The Diego Diaries: Stuff (dd8 386)
=0=On the way to the Medical Center
Ultra Magnus walked along the street, a magnificent specimen of the Cybertronian male. He was incredibly tall, though just a tad shorter than Prime but everywhere else his equal in dignity and integrity. He wove his way through the crowd managing himself among the smaller versions of his people, a version that was more universal than himself.
There were many big frames among the non-titan class of Cybertronians. Bulkhead and some of the others even among the mini-cons were massive powerful mechs. But now and again there were some who were like Magnus, a near Primal frame who was powerful on a scale that beggared the imagination.
He entered the hospital, consulted at the desk, then took an elevator upward to Intensive Care. It would deliver him in seconds.
=0=In the room in the Intensive Care Unit
"Magnus is coming."
"How do you know?" Springer asked Ratchet who was lounging comfortably in his chair next to the berth that held Drift.
"I have all my 4,000 children's energy signatures on my active sensor file and all their spousal units, their kids and pets. That way I can decide whether I want to open the door or not," Ratchet said with his best smile.
Even Drift laughed.
A big mech opened the door and stepped in, pausing long enough to scope out the three. He closed the door, then stepped closer, drawing a chair to sit himself. "How are you doing, Drift?" he asked the brother-in-law that he actually liked a great deal because they shared a number of stoic virtues.
"I'll live," Drift said predictably. "You're here about the streamer?"
"Among other things," Magnus said truthfully. Once he got past the Decepticon part, the Autobot body count and other *THINGS!* Drift was easy to like. He also admired the way Drift brought discipline and a more sensible manner out of the more mercurial Springer. Drift was ice to Springer's fire. Magnus was also pleased like the rest of the family that the two decided to become fathers, something that everyone in the family knew they were discussing off and on for a long time.
Drift grinned. He really, really liked Magnus. The two, oddly enough, had a great deal in common. "It was in the middle of a pile up that someone started shooting. I caught the round square on and it was … we have to put an end to this."
Magnus nodded. "I have begun an investigation into this. It violates several accords in the Tyrest Treaties. This munition cannot come here, Springer. We have to find out where this came from, who made it and put stop to it."
"I called Forensics-Firearms this morning and they told me that they detect some elements of the field casing that aren't typical of our people's manufacturing process. It seems that someone else makes them and these slaggers got hold of them. As soon as that group recovers enough to talk I'm going to grind them down until they tell us. We need to find out who makes weapons that can kill us and end their business," Springer said with a hard edge.
"I agree wholeheartedly," Springer said. "If you can send the information to me it will help my investigation as well. When you interview them I want to be there. What about ship databases and the like? If we know where they've been we can use that to help us track the slaggers."
"Forensics is working on it," Springer said. "Sky will let us know. I'll tell them to cut you into the loop. Prime is pretty well fragged off over this, too."
Magnus nodded. "How are the children doing? Were there more than a couple who found their families?"
Ratchet nodded. "Four. We found a couple when the search was finished on the database. Its one long, long list." …
The little red and black mech stared at the two ghosts of his deepest dreams, a small femme and mech Seeker who bore his colors.
They stared at him with an almost overwhelming expression of hunger. Then the femme stood. "Cardinal. You're here. We've looked for you forever," she whispered.
Cardinal glanced at his social worker and his counselor, then hesitantly walked toward the two. He paused before her, his ada. She was still taller but not by much. She stroked his face, touched his shoulders, then enveloped him in an embrace. He joined it, hugging her tightly. The mech stood and embraced all three of them. It was as murkily silent with emotions as anywhere at anytime in their long unfolding tragic recovery.
Ratchet glanced at the counselor and social worker who were watching the three carefully. :This is going to be weird for their little trine:
The social worker glanced at him, then nodded. :I think they should all stay together as a family. Its going to be weird for the boys to let someone else make decisions and take care of them, they've done it alone so long. That's going to cause some friction, I feel, but its going to be better for all in the long run. Going back to genuinely being a kid will be a process for all of them. Doing it together with Cardinal's family will be golden for everyone of the kids and these two concerned. This has really boosted us in the community:
:That's gold to me, Harley. What about the other infants?: Ratchet asked.
:They're with his genitors. It was a wild affair. The entire child family was there: Harley said. :All of them understand we're going to help them and monitor things. This family as well:
:I wish I could tell you how happy I am. I just wish it was faster: Ratchet said.
:Me, too but the mass of Seekers out there will help us do this better. When the Triggers are back we're going to pinpoint rescue. Until all of them are here we won't rest: Harley said as the counselor, M-27 nodded in agreement. :No one is left behind amongst any of us:
"Until all are one," Ratchet said. "If you're good here I'll head back. I have lunkheads to fix."
They both grinned.
"We're good. Thanks, Ratchet," Harley said.
"No. Thank you," Ratchet said as he walked to the door and out. He closed it, then saw all the optics turn toward him with expectation. He grinned. "Cardinal is glad to see his family. I hope you know that the little family he already has is going to be confused but included into Cardinal's family. Its hoped that everyone can recover better with Cardinal's genitors. Help them with this change."
"It is done. I have spoken," Rainmaker said as he stood up to glance around.
Everyone nodded and murmured agreement.
"You're a work and wonder, Rainmaker. Why, I was telling Ironhide the other orn, I think I have a new mech to adopt," Ratchet said to raucous laughter all around.
Rainmaker laughed. "I might take you up on the offer."
Ratchet laughed, chatted a moment, then stepped out.
Cardinal would keep his little trine as he transitioned into the comfort of his genitors. They would mesh amazingly well, showing the newcomers all around as they marveled at their new life together. Walking around Aerie Hill and eventually the bigger urban centers beyond with a child's servo in each hand, the little trine family of Cardinal embraced their 'ada and atar' with both hands. The two embraced them back as tightly as well.
The other children would take a bit longer but Raider and his brothers would finally, finally accept that the good can happen even to them.
Win-win for a change.
=0=Intensive Care
"That's wonderful news," Magnus said.
"It is. Raider was so filled with responsibility that it might take longer. His brothers are younger and more timid so this was a huge good for them. Raider has more difficulty in just being a child but they have oceans of support in the medical and Seeker community. And I've never seen a kid more sure that his family was coming for him.
"Harley mentioned that pinpoint rescues for the Seekers will happen when the Triggers go on line. Any news on that?" Ratchet asked.
"I've heard a preliminary plan was submitted. There are more children out there that need rescue along with other Seeker groups. Many of them are with adults and others are nearby that they can't reach but are in contact with. I hate this so much," Magnus said.
"You and me both," Ratchet said as that disconcerting news filtered downward. "The ones they can't get to. Are they safe?"
"They are," Magnus said. "The adults are directing them long distance and have stealth plans. I hope they can wait."
"You and me both," Springer said. "Even with this and Cybertron getting better, we still live a fragged life."
Magnus nodded then rose. He glanced at Drift. "Get better soon."
Drift nodded back. "Then we can go hunt."
"Count on it," Magnus said grimly. "I will be in touch." With that, he walked to the door and left.
Ratchet stared at the slowly closing door. "Poor Magnus. He has no idea how handsome he is."
Laughter greeted that.
"Then he has my problem, too," Springer said to maximum acclaim.
=0=Ops Center
Three orns had passed by since the end of the debacle. They'd come in force and made it count. The odds and ends were still before them. Rescue of the kids had been paramount and they were taken into the community by the Seekers like a rock landing in the ocean. Embraced, disappearing, still water.
Safety.
Then there was the issue of streamer munitions. That was a energon boiler. They were well known among the upper echelons of Autobots who hunted down the slaggers who had made this, a Jhiaxus experiment cum nightmare. They hadn't been seen in eons, necessitating a now forlorn belief that they were done with, so they were mostly forgotten about until now. They nearly lost a mech to them and it wouldn't be allowed to stand. The most preliminary information seemed to indicate that an unknown entity had made them for sale to anyone out there though whether they were Cybertronian or not was still unknown.
Apparently, the Decepticons were a big enough scourge for a lot of species and had thus prompted the creation and/or hunt for weaponry powerful and extreme enough to kill them before they killed. Who knew how many possessed this highly effective and most deadly weapon.
Then there was the issue of Ominous. It was determined by triangulation that he was the one deflecting the messages from their grids into space. It was only an act of mercy by The One that they were able to be told that this was happening by the felinoid species that intercepted one. Only because they had integrity and mercy did they send the message to them.
Prowl sat back to muse. He'd scanned Ominous's turf. It wasn't much bigger than before. The last time they came to his redoubt his soldier count stood at 88,000 give or take a mech. His ships were formidable but not enough to trouble Prime if he went against them. How they would punish his aft was to come. Right now, they had to rearrange their arrays to bypass his sorry aft and still get all the messages that might reach them.
That part had been accomplished yesterday. What mattered now was vengeance.
Yes, Prowl was a hard aft fragger.
=0=Meanwhile in the Pioneer School doing 'time'
"Then you put this in here." Hero put 'this' in 'here' as her big old pa, grandpa, great grandpa and great great grandpa watched. She was delightedly happy and with her bestie, Ferie she was making watercolor paints to do a picture of "ALL MY GRANDPAS AND MY ATAR! RIGHT, FERIE?!"
"RIGHT!" Ferie agreed.
The four big mechs, Ironhide, Blackjack, Raptor and Hard Drive watched with immeasurable pride as their little Princess worked out the ingredients toward making red, black, yellow, blue, green, orange and purple. When they were done they would make pictures. Hero would make one of the four of them.
It would be ADORABLE.
Like her.
And Ferie.
=0=TBC 3-10-2022
Notey note notes:
Stoic, stoicism: a philosophy that places a high value on rationalism, the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings or complaint. The founder, Zeno of Greece states that virtue, the highest good, is based on knowledge; the wise live in harmony with the divine Reason (also identified as Fate and Providence) that governs nature and are indifferent to the vicissitudes of fortune and to pleasure and pain. In a nutshell, Magnus.
Vicissitudes: the quality or state of being changeable, in other words, if someone gives you a shit sandwich, a stoic will eat it without complaint. Vicissitudes are the changes that happen or change, known or not, good or bad.
Mercurial: emotionally all over the place. Going from emotion to emotion in seconds.
I love words. :D:D:D
