" Krok demands. "We've done nothing to provoke this! We just want our peace! We've done exactly as you asked and look what we get for it – look what–" His voice cracks again, but this time, he chokes up and can't say anything more.

[thehardway]

"Krok-- Krok."

In the back of his head, he has a feeling that he could be right. Ultra Magnus wants to believe in the best of Chromedome; he stood up for him on Cybertron when he and Prowl got into their scuff. Despite all of their mistakes, Magnus remembers the best of him.

Which doesn't seem to be happening here. It's like Chromedome himself has forgotten his own best qualities.

Although Ultra Magnus has no love of these Decepticons, he isn't entirely unsympathetic to them. If Krok is being sincere, then to be caught in a situation like this...

"I need to correct you on one thing. I am no longer the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord. However, as acting captain, Chromedome is my responsibility." Ultra Magnus takes a moment to press his hand to his forehead, his optics dimming.

He struggles.

"If you are right, then... I will investigate this."

[dadcepticon]

It feels like a slap in the face. Something in Krok snaps and he just feels numb.

"If I'm ri– if I'm right?!" he cries, voice gone all the way back up to its full thunder. "Why would I lie?!"

[thehardway]

"You don't want to hear my answer for that."

Struggling. He's been struggling since--

"I need you to step back."

[dadcepticon]

"What, because I'm a Decepticon?" Krok doesn't step back. This is about his crew; he won't relent. Not for them. "Because we're Decepticons, and it wasn't worth doing something about him after he attacked two of us already? Because I might be biased?" He can't stop being angry. He can't. Despair is already snatching at his edges.

Ultra Magnus won't help you.

"I don't care what you do with him," Krok says, trying with everything he has to stay right where he is, to stay firm. "I don't care. I just want him to undo whatever he's done to Fulcrum."

[thehardway]

"No. Listen... listen to me--"

This is why he's been using text exclusively. This is hard to keep control of what little he has left. To cling onto his connection to the armor.

But he can't continue.

Silently, Ultra Magnus shoves Krok back, but not out of violence. Solely, because he doesn't actually want his armor to collapse on top of him. Once he pushes the Decepticon, it comes off in pieces, dropping apart around Ultra Magnus.

Leaving behind a much smaller, mostly green Cybertronian that's only roughly four feet tall.

Minimus Ambus sighs. "Well." He dusts himself off. "Anyway. Let me clarify: no, it's not because you're a Decepticon. Old habits die hard, but I classify everyone on what level of potential criminal activity they can perform. It sounds cruel, but you have motive against Chromedome, Krok. I'm not saying I won't help you, but I'm attempting to remain as unbiased as possible as well."

[stubbornandfrustrating]

Ratchet's out of his room when he starts hearing the banging, startled as he moves down the corridor towards Magnus' room.

"...Krok? What the hell is going on?

[dadcepticon]

Krok turns, fist still raised, switch in the other hand. He doesn't know if he's happy to see the medic or if the last thing he wants right now is more Autobots.

"Fulcrum – he's – Chromedome–" Rage is rapidly draining away his coherency.

[stubbornandfrustrating]

"Krok," Ratchet says in his best clear, sharp, sit-up-and-pay-attention medic's voice, trying to slice through whatever anger or panic is making Krok shake like that.

"Slowly, please. What happened?"

[dadcepticon]

"Fulcrum doesn't remember – not us!" Krok pored over that entire network exchange, voice and text, every letter, every syllable. Fulcrum remembers coming to the city, remembers the Autobots. But not his crew.

It was everything Krok could do not to smash the communicube and to type instead, and he had to give up quickly. He couldn't type another word after Fulcrum wanted his belongings left outside.

"I want him back!" Krok demands. "I want him back!"

[stubbornandfrustrating]

Ratchet makes a noise like Krok kicked him in the belly, his optics widening.

"I spoke to him on the network and he seemed strange but it's--it's all of you? Krok--"

He looks helpless, and he reaches out without thinking to put a hand on Krok's shoulder.

[dadcepticon]

"Don't!" Krok snaps and pulls back, out of Ratchet's reach. "Don't you dare touch me! You knew." He can't tell any more if he's shaking with rage or terror or both, but it's all he can do just to maintain a hold on the switch, and the switch is the only thing keeping him from breaking down entirely. "You knew about him hurting us already and what happened? WHAT HAPPENED, RATCHET?!" Krok bellows, wrapping the anger around him like armour, like bandages to cover the wounds from Clemency that Chromedome's torn open.

It's the only thing keeping him going right now.

"None of you did anything," he growls accusingly, but the crying won't stop. "And now – and now–" And now here he is, seeking justice, help, anything from the people who have the least reasons to care because the only other choice is taking matters into his own hands and that puts his crew at risk. He's here because he has no other choice.

[needlefingers]

This was nothing personal. Not really. Chromedome just wanted to make things right. And in doing so, that meant that Krok and his band of idiots were going to be sacrificed. Things needed to be okay. They needed to be real. Chromedome was no stranger to cruelty. Turned out, he was quite talented at it. It was an acquired skill though, one that comes from millions of years of war.

His next victim was the other one he had attacked once.

Chromedome stayed in the shadows as he watched Krok emerge from a building. Was the Decepticon going to see Ultra Magnus? Must be. Didn't matter though. Krok wasn't going to care much after he was done with him.

[dadcepticon]

Krok is actually just leaving Ultra Magnus. Unexpectedly small Ultra Magnus. He hurts in ways no medic can fix and he's shouted himself out, and with all his anger spent, he's drawn in on himself and shaking as he hurries back to Misfire and Spinister.

Maybe – maybe he can count on Ultra Magnus for help. The offer seemed sincere.

[needlefingers]

Krok was going to be a lot harder to take down than Fulcrum was. Fulcrum was just plain outright weak. Krok is a bit hardier. Not by much, however. Either way, he has no intention of fighting anyone.

So when he attacks Krok and yanks him into the alley, he's quick to jump on his back and force him down.

"I can make the pain go away." He says softly. "You'll feel fine when I'm done with you. I promise."

[dadcepticon]

Caught off guard and still unsteady, Krok swears protest but the world spins around his head too quickly for him to compensate. He tries; he grabs at the corner of the building, but momentum and alloy are stronger than concrete and some of the building actually cracks away in his hand. It makes him stumble as hands keep dragging him down and he hits the ground hard enough to hurt.

And then he hears that voice.

"Get off me!" he roars, trying to push himself up, roll Chromedome off. His arms are still too shaky. "I'll – I'll make you fix what you've done to Fulcrum!"

[needlefingers]

Chromedome could try to banter a bit. Make a few threats. There's no time for that though, so instead he gets right to business. Since what he has in mind isn't nearly as complicated as what he did to Fulcrum, he does it his usual way. Right through the back of his neck.

From there he's quick to erase everything that has to do with Fulcrum. As far as Krok is concerned, he's never met the likes of him. A certain vivid memory interests him a lot, and he saves it for when he's done his current task. Within minutes, Fulcrum is gone. Krok doesn't even remember why he went to Magnus in the first place. Who even cares?

When that is done, he returns to that memory. He weaves around it, admiring the memory for everything that it is. And then he works his "magic". If Krok ends up having extremely vivid nightmares about the time he had his face nearly drilled off, then that would be tragic, wouldn't it? Now what if he couldn't wake up from it until the dream was over?

How sad.

Chromedome finishes up and pulls away. By the time Krok wakes up, Chromedome is long gone.

[dadcepticon]

Krok is slow to pick himself up when the world finally comes back to him. He still feels dizzy, but after risking death to shout at Ultra Magnus, any Decepticon but a Phase Sixer would probably be just as light-headed. It must have finally hit him on his way back to quarters and he passed out.

"What was I thinking?" he mutters to himself as he picks his way back indoors. "Going off like that…"

[arnhaid]

It's sort of hard to ignore the pounding and the shouting. Really hard. Something isn't right around here, even he can see that. But what exactly is wrong is difficult to figure out. He's debating going down to talk to Chromia and Nautica when the pounding starts.

He pokes his head into the hall, and, at first, it's an effort to not lash out. He's so used to pounding on things with red optics and that symbol that he has to physically stop himself.

If these guys were a threat, they'd have done something already. Chromia wouldn't be friends with one of them. Magnus wouldn't warn against punching them.

"What the scrap's all the noise?"

Yelling. Okay -- not the best reaction, but it's better than punching.

[dadcepticon]

Krok actually hasn't run into Ironhide, though he knew the big red wrecking ball had arrived. He's too angry to worry about the possibility of a beating when Ironhide starts shouting back at him.

"I want to see Ultra Magnus!" Krok thunders right back. "Get him out here!"

[arnhaid]

"Okay! Fine!"

Why in the hell does a Decepticon want to see Magnus. But, really, it's not like Ironhide can just summon up the other bot. He makes a gesture toward the door.

"I'll get right on it! Just as soon as someone starts explainin' what the scrap is goin' on!"

[dadcepticon]

"What's going on is one of my crew has been attacked," Krok snaps, abandoning Magnus' door for now to round on Ironhide, the only available target with a red badge. "Again. By one of you." He stops, trembling, but not because he's afraid. He's too angry right now to be afraid – he's holding onto the anger so he doesn't have time to fear.

It keeps him going.

"Nothing was done when I was attacked," he goes on, voice rising in volume steadily with every word. "And nothing was done about it when Fulcrum was attacked the first time. And now – now it's worse ~ AND YOU AUTOBOTS WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT CHROMEDOME THIS TIME!" There's a frantic edge to the fury in Krok's voice, though; the idea that they won't care. It's just some Decepticons, after all.

[arnhaid]

It's instinctive -- the way he draws himself up, arms folded across his chest. Like some vast, immovable object. He doesn't do it on purpose, doesn't do it to intimidate the clearly distraught Decepticon. It just happens. Like the way his optics narrow at the accusation.

"Magnus said we were all playin' nice," he growls. "You--"

His head tilts. Real surprise and confusion flickers over his face.

"Hold on. Just. I dunno, cool your vents a second here."

His arms unfold, hands held up in what he sincerely hopes looks more placating than threatening. Because, hell, even he noticed there was something extremely weird with things. "The scrawny little bomb guy? He's yours? He didn't seem like he was damaged or nothin'. Not all there in the head but..."

There hadn't seemed to be anything physically wrong. Which is what Ironhide presumes this guy means by "attacked".

[dadcepticon]

Krok can't afford to be calm. He needs to stay angry, stay focused. Fortunately, Ironhide keeps the discussion on point; it gives Krok more than enough fuel.

"HE DOESN'T REMEMBER US!" Krok howls. The switch in his hand cracks, he squeezes it so tightly. "He went out the door just a little while ago and now – now it's like he never knew us at all!" He points accusingly at Ironhide with the hand holding the switch, arm shaking. "And there's only one mnemosurgeon around here."