The Diego Diaries: Matrixing (dd6 418)
-0-Elsewhere
Someone else came in, a careworn farmer, someone who worked incredibly hard for little return in what was most likely the margins. He walked to the counter, then sat. Sylvia stood up, carried the pot, then poured him a cup. "What can I do for you, Elder?"
He was a thin man, nearly 'played out' as western people called depleted things. He wore overalls, worn and patched along with a clean white shirt that looked ironed and crisp. He wore a battered hat, one that covered his head of thinning white hair. His hands were gnarled and calloused from hard physical labor and his affect was tired. "I would like a sandwich, Sylvie. The one I like," he said. "I have to go back to work. Can I take it with me this time?"
"Sure," she said as she walked to the counter behind her and began to make a sandwich.
Megatron and Prime watched, coming to the realization that they were here to observe and learn something, though what it would be was still unclear. She finished the sandwich, wrapped it in wax paper, then added a few potato chips and three cookies into the bag. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Not today, Sylvie. Maybe next time," he said as he took the little bag. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change. Counting it slowly, he put it on the counter. "Thank you, Sylvie."
"No problem," she said as she took the change and put it in an old fashioned cash register, one with big keys and a loud bell when rung up.
The human walked slowly to the door, nodded to both bots, then walked out. Megatron and Prime turned in their booth to look out the dusty window. He drove a battered old fashioned pick up truck. He climbed in, then with a grinding of the starter, drove away to the road that would take him who knew where. Both sat back, then looked at Sylvia who had taken her seat once more. She was lighting a new cigarette with the butt of the old one. Taking a deep drag, she exhaled.
"What is his story?" Megatron asked. "If I may be so bold to ask?"
She stared at him with a cold expression. Both of the mechs felt it, too. "That's Elder. That's what you get when you work longer and harder than you should for less than you deserve. That's what happens when you don't make enough to quit working when you're tired and old. There's millions of them around. They're the shoulders the world stands on but they get the blame for their poverty. They get blamed because others won't pay them for what they're worth. I think his name was Stanley once. He used to come here but he stopped after a time. He was killed in an accident driving a truck when he should have been home with his grandchildren. No one cared. I did. I do believe I did," she said as she mused on an old memory.
It was leaden in the room before the door opened again. A woman walked in, a young one and with her were two small children and a baby. She wore a shabby dress and old shoes but the kids were better dressed and sweet. Obviously, she put them first ahead of herself, the selflessness of motherhood her personal creed, it seemed to suggest. She had taken care giving the best appearance she could for all of them. Her children were beautiful but one had a cough. She paused nervously and tiredly before Sylvia. "Hi, Sylvie. I was wondering … Ralph gets paid in a week and we need gas. Can we ..." she trailed off as she noticed Megatron and Prime staring at her. Embarrassment suffused her as she turned slightly away from them.
"Sure, Candy," Sylvia said. "Did Ralph get that job?"
She brightened. "He did. He hitchhiked to Perryville and waited overnight outside the office. He's going to be working there as a mechanic on the diesel trucks. He's going to see if someone can give him a lift home after work until we fix our car so it can drive that far. He wants to camp during the week until then, maybe, and come home on the weekend but I don't like that. I worry about him, you know."
Sylvia nodded then rose. "Come on. Let's get you some gas."
She walked out with the children and Sylvia as the bots watched through the windows. Sylvia pumped gas for a worn looking car, one that was old fashioned and had a dent in the side. When she finished, they chatted a moment, then everyone climbed inside. Sylvia watched as the car drove away, then entered the cafe to sit down again. She exhaled a smoke ring, then looked at them coldly. "You aren't eating your food."
"I am not hungry," Prime said as Megatron nodded.
"Too bad. Those kids are half the time. It's not like its planned and they sure don't want it that way but it's how we let it be, all of us. They could have used the food," Sylvia said. "Its not like their mama and daddy don't work hard. They're young and strong but work is scarce and it doesn't pay a living wage. The system is rigged but they get the blame. Lazy. Stupid. Worthless. Too many go to bed hungry every night and no one cares. We all know it happens, too, don't we, but we blame them for being ignorant or slackers or worse, we just don't care. A person can do everything right and still fail. What happens after that tells us who we really are. What do you think we are, Megatron?" she asked. "What kind of people are we that such things happen to millions upon millions of people all over the world and we not only don't care but we blame them for it?"
He stared at her. "You ask the wrong person. I'm not the one who can tell you about bad choices and what we should do about them."
"No, you just do what you want," Sylvia said as she lit another cigarette from her old one. Taking a deep drag, she tapped the cigarette against an ashtray on the table next to her. "We fall short of what we believe we are too many times. It's rather a bother for some to see it."
"Who are you?" Optimus asked.
"You know," she said as she poured more coffee into her cup. "I am Everyone. I am Everyone Who Exists. I am the smallest sub atomic particle and the multiverse in one. It's my duty and purpose to look at things without sentiment or side, then tell the truth no matter how ugly and inconvenient it is. I'm your conscience, All That Is."
"You are the AllSpark," Optimus said.
"Give that man a cigar," she said with a bitter smirk. "The question next is, what is the AllSpark?" It was quiet a moment. "What's ethical? Whats the right thing to do to be considered good? What does a good person do when there's inequity and suffering all around them? Do you blame the sufferer? Do you discuss the cost of things in relation to helping alleviate the suffering? How much is too much in cost to help or do we abandon someone in trouble for the sake of the bottom line? I think about such things often. It is what and who *I* am. What about you, Prime?"
"It haunts my recharge," Optimus said quietly.
She nodded. "I know. I'm rather well versed on the way things go everywhere that exists. I am the underlying thread to the All That Is. What annoys me greatly is the idea and belief that some are good intrinsically and some aren't in the eyes of others. I'm annoyed greatly by judgment, by people judging each other when we ALL ARE ONE! The machinations of some to write off huge swatches of people, places and things disturbs me greatly. I, for one, find that ALL are worthy. I may not like what they do and what they believe but I reverence them anyway because we all come from the same place. What about you, Megatron. What do you reverence besides your ego, power and killing others who are inconvenient?"
"As Megatron's higher self, I have no argument with you and what you espouse and oversea, obviously. We are on the same page," Megatron explained. "However, as the long suffering but guiding figure of an out of control ego maniacal marauder, I am limited by his free will to do more than chide him through what small opening of conscience that he allows to exist."
"True, that," Sylvia said. "The Pantheon is well pleased with you, Optimus Prime. What annoys me and concerns them is your fear level. Your odd belief that you're not worthy or up to the tasks before you. I would suggest that you put such limitations aside and step forward boldly. They expect you to do so and They're not fooled very often. If They believe it, so should you."
It was silent, then Sylvia tapped out her cigarette. "You'll be adjudicating the architects of your demise shortly, Sentinel and the others. Do so boldly and allow your fairness to have free rein. You choose to take hard roads to the truth which is honorable. Do so without fear and know that what you decide is for the good." She stood, then grinned slightly. "You know who I appear to be, but what am I really?"
With that, the scene changed and they were both back in the Temple. It was discombobulating for a moment, then they turned to each other. "A most interesting encounter, Prime. The AllSpark is more than meets the eye. I have to depart. There is much to do elsewhere. I wish you well, brother. It has been … fun." With that, Megatron disappeared.
Prime stared at him as he faded, then turned to the AllSpark which was seething with energy. Then it faded both inside and outside of the building. As it did, the Well began to rise in light, mingle with the AllSpark, then blast into brilliant illumination. Upward it went through the top of the building, roaring upward to the sky and outward through the open doors of the building.
The Blessings had begun.
-0-Outside and around
"The light … its gone … no … WAIT!" Annie Lennox who was standing next to her father and mother jumped up and down. "HERE IT COMES!" she shouted before the light collapsed and rolled out in all directions faster than could be followed. They were enrobed in light, a soft sentient luminescence telling them of how they were loved, all of them. It fled Mars and flowed through the multiverse with one notable exception as it embraced All That Is in its unconditional, uncompromising love.
In habitats on world, in the cities of Mars, across the wide scope of Cybertron, and across the entire Earth for the first time, the luminous, all encompassing love of Primus found each soul and loved them. It loved them, the light, with an overwhelming sense of belonging. It seethed, seemingly sinking into the soil to include everything and everyone, then it vanished. When it did, everyone froze suffused with emotion, feeling the air as stark and arid, frigid even, as those thus blessed glanced around bereft.
Then a light burst upward from the Temple again, one so brilliant and warm that everyone was entranced once more. It rolled outward like a geyser, flowing around and embracing everything that existed. This one was from The One, the Source of All That Is and it flowed through the multiverse seeking out all lifeforms that it encountered but one notable group. It held everyone in its gentleness as soft voices murmuring words of love and connection, support and unity added to the personal moment everyone was having. It was misty and soft, overpowered those with the sensation that they were wonderful, beautiful, unique, loved, cherished, and chosen. It pulsed around them, then faded swiftly away.
It was silent everywhere it had been.
Then a shout was heard, a voice crying out bereft, then another, then more. At once among them there were voices shouting, "UNTIL ALL ARE ONE! UNTIL ALL ARE ONE!"
At that moment, the congregation burst into shouts of the creed, their peds stomping the ground as they rose together in exclamation. It rumbled under foot, it surrounded them with its mass, the cry of all their voices together in unity. As they did this together, Optimus Prime stepped out of the Temple and walked to the edge of the platform. The sound died down in front, then everywhere else almost at once. It was intensely silent once more. That was when Optimus spread his arms and the panels of his chest opened. The Matrix burst outward, a brilliant white sentient light that swept the planet, Cybertron and all the outposts of the Empire as it enclosed him in its brilliance. It found the Decepticons wherever they were and swept past them until every single Cybertronian everywhere but one spot in the Delta Quadrant was in its loving grip. Then as fast as it came, it ended.
Prime dropped his arms and the panels closed. He stood on the platform, slightly slumped, then straightened. "The Solemnities are closed," he said quietly. Then the crowd began to convulse with cries of unity and solidarity … "UNTIL ALL ARE ONE! UNTIL ALL ARE ONE! UNTIL ALL ARE ONE!"
-0-Unidad
They stood together applauding and shouting, some of them calling out the creed as the moment swept them into one unity. Holding each other, laughing and smiling, the small human community celebrated, too.
-0-Earth 1
The scene was the same as everyone cheered. The moment was magic and they were at that moment closer to each other than they were with loved ones. They clapped, cheered and chanted …
-0-United Nations Consulate
They hugged each other, cheering and crying, laughing and talking to each other as they watched Prime walk down from the Temple steps surrounded by his body guard. The family joined him, allowing him to walk forward with Prowl and Solus, while the rest followed, laughing, singing, clapping hands with others, pausing as some ran out to touch Prime, gathered together as they made their slow progress back …
-0-Sciences
The automated machines worked brilliantly as the residents enjoyed their outing …
-0-N.E.S.T. HQ
Same here. Nothing to see …
-0-Hu-An Embassy
Everyone had gathered in the common building to watch the show. They felt the warmth and blessings, they saw the beauty of Prime and the grace surrounding everyone. They felt it, too, as they waited together for the fast to break at midnight. They would partake of food only then when their brothers and sisters did as well …
-0-The Resort at Autobot City
The humans there were enraptured, celebrating, hugging strangers, watching the show with cheers and applause. They would cheer the creed, stamp their feet, dance together, and sing. It would be the best part of a phenomenal visit for all of them …
-0-Earth2
It was bedlam in the facility as 5,000 plus humans watched the show in the auditorium. They sang, hugged, danced in their seats, cheered, chanted the Creed, and showed their joy. Children were hugged along with elders, family, friends, strangers, dogs, and even a cat. The leadership was feeling it, too, as they stood together near the stage watching Prime make his way home again. It was brilliant and beautiful, Prime was astonishing, and all of it was breathtaking in the feelings it evoked. It would take a long time for them to feel it all the way through, attempt to understand it, then find a way to work with it.
At no time in that process would Owen Harris and his core group find themselves changed in any significant way.
-0-Earth Prime
Across the world the Blessings of The One and Primus gripped everyone in a sweet cloud of light. It saturated the earth below their feet to linger as a gift of both toward peace and unity. There was wonderment and disbelief that such feelings could be possible for anyone to feel. There would be celebrations beginning tonight that would last days across the entire world.
-0-The Consulate
Everyone danced, everyone sang, the love and unity they felt was overpowering. It was bliss within the walls of the Consulate.
-0-The Family Tower
They were celebrating including a couple of the 'House Grandpas' who broke out a beer. Tapping them together, they took a deep drink, then smiled. "I don't know about you, Marvin, but this is one fine day."
Marvin Roush, grandpa of Sargent Corey McFarlane laughed. "You won't get an argument out of me." They both turned to the TV to watch Prime make his way. While they did that, Mama Rosa waved to a number of spirits who were standing by the television watching themselves as they prepared to go. They waved back, then faded away. Six down and one to go. The ghost of a dog that Ron Witwicky had as a child was sitting by his favorite chair to wait for him to come back. He was here all the time, ever faithful and loving. Mama Rosa made a promise to herself to tell him about it some time. She sat in her chair crocheting and watching that 'very fine young man, Optimus' make his way home through the crowds.
-0-Optimus
He walked along with Prowl who carried Solus in his arms. Prowl couldn't be more proud as he watched the most religious and a lot of others step out to touch Prime. He had himself along with his genitors when they began to walk toward home. Optimus was never more holy than now, though for Prowl, he was holy all the time. The others followed shouting to friends, pausing to chat a moment or take a photo with a friend as somewhere in the mix the Day Watch was helping the humans find their way back as well.
Everyone from Earth 1, Earth2, Unidad, N.E.S.T. HQ, the Consulate, the Family Tower, The Resort, and Sciences was going to Sciences to wait out the crowds for a joor before going back to their homes. A huge party was going to be held at Earth2 with everyone in the human community invited, a good thirteen thousand individuals expected. The fireworks for this evening would be easily seen from there as well.
They made their way as five plus million Cybertronians began to leave the area, slowly, happily, contentedly. In the Temple, the Circle was there to finish the ceremonies and the release of the Pavilion for visitors to see new displays from Cybertron. Olivia Bowers would be among them and with her with special permission would be her overawed and amazed brother, Stephen Rolfe, brand new immigrant to Mars and a major accounts accountant as well as supply and management officer for Unidad. Crowds would make their way to the AllSpark and Well, then the Pavilion beyond for a good decaorn evening, day and morning. She would help them as part of the Circle of Light and the Knights of Cybertron and she would do it joyfully.
Turning slowly in the spotlight, its majesty only guessed at, the AllSpark hung in mid air. It was beautiful, ancient, majestic, and inscrutable to everyone but one mech. Optimus Prime had figured it out. He knew what the AllSpark was, what it did and who the enigmatic woman, Sylvia was. He would mull it over, then go to the Temple or a shrine to talk to It. Whether It revealed more secrets, he didn't know. He just knew, firmly and assuredly, who and what that enigmatic device actually was.
He disappeared into the crowd as he slowly made his way toward home.
-0-TBC 7 19-18 Edited 7-20-18 edited again 7-23-18
NOTES!
guest chapter 415 . 9h ago
I guess Zenith and Shadow are so pure that they do not need to make amends? The same way Miler and Venture do on Festival Day? Or are you planning that for the following years?
ME: You have to know you're wrong to make amends. They don't. They're rather a pair but their time will come. It might take a festival or two. :D HUGS!
Guest chapter 416 . 18h ago
I love festival time to read it so much fun and so in lightning and beautiful.
ME: I love them, too. I have an outline of what Optimus sees and does but it never follows the plan. The story at times writes itself and it did this time as well. :D HUGS!
Guest chapter 386 . Jul 18
Prowl hasn't called Optimus Arctapus yet! ;D
ME: BWAHAHAHA! He will next time. :D I love people who don't get drunk getting drunk. They remind me of my Uncle John who just got cuter with every shot. :D HUGS