"So, you beat a member of the Secret Police, stole state secrets, let off a recurring offender with menial duty, met with provocative writers and now you're asking me to do your job for you?" Chromedome looked down on Chromia in annoyance while Chromia stood utterly nonplussed with her notes on the subject. Behind her, Ariel and Starscream stood to one side.

"If you would be a dearie?" Chromia asked with her winning smile, the smile that said: "If you don't, I'll kick your chassis in."

Chromedome looked at Starscream, to Ariel and back to Chromia.

Chromia pleaded. "C'mon Chromedome, you love mnemosurgery. I thought you would like this assignment"

"Look, you're not wrong. But I'm already swamped in-.

Chromia leapt up and clung to Chromedome's shoulder like a magnet, whispering into his audio-receptors

"Chromedome, those state secrets? They target Rewind" Chromia told him as he jerked. "The notes will explain it all."

Chromedome started as Chromia slid back down to the floor.

"Chromia does that-"

"Shush! This is the CSS we're talking about. We could be bugged!" She said in a furious whisper. "I need to get that list to Ultra Magnus and to do that I need to go through" Chromia growled. "Prowl…"

"The last enemy to be destroyed. Bureaucracy" He seized Chromia by the shoulders. "If Prowl delays it... if he does anything stupid-

"Don't worry. It would be better if it's done properly, but I'll get it to Magnus regardless of what Prowl says."

Chromedome sagged in relief. "Take care of yourself" Was all he could manage as he took the notes.

"Take Streetwise and Strongarm with you, it's time the twins got some heavy experience," Chromia told him.
"Yeah" A glance passed between Chromia and Chromedome. Both knew the twins were hard hitters who could protect Rewind. "Thank you" He finished.

Starscream was put into the cells, Ariel watched and copied as Chromia prepared herself to meet the Superintendent.

She took several pre-filled forms out of her desk and filled in the date and reason. She then took out a polisher and moved it over herself quickly. Finally, she scrubbed her badge to the point she could see her face in it. She was ready.

"Bareback, I'm going to have to ask you to stay quiet," She told her aghast partner as they were outside. "Prowl is not at all easy to deal with, and he will jump down your throat for a minor infraction. He's going to do the same to me, and we can't waste time on two dressing downs."

Ariel nodded, irritated. With her jaw set, Chromia knocked and waited.

Exactly one second after, Chromia entered.

Ariel had never taken to Prowl, she could never find a label for him. It wasn't that he was "cold", but rather that it seemed he hid all those parts of himself that could make him warm, affectionate or friendly under lock and key, and what remained wasn't cruel or harsh enough to call anything. He was a blank slate, a husk filled to the brim and knowing only of rules and orders and precedents. He was as Black and White as his paint job, the symbol of his office. Nothing was left to the chaotic hand of fate on Prowl's desk, it was ordered to the last degree, the last angle, the last space. Prowl peered with calm, clear optics.

"Inspector Chromia" Prowl droned. "Thank you for seeing me. I see that your badge is 2 degrees off centre, you haven't been keeping up your appearance. This is paramount. A lack of pride in oneself implies a lack of pride in one's job. This will be corrected."

"Yes, Chief Superintendent Prowl" Chromia replied, fixing her badge before placing a copy of the data on his desk. "May I make my report, sir?"

"Proceed," Prowl said, fumbling the pad.

Chromia launched into her report, but Ariel noticed some discrepancies. Orion and Dion became "citizens". Starscream was said to be "Acting Aggressively and unprovoked", and Slipstream was regarded merely as a "source".

"I see," Prowl said as she finished. A datapad was fished out of his pile and was thrown to Chromia.

"Do you know how many bots you've endangered arresting a member of the Secret Police?"

Chromia bristled. The pad was a list of all bots in the Police station "I have an idea, Superintendent."

"I don't think you do" Prowl continued. "If Starscream had merely been a citizen, you might have gotten away with assaulting him… as much as I hate to say it."

"Taking a note from Barricade's book, are we Superintendent?"

Ariel tried not to react in shock from the accusation Chromia just laid at Prowl's feet. Prowl himself did not seem to notice, however. As though he hid away anything that could cause him discomfort or annoyance and pretended whatever it was to be a blank space in the universe.

"By assaulting a CSS member you've got this precinct in their sights, there will be recriminations."

"All the more reason we need to get the list to Commissioner Mangus, Superintendent!" Chromia replied. "Those on the list need to be put in protective custody, the laws of Iacon state that no Secret Police members are to be allowed in."

"Do not lecture me about that law! I helped get it passed."

"All the more reason we need to get it to Commissioner Magnus as fast as possible. Please, send it on his personal hailing frequency, it'll be instant" Chromia pleaded. Ariel had a suspicion that Prowl's reputation was going to enforce itself on the passage of the list.

"I cannot use personal connections for the spread of police intelligence. The protocol will be enforced" Prowl retorted. "This list will make its way to Magnus in due course, through the proper channels to ensure that it is not tampered with. If we fail to follow the laws and procedures of Iacon, then we are no different then the Secret Police."

"This is a special case, Superintendent!" Chromia's voice had a tone of desperation to it. "Dispatch me, or Groove. Someone fast, and get it to Magnus before the Secret Police react!"

Prowl stood from behind his desk.

"Come to your senses! If we do that Magnus will be targeted and the recriminations will be all the more severe. If we fail to do this properly, the secret police will be able to use a lack of proper protocol to argue that the list has been fabricated!"

"And what if Magnus' secretary is compromised? What if the list gets "lost" during transfer? The central government has declared war on us with this list, and you want to talk about protocol!" Chromia finally shouted, and Ariel watched in amazement. Prowl's face was still impassive, implacable. Before he could reply, Ariel stepped in.

"The rules do allow for a physical report to be sent, when the lines of communication may have been compromised."

Chromia's mouth hung open, but Ariel kept going.

"If Chromia is correct, and the lines are compromised, then the pad could be hacked, and we would lose all our information. Sir, allow me and Chromia to deliver a physical copy to Magnus ASAP. There is a precedent for it, Superintendent. During the War of Ownership, the law stipulated that physical copies of information be sent when it is uncertain if the lines of communication are secure. Iaconian law, Superintendent."

Chromia and Prowl were silent, staring through Ariel. Suddenly, Prowl gave a bark and then did it again. And again, short gasps of barks. Chromia's optics went wide, and her mouth hung open. Prowl was laughing like a bot who had never laughed once in his life.

"A bot after my own heart!" He guffawed. "Some of the old lightbars could learn something from you."

He picked up the datapad and chucked it to Ariel. "Get going,"

Ariel was confused. Was that it? The second that the following actions had a basis in previous practise it suddenly became okay? Chromia nodded and headed out as quick as she could. Ariel hot on her heels.

"Primus!" Chromia shrieked the moment they left. Ariel trailed behind the shorter bot, who slammed her fist into the wall of Prowl's office. Several identical holes marked previous moments of anger, all on Chromia's level. "You need a slagging precedent to go for a walk, a license to transform and select committee approval to drain your lubricant!"

Ariel kept a fair few steps behind her livid partner.

"Look, I don't see why you're so angry, we got permission, didn't we?"

"Only after that sodding display! And only barely" Chromia went to her desk and brought out a copy of the info that she had hidden away. and clenched her fists in frustration. "If he had said no, I'd delivered this to Magnus. I shouldn't have to risk my chassis to do my damn job!"

"If he's so bad, why hasn't he been replaced? Ultra Magnus picked him personally?" Ariel kept following Chromia as she went outside.

"Yeah, he did" Chromia muttered. "It's like this. Prowl is a spawn of a glitch, a glitch that gave all its spawn a love of rules, bureaucracy and screwing us about. But Magnus picked him for one very good reason."

"That is?"

"The bastard is incorruptible" Now on street level, Chromia transformed and set off with lights blaring. Ariel set off after her as fast as she could. "That red tape, those protocols, they keep him sane" Chromia grimaced."Look, you did well Ariel, getting us permission, I shouldn't have told you not to say anything. But we shouldn't have to get permission in the first place! Mired in red tape scrap."

Ariel remained silent for a while.

"Thank you, seriously" Chromia went on. "You might have saved my job"

"In return, maybe stop calling me Bareback?" Ariel replied, slightly testily. "Just because I wasn't forged with lights on my back, doesn't mean I'm not as much a police officer as you."

Chromia almost laughed but kept herself under control. "You had a choice, you joined up, right when the police were being militarised. But, fine. Also, before you make the mistake again, bare- Ariel. I was constructed cold."

"The hell does that matter?"

Chromia was surprised. "You know, red might look good on you too" Chromia chuckled. "Wanna race?" Chromia finally asked. "You know the way to Caminus Yard."

"Sounds good" Ariel replied quickly and overtook Chromia, Chromia laughed as she picked up the pace, and soon they were neck and neck.

Chromia wasn't as fast as Ariel, in the straights Ariel demolished her. But Chromia was more nimble. She darted between spaces with millimetres to spare, while Ariel had to take the longer routes. What Chromia had expected to be an easy win, with Chromia planning to only just stay ahead turned into a hard race, with Ariel always just a second behind her, or in front, as she was when she sped past the gates to the Great Dome and the inner precinct.

Chromia was just barely pulling away when she saw Caminus Yard, and stopped dead in her tracks. Transforming, she stood still from shock.

Ariel overtook her in her excitement.

Chromia's tone brooked no argument, "Stop, Bareback!"

Chromia had forgotten the previous conversation in shock. Ariel squealed to a stop, angry at being called that name again.

"What is-" Ariel started. But Chromia wasn't looking at her. She was staring in wide-eyed horror at Caminus Yard, Ariel followed her horrified gaze and saw smoke rising from the Headquarters.

Caminus Yard was a slow-slung building built during the War of Ownership, the original Police centre was a sturdy bunker, plastered in all sides by shining new additions of modern buildings. But every window was blown in, the grey bunker was scorched, and a massive hole in its side threatened to collapse the entire building. The hissing clunks of transformation told Ariel that Chromia was headed down to the building, and Ariel followed. Their race forgotten.