The Diego Diaries: Mark (dd7 45)
=0=Maccadam's Old Oil House, Lower East Side, Iacon, Cybertron, vast oceans of time ago …
"Megatronus. At last," he said. Prime stared at the noticeably younger version of his nemesis bot and the familiar minions among his group.
Megatron of Tarn, Megatronus in the Gladiatorial Pit circuit took in Prime, or rather Orion Pax. He saw that image of Prime, the one he knew at this time, not the mature mech that would someday kill him. Whether it was real between them now or a Matrix construct didn't matter to Prime. This was the mech who destroyed, or would, their world and all that it meant to be a ancient, cultured and glorious people.
"Orion Pax, at last. I do believe there's an echo in this room," Megatron said as he walked to a table.
Snickers from among his posse were had but for the former Senator Shockwave and the cipher and unknown at the time, Soundwave. None of them moved to join Megatron.
Megatron swept his servo over the table. "Join me and let us discuss the future. The first drink is on me." Megatron sat, relaxed, then gazed at Prime levelly.
Prime gazed back, as a stronger and less intimidated version of himself now, one old with wisdom and experience. He walked to the table, then took his time sitting. A waiter, the robotic femme brought them both the house usual, a beer that the lower classes loved, set them down, then left both alone. The mechs with Megatron moved to another table and put in their order as the two big forces of nature stared at each other over their beer.
"It's a long time to wait to finally meet," Megatron said. "You appear to be bigger in real life than on screens."
Prime considered the conversation they were beginning to repeat, remembering every single word spoken. Then he decided to say what his elder self always wanted but never did. "You are here to overtake this world and enslave The People."
Megatron considered that. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Tyrants always do what they want for themselves. You do not care about a single individual who lives here nor do you care about our culture and world. You just want to rule it and bend it to your will," Prime said.
Megatron smirked slightly. "One might think you were being unfriendly, even rude."
"One might be a fool to underestimate the horrors you are prepared to visit upon this world. You will fight the government, driving them before you and in their attempt to end this, the Matrix will rise to choose," Prime said.
"The Matrix resides with Sentinel. I do not think its going anywhere soon," Megatron said.
"He will die shortly, or make everyone think so. He will crack down on this world so hard that he is struck down. He will conceal that he lived and leave world for a time. You and I will go to the Grand Imperium in the unrest caused by the vacuum that follows and two paths will be displayed before those there. You will show your path, the one of dictatorship, of war and death. You will rail against them, threats will fly and you will show your true face.
"The other path is the one I seek, one of reconciliation and compromise. There does not have to be war and destruction. We are one. Primus said so and so did The One," Prime said.
"Well, I'm not particularly religious, so ..." Megatron said.
"The Matrix will rise, Its glory revealed and It will pick a champion to carry It in the quest to save The People. The Matrix will pick me," Prime said.
Silence fell between them as each took the measure of the other. Then Megatron put down his beer. "Nice fairy tale, Orion. Tell me another. It is, after all, late and bed time is coming."
"It is. Its late and the hour will soon be upon us. I am asking you now to think about something besides yourself. Think about this world and its greatest treasure, its people. Do not take the steps to become the biggest villain in the history of our world. We can work together for the benefit of all," Prime said.
Megatron grinned, then chuckled. "I was told you were a strange one, Pax. Thanks for confirming that to me," he said as he rose. "If I had known this was story time I would have brought my own to share."
"This is no fairy tale, Megatron. The end of the story always leads to your death. There is no way you will prevail in the end but the trail of destruction, dead children, families and elders will lead back to you. You will be reviled from here until the end of time if you continue down this path," Prime said as he stood.
Fury flickered for a moment, then was gone on Megatron's face. He turned to Prime. "See you on the field of battle. We shall then see who wins."
"If it comes to that, Megatron, both of us will lose," Prime said as the big mech continued to the door followed by his mechs. They were gone in seconds and Prime was alone again.
He glanced around, then sat back down. Staring at his beer bottle, he head a noise behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Optimus saw two mechs enter, Sentinel Prime and an internally seething but outwardly calm Prowl. Given that Prime knew all there was to know about Prowl and then some, he could see the anger. Then he felt it himself. This was The Relationship, the one that affected Prowl so badly that he struggled to forgive and let go.
They walked to the bar, Sentinel got a bottle, then led the reluctant winger to a table where he sat. Prowl stared at him, then sat himself. Pouring a drink for both of them, he sipped his as he gazed at Prowl with amusement.
Prime dialed up to listen as he nursed his own beer. Sentinel found something funny and Prowl didn't. All of his effort not to thrash Sentinel all over the bar came to bear and he reminded himself that this was just a construct and not reality. Even as Prowl loathed Prime's life without him, so did he loathe all the time Prowl wasn't his.
"Prowl, relax," Sentinel said as he sipped his drink. "We can have some fun. You needed to get out more. All work and no play makes you a drudge."
Prowl stared at him hotly, then leaned back. "You love slumming. You love to come here and feel superior. This isn't your place. This is someone else's and you'll never fit in. You'll never be a part of this milieu no matter what you do."
"You seem to think that's something regrettable," Sentinel said with a smirk.
"If you had a conscience and could appreciate anything beyond your own ego, you'd get it. You can't," Prowl replied with some heat. "Your ego prevents it and everything else."
"Why are you here? Then go," Sentinel said. "Unless … you're worried about your career. Seems to me this would enhance it just being here with me."
Prowl stared at him coldly, then stood. Staring down at Sentinel with naked fury, he dumped the table. Everything flew upward and around including sentinel. Staring at him with satisfaction, Prowl walked out and left Sentinel sitting on the floor.
Rocky the bouncer snickered. "You'll never learn, slagger."
"Perhaps," Sentinel said as he rose up and righted his chair. "But what fun is that?" he asked as they both put the mess to rights.
"You tell me, fragger," Rocky said as he walked back to his own chair.
Prime stared at Sentinel was a cold appraising optic and as he stood to go to the table where he sat, the door opened and a number of cold mean looking mechs walked in. They approached the bar and among them were Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Smokescreen the Elder. They looked like a gang and they probably were.
They got their bottles, then walked to a table across the room to sit, ostensibly to chat and play cards but also to keep a wary optic on Sentinel who sat down and began to drink again. Sentinel's optics were fastened upon Sunstreaker.
Prime relaxed his body and sat back to watch. Everyone in the bar was aware of everyone else. They appeared around the room filling in the emptiness even as Sunstreaker's group came through the doors. They were keeping a side optic on the potential fist fight that Sunny and Sentinel in the same room represented. Talk was low if at all as the tension rose.
A movement next to Prime drew his attention. Omelia was there staring at him, then Sentinel. She pulled a chair, then sat. "Hello," she purred. "I see that Sentinel is slumming again. Where's Prowl? Did you see him, too? Sentinel likes to humiliate him by dragging him along on his sojourns."
A flash of his daughter's sweet face came across Prime's processor at the sound of her name. He stared at Omelia, someone who had pursued him, cajoling and threatening him as the moment presented itself. "Why are you here, Omelia? I do not have an affection for femmes."
"You've always said so. I prefer to believe in something small and delicate called hope. You do know that Sentinel can have you arrested for treason and sedition? This is a bad idea," she said as she stared at the big mech.
Sentinel was staring at Sunstreaker who was making an elaborate effort to ignore him.
"This is the Matrix. No one can be hurt here," Prime said as he looked from one table to the next.
"The Matrix," she said with a slight smile. "Is that so?"
"It is," Prime said as he looked at her, someone considered a great beauty among their people. "You are not real and neither is anyone else. This is the Festival and I am here for wisdom."
"You need wisdom? You need a good femme," she said as she sat back to stare at him. "What DO you need, Orion Pax? What is the purpose?"
He looked at her understanding the first but the second part of her question was mystifying. "The purpose?"
"Yes," she said as she leaned closer. "What is the purpose?"
That was when everyone disappeared.
Optimus looked around himself, noticing he was on the street in The Jumble that led to his home. Then noted his building nearby. He ran toward it, then up the creaking staircase to the floor where his apartment was located. He ran to the door, composed himself, then opened it. "Ada? Atar? I am home."
A face peered out of the small room that was his genitor's berth room. The face smiled. "Son, did you get an early release from work?" Kestrel of Iacon asked his only child.
"I did, Ada. I came home to see if you wanted to go for a walk, you and Atar," Orion said, marveling at the youth and vitality of his ada, the most self effacing and gentle soul he knew. "The sun is bright outside and we do not have a lot of time to talk together lately."
"I would like that," Kestrel said as he shut off the light in the tiny room, then walked to the door to leave with his son. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs and stepped into the light, the figure of Prime's father, a huge mech with a spark of gold was seen weaving through the crowds toward home.
Tagg of Iacon paused before them. "Kes," he said as he kissed his mech. "Orion … how did you get off early?"
"I got lucky," Prime replied as he basked in the energy and warmth of the two best mechs he knew.
Tagg's expression changed from delight to concern. "You did not get fired did you?"
Orion grinned. "No. Let us go walk. I have not had time to just talk with you in some time."
Tagg glanced at Kes, then his son. He grinned. "Good idea," he said.
Prime stepped forward with his genitors, heading into the crowd for a small cafe where they came as often as they could to sip energon and talk about life. It would take a while to get there.
=0=TBC 7-23-19
My pup is doing better today but still snips at my cats. He's less sick and more himself. Thank you for all the kind words for him. Animals like children are pure. Hugs to one and all forever. :D:D:D
ESL: Self effacing (self EE-face-ing): humble
sedition (seh-dih-shun) badmouthing the government or powers that be and being jailed for it. A quashing of freedom to speak. Rabble rousing, making trouble and it can include actions. Its been found to be unconstitutional in America the times its been made into law.