The Diego Diaries: Incident: Stuck (dd8 246)
Note: Getting hit by a car is a weird experience in itself but trying to bounce back is a hit or miss thing, literally. When you think you're flying, then fall like a rock … like that. I'm going to write ahead when I write so I can put one out every day like usual. I literally hate not writing on my schedule. The boys go mad in my head and there's no appeasing them. :D HERE WE GO!)
=0=Ops Center, Mars
"I believe it might be a good point to send a drone into the nebula to find a place where we can begin hunting them. Given that no one is aware of how safe it is using bridges so close to The Ruins, I think unmanned is a good way to start," Optimus said. He glanced at Starscream. "I will leave that in your expert servos."
Starscream smirked. "Good call," he said with his silky voice.
Snickers rounded the room as they continued to plan a way to locate, then retrieve their people. Intrinsic to the plan was capturing, neutralizing or eliminating the Decepticon ships and crews.
=0=Out there
The lead Decepticon ship checked in as well.
:Hey, Autobots. What's the situation where you are?: a deep calm voice asked. Nothing in it was smartassed or rough. It sounded educated which was a surprise. :Its fragged up over here:
"This is Sun of Praxus. Nice of you to check in. We were wondering about the reception over there. We can't get frag all from our side of the divide. What about you? I see a ribbon of radiation is keeping you here."
:I could lie and tell you all's well but you and I both know better. You're as trapped as we are: the calm voice said. :I'm Cord from Helex:
Hercy considered the name, a variation of one that he'd heard around. Some of the families gave their kids variations on one or two family names or granted the root name to their kids who varied it to their own. It wasn't uncommon to hear names on a block that were either the same or similar. If you couldn't own much else, you could own your name.
The name itself could have been one of a good dozen Cords he met in his time there.
"You're stuck. We're stuck. How about surrendering now and beating the rush? Or better yet … tell us your story. We'll tell you ours but company first," Sun said as he sat back to sass and counter sass the most interesting Decepticon he'd crossed paths with in a while.
A soft chuckle greeted that. :Well … we came to sort things out. Recon, you know. We buzzed here and there. Very interesting sights were discovered, details taken and the like. You've done recon before. You know the game: the voice said.
"I do. I also know that we're all Cybertronians and we've done enough harm to each other with this slagging civil war to owe a debt to our people and The One to last until infinity runs dry. How about us calling a truce and working together. You know and I do that its better and much easier to make finite supplies of energon last in cooperation than slagging it out," Sun replied.
:I'll take that under advisement. You slagged one of my ships. I like my ships. They're like my children. I hand polish them in my spare time myself: the voice said with a hint of humor.
Sun considered the mech. "Where were you stationed? My brother and I surveyed out to the Outer Rim and the Dead Zone. Our people are everywhere. I gathered about 200,000,000 hits."
:200,000,000 you say? This isn't the best area for them to flee. Its as you can see a pile of slag: he said reasonably.
"Well, the war gave them little choice," Sun said. He was carrying on a commentary off line with 'Jack and Hercy as the two worked out a strategy together. "We have Cybertron and huge colonies on a number of worlds, high class ones. You know them. Why did you shoot up the airfield by the way, slaggers. Two airfields."
There was a pause for a moment. :I guess it was a reflex action: the voice said. :Tell me about Cybertron:
Sun grinned slightly. "Well, its going to be hard to believe but we took it without a shot."
:You're not far off the mark. Who was in charge? Megatron and that punk kid of his can't be. Tell me they aren't:
Everyone who was listening listened with surprise on their face. This 'Con was different in every possible manner known. The conversation was a huge, huge surprise to them on all the ships in the attack group.
"Well, when Megatron left to roam the Delta Quad, that left Starscream. He was injured so badly by Megatron that he defected to us. Let me rephrase that. His group took him to us. Starscream was dying. Now he's Prime's right arm," Sun said then waited.
The voice was silent, then he was back. :I'm not surprised. I saw Megatron beat him half to death for no reason once. I thought it might be a good thing for Starscream to either leave or kill the fragger. I also heard the death order on Seekers. They disappeared overnight and took their own with them:
"They're with us. Millions and millions of them are and the rest are trying to get to us. Rainmaker is alive and so are his sons. He put in the call so no Seeker will stay with anyone but Prime. He and Prime are like brothers," Sun said. "Next came Shockwave. That slagger was too dumb to pour piss out of a boot so he was captured by Prime handily. After that, Soundwave was left."
:Soundwave is a coward and a liar. I wouldn't trust him to tell me the sky was blue. Is he still there?: Cord asked.
"He's a flunky in Prime's command. We overran Cybertron. It was in a very bad way. Everyone was starving, the place was a wreck and it was as lawless and dangerous as you can imagine. Its on its way back. Prime is feeding and caring for them and the local group. Cybertron was nearly destroyed beyond repair but for Prime. No one else could have pulled it off," Sun replied.
It was silent a moment, then Cord was back. :What about Helex?: His tone was tense and soft, the emotions in it obvious.
Hercy spoke. :My name is Hercy and I'm an Immortal from Helex. It was flattened. You know it was one of the first five cities to fall. Right now, we're building it back up and trying to find the missing. A lot of our population is scattered to the wind, stuck in the mess or dead so its hard to say. I would say about 25% of the city is remade:
It would be a while before Cord would reply.
=0=Mars
They walked out of the Ops Center to go to the office in Metrotitan. The Watch Tower was one of many dedicated in that 'official city' where government and commerce kept their headquarters. Walking to the Metro, Drift and Springer walked down and took a seat in a half filled car that was heading toward the Basilica. It would pass through the Titan Districts and drop them at Metro Station 2 in Metrotitan.
It was silent a moment, then Springer sat back stretching his long legs as he did.
Drift glanced at him. "Tired?"
Springer nodded. "This thing with Tell is hard on my nerves. I'm hardly ever affected by slag directed at me but you and Tell … that's a different question." He glanced at Drift. "I hate not being on the mission but I'm glad, too, for him."
Drift sat back. He nodded. "I hear you. When he's well and we have all the arrangements made, we can slide back in. I like that Ammas and Appas can take him most of the time. They have that little corner at the shop with the bassinet for kids when they need to stay."
"They're golden, that little crew. Ravie has your knife by the way. He put a 'good edge' on it for now. When he gets some ununtrium he's going to gild it somehow so that the edge is permanently as sharp as it is now."
"I'll have to go get it then," Drift said as they both rose to step off at Titan. "If that blade is glazed with ununtrium, then I can slice up phase sixers with ease."
"That's the plan, I was told. I don't know how they melt it but they're the metallurgists on call to the Guild when they get it in since the colony started." Springer followed Drift up to the street, then paused as Drift checked Tell. "He's still sleeping. How about leaving him in there. The less he's handled. I think, the better he'll be."
Drift nodded as they continued onward. They would go upward, do work at the office, pace a bit with a fussy baby until he felt better, then go home. They wouldn't take their route tonight. By tomorrow Tell would be better and they'd slide back into their routine. For now, home was where the familiar sounds and sights were and it helped the baby to be there.
=0=Out there
It was silent for a while, then the calm voice of Cord of Helex, Decepticon commander and surprise 'normal' guy was back. :Tell me more about Cybertron:
"It was a nightmare. Elders or those who were too hurt to work were taken to the Dead End and other hell holes to be dumped behind the walls. They were left to starve or survive on their own. Sometimes the 'Cons would come and shoot them for target practice or smelt them alive for their metals. Everyone was starving. Dead were laying on the ground where they fell during the war. No one was able to keep the gangs from preying on what little the people had. It was a living nightmare, the Pit made real," Sun said.
It was silent a moment.
:I can imagine. We've been away since forever. We were assigned to the farthest edge of anywhere that you can name. All the news we ever got was out of date. We knew Cybertron would be bad … Megatron came by to rant and rave. He decimated the troops. A lot of us lost friends. Then he left and no one seemed to be in charge:
"Well, that's over. Prime is. He's raising us up from the gutter where Megatron put us. Sounds like your side is about as happy and prosperous with Megatron as Cybertron was," Sun replied.
:We don't live there anymore: Cord's voice replied with a trace of bitterness.
"How many friends did you lose to decimation?" Sun asked.
:Too many:
Then it was quiet for a while.
=0=Ops Center, Mars
"When is Optimus going to speak to the nation and Earth about this?" Ratchet asked as he rose to leave.
"Tomorrow," Prowl replied. "By the way, you're on for the day after tomorrow. 0900 at the United Nations in New York. I planned the detail and you take your yacht. Details tomorrow."
"When are you going home?" Ratchet asked.
"Home? What's that?" Prowl replied.
Ratchet vented a sigh. "I hear ya. See you in a few," he said as he walked onward to the door beyond.
Prowl watched him go, then sat down to continue planning a rescue in a far away sector of space that had no rules and would never have them.
Ever.
=0=TBC 9-6-2021