The Diego Diaries: Ascension (dd6 281)
-0-Back in the real world again
"Have a seat," Ratchet said as he watched Traachon, Lucien, Keystock, and Cargo stumble to the audience and pull chairs toward the defense table. They sat as Ratchet turned to a wooden Waldeen. He was stiff from the encounter. Ratchet took him by the arm, then steered him toward the table. He sat, then stared dully at the table top. Ratchet turned toward an equally silent Jarro and Rung. "This one is yours," he said. "Keep him as long as it takes."
They both nodded, then found a chair to sit. It was obvious to everyone there that no one was in a hurry to leave. The moment had caught them and they were going to stay together for now. Ratchet organized a series of different tests, then slowly scanned everyone in the room. He digested the information, then walked toward Lesto and 24. "Have a seat. You're just fine. Everyone is fine," he said as he helped them sit.
Optimus who was returned to the dais stepped down, then pulled a chair over to the defense table. He sat and stared at the five silent civilians for a moment, then leaned forward on his elbows. "How are you five doing?"
Traachon stared at Prime for a moment. "I'm not sure."
Lucien nodded but didn't speak.
"That is a common side affect of such an experience. How may I help you assimilate this?" Optimus asked gently.
It was silent a moment, then Keystock looked at him with indecision on his face. "That was real, right?"
Prime nodded. "It was."
"You go there … to the Matrix … you see Them. They know you by name," he asked.
Prime nodded. "Yes."
"He's the Prime. They would, Key," Cargo said. He looked at Prime. "They said that everything we believe is wrong."
Prime nodded. "They did and They meant it."
It felt coagulated in the room as the energy which was already high began to take a turn from their confusion and emotion. Cargo sat forward, staring at Prime with an expression that changed second to second. "Nothing that we believe is supported by Them. They said They were against it and … They said that we can't live our life. They won't allow it. Primus said that, right?"
Prime nodded. "He did."
"What are we supposed to believe then?" Cargo asked with rising emotion.
"That's very simple," Alpha said from where he sat with the others in the audience seating. "All are one and nothing more, nothing less."
Cargo looked at him. "They knew you."
"I know Them," Alpha said enigmatically, something that gave him a great chuckle, displaying the 'mystery' that came with great age.
It was silent again.
Ratchet looked at Lesto and 24. "You two need help. All the slag you know, every bit of it is wrong. It was designed to keep you down and not allow you to be a real person. It was designed to take away your spark. You did hear Primus Himself say there was no hierarchies, that none was better than another, including us with Them. I think you need outpatient care." He looked at Jarro and Rung. "What's the status on them and the others?"
"We have them in the halfway house tower in Verus. The others, the families of the Council and the 22, they're also intake but in another city, Stanix. What are we going to do to tell them and The People about this, Optimus? What do we keep to ourselves and what can be known?" Jarro asked.
Optimus considered that as he leaned back into his chair. "I will tell The People the truth. I expect a certain amount of disbelief about this from the high caste mindset but that will be dealt with. Given that Primus has weighed in on what He wants and what He will do about it, everyone must be told. I will also let everyone know that my verdict was set aside in favor of them being recalled."
"That's such a charged word now. Recall. What a terribly efficient way to discuss murder," Hard Drive said. "Perhaps another word. They might think we're mocking them if you use that one."
Prime nodded. "I will choose my words carefully. But everyone needs to know. There will be no more lies and hidden aspects to our lives anymore. We are going to be free of the taint of these oppressive systems once and for all."
It was silent again. Cyclonus who was sitting on a bench along the wall glanced at Prime. "We will do what we do to distance them from us but it would do us all a great good if you would stress that once more."
Prime nodded. "I will."
"We don't expect trouble but we're going to be prepared for it. What concerns me is the reaction of the families. That's about 2,400 or so individuals altogether with about 900+ associated family members. What do you want us to do, Optimus?" Springer asked.
"Post extra officers around their housing areas when they are dispersed. Most of them are still being held rather than working at anything, correct? They are still being evaluated and treated?" Prime asked Jarro and Rung. They both nodded. "Then they can be watched. If it means that we put tracking gear on them, we will. What about the families of the 22? What about the children who have no one now, Cyclonus?"
"We have them in servo. The families are part of the bigger group and thus, they're corralled but the children will need a regular schedule. We've created a school at the Monastery for them. We want to treat them there, help them rewire their thinking, then later on put them into the school system. There are families who have volunteered to take them in and they have signed on to the school. Our teachers are certified and ready to move on this," Cyclonus said. "We have facilities and when its possible, we will integrate them into other places where children go in the public system."
"Thank you," Prime said. "That relieves my processor greatly. Please contact Herling for whatever you might need. We will supply your school as we supply others and our programs are open to your children as well."
Cyclonus nodded. He stared at Prime a moment, then stood. "You were my enemy for so long I can't remember when it wasn't true. Then I realized that Megatron had no real love for Cybertron and was using all of us to further his own ends. I love my home world and would die to save it from anyone and anything. When I came here, I found some of my assumptions were … incorrect. This place allowed me to do something that filled my youth with purpose and pleasure. The Monastery was my home growing up and it is now. You are responsible for that. You live the virtues of the Primes and the Pantheon without the failings so evident in Megatron. I will defend this place, I will serve its people and I will do so willingly up to and including my death. It was an unspeakable honor to see Them, to hear Them and know Their will. Thank you."
Prime watched him, noting his willingness to speak so freely in such an open forum. It was not in the big mech's style to have such actions transpire in front of others. They had battled across the eons, this incredibly able foe, and it was intensely pleasurable to see him making the remarks he was making in front of others. This was commitment to the Cause and to their people. This was the ending of war and the beginning of real peace. "I have always held you to be a great force and commanding foe, Cyclonus. I never underestimated you. It is my great honor and that of our people to have such mechs as you on our side. The Cybertronian people and our home world will once again rise from the ashes. It will be so because of mechs like you. Thank you."
Cyclonus nodded, then sat down again. The room was quiet but not tense. The ambiance of the encounter still held.
Wirelite stood and walked to Prime. She took his servos, then squeezed them gently. "That was a moment in a lifetime, Lord Optimus. Thank you for including me and I believe I can speak for the others … all of us thank you." She turned to the five civilians sitting in silence. She walked to them and placed her servo on Traachon's shoulder. "General … I served the Primes for most of my life starting with Guardian. He was a great mech. Zeta started well but cut corners in his zeal to win, becoming when he did little better than the foe. We have seen it all, those of us here who are exempt, from slavery to freedom and back again. I have learned many skills, weaving and housekeeping. I taught myself to read, though the punishment if caught was terrible. My mech and I taught our children because it was our right to learn no matter what the rules were at the time. Its an aim of dictators to keep their people ignorant. It's easier to lie to them and lead them astray.
"We've loved our world and people all of our lives and I'm sure no one here would have believed that Chromo and I were as brave as we were," she said with a slight grin. "You judge all of us on so little. Cezr was a sniper of the highest quality. He sneaked into terrible places to take them down. The Quintessans feared him so greatly, it helped them decide to leave. He was implacable but all you see is a small mech whose utility appears from your point of view to be limited and whose personality is of no consequence. Cezr is my hero. So is my bond, Chromo. He was so brave. We blew things up, stole information by infiltrating places … we did it all for Cybertron and her beautiful people. All of them. We were never afraid. If there was any fear felt by anyone, it was in the possibility that we might fail our efforts and thus, our people.
"I was mostly happy in my life with my bond and children because you can be if you try, but I've never been happier until now. All of my story and that of my friends … the General and Delphi, my dear friend, Hercy who was fearless and such a hero of the revolution … all of those who spoke, many others and lots of the dead were my dear ones. You don't see that when you look at us because of the poisoning that the Quintessans brought to our world. I see you as misguided but I don't hate you. You're as much a victim of this as any of us. Now you sit in the ashes of your world view and you have to decide. Will I truly be a Cybertronian, will I truly honor my world and its history, do I have enough grace to change? I pray you do. I hope you do. There is no more room for what you believe anymore. Please … change and join us here." She leaned in and kissed his helm gently, like a mother her child, then walked back to sit.
Chromo put his arm around her, then grinned. "There was never a more beautiful femme than you, Wirelite, when you put it all on the line for freedom. Until you lose it, you cannot know how sweet and beautiful freedom is. Then the Functionalists came and we were slaves again. We threw them over, all of us again fighting them off and your system was next. It was endless, the oppression. It has hurt us all so much. I wish for you that you never know how that feels. It destroys the spark and ends happiness. All we have to do is choose to love each other and work together like They wish. I don't see that as hard. We were created to be free and happy. If I hated you for what you believe and how you've lived, I couldn't say that but I doubt many of us in this room hate you. You're misguided and we wish you to change. Forgiveness is what we offer. Are you going to accept it?"
Traachon who was staring at them looked at the others. "I don't know … I'm confused."
Chromo nodded. "We all were. That's how they put us back into chains. Think about it, all of you. From me and mine, you have our forgiveness. We give it to you because Primus and The One hope we can and because it frees us. We don't have to carry the burden of you with us when we do."
Hercy nodded. "I have a hard time with that part of the rules, Chromo. But I try. I will defend our people as long as I function and even beyond that. When you have nothing to lose, its not a problem. I look at the children, at those little kids ..." He grinned. "He pow-powed Onyx Prime." Hercy chuckled. "That's what I fight for and anyone who tries to harm or limit that, they have to face me. Me and the recruit here."
Kup nodded. "Frag right."
Ironhide grinned. "Recruit?"
"It's a long story," Hercy said with a grin.
They chuckled, most of them. Cyclonus grinned, then sat back with amusement. He crossed his arms as he relaxed slightly.
Hard Drive grinned. "Those were the orns. We had a common enemy and purpose. We have one now. It's called notions. Your notions were always against what the Pantheon and The One expected us to follow. All of your notions have led to war, poverty, death, destruction, broken dreams, and exile. Why you would mourn them is beyond me. What are you missing? You see us here. We all live in possibility. All of us have the same chances and our colony is glittering. Cybertron is once more rising from the ashes and Primus Himself said He was most pleased. Any ideas that you had that somehow poor individuals were incapable of rising upward or they couldn't be trusted to think were hateful and wrong. How many dreams died, how many inventions didn't happen, how many great artists, leaders, singers, teachers, you name it, never got to blossom because they didn't fit some stupid rubric? That's over. You know what Primus said. Why would it make you feel bad to follow His simple instructions? He let you run amok for eons, even when He was harmed by it. Now you can't. All They want is for you to do the right thing by everyone. How can that be hard?"
"Everything that we ever were taught or told is wrong. Everything we ever did is wrong. Everyone we trusted and believed was telling us lies. How do you expect us to feel?" Cargo said.
"I suppose that's true," Hardie said. "But think about everyone on the other end of the stick. That was their life and they dealt with it every orn of it. I'm not surprised that Wirelite said what she said. Did you know they raised four sons on nothing? They had whatever scraps from parties and functions were left over at The Residence to help with pitiful pay and no consideration. They got by and their kids grew up to be great mechs. They did it anyway and never complained. No one heard them complain. Did you?" he asked with a grin.
Wirelite glanced at Chromo, then Hardie who was a great and good friend. "To whom and to what end?"
Chromo grinned.
Hardie looked at Cargo. "You were forgiven. You were told by the Pantheon and by Lord Primus Himself. Now what? Tell us what it means to you? You've come with us every orn to the scene of the crime on Cybertron and I don't believe it affected you to this degree before. You saw the dead, the destruction and still, I never felt any sense of understanding from you about it. Yet now, you see the Great Ones and you feel gutted. What did it? The fear of being recalled by Them? Fear of Them in particular or is there another reason for your sudden emotional collapse?"
Traachon turned toward Hardie, someone who had been an implacable foe, someone who used his caste against every move Traachon made through the endless eons. "You enjoy this don't you."
"No," Hardie said with a serious expression. "Not a bit. It pains me that it took you this long to register emotion."
Traachon sat back, then sagged. "I won't lie. I fear their reprisal. I also … have no footing. I'm adrift. I don't know what to do about it."
"Well, you're going into intense therapy, all five of you. I command it for you, Lucien, Cargo and Keystock because you're mine to mentor. As for you, Waldeen and Traachon, along with the rest of your mangy family … you'll be ordered into therapy, intensive therapy to figure out how you'll live now that you're just a nobody like the rest of us. Consider your daughters and son if you need to think about someone elses misery besides your own. I can make that happen as the CMO. I'd suggest doing something that makes amends. It helps you find your footing faster. Talk to Proteus, Burris, of all mechs, and Maddow. Your brother is a work and wonder. I would think you owe him and his family HUGE apologies. Include Hauser in that effort, too. You'll not be allowed to wander until I'm convinced that you know how to make your way in this new paradigm. Understood?"
The group stared at him, then nodded with a sense of resignation and dejection that was astonishing to see.
"Primus is love personified. He's the archetype of love and endurance, of caring and decency. He embodies honor. You would do well to emulate Him," Hardie said as Delphi slid his arm along the back of his bond's chair.
"We built the Elites to try and curb your excesses. We did it for the betterment of us all. You'd do well to remember that there were many trying in their own way to help you out. We want you to change and succeed. We know with all our spark that you'll feel the difference and be glad. All of us labored all of our lives for everyone. Try and think about that. Be selfless for a while. The idea of helping others will lift you from whatever depths you're in better than anything else," Delphi said.
Lauren stood, then said a blessing for the group. He talked about love, about sacrifice and the shared heritage of all their own kind. He walked among them laying his servo on their shoulders, comforting them. When he was finished, he turned toward Prime and bowed lowly. "Lord Optimus, Prime of our People and Chosen of Primus. We are filled with wonder at what happened and we pledge ourselves to help you with your burdens and with this sad and solemn event. Command us."
The others stood, then bowed. They looked at him and he, them. He felt the years well up and fill him with emotion. "You already have, old friends," he said.
-0-TBC 2-22-18 edited 2-24-18