The Diego Diaries: Inter Face (462)
-0-Here
The walk across the airfield was silent in the group as Prowl took in the sights. Overhead, he could see with his optics the forms of not one but two big devices in space. "What are those orbital platforms? If I may ask?" he said glancing at Prime who walked beside him followed by everyone else.
"Those are Triggers … two of them. They are space bridge generators and retrievers with limitless distance possibilities," Prime replied.
Prowl glanced at him. "Are they inter dimensional?"
"Not to my knowledge, no," Prime said. "We have scientists here who are working on such a possibility. Two of them are your … your double's grandgenitors, Shadow and Zenith of Praxus."
"They work on such things here then," Prowl said. "Where are they now?"
"Estranged," Prime said quietly.
Prowl glanced at him but held his tongue. They continued onward toward a metro station near the courthouse that would take them to the prison in the distance. They wound through the busy field, then walked down steps toward a high security doorway on the platform. Entering it with the code, Prime led them inside to a train which they boarded. It started out automatically and headed east toward the prison complex in the distance. "This is an impressive colony. How long have you been here?"
"In Earth or Terran terms, 9 years. Not much time but we have 26,000,000 of our people living and working here along with nearly nine thousand humans. I made a call for soldiers when we first came to Earth and with them came refugees. This is the only safe and secure place to house them. We did not have Cybertron until a short time ago," Prime said as the train slowed to a stop. He led them out, then upward through a very highly secure station to the surface where Warden Gee-Gee waited with the intervention crew to assist. "Warden, we are in need of a visit to the special alternative prisoners."
Gee-Gee who was staring at Prowl nodded. "Of course. Follow me, please," she said as she stepped out into the Center toward an outside door nearby. They walked down a corridor left plain so that if prisoners came by train there would be few breakables if they were problematic. Outside they went to the newly paved road system that fed all the areas of the prison now.
They followed her as the intervention team chatted with the senior officers as they entered the huge fenced facility. It was evident to Prowl who stared at everything without comment that this held a number of very bad actors. The place was seething with bad energy and armed guards. They followed her northwestward, heading toward a set aside area that had any number of what he took to be warning and informational signs posted about who had or didn't have access to this part of the facility. He could read some of the messages but not all of it. Capturing a selection of signs internally, he set a corner of his processor to the job of figuring out this version of his own language.
That was when they began to enter a series of secured fences, towers filled with sharpshooters and other elements of maximum security.
-0-There
The meeting with the scientists was tense and inconclusive. Gathering what they could discern, they walked out to try to solve the problem. Prowl watched them go, then glanced at Prime. He was staring at Prowl with a curious expression.
"You appear to have difficulty separating us from your own versions. You do know that there are literally an infinite and unending number of universes related to us that go on forever. We can only focus our consciousness on this one as single universal entities, thus we do not know about the others. Every possibility for you and me plays out somewhere, but we can not know it because we are limited to one singular focus. The here and now," Prime said.
"Unless you're Primus," Prowl replied. "You do have a Primus?"
Prime grinned. "My brothers and sister exist here as They do everywhere else. Some things are universal whether we know them or not. Primus is a multiversal singularity. He can be in all places at all times and know what is happening in each."
"Can you?" Prowl asked.
Prime considered that. "I am His son, not His equal. Oddly enough, I have never thought to do such a thing."
"Can you go to my universe? Can you find a way with them to undo this travesty? There has to be a link between you, Optimus, me, and your Prowl," Prowl said with intensity.
"Maybe or maybe not. Right now, we are due to go to Simfur and the Temple. I am supposed to be there and you will come as well. Maybe we can get an answer there," Prime said as he stood.
Prowl stared at him, then stood himself. "Do you even know the question?" he asked before the two walked to the door to leave.
-0-Here
They walked through the highest security system that Prowl had ever seen. No where on his Cybertron or in the Empire were such things required. They didn't have criminals the likes he was seeing here as they passed lesser lock ups to get to this one. It was beyond in ways he never knew existed and he was no pilgrim or naive kid. They halted as the last gate was opened, then followed Prime inside. In the distance inside the three highly charged security ring fences were a number of barracks. Some of the inmates were inside and some appeared to be empty.
Prime stared at them, then continued onward with the crowd and Prowl following. He approached the cell block where alt Springer was standing by the fence watching as they approached. He grinned but it didn't reach his optics. "Prime … what brings you here? I didn't know you slummed. In this universe, that is."
Prowl stared at them, then Prime. "What is this? Who is this Springer?"
"He is the opposite figure of our own and he is here because he is a dangerous mech who would create murder and mayhem if left where he was before. He is from a universe where everything is backwards to what exists here. We have agreed to take the worst cases into custody from there while Megatron, the reverse image of our own rebuilds and reorganizes his version of Cybertron and the Empire. We gained access to them through the dimensional rift. Otherwise, who knows what might have happened?" Prime said.
Prowl nodded, then stepped closer. "Springer."
Springer grinned again. "Prowler. How's Sentinel? I heard that fragger got recalled."
Prowl glanced at Prime.
"We held a Primal Hearing with Special Circumstances. The Pantheon weighed in, then recalled Sentinel and three others. They are in the Matrix and away from any opportunities to harm anyone else again, such was the level of their offenses," Prime said.
Prowl nodded. He looked at Springer. "You appear to be like mine and like Prime's. Yet you appear to be intensely malevolent. Do you have temporal rifts where you come from and if so, where are they located?"
"Why would I tell you?" Springer asked as the barrack's door opened and a very energetically negative Ironhide stepped out, then down to walk to the group.
"Because there's a process going on where some of us are jumping without consent between dimensions. That might include you, slaggers, because you aren't in your own dimension either. I'm not from these parts you might have noticed," he said in a faint echo of a policeman all of them knew and missed.
Alt Ironhide who had paused beside alt Springer considered that. "Might be fun."
"I don't know," alt Springer said with a grin. "Might be slag. What sort of mech is your Springer. Prime, here, has a first class slagger himself. Apparently, I'm the only one with bearings." He grinned as Ironhide snickered.
"What about me? Do I come and go, too? Should I pack my gear just in case?" alt Ironhide asked.
His counterpart standing beside Ratchet on Prime's side of the fence stepped closer. "You'll never get out of here alive, slagger. Count on it."
"If you say so, handsome," Alt Ironhide replied with a cold grin. "Though I will say, I'm that much handsomer than you."
"No, you aren't," Ratchet said equally coldly.
"We can find out what we need from Megatron. I think we need to reconvene in the Operational Center," Prime said as he turned to go.
"Why go so fast? There's still the rest of us to interview," alt Springer said as Prime marched onward followed by everyone else.
It took a few moments to get out to the Center again, then Prime turned to Perceptor and Wheeljack with a tense expression. "What are the odds that they will be included in a jump, too?" he asked.
The expressions on everyone's faces were shocked and concerned as they waited for Wheeljack and Percy to confer off line. "I don't know," Wheeljack said. "We better hit them with the kill switch, Ratchet, before we regret it and put them into stasis with a few parts missing so that even if they slip away they can't be rebooted."
"Do it," Prime said tensely.
Ratchet with Gee-Gee and the intervention team ran for the gates, then the rest followed including Prime and Prowl. It seemed to take forever to get through the gates, then they were close enough for Ratchet to act. Pulling a device, he programmed it, then sent the message. Before them into the distance, everyone of the alt prisoners fell to the ground who were in line of sight. The rest were inside and should be found there as well.
Prime sprinted for alt Springer and alt Ironhide's barracks cell, then slid to a stop. Lying on the ground cold and off line was alt Ironhide, but alt Springer was missing. Prime spun and stared at his Springer who was still here bearing his own tattoos. "Open the door, Warden," Prime said.
Gee-Gee opened the door and Prime ran inside followed by his posse and Prowl. He ran to the barracks, then opened the door, gun in servo. Standing inside looking dazed was a Springer. This Springer wore the same tattoos as Prowl. The Springer from the mirror universe was no where to be found. Prime clenched his fists tightly. The only other place he could be was where their Prowl was.
It was an awful silence in the barracks as the others came to the same conclusion.
-0-There
He came out of the berth room and walked to the monitor. Standing in the living room nearby, Alt Springer watched a familiar stranger stop to check the mail. He didn't say a word as he looked around in shock. He had no idea where he was but he was in a great apartment with Ironhide. Someone's Ironhide, not his own.
"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get going?" Ironhide asked with a grin.
Springer stared at him, then nodded. "I'm on it," he said, then walked to the door. Glancing back, he stepped out into a beautiful corridor in a beautiful tower. Running to the elevators, he went down to the ground floor, crossed an elegant and expensive lobby, then outside onto the busy streets. He was in Iacon and he wasn't. Ironhide was Ironhide and he wasn't. He considered what Prime and Prowl had said, then knew he wasn't on Mars or anywhere near it any longer. He felt pangs for his Ironhide, but he also knew he couldn't do anything about it now. Stepping out briskly, he quickly faded into the morning crowds almost immediately.
-0-Also there
They reached the steps of the Temple having flown in moments earlier, taking a state car to the site. There were a lot of individuals there. They were waiting for Prime and everyone bowed deeply to see him. The priests almost couldn't look at him, so reverently did they greet Prime. Everyone welcomed him, most of them new to Prowl, then he walked inside with Prime. The place had been cleared and the way forward was straight. It looked just like their own but one thing was missing right away. The AllSpark wasn't there to turn in silent rotation over the azure and misty blue of the Well of AllSparks. Prowl slowed as he noted that, then followed Prime as he reached the stairs and began to descend. Their peds echoed in the huge building as they disappeared from sight.
-0-TBC 9-5-18 edited 9-7-18
I will reply to notes tomorrow. My dachshund, Timmy, had a crick neck and I had to take him to the vet. He's in great shape but the visit ate into my free time. All's well that ended well, thank Primus. :D I will post them tomorrow. Nighty night. :D