The Diego Diaries: Visitin' (dd8 153)
=0=In an elevator heading upward
They stared at each other, a profile of emotions from vastly irritated (Magnus), slightly amused but locked and loaded (everyone else) and Optimus. What he was feeling he was keeping on the down low.
"This might be fun, or not," Ratchet ventured. "How many of them do you suppose have guns now?"
"A bunch, I imagine," Magnus said coldly.
The elevator stopped on the floor with about 12 families of Meadow Lands refugees scattered at intervals on the floor. They stepped out and walked a way down the corridor until they came to an apartment. Magnus rapped on it and after a moment a femme opened the door. She looked first surprised then frightened.
"We would like to come in for a talk," Magnus said.
The femme stared at him, then leaned back to answer someone inside. She stepped back hesitantly to allow everyone in. Inside the apartment sitting on the couches watching the television, several adults and a couple of children stared at the group that gathered by the door.
An elder mech stood. "What brings you here?" he asked.
"We have had an incident in the lobby that makes me concerned about the assimilation into the colony of your group," Optimus said. He noted that the apartment was filled with expensive items all of them tastefully arranged. Their gear had been transported to them, something he considered a positive. "We would like to ensure that everyone fully understands the rules and what the consequences are for breaking them."
Everyone stared at him with stony expressions with no one saying anything in response.
"Dok has decided that there will be an elevator for your group and one for everyone else," Magnus said cutting to the chase. "We're here to tell you that this is not the case. No one here gets preferential treatment for any reason other than health concerns. The System of Exception is banned. The penalties for continuing it can lead to jailing for disturbances all the way to a Primal Hearing with Special Circumstances for treason. It's also a cause to trigger honor fights. We want to know that you not only understand what we do here but to grasp the consequences of disobedience."
No one spoke a moment, then the mech nodded. "You've made your point."
"We have explained to you the law. We will not allow anyone to assert any sort of privilege against other citizens. We have built this colony and lived in it for years without the poison of The System. We are resolved on this issue. If you do not understand or want to follow those rules we will have you arrested and a trial will commence. You do not have any privileges beyond that of the typical citizen here. There will be no second warning," Prime said.
The elder stared at him. "As I said before … you've made your point."
"As I see it, Prime," Springer said with a cold tone. "This fragger is dismissing you, the Matrix Bearer and the First Disciple of Primus. I think I feel the offense."
"Well, they suffer from a group delusion intensified by eons of isolation," Ratchet said. "They also don't appear to have any manners."
It was frigid between both groups.
Optimus glanced at Magnus. "Commander, mark that we have visited this group. If they break this directive after this personal visit they will be arrested. There will be no other warning from me or anyone else again." He stared at them, then walked to the door to leave.
All of them did and the door closed behind them.
Gathering in the corridor, Springer grinned. "One down and a zillion to go. Expect them to communicate this is happening and group up."
"I do," Prime said grimly as he continued down the corridor.
They took care of this floor, receiving the same cold disdain from everyone before heading for the elevator to go upward to the next floor where seven apartments were at the end of a corridor in a row.
The door closed behind them.
=0=Elsewhere
"What then?" Ironhide asked as he lounged in the chair watching an action movie while eating a heaping plate of all manner of cold cuts and candy. His cold beer rested on the end table between his chair and Ratchet's.
:Then I annihilate you, infant. Don't you remember that part?: Blackjack said with a chuckle. He was the mirror image of Ironhide in the apartment across the hall. :What's Ratchet doing?:
"He's taking a call. I told him to delegate but he's a gossip," Ironhide replied.
:And you aren't?: Blackjack replied with a chuckle.
"No, actually," Ironhide said with a smirk. "I'm just a very good listener. The telling part is just community relations."
:Ah, is that what it is?: Blackjack continued. It would be like that for a while.
Alor was at a club meeting. Scout was with him. Pudding was sleeping on Blackjack's lap. All was well in his world.
=0=Central Emergency Services, Fortress Maximus, Autobot City, Mars
They sat at the consoles, four dispatchers while the night shift for the different departments that handled emergencies worked nearby in their offices. It was a slow night with only a minor electrical outage currently being troubleshot by the Energon Administration's night crews. Most of the dispatchers were shooting the shit with the night crew at N.E.S.T. HQ. It would continue like that for a while.
=0=On a night beat rattling doors, Iacon, Mars
They walked long the street in the darkness, stepping from pool to pool of street lights. Clubs and bars were open as were a number of services and groceries that operated all night. Their lights added a great deal of warmth to the mellow atmosphere as the colony approached weekend. They were discussing their plans for the weekend themselves, nodding to pedestrians and checking alleyways and alcoves to see that all was well. It would be. Iacon was a city filled with families, young, with children so the crime rate here was about zero most of the time. Their beat would continue onward toward morning.
=0=Autobot City Military Daycare, The Fortress, Autobot City, Mars
The kids were being tucked in, the older ones who were overnighting here. The babies and smaller tots were already recharging having been bathed and settled three joors earlier. The older kids were now getting into their little beds in the common sleeping room that housed them. They'd done their homework with the on-site teacher, had homemade dinner from the on-site cooks and bathed to get ready for tomorrow, Second Friday just before weekend.
They were professional at this, the overnight place of choice for soldiers who worked at The Fortress or other night time military installations such as the airfield. They were here because they had a single parent, both parents had the same shift, their nanas and papas were either too frail, too old or too busy to do more than occasional care or they liked the place. It was one of the most popular day cares in the colony with an average night time crowd of 100 kids.
The night staff would manage them, five childcare experts and when morning came, the cooking, care and teaching crews would come back to get them ready for the day. They had a doctor on call for the three frail babies and a medical station upstairs in The Fortress. All in all, genitors went away knowing their kids would be in first class care, some of them for the first in their lives. Night would roll on quietly.
=0=The first of seven
They exited after a very cool reception. No one was giving any feedback other than cold stares and silence. It was something, silence.
Rapping on the next door, a shot rang out. Everyone in the hallway ducked and lunged to the side. Everyone that is but Ratchet.
=0=Ironhide
He felt rather than knew anything was up when a burst of surprised emotion hit him from Ratchet. Rising almost without feeling it, he turned to the door. Sending the code to Ravel and Tie which would alert them to come on short notice, Ironhide was out the door heading toward the elevator after a sharp rap on his father's door. Blackjack would be right behind him.
=0=Ratchet
He felt it hit him, then he stumbled back. Landing on his backside, he stared at his chest. A small hole had appeared, something that instinct told him wasn't fatal or even very worrying. He glanced at the others who had lunged away, hunkered down and pulled weapons. "Ow," he said almost reflexively.
Servos gripped him and dragged him away from the door. Everyone stared at him as he shunted things internally and the slight flow of energon stopped. "Are you alright?" Springer asked with genuine fear.
Ratchet glanced at him. "I am. Got to get a paint job though. That wasn't high enough caliber to do much."
"Stay here," Prime said with fury. He rose, then slide along the wall with his gun pointed to the ceiling. "You inside the apartment. Throw the gun out and come to me with your servos in plain sight."
That met more gunfire.
"Frag," Drift said with a slight grin at Ratchet. "I knew things were going too well."
Ratchet actually laughed.
=0=C.E.S., Fort Max, Autobot City, Mars
"This is Central Emergency Dispatch. How may I help you?" one of the operators asked as someone called.
"I want to report a shooting," a tense voice said over the intercom.
Things would begin to happen.
=0=N.E.S.T. HQ
"Damn."
"A shooting," Trevor Smith said as he sat at communications.
They were having the usual chat with different departments of the night shift of this and that when the call came in. They listened to the call out of different departments to attend to this, an active shooting in District 7, City 4.
=0=The Hourly News
"I've just received a bulletin from Central Emergency Services that there's an active shooter involved situation in City Four of Crater District Seven. If you live in the Esco Building you're ordered to remain inside, lock your doors and stay out of the corridors. Do not use the stairs or elevators until the all clear is given. Its not known what the situation is or if there's more than one shooter. Anyone in the building or near the building is ordered by the C.E.S., the Office of the Prime and the Watch to stay back and allow the different agencies responding to do their jobs. Nothing is known yet about the situation other than that there was shooting, relevant individuals are responding and no one is allowed near. If you come and get in the way you risk being arrested. Repeat … there is an active shooter situation in the Esco Tower of City Four in District Seven ..."
=0=Elsewhere
"Well, isn't that amusing. Maybe ..." Sun paused to take a message, then rose to go. "Come on, Jack. I think someone shot Ratchet. Little mech is bee-lining there."
"What the frag? How bad?" Jack asked as they walked to the elevator nearby.
"Let me check," Sun said. :RATCHET! WHAT THE FRAG!?:
There was a pause, then Ratchet was on. :Sun, what the frag back at ya. Where are you?:
:The better question is where are you and I heard you were shot: -Sun
:Oh that? A trifle. We're currently pinned down and I'm sort of busy. Can I do anything for you?:
Sun grinned. :Keep some of them around for us. We're on our way. Sun, out:
They hurried as fast as they could into the night. District Seven was some distance away from Autobot City.
=0=On the scene
Everyone was flat on their face as all seven apartments were shooting at them on both sides of the hall.
Drift glanced at Magnus. "Well, this isn't fun."
Magnus who looked totally lit glanced at him. "No."
Drift grinned, then hugged the floor as overhead a fusillade of fire continued.
=0=Outside
Everyone converged, local beat and horse patrol cops, the special Watch and Army unit for such things, a medical team with ambulances, a mental health deescalation team to negotiate, news reporters, several fragged off/worried/inconvenienced/excited residents of the tower who couldn't go home, a few teetering from a night out, the fire department as a precaution and a number of off duty Autobots who had internal police radios and wanted to see the 'fun'.
Clue in the twins.
That was when Ironhide, Blackjack, Sun and Jack arrived.
=0=TBC 05-02-2021