What Makes No Difference Is No Difference (WMNDIND 3)

-0-Ironhide and Springer, in another time and place

The rain fell on the frontier mining town making a mess of the dirt roads that were the main transport routes through the tangle of houses and businesses that were organized on a grid pattern. It was an old town with very few amenities beyond a large hall and a couple of bars and cafes. The organics who lived here were miners who worked in poor conditions for good compensation. The nearest city or town to this place was a number of hours away over bumpy roads or a series of plane flights. They were isolated and proud of it.

Several walked hurriedly along heading to the main hall nearby where light streamed through the big doors and windows set high in the ceiling. They splashed across puddles hurrying for the doors to enter and disappear inside. If they had taken more time they would've noticed the big dark compressors sitting in an alleyway nearby. They might've noticed a small orangish-red tag near the bottom of the one closest to the street, the large black metallic machine that looked like it weighed tons. But they didn't. They were in too big a hurry to attend the games.

It would be a very big mistake.

-0-Inside

The hall was filled with organics but more continued to come. They sat waiting for the entertainment to begin. This would be the third time this had been staged and they were looking forward to it all day long. The hall had a ring in the middle, a ring rounded by ropes that looked electrified. In the middle of it two small metallic individuals huddled together, their arms around each other. They looked at the crowds with frightened eyes, eyes that glowed with a blue light. They clung to each other with intense fear.

Nearby behind electrified bars, several bigger individuals stood shouting in shrill electronic voices. They stood in abject terror as they futilely cried out for the smaller beings. No one paid them any attention, certainly not the organics standing beside the ring with electronic prods. One of them called for silence. Then the games began.

-0-Outside

The last organic passed and entered the hall. Then all was silent again. The big dark pieces of machinery began to vibrate, then fall apart seemingly reshaping themselves upward. When it was over, two big humanoid figures stood in their places. One of them was green and yellow, his optics brightly looking here and there. The first was massive, utterly black and pissed. He looked at the other with smoke snorting from his pug nostrils, then the two moved forward heading to the hall themselves.

-0-Inside

They looked at each other, crying out their distress to no avail. They looked at their family in the cage nearby crying out to them. It was ghastly, the terror between the two but the organics didn't see it. They might not have been able to understand it and probably indeed had no idea the wrong that was happening here. This group was completely different from them. They were machines. How could machines feel anything or have regard for each other? How would they know they'd overtaken a family and that the smaller beings weren't just smaller versions of the bigger ones, but children.

These metallics had come to their planet to get provisions and had been taken captive. They weren't soldiers. They were a little family, parents, grandparents and a pair of children, a femme and mech. For the past three days the little children were forced to fight each other in the ring. Nothing their family or parents could say or do was met with understanding. Nothing was going to change anything.

They thought.

The infants pushed each other lightly, feigning a fight as they looked around desperately. A prod reached through the ring touching the mech. He cried out, staggering forward into the arms of his sister. She caught him, her own wails filling the room. The family in the cage flung themselves against the bars to no avail. The din of their distress rose up and outward falling on deaf ears.

Inside the hall.

-0-Outside

They hurried to the building, their weapons online. Going to the rear of the building, Springer paused long enough to look in through the windows. What he saw turned his tanks over. Little children, really young ones were inside a ring and it was clear what they were supposed to do. They clung to each other in terror as electric prods tried to poke them. The image would never leave his processor as long as he lived. :Ironhide, they're tormenting children. We have to move:

The big black bot looking through his own windows didn't wait to reply. He blew a hole in the wall and stepped through.

The seating inside was tiered, surrounding the structure on all sides. When Ironhide walked inside, he did so through a newly opened space. Where organics had sat in tiers, there was nothing left. Vapor hung in the air, the residue of their existence as Ironhide took aim and fired. Around him as he did the benches were disintegrating and falling with the spectators on board.

Springer entered through a hole of his own making doing the same. He moved through the mayhem, dodging falling debris from a collapsing ceiling as he headed for the cage where the family stood frozen in surprise. Looking at him with an expression of such incredulity he'd remember it forever, Springer finally reached them.

Ironhide walked to the ring and lowered his servo. The infants clambered aboard and were taken up to his shoulder. They climbed onto it and hung onto him tightly, staring at their family with terror.

Springer who was across the hall firing with abandon made it to the cage and ripped the top off.

Ironhide turning toward the frozen spectators who were just beginning to run, began to blow holes in the walls to bring the entire structure down.

Springer anticipating the possibilities blew a hole in the wall himself, then pulled the cage over to help the family inside climb out of their entrapment into the night beyond.

Ironhide stepped forward crushing the ring beneath his big peds. The snap and flash of electrical circuits shorting out was a brief tingling sensation, then vanished. He continued to where Springer stood by protecting the family. Nodding to Springer, everyone stepped back and the two Autobots leveled the building with their firepower.

It crashed into a blazing pile of debris and arcing electrical surges illuminating their presences into something that seemed demonic. Pings landed against their armor so they turned that direction noting that the organics had organized a resistance. Turning their weapons on them, the organics were soon in retreat scattering into the maze of buildings that made up their city.

Other buildings emptied out as organics paused to stare on terror, then run. With the civilians behind them, Springer and Ironhide walked forward leveling every structure they saw once scanned and free of inhabitants. By the time they reached the airfield where ships were parked, one in the middle of the field and one nearby in an unobtrusive place, few if any buildings would still be standing.

The rain fell heavily turning the ground into mud. Torrents of water flowed down the street as the rain gathered and overflowed the streams nearby in the deep dark forest. Behind them, fires burned away, their fierce light throwing strange frightening shadows everywhere as the city fell into shambles. They could detect organics nearby on their sensors but they didn't bother to challenge the strange party of monsters walking to the airfield, casually blowing all of their houses and habitations to bits. When they reached the field, they paused to scan noting mines nearby. A quick scan indicated that no one was below. Apparently they didn't work when the sun came down.

Organics, Ironhide thought. Inefficient. Glancing at Springer, they both nodded. Both pointed their weapons, aimed and fired. The destruction hit the openings as they continued firing until it was obviously redundant. Under their peds they could feel eruptions as the ores blew up in the blasts and heat.

Turning around to go, they helped the family board their ship, then boarded their own. Together, they rose upward heading into the star studded sky. They would disappear nearly immediately. The destruction below was complete. Many organics would never be accounted for, victims of a 'demonic attack' that would go into the media as a 'strange mine blow out in the colonies' rather than what it was.

An alien war brought on by inhumane treatment of one of their own.

Autobots coming to the aid of refugee civilians in distress.

They pulled into orbit as Springer fed energy to the ship filled with grateful hysterical civilians. Once it was determined that there were no others left behind, Ironhide did one more thing before they both left for safety. He dropped a stationary buoy that would alert any other Cybertronians that this was a system to avoid at all costs.

As they disappeared into the nighttime of space, the buoy would continue to send its signal. Even the Decepticons would honor it for a while. They would stop when it became clear that the ores being mined in this system were energon. Then they wouldn't.

The organics would never know what hit them.

-0-Later

They landed at the refugee camp and military base the Autobots had established in a secured system helping the civilians from their vessel. A short walk to a medical tent and treatment was made, the family nearly abject in their gratitude toward their saviors.

Ironhide and Springer nodded sympathetically, then walked to the command center nearby. Entering, Ironhide paused by the sensor station where Prowl stood. "We found some refugees being abused. They won't be abused again."

Prowl glancing at Ironhide and the languid Wrecker standing with him considered the news. "Good." He keyed the computer next to him. A screen appeared and on it was a signal flowing outward into infinity. "This is emanating from a small solar system and holds promise for us to investigate. We need to find Prime and see what's happening in regard to the AllSpark. I want you and Springer to go. If you need to take anyone else, choose well. I want information as soon as possible. There's sketchy intel that Megatron is in the vicinity, too. If the AllSpark is there, either Optimus has it and is defending it or vice versa. We need to know."

Ironhide nodded. "I'll take Springer and Drift for muscle and Jazz for intel."

Prowl nodded. "Let us know. I'm gathering soldiers and ships. We can come if we know its worth the effort."

Ironhide glanced at Springer. "Go get your partner and Jazz. I'm going to get what we need. Meet me at the airfield."

Springer nodded then walked out the door.

They watched him go, then Prowl looked at Ironhide. "What happened on that planet besides the liberation of our people?"

Ironhide looked at Prowl then shrugged. "You don't really want to know. Suffice it to say, no one there will ever abuse our kids again."

Prowl considered that. "Good," he said quietly.

Ironhide turned to walk out. "See you later."

"I count on it, Ironhide," Prowl said as he turned back to his station.

Ironhide exited the building heading for the airfield. He would load up on energon as would the others. Then he would break down into transitional mode and propel himself into space. Forming up with the others, he would speed forward heading along the Omega Beam's trail to the small nondescript solar system where the last known location of Optimus Prime had been determined.

It would take a while.

-0-TBC 04-17-13 edited 1-16-17 01-23-2021

NOTE: This story reflects the tone of the series which is gritty and a bit hardcore. I'm trying to ascertain Ratchet's attitudes and behavior. He's a dedicated home boy, that's clear. His feelings and love for his home world are the most open thing about him. He interests me, this incarnation of himself. He's G1 in general, a party guy with a sassy temper but this is how he's being presented here for TFP so I want to see what's behind him.

Besides Ironhide.

"WHAT!? WELL, I NEVER!"

"You should, Ratchet. You should." ;)