The Diego Diaries: Placebo (dd7 72)
=0=Processor Hospital and Outpatient Center, The City
Ratchet took the elevator to the third floor and the observatory where Pico and Carbide usually relaxed to watch the city below. As he entered, he noted that Millow was standing by the window nearby. He paused to read his energy which was tense and closed off, then walked over to him to stand beside him.
"Hello, Millow. How do you feel?"
Millow didn't look at Ratchet. He was staring at the traffic below. "You tell me. You have all the answers."
Ratchet considered that tense reply. "Millow, how many dynastic bonds are there in your family? Do you know?"
Millow stared almost too long, then glanced at Ratchet with suppressed rage and coldness. "Why do you ask?"
"I have friends and family who have them. I'm interested in them and what that's like to continue to bond between families like that," Ratchet said. "Science. Sometimes you don't need test tubes."
Millow considered that, then turned his gaze back to the street. "There are ten on my side and my bond, Traachon, has seven. Are you happy?"
"Maybe," Ratchet said. "Interesting. Were they between the same group or was it a diverse array of bonds?"
Millow considered that, then glanced at Ratchet. "Same in my family and more diverse in Traachon's. Why? What new devilry are you preparing against us?"
Ratchet stared at Millow seeing in him the first normal type response they'd shared this far. "I think that bonding across groups over and over affects the CNA of the group. Your bonds were from the same group. How many families, Millow?"
Millow stared at him, mentally gauging the situation as he formed up his emotional armor. "I suppose you can do a data run and get it. You have the mainframes from Cybertron."
"I do but I prefer to ask," Ratchet said. "Conversations often are more productive for data gathering."
Millow considered that. "Mine were made between five families. Each of Traachon's were from a different family. Happy now?"
Ratchet grinned slightly. "Very. Thank you, Millow, for this information." Ratchet stepped away, then walked to Pico and Carbide nearby, fully aware that Millow watched him go. He sat down, then leaned in toward the two who watched him come. "How are you two today?"
Pico sat back looking tired. "I don't know. Nothing is fixed but everything is changed. I figured if I just had a rest that it would snap back into place but it hasn't."
Carbide nodded. "It won't. I don't think it ever will. Did Primus really speak to you and tell you those things? You know … about how He felt about our … uh, our system?"
Ratchet nodded. "I was there. He came out of the Sea of Mercury to speak to us. He does that, makes a space for us and uses things like that to help us understand Him. He was tired of getting dead children at the Matrix."
Pico flinched. "He said that?"
Ratchet nodded. "He did. He says that sparks come from The One but they go through Him to their lives. He feels and loves every spark equally … you and me and everyone. That's why the creed says what it says. Until all are one. He was very sad and unhappy about how we lived and why this continues. He said He would intervene if it didn't stop."
Carbide looked sick. "He blames us?"
"No," Ratchet said. "He doesn't blame. They don't blame, the Powers. They love without conditions. Its unconditional and They don't take sides, judge or punish. That slag was thought up by us to control us. You do know that some of the verdicts that Prime gives out don't carry heavy penalties and he will never allow execution. Hobbes, Proteus and Burris should be in prison forever at the least but they aren't.
"Optimus weighs his compassion with the Matrix and they agree. The Matrix chose him the old fashioned way. It rose up and bonded with him in a gigantic flash of light. It was waiting for him. They're simpatico. Thus, when Prime makes a verdict, it seldom includes a dark punishment. He lives the creed and serves our people like the Pantheon, without punishments, judgments and personal animus."
The two stared at Ratchet, then Carbide hung his helm. "We didn't do things the way They wanted then. We were outside the bounds of Their love."
"No," Ratchet said gently. "You don't understand. Their love is unconditional. The love of The One is unconditional. During the Festival, did you receive the Blessings from the Matrix, Primus and The One?"
They both nodded.
"I never felt that before. Not with Sentinel or anyone else," Pico said. "Then Sentinel ended the Festival. He couldn't bless anyone could he."
Ratchet shook his helm. "No. Sentinel was a caretaker prime. The Matrix was waiting for Optimus. Optimus Prime … Orion Pax, a longshoreman, a low caste nobody was the one that the Powers, The One and the Matrix were waiting for. We were all waiting for him. He was The One Who Comes."
Pico nodded slightly. "I'm sorry that I didn't see that. I'm sorry that it took digging out dead babies to see it. How impossible am I as a person that it would take something like that to make things real to me?" He looked ready to cry.
"You were raised to believe something and never had a chance to test whether it was true or not. You have to be taught to hate, Pico. You aren't born that way. No one is. Hate is learned and its based on fear. You feared us. We were more numerous than you and you feared us. That leads a person to do terrible things because it makes the object of your fear into something less than you. But I will tell you for me … the longer this new experiment goes here at Mars, the more I mean it when I say about forgiveness, you can't ask for what you already have. I learned that from a master," Ratchet said.
"He must be amazing," Carbide said sadly.
"He is. He's the mighty Metroplex," Ratchet said. He patted their servos. "Come on. You're going to be living for a while with Hard Drive and Raptor." Ratchet stood. "I'm signing you out of here. I read your stuff. You're more sad than anything. Raptor will be just what the doctor ordered."
The two stood uncertainly. "Our families," Pico said.
"Don't worry about them. Hardie will cover that," Ratchet said. He grinned. "You have too many rules. In the low castes, we settled scores and problems with a crowbar and fists."
Pico stared at him almost as if afraid to say anything, then he did. "There's nothing low about anyone."
Carbide glanced at him, then Ratchet. "There were all castes in those bomb holes. All of them died together. Their castes made no difference."
Ratchet nodded. "It never does," he said. Then he led them from the room passing a silent Millow. They would check out, then head out to find the oldsters.
=0=At the dojo
They hung out chatting up the infants as the babies walked around discussing the dojo where they took their once a decaorn lessons privately and their twice a decaorn lessons from the school. Food boxes littered the table in the lounge as they sat sipping beer and eating snacks.
Orion, Praxus, Halo and Hero were there. Ironhide had arrived a moment ago with the femmes. Prowler was with someone doing something but no one could remember. As it was, the titanic kids, a cow and dog along with Sunspot were also somewhere with someone doing something.
It was still weekend. No one cared or bothered too much. The date night schedule was carved in stone.
Ratchet walked in following Blackjack and a toddling Scout. Alor was helping his genitors with a composition and Flint was hiking in the Valles with Stu-RT and friends. Pico and Carbide followed nervously. He paused in the lounge with a grin. "Well, look what the cats dragged in."
"Sit by me," Sunstreaker said.
"Suck up," Sideswipe said with a grin. "You just want his stuff."
"Yeah," Ratchet said as he moved to a couch to sit. "My teapots and that big round ball of dust bunnies I've been collecting."
"That much?" Sideswipe said with a grin.
Ratchet patted the couch. "Sit and take a load off. You got beer and snacks for us, too?" he asked with a dazzling smile.
"For you, the moon, baby," Blackjack said as he tossed beer for the three. Then doughnuts flew and Ratchet caught them just barely.
"Heathen slaggers," Ratchet said with a grin.
Everyone there stared at him and the new meat but were silent about asking. Ratchet always had a stray dog or two with him. Do gooding was sort of an expected thing now. Sometimes it was a home run -Partition- and sometimes it wasn't -Hot Rod. But that was a story for another time.
Ratchet took a drag, then grinned. "This is Pico and that's Carbide. They're going to hang out."
The mechs nodded, then the conversation picked up. Pico and Carbide listened, nervously nursing their beer. A plate of sandwiches made the rounds as did candy, cookies, more donuts, more beer, a Celebration cake and other delectables. It was a new world eating out of a box with your hands for both of them.
"So what's the word?" Ratchet asked as he put his big peds up on the table before him.
"Nothing much. Gotta go on duty tomorrow," Hercy said. He glanced at the two. "You still working on Cybertron?"
Pico nearly flinched with surprise that someone noticed him. "Uh, whatever the General says."
"Which one?" Hot Rod asked.
"General Hard Drive, I think," Carbide said.
"I have Rockwell with me," Sun said. "What about the administration building, infant, for these two?" he asked Hardie.
"Are you really the youngest?" Sideswipe asked with a grin.
Hardie who was eating an egg salad sandwich grinned. "No. I'm the oldest. These two are delusional."
"By seconds. Nanoseconds," Jack said with a chuckle.
"I'm older than Sideswipe. I'm not only the handsomer, the smarter and the better, I'm the older," Sunstreaker said to loud laughter.
"Keep saying it, Sunstreaker," Sideswipe said as he began to eat a plate of deviled eggs. "Maybe someday you'll believe it."
"Truth doesn't require belief," Sunny replied.
Ratchet smiled a dazzler. "Aren't they just the shit?" he asked to riotous laughter and a few modifications of that statement.
Pico and Carbide listened silently, their nervousness tempered a bit by the beer but still vibrant in them. This was different and oddly pleasing company. Also, it had food, good solid food and beer. It was a huge change from the Center.
The afternoon would pass pleasantly, then the two would go with Raptor and Hardie to other places before going home. They would carry a chatty little infant each as they did.
Phase Two of their rehab was only just beginning.
=0=A joor later in his office tying up loose ends
"Ratchet, there's a call for you. Pico's bond is on the line," Lee-Lee said as she leaned in from her office.
Ratchet grinned at her. "Why are you still here?"
She smiled. "I don't know either."
"Go home, femme, and frag that good mech of yours," Ratchet said as she walked out laughing loudly.
She would.
Ratchet stared at the comm device on his desk, then pressed the button. "This is Ratchet," he said.
"Commander, I'm calling about Pico. This is his bond," the voice said.
Ratchet considered that. "What can I do for you?"
"Where is he? I called the jail and they said he isn't there, that you had him? What have you done with my bond?" the voice asked with rising emotion.
/… oh slag .../ Ratchet thought.
=0=TBC 8-27-19
NOTES ANSWERED TOMORROW.
All is well at last but the smoke is blowing back over my area and its like living in a chimney pipe. HUGS!
ESL:
Animus: (an-ih-muss) anger, rage, grudge
simpatico: (sim-pat-ih-ko) linked together, meshed, coming together