The Diego Diaries: Onward (dd6 45)
-0-Manganese Mountains, Cybertron
They walked back to the ship and boarded. The sounds of rebuilding continued until the ramp retracted and the door closed. Relaxing inside, the big mechs sat silently, the weight of a mass death long ago heavy on their shoulders. Harris and the soldiers sat quietly. Harris glanced at Lennox who looked grim. :This is everywhere isn't it:
Lennox nodded. :Yeah. A good billion of their people didn't make it:
Harris considered that with astonishment. A billion was abstract but there was nothing abstract about the mess in the crater. There were several hundred individuals laying there in pieces and had for who knew how long. He considered having to put things back together when the disaster was that big and found a grudging admiration for Prime and his people growing. It didn't change more than that in his thinking but he didn't get as far as he had without seeking and finding understanding about the other side.
They rode in silence, then the ship began to descend. It landed, then they walked off onto the streets of a big city. All around them in the distance skyscrapers gleamed with lights and the streets were level, clean and displayed the efforts of the new rebuild. Closer to where they all stood, a number of tall houses and other types of buildings ringed a gigantic open square. The 'houses' were beautiful and highly typical he was finding of Cybertronian architecture. All of the buildings he had seen had something of their culture and its beauty cared into them. Nothing appeared to be without a lot of effort and thought toward its design and look.
Prime turned toward a well-lit building that had a lot of foot traffic coming and going through broad open doors over which hung the Autobrand. Smaller ships, runabouts, were landing or taking off while still many more waited in the square for dispatch. The bots gathered up the humans, then followed Prime as the giant mech made his way to the building with the most activity.
Lights lit up the square, those that were placed purposefully to do so and those of ships coming and going. Here and there, a bot would step out, transform and drive off. It was all intensely fascinating to Harris as he rode on Ironhide's servo. Springer and Drift had left earlier but Ratchet had stayed, explaining everything they saw to Harris and the others. It was a highly enlightening commentary and Harris was glad for it. It was easier to make sense of things going on.
They followed Prime up steps into a huge recreational room with bots sitting or standing around. Traversing the room, winding around tables and chairs, they were headed for an operational center nearby, a big one. Those present saw Prime, nodded their helms in respect, then continued what they were doing. Some of the mechs gave a load of slag to some of them and got it back before they all disappeared into the Operational Center for this hemisphere of Cybertron here in Kaon.
Walking to the command table, Prime paused. "What is the status report?" he asked a bot there, one Harris would later be told was Dell, a 'Con mech who had surrendered early on and was a trusted capable officer in the Autobots and their world.
"We have a new set of surrenders coming in at the big airfield at Nova Cronum. One of them has touched down and already surrendered. Three ships and 600+ bots, all of them supply convoy security. Another coming could be trouble. We have a lot of security there and I've called for and received a lot of Seekers. If they want a shoot out, they will get one," Dell said grimly.
Prime nodded. "I would hope they surrender. Are there any road gangs causing trouble?"
Dell nodded. "We're tracking two in the north and four in the cities, Iacon, Polyhex, Uraya, and Yuss. They're moving on the down low but they're still there and organized. We have teams tracking them."
Prime nodded. They discussed a number of things, Prime listened to and questioned a number of individuals who were waiting, then took custody of a weapon that was Primal in origin and unknown in danger. It had been found in the 'private collection' of a high caste in Capital City and thus, was a danger to anyone who might have it and not know what it meant or how it worked. As it was, it looked like a discus, flat and round with a lot of markings and designs on its surface.
At last, Prime took datapads for Prowl, subbed them, then took his leave. The group with him walked toward the door and out to the floodlit courtyard. Prime paused to stare at the sky, at the now reasonably unknown combinations of stars overhead. They were straying even more and as they did the yearning ache to protect this world and her suffering people asserted itself again. He turned to the others. "We can go now." With that, he walked to the shuttle and climbed aboard. The others with the humans followed.
The ramp retracted, the hatches closed and they were on their way again.
-0-In a room at Ops Center, Mars
They stared at each other as Jetta waited for the humans to digest their amazement. The Cybertronian counterpart to them were less dazzled by the familiar bots around them than that the familiar bots had made them. They were supposed to be a secret society. It was disconcerting. Jetta grinned. "The big mech next to Chromia is a new Autobot but a warrior of the Decepticon persuasion."
"Former Decepticon," Maelstrom said with a grin.
The humans stared at him with uncertainty, then Jetta. Jetta grinned again, then nodded to the youngsters who were sitting uneasily watching the show. "These young kids are Artur and his brother, Tabulation, Burnoff, Tyre, and Willa who is the sensei of our biggest dojo, the Dai Atlas Dojo. That mech over there is Heatout, the second-in-command of the leader of the Circle of Light and the Knights of Cybertron, Dai Atlas."
The human kids looked from one to the other of their solemn-faced counterparts, then all of them turned to Jetta. :I … uh, I don't presume to speak here or break a taboo or whatever … I'm just a human and I don't know the rules but what's this about?: Tran asked as he looked around uneasily.
"You're looking for the bad guys, those who would break the treaties or ally themselves with the Decepticons who live on your planet, Earth. We've had experience with that sort over the past few years. They're never going to give up. What's worrisome is the idea of them making that link or figuring out our tech and creating something disastrous," Jetta said.
Willa glanced at Artur, then Jetta. "How did you find us?"
Jetta grinned. "You're very good, both of you, but we've been doing this sort of thing for millions of years. We knew about all of you from the beginning."
Springer nodded. "We were there when you got the nod from Roberts. It occurred to me that you might be something like Smoke here." Springer's form shifted and his regular appearance returned along with Drift. He grinned at the humans who gasped. "Pretender tech. It helps me meet humans eye-to-eye."
"They were tracking someone very dangerous who has our tech and from whom we rescued a Primal Relic," Jetta said. He looked at the humans. "There is some tech in our arsenal that is so dangerous that only a Prime can handle it safely. We tracked one of these items to a man named Owen Harris and got to it before he could open the container it was in. The box was found in Africa by his son, a 'coincidence' that wasn't, really. If Primal relics want to be found they will be. Prime being here in this system would attract them to him. Harris was the vehicle who made that happen."
"Then there are more on Earth?" Artur asked.
Jetta nodded. "Most likely," he said. "We're tracking them and also groups like this who are dangerous to the security of both of our people. We have an abiding inclination to protect the Earth and her people. You are not capable of holding off the bad guys without us."
Chromia nodded. "That's the truth. Check out this guy," she said jerking her thumb toward the big mech beside her. He stared at her with an amused expression. "This guy is the little brother of a much bigger mech and someone by himself who could level a city easily."
"I'm not smaller than Turmoil," Maelstrom said as he smirked at Chromia. "He's smaller than me."
"Remind me to take a tape measure to his cell next time," Chromia said. She grinned at Maelstrom, then looked at the humans with a measuring gaze. "We were the team that stayed on Cybertron during four million years of clandestine warfare there. We were never caught. Don't lose any sleep if you thought you were deep. Even Megatron didn't catch us and he slagging tried."
:What do you want us to do?: Bobby Jenkins said as he arose from his chair. :How can we help? You do want us to help you, right?:
Jetta nodded. "We want you to track our tech as well as the communications and actions of Owen Harris and his group. I want to know what they say, who they meet, what they do both on and off world. A good half of them are here living in the habitat. I'm not sure a good half of them will stay once the novelty wears off but that's beside the point. A shipload of our tech is in human hands. Harris and his gang want to connect with Razorclaw or anyone else to take it to us. We need you to look for them and listen in. What we don't want," he said as he leaned in closer to the humans, "is for any of you to play special ops. They will kill you. Slowly. Painfully." He turned to Mirage. "Show them what you can do, Mirage."
Mirage nodded, then went away. He faded instantly from view. It was silent in the room, then Mirage appeared. "How's that?" he asked with a grin.
"Perfection as usual," Jazz said with a chuckle. "Understand, we're the special ops experts here, not you. It's what we do. Some of us have the best special skills and enough devices to be that good at it. All you have to do is sit in your offices and search. Report your findings to me every night by special download and if you hit something then we'll take it from there. You will not and must not try to fix things for yourselves. These people will cut you into confetti and you'll beg for your death before you die. Understood?"
The human and Cybertronian kids both nodded. Jetta turned to Springer and Drift. "Thanks for the assist. You can meet with Smoke here after we go over this and get the proper oaths. Thanks."
"Don't mention it, bro," Springer said with a snicker, then the two walked out heading for Tyke and business. The group would talk together for two hours with Smoke getting the Earth2 portion of the job and Ghost Hunt, the Earth side of the chase. By the time they made their oaths before Heatout who would help manage the group on world they were ready to go. A short hop home would be made and the kids would be back in their New York office in no time.
They would jump on the problem designing the search tracers who would alert when they found something. The level of encryption they would have on their searches would be out of this world. Mirage gave them a device to cover their traces.
Burnoff walked into this business, The Idea Place and sat down across from his ada. Turquoise who was debugging code for The Trigger glanced up. "What is it, son?" he asked.
"Prime needs me to catch someone who has our tech. We have to monitor those who are here at Earth2 while humans who have a business like Smoke search on Earth itself." He grinned slightly. "This makes me feel like a spy."
Turquoise stared at his son, then nodded. "Then be a very good spy, son."
-0-TBC 6-22-17 edited 6-26-17
NOTES
You can see the movie online at you tube. They didn't let much time pass. Google it there. There's a lot of culture and history in the storyline as I watched in the snippets. I won't spoil but it was interesting. Hugs, darlings! PS: If you're from Europe and dealing with fires, I hug you tightly. In parts of the United States, someone told me that it was 120 degrees. Arizona I was told. :(
Chapter 46: Chapter 46
The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd6 45)
-0-On the tarmac of the Military Airfield, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
"What's this, Lennox?"
Will Lennox, Robert Epps, Niall Graham, and Owen Harris turned almost as one to look upward. Standing behind them, Roadbuster, Twintwist, Whirlaway, and a mech they didn't know but had the tattoos of Prison Security on his shoulder were staring down at the humans. They were a gnarly, scary-looking bunch to anyone let alone Harris but the soldiers knew and liked all of them.
:These are the new whips: Lennox said with a grin. :We need troop transports and they want us to test these out in harsh terrain:
The soldiers stared at them silently a moment, then Roadbuster picked one of the vehicles up. It looked like a toy in his grip. He turned it this way and that to examine it, then held it for the others to see. It was a six wheel device with a hard shell that enclosed everyone. The back bed was enclosed and had large windows to see outward with benches along both sides for passengers to sit. There were two seats up front and gun racks in the back.
"I think my kids have a toy like this," the unknown mech said with a slight smirk, "But its better made."
The big mechs laughed, then Roadbuster put it back down. There were four of them that were driven off a supply ship and waiting for the soldiers to come collect them.
:Ha-Ha, Roadie: Lennox said with a grin as he looked at he black vehicles with the various N.E.S.T. insignia and other Earth decals on them. :This is state-of-the-art tech where I come from:
"Can't say much for the state of your art then, human," Whirlaway said with a grin. "Good luck with that slag."
The big mechs nodded, then turned to go onward together for shift duty at the prison. Epps grinned. :HEY!: They paused to look back at the humans. :Any good gossip from the slammer?:
The mechs grinned. "The usual fights and stupidity. Motor Master says hi," Twin said with a smirk. "I'll send them your love." The mechs laughed loudly, then continued onward.
Harris glanced at the soldiers. :What do you have to do to visit that place?:
Lennox glanced at him. :Kill someone?: he said. :Let's go. I'll take you to Earth2 and the rest of you get these to the habitat. Maybe someone here can carry one of them so they all get there: He glanced around, then signaled a young kid standing nearby as a ship off loaded. He came to Lennox, then knelt down curiously. :Could you help a brother?: Lennox asked.
He could.
-0-On the way back
They motored along in a vehicle that was only slightly smaller than the vehicles and mechs driving on the highways back to Earth2. It was heavy with truck traffic as the business of business swept along. Harris watched the landscape of towers and cities change to eight lanes of well maintained road leading past the Mausoleum and Basilica. Things gave way to desert and desolation. It had its own beauty but it wasn't as inspiring as mountains with trees and meadows of grass. At least to Harris.
"Tell me about the Mausoleum," he asked Lennox as they sat in the enclosed cab without their masks.
"They bury their dead there. It follows their customs," Lennox said.
"Are we allowed to visit?" Harris asked.
Lennox considered that. "You're allowed to visit the Mausoleum and Basilica. In the past, no one was allowed into the Basilica but Prime opened it up. He wants everyone to derive comfort and a sense of home here."
"There was a funeral in the Basilica a while back, something about a drone Seeker," Harris said.
Lennox nodded. "It was accorded a Primal funeral for services rendered for the good of all. It was responsible for seeding this system with energon, the fuel they use for everything including food."
The majesty of the Basilica came into view and the parking lot was filled with trucks making deliveries and individuals visiting including a yellow bus from the schools.
"Children come here to visit?" he asked.
"They do. They have a program for all the children to visit all the important places. It's part of the school curriculum. Museums, libraries, the Temple and Monastery, businesses, Ops Center … they want their kids to reclaim their identity as Cybertronians so they teach them who they are and what it means," Lennox said.
"Your daughter goes to school here. Is she also eligible for these features?" Harris asked.
Lennox considered the man asking, then doubled down on his sense of protective family responsibility and pride in his daughter. "She is. She's fully part of the school system. She's getting an education that she couldn't get anywhere else. I'm proud of her. Her and all the others."
Harris nodded. "That's a good and remarkable thing. What do you feel about her learning about other gods and other ways of thinking about that?"
"All roads lead to the same door," Lennox said. "The more she needs, the more we're going to give her. We live in two worlds here, my family and me. Before, I never could have them with me. Here, I can. My wife is an owner and operator of the Resort so our family will be here from now onward. It's a good thing for my daughter to learn how to live in two worlds."
"What about Earth? Aren't you worried about her losing that part of her identity?" Harris asked with genuine curiosity.
"No. She knows she's human and she lives around them all the time. She also has Cybertronian citizenship which she and the rest of us take very seriously. She has the best of two worlds. She knows who she is and how she wants to live," Lennox said. "We aren't worried."
It was silent as they drove onward into the desert. The towering antennas of Earth 1 appeared, then disappeared. The Consulate appeared in the distance, the road leading there a turn off from the main highway like Earth 1. By the time they could see the gigantic form of Earth2 rising up in the distance they were nearly at the end of the constructed road. Work was going on several miles away to connect this highway to the big one that would encircle Mars. When that part was finished they would add the miles to it from Earth2's turnoff.
Driving through the boulders piled nearby as decoration, they headed across the newly paved parking lot toward the entrance facility. It had a space for Autobots and big deliveries alongside one for individuals and small vehicles. Lennox drove up and parked near the door. "Put on your gear. The vehicle won't open unless you pass muster."
Harris complied, Lennox scanned, then the go was given by the truck. Harris turned toward Lennox. :Thanks for the opportunity to go to Cybertron:
Lennox stared at him a moment. "Did it change anything or are you still a dick?"
Harris considered the straightforward question. :I'm not the enemy:
"Prove it," Lennox said coldly. He tabbed the door opened and watched as Harris walked out, entered the elevator which closed and began to rise upward through the glass enclosed tower that housed it. When he was at the top, Lennox drove back toward the highway. He felt grim inside. "Prove it, dick." He disappeared down the highway toward home.
-0-Ops Center
Ratchet and Ironhide sat down at the table and put up their peds on spare chairs. "What an orn," Ratchet said. "We found graves at the bottom of bomb craters."
Prowl nodded solemnly. "I got the notice." He sat back and tossed his stylus on the table. "What about Harris?"
"He was a nosy slagger," Ironhide said. "Asked a lot of questions."
"I know. I can't imagine why. After all, he was on another planet surrounded by aliens after going through a space bridge. Why would he ask questions?" Ironhide frowned a tiny frown at Ratchet who snapped a picture. "You're cute when you do that."
"I know someone cuter," Prowl said with a smirk. "My son, Orion."
"Delusional," Ironhide said with a grin.
Prime entered the room from his office, then sat with the three. "What are we talking about?"
"Our son, Orion, and how he sort of looks like that big pouting baby there," Prowl said nodding to Ironhide.
"Oh," Prime said with a grin.
"You really need to get the bond help," Ironhide said. "He's delusional again. I would know. So is Ratchet."
Snickers and rebuttal greeted that, then they got down to business. "What do you think the outcome for this will be with Harris now that he has come to Cybertron?" Optimus asked.
"I don't know. I think he's very set in his ways but sometimes it takes a lot of water to wear down a rock," Ratchet said.
Ironhide nodded. "That's right. Can I drown him now?"
Laughter is a good thing.
-0-At Earth2
"Where were you?" Cynthia Tomas asked as she walked into the office where Owen stood staring out the window.
"I was on Cybertron," Harris replied. "I asked to go and was allowed."
Cynthia stared at him with surprise, then walked to stand next to him. "Cybertron? Their home world?"
Harris glanced at her, then nodded. "Yes. Prime was attending to business and I asked to go. I was surprised he said yes but then he's an alien and I have no idea how to scrutinize him."
She nodded. "What was it like?"
Harris considered the question and its several dozen possible answers. "It's rising from the grave. They've lost a billion or so people in the war. But its rising up. There are towers and cities coming along, towns and villages that are completely restored. Everyone is working. It's perpetual night, however. They're no longer attached to their star, whatever that means. I don't know how they lost that but they have and they're wandering. It's a big source of concern for Prime."
"I can imagine," Cynthia said. "What do they plan to do about that?"
"I don't know but something tells me that its not a big problem for them. We went through an artificial wormhole to get there. A space bridge opened, we went in, then seconds later we were coming up on Cybertron. It took seconds to go thousands of light years. It was astonishing. Their science is astonishing. They have so much on us technologically, we must be like ants to them." He turned to gaze out again. "I would give anything to have some of their tech. We could fix every ill Earth has."
"They have laws against that," Cynthia said. "Their Tyrest Treaties forbid it. That would be a good way to go to their prison forever. We're bound by their laws and penalties because we don't have immunity."
Harris nodded. He grinned at her, a tight grin without much warmth. "A man can dream."
Cynthia considered him, then turned to go. "I'll leave the messages on your desk," she said as she put the slips down and walked out the door.
It was quiet again as he stared at the unchanging view outside. Walking to the desk, he scrutinized his messages. None of them couldn't wait so he walked out to inspect his domain. He would spend a bunch of time in the forest, looking at the pallets of plants waiting for the fields and petting the animals in the farmyard nearby.
-0-In a high security lock up at the Prison
They sat together lounging companionably in their chairs as a group of guards walked past heavily armed. Ironhide and Springer, alternate versions of the local deal were watching them. Ironhide and Springer both knew their counterparts on their own world. Roadbuster, Whirlaway, and Twintwist were a ruthless bunch in their own twisted Autobot Army. Being bored, Springer called out. "HEY, ROADIE! TWIN! COME OVER HERE!"
The group halted on their rounds, glanced at each other, then walked to the pen to stand before the two mechs smirking at them and each other. "Twin, what's up?" Springer asked.
"Well," Twin began because he could slag with the best of them, "I'm out here. I'm going to have a great dinner and get laid tonight. What about you?"
"The only difference between you and me is that I'm in here," Springer said. Ironhide howled with laughter as both sides grinned in spite of themselves. "You know … you three are real slaggers on my side of the divide." He looked at the other mech. "I don't know you or I'd give you the word too." He looked at the three he knew. "You like to kill things, tearing their arms and legs off, then letting them bleed out. Real humanitarians, you are."
"Sounds like me," Roadbuster said conversationally. He glanced at the other three. "Doesn't that sound like me?"
The others pretended to think a moment, then nodded. "It does."
Roadbuster looked at the two, then nodded. Without another word, he began to walk onward. The others joined him laughing loudly as they continued onward.
Ironhide watched them go, then grinned at Springer. "You're losing your touch, hoss."
Springer grinned at his bond, soulmate and partner in all his crimes. "I think you're right. They have to come around again. Let's go for broke next time."
They would wait but the bots would take another path on their rounds. They knew how to play this game too.
-0-TBC 6-23-17 edited 6-26-17
For everyone who saw the movie, I'm glad that Bey said this will be the last one for him. The Bee movie looks promising but who knows? I just hate to see Optimus get hurt. :*{
PM me if any of the bots died that I might know. All of the bots seem to be ones I never heard of. :[ Hugs, Leoness and Guests. :D