The Diego Diaries: (dd8 388)

=0=Hospital Room, Med Center

"Jhiaxus? Isn't he supposed to be dead or in the ozone with Nova Prime?" Springer asked with surprise.

Tell stirred in his arms. All three went silent a moment to watch him, then he relaxed into sleep again.

"He's long gone. Please," Springer said in a softer voice.

"So you'd believe but consider things. Everyone fled. Some fled early reading the tea leaves. Maybe they had a falling out. Jhiaxus is a survivor. He's never go anywhere where he might get hurt or not be free to do his slag," Sky said. "I personally will believe he's gone until he isn't. Given the remarks and the munitions, however, anything could be possible."

"I hope not. I want that fragger gone forever," Drift said with feeling. "What happened then?"

=0=Then

Tinder watched the two staring at him impassively at the news. They were good and there was nearly no tell to give. But the news and its ideas were explosive and the idea of that fragger being alive and working his evil alchemy in the world at large would elicit emotions no matter how good you were. It was so minute he nearly missed it but it was there. He grinned. "I see you find it as fragged as I did."

"Tell me about it," Ratchet said. "I haven't seen that slagger since way back when." Images of the femmes flashed through his processor and he knew this had to be held in a black out condition considering how his daughters would gear up and go hunting if they knew.

"Well, I was in a bar on a neutral world knocking them back. We left and went to a bazaar looking for alien tech and weapons like we always did. Most of us aren't stock if you know what I mean."

Ratchet grinned. "I know. You're going to be in the end."

Tinder grinned at Ratchet as he relaxed. He was going to tell what he felt he could for the opportunities for breaks he might get but nothing more. That he could tell a looker while he did it was icing on the Celebration cake. "Okay." He thought a moment. "There was a gunrunner there who had a lot of good stuff. We bought some things and made an agreement, the three of us to knock him over at night when the bazaar closed. That was fun."

=0=On a side street

They watched the merchant leave as the night deepened. His shop was heavily guarded and primed to blast sirens if probed. It would bring a battalion of droid soldiers who were the policing system of this, a neutral world where anything went and could be had as long as it was kept within the rules of the road.

No slaving or abuse, something that would bring outraged alien races down on them HARD.

No fighting.

No thieving.

Tinder watched as one of the four he was with gently probed the defenses, worked about a good joor to crack the codes and passwords, then the five walked across the dusty street to enter and pillage the place. When they left their subspaces were dragging and their grins were big. A lot of tech and munitions had been gathered together and on the boxes of several were the 'makers marks' and a short message of someone all of them knew, some feared and all loathed.

Jhiaxus.

=0=Here and now

"They dug through the boxes and read the message. The message was a note to the vendors that Jhiaxus was a premium inventor of all manner of tech and weapon and/or weapon systems and that they would be hearing from him through a deeply secured relay system. These weapons were complimentary and if they liked what they had there was more where that came from. Where that was, no one knows. Tinder had the rounds, 35 of them and we recovered 15 with 5 spent, including the 1 in you, Drift," Sky said.

"Then that fragger didn't go, he isn't dead, he's making slag and peddling it, I get dibs on his carcass," Springer said.

"You and all of us both," Sky said grimly.

They chatted, then Sky left.

=0=In the hallway just as Sky was leaving

"Sky, just the mech I wanted to see," Ratchet said as he walked toward the ward where Drift lay. He grinned. "That all the mechs I had to see were as handsome as you, life would be premium all the time," he said with a dazzling smile.

Sky laughed. "What's up, Doc?" he asked. "See what I did there?"

Ratchet laughed. "I did, fellow cartoon addict and father of infants."

Sky nodded sympathetically. "Will I get a full report of your interview with Tinder?"

"Already sent," Ratchet replied. "I just want your word of honor that you won't list Jhiaxus's name on anything yet. I want to use the code name 'Resting Bitch Face' instead of Jhiaxus. Seriously."

Sky scanned the meaning, then chuckled. "Sure."

"There's some of his victims in the colony right now, some who really, really suffered. A lot of them have skills and a pinky promise to track him to the Matrix and beyond if he exists. If they thought he was alive and roaming around they'd pony up and leave to chase him. They have families and a good life here. Unless we get our hands around his neck to bring him here in chains, then use the euphemism. We can't poke at old wounds."

Sky nodded. "Alright. I imagine its a lot of people."

"It is and some of them are very, very good soldiers. They'd think nothing of spending the next million years hunting him and none of us are up to that kind of loneliness and futility anymore. Thanks, Sky," Ratchet said.

"No problem. You explain it to Prowl," he said as he began to walk to the elevator.

"I live to explain slag to Prowl," Ratchet said as Sky entered the elevator.

He laughed, waved and was gone.

Ratchet continued onward to the ward.

=0=Sciences

Samson along with Perceptor and Wheeljack discussed the now secret beyond secret information that Tinder had delivered in the privacy of the two scientist's joint office. It was solemnly silent.

"I want to think that Tinder got it wrong," Wheeljack said as he stared through the window to watch three of his brothers working on science things in a lab across the corridor. His huge family was ecstatically employed in science here and at associated labs where their expertise was golden and welcomed happily.

Their family business was still in the planning phases before it could be presented to the Business Bureau for review and the approval process.

"Both of us do, 'Jack," Perceptor said with a slightly fretful tone. "I agree with Ratchet. We cannot tell anyone that he might actually be free and dealing though I think 'Resting Bitch Face' is a bit common even for him." He practically sniffed, the former high caste and still elegant gent.

"I think it fits," Wheeljack said with a laugh. "Resting Bitch Face it is."

They would chat a while. Samson would head to the Prison at Rocky Point to interview more mechs, then isolate those with information about Jhiaxus to the same cell block where they couldn't spread the news to anyone else. It would be a weeding process but they'd get everyone who even remembered who Jhiaxus even was.

=0=Prowl in Ops Center a bit later

He read the preliminary report as Ratchet walked across the huge room to settle at the table. He looked at Ratchet, then frowned slightly. "Resting Bitch Face?"

"Somehow it fit," Ratchet said dazzling with his biggest and best smile.

Prowl admired it, then sat back. "We can't let this get out. The femmes would leave here and never be seen again."

"That's my idea, them and others," Ratchet said. "I'm leaning toward the idea that the slagger is out there and operating. He's got the know how and the doggedness to make his own empire. That means we have another slagger to slag."

"We will," Prowl said with an iciness that left no doubt of his feelings or desires. "Resting Bitch Face. Get help. By the way, how's Drift and Tell?"

Ratchet grinned …

Ratchet smiled at the baby, then took him into his arms. Tell slept through the transaction. "This is champion stuff," he said as he low key scanned the baby. "Top notch once more."

"He's getting better with sound," Springer said with a trace of anxiety.

"They do," Ratchet said. "When does he start his school?"

"First Wednesday," Drift said. "I don't want him there until I can get up and go along."

Ratchet glanced at Drift's data, then grinned. "Stay flat through tomorrow and I'll let ya go. No riding or policing until I tell you. You have to sit for about three more orns to allow everything to sync and set, then light duty. Understand me. We took a lot out and replaced it with rather nice stuff. I even autographed some of it myself," he said with a giant smile.

They snickered, both of them in spite of everything.

"Do what I say and you'll be back in the saddle in no time," Ratchet said. "Don't and I'll pull rank and put you into restraints for a decaorn."

Drift glanced at Springer, then Ratchet. "Sounds like fun."

They chuckled but the two shaken mechs would comply. Tell would have both fathers accompany him to first day of Deaf Education and Hearing Rehabilitation School in First Wednesday in the Educational Tower in Titan.

=0=Prowl and Ratchet, Ops Center

"That's good news," Prowl said. "I want this slag over. I want to track the fraggers making this, get their vendor list and take down everyone. We can't have effective systems and tech out there pointed against us."

Ratchet nodded. "Does Dad know?"

"Enough," Prowl said. "He's touring prisons on Cybertron seeing what can be done to speed up any rehabilitations that can happen."

"Ever the hopeful mech, Our Dad," Ratchet said with a grin. "What's the total on the slaggers picked up and their outlook? I'm heading for the prison. Anything you want to tell Gee-Gee and Winnie? By the way, go on jobs with her. She's kick ass. So are the titans. All of them were aces, especially Ace."

"He took some rounds," Prowl said with a chuckle. "He wasn't pleased." Prowl consulted a data pad. "We have 5,500 give or take a few % points. New guests for Club Fed. Outlook? Iffy on many, good for a lot."

Ratchet chuckled. "Did you know that Cambre and Parabolus were created at the same time and are the closest friends ever? They share a townhouse apartment in Iacon at the big frame development."

"Yes and leave them alone. That's an order," Prowl said with a smirk.

"No fear. Right now I'm working on Gambian and his secret crush, Preamble," Ratchet said as he rose to go.

"Does he have a secret crush?" Prowl the (Closet) Gossip asked, caught by surprise that the quiet scholar Gambian of Eight Ball fame was secretly sweet on Preamble, a free ranging titan guardian of the planet with Tennyson and a wild aft warrior like Xantium but only in battle. The rest of the time he was just fun with a capital F, played darts like a champion and liked to read.

"No. I'm working on it," Ratchet said as he glanced over his shoulder. He swished out leaving a wake of good vibes behind.

Prowl smirked as he watched Ratchet leave. "You're certifiable. But fun. And … certifiable." Prowl grinned then got back to work again. "Resting Bitch Face," he muttered softly, then chuckled. "Fits him, the fragger."

=0=Cybertron

Prime stared at the facility, one of fifteen on world, a prison for over 10,000 Decepticon soldiers who had come with ships to surrender to the overwhelming futility of continuing. Many of them were young, hungry and rough edged due to fear, fighting at too young an age to rebound easily or sheer meanness. Others were just conscripted or came because they were afraid to stay where they were.

Gee-Gee, Winnie and the Director for Prisons on Cybertron, a mech named Propane explained the scene to Prime, Hard Drive, Ironhide and the Director for Prisoner Rehabilitation in the system, an older tough looking mech named Gunner.

Prime listened, then the group walked forward to go through the maze of gates toward the cell blocks within. Some would rage at the sight of him, some would be silent with awe, surprise, fear and hopefulness. Some would call out for mercy and get it, some would beg for release because they had to find someone and would, some would call for his helm and not get it. Prime would feel compassion and pain the entire time as he surveyed those who were still lost to the fading criminal paradigm of the past.

=0=TBC 3-13-2022

ESL

Just in case I never explained this one, ESL darlings:

paradigm: (pair-uh-dime) a pattern or model of something: the Decepticon rule of Cybertron with its violence and hopelessness was a paradigm of their life. Living with Prime's rule and its 180% change is a new one, the way of peace, possibility and prosperity for all. The way we're living now with war, pestilence, poverty and bullshit is the ruling paradigm for now but it won't hold. They never do. Even the hardest core people I know are done with this. When the new one comes and IT WILL, then it will be fast and driving the narrative for you and me. BELIEVE. (Know you are UNCONDITIONALLY loved.)

looker: slang for a good looking person

Dear Readers, :D

I'm diverging from canon (possibly) about the Jhiaxus-Nova Prime narrative (maybe) and if this works out its going to be a parallel dimension to canon (hopefully) that I'm totally responsible for (nope) so buckle up. If I fall on my face, BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHA! If it works, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Hugs, pie and much love,

Nana