[network] Things just got a little bit hotter around here.

[warmesthugs]

[There isn't much visible in the video feed at first; the image is grainy and out of focus, and the frame briefly scrolls upwards a couple of times before falling into its rightful place, as though someone is tweaking the settings.

When it settles, all that's visible is a massive, dark shape silhouetted against the sky. He glares at the screen with two baleful red eyes and brimming rage makes the biolights tracking down his cheeks burn bright. Two words boom over the line.]

Explanation. Now.

Comments

[aminerproblem]

[The Decepticon doesn't say much, but Megatron can tell that he doesn't like the second half of the answer.]

[Of course, very few actually seemed to respond well to the order of 'lay down your weapons don't murder the people you've been murdering for four million years'. Go figure.]

What's your name?

[warmesthugs]

[Helex isn't the talker. That's Tarn's job. It'd be great if Tarn was here to handle this.]

It's Helex.

[Now if that means anything to Megatron right now, he has no idea.]

[aminerproblem]

You're part of the Decepticon Justice Division.

[He was named Helex, after the city. Nearly a year ago, it would have been merely a strange name choice, but a lot has happened since then. A lot of violent incidents with Tarn, unfortunately. But if this bot was half as fanatical as Tarn was, turning this around could still be possible.]

You were picked to uphold the ideals I wrote, just as Tarn was.

[warmesthugs]

[The easy arrogance fades, slowly becoming a flat scowl. He unfolds one smaller arm to point accusingly at Megatron.]

Yeah, the ideals you betrayed. Kinda funny, I guess.

[aminerproblem]

[It's been a long time since he felt that familiar pang of anger at the accusation. Of course, he knew why Helex felt that way. But he also knew that the DJD were the symbol of a grossly corrupted ideology, one that filled him with disgust at the mere thought of it.]

Before I arrived here, I was on a prison shuttle for killing a Senator's guard. If you're even part the fanatic Tarn is you'd be familiar with it. The C-12 Riot. There was no one more ready continue the fight than I was.

But there's no functionist oppression here. No reason to start killing. Just tired sparks weary of fighting a war that lost its reason. People who want to rebuild.

I suppose you'll ignore that if the truth is too inconvenient for you, but don't you dare suggest I'm the traitor when the only reason you're wearing that badge on your chest is because of the meaning I gave it.

[warmesthugs]

[Rage brightens his optic and biolights again. Visceral rage that makes his spark lurch in its chamber. His knuckles creak audibly as he clenches his fists.]

Yeah, we pledged to you. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So when we watched you tell us and everyone it was all over, wearing that filthy red badge…

[Something in his jaw pops, he's grinding his teeth so hard.]

Since you know so much, I bet you already know what seeing that did to Tarn, yeah? What you betraying us did?

[aminerproblem]

[Megatron sees the rage fill the smelter's frame, and silently prepares for a possible fight. He may not developed a gladiator's thirst for blood, but he's picked up a thing or two in his stay here.]

No. I haven't. But I've seen the malaise the gesture has caused in my time here.

[Also he's real sick n tired of people blaming him for Shit he didn't do yet on both sides. But he suspects Helex won't care much for that particular detail.]

I'm not going to leave the cause. But we need to change our priorities if we want to survive on this planet.

[warmesthugs]

You…

[He'll never admit it to Tarn, but he's starting to wonder what they ever saw in this guy; Tarn wanted to die after Megatron turned his back on them and this is what Helex gets when he meets him. The more Megatron talks, the angrier Helex feels. He's so angry he can't tighten his fists any further without breaking something. He's so angry he could kill somebody.]

You know what?

[He lashes out with a smaller hand, figuring that Megatron will either try to avoid it and he can grab him with a big hand, or he'll simply get caught and Helex can get to pounding his face through the back of his head that much faster.]

To hell with you!

[aminerproblem]

[Megatron's entire posture changes as Helex begins to advance. His knees bend as he lowers to the ground, immediately preparing to get the hell out of the way when the first strike comes. Wary of both sets of arms, he slips to the side to circle around the enormous Decepticon.]

[No weapons, a size disadvantage and a much more experienced opponent. Things could be worse. He could have stupid amounts of guns like Sentinel did.]

Over here.

[He'll be chucking that piece of rebar plucked off the ground at Helex's face, thanks. Maybe if the smelter gets pissed off enough he'll make a stupid mistake.]

[warmesthugs]

[Sometimes Helex finds arranging all his limbs irritating. Sometimes they're irritating and it's hard to do anything comfortably. Sometimes they are a serendipitous thing.

Now is one of those times, as he raises one massive arm and the rebar bounces off his elbow instead of smacking him across the face. He follows through with the pivot and a fist bigger than his own head aimed squarely for Megatron's face.]

[aminerproblem]

[It's hard to not see the massive arm coming, and Megatron jumps back a few steps to avoid it. He stumbles for a half a second, slipping on the loose debris he was standing on, but manages to catch himself.]

[He honestly had no real idea with how the hell he was supposed to attack Helex without getting himself caught in an iron grip. He couldn't keep ducking around forever.]

Is that it? Tarn told me you lot were supposed to strike terror into the sparks of everyone you came across.

[The taunt comes with another piece of debris, this time launched at the thick glass of the chamber on his chest.]

[warmesthugs]

[Helex is not good at witty repartee. He's not a talker. And striking terror into the heart of the reason they exist at all seems a tall order even for him.

So he just snarls and charges headlong at Megatron; his sheer weight crushes, flattens, or breaks most of the wrack underfoot, leaving bent rebar and shattered glass in his wake. He's not very good at finesse, either.]

[aminerproblem]

[Megatron was half certain he'd gone crazy when a thought hit him as Helex stood ready to charge.]

[But as with many situations, there was little time to argue with his instincts. Rather than run, he stands his ground as Helex begins to charge forward, keeping track of the massive Decepticon's footsteps.]

[As the large frame gets closer, he transforms in response, swiftly compacting and lowering into tank mode to ram into one of the smelter's legs at full force, hoping to disbalance him enough with his own momentum to knock him off his feet.]

[warmesthugs]

Wh–!

[Helex is heavy, but he's top-heavy; once he loses balance, there's virtually nothing stopping him from going down. This time is no different as Megatron transforms and drops, smashing into his knee. The off-centre hit sends Helex down at an angle, too, everything pitching wildly around his head as he falls.

He doesn't flail to regain his footing, though.

He's done this with Tarn a few times – training for… not exactly this sort of thing, but training. Decepticons are fighters, even the cowards. Sometimes especially the cowards.

Helex twists and makes a grab for the tank's barrel and turret to keep Megatron from evading him again.]

[aminerproblem]

[The tank's engine snarls as his treads scoop out more ground to try and escape, even managing to drag the both of them for about a moment or two before he realizes he's trapped. What Helex had seized wasn't quite a gun turret -- mining vehicles weren't typically armed, but it was a smiliarly deep-wired piece of armor that would hurt like all hell to have torn out.]

[He shifts back, the armor handheld ending up near his collar and his hands emerging out of vehicle mode to grip Helex's wrist.]

[There was nothing standing between him and Helex but his legs, and he still had no idea what the hell he was going to do to escape.]

[warmesthugs]

Try dancing around throwing stuff at me now!

[Helex clamps down hard with both hands and aims to let his entire weight land squarely on Megatron so he can pin him down. It'll be hell getting back up again later, but it'll be worth it.]

[aminerproblem]

[There's a mix of a surprisingly vicious snarl and a pained grunt in response as Helex starts to press him into the ground. The huge hands find their clamps, and Megatron can't quite seem to remember the right chord to rip out of them to get it to stop.]

[He can feel the actuators in his legs begin to strain for the first time as he uses them to push him back. Barely. Helex's weight and strength weren't easy things to overcome.]

[With his own hands clenched rather uselessly around the smelter's larger wrists, he slips one leg out to attempt to kick the Decepticon square in the face.]

[warmesthugs]

[The kick connects; it's hard enough to crack something in Helex's mouth, and he tastes his own energon. One hand comes loose in surprise, but a smaller hand snaps out to tear at the back of Megatron's knee and Helex brings his larger hand down in a fist like a hammer aimed for Megatron's face.

He just roars, flecks of fuel spraying from his lips.]

[aminerproblem]

[Megatron sees stars Helex's huge fist collides onto his helm, denting and ripping the metal with his knuckles. He's dazed for a good few seconds before noticing one optic had fractured and streaks of energon were beginning to leak over his face.]

[He can't tell which was his or which was Helex's when the spit reaches him, and his resistance lessens for a brief moment as he tries to gain his bearings. His venting is hard and labored, and he can only remember to push back.]

[But there's one weak thought that crosses his mind as his vision comes to, and with a forceful grimace, he tries to roll the huge Decepticon off him, pushing him to the side where his arm is raised and off kilter.]

[warmesthugs]

[Helex is in the middle of raising his fist to hit Megatron again when Megatron starts pushing him. His mass is once more not on his side and he teeters, but he digs his fingers harder into Megatron's collar as he topples to the side, trying to get them wrapped around his neck instead.

This is all very wrong, he thinks, but he doesn't feel like dwelling on it. Now is just bitter anger.

The kind of anger that makes him try to use his grip to lift Megatron over him as he rolls and slam him back into the ground head-first.]

[sparkwhisperer]

[As Tarn hurries to Helex’s location he is gripped with a certain degree of dread. The smelter has never been one to possess a great amount of patience and he would prefer to keep the damage control to a minimum.

That’s not to say that he isn’t glad to see his teammate. No, his relief to have someone who actually understands him is overwhelming. He and Helex have always had a good rapport with each other.

As he rounds the last corner of his journey he slides out of tank mode to approach his subordinate face to face.

Unfortunately the scene unfolding in front of exactly what he was hoping to avoid. A strangled wheeze escapes Tarn as he stops short, eyes wide with shock. Because there, in the middle of the shattered remains of a building, Helex was suplexing Megatron. The GOOD Megatron.

After the split second of second of pause, he forces his feet forward running over to break up the vicious fight.]

“HELEX. STOP."

[aminerproblem]

[His pained shout is muffled by debris as he's slammed face first into the ground. Not exactly what he wanted to happen, but at least he wasn't in the position of trying to leg press someone with fists the size of his head.]

[With Helex off kilter and Megatron's wits starting to come about him, he clenches the wrist of the hand grasping at his throat, being one good slip away from having him in a grip that could very well end the fight.]

[He begins to wrench it away with both hands when a familiar voice shouts from a distance, but ignores it in favor of bending back the fingers farther than the joint would allow. A mix of a little pain and Tarn's distraction might finally get him free.]

[warmesthugs]

[It hurts having his fingers wrenched like that, but he can work through pain. Helex wouldn't be as useful to Tarn otherwise. He does bellow in pain, though, feeling wiring and thick metacarpal struts warp under Megatron's grip.

He can work through it, but it still hurts.

So the pain doesn't bring him up short quite so much as that voice he only just hears over Megatron's snarling, his own shouts, and the roar of his power plant trying to get any more torgue out of his shoulders so he can snap Megatron's head off his neck. In fact, Helex freezes as though someone cut his motor circuits entirely, optics wide. His head whips around to look up.]

Tarn?!

[He stopped, as ordered. But he hasn't let go just yet.]

[sparkwhisperer]

Let go of him. Right now.

[Tarn can't believe that in the 20 minutes that it maybe took him to get here that so much has already gone wrong. As he gets closer,the smears of energon and dented plating becomes more apparent.

This is a disaster. Of anyone who could have found Helex it had to be Megatron. He was really hoping to explain the situation before they met.

Tarn stands tall, managing to exude an air of authority. He stares down at Helex, hoping that perhaps he may miss the small detail of his missing badge, and the more obvious disappearance of his double fusion cannon. He can't seem weak in this moment. There is too much riding on it.]

I will explain this later, but you're going to have to let him go.

[aminerproblem]

[He can feel the junctures of his neck begin to strain against the force of Helex's arm. When wrenching the metacarpals out of place does nothing to dissuade him, he gets ready to escalate, fingers digging into the wrist cables just between thick armor plates.]

[Megatron only pauses because the force slackens against his neck, and he watches at Tarn tries to de-escalate.]

[But his face is still contorted into a angry grimace as Helex keeps a clamp around his neck. Some probing from his hand reminds him of what he needed to look for: the radial nervecircuit. Helex better let go of him quick, because he'll be ripping it out of place and slipping free of his own accord if he doesn't.]