The Diego Diaries: Hunt 1 (dd4 29)
-0-Around the town
Ratchet left the hospital heading for Ops Center with his conclusions as Wheeljack and Perceptor turned toward the education tower and Sciences located at the top. It was cool but balmy for Mars, a reasonable -56 degrees as he motored across the intersection at the Fortress. A short bantering trip through little old mech territory in the courtyard and the wise acre rec room brought him back to the table with Prime and Prowl. Nearby, Paragon was working on data at sensors.
Ratchet pulled out a chair, then sat. "Well, we studied the slaggers and they are nigh on invincible through the usual methods. Ununtrium isn't invincible unless you use any of the weapons that we usually use. The only reason we took Tarn out at the battle site was because of the concussion from the barrage we gave him. When I neutralized his vocal capacitors, it was a freak alignment of things we can't count on. I hit him just right in a weak spot. As for the amputations of the others? I deconstructed them at their articulations. They are invulnerable to almost anything we have short of concentrated fire by Metroplex but they aren't when it comes to maintenance and medical care."
"That's interesting," Optimus said.
"Freakish indeed. Even hell beasts have their weaknesses," Ratchet replied. "If Metroplex actually did concentrate fire on one, they would eventually die in the pummeling but their armor would come out unscathed. The only thing that can destroy ununtrium armor is ununtrium blades or bullets. For instance, if Black Shadow were captured by Tesarus and stuffed into his grinders, he would be cut to pieces because Tesarus has ununtrium tipped cutting blades."
"Nightmares. They are all nightmares," Prowl said with a shake of his helm.
"They are," Ratchet said. "My conclusions are meet them or him with overwhelming firepower to either knock them out or kill them. Then I can disarm the rest. The only other solution is find the kill switch commands. I favor that the most because they are vocal," Ratchet said.
"Do you think anyone can say them?" Prowl asked.
"Starscream knew them once. If he did then anyone who speaks them can theoretically shut them down. Megatron was no fool. I heard rumors that he had viruses planted in some that scrambled their processors if they tried to plan his execution. Maybe that is a tactic we can use to our advantage if we ever catch one intact," Ratchet said.
"Program them to do just that?" Prowl asked with a slight smirk. He lost it as Ratchet reached down to retrieve Sojourner.
"I think so," Ratchet said glancing up as he settled the infant in his arms. She smiled at him and he smiled back, then he glanced at Prowl again. "What's the matter, Granny? Someone steal your dollie?"
"I was considering your technique, amateur," Prowl sniffed, though Ratchet was right on the shanix. "Some of us have it and some don't."
"That's right," Ratchet said smiling down at the happy baby in his arms. He rose, then grinned. "I have it. You don't." Then he turned and walked out the door.
Prowl watched him go with a mixture of emotions, then turned glancing at Prime who grinned at him. "What?"
"Nothing," Optimus said with a chuckle.
-0-On the road
Ratchet homed in on Ironhide who was in a station in downtown Pax. He took a train to the station where Ironhide was poised to enter the security area leading to the armory hub below. He paused for Ratchet to catch up, then looked at the smiling infant in his arms. "You stole Prowl's dollie."
"Someone has to keep the whiner on his toes," Ratchet said as Ironhide keyed in the codes. They entered and wandered down to the officer on duty checking out the armory and sharing sparkling stories. When they came upward it was lunch time. They wandered over to the Diner On the Corner where Kestrel and Tagg usually ate breakfast. Sitting in the outdoor section, they made their orders, then set the babies on the table.
Prowler paused long enough noming on his little blue circle plushie to smile at Sojourner. "A?" he asked Ironhide.
"Sojourner," Ironhide replied with a grin. "Notice he has a blue circle in his servo? Little mech is so advanced I have to double up on the teachings. I can hardly keep ahead of him."
"I noticed that. I hear the University is ready for new students. Maybe you can get him in," Ratchet said with a grin.
"Can't rush him too fast," Ironhide said smoothly as he grinned at his son. "Mech might get a complex. Can't have a sparkling with a complex."
"No. We leave that to his atar," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
Their food came and they began to eat enjoying the moment, the infants and each other. Mechs and some femmes walked along the street heading to wherever they were going and it felt like home. It was a good feeling all around.
-0-Up there
Bluestreak sat on his chair, the I.V. lines finishing up their last round of transfusions. It was quiet in his room as the sun filled the space with a happy light. He felt better than he had but he knew he wasn't 100%. The slagging he got from the Insecticons hadn't been unexpected. He didn't know anyone who had walked away unscathed from a confrontation with them but this had been bad. He had really been hurt.
:Blue:
:Sunny?:
:How are you?:
:I'm better. I think I'm going home today:
:Good. Can you? Is there someone to help you?: Sunstreaker asked long distance as he sat at Diego on permanent temporary standby.
:Home Health Care is going to come by. Your family has the babies. They said they would help me: Blue replied as he settled back to chat.
:Have you seen them?: Sideswipe asked.
:Not yet. They're coming home after school so I will then. I really miss them, Sideswipe: Blue said with feeling.
:We all do: Sunstreaker replied. :What's going on?:
:I think a phase sixer is coming this way: Blue said remembering a chance comment Ratchet had made earlier in the morning when he came by trailing Springer and Drift. Why those two were there he didn't remember.
:Which fragger: -both of them
:I don't know. Who's left? We got Tarn and Soundwave has Overlord: Blue said musing.
:Sixshot is with Megatron I heard: Sideswipe said.
:Who is left?: Blue asked.
It was silent a moment, then Sunstreaker was back. :Heretech and Killmaster. I think. Unless someone got them, the fraggers:
:There could be more. I heard that the Decepticon Justice Division has had members change out from time to time. They take the same names but the membership changes sometimes: Blue said.
:I heard that too. That means there are other Sixers out there that we don't know about: Sideswipe said grimly. :Do you suppose Prime knows about that?:
:I would think so. I'll tell Prowl. Hold on: Bluestreak said. :Bluestreak to Prowl:
:Prowl here:
:Atar, did you ever hear that the Decepticon Justice Division would sometimes get new members when some were lost or left? That they always took the same names but they were different Sixers?:
Pause. :No. I never heard that: Prowl replied, filled with consternation that intel had gotten past him. :Is that firm or gossip?:
:Hang on: Blue said. :Sideswipe, Sunny, I heard that they did that. Is it gossip or do you know?:
:I heard it in a bar from a K-Class fragger who was drunk at the time: Sideswipe said.
:I would be drunk too if I were one of those suicidal fraggers: Sunstreaker said with a grin.
:Okay: Blue said. :Prowl, Sideswipe heard it from a drunk K-Class:
:Slag. Thank you, Blue. When are you getting out?: Prowl asked.
:At mid afternoon: Blue replied.
:I will try and be there. Prowl out: Prowl sat a moment, then glanced at Prime who looked up from the datapad in his servo. "What?" he asked.
"More good news," Prowl said with a softly vented sigh.
-0-At Diego Garcia
They lounged around the hangars where the Air Force worked to keep planes and other ships airborne. Crowds of humans with nothing more to do gathered together to sun themselves and watch the aliens. The big bots on their part were used to it. Few of them found it bothersome and most found it amusing. Some felt it deserved.
"Look at the humans," Sideswipe said as he rolled out of the door of the Embassy. It was morning on Earth, mid afternoon on Mars. All was good to him.. The intense sunlight felt great and he gathered it in for energy. Solar energy for him felt like ice cream to humans.
Tasty.
"I'm going to tan," Sunstreaker said as he transformed into the luminously beautiful concept car that he preferred. The type and kinds of modifications and finishes on Sunstreaker couldn't be had anywhere on Earth using any kind of technology possessed by the humans. As such, he was as all of them were studied by everyone with a taste for exquisite cars both here and online. The Usual Crowd came forward so Sideswipe transformed as well to allow them to take the usual dozens of pictures that they wanted.
Two human soldiers from Maine walked to Sunstreaker cameras in hand, then paused to peer inside. "What a beautiful vehicle," one of them said. "I can't imagine how soft those seats are to sit in," he said half hopefully. When no one commented, something that was hit and miss anyway with this one, 'the bad twin', he moved to Sideswipe and repeated the comment.
Sideswipe chuckled, then popped a door. "Your lucky day," he said with an internal grin.
The soldiers stood a moment rooted with surprise, then climbed in sitting in the driver and passenger-front seats with almost a religious sense of wonder. "Oh man. Its as good as it looked."
At that point the humans began to fog over and it was on. For the next two hours the twins would listen to the wonder, bask in the commentary and relax into the dullness of their orn. They would not be the only mechs on base to do so.
-0-Midorn discharge
Bluestreak limped past the nurse's station with a datapad of instructions and the names of his home care nurses who would come by later that afternoon. Prowl walked with him, Sojourner in his hold. Ratchet had personally discharged Blue, then disappeared to Metroplex Femme to help with a difficult separation.
The pair made it to the elevator, then stepped out for the short walk to the flatbed that was waiting for them outside.
"I don't want you jostled on the underground. Here," he said helping Blue settle. Then he transformed to follow behind on the long drive to Tyger Pax.
It would be a slow steady drive.
-0-Out there
Metrotitan and his group arrived in orbit around Gliese 581 g, then came in for a landing at Camp Gliese. Blackjack and Alor watched as the behemoth, Metrotitan settled on the ground transforming into a battle platform with nearly unlimited room for the camp's garrison. They would eat and recharge like kings inside the massive mechanism and enjoy all the many entertainment and recreation facilities there. Blackjack and Alor would enjoy the captain's suite which was pretty sweet in and of itself. Sometimes there were good reasons to be the kingpin. That his ops center would be state of the art and available to them was the cherry on top of the metro-former pie.
Bivouac just got awesome.
TBC May 17, 2014 edited 6-28-14
NOTES: That is how Black Shadow was killed in his universe, the IDW I believe. Ununtrium trumps ununtrium.
K-Class mechs: These are mechs reformatted to change into bombs and blow up their implanted munitions on contact with targets. Sometimes they were super patriotic youngsters and sometimes they were prisoners forced to do this. There is a great picture of some falling, one of which -Scavenger- who didn't transform for some reason. One of them next to him in bomb format had Ultra Magnus written on it. :D He said falling that you felt compelled to transform into a bomb. Behold, prison population control Decepticon style.
TF Wiki states that the personnel might change from time to time but the names never did in the Decepticon Justice Division. I would hate to think what other Sixers could do after seeing these atrocities. :D
