User blog:Spikewitwicky/February 2, 2016 - Spike's Journal Entry



Well, Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucus. Hopefully by the time people find these journals in a few decades, they'll be like "who's Ted Cruz" and not "Oh, the person who wanted to transform the U.S. into a theocracy."

Anyway - enough political rambling. Last night, I got into a heated discussion with Crosscut. Brief refresher (for myself) - the Joes, who are living here for the time being, have offered to 'take over' Dr. Arkeville's prison sentence. On paper, this works out great. After all, the Autobots have never been, or should they ever be, in the human prisoner business. Dr. Arkeville is a mass murderer. He killed thousands of people by helping the Decepticons pull Cybertron into Earth's orbit. And not to make stuff any more personal, but that horrible event almost killed my dad.

So, last night, Crosscut basically put Dr. Arkeville's fate in my hands. Which...in true Crosscut fashion, threw me for a loop. Dr. Arkeville helped the Autobots get back into Autobot City. I'd much rather have Prime /Prowl, and the higher-ups hash this out. But Crosscut said he would endorse my recommendation.

So... what was my recommendation? Let's go back to the facts...Dr. Arkeville is a mass murderer. He's almost the personification of pure evil. And to the thousands of people who lost loved ones...they have never had closure. They have never seen Dr. Arkeville be tried for his crimes. On top of that, Dr. Arkeville has said that he could easily kill me if he wanted to. And when I gave him the offer of being turned over to the Joes, he said I, personally, would live to regret the decision.

The thing is ... the Autobots made an agreement with Dr. Arkeville. He would help them retake Autobot City if they freed him from Decepticon capture. And based upon our deal with him, he's followed it to a 't'. Yes, there is a clause, saying the deal becomes null and void if Arkeville either threatens or attacks an Autobot or one of their allies. But...what he said to me, doesn't EXACTLY constiute a threat. Saying that he could kill me, but chose not to... it's not exactly saying "I'm going to kill you." Crosscut pointed out that Arkeville left his cell once. But it was when an explosion ripped open part of Autobot City. The speakers even called for evacuation, and even Dr. Arkeville stood near his cell, waiting for an Autobot or someone to help out.

In short... he hasn't violated any of his agreement. He's stepped right up to the line to cross, and he's put his feet about a millimeter short of the line, but he still hasn't crossed it. If we were to hand over Arkeville to the Joes, we would be breaking our word. Sorry, THEY would be breaking THEIR word. I've heard from so many people all over the world who say 'unlike our government, I know at least the Autobots will do the right thing.' That trust means a lot.

In people like Jumal's eyes, I could see him supporting the decision to hand over Arkeville to the Joes, but with a great tinge of disappointment. Yes, Autobots shouldn't be housing humans...but, we broke our word. We broke our word to a mass murderer, but it was still our word. So what's next? We break our word to a government we don't like? Then, we start breaking our words when it's convenient for us?

Overall, I think it was a test that Crosscut gave me. He let me blow off steam, show what Arkeville said to me (about saying he could easily kill me if he wanted to). But he, in true Crosscut fashion, led me to make the decision on my own. Once I thought about what Prime would do, it became a no-brainer. It was hard, but still...a no-brainer.

So, what's next? Well, Dr. Arkeville said he could deactivate his restraints anytime he wants when I'm in his cell. So, if that's true - why not just dispense of the formalities and let him roam free when I'm in the cell? I seriously doubt he could deactivate his restraints, so I told him he doesn't have to wear them around me, but when other humans, like Marissa, or any Autobot who requests he don them, to heed their request.

... and if he tries to make a move on me... the deal is off and he gets shipped off to the Joes, or a SuperMax facility, where he is tried for his crimes. Now, of course, I'll have to put up a fight for about 20 seconds before an Autobot comes in and resuces me, but he's getting up in age, I'm still in relatively good shape. Avoid his claw (which looks like it could gut the side of a midsized car), and maybe land a few good shots. Carly would absolutely freak at this approach. This isn't entrapment. We're just lessening Dr. Arkeville's restrictions. If he takes advantage of them, that's on him. I'm certainly not going to goad him into a fight.

Lucky I usually have my coveralls on when I go in, which means a lot of pockets. So, as much as this sounds like a crazy plan, I plan on stopping by a security store tomorrow or over the weekend and maybe investing in a small, consealable vial of chemical mace, and have Wheeljack construct a powerful, but definitely non-lethal TAZR.

Crazy idea, or prudent, or a bit of both?