What Makes No Difference Is No Difference (WMNDIND 7)

(PS Hero's first day of school can be found in The Chronicles of Orion, #15) :D

-0-On the ground

They drove onward and found themselves catching up to traffic. Cars of the non sentient variety lined the shoulders of the road as people parked to look at something. Both of them slowed, then stopped extending their sensors outwardly as they did. There were mostly individuals that didn't look to have an official capacity although their understanding of the planet was sparse to nil.

:What do you think is going on, Ironhide?: Springer asked over their comm link.

:I don't know. Pony up and let's go see: he replied.

A momentary rerouting of a number of things and a better resolved image of the man driving the big black pickup truck could be seen. The door opened as he stepped down to walk toward a low ditch that separated the road from the people rubber necking nearby.

Another door opened as Springer's holographic image stepped out joining Ironhide's. They could have been related although that wasn't the intention. They'd just chosen formats to utilize from the same file.

Ironhide smirked. :I see you're as lazy as I am:

:Goes without saying, 'Hide: Springer said as they began to head toward the large group behind a yellow line of tape reading 'crime scene'. They reached it and angled through until they could see better.

Three men were standing together watching with their own trucks parked nearby.

"What's up?" Springer's hologram asked.

One of the men glanced at him. "There's strange things going on out here."

"Really," Ironhide's hologram asked. He was a big holographic male of the human species, clad in jeans and a white work shirt. His hair was black with salt and pepper flecks of gray. Blue eyes, almost too blue looked at the human male levelly. "What do you mean strange?"

The two men with him turned to Springer and Ironhide. "There's ships flying over this area that do things no Earthly plane can do. They take off, fly straight up and stop in mid air. They're looking for something. They're scaring everyone around here to death. The dairy down the road has a whole herd that's dried up."

"I see," Springer said sympathetically. He had no idea what the man was saying but he knew how to jerk another person along. "What's with the tape?"

"Someone is trying to catch whatever it is. They failed. Sheriff's deputies said there's bodies down in the ravine. Could be that they tried to catch what it was and were fried. They were burned beyond recognition."

"Damn," Ironhide said. "That sounds odd. What do you suppose is doing this?"

"Aliens," another said as the others nodded.

"Because of the way they fly?" Springer asked.

They all nodded.

"They're also killing people. What kind of weapon could burn someone up like that?" another asked.

"Besides your wife's cooking?" the third asked with a smirk.

Guff was handed out, then all turned to watch as the official group began to carry out bagged remains of three unidentified men who'd been found scorched to death in the middle of a burned circle. As they watched that, more cars drove up including two that had government license plates.

Men got out including a rude guy in a suit. He walked to the Sheriff, listened a moment, then began to argue.

The Sheriff argued back, then both walked to the scene that was behind a number of leafy trees.

"We have to button this up," the suit said to the Sheriff.

Springer and Ironhide listened to the argument, the distance no obstacle to their ability to hear. The Sheriff wanted answers, the suit wanted silence. It was a stand off. The suit looked around, watched as men with him took samples, pictures and the usual rundown of evidence collection. When they were done, the suit walked post haste back to the cars. They drove off together.

The three men, Springer and Ironhide watched them. "Who is that?" Springer asked.

"A man named Keller who is supposed to be from NASA. He's been chasing this stuff for a while. I personally think we're being set up for invasion by aliens," the youngest of the three men said.

"You thought the world was going to end last December 21st. How's the credit card debt doing for ya?" another who was his brother mentioned to great hilarity.

Ironhide and Springer laughed, too, although they couldn't explain the joke to save themselves. They took their leave then walked back to their vehicles. Climbing inside, tinting the windows, they de-rezzed and started up. Pulling out, they continued onward.

"This is a strange event," Ironhide mused. "The 'Cons killing humans is strange."

"I think we better tell Optimus and ask him about Keller. That rodent looks like a fragger," Springer replied.

"I agree," Ironhide said.

They stepped it up, turned down a side road and once out of view called for a bridge. They were gone in seconds.

-0-At the base

Mechs came and went through the aperture as the day wore onward. Miko watched them, new bots all, and considered their current circumstances. They were able to do more longer, safely in pairs and all of it required energon. They would either have to steal it, make it or find it. All of it sounded like work.

The bridge flared again as Ironhide and Springer returned. Walking toward Ratchet, they both paused. "Is Prime here?"

"He's gone to see Agent Fowler about a number of things," Ratchet said looking up to both bots. Ratchet was a tall mech, taller than Arcee and Bumblebee. Those two bots were mini-cons. Ratchet was considered average sized but the others were what they called 'warrior class' mechs. Bulkhead was a bruiser and all around king wrecking ball. Springer was big, solid and formidable. He was also about 25 feet tall, she reckoned. Ironhide was genuinely massive, in Springer's range for height but a bigger, more powerful looking bot overall.

Jazz was a mini-con, agile and deceptively strong. He was fast, extremely smart and incredibly brave. He was a saboteur, something that gave her tingles to think about. Sneaking into a place and blowing it up was awesome. But he was still short.

Wheeljack, Ironhide, Springer and Bulkhead were all tall with the first three having the edge over Her Bulk. Dynamite comes in small or smaller packages, she thought with a grin. All of them were great.

"What did you find out?" Ratchet asked.

"There's something going on in sector four where you sent us. They're having UFO reports and sightings. Someone killed a handful of humans with an energon based weapon," Springer said. "No human possesses such weapons as far as I know. Apparently its so bad, a dairy farmer's cows quit giving milk."

Ratchet looked at the two of them and they both shrugged slightly.

Springer grinned. "A couple of humans there thought it significant."

Ratchet mused on it. "Make sure you tell Optimus when he gets back. Tell me exactly where this happened and I can pinpoint it on the map." He walked toward his command station and they followed him to the console. He pulled up a map and they drew closer as they laid down the intel that they'd discovered. As they did, Ironhide rested his arm around Ratchet's shoulders. The smaller mech didn't show any signs that he minded. But he didn't show any that he cared either.

Miko didn't know what to make of it.

-0-Bumblebee and Jazz

They drove along the highway heading toward a site that might have undiscovered energon. The signature indicated that it was untouched and therefore something they might exploit themselves, at least in a hit-and-run operation. Perhaps Ratchet could dampen the signature of the energon so they could take more of it over a longer period of time before the infernal 'Cons made their way there.

"What do you think of the humans, Bee?" Jazz asked over the comm link as they cruised together, two concept cars that were utterly out of place on the long empty expanses of southeastern Utah.

Bee tweeted back, his vocal processors capable of their language but nothing more. It was actually soothing to Jazz to hear. "I like them. They're tough and they're fun. Raf actually understands our language. I don't now how but he does. He's good at math and computers so it probably helps."

"I like him. He's a nice kid. What about Jack and Miko?" Jazz asked.

"They're as different as night and day. Jack is responsible and mature. Miko will run into a battle without thinking about it. Sometimes she's hard to protect. I think she forgets she's human," Bee tweeted back. The landscape beautiful in its stark grandeur flashed past them slowly. "She's Bulkhead in pig tails."

Jazz scanned for 'pig tails' then grinned to himself. "Maybe we can go on reconn together, Miko and me."

"She won't stay put. She'll always be in the middle. I'm surprised any of us are still alive," Bee said. "She's trying to find out about Ratchet and Ironhide."

"I'm not tellin'," Jazz said his tone changing to seriousness. "She's curious but she'll get no where."

"I know but expect her to keep trying. It's her nature," Bee said as they turned off the road onto a smaller, even more dusty one.

"Good to know," Jazz said as he followed along behind Bee, far enough back to miss the majority of his dust. He considered that and the long shower it would take to get his groove back. A mech couldn't be too careful of appearances. You only got to make one at a time before anyone new and everyone here was. If you didn't do it with style, he always said, then why would you do it? He grinned and followed as they drove onward into the gullies and washes of the desert.

-0-Agent Fowler, Optimus Prime and Agent Keller

They gathered at an out of the way place, a big Peterbilt tractor truck, a nondescript sedan and a black SUV. Agent Keller had flown in from a rural backwash about two hours away to have this meet up with Fowler and the Prime of Cybertron. The two men walked to the big truck and climbed inside, closing the doors behind them.

Fowler who disliked Keller with a capital D glanced at him. Keller for his part sat with a certain amount of trepidation and no small matter of angst as he waited.

For something.

Fowler who had talked to Prime prior to this meetup, which in and of itself was unprecedented, looked at the dash. "Hello, Prime. This man with me is Agent Keller of NASA."

The agent looked at the radio, a different kind of installation than first glance would allow and the round disk in the steering wheel of the enigmatic face of their faction. "What now?"

"Say hello," Fowler said enjoying Keller's unease.

He stared at Fowler, then the dash. "Hello, Optimus Prime. This is Agent Keller of NASA."

"Good afternoon, Agent Keller. I am Optimus Prime," a rich deep voice said calmly through the 'radio'.

Keller blinked, then looked at Fowler. He nodded, so Keller looked at the dash. "Mr. Prime, we're having a problem about 200 miles from here involving mysterious ships flying oddly about, excavations here and there and now three humans who were hiking were killed. They were burned to death by a big heat source that scorched not just them but the ground around them in a big circle."

"It would appear that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Agent Keller. We are tracking Decepticon activity in a number of places to ascertain what Megatron is up to. Right now, we are as uncertain of his goals and plans as you are."

"That's not very helpful, Mr. Prime. Not at all. It's my job to assure people that things are just fine in the world. It's my job to tell them that they won't be killed in their beds," Keller said testily.

"We are aware of that as well. We have as much concern for the safety of the humans of this planet as you do. We have expanded our search grids to try and find a pattern to the activity and when we do, we can act. Until then, we can only track them."

It was silent a moment, then Keller leaned forward. "You might put a pedal down, Mr. Prime. If enough people get killed nothing will stop the mess that will follow." He glanced at Fowler, then stepped out of the truck. He walked toward his SUV, a vehicle he'd driven here alone. As he did, the sound of machinery behind him gave him pause. He turned around to see a giant figure take shape, a number of pieces clicking into place. He stared at the sight with astonishment.

Optimus Prime after letting Fowler out transformed. He wanted Keller to see what his people looked like, the size and power of them. He wanted Keller to understand how difficult the problem was and to shoot down any stupid notion that humans could function against the enemy without the Autobots.

Fowler who got it, turned to Keller. "Before you go back and get an idea that our military can do this alone, take a good look at Prime. He's what we're facing. Then be damned grateful that he's here to help. He doesn't have to be but he is. They're here to help us and they've paid the price for it. Make sure you put that in your fucking report, Keller."

Keller looked at Prime for a moment, then turned to walk silently to his car. He entered and drove off, the sound of his vehicle fading along with the sight of him.

As he did, Optimus Prime knelt. "What do you think, Agent Fowler, about all of his concerns?"

"I think he's scared and getting flack. I think he now gets it what we're up against with you transforming. I think he's not trustworthy at all and given the right circumstances would toss us over for advantage."

Optimus looked at the disappearing vehicle now several miles away, then leaned down. "You read my processor," he said quietly.

Fowler nodded in agreement.

TBC 04-28-13 01-23-2021