Beacon of Hope || Transformers

Chapter 1 | Loyalty

<< 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝. >>

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.