The Diego Diaries: Cat and Mouse (dd6 641)
I had vertigo last night. It's weird when your feet go one way and you go the other. :D HERE WE GO!
=0=Stuff
They stared at each other, these diametrically opposed beings of the same template. Alpha was Alpha but the energy was all wrong. This one had a pulsing menace, a cold sense of mayhem that he kept in check.
Optimus stared at him, then the others. "You are my prisoners. I am going to keep you until such time as Megatron Prime wishes you back. You will be placed in such a depth of security that anything you do that is counter to it is a death sentence. If you cannot live this way safely then I will deactivate and store you against the future. Are there any questions?"
"I am told I have a counterpart. I would like to meet him," Alt Alpha said.
"That is not going to happen," Optimus said coldly. "You have no rights here nor can you make demands."
"I am asking," Alpha countered.
"So tell me, slagger … what part of the Pantheon do you represent?" Ratchet asked with a certain amount of dread. It needed asking all around.
Hound laughed loudly, then glanced at Trion. "That old reprobate? Did he tell you that? If he were part of the Pantheon then he wouldn't be here. Tell me where I'm wrong. Teleport out of here, Trion, if you want me to believe you." He grinned at Prime. "He likes to tell people he's one of the Thirteen. DO SOMETHING, TRION! SHOW US YOUR POWER!" Hound shouted, then laughed as the others grinned, all of them but Impactor.
Black Shadow who was watching with a smirk on his handsome face glanced at Prime. "He likes to tell everyone that story but he's never performed any great feats of power to back it up."
Prime nodded. "The Trion that lives here is one of the Thirteen … the first one."
Black Shadow glanced sharply at Prime. "Truly?"
Prime nodded. "Yes."
Everyone including his own men stared at Prime, then Trion who stood in cuffs with the others. Ironhide stepped closer to him. "Then you're an imposter? You lie about your status as a god? Why … that's not very nice of you, slagger." Ironhide turned to the others who were laughing loudly, all but Prime, Trion and Impactor. "I think we have a con man here, Prime, an imposter. Springer, arrest this mech."
For a moment, the group enjoyed their little laugh though Trion seethed with fury. He glanced at Prime. "You may live to regret this."
"I doubt it," Prowl said coldly. "Here, we treat the Pantheon with the respect They deserve. I doubt very much that they appreciate someone impersonating one of them."
Trion seethed but said no more.
Prime turned to the alt soldiers and Black Shadow. He nodded to them and Sixshot. "We have this. Give Megatron Prime my best wishes."
Sixshot bowed slightly. "We will. Thank you, Prime," he said then he and the others began to board their ship. It was gone in seconds.
"I wonder how you can be a fraud when Alpha is part of the Pantheon?" Ratchet asked.
"Some universes omit individuals because that's the universe where they don't exist or died," Drift said. He looked at the others. "You might ask about the Pantheon next time you go there to see Megatron, Prime. It could be that they don't have an Alpha as a member of the Pantheon or they have someone else in his place."
t some point, Prime would find out that they did.
=0=Moments later …
They walked through the gates of the alt secured prison into the lock up where everyone lived. It was silent and there was no one around, even Jetta because everyone there was still in stasis. One by one, they dropped off the new slaggers until they were left only with Impactor. He walked next to Springer, then lunged hard against him.
Staggering, Springer turned on Impactor who stood silently with three guns pressed to his helm. He was grinning at the mech who in this universe was his successor. What it was like where he had come from no one knew.
"That wasn't too bright, slagger," Drift said as he held a blade to Impactor's throat.
"It was worth it," Impactor said with a grin.
Springer stared at him, then stepped closer. "Impactor on our side is dead. He was an inspiration and a legend. You're a fragger who's going to prison forever. How does that feel, fool?"
"Have them put down their weapons and let me show you," Impactor said.
"No. Put him in the cage," Prime said.
"Where's the fun in that, Prime?" Impactor asked as they coded the gate and shoved him inside. The bars came up and his cuffs disappeared.
Prime stepped closer to the fence. "Right now, I'm giddy just seeing you behind bars."
It was silent a moment, then Prime turned to a solemn Gee-Gee. "We are going to test the possibility that the anomaly can happen again. If it can, they go into storage with the others so they cannot leave this dimensional plane in an exchange, Warden."
She nodded. "Understood. I got this."
Prime glanced at the mechs behind the bars. all of them glowering at him with murder in their optics, then nodded to Gee-Gee. "Thank you, Warden," he said, then turned to go with his mechs.
Gee-Gee watched them go, then turned to the prisoners. "Welcome to my world, boys," she said with a grin.
=0=On the way back
"We have two Cliffies," Ratchet said with a grin. "Don't tell Buzzie. He might break this one out of stir in some kind of sympathetic psychotic break with reality."
Huge laughter and agreement greeted that.
"Have you seen Agnes lately?" Drift asked.
"I heard she's really cute. I also heard that Agnes means 'chaste' in some languages and if spelled Agnus means 'lamb'," Ratchet said with a giant smile. "There. You're a tad smarter than you were before."
Everyone grinned at him, then transformed and drove off burying him in dust. He watched them disappear, then laughed. "Fraggers," he said as he continued down the road.
=0=Meeting room in Earth2
"I just got word that Prime is releasing our security men tomorrow morning. I haven't been told why but it must mean that they have an idea about this already. I was told that the report was due to him shortly," Owen Harris said.
The others who were resident here, the major financiers of the project on Earth some of whom lived here and conducted business without a bigger contribution shifted slightly. "What does it mean? Do they believe the danger is past or are they setting a trap for someone using them as bait?" Kyle asked.
Harris shrugged. "We're going to have to wait. Prime is smart and tactical. Whatever he has in mind he won't be budged."
"Earth is getting on our ass about this," Hamilton Brown said. "That won't let up."
"No. We will have to wait," Harris said as he steered them onward down the agenda.
=0=City Hall Annex, Terra
He stared at the big bot sitting at his desk working on things. Finally, he glanced at the doorway showing surprise to see the human standing on a segway staring at him. "Can I help you?"
:I hope so: Max Butler said hopefully. :I heard that you're Venture, Prowl's father:
Venture nodded. "I am."
:I was hoping you could help me do a feature story on Prowl for my publication on Earth, Time Magazine. I wanted to know about him as an individual, the more private person:
Venture stared at him, then contacted his son. :Prowl, a human named Max Butler wants to talk to me about you and your life:
:WHAT!?:
=0=Moments later …
Prowl stood at Tactical getting the data he needed as he fumed EVER so SLIGHTLY. Prime had meant it that he thought Prowl needed more applause. Nothing he could say would stop the decision or wipe the slight grin off Optimus's face.
The fragger.
Butler was given the go ahead with caveats. It would be up to the person interviewed how much they would tell. Of course, they all had to live with Prowl, so …
:What was he like as a child?: Butler asked as he hooked in his recorder to the comm line.
Venture considered that, then grinned. "He was a wonderful son. He knew his mind early on and couldn't be dissuaded. He was compassionate and decent, more aware of the inequity of life on Cybertron than we were and headstrong about not being a part of it."
:The System of Exception? He was against it?: -Max aka MB
Venture nodded. "He loathed it. He hated it with a passion. It lead to his interest in law enforcement. He was always a contrarian about it and didn't care if he acted up in front of anyone to show it. In that way, I understand that he was a bit on the … Gothic side."
^0^
/ … OH FRAG! … well, I was … FRAG! … / -Prowl aka Prowl who was listening in
^0^
:So … what you're saying is … Prowl as a child, as a teenager was a Goth?: -MB with astonishment
Venture considered that, checked the Gothic definitions again, threw out a lot of church references to find the meanings he sought then nodded. "I would say so."
^0^
Prime walked to Prowl, then leaned in to check the data himself of a sounding of a possible migration coming their way. "What is the word, Prowl?"
Prowl glanced upward to Prime, then frowned slightly. "GOTH!?"
Prime left the room to laugh loudly in the corridor nearby.
=0=Half a joor later
:Thank you, sir. I appreciate your time: Max said as he revved up his segway.
Venture grinned, then nodded. "You're welcome. Where are you going now?"
:To see Ratchet: Max said.
"He's a good one," Venture said. "He's Prowl's best friend."
Max nodded, then waved as he motored out.
Venture watched him go, then sat back. He knew that Prowl would fume but he had said nothing that he couldn't live with. If he had told all the shit that Prowl had done as a kid to fight back against the system, it would take a decaorn and be much more hilarious than what he'd told the human. He grinned, then got back to the job.
=0=Medical Center
Max Butler sped in, then halted at the doorway. Peering inside, he saw a tiny version of Ironhide making a tower out of a number of supply boxes that were put on the floor for him.
As he turned to get another, Orion of Mars noticed him. He stared at the human, then smiled. Walking to the door, he paused to stare at the human. {Hi, she. I, Orion say hi she to lou. Lou comed here to I, Orion? To playin'? Lou comed to Ada? I comed lou to Ada} He then leaned in to put his arm around Max. {Comed lou she wif me, Orion} He then gently tried to get Max to go.
Max who was awash in the magnificence rolled forward as the two awkwardly walked/rolled to the desk. {ADA!}
A big helm peered over the desk top. {WHAT!?}
Orion bent over double to laugh, then pointed to Ratchet. {ADA! LOU FUNNY! LOU THING SHOWED TO ME, ORION!}
Ratchet snickered, then looked at the human. "You're back, I see."
:I am. Is this Orion? He's amazing: Max said as he grinned at the smiling baby.
Orion grinned at him, then stepped closer and put his arm around Max again. {ADA! I LOVE SHE! I KIP SHE?!}
"He wants to kiss you. It's sort of his thing," Ratchet said.
Max looked at Orion, then nodded.
Orion smiled, then leaned in to put a 'kip' on Max's head. Then he leaned back to beam at him with delight. {I KIPPED LOU, SHE! I LOVE LOU, SHE!}
"He kissed you. He loves you. Orion is a bit of a lover boy," Ratchet said as he translated.
:Tell him I love him, too. Who doesn't?: Max said with delight.
Ratchet agreed and Orion danced. He grinned at the human. {Lou play, she? I doin'. I doin' this and that} he said pointing to his teetering tower.
"He wants you to play but something tells me you're here about Prowl," Ratchet said. {Orion, he has to workin'. You go play and we can have a treat later. Okay?}
Orion looked up at Ratchet, then smiled. {I doin'} he said as he walked to the tower. {I doin' it. I doin' the she} he said as he began again.
Max watched him, then pulled closer to Ratchet. :What a great kid:
"We think so. What do you wanna know, tiny man?" Ratchet asked with a big grin.
:I would like to know more about Prowl: he said.
Ratchet laughed. "Don't we all," he said.
=0=TBC 4-19-19 For my Pippin, forever.