The Diego Diaries: Copycat (dd8 553)
=0=Autobot City Medical Center, in a highly equipped examination room
Stealth had accompanied Ratchet to the Center where he moved both of the femmes from long term stasis to the full spectrum examination room that was used for new diseases and syndromes or autopsies that required a ton of machinery and capabilities. They were wheeled in, both of them and moved onto two examination berths of the four in the room. Ratchet was working out the programming to go to the sub atomic particle level of the girls using new possibilities to understand their weird special features.
Stealth walked to Denita to look at her and then her sister, Stormy. He stared at them, checking who knew what, then sat down by the wall with a clear view of the monitor.
A couple of techs and an assistant specialist who helped on difficult cases arrived and began to organize.
Ratchet glanced at Stealth. "I'm going to go over them with a fine toothed comb. There has to be something that's out of line or odd. They were CNA enhanced for size, then given things. They have to be there, though they could be anything."
Stealth nodded. "I will observe. Perhaps there's something I can discern from my perspective."
"Thank you, Stealth. Its going to take that much, I think. We really went over them from before," Ratchet said as he walked to Stormy with his assistant. He looked at her, then jacked in. It was silent a moment, then a document appeared on the monitor. It was the sheet where her data would compile. All that they would find and her complete make up would be lined up there for analysis.
Ratchet picked up a handheld computer, then began to program it. Data flowed on the screen faster than the optic could follow, even Cybertronian. It would take a while to scope both femmes from stem to stern. Then the real work of comparing it to normal readouts and deciphering all of it would begin.
=0=Tennyson
The message came in to Prime. It went to the forward screen as the face of Black Shadow appeared on the giant monitor. Everyone in the room stared at it with mixed emotions as the big mech stared at Prime. :Lord Optimus. Its an honor to see you once again: he said.
"It is mine as well, Black Shadow. How may I help you?" Prime asked.
:I would like to speak with you in private if I may: he replied.
Prime rose, then glanced at Prowl.
Prowl glanced at Black Shadow. "Is this private or may I attend. I am the strategist of this operation."
:It will be fine: the big mech replied.
The two walked across the deck to an unoccupied conference room down the way. As they did the monitor changed back to the view outside.
"Did he say Black Shadow?" a UN soldier said who was watching in the human travel box nearby.0
"Common name, right?" Epps pointedly asked Will who nodded.
"Yeah. Common name from Tarn I think it was. Shadow is the name of one of Prowl's grandparents. Its a common thing, the name and all its many uh, many variations," Will said as the others nodded.
"Good thing," that soldier said. "I'd hate to run into that guy again."
"He's in the can on Mars. He won't be getting out any time soon," Niall Graham said with a smirk. "I do hear you about that, however."
So it would go in the gerbil cage.
=0=Conference room nearby
They sat as the call was transferred. When it came on again it was Black Shadow and AU Prowl. They stared at each other a moment, both sides marveling once again, then Black Shadow spoke. :We picked up a set of ships that read oddly:
"How many?" Prowl asked.
:Seven: AU Prowl replied. :They have the strangest signature but when we compared the spectrum of possibilities that we have on file, especially cross dimensionally they lined up closer to you than to anyone else thus far collected:
Prime sat back. "We have a problem here. We have a tremendous war criminal who has been experimenting with our species for as long as we can remember. He gets ideas, then works them out on unsuspecting 'volunteers' until he either succeeds or gets bored. A lot of individuals have been hurt by him and his notions.
"The ships carry the victims of his experiments. They are from our dimension but they are going through a process given them by Jhiaxus and perhaps other aliens that mutates them from normal to something a great deal worse. It would appear that this process is also happening to their ships. They are changing from non-sentient to something a bit more self aware."
AU Prowl looked alarmed a moment, then the mask was back. :Please hold. We need to call more to come hear this:
There was a pause then Megatronus sat down to stare at the grim figures on the other end of the line. Behind them a number of scientists and other security could be seen gathering. :Greetings, my friend. It would appear that paradoxes find both of us good company once more. We found that seven ships materialized out of nowhere near Cybertron, then fled to a nebula near our version of Earth. I am told that they are yours:
Prime nodded grimly. "We have a situation where a war criminal tampered with the bodily autonomy of a number of very wealthy individuals who then went on to further the experiments themselves when he disappeared. We are chasing them now. They have a condition where they are mutating through an unknown process to become able to traverse dimensions without ships bearing armor that is nearly impermeable to ordinary firepower. The changes include inability to feel pain and to be restrained through normal processes. Their ships are taking the same journey. They were normal but are now on the way to some form of sentience that we cannot calculate as of yet."
Megatronus stared at him, then sat back himself. :Well it seems we have a mutual problem then, my friend. Who is this mad scientist, if I need to ask:
Prowl glanced at a scientist standing behind Megatronus in a group of unknown individuals to him. "His name is Jhiaxus."
You could have heard a pin drop.
=0=At the examination room
Ratchet pulled his plugs, then walked to the computer nearby to watch it sort and compile the data. He transferrred it to a huge wall monitor, then walked to it to look. Stealth joined him.
It was silent. Then Stealth pointed to some data. "Is this normal?" he asked.
Ratchet shook his helm. "No. It is not."
=0=Conference room
:I do hope that you understand that we are not you and this mech here who is my good friend is honorable in this dimension: Megatronus stated.
Prime nodded. "We do but there are a lot of victims here and it would never do for him to ever come here."
Megatronus nodded. :What are your thoughts on this matter, Optimus? We have them traced to a big nebula that is very new, relatively, and thus the radiation is strong enough to make chasing around inside of it a game of blind mechs leading blind mechs:
Prime considered that. "Prime to Radical Wind."
:Radical Wind here, Lord Optimus: a deeply masculine voice said over the intercom.
"Please come with Parabolus to Tennyson. Come to my signal," Prime replied.
:As you command: the voice said, then the sound of materialization could be heard as giant mechs of similar composition appeared behind everyone. Both of them turned to Prime, then bowed their helms.
"We are here, Prime. Command us," Parabolus said.
The bots on the other side of the screen watched in fascination as the two giant figures appeared, then gave such fealty to Prime. They had no corresponding individuals on their side. This seemed to be either giant mechs or some of the vaunted titanic frames like that of Tennyson who guarded the dimensional rift.
Prime turned to the screen. "This is Radical Wind, a metrotitan and the other gentleman is Parabolus who is a dreadnought class vessel. I have called them to come to help discuss this because they have the best sensors our species possess. They are best placed to track someone in a nebula of that nature."
Radical Wind glanced at Prime, then the monitor. "We are prepared to assist you with this problem, Lord Megatronus. We can track almost anyone anywhere."
:That is going to be greatly appreciated. Perhaps a joint mission then: Megatronus said. :I would appreciate advice in crew composition at our end if you would be so kind:
Prime nodded. "Understood."
They then bent to the mission ahead, the second mixed crew operation since their liberation. It would include about a good half dozen of their counterparts to the Warrior Elites that still plagued the dimensional plane of Optimus and his people.
=0=Med Center
Ratchet and Stealth worked on the data running scans on the femmes before they found what they couldn't see the first time. It was subtle to the point of invisibility and it was right where Traachon said it would be.
"If you can think it you can do it."
At that point a rap on the door drew their attention.
"You called me, Doctor?" Turquoise said as he entered the room. He paused with surprise. "Stealth. My, what a surprise."
"Turquoise, its a delight to see you. I can hope that your family came here with you?" Stealth asked.
"We all did," Turquoise said with a smile. "I'm an amma now. Its all wonderful here."
Stealth nodded. "Many blessings upon your House then."
"Thank you, Stealth. And on yours as well. Shadow?" he asked.
"He is here," Stealth replied. "We work on our research including this project."
"Wonderful," Turquoise said as he glanced up at Ratchet. "How may I serve?"
"We need you to read the code of these two femmes. There's modifications on them that we're trying to locate. If you can find where they mutated beyond growing way taller and bigger than they would have ordinarily, that's going to be a huge help," Ratchet said.
"Alright," Turquoise said as he walked to the data driver computer nearby, one that was built just for code readers like him. He turned it on, Ratchet released the data, then he began to look through it with a cursory glance to see what stood out. It didn't take long to find it. He glanced at Ratchet. "This data has been unlocked."
"What do you mean?" Stealth asked.
"Someone put a blind code on it so no one could see it. Somehow they managed to beat the scans you made earlier, the ones in the files with this security coding. You did scans earlier. Right?" he asked.
Ratchet nodded. "We did but we didn't find this."
"You won't. When I was trying to find some anomalies on Cybertron, like I told you about back then, I had to battle them. Jhiaxus favored them, the maniac. These are interesting. They're his personal codes. He was messy to be found out like this. We can save them and run them against whatever we might have of his databases," Turquoise said. "Its highly likely given is arrogance they still work."
"That's fire, Turquoise. What can you tell us now. I know you have to dig deeper. This is a priority one, secret beyond secret situation. You're invoked by just knowing about it," Ratchet said.
"Done deal, Ratchet. What I've found is a very strange mutation to their growth that turned them from femmes essentially into mechs," Turquoise began.
Ratchet startled at that news. /… oh frag … that slagger tried to reverse the process … what the unholy frag did you do, Jhiaxus? …/
=0=On a dimensional plane with a big frown
"Yes, Jhiaxus … what did you do?" Prima Prime muttered.
"As if You have to ask, brother," Micronus Prime said.
Everyone there nodded including Prima Prime.
=0=TBC 10-23-2022
STUFF AND THEN SOME!
Jackalkat: It is eerie, the poor doofus. He can't face it any other way so this is his way to tell the tale. I forget the name of the behavior … deflection? I can't remember. Hugs, my dear Jackalkat.
fealty: (fee-uhl-tee) old fashioned for loyalty, a medieval-type term for lords to their kings
