The Diego Diaries: Stuff (dd6 39) It's beautiful here. I hope it is where you are. HUGS!
-0-Later that afternoon
He stood by the window of his office on the first deck of the three deck behemoth that would now be home. The window allowed a spectacular view of the terrain outside. He had dreamed of this all his life and had been busy building his own tech and plan to come to Mars himself. Born into wealth, he had massively increased it by building 'future tech' and improving things that existed. He had his own rocket program and had plans to colonize Mars ahead of everyone.
Then the bots came.
He had joined Owen Harris and the other three to put the proposal and fund the project together. It had taken years and a lot of compromise for the bots to green light the operation but he was here, standing on Mars. It had been an agitation all day long, being here. He hadn't expected it to be so but he was home now. He, at long last, was home.
As he looked out the window it became clear to him what he had to do. Without a backward glance, Hamilton Brown walked to the door and out to the transport room where the land vehicles were kept. He would reach it, then with a bit of serendipity make it outside for the long drive to The Fortress and Operational Center for the Autobots.
He had to talk to Optimus Prime.
-0-In a doorway at The Fortress
Prowl turned slowly, seductively as he paused by the door on his way back to the command center. He had brought Prime reports on the Functionalist group they had to remove from Cybertron. Doing so, he found himself posing this way and that for Optimus who sat listening with a smoldering optic of his own. As he turned to say something sexy, the intercom buzzed a message. "Sam-sin to Commander Prowl."
Prowl halted with a slight frown. "Prowl here."
"Sir, this is Sam-sin, commanding the center at Earth2. We have a runner," he said.
Prowl considered that. "How and who?"
"We were debugging code and the system dropped for a nanosecond. He must have hit the outside lock in between that and it coming back up again. Its Hamilton Brown, sir," Sam-sin said.
"Can you intercept?" Prowl asked.
"No, sir," Sam-sin said. "He's driving one of the big trucks. Emergency Services is tailing him and can step in if it gets dangerous but he's only driving straight your way at the moment. He acknowledges us but says he has to speak to you. It's urgent."
Prowl glanced at Prime who shrugged. "Very well," Prowl said. "Tail him. Intervene if necessary but let him come here. Assist if he can't figure it out. We will receive him here."
"Very well, Earth2 Command, out."
Prowl stared at Prime. "Where were we?" he asked with a slight grin.
Prime grinned back. Minutely. "Say it," he whispered.
They stared at each other, then Prowl turned slightly so his wings could be seen in the way that Prime liked. He stared at Optimus with a smoldering glance, then in the softest voice possible he said, "N.A.I.L.S."
A thrill went up and down Prime's neural net at the exquisite sound of Prowl's voice, then it went to the Pit when he noticed Elita and Jazz standing in the doorway behind Prowl. He grinned anyway. "Say it again."
Prowl who was preoccupied with Prime didn't notice them standing there with big sappy grins on their faces. Leaning in toward Optimus, he grinned. "N.A.I.L.S," he whispered.
A voice whispered behind Prowl. "What are we doing?"
Prowl flinched, then stood up straight immediately. He turned toward the door where Jazz and Elita stood with big smiles. Then he turned toward Prime who was grinning broadly as he sat in his chair. "You knew they were there?"
"Maybe," Optimus said with a chuckle.
"We have a runner," Elita said as she smirked at Prowl. "We need to get the butterfly net out. Do you think he's coming here because he's you, Optimus, or because he's Prowl?"
"Either one is a step up from spies who lurk around," Prowl said testily.
Prime stood, then grinned. "Shall we go find out?"
They walked out together to wait for Hamilton Brown to arrive.
-0-On the way to The City
They formed up around him, hot cars with Emergency Services tattoos on their doors. They had been dispatched to help Brown make it in one piece to The Fortress where a number of bots, the three N.E.S.T. soldiers and a medic would be waiting. He drove swiftly in traffic that might or not be sentient. The cars were odd to him. The bots were huge and tall but in car form they were the same size as most vehicles on Earth.
Odd, that.
He drove onward heading for the big stone building many miles away. It would take a bit of time but he would get there and when he did he would drive up the ramp that was there for that purpose and head across a rec room filled with giant bots and furniture toward a door that led to Prime's inner sanctum. He had to hurry. He stepped on it as he flew down the road.
-0-Ops Center
They lounged around the table as the N.E.S.T. humans walked to the center to sit on chairs or stand around. Will Lennox was torn between intense amusement and intense irritation. Another human had caught Autobot City Syndrome and was heading for Prime to do and say who knew what. They had about a dozen cases now, usually happening this fast and all of them recovered in a few days.
All it took was rest and anti-delusional drugs. Or so he was told. This one was the first breech of protocol in the Earth2 saga. It would be up to him to decide whether Brown could stay or not. He had that much authority and he was prepared to be slammed in the press back home if he made Brown leave.
Or he could be merciful.
A mech leaned in the door and hollered at Prowl. "There's a human in a truck out here. He's heading your way, Prowl."
"Thanks, Zuma. Let him come," Prowl said, then glowered. "Fraggers."
Ratchet who had come in from Ironhide's office down the hallway from Prime's grinned as he sat with his big old peds up. "Nothing like the milk of human kindness, Prowl. Don't change."
Prowl shot Ratchet a grim optic. "Loon."
A car cleared the door and advanced. It was a Range Rover-ish vehicle modified for this terrain. Ratchet scanned it. "He has the gear to be here."
Everyone relaxed at that news as the car halted and a man jumped out. He began to run for the table until Ratchet scooped him up and set him down in front of Prime. Lennox gripped Brown's arm. :Brown. What are you doing? You're quarantined in Earth2 for now:
:I have to talk to the Prime: Brown said.
Optimus leaned forward. "I am here, Mr. Brown."
Brown turned to Prime, then smiled broadly. :Lord Optimus. I'm so glad to see you. I have so much to tell you. It's so good to be home again:
"Oh, frag," Prowl said as he crossed his arms over his chassis in a stance of disgust. "This is going to be entertaining."
Prime grinned at Prowl, then leaned closer to Brown. "Mr. Brown. What do you have to tell me?"
Brown looked at him tensely. :You don't have many friends in the leadership at Earth2. They want our tech. They want to take over this planet:
It was very quiet in the room for a moment. Prime nodded. "Please continue, Mr. Brown."
Hamilton looked around, then stepped closer. "Are these people okay? I don't want to tell you anything in a crowd that can't be trusted. We have to save Mars and Cybertron."
"Mr. Brown, what is your designation?" Ratchet asked. "What kind of Autobot are you?"
He looked at Ratchet. "I'm a warrior. I'm a soldier."
Ratchet nodded. "I thought so. You're doing your duty to your Prime by telling him what you've overheard?"
He nodded. "I am."
"Then please continue, soldier," Ratchet said.
The medic from N.E.S.T. looked slightly askance at Ratchet but didn't interfere. Brown turned to Prime. "They want to contact Razorclaw and make alliances for tech and power. Owen Harris mostly. The rest of them want power, prestige and the spotlight. They have no honor."
Everyone stared at Brown with astonishment but Prime. This was either the biggest load of crap or the unvarnished truth. "How will they contact Razorclaw?"
:Harris told me he has tech. He can do a lot of things and some of his inventions are ours. He's using our tech against us: Brown said earnestly.
"Has he already or is he still working out how to do it?" Prowl asked.
Brown looked at him. :He's still working it out: Brown stepped closer to Prime. :I'm on the inside, Prime. Tell me what you want me to do. I will do it:
Prime glanced at Ratchet who nodded toward the N.E.S.T. medic. "I wouild like you, soldier, to go with these men to their HQ. Do what they ask you to do but do it under cover. Be truthful and honest but understand that you are going with them to serve me. Is that understood?" Prime asked.
He stood straighter. :Yes, sir: Brown said. He looked at the soldiers, then walked toward them. The medic and Brown were lowered to the ground and entered Brown's vehicle. They turned around and drove off heading for N.E.S.T. HQ across the Military Airfield. It was silent a moment.
"Well, doesn't that beat all," Ratchet said with a grin. "I don't think Mr. Harris is going to be too happy with Mr. Brown."
"How much of this will he remember?" Prowl asked.
"Not much, if anything," Ratchet said. "Once the delusion is over, they don't tend to remember what they did or said."
"He confirms the problem we know exists," Prowl said. "We better start looking for communications anomalies here and on Earth. Even if he can't get the tech here, he must have it on Earth. We need to inspect his stuff."
"I think we may have an ally there," Ratchet said as he thought back through his recent memory files.
-0-On Earth, in NYC, USA, Earth
Than, Bobby, Tom, and Brian sat in the conference room of their business, one that hunted criminals and their money operations. They also worked for Autobot Nation as an allied business having gotten their startup from Warren Roberts. Brian whose mother, Louise Jenkins was the personal administrative genius behind Owen Harris told his partners about the call from Autobot Nation HQ. "Warren Roberts just called and said there was going to be a conference call from Mars in a half hour and we had to be here to take it. It was secret beyond secret and would involve networking here with a group like ours there."
Everyone looked at everyone else, then Than sat back in his chair. "Well … we are allied with Autobot Nation."
The others nodded. It would be a long half hour.
-0-At the same time on Mars
They walked into Jetta's office and sat in chairs provided by him, Jazz, Mirage and Elita. Arcee sat by the window with her peds up on a couch. She grinned, then nodded. The kids sat a moment staring at the warriors who were gathering to sit, then Artur asked them, "What can we do for you, Jetta?"
Jetta sat, then grinned. "That's a good question."
-0-A half hour later
The monitor came on over a channel so encrypted that the kids would spend weeks of spare time trying to crack it but failing in the end. The Emblem of the Primes followed by that of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire gave way to the image of Jetta of Iacon. He grinned at the humans. "Hello, youngsters. I'm Jetta of Iacon and I have a proposal for you."
-0-TBC 6-16-17 edited 6-26-17
For Bentley with all my everlasting love.