The Diego Diaries: Crader (dd6 485)
-0-Ops Center, Prime's office, moments later
They sat across from each other with grins. It was quiet a moment, then Prowl smirked. "What do you want to see this time? Me as a femme? You as a femme? You and me on the same femme? Or do you want Ironhide's face, my wings, your finials and Ratchet's paint scheme?"
Prime laughed loudly, then leaned forward on his elbows. "I would like to see ..." he said with a low smokey tone.
Prowl stared at him, then shifted in his chair. "Yes?" he asked.
"I would like ..." Prime said as his optics narrowed. "I would like ..."
"This report?" Jazz asked as he stood in the doorway with a giant grin on his handsome face.
Both jumped, then Prowl frowned. "Actually, I would like you to do permanent intel at Camp Way The Hell And Gone."
"We have one?" Jazz said as he put the disk on Prime's desk. Prime was grinning at Prowl. All of Prowl's moods were amusing to him.
"We do now," Prowl said as he sat back with a slow burn. "Knock next time. I'm keeping your door shut from now on," he said as he glanced at Prime.
"Then where would all the fan fiction come from, Prowler?" Jazz asked. "I'm heading over to watch the process on Crader. I'll let you know how that goes."
Prime nodded. "Thank you, Jazz."
Jazz left with a big grin on his face. It was silent a moment. Prowl grinned at Prime. "As you were saying ..."
Prime leaned forward on his elbows and regarded Prowl with narrowed optics and a smoldering stare. "I would like ..." he began.
-0-Metro Femme, Autopsy Department, Suite 10
The big mech lay on his back on the table as med techs prepared a deep scanning machine nearby. This department was brimming with tech that would allow them to look and see without getting all blowed up by prying some self protecting thing open. Ratchet, Perceptor, Wheeljack and half a dozen smart kids were there along with an array of specialist doctors, Nitro and Ironhide for munitions and specialty armor as well as Partition with Lancer. He had heard about the fight and bee lined toward Ratchet to find out what the heck was going on. He sat on a med berth nearby with Lancer who had her arm around his shoulders. He was watching like the doctor-in-training he officially was now.
"I have more specialty scanners on me than this hospital has and nothing I have dents him. I've seen a lot of armor that was impenetrable and a lot of mechs who were aced out the kazoo with strange and wonderful embellishments but this slagger takes the cake. I can't penetrate his armor. Teddo? Do a scan of this and run it through the spectrometers. I want to see the molecules. I think I know what I'm seeing but I want confirmation," Ratchet said. "Run it through mass, optical and magnetic. I want the book on it."
The kid nodded, then walked to a cupboard. He pulled out a very strange looking scanner, then walked back to the big mech. He laid it on his chest, then tapped in a number of commands. It flashed a light for a second, then the kid took it back. He walked out of the room to the big chamber on the other side of the hospital where the most delicate and even dangerous equipment was kept behind enormous lead and cybertanium walls.
"What do you think, Ratchet?" Perceptor asked.
"I think we have phase six armor here on steroids. I think this has ununtrium in it but isn't entirely it," he replied. "I think this is more special in composition and thus, it can do more protecting than even phase six armor. I need confirmation. I don't really know how we're going to pierce his hide to get to the enhancements. I want to see the device that powers everything. You know that the phase sixers have internal reactors that create all the power they need. It's why they can follow you into the ends of time. They don't need to refuel because they refuel internally. They're never hungry or low energy. This feels like the same with enhancements. Someone created something here that's unique. What about the rest of his party?" Ratchet asked.
-0-Just a bit earlier than this
Springer and a dozen gargantuan Autobots drawn from the Watch and prison stood in a group as they stared at a number of individuals who'd come with Crader. They'd been pulled into a line that never seemed to move because it was the one that searched for slaggers and criminals, outstanding warrants and liars. Some had already made it through, been taken to their homes and were now under surveillance directed by Drift. They would gather this group then take out the others.
Springer squared his shoulders, then the plan was implemented. He walked to the six big impeccably painted mechs and when the others had them surrounded, he stepped even closer. "We'd like you to come with us. We'd like to talk to you about Crader."
They stared at him, then looked around at the grim faced mechs that were watching with their big big guns casually slung over their brawny, scarred and heavily tattooed arms. Then they stepped out of line and followed Springer to the gate nearby where security operated and a police wagon was waiting for them. They slowed, then a big fragger who looked a lot like Crader turned to Springer. "Are we under arrest? That looks like a police vehicle."
"No," Springer said. "It's our group transport." He gestured with his arm toward the buses nearby. "We're strapped for transport."
The big mech stared at him, then faster than Springer could duck a fist caught him on the chin and he flew upward into the air. Before he could even land, it was on.
-0-Ops Center
"WHAT THE FRAG!?" Prowl said as he stepped away from Prime. He listened. "We're coming," he said.
Prime who got the same message was at the door already. "You stay, Prowl. That is an order. Do you understand?"
Prowl stared at him, then nodded. Prime was gone like the wind. Prowl thought a moment, then grinned. "You didn't say where I was supposed to stay," he said as he ran for the door, too.
-0-Metro Femme
"On it," Ironhide said, then glanced at Ratchet. "Brawl at the Port. See ya."
Nitro and Ironhide ran out, then Nitro transformed. Ironhide grabbed on then they jetted off from the plaza of the City Hall. The blast rattled windows as everyone around stared with astonishment to see the sight of a big black Seeker streak nearly straight upward with a big black mech hanging on, his big old peds flapping in the breeze.
-0-Drift
He felt the blow and Springer's fritz. :SPLICE! WHAT'S GOING ON!?:
:A brawl. Hang on a minute:
Drift stood in the hallway watching the two apartments where the first part of Crader's party were taken to live. They were inside and hadn't come out yet. He fretted, then Splice was back.
:Springer got sucker punched but he's up. Ironhide and Nitro just flew in. Here comes Prime. I gotta go. Some slagger is biting my leg:
Drift stared at the door, then something soft and loving hardened into something cold and brittle inside. It wouldn't be a good idea for anyone in there to come through the door at the moment. Not good at all.
-0-Nitro and Ironhide
They literally fell out of the sky landing on their peds with a crashing thud. Wading into the wild melee, one that was scaring everyone behind the energy barrier that local security had thrown down to protect them, Nitro and Ironhide began to bash slaggers right and left. What was maddening was that none of their punches carried their usual power. The newcomers bounced back up as fast as they were put down. None of them were phased by the prods, fists, kicks and slaps that they were receiving. When Prime arrived, they were slammed even harder.
That mech was still pissed.
-0-Ratchet at Femme
They sat and leaned against things as they awaited the spectral data. Ratchet was giving them a blow-by-blow. "Nitro and Ironhide are there. They seem to be impervious to blows. No one seems to feel pain. Frag. This is not going well. Wait. Prime is there." It was silent a moment. "Springer got clubbed. I'm going to have to speak to him. This feels like a pattern. Prime is slagging them good. They go down longer but they still get back up, even from a phase six level blow. I have to go help. I can put them down." He looked at the pair. "Hold the data until I come back. I have a theory of this."
They nodded as Ratchet ran for the door and beyond. It would take a moment to get there but he would reach the melee. The civilians on the other side of the energy barrier watched with horror, fascination, delight that high castes were getting slagged and/or silence. He ran to a mech that was being held down by Nitro. Fumbling around, he saw the unprotected kill switch, then flipped it. That mech fell silent. It would take a while before they had everyone and when they did he helped drag them into the paddy wagon. That was when the news of a brawl would reach everyone there and they would tear off to Crater District 1 and a 45th floor apartment in the Camo Building at 12543 D Street.
-0-Prowl
He stood at a distance recording the scene like a good cop. He watched with pleasure as Prime showed the pilgrims how it was done. It surprised him that his usual lethal loyalty didn't make him run in with his flying fists of fury. He grinned. That was funny. / … go, Prowler, go … you little femme, you …/ He chuckled, then watched as everyone listened, transformed then flew/drove off toward Crater District 1. He transformed himself and without siren or lights peeled off after them. He would arrive about the same time and take the slower elevator to the 45th floor. Everyone else would be there.
-0-45th Floor, 12543 D Street, City 5, Crater District 1, before the end of the brawl at the Port
The group stood on both sides of the doors of the side-by-side apartments that housed the rest of the party that came with Crader. They had been pointed out by those who had to deal with them on the journey, civilians who were still terrified by their behavior and demeanor. Staking out the door, waiting for the word to take them into custody, Drift and ten police and prison mechs waited grimly.
When the brawl at the Port began, they tuned into the police and/or bond frequency to get the news as it played out. When the fog cleared in Springer and a molten rage replaced it, it took all that Drift had to not run like a demented bunny to assist his one and only Only One. Then the door opened to one apartment.
Everyone froze and set for combat, their casually slung weapons gripped against their sides.
Then the other door opened.
Everyone braced themselves even more.
Three big mechs stepped out of one laughing together, then one from the other apartment. They froze at the sight of grim faced man mountain deans standing in the corridor with guns in sight. "What's this?" one of them asked.
"I'm Drift, sub commander of the Watch and all Empire security. I would like you to come with me and discuss your comrade, Crader. We need some information and you're part of his party. So if you could just come with us-"
That's as far as he got.
-0-45th Floor, 12543 D Street, City 5, Crater District 1, a mere few seconds later
They burst out of the elevator like water through an earthen dam. Rushing forward, they began to grab and bash. In the close quarters of the corridor, it was hard slog. Some of the mechs ran back into both apartments and began to barricade the doors. Four of the slaggers were finally put down as they held them for Ratchet to deactivate. Standing back, Ratchet watched as they lined the walls of the corridor on both sides of the two apartments preparing to take those inside.
Prime was seething with a capital 's' as he considered his options. He didn't notice Prowl step off the elevator and amble over to stand beside Ratchet. Ratchet smiled at him. "I figured Dad would ground you from brawling with the bad boys."
"He did. He just didn't tell me where," Prowl said. The both snickered, then watched the boys organize a home invasion.
"He's rather handsome, our Prime. Tall and well made. I'd chase him myself but he already has a mech of easy virtue," Ratchet said.
Prowl snickered, then stopped when Prime glanced their way. Prime frowned, Prowl stepped back to the elevator with a contrite expression on his face. Prime grinned, then turned to the mess at hand. It was a good thing because they began to shoot through the walls.
Everyone outside of them ducked.
-0-TBC 10-1-18 edited 11-1-18