The Diego Diaries: Visitin' (dd8 156)
=0=There
Prowl stood by the front door of the apartment of the two femmes staring through the holes in it to watch the apartments across the hallway. Those two and the five on this side were the culprits from the looks of the shooting on the corridor walls. They were silent now, obviously worried about what he would do stealthing around.
"Prowl!"
"I'm here," Prowl replied calmly as he moved back from the door.
It was good that he did because shooting erupted against it until it splintered and flew off its hinges. It clattered to the floor beside him noisily. It became silent again. Then the voice called out. "PROWL!"
Prowl stared through a hole in the wall to an apartment across the hallway noting that a couple of mechs with big guns were standing by it with their weapons in servo. He waited silently, testing their nerve. :Call for me, Ratchet. Make it good:
Ratchet glanced at Prime, then called out. "PROWL!"
The sound of his voice seemed hollow, like it would in low atmosphere. It was silent on both sides.
"PROWL! ANSWER ME!" Ratchet replied playing up the emotion and disquiet in his voice. "PROWL!"
The silence following that was heavy and thick.
Then Ratchet moved slightly. "SLAGGERS! I'm going to see what you did to Prowl. You shoot me and all bets are off. Understand?"
"Stay where you are," the voice said.
"Frag you," Ratchet said but he stayed where he was.
Prowl was now a free agent.
=0=In the basement
They disabled the elevators but for one that they'd use if the plan needed it. The override would take a lot more than a group of people from a back wood community long away from the homeland and its ever growing technological edge. It was dark in the basement. All of the electricity was discontinued with messaging about it sent and pinged in receipt by everyone who lived there.
About three apartments had medically fragile occupants who had their emergency power back ups running. On top of that, a team of Watch medics and the Emergency Center call out doctors were working their way toward those apartments using stairs after landing on the roof pad that every tower had in the colony. They'd be checked, if necessary removed and otherwise cared for.
Down below on the street the crowd had grown, some of them friends of those in the building, some who lived there themselves waiting to go home and interested bystanders. The police and military presence, that of the Emergency Response Command Center and crowd control experts kept things organized. News people filmed, flagged individuals for reports and waited like everyone else for the standoff to end. It was very tense and tedious waiting for word.
=0=Earth 1
The lounge held a number of individuals including Brandon and Susan Clark. They'd heard the news on their news feed, one generated with the help of IntraCom and the MCA to supply a ticker of events, etc for the local human population. Their news feeds, programming created here by them and their local newspapers were even fed to Earth for those who wanted to have them.
They did. In numbers.
Everyone was pleased to get Mama Fig's lasagna recipe, the latest menus and events at The Resort, educational meetings, the minutes of the Ladies Auxiliary of Autobot City and other important hoo-haw that animated, informed and brought solidarity to the humans on world. It was amusing and intriguing that a real human community lived so familiarly on another planet. Even academics were studying the material.
Having read the report, many migrated to the lounge to watch on the big screen as the event played out in City 4. It was as slow as any similar event on Earth. What was different was how many sitting in the lounge were friends with individuals at the scene caught by the cameras or interviewed by reporters. It would never be the case on Earth.
"It amazes me how small town this still feels even though we have a quarter of a billion people living here. The human population is now just below 100,000 with more of Prima Station coming on line," Brandon said. "I remember when we could all fit in the same room together."
"I remember that," Marcie who was a teacher at the International School here onsite replied. "Its growing every day. I hope this works out. Some of the refugees must be really messed up."
"It has to be caste stuff again," Susan said with a sigh. "That poison has lasted so long in their history that its folly to believe it'll die out any time soon."
"I hope it does," Colin said. He was a plant manager for agriculture and lived here with his wife, son and daughter. "Its sickening, that kind of thinking. How can you leave anyone behind? Its not the Autobot Way and its not ours."
"No," Brandon said as Inferno walked over to Red Alert with a datapad on screen. "Its not ours at all."
=0=Ravel and Tie
They sat on the couch watching the television. It was tense.
"This is so unfortunate," Ravel said with his usual fretting unease. "They have to get help. This is not going to end well if they don't. I wish it would."
Tie slipped his arm around Ravel's shoulders. "We'll get it to them. Sometimes change is a process."
"It must be caste trouble. Do we have any other anymore?" Ravel asked.
Tie thought about it. "A few gangs and the odd freak out. But no. It appears that's our tender spot still."
They watched together as children recharged all around them oblivious to the drama.
=0=Arrival
They met together at the police line, Chevron and Neo, Mraz, Templar, Gravitas, Burris, Fenix, Vinn and Proteus.
"This is horrendous," Neo fretted. "We have to play our part to end this. We were responsible then and we're responsible now."
"Neo, you may have had responsibility then but not now. These are adults with their own burdens. If you don't forgive yourself having redeemed yourself with good works you will never be free or truly happy," Chevron chided gently.
Mraz, Gravitas and Templar nodded in agreement.
"It's hard but necessary, Neo," Gravitas said. "If anyone knows that its me." He glanced at Chevron. "All of us are here to help. What do you suggest, Lord Chevron?"
"Let me speak with Inferno," Chevron said as he slipped under the barricade. He was met by a Watchman who walked him to Inferno. They would then fall into discussion that would take a moment. The rest would watch from nearby.
=0=There
Prime leaned against the wall, then glanced at the group waiting in the stairwell. He glanced at Springer, then the others. :I want us to leave this exposed position:
:If we move, they shoot: Springer said grimly.
"You in the apartment. This is Optimus Prime. I am withdrawing my mechs from this place. If you shoot we will shoot back and there is a team waiting in the stairwell to make it punishing. We are pulling out of this spot now."
It was silent a moment, then Prime glanced at Drift. :Go:
Drift glanced at the others, then cautiously rose to stand. Limping forward, he slipped through the door and out of sight.
Prime glanced at Springer, then nodded.
Springer hesitated, then rose and limped out.
:Ratchet, I want you to find Prowl and hold where he is. Keep it unnoticed: Prime said.
Ratchet nodded, then rose to leave. A gun clicked nearby so he froze. "If you shoot me, slagger, I guarantee that my old mech will have your helm in his collection by dawn." He then limped to the door and entered. Turning right, he slipped into the apartment, stealthed to where Prowl was crouched by the gaping hole where the door was, then sank down to wait beside him.
Prime glanced at Magnus. :Go next. I am right behind you:
Magnus stared at him, then nodded curtly. With effort, he stood, then limped to the door to disappear. Prime was right behind him.
It was silent in the corridor once more.
=0=The Hourly News: LATEST BREAKING NEWS!
Lim-Lee was reading the news while Aleph and Gen-O sat beside her waiting to continue their commentary about the situation. "The latest information is unchanged, though a small spate of shooting broke out a moment ago. It didn't last long and has ended. What's new is that several buildings in City 4 that house newly returned refugees that've been tentatively identified as coming from the planet, Meadow Lands have barricaded themselves inside their apartments. The Watch is currently surveilling 32 apartments that have done so apparently on orders of their defacto leadership.
"It's not known that the others in that group have done the same. The Bureau of Refugees has released information that there are 340 apartments that are homes to refugees from Meadow Lands. They're currently calling them to check on their well being. It's indicated that they're not answering calls.
"At the moment, the Watch is dispatching medical and policing teams to these buildings to wait until further notice in case there's a problem. No one is stating that there is but no chances are being taken. All of the buildings are in the same block since the group asked to be housed together.
"The buildings that are currently being evaluated are Tomsa Tower, Medusa Tower and Brightman Tower in City 4, Crater District 7. If you live there you're encouraged to stay inside, lock your doors and make no gestures toward any newcomers there until this is sorted out. A Watch presence is going to monitor the situation. If you're home, stay there. If you aren't, please go to your home and stay there. This is a fluid situation and we're going to update you as we go.
"There are no reports of casualties and the shooting is not understood at the moment. The communications officer of the Watch is holding any information on these matters, if it exists, until further notice. The idea is to de-escalate the situation to bring it to a safe and hopefully peaceful conclusion. They ask that you stay away from that part of City 4 which is the block of 13th and Black Rock Avenue as well as 14th and Severn Place Road. Until this is sorted out, the Watch has closed off those streets.
"I've just received a bulletin from the Autobot City Unified School District. The president of the School Board, Federal Judge No-A of Kaon has issued a notice that school for both private and public students from City 4 is canceled until further notice. There will be no bus service and genitors are heavily discouraged from attendance for their children until the full scope of this situation is understood. The School District is committed to the safety of all its students. No penalties will be assessed to any student missing classes, exams or presentations. City 4 students will not attend school until the all clear is given."
Lim-Lee glanced at a solemn Aleph and Gen-O. "Well, this is a good call. What do you think, gentlemen?"
They would discuss it as they waited for more news.
On both ends of the local social media trail:
=0=Bullhorn
"What the frag, more caste crap." -DoggoLuvr
"It has to be. That ship sailed. My bond's genitors were high caste. The Diaspora burned that out of them. What now? What if they decide to rampage?" -Cost-A-Del-Soul
"My amma was high caste. She met my Naneth on the trail. They weren't a caste match but it didn't matter. They love each other and my ada is the greatest mech. He was their only child. If they hadn't come together I wouldn't be here. What's the matter with them?" -BubbyGrl
"It takes a while. Thank Primus that this place exists. We've been here since the second migration when it was a dirt patch and everyone lived underground. I wish they'd come here in a right mood. This is so fragged. Who got shot up there? You know they had to have shot someone." -DownWithMe
"It better not be Prime. I'd hate to have Prowl on my aft." -SoljerBoi
=0=Autobot Underground
"This is such a flaming pile. Between the gangs and this slag, I think Prime's too lenient." -GoBot
"What are you going to do? Get your popgun and shoot someone? Let them do what they do. Prime built this from the ground up by being Prime. Don't be stupid." -MetaBoi
"Who you calling stupid, stoopid?" -GoBot
AUTOMATIC RESPONSE: GoBot, your posting privileges are revoked for two orns due to violation of TOS against violence and ad hominem attacks. Check the home page under Terms of Service to continue participation here. Thank you for your cooperation. -Moderator 16B
And so it would go.
=0=TBC 5-6-2021 edited 05-13-2021