The Diego Diaries: Kaboom (dd7 18)
=0=Officer's Club, Diego
They fell on the building crashing the front of it down into the building. An explosion inside muffled by their bodies and the crushed timbers of the facade indicated that something unforgiving was damaged and the smell of smoke was immediate.
Ratchet shoved hard sending Rockwell staggering backward. He stepped forward, touched him with a small silver device that he unsubbed, then caught Rockwell as he fell forward unconscious into his arms. Laying him down gently, Ratchet turned to the building as Red Alert came running up.
Pushing Ratchet aside, he hit the site with scans, then began to pull things forward until he saw the flames inside. Transforming a digit, he pointed it at the fire and the flames disappeared under a stream of white fire suppressant. It was over before it could become a bigger mess than it already was.
That was when Prowl and Prime could be seen hurrying to the fiasco with Prowl in the lead. Prime walked briskly behind him, his heavy treads felt in the ground as the crowd who were watching with excitement parted to let them through. \
Prowl reached Ratchet first. {What happened?} he asked as Prime reached the scene.
{He was dunked. Crossing the international dateline and all, then he came back through here. He was furious, we had an off line argument, then he swung on me. I dented his chassis to get him calmed so we could get out of the way of the humans, then he charged me. We fell on the building} Ratchet said as he glanced at the half totaled former Officer's Club of a major human security base. {Frag}
{What did you do to him?} Prowl asked as he tapped Rockwell with his ped.
{I tazed him. This isn't the place to dance} Ratchet said grimly. {He didn't care that the humans were here and they could get hurt}
{Red, what is the extent of the damage? Was there anyone inside?} Prime asked.
Red picked through the interior, then turned to Prime. {No. It's cleared. A boiler of some kind blew up but the fire was negligible. I put it out. It appears that the repairs will be extensive. I would recommend a total rebuild}
Prime nodded then glanced at Prowl {Call Hoist and get them here to do this. Take whoever and whatever he will need to get this back up by sun down. Also, salvage what can be and we will try and replace the rest}
Prowl nodded grimly, looking distracted as he made the calls.
Prime stared at Rockwell. "We need to get him to the Embassy." He glanced around, then noted Andrew standing nearby with a pensive expression. "Andrew, I would like to talk to you. You, too, Ratchet." Prime glanced back, noted Dev and Smokescreen. "Could you transport him to the brig, please?"
"On it, Prime," Smokescreen said as he and Dev came forward, gripped the kid, then lifted him to carry to the Embassy. The crowd parted to let them go.
Andrew sat down on Prime's servo and with care, he, Prime and Ratchet walked toward the beach nearby with Prowl following.
Prowl glanced back at Red. "Keep everyone back. We're working on a solution."
"Will do, Prowl," Red said as he turned his intense gaze on the crowd. They were aware of him, considered him awesome, then began to walk closer to talk. He would.
Tensely.
They walked between buildings, then made the beach. Humans followed to watch as the three of them discussed the situation together. Prowl joined them, it took a moment or two, then Prime led the party back to the humans.
A hummer drove up with military police, all of whom jumped out. Andrew walked to them. "Guard this site. Don't let anyone in. We're getting it taken care of shortly."
The human crowd watched as the big bots walked toward the Embassy to await the arrival of Hoist and his hobbyist group to come sort things out and make the replica, only better, that would be in place shortly. They disappeared in moments.
Inside …
They sat in the rec room for a moment. Prime leaned back in his chair. "This is interesting."
Ratchet smirked. "Rockwell couldn't handle the idea of being one of the guys. Everyone who comes here gets dunked. Everyone. Even you were, both of you. Slagging human traditions."
Prime nodded. "This is going to be a problem in the media."
"Everything is a problem in the media. Things happen." Prowl turned a caustic optic toward Ratchet. "They happen most often with you, Loon. What's the plan on this one if I dare ask?"
"Well, I'm suppose to love him to the bright side. But the darkness is strong in this one. I think I got the one that none of the others want. Raptor has this idea that maybe he needs some tough lurve." Ratchet chuckled. "Ironhide and I are tied on the 'break a building' race."
"In the race to the bottom," Prowl said with a smirk of his own. "I have a call in to John Fulton. I don't expect that he's going to be too pleased you broke his saloon."
"I will tell you in a moment," Prime said as he received a conference call off line. He was silent as he held the discussion. Morshower joined Fulton along with Joe Bowers who were all in the Pentagon for N.E.S.T. meetings. It lasted, then Prime signed off. "They are not especially happy but Fulton is pleased to get a fully appointed officers club out of the deal. Heavy emphasis on fully appointed."
"Then we better get a hot tub and a disco ball into the plans," Ratchet said. "What about Rockwell? He broke Fulton's toys. What do you want to do about that?"
"I want him to be separated from the other two. I was told by Delphi that Pico and Carbide are softening a little. All they need is to be influenced by this hard case," Prowl said. "Maybe he needs a short term vacay in Ad-Seg at the prison. I can ask Gee-Gee if any of the Stunticons are in trouble."
"Do," Ratchet said with a grin. "Maybe a few orns in a dog kennel is what he needs."
Prowl grinned as he signed off from Gee-Gee. "Motormaster and Wild Rider got into it. They were put in kennels, one apart. Put Rockwell in between and see what happens? Maybe a hard shot of reality is what he needs."
"What is the likelihood that he might harm himself?" Prime asked. "Those two are extremely hard core."
Ratchet considered that. "Small. I think he wouldn't want to deprive the world of his greatness."
"Very well, with full time monitoring then" Prime said as Hoist and four youngling mechs appeared from the corridor to the space bridge carrying a couple of boxes and collection cases for damaged goods.
Hoist smiled as he paused before them. "They want another building replaced? I'm told its a rather elegant one."
Prime grinned. "They need an officer's club as fast as you can make it, Hoist. Use whatever and whoever you need. The sooner, the better."
"This is delightful. I love challenges almost as much as I like making miniatures," he said. "Come on, infants. We have a project." He then led the way out the door to find the disaster.
It wouldn't be hard.
They watched him go, then grinned. "I would love to live a simple life," Ratchet said.
"No, you wouldn't," Prowl said as Prime nodded.
Ratchet smiled at both. "You're right."
They stood up to go to the brig and retrieve a hard headed youngster for the Prison at Autobot City.
=0=Downstairs
It was like (really shitty) old times as the three walked into the cell block where Rockwell sat. He stared at them with fury as they halted before his cell.
"You're coming with us, Rockwell," Prowl said. "Let's go."
"Frag you, Prowl. You're a treacherous slagger to the core," Rockwell hissed.
"That's right. Now move it," Prowl said in a bored tone as the jailer on duty dropped the bars.
Rockwell stared at Ratchet. "You're lucky that you have toys, slagger. I would've beaten you into the ground."
Ratchet laughed. "Do you have any IDEA who I recharge with?"
Rockwell stared at Prime with a cold hard expression. "You have no class. Ratchet belongs in jail."
"I was. I was jailed here once for kicking a high caste aft off their body," Ratchet said. "You were, too, right, Prowl? Little mech here needs some historical learnin' before he shoots his mouth off."
"Little mech needs manners. Move it," Prowl said in a low and deadly tone.
Rockwell stepped down, then glanced at Prime. "Like I said … scum."
Prime stared at the kid, then shook his helm. "Move along, infant. Some of us have things to do."
Rockwell walked to the door, then followed Ratchet to the bridge room. The four stepped into a bridge, then walked out at the prison. Rockwell slowed, then looked at the signs. "Administrative Segregation: High Security. No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed With Proper Authorizations."
He spun to glare at Prime. "You're not putting me in here."
Nearby in their kennels, Wild Rider and Motormaster were watching. They stood up and walked to the bars where they grinned at the possibilities. They would appear to be having company it seemed, a high caste from his tats and someone who hated Ratchet, Prowl and Prime as much as they did.
Gee-Gee who was watching quietly stepped closer. "You're going in the middle one. You have two orns here for your actions and if you make the same mistakes here I'll extend your sentence." She looked at Roadie who was staring at the mech with his calm face and molten intentions. "Roadie, show him his quarters."
Rockwell refused but given the grip Roadie put on his arm he walked into the kennel which locked him in right away. He stared at the four who stared back, then glanced at Motormaster who was gazing at him from the left hand side a few yards away in his own pen. "WHO ARE YOU STARING AT!?"
Motormaster grinned. "Who? Why you, slagger? Why you here? Jaywalking? Slapping old femmes around?"
"Frag you," Rockwell said in a molten tone.
"YEAH! FRAG YOU, MOTORMASTER!" Wild Rider said with a laugh. "Frag all of you."
"Well, this should be educational," Ratchet said with a grin.
It would be.
=0=On Cybertron with Raptor
Carbide walked down the trail carrying the backpack. Lunch was coming up and they would eat at the vessel before flying off to another out-of-the-way broken pile of rubble with bots living in it. He was weary and it had begun to seep in, the destruction and horror of what had happened. He didn't say much but Raptor could tell. It was getting to the big kid who never apparently had a bad orn.
Raptor reached the ship, got two boxes of food, then walked to a boulder nearby. He sat, then tossed one to Carbide. "Sit, infant, and eat." He patted the rock he sat on.
Carbide walked to the space beside Raptor, set the bag down gently with great weariness, then sat down to eat. It was quiet for a moment.
"How long are you going to be an aft?" Raptor asked.
Carbide glanced at him, then his food. He studiously avoided answering the question.
"My caste was the greatest of all of them power wise and in all other respects. I wish I could tell you how many bad decisions we prevented with our status. You do know that the high castes were in charge up to and during the war. Prime was sabotaged all along. He had no chance of stopping the ball when it was rolling downhill. This is the fault of high castes and their ideas. How do you like it now?" Raptor asked.
"I don't want to talk politics, General," Carbide said quietly. He stared at his food. "What good is it?"
"I don't know. Maybe for the dead … to hear that this was a terrible thing, that you're sorry for your part, that you recognize the fallacy of the whole idea … maybe its for their ghosts to hear," Raptor said. "Do you understand any of this?"
He stared at the ship nearby and the mechs eating together. "You want me to say something I can't?"
"No. I want you to feel," Raptor said.
Carbide stared at his food in the box in his hand. "I don't know what you want me to feel. I don't know what is what. This is the worst place I've ever seen and I wanted to come home so much. I dreamed about it. I was always home sick."
"All of us were and all of us are," Raptor said. "But none of us can come here until we face this. No other caste holds more responsibility than ours."
Carbide sat up straighter, then rubbed his neck. "Where are we going next?"
"To the Sea of Mercury," Raptor said. "Eat up. We're late now."
They would finish their food in silence.
=0=TBC 6-19-19
Whenever you cross the international dateline you're supposed to get dunked in the water. There are other parts to the fun and games in the Navy including dressing up as women to initiate pollywogs (those who never passed it before) into the Kingdom of King Neptune. :D:D:D