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[Ah, here we have the not-so-illusive Sideswipe. Fresh, red hot angry teenager for you, Moira. All those blue lights on his armor glowing hotly. Here is a robot child with a bone to pick.]

[He's standing outside his room -- if anyone knows for sure where that is, and... bristling. As much as a guy covered in armor can bristle.]

Okay! So, hey, are we done arresting each other for stupid stuff?

[Sideswipe 'mutiny' isn't stupid--]

Because, I gotta say, if anyone else has a problem with Riptide? You're gonna take it up with me! That's right. Me.

[A guy who looks more like a beanpole than a warrior.]

The great Earth-Cop Sideswipe! Team Bee's finest! And Riptide's mine to handle, so there. No one else gets any other ideas about dragging him anywhere, no matter your universe. Unless you want to get sideswiped.

Out the airlock.

...

Oh yeah also, if you're tiny and organic and some idiot the size of a building starts throwing down? Page me. I'll be your one-way-ticket out of smashville.

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[There's a sturdy knock at the door to Sideswipe and Riptide's place.]

[Magnus, now stripped of his Maximus Ambus armor (due to glitter) stands at a much more perfectly reasonable height, and waits patiently for the door to open.]

[The door cracks open. Sideswipe stares out for a minute or two.]

[And then eases himself out, pointedly closing it behind him. Staring up at Magnus like he's daring him to say anything about it.]

What do you want?

I came to offer up an apology to you and to Riptide.

You're not getting inside.

Say whatever it is you wanna say out here. I'm not letting you in.

I'm aware of the emotional damage and distress I have caused Riptide.

I have no intention of harming him or hauling him away.

I have to ask, however, what did you mean when you said you were an 'Earth-Cop?'

You'd better not.

[He knows he can't actually harm Magnus. But... he has to say this anyway.]

Me and Team Bee are -- we're arresting Decepticons who escaped a prison ship, and keeping Earth safe.

So, you're an officer of the law.

We have that much in common then. I have to say, though, I did not peg you for law enforcement.

Yeah, because I didn't pick it. I had to do it.

Cops cramp my style. All the time. But Earth doesn't deserve the kind of scrap Steeljaw and his pack are gonna throw down.

You'd be surprised how many of the best officers willingly choose to be.

Riptide is important to you. I felt that maybe I could explain my actions to you calmly without you trying to hug my face.

It's hard to have a choice when you're handcuffed and dragged through a space bridge.

[HUFF HUFF.]

I was trying to choke you. Also, he's really important. Get it right.

Handcuffed? I thought you were an officer.

[SCRUTINIZING LOOK.]

Yes, well, be that as it may, I'm here to attempt to make amends. I was overzealous in my job and I feel that perhaps you and Riptide are both owed an explanation.

Feel free to ask me anything you like about the immediate circumstances.

Diiiiiiiiiid you miss the part where I said I didn't want to be one? Because there you go.

[SHRUG.]

... Yeah, here's a question.

Did you know he already ran into that Tarn guy? And it didn't end well? Or, hey, did you even think about talking first? Y'know, that thing you old rust buckets go on and on about to me!

You were forcibly enlisted? That hardly makes any sense.

I did not know that he had already had a run in with Tarn. This was explained to me after the fact. Before arriving here, myself and members of my crew were left for dead at Tarn's hands...and the army he had brought with him. I fully admit that the heat of the moment led to my brash actions.

I will not allow it to happen again. Very few things rile me up to such a boiling pitch.

Believe it.

[He squares up his shoulders, and... steps forward. He looks absolutely tiny right now, but this is more important.]

Yeah, and before you got here, he had to get himself ripped apart "at Tarn's hands". And then someone sent him some guy's head in a box. And then, after he'd been trying to keep people from getting hurt? He ended up getting kidnapped by slavers and starved!

He doesn't hardly recharge anymore, and he hates himself.

[He's got to crane his neck up really high to try and look Magnus in the face, and his voice is rising every word. While he struggles to sound angry and not close to crying.]

He is the only bot who ever treated me like I was worth something from the day he met me! The only one who didn't care I wasn't in the war or, or that I had a record or whatever. He was doing better... he was joking with me again and then...

[Yeah he can't really hold it back. It's embarrassing, but there are angry robot tears now.]

... then you showed up and broke him all over again. And you come back here, like a stupid apology's gonna fix everything.

I don't claim an apology will make things right.

I'm not even going to claim that I, personally, can make things right.

But I still wish to try.

And if it means anything...I am glad to see someone that cares about him so much. And I am glad he could be there for you as well, Sideswipe.

[Despite his stiffness of tone, his words are genuine and sparkfelt.]

Good! Because you can't!

[It's stupid to yell that, but... it feels good. If he were more mature, he'd be ashamed of lashing out. He doesn't care, though. Because if this guy wasn't here, things would still be okay.]

[Would still be getting better.]

Oh yeah. Because you trying's gonna do something me trying isn't. Some big, blue bucket can fix him when I can't. Sure, dude. Try.

[He has to cut off his rant to scrub at his optics with the back of his hand.]

... I don't have anybody from home. He's all there is. So none of you are gonna take him away from me again.

Got that? You want to throw him in the brig, I go with him!

[Magnus throws his hands up quickly, palms out, in a placating gesture.]

I'm not throwing anyone into the brig, Sideswipe. When I attempted to apprehend Riptide I was angry. I acted out, just as you are now. Just as you have every right to do.

He won't be taken away from you. I want to work with him. I want to find out what he knows because maybe he holds answers that can help smooth this whole thing over.

You believe in him, correct? Well, I want to believe in him too. And in order to do that, I wish to work with him.

You can supervise if that will make you feel better.

[Magnus' hands moving is... well. He jerks back, one hand going for his sword out of sheer reflex. He doesn't have it in him to actually USE it against another bot, but...]

How am I supposed to believe you! Maybe you just want me to chill out so you can get to him easier!

... yeah. You're going to have to do it with me there and deal with it. Where he goes I go.

In that case, what would it take to get you to believe me?

A miracle.

That's what.

Let me rephrase:

What attainable and wholly possible action would it take for you to believe me?

I am earnestly trying, Sideswipe.

Leave him alone.

Make all of the rest of you leave him alone, too. For a week.

Oh, and while you're at it, no one gets to tell him he's awful. Not where he or me, or the littler Bee can hear it.

This is more reasonable, but I have some questions for the sake of clarification.

First of all, do you want us to leave him alone entirely? What if someone wishes to check on him and make sure he is alright? Can we amend that condition to 'He must be left alone for a week unless someone wishes to check on his well-being?' In other words, a positive visit?

As for the second condition, this is acceptable. I will pass this along and I will enforce it to the best of my abilities.

Don't get all jargon-y on me! You know what I meant! Don't bother him!

... I'll believe it when I see it.

This is not 'jargon.' These are...these are just words. There is no jargon to be found here. I just want to find what the acceptable boundaries are so that I do not overstep them.

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