The Diego Diaries: Forensics and Stuff (dd6 522)
-0-Ops Center
They retired to their homes late, heading for the barn as the biggest part of the shock of the murder had settled in on Earth. It was the biggest story around the world, shockingly big. Had he just died it might have been different but murder always brought out the worst aspects of a situation with the resultant fear and worry.
Morshower had ensured that the Dobbs family was informed and as of yet there was no word from them about their feelings. A family spokesman said they would comment the following morning and they wanted to be left alone at the moment. Family was coming in from all around the state and no one had a comment as they arrived and hurried inside Dobb's parent's home.
A meeting would be held at Ops Center at 0900 the following morning with a lot of the Prime's key players coming in through the bridges for the conference now and in the early morning. He would have them speak to their views of the situation and explain the transfer of the body to the family in two days.
As of now, it was a subdued group that walked to their stations and homes in a city where there were no humans running around the place. It would be oddly weird that it was so.
-0-Sciences
"I don't know who would do this. We have to have someone infiltrating," Lola Teasdale said as she lounged in the main room.
The others sat here and there, some eating snacks or making one. The conversation would last a long time, then they would be up the next day regretting everything. Prime and Prowl would unveil their newest collaboration and they would be unable to come.
-0-Sneaking in
Kes and Tagg hugged everyone after a short conversation about the implications of what had happened. Both were worried for Orion and he had assured them that things were under control. Walking them to the elevator, he watched them enter to go down two floors to their apartment. Once again, he was happy that they were so close. It felt better having their unwavering support and love within arm's reach. Walking back, he closed the door, signaled the lights off, then headed down the corridor to the berth room suite in the back of the apartment. He checked his children, paused by the crib where the new infant was already asleep, then walked to the wash rack where he paused to lean against the door. Prowl was inside washing up. "We never catch a break on the family things. How do you feel?"
"I feel fine. I wish it were different and yeah, none of us catch a break." Prowl stepped into Prime's arms and held him. "I'm going to run the investigation."
"I am glad," Prime said as he swayed gently with Prowl. "We have to send him back well. He was military, he was a guest worker and he did not deserve this. I am ordering a ceremonial funeral, Prowl. All of it."
Prowl nodded. "Okay. It's odd isn't it that a former enemy would be hailed back to his people with that much ceremony."
"It is but its fair and right. I do not care what others might think about this. He did not deserve this and neither did we," Prime said.
"I'll organize it. We can use assets from our arsenal," Prowl said. "A flyby? A ceremonial progress? The whole thing?"
"I think its the least we can do. I want every human on world who can and will want to make it to stand with us on the airfield when he is ready to go back," Prime said.
"Alright. I would think they might want to as well," Prowl said.
They held each other a moment, then walked to the berth. Laying back wearily, setting the alarm to feed the baby shortly, they both fell into a weary recharge.
-0-Down below
They crept in, hugged Corr and Docker, then checked the kids after the two left. They were worried but reassured by both that things would be alright. They walked into the berth room, then flopped down. It was quiet a moment.
"Tomorrow, we have the naming ceremony and dinner, more investigation, the Functionalist's kids hearing, I have more physicals at the prison left to go, we have to go to the schools for our joors, I have to get Thanksgiving together including my candy recipe … you have to help me, slagger. All of it is coming fast and we need to get this done."
Ironhide grinned. "Okay."
Ratchet grinned. "Good night, Ironhide."
Ironhide grinned again. "Good night, Ratchet."
-0-Ops Center in the morning
They wandered in, the senior Autobots. There were no civilians beside Lady Sela, Lauren and Alpha Trion. Cyclonus was there for the Monastery as well. They sat as Prime and Prowl walked in taking their places as well.
Everyone was silent, then Ratchet leaned forward. "Nothing new on the medical end of this. I have nothing more to add right now."
Prowl nodded, then looked at Wheeljack and Perceptor. "Gentlemen?"
"We know for sure that there are two suspects. A deep analysis of the area around the scene show that two human sets of prints left the area but due to the drifting of the sand and soil there because of the wind accelerating through the boulders, they were obscured after a few steps. We aren't even sure what size the foot is but its clear that the killers are two."
It was silent a moment, then Prime nodded. "Thank you. Springer?"
Springer who was sitting with a dour expression shook his head. "We're doing follow up interviews and gathering background on Dobbs. We have his gear but there's nothing in it that counts as problematic. Paribolus can't supply anything else. Dobbs only talked to his family and no one else. We will continue with the vehicle which gives a few clues. They were able to pull out the tech that gave locations to the grid monitors before driving off to the highway. The transponders went dead at 1642 joors on the TMC. The time of murder is what, Ada? Did you establish that?"
"We have it estimated to be about within that time or there abouts," Ratchet said.
"Then he had to know that they were going to do this when they pulled over to take out the locator tech," Springer said.
"Not necessarily," Ratchet replied. "What if they struck him before that, perhaps landing the blows to disable him and get him into the truck or incapacitate him when he was already there. Then … they could have dragged him out of there more easily, taken his helmet off without a fight, then staged the scene. It might be easier if he was beyond resisting.
It was quiet a moment, then Perceptor leaned forward to look down table at Prime. "We are going to replace all the helmets with those that can only be removed by the bearer. This will never be able to happen again, Optimus."
"I am glad to hear that, Perceptor. Nothing like this can happen again." He looked at Sela, Lauren, Alpha, Cyclonus and Rainmaker. "We have to give this human a send off that shows Earth our quality. I am ordering a full ceremonial funeral for him before he leaves to be returned to his family the orn after tomorrow."
Rainmaker nodded. "Then you want it all, the processional, the flyby, the salute … all of it?"
"I do," Prime said. "We have nothing in common with this man and he caused a lot of trouble for us at Diego but he was murdered in our company and we will not be defined by someone elses brutality. We are an old and decent people. I will have it on display for the Earth and for the group or individuals ultimately responsible for this atrocity."
They nodded. Prowl glanced at Prime, then them. "I will coordinate the arrangements. We will need the humans who wish to come to be there at the send off point. I will have the airfield cleared for the gathering and there we can have the flyby. I would hope that Warlord would do the honors with his special feature."
"He will," Rainmaker said.
"I suspect that the ceremonials will last one and a half to two joors, will be concluded by a mass salute, then his departure. Cosmos was on my mind but I'm thinking that Silverbolt or your yacht, Ratchet, would be more fitting. The Household Guard will be part of this and so will a priest or two for the processional, Lord Lauren. He has no family here to show his portrait so if you could find someone who can, Raptor will lead it."
"Consider it done, Prowl," Lauren said with a nod.
"Our flags have been lowered to half staff which is a human custom and will remain there for a period of ten orns," Prime said. "I do not want anyone to state that we are indifferent to this event. It is a stain on all of us that this has occurred."
A murmur of agreement went through the crowd, then Starscream glanced at Prime. "I have no love for the insects, though there are some that I have a much greater tolerance for … a few. Judy Witwicky comes to mind. After all, she made the genius move of throwing her handbag at Rampage that time."
Snickers went through the room, a welcome relief.
Starscream smirked. "I do not like anyone thinking that we are barbarous or less than dignified, Prime. This is a lot more than Mr. Dobbs deserves but in terms of what has happened, I find myself concurring. I want the insects on Earth to know we are not who some of them believe we are. Those who have grudges against us are banding together. We cannot let them define who we are."
Prime nodded. "I concur. That is why this will happen. When its over, we continue. The habitats will remain on lock down until this is resolved. We have killers running loose here and I do not want a repeat of this event." He glanced at Springer. "What about the security forces at the habitats?"
"I sent them last night. They're circulating out in shifts, two mechs per facility. Given that they were designed for us to be inside, its not going to be too big a problem but I ordered them to hang by the airlocks and keep their presence low key. We shall see what happens."
Prime nodded. "We shall." He glanced at Prowl. "Our naming ceremony will be at noon where?"
"Room 1422 in the Central Labor Hall," Prowl said. "We're going to open the page after the introduction. Apparently, there will be fireworks tonight?"
Wheeljack grinned. "We're going to go floral and geometric. We're working on sharpening the unified field and this helps. Keep having infants. It advances science."
Laughter at last.
-0-At a private research firm
"We got a message from Prowl that the infant's naming ceremony will be at 1200 joors this afternoon. We are invited to it," Zenith said as he opened more email that had been piling up. "He sent it three orns ago."
"We need to keep up on the mail, Shadow," Zenith said. He looked up from his computer. "We can go for a while but the experiment will require attention." He glanced into the room across the hallway where a machine was quietly working on some inscrutable thing.
"I will message Miler then," Shadow said as he did. Then he joined his bond on the task at hand as both of them disappeared once more into their work.
But for a set alarm, they would have worked their way through the party and ceremony.
-0-TBC 11-15-18 edited 11-24-18
I have been watching the new series with Bumblebee and Windblade on youtube and they show different bots in the little short films that constitute the series. Bumblebee has lost his memory and they have to find the AllSpark on the Earth. Grimlock is in it and in this personification, he's extremely eloquent, smart and cultured. There is even a short moment with Rack and Ruin. He's a very little used character who is a conjoined twin, two mechs saved from death by becoming on. They're fascinating to see and they're old time Wreckers usually. :D