The Diego Diaries: Taking Stock (dd8 311)

NOTE: I was so sick yesterday I couldn't get out of bed. I think I got food poisoning. I can't eat rich food anymore and nothing is more so than Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. I hope everyone is good and on their feet. I am at last.) :D

=0=Ironhide

He watched as a cruiser was lifted slowly into the air by two overhead ships that were 'tow trucks'. That is, they towed vessels of any size up to battleships and moved them elsewhere. They also worked at the shipyards both here and at Saturn as well as the Industrial Park Cities doing heavy lifting. They were taking the cruiser which was nailed together with rivets and welding wire to another place over the line of sight of the curve of the rump of Mount Olympus so that it would be set down and taken apart.

Ratchet had just left after checking with him about the imminent moment when the colony would be slowly released to the streets once more. They'd chatted, then Thanksgiving had popped up in the conversation.

"Oh frag," Ratchet had said with a frown. "Its a trend, Ironhide. We're not going to have a normal life like everyone else. I had the best trophies, too."

"Save them," Ironhide said. "Maybe we can organize something for Christmas Surprise."

"And have it where? Prime and Prowl are out of business for hosting the party and so are we. I don't suppose you and I will be boarding elsewhere at Christmas but I have little hope for Prowl and Optimus."

They'd commiserated a while, then Ratchet jogged onward to do his part of this, the liberation of the colony from the shelters. Ironhide brooded on things as he did. While he was thinking about darker issues the cruiser lifted upward and was flown in a circuitous route to the open plain beyond the Industrial Parks where it would be cannibalized into scraps after everything of interest and value was salvaged.

=0=In the lobby of a semi destroyed building

Optimus and Prowl waited in the lobby of their building while around them workers and engineers were seeing to the solidity and what repairs would be needed to make the tower safe and sound for habitation again. Two ships were overhead filled with instruments helping them as they clambered their own gear up the stairwells. The elevators would be offline until the towers above were added, so destroyed was the infrastructure of the building.

Optimus has sent Springer and Drift down below to find his genitors and children, then bring them up ahead of a more general release. They would be taken to The Fortress and their new temporary homes until they could come back here to live. He would see to it that any distress they had would be private and not on display for others.

Most of the floors from the lobby to the eighteenth had proven safe and would allow those individuals to come home again. Everyone else from the eighteenth upward would be living elsewhere until things were once again up to the high standards everyone built toward and was used to having.

The sound of heavy doors slamming drew their attention as through a series of cybertanium firewalls the small group approached. Tagg was carrying Possibility and Kes, Miracle. The little mechs were tagging along behind them. The other children were in carryholds. They looked delighted to see the two and hugged them tightly.

"We were so worried for you, son," Kes said. "We knew you would prevail."

"How are things, Orion? Are you and Prowl alright? This is such a terrible thing to happen but we knew you would take care of it," Tagg said.

Everyone stared at Prime as he looked at them with love and a trace of sorrow. "I have to tell you that there is damage to a few places, some of it light while others are much more terrible. There is no good way to say this but I have to tell you that a shuttle crashed into this building and took the top four floors with it."

They stared at him a moment in silent surprise, then Rambler stepped closer. "Atar … do you mean that our houses are gone?"

Optimus picked Rambler up and hugged him. He looked pained and grief stricken. "I am afraid that is so."

Kes stared at him like he'd been struck.

Tagg glanced at him, then his son. "Then we have to do what we must. What would you have us do, Orion?" he asked. He slipped his arm around Kestrel who stared at Prime with astonishment.

"We will go to The Fortress and live there until our homes are rebuilt. We have The Residence and we have apartments ready for you and anyone else who needs them. I am sorry that this happened. I do not know what to say-"

"Say nothing," Tagg said as he touched his son's arm gently. "We know everything was done. I know that everyone is alive and there's another orn to do things. Do not take blame nor feel sorrow. We are together and nothing matters more."

They stared at him, then Prime picked up T-Bar as Prowl picked up Spirit. Prowl glanced at the door, then the group. "I don't want any of you to look up when we leave here. I don't want you to see this when we go. We'll fix it but for today, don't look back. It'll only be temporary," With that, he walked toward the door.

The others followed.

Spirit looked upward then burrowed into Prowl. He was silent all the way to The Fortress.

=0=At the prison

The huge temporary space where the captured Decepticons were held was tense and noisy. They were brought here under heavy guard, given the riot act, then placed in pens. They were the usual transitional types, open sides, a place to sleep and sit but little else. There weren't even monitors to deliver entertainment for this, a large group of restless angry mechs.

Gee-Gee walked along the road that fronted the cells, staring at the hard cases inside. "This group here is a poor prospect for rehab. The kids are separated from them and I have high hopes for those. Right now, these don't appear to be going to yield good fruit."

Winnie nodded. "They're mostly a criminal element as a perusal of their gang tats and what little we have have configured so far. The ships when shredded might give us more."

"I hope so," Gee-Gee said as they continued onward toward a lock up that was holding the violent and dangerous of this group. They would be a smaller sample but hold twice as many problems as the others. It would be a long night for both of them when the darkness fell once again.

=0=In the cities around the colony, down deep in the shelters

:May I have your attention. This is Optimus Prime:

The rooms all over the colony stilled as everyone listened to the audio of Prime's voice.

:We are working hard to get the colony back on line but there are still problems that must be solved. We are going to do controlled release of the shelters in the city locales and I want you to understand the rules and new restrictions placed on the colony to protect everyone and to ensure that the efforts of those working are not affected by doing so. These are temporary measures and will be lifted when things are restored.

"We are releasing Aerie Hill, the four Seven Cities locales, the Metro Districts, all of them and the Tri-Cities. Not to be released yet are the Crater Districts, all of them and all other unannounced areas. We are going it this way for serious reasons and I want everyone to listen even if your home has not been mentioned yet.

:We believe we have accounted for all exploded ordinance and ammunition. If you are released and find something, no matter what you think it is that we might have not discovered yet call us immediately through the Emergency Response Center or the Watch Dispatch Center. Do not attempt to handle it yourselves. We do believe we have it all but its always good to be aware.

:All work in the colony but for essential workers such as Watch men and femmes, medical and military personnel are asked to stay home until further notice to allow the removal of downed ships, repair of damaged homes and the inspection and rebuild of the train and Metro systems of the colony. All of them are damaged and the Metro lines are all out of order until further notice.

:You will be asked to go to your homes and stay there minus emergency circumstances. All businesses but the essentials will be closed. Schools are closed. Medical attention and other deliveries will be made by the military and Watch in conjunction with the Office of the C.M.O. Use the systems for such things but understand that the wait may be longer than usual because of demand. We hope and have the expectation of your understanding.

:No one may go out and roam around. If you do not have a good reason for being out you will be detained. You may not go to sites where things have happened as your presence is going to slow down recovery.

:There are many signs of damage visible and many invisible. The Crater Districts and Seven Cities-West are without power and will be on a sharing plan that allows everyone to have full access to power every four joors. Rerouting everything, we can deliver it for four joors at a time then reroute it to others, rotating to keep disruption minimal.

:We understand that some of you will suffer losses to your homes. I will as well. But we do not want drama while we work to repair and restore our functions and way of life. I know this is traumatic and urge you to call for help if need be. There is no stigma among our kind to do that.

:I would like this to be calm and orderly. When you are called to come up, go to your homes and remain there. When the all clear is made, you can go about your business but I do believe that the next few orns will be home centered.

:The Tri-Cities and Metro Districts are now free to leave the shelters. Everyone one who lives in the Terra Hub but for Terra itself is freed to come up. Terra must wait a bit longer due to the number and kinds of damages that have been found there.

:The Watch and those who live and work in your buildings that are part of the security will lead you up when its time. Anyone who does not feel that the rules apply to you will be taken into custody. Everyone feels the strain because of these events. Do not add to them. When you are topside please go to your homes.

:No transportation system is up and running as of yet as we systematically check over our entire infrastructure. Until they are found to be safe and sound, no one will be allowed to travel on them. Any elevators that are not sound will be marked 'out of order'. Believe and obey those signs. If you need help call your building superintendent. Go there and await more information. For now, you are allowed to go directly toward home. Optimus Prime, out:

It would take a little bit to get everyone moving upward. Slowly and surely they would climb out of the shelters to go into the colony to look at what was outside for a moment before heading toward home. Some would see no changes. Others would see many. Some would be taken from the area to be rehoused elsewhere. Among them would be Ratchet's elders and the kids.

It would be a sober group of colonists that would leave the under ground to go home.

=0=TBC 11-27-2021

Stigma: (stig-muh) a mark against. Belonging to a crime family would be a stigma against those members who didn't want a criminal life. Their name would stigmatize or mark them poorly.