The Diego Diaries: Beyond the Beyond (dd8 291)
=0=Fort Borderlands, way the frag out there
Thundercracker read through the reports of his crackerjack team who were putting in the joors in the command center even as he and Buster relaxed at the command table. It purred, his command. There were a lot of Seekers here but the bulk were Autobot soldiers of the grounder persuasion, a mass of civilians who did a lot of the 'regular' stuff like took care of the plants and systems as well as ran the departments that made things possible like food services and the like. The rest were Home Guardsmen/femmes getting experience.
He glanced at his dog who was snoring on his side. Buster was the greatest thing he ever did for himself. He was a real dog from Earth and had grown accustomed to being inside hermetically sealed containments, some of which were huge.
Like his entire apartment.
Even humans could come over and lounge.
Butt naked if they wanted.
He hoped they never did.
Then he noted something on the screen of the data map before him. Sitting up with a start, he glanced at Sensors and Tactical who were turning to look at him with the same expression. "What the frag happened to the Decepticons?" all three of them said at the same time.
A frantic five minutes passed as they searched for them, then Thundercracker rose, ran to the wall and slapped the Red Button™.
Everywhere in the domain of the Prime of Cybertron individuals in defensive positions were losing their shit.
=0=At Mars with the General Staff and Prime
They bridged directly into the Ops Center, hurrying to the command table even as the rest of the general military staff did the same. Thundercracker was on the screen and he looked bleached of hope and filled with fury.
"Thundercracker, situation report," Prime said as Prowl plugged in and began to read reports from everywhere and everyone.
:Paladin's entire battle group just disappeared off the sensor net, Prime: he said. :We can't find where he went:
"Switch into this system via the Emergency link up with Teletraan," Prowl said as he glanced up at Thundercracker. Then he linked himself into the emergency system that reached all bases everywhere they were including Cybertron. "This is Prowl. We are at Emergency Level 6. This is not a drill. We are at Emergency Level 6. Standby." He turned to Prime and waited.
Prime was studying the data map spread out before him as Hardie walked to the table. "Where did they disappear to?" he mused to himself.
Prime startled then glanced up at him. "They bridge jumped into this system."
=0=Elsewhere just a few moments before
Paladin sat at his command position on the bridge of a heavily modified battleship. He'd met with his commanders, worked out the plan and now it was go time. He grinned a moment. This might be the best or worst idea he ever had but he would have the upper hand in surprise. Glancing at his pilot, he nodded. "Take us in."
The pilot turned to the panel, contacted the fleet, then called the jump time. As one, the entire fleet disappeared in a blaze of bright lights.
=0=Ops Center, Mars
They worked frantically as outside the klaxons sounded to alert the flight line to clear for take off. Everywhere throughout the colony and beyond, defensive activities were bursting into view. Air raid sirens were sounding throughout the colony as at the forward bases ships were launching to be the first line of defense for the inner planets.
Paladin's fleet had come out at Neptune.
=0=Around the colony
Prime had tapped into the transponder system of every adult Cybertronian in the colony while Prowl delivered the same message through more conventional means.
:This is Optimus Prime. We have triggered the sirens to let you know that you must go to the shelters wherever you are. No schools are open and if anyone is there they will go below as well. All tower shelters are to receive you. If your family members are not home yet do not go out into the streets to find them. There are shelters everywhere and they will use them. You must clear the towers and streets. Those of you who require assistance are in our databases and your aides are on their way. Anyone who refuses these orders will be arrested. Repeat, this is not a drill. Go to the shelters: he said over the network.
Prowl was giving off line messages to Earth and to the humans on world. Even as he did ships were launching everywhere to go to the Midway Array to defend Prima Station and Earth herself. :This is Prowl. This is not a drill. Go to the shelters immediately. No one is to stay in the habitats nor are you to go anywhere but below to safety. This is not a drill. Go below and stay there until the all clear. Anyone who disobeys will be arrested and risk banishment from the Empire for life. This is Prowl …:
=0=Family Tower
Will Lennox startled awake along with Sarah. They listened to the message that was playing over the emergency broadcast system equipment that was installed in every room of every place humans could possibly be at the time a siren went off. He listened then jumped up throwing on a robe along with Sarah as the door opened. Annie and their dog Pagan rushed inside.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" she asked.
Lennox scooped her up and with Sarah and Pagan in tow ran out of the apartment into the hallway crowded with those heading for the basement and the shelters where everyone in their tower was going, human and bot alike. "MOM!"
Thelma Lennox slowed her rush to glance back. "Will! What's happening!? Are we under attack?"
Everyone slowed, then halted to stare at him.
"I don't know. Just take Annie and everyone to go below. I'm going to make sure everyone in the habitats are safe. Then I'll join you."
"I'll help you, son. I can help you with the calls," Thomas Lennox said as Ron Witwicky nodded. "Me, too."
"Alright. Move. Go now," Lennox said as the crowd began to enter the elevators to go downward into the depths of the Martian soil to find a space on a cot to wait things out.
=0=Earth2
The sound of the klaxons startled everyone. Most of the facility was at home, downtown or on shift. It was night and the place was quiet after a tense day of media speculation on Earth and muttering here. Lights went on as thousands of humans gathered their kids and pets, parents and partners to rush down the dozens of elevators toward the huge ones that went into the shelters below.
Cindy Tomas who was wearing a robe over her negligee was helping direct residents to the elevators with the bot crew who would stay topside until the last one was accounted for. She would stay with them. It was orderly chaos as thousands of humans made their way below ground to safety. She would be in the last group to follow.
=0=Earth 1
"Angus, let me put this on you," Jared said as he wrestled his son into a warm onesie. Picking him up, then taking his wife's hand, they fled their apartment to go downward.
Hordes of people walked in tense orderly lines to the huge elevators which would take them down in packed groups to the shelters below. In one nearby, itself on the upper deck, the bot crew were loading the little farmyard of animals into crates to be transported below. They were fast and efficient as they coaxed sheep, pygmy goats and piglets, several miniature horses and chickens into their crates for transport. By the time the last human was below ground so would also be the animals.
=0=Everywhere
"Are you ready to go, Ratchet?" Docker asked as she helped Corr toward the door. The shock of the sirens had shaken him from a deep recharge and he was having a bad remembrance of other more awful times.
"Corr, we can go now," Chan said as he took the little mech's servo.
Corr was swaying with fright as he looked around their little apartment. As he did the door opened. Partition and Lancer along with Tie and Ravel entered. "Come, everyone. We have to hurry."
"WHAT IS HAPPENING!? ARE WE GOING TO BE BOMBED AGAIN!?" Corr exclaimed as Partition picked the little mech up.
"No, Appa," Partition said. "I will protect you." With that, they walked out and entered the crowd that was lined up to go downward. It would be noisy and chaotic as frag.
=0=In a tower here and there
Mack hurried to his genitor's apartment near his with his family in tow. He rapped on the door, then opened it. Amaldo was trying to get Corsair to stand up and flee with him. Corsair was stricken with fright and huddled against the wall near the hallway entrance.
Mack gently moved his father, then picked up his ada. "Come on. We have to go." With his ada in his arms and his father gently carrying two of his grandchildren, the family slipped out to head for the shelters.
Across town, Periodic and Rockwell were waiting for their elevator to come back. They would be in the next group to go. A calm mech was managing the frightened crowds, keeping the hot helms among them in line to wait their turn. Periodic clung to Rockwell as the two huddled together in the fearful crowd.
The mech moved to the elevator doors as they began to opened, then let the groups in front take their turn. The doors closed on the faces of Periodic and Rockwell. It would not be lost on Rockwell that the calm mech, a veteran of the war was a low caste but at that moment there was nothing of the sort about him to Rockwell. He was the giant who was helping them all to escape.
=0=Outside
They shoved everyone into a prison truck to take the last of the day pass slaggers back to jail. At the moment, the emergency teams were swarming both places to make sure that no one escaped should the worst case scenario work out. Running down the street pointing to doors that led to shelters, the Watch began to clear everyone toward safety. It would take a while.
=0=Metro District
They came as called, two little mechs who were watching the stars for a bit together as they were monitored by a good dozen city-former titans who were around them on their pads. The little mechs liked the stars and there was a lot of their science at Youngling Day that was dealing with them now. Their genitors allowed it but when the sirens went off and the two children startled, then looked panicked, they called them back.
Two titan infants ran to their genitors clutching their little servos together. They halted, then looked around in terror. "WHAT IS HAPPENING, ADA!?" Teatro asked as Swan huddled beside him.
"A drill, son," Acroplex lied. "Come into the shelter here inside me. Go, both of you to your shelters."
Two little titan kids who were taller than the biggest adults in the colony hurried to their genitor's hold, then slowly transformed into tiny ships. With the greatest of care the adults tractored them into their shelter spaces, then sealed their doors tightly.
Long into their happiness here, they had all made a pact about the children. The adults would defend them to the death. The children would be inside the holds of their genitors. It was agreed that if their genitors died, the kids would as well. Without the infants, none of the genitors wanted to live on and no one wanted them to be enslaved or mined for their tech.
It was silent in the Metro Districts as out on the highways emergency vehicles flew through the night searching for stragglers and a huge armada lifted off from the Ready-Go flight line, the various depots around the planet, Ceres and the forward bases. All of them were pointing toward the space where an anomaly, a huge huge anomaly had appeared. They were gathering to defend the system from Paladin's armada which appeared out of nowhere between Uranus and Neptune.
=0=TBC 11-1-2021
