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Orion Pax stepped out of the transport and into the chaos.

To his right, a seething mass of protesters held up signs and chanted, their voices clamoring to be heard. Decepticon Enforcers kept them at bay by any means necessary, their striking purple insignias gleaming in the sun.

To his left, Prowl and a few dozen officers from the Iacon Police Department stood and watched.

"About time you got here." Prowl huffed as Orion approached. His arms were crossed over his chest and he bore his usual scowl.

"This is a protest. I was told this was a riot." Orion said.

"Yeah, well, saying riot gets people to respond faster."

Orion turned back to the protest. He watched the Enforcers loom over the crowd, far larger than Iaconians by nature. Most Decepticons were built for war as a standard, but Enforcers were the pinnacle of war creation. Tough armor, destructive alternate modes, and the ability to effectively use a vast array of weaponry due to strict training.

They didn't belong in Iacon. They stood out.

"Why are they here?" Orion gestured to the Enforcers as he turned to Prowl. "This isn't their jurisdiction."

Prowl watched the crowd shift and move as one, like an ocean, before being forced into disarray again when someone got too rowdy and attracted the attention of an Enforcer.

"I guess someone thought we wouldn't be able to handle another protest." He said. "Our orders are to stand down and let them handle things."

"Stand down? These people have a right to protest without being harassed." Orion argued. "This is our city, not theirs. You know how people feel about Decepticons!"

"Yes, Pax, I know!" Prowl exclaimed, casting a cold glare at Orion. "But I can't do a damn thing about any of this without disobeying a direct order! It's better if we just stay out of the way."

Orion looked away, fuming. What was the point of calling everyone there just to stand on the sidelines and watch someone else do their job? Worse yet, he could only imagine the damage this would do to public relations with the department. They were in hot water already thanks to previous incidents. They didn't need the public thinking they supported the Decepticons too.

These people—these faithful Iaconians—were protesting the lack of action by the Council. Allowing Decepticon Enforcers into the city was only one instance; there were many more kept hidden from the public. In his spark, Orion knew Megatron had something to do with this. He could be bribing political officials with promises of more power or even threatening them with violence as a way to get them to cooperate. It happened in Kaon, who's to say it couldn't happen in Iacon?

Orion scanned the crowd, their chants ringing in his audio receptors, until his attention was caught by a particular Enforcer bearing down on a young protester nearly half his size. The protester was first shoved, orders to stand back being barked in her face. When she defiantly remained where she stood, the Enforcer pulled a long, black rod from his hip and forcefully struck her down with it.

Orion whipped his head around. "Prowl!"

Prowl dismissively held up his hand.

"That's a kid. He's beating a kid, Prowl!"

The white mech remained silent, not even looking in Orion's direction. Orion clenched his jaw and returned his gaze to the protester.

She was on the ground, having been struck again in the short time he had turned away. Orion watched the Enforcer raise his rod for a third blow.

Fuck this.

Prowl looked over in shock as Orion broke formation and stormed towards the Enforcer.

"Orion!" He shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Orion either didn't hear Prowl or chose not to. It didn't matter. He couldn't be stopped.

Just as the Enforcer prepared to bring the rod down on the young femme, Orion grabbed his arm and yanked him backwards, putting himself between the two in the same motion. The Enforcer stumbled, then steadied himself and glared at Orion.

"Get out of the way, Autobot." He seethed. He wasn't much taller than Orion, but he was far more armored.

Orion didn't budge. "Leave her alone, she's just a kid! There's no need for brutality." He retorted.

"You Iaconians are all the same." The Enforcer growled, rolling his shoulders as he advanced forward. "I oughta teach both of you a les—AGH!"

Orion's fist connected with the Enforcer's face, his body reacting without a second thought. Once he started, he couldn't stop. Energon painted his hands and splattered across his face and chest. The Enforcer fought back. His blows were heavy and painful. It was a brawl, but not for long. Orion was quickly surrounded by other Enforcers once he started getting the upper hand and was beaten to the ground like the protester had been.

The last thing he saw was a blur coming down on his face before things went dark.

•
•
•

Orion's optics sluggishly rebooted themselves. His head hung forward, staring at the dried energon spattered across his legs. Everything hurt like hell, though his head hurt the worst.

"What the fuck were you thinking, Orion?"

Prowl. Must've taken me back.

Lifting his head, Orion set his weary gaze on Prowl. They were in an interrogation room.

"I wasn't going to just.. stand by and let that 'Con kill that kid..." He muttered, wincing as he shifted in the chair.

"So you thought it'd be a brilliant idea to kill him instead?"

Orion's breath hitched in his throat.

"Yeah. You killed him, Orion. He would've lived if you hadn't caved his fucking head in."

Prowl's words sunk in. He had killed someone. It didn't matter if they were a Decepticon, they were still a person. This wasn't his first kill, though, and it wouldn't be his last. It was the circumstances that set this one apart from the others. At what point did his actions become more influenced by his emotions than his drive to do his job properly?

"Prowl.. you saw what they were doing." Orion shook his head. "What do you think people will say about us letting Decepticon Enforcers beat peaceful protesters into submission? They expect us to protect them..."

Prowl scoffed. "Oh yeah, you did a great job protecting them by going against orders and trying to be a fucking hero. You know what happens now? Megatron gets involved. You kill one of his Enforcers, you piss him off, and things get worse for everyone else. We've already got our hands full dealing with the Council's bullshit, we do NOT need him contributing as well."

Orion remained silent. His head buzzed with thoughts—too many of them. He ran a quick diagnostic on his systems as a distraction. Multiple alerts directed him to the most heavily damaged places, some being possibly life-threatening if left untreated. He could seek aid in the nearby medical center, but he was certain his face was plastered all over the news by now and he didn't want to show it in public—at least not so soon. He knew where he could go instead.

Finally, after more time passed, he slowly pushed himself up from the chair and stood, partially hunched over with a hand pressed to his side.

Prowl watched him with narrowed optics. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving." Orion muttered as he dragged himself towards the door. "If this is what our job has become, I want no part of it."

"Orion, you can't just leave!" Prowl pushed away from the table and faced him. When Orion ignored him, his scowl deepened. "Walk out that door and you become a fugitive. Is that what you want?"

Orion paused once he reached the doorway. He stood still for a moment, then continued forward. This wasn't right. He didn't care what Prowl thought, he was going to do what he thought was right.

His mind was too muddled to think now. He could barely think straight as he staggered out of the station and disappeared into the night.

•
•
•

Ratchet put in the code to his habsuite and shuffled through the doorway, carrying a case from work in one hand. It had been a very long day at the clinic and all he wanted to do was sleep. Even in his drowsy state, his mind was clear enough to know that the living room light definitely shouldn't be on right now.

He paused for a moment, listening to see if he could hear anything, before he gently set the case down and unclipped the pistol he carried for protection from his hip. Slowly, he made his way towards the living room, noting a trail of energon droplets across the floor. He reached the wall and waited again, then whipped around the corner with his pistol aimed at the figure sitting on his couch. The moment he saw the red and blue paint job, he froze.

"By the Primes— Orion??" He exclaimed in shock, immediately lowering his weapon and approaching Orion. "What the hell happened to you?"

Orion slowly lifted his head, his optics squinting a little. "It's a.. long story..."

"Well you'd better start talking. Hang on, let me get my kit."

Once Ratchet returned with the medical kit, Orion began explaining the day's events—starting with the brawl at the protest. He talked about the Enforcers and how Iacon Police were basically forced to stay on the sidelines and watch the brutality take place. Hesitantly, he also told him about the Enforcer who died as a result of the fight. He thought about mentioning his theory that Megatron was behind it, but decided to see what Ratchet thought about everything.

The medic was silent at first as he tended to one of the wounds on Orion's face. His expression held a mixture of emotions, the most present one being worry. He pressed a patch to Orion's brow with his thumb and sighed softly.

"Primus, Orion. What have you gotten yourself into?" He murmured, studying his face with a concerned gaze. It wasn't often that he got to see him without the mouthplate on.

Orion stared at the floor. "Everything happened so fast. I don't know what to do."

Ratchet began putting things back in his kit. "Well, normally I'd tell you to turn yourself in, but the system is corrupt and the Council won't do you any favors. I would just pray this news doesn't reach Megatron."

"It probably already has."

"Even if it has, he won't come and get you himself. He'll send his lackeys to do it, which means you need to lay low for a while. Especially with all the Enforcers around."

Orion pushed his head into his hands. "All of this feels like a bad dream. I keep waiting for myself to wake up."

"Your systems are trying to process everything that's happened on top of dealing with your injuries. They're being stretched thin." Ratchet said. He closed the kit and set it aside, then walked over to a shelf to retrieve a bottle and a glass. He poured some of the green liquid into the glass and handed it to Orion. "Here. It'll help you relax enough to rest."

"You know I don't drink."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Pax. Take the damn glass." Ratchet huffed. "Here, I'll even drink with you."

A hint of a smile tugged on Orion's lips as he accepted the drink. "It doesn't take much to convince you to drink." He mumbled in an amused tone, watching Ratchet pour himself a glass.

"No. That's because I deal with people like you all day." Ratchet tipped his head back and downed the engex in a few gulps.

Orion chuckled, then downed his own drink. The liquid burned as it went down his throat and left a lingering tingling sensation in his core. It was strong engex, so it didn't take much to send a pleasant buzz across his systems. He let out a soft sigh of relief as he allowed himself to relax a bit further.

"You'll have to sleep on the couch tonight." Ratchet said, setting his glass down on the table.

"You're letting me stay? I was going to leave."

"Leave and go where? They know where you live, plus you're not getting far with those injuries. As your primary physician, I'm ordering you to stay put."

Orion's smile widened. "Ordering me, huh?"

Ratchet rolled his optics and took Orion's chin between his thumb and index finger. "Don't get any funny ideas. I'll see you in the morning." He lingered there for a moment, then smiled and turned to leave.

Orion watched him walk away with a dumb smile on his face. The engex was beginning to make him drowsy, so he finally relented and laid down on the couch to sleep.