The Diego Diaries: Cat and Mouse (dd6 629)
=0=The airfield earlier
The ship landed and halted in its spot to allow the passengers it carried and its cargo to be off loaded. It was the 'bus', the ship that along with two others fed the forward bases and taxied soldiers and other personnel headed to them back, forth and all around, sometimes with bridge assistance or like this time, not. They had hit the bases at Enceladus and Europa before heading for the barn from Charon.
Crew coming home, the four humans and a couple of civilians who had been doing Home Guard duty on Forward Base #3 walked down the ramp carrying gear and gratitude. The forward bases were good assignments but a decaorn on a frozen desiccated world like the moons of the planets in this solar system was dark, cold and isolated.
Walking to a N.E.S.T. truck waiting for them, Jack Paxton, Trevor Smith, Horst Mueller and Colin Anderson climbed in and took off heading for the HQ nearby. Soon, four others would go, then four more to keep the cover going. The four that had returned including the two ringers were unaware that anything had happened out of the ordinary. When they were told of the EMP burst and the hilarity of Flip and his brothers, they would laugh along with the rest.
They would walk to their quarters, see that nothing appeared to be out of order, then relax into their covers once again. Believing they were safe, they would go on duty in two days and spend their time divided between Earth2 and the Consulate. They would never be off the sensors ever again.
Hopefully.
=0=At a lake in Unidad Terra 1
They rowed out, Amber and Tim Nast, two kids in two kayaks, doing something they had always done with their mom and dad. Both of their parents were athletic and they spent a lot of time with their kids camping and doing all manner of water sports. It was warm and quiet, the sound of birds nearby helping to create the illusion that they were on their own planet and not the red one.
Tall planets and bushes grew around the lake shore, some of them tall reeds with long sharp pointed fronds. Grass grew around the lake, itself planted to maintain soil cohesion and give the place a homestyle appearance. Small leafy trees dotted the area and there were picnic areas in three places.
Stroking evenly, they headed toward the middle of a lake so pure that they could see the bottom of it when they looked down. The light of the sun magnified by the dome sparkled on the water and it was comforting and peaceful. Or it was before two vehicles filled with girls arrived at the shore and dock nearby. Glancing over her shoulder, Amber Nast sighed. Flashing her paddles expertly, she slid up beside her brother. "They're here. Let's go up stream."
"The spill way is around here somewhere. You ready to go over it when we reach it?" her brother asked.
"We used to do rapids. We have life vests. I don't want to talk to any of them," Amber said.
Her brother nodded, then began to paddle to the opening of the wide stream that led onward into the habitat. It was a water way with several smaller streams leading off into the hinterlands as well as the irrigation system. If they stayed on the main one, 'the river' which it nearly was and followed it all around and back to the lake, they would travel nearly 65 miles by kayak.
They paddled together heading swiftly for the fern, tree and plant lined waterway that led away from the lake. As they did, three ducks came in for a landing. Those who were on the shore watched as they paddled away, disappearing into the heavily foliaged direction of the facility. The buildings itself were so far away they couldn't be seen from where they were.
The girls climbed out of their vehicles and watched Amber and her brother disappear. Staring after them a moment, they turned to each other. It was silent a moment, then Rain walked to the dock. She walked to the end, then turned to the others. "Last one in is a loser," she said before she stepped off into the water.
It was a mad rush to reach the water as they careened down the dock and dived in.
=0=At a meeting at the conference room in the Ops Center, The Fortress
They gathered together to go over the intel and findings of the forensics team. Sky was giving his report.
"The button that was found near the body belongs to no identifiable individual or group as of yet. We have it in the database and are running a check through the security network trying to find one that matches. It's commonly made, relatively cheap and nondescript, a utilitarian design.
"As for the trace evidence that was found during the autopsy … there is no DNA to trace anyone nor are there very many mistakes. This was a murder of cold intent. Someone might have found out and needed elimination. I don't believe it was committed out of emotion or any sort of personal motive. This was a cover up murder. In my experience, this is the likely scenario."
Ratchet nodded. "This was a jab. A hard jab done in a moment of least insecurity for the ..." He thought a moment. "I do believe that the victim and some of the others have our knives. RTR knives. What about trace evidence from the knife in the wounds of the blade composition? Did you find any? What about the configuration of the wound? It would be as easy as a knife in butter to use one of our blades to do this. There's nothing they can't cut or punch through."
Sky went over the data, then put it on the screen nearby. "This is a scan of the shape of the wound internally. You made those blades as well, Ratchet. What does the shape of the wound tell you about the blade?"
Ratchet stared at the screen which showed the puncture wound on the chest, then a schematic of the blade wound inside. "That's the shape of our knives. I suppose that others might use them as well but the interior wound configuration is the image of our blades. No metal trace residue?" he asked Sky.
Sky shook his helm. "None. Just a jab and he was felled."
"Well, we can work on that angle. We have all we need from him don't we?" Wheeljack asked.
Sky nodded. "We do. We're going to have to build a circumstantial case against whoever is doing this unless someone confesses. Somehow, I don't see that happening."
"Then we can release the body?" Prowl asked.
"We can," Ratchet said. "I'm assuming the draping of the Cybertronian flag over his casket will suffice?"
Prime nodded. "We will be there but the ceremony will not apply here. This is not the first nor is it the shock that one was. No disrespect is meant to Mr. Lombardi but we will not give him that sort of send off. I want everyone of the General Staff and Senior Committee to be there, however. We can send him home tonight. 2000 hours at the airfield will do it. Please let them know at Ramstein, Prowl."
Prowl nodded. "I will include condolences as well."
Prime nodded. "Thank you. I am told that the two suspects are back again."
"They are. They're being watched by a surveillance system delivered by Teletraan. Auntie has been give that duty and has organized a tracer program for them throughout all of the security systems on world. Until they step into their gear and disappear we'll be watching them," Wheeljack said.
"Very well," Prime said as he noted Prowl taking a call with a frown.
Prowl listened, then glanced at Prime. "We have an altercation at Unidad."
"What sort?" Prime asked with surprise.
"Apparently, one of the newcomer boys insulted the sisters of a couple of boys at Unidad and a fight ensued. What do you want to do about it?" Prowl asked as everyone glanced from Prime to Ratchet.
"I do believe I have a liaison for these sorts of things," Prime said as he glanced at Ratchet.
"I get all the good duty," Ratchet said as he stood. He grinned. "Pray for me," he said as he walked toward the door.
"I'm going, too. Old mech might adopt someone if I don't. He likes hopeless cases," Ironhide said as he arose, then left.
Raptor stood. "So do I," he said as he followed Ironhide out the door.
"I hope we do not have a gang problem among the humans," Prime mused.
"Don't worry. There's always juvenile court," Prowl said with a smirk.
=0=Ratchet and the boyz
They arrived nearly at the same time, then walked around the back of the big building to enter the facility through the doors built there for entrance to the big auditorium. Snarking off line, they entered. The stage was empty but a few humans were sitting in the seats along the front row. Among them was Carly and Sam. They rose, climbed the stairs to the stage, then walked to the big mechs who waited there for them.
Ratchet knelt. "Well, I see juvenile delinquency has made it to our fine shores."
"You live with Ironhide. Partition is a son-in-law. I would think you'd be an encyclopedia on the subject by now," Sam said with a grin.
"Frag you, too, little man," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. "What happened?"
"We have a problem with some of the Earth2 kids. They got into a fight with some of our own over insulting some of the girls here." Carly glanced to the seats where a number of angry appearing boys, their mortified parents and the Earth2 leadership sat.
"Details," Ratchet said. "Though you know I'm not a gossip."
Huge laughter greeted that.
Carly grinned at him. "We have a lot of kids roaming around when they don't have school and some of them aren't as friendly as our kids generally are. One of them, Barrett Walters was chatting up some girls and when they weren't buying it, he insulted them."
"What is a teenaged insult these fine days?" Ratchet asked as Ironhide and Raptor listened with fascination and no small amount of disgust.
"He said they were too fat and ugly for him but he was just talking to them like it was a mercy thing. That's not it exactly but close enough," Carly said.
"Frag," Raptor said as he glanced at the group in the seats nearby. "No one would speak to my daughters that way."
"Good thing you don't have any, Appa," Ratchet said as he glanced at the big smoldering mech. "You called as the option allows. What do you need, Carly?"
"I could do this myself but I want to make a point. I don't want any of this stuff going on here, not here and not in the other habitats. This is like your caste stuff, Ratchet. I can't think of someone better placed to snuff it out than you," Carly said. She then filled him in on who everyone was.
Ratchet nodded, then rose. Staring at the humans, he walked to the edge of the stage to peer down at them. "Which one of you is Barrett Walters?"
There was a stir by his parents, Clark and Annie who stood. "Ambassador, we're here for our son. We just received word about this."
"So did I," Ratchet said. "Who are the others in this situation?"
Sitting several seats down, two kids stood. They were boys about 15-16 years old and had the full bloom of fury in their aura. "We are. I'm Lucas Thomas and this is Larry Mott."
Ratchet nodded as he glanced at the parents in the group. "What happened, Mr. Mott?"
The kid stared up at Ratchet, then glanced at his parents. They looked pale and worried but they nodded encouragement. "We were sitting in the cafe, The Pub having something. We go there to hang out when school's out and have a … something," he said as the other nodded. "Our sisters came in and sat down nearby, Lynn and Kadie. He was there and he saw them. He began to talk to them and they didn't like it. When they got up to leave he called them names. We didn't like it either."
"Who are the sisters?" Ratchet asked.
Two girls stood nervously.
"Is this so?" Ratchet asked.
They nodded. "We decided to leave because we had things to do and when we did he called us fat and stupid. He said we were too ugly for him anyway. That's when our brothers got up and it sorta … uh ..." Lynn Mott trailed off as she glanced at her brother. "Thanks, Larry," she said wanly as her brother nodded and turned back to Ratchet with some gathering defiance.
:That little mech defended his sister. Stand up little mech: Raptor said off line.
:He is. Both of them are. Too bad humans don't have caste courts: Ironhide said.
Prophetically.
=0=TBC 4-4-19 edited 4-7-19