The Diego Diaries: Copycat (dd8 560)

=0=On the deck

He was carried toward the elevator screaming loudly as Megatron followed with Prime and Heretech. Prowl and Prowler stood at the table watching tensely as did everyone else on the deck. It looked like a good venture doomed to end when Crader bellowed to Prime.

"STOP!"

Everyone did, then Prime stepped forward. "Why?"

"I know what you're doing. You're playing me," Crader said.

Prime stared at him with fury. "Take him away."

The mechs continued onward until Crader bellowed. They paused to glanced back at Prime. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

Megatronus glanced at him, then Prime. "I want to take him with us, Prime. You made a bargain."

Prime glanced at him, the off line conversation between the two cool and pointed. "If he tells me what I want to know and holds nothing back I might entertain his request. Otherwise he's yours." Prime stared at Crader with fury. "Tell me everything."

Crader stared at Prime, then Megatronus and Heretech who he knew personally. It seemed to stretch with the possibilities of going either direction looming before them before Crader spoke again. "Jhiaxus had mad ideas but some of them were interesting. He wanted to be able to cross dimensions with and without a ship. He also wanted to create his own fleet of titanic ships that were sentient enough to obey him but not have free will or thought."

"How?" Prime asked.

"I don't know the particulars but we took the process when he closed down on Traachon's daughters and sought out more advanced thinkers. We looked everywhere. If we could cross dimensions consider the fun. We could take what we wanted, do what we wanted, kill anyone we wanted. We could shape history to benefit us and our own goals. We could even go back to your childhood if this played out to the degree we sought and snuff you in your berth." Crader smirked maliciously. "The end game was dimensional travel combined with time shifting. The ships are our vehicle to get there."

Megatronus glanced at Prime, then Crader. "What part of this is your son? How far advanced is he, say, in light of your own condition?"

Crader laughed. "He's far, far ahead. He's the genius I was searching for. He's an incredible scientist and he has the entire database from Jhiaxius to help him. He can jump dimensions on his own and with the ships. I'm not totally sure he can time travel yet but give him time, Prime. He might even visit your home, Megatron."

Megatronus flashed on his family, his siblings, their families and children. The faces of his elders and genitors crossed his mind. As they did he stepped forward and punched Crader hard in the chassis.

Everyone glanced at a seething Megatronus including Prime. It was a look they'd seen many times before but not from this mild mech.

Heretech stepped closer to Megatronus, placing his servo on the big mech's shoulder.

"That was a cheap shot, Megatron. But then what the frag. We are talking about you," Crader said bitterly.

"What is the process? What do you use to make this happen? Answer or I will tear your spark from your chamber with my bare servos," Megatronus said with real heat.

"You have to talk to my son, Disson. I don't know it. We decided to divide it among my sons and daughter. My son, Disson, my son, Parcour and my daughter, Sibyline know how this works but alas. They bugged out." Crader grinned. "Too bad for you."

"How do we find them? How do we track them?" Prime asked.

"Hmmm," Crader said as he smirked at the group.

Megatronus flipped up a handgun and placed it against Crader's helm. "You will answer the question or you will die. I have no time nor temperament for your slag. Now or die." His voice was cold and the intention appeared to be sincere.

Crader stared at him. "If you pull the trigger you get nothing."

"If you do not tell us what we want we get the same. I, however, get the pleasure of killing you and making furniture out of your dead body," Megatronus said as he leaned in closer. The affect was chilling to everyone watching.

Crader seemed to consider that, then grinned faintly. "I don't know. I wasn't of the 'temperament' to care enough to learn things. I have smart kids. I suppose tachyons are part of it. I remember hearing about that. I also heard neutrinos. That's about it. I'm not a detail guy. I just want to see the end product," Crader said. "If you want to follow them you better be able to jump dimensions. There's also the possibility by now of time travel."

The conversation off line ended.

Prime glanced at the mechs. "Take him to the deck. He goes with Megatron."

The mechs picked him up, then began to go.

Crader stared at Prime with a shocked expression. "YOU SAID IF I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I WOULDN'T GO!"

"You are holding back. Since you are I want to be done with you. It will be a source of solace knowing you are a footstool for Megatron,: Prime said.

They nearly reached the elevator when Crader bellowed. "STOP!"

"Either you tell me everything or I send you packing, Crader. One less problem for me is a good thing," Prime said with real venom.

"You can tag them. Tag their ships. The problem with the ships is that they're evolving from the inside out. Tag their skin and you can track them because they can't feel it happening. The caveat with time travel is that you can only stay in the past for one joor before you're automatically expelled back to where you came from. You can only go in pretender gear. You have it here," he said glancing around.

The room was silent as the group stared at him.

"The time bit is the hardest. If anything has changed I'll be surprised."

"How many dimensions can he jump?" Heretech asked as he loomed nearer to Crader with his special brand of phase six-like menace.

"Up to ten after this one. Oddly, he can reach some of the higher ones. But he can't get the middle ones. And he can only stay a joor for the time jumps." Crader glanced from Megatronus to Prime.

"I think he's still holding back," Megatronus said. "Heretech, cut the lines around his neck. Do it one at a time."

Crader stared at Heretech who flipped out a huge sharp knife, one that looked like a special build from RTR Tools. He began to walk toward Crader. "WHAT THE FRAG! PRIME! ITS ALL I KNOW! I WASN'T THE SCIENCE GUY! MY KIDS ARE! IF I KNEW MORE I'D TELL YOU!"

Megatronus glanced at Prime, then both agreed off line. "Kill him, Heretech."

"No."

Megatronus turned toward Prime. "I have personal reasons why this mech is mine, Prime. Don't make this a problem when we just resolved several."

"This is my ship. This mech might still be holding back. If he goes with you we lose that access. Ratchet," Prime said as he stared at Megatronus like two boxers facing off.

"Prime," Ratchet said from the group of scientists watching the show with unease. Perceptor and Wheeljack were excepted. They were watching with great fascination.

"Is there anything about this mech's condition that using a cortical patch will hinder?" Prime asked quietly.

Ratchet pretended to consider. "No, Prime. We can vacuum his processor any time you order it."

Prime stared at Crader. "Do you understand that?"

Crader considered Prime, then glanced at Megatronus. "Yes." He glanced at Ratchet. "You can try," he said with a smirk.

A punch he didn't see from Heretech caught his chin. His helm snapped back against the board, perhaps saving him from decapitation. Though Heretech wasn't phase six in his dimension, he was ungodly strong in all the ones everyone knew. Staring at Heretech with loathing, he glanced at Ratchet. "Frag all of you."

Ratchet walked closer, then jacked into Crader's neck. After a moment, he pulled the plug out. "His transmutation hasn't affected the ports of entry that a patch takes. We can suck out the contents of any part of his processor that he has. There's nothing there that's so firewalled that anyone in Processor Health can't burn down. Jarro is the greatest with firewalls that lives. Ever."

"Frag you," Crader hissed. "He can try."

"He will," Ratchet replied calmly.

"I think its time for you to leave, Megatron," Prime said as he stared at Megatronus.

"I will leave with Crader, Prime," Megatronus said as he stepped closer to Optimus. "I came to settle issues with you. I will have this mech or you and I will be at odds once more. I do not forget nor forgive offenses against me."

"Nor do I," Prime said. "Leave."

Megatronus stared hotly at Prime, then seemed to settle into a cool but furious demeanor,something that matched their Megatron to a 'T'. Glancing at Heretech, he nodded to the elevator. Before he left to follow, Megatronus glanced at Prime. "You will live to regret this, Prime. I will see to it." With that, he walked to the elevator with armed guards, then went away when the doors closed with Heretech in tow.

It was silent a moment, then Crader laughed mirthlessly. "You put a knife to your neck, Prime. Good going."

Prime turned to him. "You will remain my prisoner. You will do what I order or I will personally deactivate you permanently for the good of the order."

Prowler appeared at Prime's elbow with his cop face on. "Why did you turn on your kids? Other than you have no honor nor character?"

Crader stared at Prowler with a smirk. "I can give you everything but you'll never defeat my kids. My kids will rip you to shreds. Nothing was really ventured, so nothing is lost."

"Put him in security stasis. If he transmutes too much we can transfer his spark to another protoform," Prime said.

Ratchet nodded. "I just told Garbo at the Femme Hospital that this goofball is coming. He'll do it. Right now, sleepy-bye time, Crader." Ratchet held up a meter, then pressed the button.

Crader sagged like a sack of potatoes.

At that moment called by Prowler, the elevator doors opened to let Megatronus, Heretech and the guards re-enter the deck. They walked to Prime, then stared at Crader. "Did we succeed, old friend?"

Prime gripped Megatronus's shoulder like a brother. "We did, indeed."

=0=Far away but not far in the fourth dimension

They walked into the command center of a base on a world that was a staging area of the Decepticons. They'd found the signal they sought then zeroed in on it. They walked past guards who stared at them without challenge. It was uncanny how they made it to the center to everyone but them, then entered to find the one they wanted.

He was sitting on a throne talking to a number of mechs including a Seeker with a sour expression on his face. He looked up surprised to see them. "Who are you and why do you enter my domain without notice or permission?"

Disson stared at him, then with a flash of motion that was surprising pulled up a gun, put it against the mech's helm and pulled the trigger.

Megatron who was sitting on the throne convulsed, then slid to the floor trailing his energon behind him.

The mechs in the room were surprised, then pulled guns to shoot. The rounds landed jerking the six men as they hit. When the smoke cleared they were staring back unharmed. That's when they pulled guns and returned the favor to the guards. Those mechs landed on the ground as well.

Disson looked around then kicked Megatron to the floor. Sliding into his throne, he grinned. "I am Disson. I just claimed command of this faction. Are there any challengers?" he asked.

None one answered, those that were standing and sitting around the control room staring at the strangers with surprise.

"Good. I want chapter and verse about what's going on and I want it now," Disson said as his men and a tall beautiful female took seats around the room.

Standing behind him staring at the group with hooded optics, Starscream worked through his surprise. Then he began to work out how he could be the right servo mech of the new guy.

Whoever he was.

=0=TBC 11-3-2022 edited November 4, 2022 Happy Birthday, Jes

JackKat: I remember back that far to your notes. Thank you for coming along. Here's to the next 12 years. LOL!