The Diego Diaries: Complexities (dd8 563)

I HAVEN'T EDITED THIS YET. I WILL IN THE MORNING. HUGS TO ALL. I HOPE THIS MAKES SENSE. LOL!

(NOTE: I'm going to be looking in to the life on Megatronus's dominion to see what the other mechs, the Shattered Glass mechs are doing as well as the ones on the run and all that. We might even step in on the humans to see what their misery is like. If we're going to be going back and forth a while it might be fun to see what its like there. Hugs to all.) :D

=0=Home at last, though on call as usual

They walked into the apartment moving through it by sensors and night lights on many outlets throughout their space. It was dark with the windows dialed down fully, set to keep until they returned.

Pausing by Tell's door, they entered, then Drift lay him on the little changing space on the top of his dresser.

:He's really snoring: Springer said as Drift pulled him from his cocoon. Gently walking to the crib he lay the baby down. He fussed a moment, then fell back into recharge. Tucking him in, both of them stared at him, then walked out after setting the child sensors.

It was silent but really homey, a nice feeling to be back in familiar space after the rush of the mission. Springer checked the mail while Drift rustled up a snack and two beers. Setting them on the end tables by their chairs, he turned on the monitor with the sound down to catch up on the news. He sat heavily, then took a drag on his beer. "Anything?"

"It can keep," Springer said as he signed off the comm channels of their high security communications center that was installed in the apartments of all the senior Autobots. He walked to his chair, then sat. A drag on his beer settled the dust. "Its good to be home."

Drift nodded. "We can get Tell back on the schedule again. We have tomorrow and the next orn off. Do you want to stack it up or take it?"

Springer glanced at Drift. "Take it. Or not. We usually end up on patrol anyway."

Drift grinned. "What do you think about this Crader business? I want that slagger's son and all his mechs."

"You and me both," Springer said as Drift turned up the sound a bit. The news was on.

=0=Raptor's house

He sat on his couch going over the reports that were due both for the mission and for Cybertron. The next orn he was back at it until the weekend. Turbine was already in the berth. He had classes early before heading for his district HQ in Nova Cronum. They were going to have a relaxing weekend or so Turbine had informed him. They'd hang out at home and go to the movies, maybe dinner and around or two of golf.

He decided that who scenario was capital and it'd be even better if he could get a golf game going with everyone including the infant. Hearing Ironhide whine, seeing him dig his way out of a trap, that was the life. He grinned to himself as he sat, then glanced up to turn the sound back on as the news came back on screen.

=0=The Hourly News At 0400 TMC: Around The Empire

"Good morning, everyone. I'm Dial, host of Around The Empire, the news program that expands on the reports of Cybertronians around the Empire and fills in the news that might otherwise be missed. Right now, the time is 0402 Autobot City Time and the temperature outside is a very cold -164 F or -108.9 C.

The weather will be delivered at the midpoint and end point of this broadcast segment before the Business Joor which follows Around The Empire.

"The main story involves the return of the Prime's armada that stood out shortly ago to interdict a number of ships that were heading this way following the Omega Beam. Several titans from the Special Deployment Force of unassigned metrotitans accompanied Prime along with his senior officers, a number of battle shuttles and Seekers.

"The Office of Strategic Information headed by Senior Commander Jazz of Kaon will be releasing information later this morning when they get the final debriefing organized. It would appear that the mission was uneventful and there was no shooting or aggression involved. The group is at this moment unidentified and would appear to be Cybertronian, though they don't appear to belong to any faction known yet.

"The Ready-Go Fleet is back on the flight line and prepared to lift off to defend our territory at the moment of need. We were informed that the military is standing at a Level 2 state of readiness. That means that its ready to go if called but all personnel are released to their lives and responsibilities. More will be said about this when the information comes in mid morning.

"There were several titans involved including Radical Wind, a mech who ordinarily remains on station on the main transportation route in the inner Empire. He is among five which have arrived, all mechs with special functions who belong in the unassigned titan squadron from which Prime draws the firepower that he requires for missions." Dial grinned. "When we get back from a review of the Community Bulletin Board, we will continue our exploration of the mission."

The Bulletin Board scrolled. Lunch at the Senior Centers around the colony and Cybertron looked really good.

=0=On the other side of the coin

Megatron walked into the family side of the Residence to have dinner with his family. The huge place had plenty of space for his genitors and siblings. They were ready for him when he came.

His ada hugged him. "You look tired. Sit down and let me get your dinner."

Megatronus walked into the dining room with his two brothers and a brother-in-law, the bond of his only sister. They sat down together.

"What happened?" his brother Copperton asked.

"We didn't catch them. They jumped again. Its rather maddening but we have a mutual aid package to get them before they do anything," Megatronus said. He glanced at the door to watch his genitors carry in food to put in the containers nearby to remain hot. He rose to help but his sister, Turquoise caught his arm. "You sit," she said. "We can get this."

He sat rather tiredly watching as the family gathered, his genitors, his two brothers and sister, their bonds and kids. It as a warm moment for him to be with his family in such a place. Without them it would have been extremely difficult to do this. Their light made his load bearable.

Dinner would pass happily among them as Megatronus brooded on Disson's words. He could come back and kill all of them in their recharge. It was a dark pit in his peace of mind.

=0=Mars

"Well, we have to do our best, Wheeljack," Perceptor said as he reclined on the berth. The lights were called down as he relaxed. "They appeared to be more collegial this time. Perhaps the Convocation did something for them."

"I hope so, Percy. I'm tired of all of this slag," Wheeljack replied.

They would chat for a bit, then fall into recharge as morning loomed ahead with all its problems.

=0=At home

Stephonia considered what Tarn had told her as she reclined against him on the chair that they shared in their remarkably elegant house in a beautiful neighborhood of Greater Iacon. "That is impossible, Tarn. You are a good mech in any dimensional plane."

"Not in that one," Tarn replied. "I can destroy sparks with my voice just by singing and pitching the frequency just right."

"That is not nor will it ever be you," Stephonia said.

They would sit together chatting over the mission and the 'family business', the Avatar Foundation which they had set up and run together for eons. Its slogan?

'Everyone matters'.

=0=Morning a few joors later

Will Lennox read the reports of the time they were deployed as he ate his breakfast. The children were gone heading for school in their cab. Everyone was either eating breakfast or going to their jobs. A lot of the family here were worker bees including Lonnie Epps grandparents who were the official 'Grandpa and Grandma of The Resort of Autobot City', earning a picture placed prominently in the desk area for the world to see.

"What's the word?" Niall Graham asked as he sat with his plate and cup.

"The word is cold. By the way, the semi-final basketball games are upcoming. I forgot about them," Lennox said.

"I haven't. I shudder to see what Ratchet wears for the last two games," Niall said with a chuckle.

The season had capered onward around the issues of the players who constituted a majority of the teams. Kaon, Iacon and Polyhex had done a great job with their seasons and were among the favorites for the run up to the second championship. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any invasions or weirdos to blow up the last two games.

Will grinned at Graham. "I hear ya, brother."

=0=At schools around the place

The bus let off at the Central Office Tower of the Autobot City Unified School District. Little children walked off under the supervision of a number of aides who would lead them to the elevators inside and a short ride upward to the Pioneer School floor were the now six classrooms of small children were located. Among them would be Praxus, Orion and Hero.

They went inside to disappear into the vastness of the building, making their way to their accelerated classrooms and the orn's lessons and play. It would be a very cheerful group who would go.

=0=Metro Femme

They stared at the mech in stasis, Crader by name. He was no longer a male mini-con mech. He was a tiny mini-con femme. The statistics tech of the colony's genetics team was watching the dials of the sensors that were monitoring Crader's mutation. He took the readings, then shook his helm. Crader was already starting to mutate again.

=0=Staff Meeting

They sat in the conference room of The Citadel in Iacon ready to debrief the mission and get impressions. Heretech was speaking.

"I think that we'll have them coming and going depending upon the desire they have to cause harm in Prime's realm. They appear to be mentally impaired from this business," he was saying. "I will also say that I admire their tech. The titans that they have with their remarkable ship format are something I wish we had in our own arsenal."

Metroplex and Fort Max sat nearby listening.

Megatronus glanced at them. "There is no offense intended, gentlemen."

Metroplex glanced at them. "Understood. I, however, would like to make a request. I would like to spend some time with the others to understand their formatting. Its strange to me to think that in that dimensional plane their counterparts to us are that different. I would like to understand it better."

Megatronus sat back considering the request. "I think that can be arranged. Prowl, if you would do the honors."

Prowl nodded. "I will contact my counterpart this afternoon."

"Its odd that this is so," Max agreed. He grinned slightly. "Its not often that I'm made to feel small."

Metroplex who was taller nodded in agreement. 35 feet which he stood was considered optimal for a 'titan' frame mech like him. The idea that his counterpart stood 2600 feet in root mode was incomprehensible.

The meeting would roll onward.

=0=That afternoon

Prowl read the note, then glanced at Prime who was sitting beside him. "I have a note from our alternate universe Prowl."

Prime glanced up sharply. "What does it say?"

Prowl glanced at him. "Its a request for their Metroplex and Fort Max to come and stay with the titans a while. Apparently, they want to understand their lack of stature in relation to the two of them."

Prime considered that, then grinned. "So do I," he said.

=0=TBC 11-8-2022