"I h-hate you."

[Slug]

OOC: SDFJSDKJF-- forgive me for the LAMENESS of this post. e.e' I couldn't think of anything for what to do, so I pretty much used Prowl as a subject. |D Sorry, Prowlie. (shot)
---

I trust you.

Did the black-and-gold autobot really trust him? He didn’t believe it… but he wanted to. He really, really did. He wanted to believe that if there was someone on this mudball called a planet who actually gave a damn, it would be Prowl in all his ninja glory.

But he knew that, even if Prowl was the honorable type, the ninja would be willing to lie to him just to get him to shut up.

Viral didn’t blame him.

He snarled suddenly, lashing out at the lake’s surface with his knife-like-fingers, the digits almost gliding through the water with eerie ease. His reflection rippled slightly, ruining his angry, orange image for a split second before the lake calmed again, and Viral found himself glaring at… himself.

Again.

”I h-hate you.” Viral whispered furiously, his lip curling back slightly, revealing rows and rows of shark-like teeth.

Viral wasn’t too sure if his words were aimed at Prowl, or himself-- then again, Viral wasn’t a self-hater. He was just too busy hating everyone else to hate himself, as sad as that is true. But what was even more sad was that he was hating on someone that wasn’t even there at the moment, which made the ex-decepticon realize how much Prowl could get under his armor as Viral could get under his.

And he could no longer allow that.

Hissing softly, Viral, in though, turned away from the lake, flicking some excess water from his digits as he did so, a frown on his pale face.

”W-what gives y-you t-the r-right?” He muttered, his faceplates twisting in distaste as he said this. What g-gives yo-you a-any r-right t-to make me angry?” Viral knew all-too-well what the answer to this was, but it would be a cold day in the pits before he admitted any of it!

Him. His anger, his rudeness. All of it. It gave Prowl the right to defend himself-- to retort, to make Viral angry. But Viral didn’t want to change-- not yet, and definitely not soon-- just so Prowl would stop irking him with his…ninja-ness, or whatever the frag the autobot freak wanted to call it, even though Viral did have to wonder… would it be worth it in the end?

Would it be worth it to change?

[Fallout]

They had finally let her out of the stupid brace thingy. Her torso kind of ached when she breathed too deeply, but it was to be expected after having suffered three broken ribs. The doctors had said she should rest, and no prolonged physical activity for at least a week.

Naturally, she had taken a walk around Detroit that had so far lasted an hour and a half. It had brought her to the 'scene of the crime', so to speak.

She frowned when she noticed the lake. It certainly hadn't taken them long to refill it. The city had certainly become very effecient at dealing with the collateral damage the robots caused.

Her eyes wandered around the edge of the lake. The people seemed to be avoiding a certain area of it. She caught sight of something orange and shiny out of the corner of her eye.

She grinned. So that's why the people were afraid of the edge of the lake. Staying true to Adrian form, she made her way towards the familiar robotic form. "Hey, Viral. Showing your face around here so soon? Didn't you say something about going to the brig?"

[Slug]

"Hey, Viral. Showing your face around here so soon? Didn't you say something about going to the brig?"

A voice startled Viral out of his thoughts, earning an angry growl from the mech as he twisted to see who dared interrupt his thinkin--

"...Adrian?" Viral blinked owlishly behind his visor, his face a look of utter shock, though he quickly smoothed his surprise down and sneered, annoyance flashing across his faceplates.

"Th-they couldn't p-put m-me in the brig if th-they tried!" He snapped, rage coursing through his energon tubes. "B-besides, it w-would t-take m-more th-than th-those group of do-gooders t-to s-such a thing." He grumbled, though inwardly he felt nervous-- were one of his 'allies' watching him now? If so, that would be very, very bad...

"I admit," Viral began, voice more dark. "I was panicking at the time-- you were injured, and Prowl had practically chewed my head off when he saw your blood on me." He glowered at Adrian for a moment, then sighed, leaning against a tree before sliding down it, wrapping his vectors around his one leg.

"I-it w-wasn't y-your f-fault, o-of course." He said, tone bitter. "It's a-always Viral's fault, and b-blah blah blah blah!" He snarled, clenching his hands and gritting his fangs together.

Suddenly, he relaxed, banging his cranium against the tree for a few moments, muttering things under his breath-- no doubt ranting about the autobots-- before finally stopping and saying, "D-do y-you th-think they w-would l-like me b-better as a Decepticon? B-because honestly, I t-think b-being a De-decepticon wou-would b-be better than..." He paused for a moment, then let his shoulders slump.

"Better than this."

[Fallout]

"D-do y-you th-think they w-would l-like me b-better as a Decepticon? B-because honestly, I t-think b-being a De-decepticon wou-would b-be better than... Better than this."

She didn't really understand the stuttering thing. Sometimes he did it, and sometimes it seemed like he forgot to. She thought he sounded scared when he stuttered. Was that why Viral did it? To make himself seem submissive?

She sat down in front of Viral, and, though she hated to admit it, it felt nice after walking around for so long with a newly healed injury.

"Well," She crossed her legs, pretzel-style, and straigtened her skirt. "To be honest, I don't think anyone would like you better as a Decepticon. Not here, anyways."

She pondered his second comment for a moment. She didn't understand why the two factions fought. The 'Cons were 'evil', and the 'Bots were 'good', but there had to be more to it than that. There had to be.

"I don't pretend to know anything about your war. But I do know that you can pick your own side. The other Autobots just have to respect that." She gestured at the thick black 'x' over Viral's Decepticon symbol. "And if you didn't like them the first time, why would you like them any better now?"

[Slug]

"Well, to be honest, I don't think anyone would like you better as a Decepticon. Not here, anyways."

Viral was silent for a moment, allowing the Adrian to settle herself before him and speak, mentally noting that, despite her young age-- well, young compared to a cybertronian's-- she was... rather mature.

He also noted to make her teach him some social-skills later on.

"That... is true." He admitted, cocking his head. "P-perhaps it would b-be easier if I just b-became a neutral, though." He grimaced. "At least I am worth something to myself than nothing to the autobots and the decepticons."

"I don't pretend to know anything about your war. But I do know that you can pick your own side. The other Autobots just have to respect that."

Viral scowled as she gestured to his x'd out Decepticon symbol, clearly irked-- but her next words wiped away that expression faster away than a cat running through a rainstorm.

"And if you didn't like them the first time, why would you like them any better now?"

"Autobots aren't all good, Adrian, and Decepticons aren't all bad." Viral started, sighing. "But you're right," Viral said, changing what he was about to say. "I have no reason to like them now, nor anymore than I did the first time. But, as crazy says..." The orange autobot began, almost sadly.

"You can always hope."

[Fallout]

"P-perhaps it would b-be easier if I just b-became a neutral, though."

Adrian shrugged at that. Neutral was fine. She considered herself neutral, and it seemed to be working out pretty well so far.

"But you're right. I have no reason to like them now, nor anymore than I did the first time. But, as crazy says..."

"You can always hope."

Adrian had to agree with that. But hope was not something she had in abundance.

She sighed. "I see your point." But she offered no other insight on the matter.

After a moment of silence, she asked the question that had been bugging her since she first learned of the robot war.

"Why do you fight each other?"

[prowl]

the park. it had been so long since the black-and-gold mech had been able to move his servos around the place, but nature had done as it would; taken back the park and assisted ratchet's excellent medical work in healing prowl's old damaged parts. oh sure, it'd been painful, but it'd reinforced one lesson of his old training - don't get hurt. ever. not that he could avoid it of course, he was saving the organic and he was... he was saving viral in a sense, he guessed. but he'd rather not think about that, anyway. he couldn't fathom his own words that he'd said - what by primus had told him that the right words to say at that time were "i trust you"? had he even meant it?.. well, reluctantly as he would say so, yes. but he'd rather have his aft whoop'd by another 'con before he ever admitted that again.

the cyberninja moved with almost feline grace through the park, few humans came here again since the battle - this amused him, their activities; why should something that happened in the past - impossible to reoccur, really - put them off from such a beautiful location? as prowl watched birds soar through the air gracefully, he shrugged off his worries. there were some things about the organics he guessed he would never understand, like such unfounded paranoia. it was as he moved though, observing the world around him that his audio sensors picked up sounds coming from the southern side of the park - where the lake lay, water lapping at the scarred shore. prowl moved in silence, no longer flowing with the nature around him, but being more direct in his movements as his cool metal brushed against the earth, regrettably his sheer weight crushing the little organic buds striving toward the sun.

as he neared, he slowed, almost to a halt. he knew that voice and wasn't even sure if this was a conversation he was ready for - it was viral. how could he start up conversation? would viral want to hear conversation from him? the entire fight, from the last incident, had been stirred by viral and prowl's argument initially, otherwise the park might have gone unnoticed by the 'con, might still be flourishing more vibrantly than it ever was, not the repairing tatters it was now. that was before he picked up on the other speech and immediately lit up his recognition sensors in his processor. adrian? the girl that had been hurt? obviously, like prowl, she had recovered - but he still wondered when she had felt it appropriate to get so close to vir-. he stopped himself there. that was enough, viral had never done any true harm to him, aside from be noisy as bumblebee and bulkhead combined. and a former 'con.

but who was prowl to judge? he had been as good as a 'con before, a draft-dodger, sent to the stockades with all the other criminals and captured 'cons. nearly gone insane, too, processor mostly fried. why did he preen toward the autobot will so often? how could he criticise someone with a situation not so different to his own? at least the decepticons didn't corner innocent, non-inclined bots and force them to join or essentially send them to torture. or cruelly experiment on them, like prowl had heard about when he'd met the twins jetfire and jetstorm. prowl shook his head and focussed on the words of the pair, clearing his mind from where he blended into the shade of a particularly large but close-by oak.

"autobots aren't all good, adrian, and decepticons aren't all bad. but you're right, i have no reason to like them now, nor anymore than i did the first time. but, as crazy says... you can always hope." prowl felt a familiar pang of regret pull his sparkplugs, sympathetic once again for the orange mech not far from him. it was harsh, but true, prowl had more than once encountered some heartless autobots, many of whom he would otherwise have happily have turned 'con for. it made him wonder, if the 'cons had broke him out of the stockades and not his master, would he have sided with them for revenge? prowl would like to say that he wouldn't, but really, he knew the answer. but viral's words inspired prowl, at least the other mech was still trying - and that was all he could ask.

as the conversation changed tone toward the autobot cause as adrian brought the topic up, prowl recognized a perfect opportunity to intervene, after all, he was not entirely for this eavesdropping business. he walked out so silently that neither of the other two could possibly have heard him as he moved across the slender grass shoots which softly cushioned his servos. "why do you fight each other?" 'we fight because we have to, one way or another. on earth, we fight for you, the organics, who, if the decepticons ever got ahold of, would almost certainly perish.' prowl's visor narrowed slightly, minutely disappointed that he himself had not been able to think of many more reasons why they bothered. he guessed they just did, that was all. turning his optics from the organic, he glanced at viral, surprised to find he was glad to see the other mech. viral hadn't come to see him in the medic bay - prowl wasn't sure if he'd expected him to - but still, he felt that something strange stood between the two now, but it was not something that prowl hated so much as didn't know what to do with.

[/blockquote]

[Slug]

"I see your point."

For a nanoklick, Viral felt like a Decepticon, feeling all too smug that Adrian had "I see your point". By the pit, he was pretty sure he grinned diabolically for a few seconds, relishing the fact that he had 'swayed' Adrian onto 'his side'. Viral had never felt so complete before that the thought of actually leaving the Autobots and becoming a true Decepticon had become... very tempting.

So tempting, he nearly missed what Adrian said next, and almost didn't hear an all-too-familiar voice speak.

Almost.

"Why do you fight each other?"

'we fight because we have to, one way or another. on earth, we fight for you, the organics, who, if the decepticons ever got ahold of, would almost certainly perish.'

Viral lost his grin once hearing Prowl's words, anger flashing across his faceplates, making his lips curl. "I thought ninja's were honorable, Prowl." He said bitterly, and he inwardly felt ashamed-- but not for what he had said. "Y-you--" Viral stopped what he was about to say next, surprise written all over his faceplates as he went silent, mouth dropping open like a fish for a moment, then shutting with a metallic snap.

If he was going to talk, then he was going to do it without stuttering, slaggit. Live proud, die proud-- why the pit had he started stuttering, anyways? Certainly not because of the Autobots! Hell, Viral never stuttered once when he was still a Decepticon, or when he had been around Decepticons. What did the Autobots have that could scare-- no, no, no. Not scare. Wary.-- enough that he stuttered?

'Wary, hmm? I doubt it.' Temptation drawled, and Viral scowled at the words it whispered in his CPU, glowering all the more at Prowl, his visor narrowing more than the cyberninja's had. By the fiery inferno, he wasn't glowering-- he was glaring at the other Autobot, his rage clear in his visor as he continued to give Prowl a rather poisonous stare.

"You," He finally snarled, fangs flashing. "Shouldn't lie," Oh, yeah. He was definitely talking about what Prowl had told him earlier. "To an organic." Viral finished smoothly, though darkly, as he successfully got back up from his 'word blunder'. Why did he care if Adrian got nosy? He had no idea. But he told himself that it was because he didn't like anyone in his business, and left it at that. After all, Adrian didn't need to know why he was truly upset with the cyberninja, because that meant he actually cared about what Prowl had said. Oh, no. He couldn't let anyone but himself know. Period.

Because rude, orange midgets need to keep up their reputation. It's written in stone. Honest.

"Such a shame, Prowl." He drawled sarcastically, sounding eerily like Temptation. This similarity made him visibly shudder, though he rose to his wheel after this, his glare never leaving the mech before him. "What would your teach' say? 'E.T phone home'?" He snorted in a way that seemed almost delicate, a grimace on his lips. He knew practically little to nothing about cyberninjas, but he knew that everyone had a teacher that trained them. It was basic knowledge, as was putting salt-in-injury tactics like insulting someone's teach'.

Maybe he was overreacting, but Viral was willing to admit that he was tired of silly Autobot games that his 'comrades' were throwing at him. If they couldn't tell the truth like the little good 'bots they were, then frag it. He would toss caution to the wind and let his frustrations out on his 'enemy': Prowl. After all, Prowl wasn't the type of bot to lie. But the thought of Prowl having been eavesdropping on his conversation was enough to make him think otherwise. Really, Prowl just came out of nowhere and practically made Viral burst a tube, he had been so angry.

"Adrian," Viral began, looking away from Prowl-- loosing his 'glare of possible apocalypse' as he did so-- to gaze at the human. "We fight each other..." He said slowly-- cautiously. "The Autobots, the Decepticons... we fight each other because-- He gave Prowl a sneer as he said this, as if implying something.

"Because we're so alike."

Wait-- what?

He rolled a little away from the two, fingers twitching in thought. "...We are so similar." He growled. "It's really rather sad. The Autobots want control, the Decepticons want control, the Autobots this, the Decepticons that. It's really all about control, though. Don't listen to the ninja-- don't listen to any other but me. Because those others are fu--" Viral paused for a moment, gritting his fangs together in annoyance as he stared down at the lake once more, his reflection staring back.

"...They're all full of lies."
---

ooc: Amfg. e.e Forgive meeee. I was all "PROWL~ /gets dramatic". XD Besiiides, Viral totally gets dramatic around Prowl-- am I the only one who has noticed this? XP

(shot)

[Fallout]

"we fight because we have to, one way or another. on earth, we fight for you, the organics, who, if the decepticons ever got ahold of, would almost certainly perish."

Adrian started. What the hell...? Oh. Prowl. The giant metal dude was frigging sneaky. She supposed he didn't get the name for nothing, but jeez...

She recovered enough to contemplate what he said... and frowned. "Well there might be some Decepticons who value-"

"You shouldn't lie to an organic."

Eh? Adrian returned her curious gaze to Viral. Now... what did Viral... what?

"We fight each other... The Autobots, the Decepticons... we fight each other because-- Because we're so alike."

What?

"...We are so similar. It's really rather sad. The Autobots want control, the Decepticons want control, the Autobots this, the Decepticons that. It's really all about control, though."

Well... that was new information. She gave Prowl a look out of the corner of her eyes. If the Autobots were just as bad as the Decepticons... then why should Detroit want them here? She, personally, didn't care all that much for her safety (obviously). But she thought of the little kids at her orphanage- would they be safe?

Don't listen to the ninja-- don't listen to any other but me. Because those others are fu-- ...They're all full of lies."

Adrian blinked a few times. This had gotten a little weird.

"Are there any others like you, Viral?" Adrian wondered aloud. "I would think not. But... I had always heard Autobots couldn't fly. Those two who came awhile ago with the fat chin guy and Jazz? They may have stayed out of the media, but I saw them. So I'm just wondering- if Autobots aren't supposed to fly..."

She turned to Prowl now, a look of pure curiosity underlined with a bit of anger.

"Just what in God's name did you do to them?"

ooc:;

Er... sorry for that dramatic bit at the end. xD

VIRAL IS RUBBING OFF ON ADRIAN ONOES.

[prowl]

when viral first spoke, prowl's mind immediately jumped to their last conversation - the words prowl had spoken in secrecy and for a fleeting moment, he thought viral might lay his weakness in trust raw to the world. he was surprised when viral pursued a different line of conversation, only to tread upon the word "honour". to be blunt, he'd been faced with two options - become a cyberninja, technically protected by the autobot elite guard and "on side" or, alternatively, be sent back to the stockades where he had nearly lost his mind. honestly, it hadn't taken a lot of thought.

it was as viral, glowering, insulted his master that prowl almost snapped, almost. of course, viral couldn't have known - that master yoketron, prowl's teacher, was dead, killed by lockdown. by lockdown, his own pupil. it was a bitter lesson to prowl about trust, sure, he had learnt to accept and even welcome the company of master yoketron during their training, not for another moment thinking to betray his teacher, but it could've gone either way - if you pull criminals from the stockades sooner or later, you'll be their next victim. too trusting. too vulnerable, as prowl had made himself now to viral, perhaps.

still, though he stopped himself hurtling at viral, his digits clenched into balled metal fists and he gritted his teeth together, letting off a moody "hrmm" similar to the sound he made when he was being annoyed by bumblebee. or viral, for that matter. before, prowl had almost let viral know about his past, about how becoming an autobot had never been a choice once optimus pri-- magnus and his bumbling team had destroyed his ship. nobody knew his full story, now that his master was dead, but lockdown was similar, unnervingly similar, to prowl himself.

it was when viral claimed that they were so similar that prowl's fear of the truth kicked in, fear that made him step to the defence of the autobots. 'no. we're not the same.' he said, but his voice was unusually muffled, different from his typical, decisive tone. that fear he felt - that viral was right - suffocated his thoughts. it was true, really - if the decepticons had busted him out of the stockades and said they were either going to throw him back in, or he could join them, would he just have readily joined them? the answer was far too blindingly obvious.

prowl glanced again, brought back to the current when viral mentioned lies again. now he was sure that the other 'mech was talking about what he'd said before. he opened his visor fully once again, before the blue beam of light obliqued, sincerity in his look as his decisive tone returned. 'i have never lied to you nor the organic. i believe what i say.' it was as adrian turned to prowl and spoke, tone laced with underlying anger and addressed prowl as if he were a pure-bred academy 'bot that something snapped.

the accusation, it was too much; 'i was not a elite guard academy bot defended by legions of "expendable"s, i do not now nor ever shall i speak on their full behalf - as one would not to those that sent him to-- to... a place you'd not wish to revisit, before giving them no true decision. the twins are a tragedy and as such are many of the atrocities which the autobots perform. however,' he intoned, visor sliding back over to viral to give him a hard stare. 'even if what you say is correct, and we are both so alike, would not the decepticons be just as atrocious toward their own? it is not unheard of, though many of theirs have claimed to be wronged. to answer you? experimentation. it has always been the autobot way to sacrifice the lesser good for the greater good. in the case you are referring to, the twins are expendable - so they were taken into testing, where, after pain, they successfully became the latest autobot feat.'

prowl finished, surprising himself with a cool analytical tone. what was he speaking like, he realized, slightly shocked at himself? was he some kind of secret 'con supporter? no. he had almost sacrificed his life too many times to the autobot cause to not support them, hadn't he? well? hadn't he? he wasn't sure what answer he expected from himself. if he had been out to defect, he could have done it a long time ago, not that you had a chance to escape anywhere really, at the time. not true, he argued with himself, there had been sentinel prime - yeah, another, even worse autobot. - there had been lockdown - the murderer of the one bot you owed something to and, well, the 'cons were still near earth, if he needed them after all the aft-kicking, they'd never trust you, not to mention the lack of wings, stupid..

prowl shook his head almost unnoticably to rid himself of such mad conversations with himself and crude thoughts. this wasn't how he normally acted at all. regaining his composure, he eyed the organic and viral. perhaps this conversation wasn't such a good idea after all, or was it?

[/blockquote]

[Slug]

"Are there any others like you, Viral?"

Viral stiffened, a soft whisper of air escaping his lips once the question was actually processed by his CPU, then he bit his lower-lip hard to stop another, feeble noise from leaving him, a small spark flying from his mouth as he did so.

Are there any others like you, Viral? Are there... are there?

Primus, that question was going to haunt him for a long, long time if he didn't answer it.

"N-no." The stutter was all too real, and his answer seemed more like a question than a statement.

'No, hmm?' Temptation murmured, dry amusement in it's voice. It chuckled after a moment. 'Are you lonely, Viral?' It asked randomly, making Viral clench his fists. 'No. Of course not. Big, bad Viral is never lonely. You just think... you are alone. Is that it? I bet it is.' It mused, it's words like knives stabbing at Viral's cranium, making the orange mech unconsciously rub the side of his helmet with a breathless, pained hiss.

'I am not lonely,' Viral snarled back at Temptation, his thoughts hot with anger. 'But... I am alone.' He admitted, shoulders slumping as he gazed at the lake, his reflection gazing back. By the pit, did he look pathetic. What was that human saying? 'Kicked puppy'? Yes. He looked like a kicked puppy.

'How digusting,' Viral could practically feel the sneer in Temptation's voice, wincing slightly at the disappointed tone. 'You are no kicked puppy, nor are you some Autobot pansy! So, quit with the self-pity already, slag you! I do not want our image ruined because you decided to get emotional over a question.' It scolded, and Viral felt it's presence disappear from his CPU.

He couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

'no. we're not the same.'

"Yes, we are." Viral whispered, giving no acknowledgment to Prowl's warning growl.

'i have never lied to you nor the organic. i believe what i say.'

Those words brought Viral back down to earth in a rush, the orange mech's visor flickering in surprise. Prowl never lied? Viral found that hard to believe.

But he believed it anyway, though grudgingly. The words had been sincere, but still the claws of doubt tugged at Viral's spark. Did Prowl really...?

'i was not a elite guard academy bot defended by legions of "expendable"s, i do not now nor ever shall i speak on their full behalf - as one would not to those that sent him to-- to... a place you'd not wish to revisit, before giving them no true decision. the twins are a tragedy and as such are many of the atrocities which the autobots perform. however,'

He could feel Prowl's stare as the other cybertronian paused, the stare making him shudder slightly, but it was the ninja's words that made him want to curl up in a corner.

the twins are a tragedy and as such are many of the atrocities which the autobots perform. however...

The way Prowl had said made Viral wonder if the ninja really cared about what he was saying. However? What did he mean, however? How could he say that about his own... comrades? It disturbed Viral. It really did. Weren't autobots suppose to be carebears and all that jazz?

'even if what you say is correct, and we are both so alike, would not the decepticons be just as atrocious toward their own? it is not unheard of, though many of theirs have claimed to be wronged. to answer you? experimentation. it has always been the autobot way to sacrifice the lesser good for the greater good. in the case you are referring to, the twins are expendable - so they were taken into testing, where, after pain, they successfully became the latest autobot feat.'

"Don't give me that psychobabble bullshit!" Viral snapped, whirling on Prowl. "Y'know, I wouldn't be surprised if you were lying again. I bet you are a brown-nosing, pure-bred, Elite." Oh, Primus. He was loosing it a little.

Again.

But, what in the pit's name-- was his rudeness necessary? He already knew the other wasn't lying, but frag's sake, he just couldn't admit that he believed the other... Oh. Ooh.

That answers everything.

'Am I so pathetic that I can't admit something without putting up a fuss?' Viral thought bitterly, though determination crossed his faceplates, brightening his visor up. 'No. We're not. Go ahead and say it. Go ahead. Temptation mocked him, egging him on.

'Let's see what happens when you admit something to an autobot!'

Viral suddenly let loose a snarl, the angry sound echoing through the park, startling some children nearbye, who all said 'Cool!' before being swiftly hurried away by their mothers.

"You," He began, voice raw and heated.

Suddenly, it was as if Viral lost all the fight in him, a defeated look about him.

"...I believe you." Viral said quietly, though his faceplates twisted with an emotion that couldn't be named-- something... different. It was angry, yes, but... different.

"But that doesn't mean I'm sorry."

[Fallout]

... Prowl was pissed, apparently. A flash of fear that sprouted from the fight-or-flight instinct went through her, and Adrian shrunk back instinctively, before she realized that Prowl probably had enough self control to keep himself from... pouncing, or whatever. Still, it made her less eager to argue with him.

Also, there were apparently no others like Viral. Adrian doubted that, deep down, but gave no voice to her opinion. The Autobots and Decepticons were not alike, and she doubted that too. Silence is golden when you're conversing with two angry giant robots.

the twins are a tragedy and as such are many of the atrocities which the autobots perform. however,

... However? Even an antisocial kid with anger issues like herself knew that was wrong! Where was the 'however' in that?!

'even if what you say is correct, and we are both so alike, would not the decepticons be just as atrocious toward their own? it is not unheard of, though many of theirs have claimed to be wronged.

Did I ever say they weren't wronged? If you're the good guys, then don't stoop to the bad guy's level. If you don't want to be alike, then try harder!

to answer you? experimentation. it has always been the autobot way to sacrifice the lesser good for the greater good. in the case you are referring to, the twins are expendable - so they were taken into testing, where, after pain, they successfully became the latest autobot feat.'

The greater good.

...

The greater good.

"... I believe you."

Forgetting her momentary fear of them, forgetting she was a 'squishy', forgetting that she was smaller than them, Adrian stood and gave both a wild glare, alternating. "What a load of BULLSHIT your cause is, then."

She shook her head slowly. "What happened to equality? What happened to 'freedom is the right of all sentient beings'? I understand you think your species superior to ours; so do I. You can step on me, for God's sake! But if you think of your own as expendable- your own children, if that's really how you define them- what are we? Acceptable losses? Collateral damage? Or just shields to use in your useless damned war?!"

She wanted to hit something. She wanted to scream. How could they... how could they, with millions of years of progress under their proverbially belt, be as corrupt as humans? She knew she was a part of a mostly messed up system. Hell, she gladly filled her role as a 'possible delinquent'. But she had always liked to think that maybe there was peace SOMEWHERE. There was no way that these ancient, hyper-advanced beings were as dumb as the rest of them.

"Why don't you get your goddamn priorities straight before you start an interstellar war?"

[prowl]

prowl resisted a wince once again as viral went off on one, glowering fiercely when the other mech talked about being a brown-nosing elite. if there was anything prowl was not it-- he was interrupted however and surprised by viral's next statement. in honestly, it knocked him off his perch a little. i believe you. prowl hadn't expected it. ever. same as that old trust comment really. he found his optics staring at the other mech, vocal processor failing to start in any kind of retort, accepting or otherwise. the comment about sorry he disregarded - he didn't want viral to be sorry, he never was himself, so why should be expect the other mech to be.

as he turned to the tiny-in-comparison organic, he blinked in an almost confused state. what had they been talking about? oh. right. that. he put a servo to the whirring gizmos where the organic "temples" might be. what could he say really? he wasn't exactly qualified to speak for all autobots, in honestly, even viral was perhaps in a better position than he to speak. 'yes. we do abide by that, which is why the organics have suffered more good than bad by our presence. us ourselves... well, call us masochistic if you will. but we will always be there to defend the freedom of others, no matter what.'

really, prowl, is that it? something twigged at him, persistent, do you mean 'bot kind or do you mean yourself? he shuddered away from the thought. it was true, too true - was he a masochist? maybe. what about the autobots? not entirely true - sentinel prime nor just about all of the elite guard would put organics before themselves. optimus was one of the few elite guard exceptions, he guessed that was where the line was drawn between being a "good" bot or a "bad" one. truth was, there were more masochists in the autobots and none amongst the 'cons. probably. not that he'd ever admit that to an organic-- wait, he just had, hadn't he? oh slag. he didn't even know what he was saying anymore, today was an unusual day.

cautiously, he continued to speak, 'do you think, adrian, that without the autobots here, earth would be better off?' his optics focussed on the organic's delicate features, trying to avoid responding to the admittance of viral's, though his body language opened up to the other mech, gears relaxing and optics opening in a more stasus-like state.

[/blockquote]

[Fallout]

'yes. we do abide by that, which is why the organics have suffered more good than bad by our presence. us ourselves... well, call us masochistic if you will. but we will always be there to defend the freedom of others, no matter what.'

Okay. Adrian could swallow that. It was mostly made of truth, but she could never tell Prowl that he was totally right. That would just make her a liar and a hypocrite.

'do you think, adrian, that without the autobots here, earth would be better off?'

She had to stop and think about that one. No wonder her teachers made her do critical thinking exercises- this stuff was hard.

She had to reach to the back of her mind for all of the connections the robots had to Earth. She remembered reading an article once, one that vaguely hinted that Isaac Sumdac's robotics originated from a robot like the ones before her now.

She knew that the Sumdac girl- um... her name was... 'Apology' or something- had turned out to be half human, half robot. So obviously, the Sumdacs had had some sort of contact with the robots prior to their supposed 'first arrival'. If they had never come at all...

The Decepticons would have had no reason to come to Earth.

They wouldn't have advanced technologically so fast.

The other countries wouldn't have fought America for its military technology.

Her father wouldn't have been caught in the crossfire of one of those battles.

Adrian closed her eyes. He was just a tourist... and that was about all she knew about him. And her mother... it wasn't fair. She wanted to have parents too.

Opening her eyes to look at Prowl, she blinked rapidly in alarm to clear the film blurring her vision. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to answer his question.

"Don't..." She started weakly, cleared her throat, and continued. "Don't ask questions like that. It's not that you personally are bad people... robots... whatever. I like you, I enjoy screwing with you." She smirked at Viral. Then her smile faded, and she glanced from Prowl to Viral. "But yes. I'm sorry, Prowl. I'm sorry, Viral. But I think we would have been better off if your race had never come to our planet."

Assuming their own race hadn't destroyed itself by now.