The Diego Diaries: Cybertron (dd6 44)
-0-In the air
They flew through the night time of Cybertron heading for the Manganese Mountains, a vestige of the world that had existed before Primus overtook and recreated it to serve His solitude. The stars were bright and there were lights seen from the ground as even ships passing by lit the night, then faded as they did into the distance.
:I would find it difficult to live in darkness: Harris offered.
Prime nodded. "We are of the same mind about that then."
No one spoke as they sat poker faced waiting for the descent. When it came, it was a merciful thing as they all walked down the ramp into a construction zone that seemed to stretch into infinity. There was work going on every direction they turned.
:What is this?: Owen asked as they gathered together to ride on the servos of the big mechs. Ironhide would take Owen.
:This is a utility site where a lot of the systems that run this world can be accessed. You may or not be allowed to go inside some of these places: Lennox replied. :If you need to leave tell us. Don't be stupid. If something is wrong, you get sick or you have to take a leak, tell us. If you think its easy to die on Mars you haven't seen this place. Understand?:
Harris nodded. :Yes:
They were scooped up as the group followed Prime. He was led by a delegation of big gnarly mechs who were doing the heavy lifting here at this point of access to the inner workings of Primus. His audials were several hundred miles away in another area of the mountain range. This was a system or series of systems integral to the circulation of fluids … water, energon and other essentials throughout the planet's deep infrastructure that was His internal body.
Owen watched everything, marveling at the sight of mechanical beings working on their mechanical world. Then they reached the place that Prime was heading for, a deep series of craters in the ground. Going up the side of one to the jagged rim, it gave all of them the view of the others. There were dark objects at the bottom in a jumble.
Lennox stared grimly through his binoculars, then glanced at the others. :Fuck: he whispered. :Don't say anything here. These craters are filled with the dead:
It was then that lights were shown down into the holes where it was clear that jumbled broken body parts were scattered, all of them curiously devoid of color. It was ghastly and solemn wrapped in a pall that was clear on the faces of everyone there including the human soldiers.
Owen glanced around at the mechs who were guiding the party. All of them were grim and enraged but contained. It appeared to him that this group was shelled and all of them had died together. It was a catastrophe and how many were dead was unknown. He considered that, the enormity of the destruction here and filed that away in his mind. This was an education for him. What he would learn was still in progress.
-0-At about the same time in Jetta's office in The Fortress with a buncha mechs and femmes
"This is going to be easier to get information if he tries to contact mechs from here. If he has our tech, it's not clear to me what he can do with it. So far, we've traced our tech here and there, simple things that are almost analogous to things humans have developed. Given that, it means perhaps they're struggling to translate and utilize the information. However, we can't assume that's all they have and know," Arcee said as they sat around the office to shoot the shit with Jetta and troubleshoot the new information that Owen Harris was still a big dick.
"We need to have someone on both ends looking into this. We could but why should we? We all have a million things going on," Jetta said as he leaned back in his chair. Elita grinned at him and he grinned back. "Maybe this is the time to develop assets at both ends."
"The kids? Here and there?" Chromia asked as Maelstrom sat beside her content as a Buddha with 'his girl'.
"Yeah," Jetta said as he glanced at Jazz. "Guess what I found out?"
"Do tell," Jazz asked with a smirk.
"I found out that one of the kid's genitors works for Harris and not just as a minor functionary but as essential equipment," Jetta said. He smiled. "Yes, I, Jetta haven't lost my touch."
"I can attest to that," Elita said with a grin as the room erupted in slag. "Call them, Jetta. See if they want to come. I can send Chromia to get the others."
It was agreed.
-0-In a conference room in New York City a short time later
They had been contacted, then asked to come to Autobot City for a meeting with a number of mechs and femmes who were interested in their work. Given that they were an auxiliary business connected to Autobot Nation, Inc., they jumped at the idea. The youngsters gathered somewhat breathlessly in Warren Roberts' office with Sam Witwicky. The guy who had helped them, Springer and his friend, Drift were there lounging on a couch together. They had been recalled from Cybertron to help with this project though the four boys didn't know that. The two to them were just a bunch of guys who had helped them.
Bobby, Tran, Tom, and Brian sat on a chairs in a conference room after greeting the two. Grinning at each other, Tran asked, "What's going on? We got a call from Jetta of all people asking us to come to Mars for a project."
Springer nodded. "Yes," he said. "We're here to bring you over and help with the chat."
"What's it about?" Bobby Jenkins asked.
"We can't tell you about it. It's need to know," Drift said. "I know you need to know but you'll find out in a few minutes."
Warren Roberts breezed in, then grinned at everyone. "Are you ready to go to Mars?"
The four youngsters stood. "Yes, sir," they said almost in unison.
Roberts grinned. "We're going by bridge. We have gear waiting in the other room. If you go there now and get ready we can leave. Springer will help you. Right, son?" Roberts asked with a smirk.
Springer stood, then smirked at Roberts. "Sure, Dad," he said. "Come on. It doesn't hurt. Much."
Four nervous kids followed them along with Warren Roberts' laughter into the next room to don gear and learn how to use it. Then the entire group would leave together through a bridge called up in Warren's office. The four kids would be nearly overcome with the greatness of the moment as they stepped directly from Earth to Mars.
-0-On Mars about the same time at the Data Processing Center, Terra
A rap on his desk drew Artur's attention. He glanced up into the bemused optics of Chromia and a hulking bot behind her that he would learn later was the brother of Turmoil, of all mechs. He sat back with surprise. "Chromia … what can I do for you?"
"I'm here to discuss that now," Chromia said. She would retire to a conference room with Artur and his brother for a chat. When it was over they would go to the big conference room in the Ops Center to await not only a group from Earth who were coming but the rest of the underground operation known as Smoke.
-0-Manganese Mountains
They moved at last from the site of the disaster to a tour of the rising habitation centers that dotted the area. In the past, workers had to live somewhere even if it was in crowded squalor. Now the planning of the rebuild had changed all of that. There was a forest of towers rising into the dark sky modern and beautiful, some finished and some still under construction as foundations were laid in still other places. The camps nearby were shrinking as groups according to the Scale of Need devised by the Autobot Military Medical Services were taken from them to their new and beautiful homes. Businesses were popping up, mostly necessary services. But among them were restaurants, bars and grocery stores. Cooking had even made it this far into the sticks.
They walked through the huge city-former serving this area as a construction production area with health center. He was named Rolling Thunder and evidently was very old and war-like. They walked into his control center and chatted. Owen noted the level of respect the massive mechanism accorded to Prime, filing that away as well. Their guide said that they were coming along at a faster rate than he expected which was good since the poverty here was appalling. They were worked to death by Megatron and last on the list for necessary things in the past but hat had all changed with liberation.
Prime took note of his observations, discussed a number of wide-ranging problems, then they began to leave. A lot of people turned out to see Prime and Owen noted as he had earlier that many walked to him just to touch. When he would walk along someone would step out to touch him, then continue onward. Prime didn't seem to notice though it was a steady thing. :Why do they touch him?: he asked glancing at Graham.
:He's considered holy and when they touch him its like a blessing: Graham replied. :It happens all the time. Prime just accepts it as part of the job:
Owen nodded. Another fact to file away.
-0-Mars
They walked through the bridge with pounding hearts, then stepped out into a giant room with chairs, lounges and tons of technology everywhere. Sitting on a chair nearby, Heatout watched the humans arrive with curiosity. Several femmes and mechs were standing or sitting around the room as they entered. Big hands picked them up, then put them on the table. Chairs were waiting as Warren helped them to settle.
Everyone stared at each other, then Jetta smiled. "Welcome. I'm Jetta of Iacon and a special operations officer on the Prime's General Staff. You humans … the members and operational officers of Ghost Hunt are welcome here. These mechs and femmes," he said nodding to a solemn-looking group of youngish-looking bots sitting on chairs nearby, "are doing the same thing you are on Earth. They're looking for enemies of The People. You're both here to listen to a proposition, the first of its kind between us and Earth." Jetta pulled up a chair and most of the group sat.
"I would like you to meet Elita-1 of Iacon, Mirage of Iacon, Jazz of Kaon, Chromia of Kaon, and Devcon of Praxus," Jetta said. The bots nodded as the humans looked around the room.
The bots they saw they knew from this and that, some of whom were legends. It was very strange and EXHILARATING to be here at the moment even though the reason was still unclear. The four human boys were having major buy-in even now.
-0-TBC 6-21-17 edited 6-26-17
NOTES:
Apparently, early reviews of Transformers: The Last Night are abysmal. THANKS, BEY, for screwing up one of the most amazing universes in fiction. Wanker.