The Diego Diaries: Copycat (dd8 549)

=0=The Mare

Ratchet reached the edge of the fight zone just as the other titans leaned in with those struggling and pressed the mech to the ground. Leaning into him, Retriades glanced upward. "Doctor, what can you do?"

Ratchet pulled a meter. "This," he said pointing it at the mech.

Nothing happened.

Ratchet stared at the mech, then reset it to the highest levels possible. Then he pointed and pressed the thing.

The mech sagged to the ground, though he wasn't unconscious. He stared at Ratchet and the mechs with rage as Prowl came over to stare back the same way. "Plant this fragger."

"Roll him over."

They did and even as they did it was apparent that he was coming to himself again. "Hurry," Banner said.

Ratchet knelt, pulled things opened and pulled plugs. The armor still allowed him to reach inside and do what he had to do. The mech stopped flapping around, then they rolled him over.

"He's still awake," Hammer said as he glanced at Ratchet.

"He is," Ratchet said. "I can't dim his processor. Its sort of protected in a weird way like Crader's was. We need to fix him like the others."

Prime glanced around, then turned to Typhoon. "Could you assist this, Typhoon? You and a couple of these mechs? We will need the others to get this done."

"As you command, Prime," Ty said as he glanced at the slagger who was glaring at him. "It will be a pleasure."

Prime and the others began to run back to the Mare as Ratchet, Hammer, Retriades and Ty picked the slagger up and began to carry him swiftly back to Metro Femme before something else weird began to happen.

=0=Shrine

It was silent as a tomb in the beautiful sanctuary. They listened to the sounds that were normal. Most of them had been in shrines at least once in their lives so nothing they were hearing was out of normal. Wherever they were they were stopped.

:Whirlaway, what do you see?: Drift asked.

:Nothing, Drift. No one has come out the door. No one is running around or away. Want us to enter?: he asked as he crouched nearby with the others watching the doorway which was the only easy way out of the shrine.

:No. There's civilians in here and we can't get to some of them without bringing a shooting on: Drift said. :Stand by:

He glanced at the acolyte and the frightened femme. Sliding silently toward them, he looked around. :I'm going to get you out of here. Just wait and don't move no matter what. If they don't know you're here you'll be safe. The entire area is blocked off and Prime's bringing titans to assist. Understand?:

They stared at him, a nice little femme who was visiting the shrine with her baby to see how her bond, the acolyte was fairing now that things were starting to thin down after the Convocation.

It bothered Drift ENORMOUSLY to see it, especially given that in the past he put that look on many faces himself.

They both nodded, then he leaned more over her to ensure that she would be covered as best he could. Drift squeezed the mech's arm, then slid back to his spot. Around the room sitting or crouching, about five other individuals were trapped. If they didn't do this right they were fragged. All of them.

=0=City Hall

They stood in the elevator halted on the tenth floor that led to the stairs that went up to the heliport on the roof. The City Hall maintained three vessels there for any use required. One was a specially armed and modified runabout like those used as air ambulances. It had that use as well here but smaller in configuration given it carried arms as well. Two small 'flyabouts' were one passenger ships that runners used to get from here to anywhere they needed to go to deliver anything they were expected to deliver to everyone who needed it. Gone were the orns when you could get somewhere in traffic or go cross country. The colony was edging toward 480,000,000 and the vast network of urban centers could take forever to reach otherwise.

Springer and his mechs were listening to the sound in the hallway where someone with big fists and a bigger mouth was beating on the hardened doors that protected access to the roof. Springer glanced at Hercy. :I only count one beating on the door:

Hercy and Kup listened, then Hercy glanced at Springer. :One of them is watching:

:Is he disabled?: Springer asked.

:No. He's just not as fragged up with his armor as the other one yet. Maybe slower morphing. Maybe he can't beat on that kind of door without harming himself or he's just not strong enough: Kup said. :I don't know but its interestin':

Springer stared at Kup, then the door. :Okay, listen to me. When I SAY go on three, we do. Got it?:

Everyone nodded, checked their guns, then Springer began to count. :One …:

=0=On the other side of the door on the roof

Blondi watched the door move slightly as the mech on the other side beat on it. She and three others were getting ready to close up shop after those slated to go early left. Two mechs ran in raising hell, so she ran with the group who were with her, the only ones left, to the elevator to go downward. As it closed the two fugitives reached it, then ripped the shreds out of her control panel.

They were frozen with fear inside, then Blondi opened the emergency panel, pressed the panic button to go downward to the shelters and found herself going upward. The panel had shorted and they were heading for the roof.

"What the frag was that, Blondi?" a mech asked, one who was an accountant and directed numbers not armies.

"I don't know but the roof is where we're going." She checked the panel and it was on the way out, the lights blinking madly as she stared at it with grim fear. Gritting her denta, she waited as it reached the top. Pulling the doors apart to get out, they ran for the stairs, climbed them, opened the security lock on it, then stepped out into the fading sunlight to sirens blaring. They closed the door, spun the lock, then glanced around. "Anyone fly a runabout?" she asked.

Before anyone could speak the mechs were at the door trying to open it. Everyone watched it with terror.

In the elevator …

:Two … three. GO!: Kup opened the door and as it slid open they rushed out with their guns pointed at the steps.

As that happened, everyone was aboard the runabout as Blondi tried to figure out how to fly it. It roared into life scaring everyone aboard to death, then began to lift off wobbly and unsteady as she began to try to fly a ship she'd never flown before to the ground below.

Preferably by her own control and far enough away to miss the light show. Shooting had started nearby.

=0=Prime and Company

They ran toward the City Hall to help bring the other two into chains. As they did a message came to Magnus. He listened, then ran with the others up the steps to stop by the monument. He glanced at Prime. "Blondi just told me that she's trying to fly a runabout off the roof. Everyone who's still there is aboard and the two fugitives are trying to get through the door. Apparently there's shooting," he said as overhead the noisy flight of an eight passenger vessel began to be seen in the lights as it emerged from the rooftop of the City Hall tens stories in the air.

"Prime to Central Emergency Services Command Center."

:Inferno here, Prime:

"A runabout is leaving the helipad of the City Hall. Blondi is flying it with others and she does not know how to do it," Prime said as they watched with incredible tension the scene overhead.

"Understood," Inferno said as he moved to a comm station to link in with Blondi. "Blondi, this is Inferno. Can you fly that ship?"

:NO! HELP ME!: she said over the comm station. :NONE OF US CAN!:

"Hartung is here and he's going to help you fly that to the ground. Listen to him, Blondi," Inferno said as he glanced toward a grim faced older mech who was a legend as a pilot during 'you-name-the-war'. He switched in.

"Blondi, this is Hartung. I'm going to help you fly to the Mare and set down in the parkland. Just don't be afraid and listen to me. Okay?" Hartung aka Hartie said calmly.

:OKAY! I'M GOING TO CRASH INTO A BUILDING AND KILL SOMEONE!: Blondi said.

"Listen to me, Blondi. Hold in the air where you are and I'll explain what we do. Okay?" he asked with a soothing tone as he was cut into the camera system. It showed a big vessel hanging by a thread in the air over the Metroplex Highway between a street lined with housing towers. It was a shit show. He put in a back up call to the Flight Center in Aerie Hill.

:Okay: Blondi replied. :What do I do?:

He would tell her even as a Seeker flight instructor bombed off his apartment balcony to jet to the scene to try to enter the vessel to pilot it to safety.

=0=Outside

"Magnus, go and see what's happening in the shoot out. I am going to the shrine. Gentlemen, standby to be called to come inside," Prime said to the titans gathered as he and Prowl ran toward the shine on the other side of the plaza.

They watched him go, then Magnus and a few of the soldiers who began to sprint to the City Hall doors guns in servo.

"Let us go topside to perform a pincer movement," Hammer said. The others nodded. Hammer glanced at Banner and Avalone. "Stay here and be ready to move at a moment's notice. I don't want you to have to do more than you can."

They stared at him, then watched as the big mechs derezzed to re-materialize on the roof. Their nightly stroll through The City had caught them up in a call and their primary function had taken over. Banner took Avalone's servo. "How do you feel?"

"Odd. This is a new perspective, Banner. Ground level is ... intriguing," Avalone said. He glanced at his bond. "I'm alright."

"We can wait to be called. More are coming so says the cross talk," Banner said as he turned to the sound of heavy treads coming up the steps.

More were indeed coming.

=0=Inside the Shrine to Solus Prime

Drift took the baby into his arms and began to creep toward the doorway. When he was clear of the alcove, he listened deeply. There wasn't a sound anywhere. He stepped toward the door and was outside in seconds. As he did Prowl and Prime slid to a stop before them. They all stepped to one side. "The genitors of this baby are crouching in the meditation alcove by the door. They're paralyzed with fear and begged me to take the baby out."

Prowl took the baby, then called for an ambulance team to come to the scene but far enough away not to trigger a reaction. "I'll hold him until the ambulance is here."

Prime nodded, then with stealth no one could believe a mech like him could possess, the two crept back inside.

Prowl stared at the door, then the silent baby with big optics and a frightened expression. "Its going to be fine, baby. Solus Prime won't allow bad to happen to your genitors," Prowl said as he hurried down the steps toward the sound of an approaching ambulance running silently.

=0=On a dimensional plane nearby

"Will you?" Prima asked as he stared at the scene with disquiet.

"I can't. Remember?" Solus said with a grave expression.

"We know," Solomus said softly. "We know."

=0=TBC 10-18-2022