NOTE: thank you so much for your kind words, all. I especially want Starfire201 to have my thanks. Very clever, our Starfire201. :-D

And now, on with the story in progress

The Diego Diaries: Machination (dd2 21)

-0-Medbay

They worked silently, their few exchanges almost imperceptible. Prime and Prowl stood in the rear of the room sharing space with Bluestreak. Sunny and Sideswipe had commed in the news about the weapon and the soldiers were reviewing security cameras to see who might have been the thief who stole it from the arsenal.

Ratchet was stabilized and First Aid was five minutes away. Silverbolt and Cosmos had met halfway and the three medics on board had shifted to the Aerialbot. Rocketing through the night at a speed almost exceeding the jet's capacities, he was coming as swiftly as possible.

-0-Shockwave

He signed off the listserv, the anonymizer he had placed on his logins protecting his identity as he began unwinding backwards through dozens of servers and dozens of countries. His tentacles had a very long reach but he was certain no one would find where they had retracted.

The objective was to kill or eliminate for the long term the influence of Ratchet as Ambassador and public face of the Autobots. He had been extremely successful in gaining positive public acceptance and even the revelation of bonds and sparklings had not done much to the approval ratings that they held as a group.

Discussion among the members of the listserv had brought a solution that was simple, brutal and not especially thoughtful. He would merely front the cash to entice one of Daniel's mercs into shooting the medic with a stolen gun from the base. The burden would be on the mercs and Daniels. He would make sure that whoever did the shooting was set for life. All they had to do was cover their tracks or if somehow they didn't, they would keep their mouth shut.

It was clear to Shockwave that there was little that some humans wouldn't do for money and ego gratification. Weaver, Daniels, Brinks, and the like enjoyed the perks of power and money, the things that came with both. He only needed to keep the cash flowing and they were his.

He considered the simple fact that Ratchet was dead, that the formidable diplomat and gifted doctor was no longer an obstacle and he felt relief and pleasure. They had been enemies for eons. Now he could cross that name off his list. Megatron hadn't been able to sway Ratchet to the Decepticon Cause. He hadn't been able to silence him. He, Shockwave, had. He felt deeply pleased. So with that in his processor, he turned to the more immediate task, the meet up with the humans in five of their Terran days.

The humans buzzing around him were complicit in murder now, Ratchet's murder, and they would have to do whatever he wanted. With that in firmly in place, the destruction of resistance on Earth was only a matter of time and this would be assured by their own hands.

He almost wanted to smile.

-0-Elsewhere

Jase Daniels sat in his office fuming in silence as he sweated lock down. They expected it, the logical outcome of their efforts to eradicate the Autobot, Ratchet. He had chosen from among his remaining mercs a Tennessean named Jack Arthur who had previously kept a low profile. Carefully placed remarks had allowed them to reach an agreement. Arthur would do the deed and Daniels would supply the money through channels. All Arthur had to be prepared to do was take the heat if things fell apart because no one would be willing to go to prison with him. For the fee he was getting he was prepared to do just that. Jack Arthur was nothing if not a gambling man.

Fulton had barged in and confronted him. All of his mercs including the two hauled in behind Fulton who were wandering around outside were confined to the barracks. Phones were restricted, a penalty that they had argued about together at the top of their lungs and he had lost. An investigation was beginning and they were at ground zero.

Fulton had left and Daniels returned to his bedroom pulling out his encrypted satellite phone given him by Nast. He had called his grandfather explaining what had happened and put before him his options. He could sit here and miss the meet up with Ondo most likely or he could resign if they didn't let him go and come anyway. His grandfather, the Majority Leader of the Senate told him to stay and wait. Nothing too fast, he said. Nothing you can't undo.

So he sat on the patio watching the sea gulls overhead. When the sun set in the sky, he was curious more than anything if the army could unravel what he was convinced the Autobots had not figured out. Sipping his beer, sitting on a chair ignoring soldiers and civilians that passed by staring at him with looks akin to hatred, he relaxed and prepared to see what would happen as the meeting time with Ondo edged ever closer. What he hadn't taken into account was the fact that the Autobots had taped his call, more than aware were they of his satellite phone. Daniels would not know about that for some time.

-0-Flight Line

Silverbolt landed, dropping almost straight onto the ground. First Aid and two medics jumped off and hurried with several mechs who had met them, waiting to help carry anything that they had brought with them. Heading into the building, they ran to Medbay and reached the med berth where Ratchet lay silently. Ironhide stood at the head of the berth, his servos gently stroking Ratchet's helm. He didn't look up. He didn't take his optics off the face of his bond. It was as if he didn't know they were there.

Turning to Wheeljack and Perceptor, the five of them discussed what had been confirmed about his injuries and what needed to be done. Then they assigned duties. Perceptor would make the missing appendages and have them ready for re-attachment once the damaged parts were debrided and part replacement completed.

Energon was still being transfused but the need was slowing. Permanent repairs would have to be remade for quick fixes and it would take a couple of surgeries that had a strong possibility of success. Ratchet at the moment was in medical stasis and because of that the bond between him and Ironhide was at such a low level that it would appear to Ironhide that Ratchet didn't live.

Prime, listening, walked to Ironhide, looking at his oldest friend with concern. "Ironhide? First Aid is here and they are going to fix Ratchet."

Ironhide nodded, his optics never leaving Ratchet's face. Prime shifted on his peds wondering what to do. "Orion needs you now, Ironhide. He wants his father."

Ironhide blinked, then leaned down to kiss Ratchet. He stared at Prime, then looked back to Ratchet. "Can you have Blue or the twins watch him? I can't leave here."

Prime nodded. "All right. What can I do to help, Ironhide? You only have to ask."

"Nothing, Optimus. No one could help me but Ratchet."

Prime nodded. "I think it might help you and I know Ratchet would agree that you should sit back from here. Watching this might not be a good thing for you. Ratchet wouldn't want you to be hurt any more than you are."

Ironhide thought a moment, then looked at Prime for a second. "I'd be leaving him alone. I can't do that."

"Not if you come sit nearby," Prime said gesturing to a med berth near to them. "If you sit there you can be close but you will not have to see things that Ratchet would not want you to see. You know what Ratchet would want, Ironhide."

"I don't think I can, Prime. Ratchet is …" He paused as he looked at Ratchet's face. First Aid and his medics began to gather their instruments and look into the wounds so they could plan their surgeries. "I can't leave him alone. He's hurt and I can't leave him. He needs me."

"If you come and sit with me over on that med berth I will keep you company and you can see Ratchet from there. You won't be in the way of the medics. They want to help Ratchet get well, Ironhide. I will sit with you."

Ironhide stood as still as a statue for a moment and Prime thought he wouldn't be able to move but he did hesitantly, his servos lingering on Ratchet's helm. Slowly, almost dazedly, he walked to the med berth and sat with Prime joining him. They sat silently, then Ironhide looked at his servos. Ratchet's energon was on them. Prime, rising to fetch a wet cloth, handed it to Ironhide and rejoined him.

Ironhide wiped his servos slowly, staring at Ratchet as they began to take off damaged parts. Slowly, piece by piece, they began to disassemble the parts of Ratchet that no longer were viable. It was quiet and still, almost oppressive as the two mechs sat together, both of them suffering as they waited for others to do what they couldn't do themselves. Never at any other moment before this did they fully understand the function that Ratchet provided for them, working on each of them uncounted times, saving them, assuaging their pain and hurts. It was the elephant in the room, that the healer should be laid so low.

-0-Sunstreaker, Bluestreak and Sideswipe

They sat on the couch and on the chair, sparklings in arms. Orion who was used to being home at this time of day had begun to fuss, looking this way and that for his genitors. He could feel the anxiety around him and the anxiety over the bond he had with Ironhide. The bond with Ratchet was still, something that was scaring him so he sat on Blue's lap whimpering, his little face scrunched into a piteous pain filled frown. He looked at each of them, one after the other, fussing with his digits as he sat and tried to parse this awful moment. He had never felt this sort of thing before nor had never been so scared, so he didn't know what to do but mewl and look at each of them with his frightened little optics. He wrung his servos, gripping his digits in fear as he whimpered.

Blue was spark broken watching him. He hugged Orion but the infant found no comfort against the complexity of his fears. No one that was supposed to be here was. His big old dad was gone somewhere, sending turmoil and pain over their bond. His other big old dad was silent. It was a terrifying spark battering moment all around for Orion. So he did the only thing he knew how to do. He sat and whimpered, sending cries of anguish out over his bonds to the two most beloved mechs in his life. Somewhere, they were missing him too, he thought. Somehow, they would come and get him. He just knew somehow they would.

It would be a long night for everyone.

-0-Medbay

They had stripped the broken, melted and non-repairable parts of Ratchet and placed them in a toxic waste bin. Gathering parts together, all of them silvery but for a number of internal items that were black or red, they began the painstaking process of refitting Ratchet for appendages, retooling some of his internal assemblies and replacing the fireproof liners that were scorched and done for after doing their job of protecting his processor and vital components.

For four joors they worked and by the time they were done all of his vitals were stable, all of the burned internals replaced and his external joints for his limbs rebuilt and reattached. All they had to do now was allow him to mend a little, fit him for the appendages, do analysis on his optic and see what the damage was inside the socket as they figured out what to do about replacing it without replacing both.

First Aid turned to the others, then walked to Prime and Ironhide. "Ironhide, we have Ratchet ready for limb replacements. Right now, all his internals are at functional levels. We'll monitor them and adjust things to bring them to optimal."

Ironhide nodded. "He's okay then."

"We won't be losing him. He's too damned stubborn for that. We just have a lot of things to do. We have to assess his optics. We have to see if there was anything beyond that that was injured. We're going to remove it tomorrow. I don't see anything that indicates anything more than a shattered optic. But we'll see when we pull it off. We're not sure we have to replace both. Optics are a funny thing. But Perceptor and Wheeljack are building his limbs and we'll see how he is tomorrow. If he's steady as he appears to be at that time, we'll replace them then. He's going to be very tired, Ironhide."

Ironhide nodded. "But he will live. He'll be himself. He won't be …" Ironhide paused, his welling fear overwhelming him. "He won't have problems like Starscream will he?"

First Aid shook his head. "I don't think so. He might have no memory of this event. He might have lost a whole day's data. I just don't think there's a processor injury here. None of the data indicates that his processor is anything but fine. We'll find out when we take the optic off but I wouldn't worry about that at present."

Ironhide nodded, gripping First Aid's arm. He struggled to thank First Aid as the medic smiled. "It's all right, Ironhide. You might want to go and look at Ratchet. Talk to him. I know he'll hear you."

Ironhide glanced at Prime who squeezed his shoulders. Ironhide stepped off the med berth feeling every minute of his long life. Walking quietly to Ratchet, he stood next to him taking his one good servo into his own. He considered that, Ratchet's servos something he loved. They were soft and strong, gentle and soothing. He had held Ratchet's servo most of their bonded life, walking with one in his own when he wanted to talk to him quietly. Ratchet's servos had been gentle to him, massaging his hurts, solving things that needed to be done. Now one was gone. It made him ache to think of it so he pushed it out of his mind as he leaned down to kiss Ratchet on the lips. "Hey, mech. I need you at home. Orion and I are lonely without you. Come back to us, you hear me?"

Ratchet heard him, saw him and felt his touch. From a far away place, he listened. He felt glad of it but he couldn't help Ironhide. He could only float in the oblivion that was stasis and wait for whatever came his way.

-0-At the quarters

Prime had gone with Ironhide to the twins quarters where they had picked up Orion. The sparkling nearly hanging off Blue's lap in distress saw his father and burst into tears. Hanging onto Ironhide's neck, the two stood in the middle of the youngster's quarters swaying gently. Kaon hearing Orion cry burst into fretful tears of sympathy, crying with his uncle as all babies do everywhere.

They thanked the kids, filled them in and left. Walking Ironhide to his quarters, Prime left after much persuasion by Ironhide. When the door closed the two stared at it, missing the one who was the light of their life even more than usual when he wasn't home. Ironhide walked to the couch and sat, holding the sparkling up in front of him. Orion's little face was filled with sadness so Ironhide kissed him, putting him on his shoulder. They sat together alone in their quarters, a place that felt like home once but not today. The center of their life was some place else and neither of them felt very good. So they sat and held each other, a big Ironhide and a tiny one waiting for the hours to pass. In the morning, they would both go to Medbay and see how the love of their life was. Until then, there was only each other and their misery.

-0-TBC 2011 (2) edited 1-21-15 edited again 10-01-17