The Diego Diaries: Placebo (dd7 75)
Zip editing on this tonight. Will do so tomorrow. Sleepy tonight. TAKE CARE OUT THERE!
The Next Morning
They stood in line together at The Take Out Place with their order made. Hardie had sent them to pick up breakfast for themselves and his group. There would be treats as well to take to Cybertron. They would go in a moment so they were sent off to do their duty for the team. Carbide and Pico had spent the night with Hardie and Raptor, sleeping in their spare rooms as they started the next part of the Court's decision.
They inched forward, two mechs standing silently together, waiting to pick up the two boxes that had been prepared for them to get earlier. The crowds outside were going here and there and the sound of voices was reminiscent of their life long ago. The line was long but moved swiftly with many finding that calling ahead was a good idea.
When they reached the counter, the boxes were handed over and the two walked out to go to the airfield to leave for Cybertron. It was busy outside as the last orn of weekend played itself out. Soon, the championship of the empire in the new and highly welcomed sport of basketball would be played and a few orns later, football season would begin. Between racing, football, basketball, pole vaulting which had gotten the go ahead and Cube, there was a lot to do for entertainment. There was even going to be a revival of lobbing.
Passing pedestrians, the two crossed the street, then began to cut across the airfield. Carbide glanced at Pico. "How was it?"
"Good," Pico said. He glanced at Carbide. "You?"
"Good," Carbide replied. "Raptor's bond is a Maker of the Elder Clan. Turbine."
Pico nodded. "I know."
"He's a good … he's easy to talk to." It was silent a moment, then Carbide glanced at Pico again. "You might … you know … try it."
Pico glanced at him. "I … thanks. I might."
They reached the ship that was waiting, then climbed inside. There would be a place for them to sit that wasn't on the floor for the first time since they were sentenced and they would eat with the mechs who would make an effort to make them comfortable for the first time as well.
The ship would go through the Trigger and land at Iacon in the big HQ. Turbine would take Carbide to his own station in Nova Cronum to work in the data side of the district while Hardie would keep Pico. For the first time since they were in their fix, the two worked quietly, well and were grateful.
It was a start.
=0=Ops Center, Conference Room
They gathered, a handful of individuals to go over some intel that would bear watching. Ironhide with Halo, Ratchet, Prowl, Elita, Jazz, Paragon, Starscream, Rainmaker and Prime sat around the big table as Elita closed the door. She joined them, then Prowl began.
"We have word that a big battle group is heading this way. They left the Empire some time back on their regular mission but didn't come back when word reached them that Cybertron had fallen to us," Prowl said. "Its a big group with a lot of ships, soldiers and other aspects short of an air wing. They have a leader but we don't know his name. They have gathered troops along the way and are coming through the Bootes on a path that coincides with Razorclaw."
"Frag. What about our camouflaged sensors out that way? What do they tell us about them?" Ironhide asked.
"Not much. They're still far enough away at the moment," Prowl said. "As it is, the echoes that we have indicate a very big and highly powerful group."
It was a densely silent group cogitating that bit of news.
Ratchet said back. "Well, it was all going so well, too."
Even Prime grinned at that. "It was. It will continue. We also have resources on Cybertron to use to prevent this from becoming something out of hand."
"Essentially, what is the timeline, Prime?" Starscream asked.
"We have a good decaorn before they have to commit to a navigation point," Prime said. "We need information."
"We can send Seekers out to scan," Starscream said. "That part won't be hard. They can link with the sensors already in place out there and extend their range greatly without being close to the armada themselves while they do it." He grinned slightly. "It proved to be a very good tactic in the past."
"I can imagine," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "I don't have a problem with doing something that doesn't put our guys in danger."
"You read my processor," Starscream purred. He looked at Prime. "We can get that done today."
"That would be very desirable. The longer we have data the better the planning can be. We also need a psychological advantage," Prime said as he glanced at Elita. "I will leave that to you and your team."
Ratchet looked at the map. "At least they won't be passing our great lord and master, Ebio and Cassio."
Prowl snorted. "Those slaggers wouldn't dare."
"We haven't heard from them in a while. Nor have we heard much from the other slaggers out by Caminus. Come to think of it, have we heard from Caminus?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
"On a regular schedule," Prowl said. "We have put them on the regular trade runs."
"That's good," Elita said. "Chromia has ties in the community besides her religion."
"Having a dreadnought stationed there is a help as well," Prime said. "I do not see anyone attacking anyone with a dreadnought on duty."
"From your lips to Primus's audials," Elita replied.
"So, we have the Imperialis brothers, Ominous and his gang of slaggers, Razorclaw and now this newcomer," Ironhide said. "What the frag next?"
"I have to do med scans on the alternative slaggers in the prison," Ratchet said. "Does that count?"
"You have a screw loose. You're not going there alone," Ironhide said.
"Why, Ironhide … you're such a romantic. Having a date in a prison," Ratchet said as he batted his optical ridges.
Snickers went around the table as Ironhide frowned at Ratchet.
They talked a bit further, then broke up the meeting. Each would do their part as they waited for the Seekers and the information they would retrieve. Until then, prepare for anything.
Ironhide followed Ratchet downward to the train station under The Fortress. It was a restricted line that traversed between the Courthouse, the prison, The Fortress and the Processor Hospital. High security operations made it so. They hopped a train, stepped out at the Prison Command Center, they walked inside. "HI, INFANTS! IT'S MAMA!"
The extraction team that would go with Ratchet laughed, then followed both of them outside. Roadie walked alongside Ratchet. "Who we seeing today?"
"The special prisoners in the secured block." Ratchet grinned. "They miss me."
"Maybe," Roadie said in his usual manner. "I'll punch their faces if they act up. I volunteer."
Ratchet laughed. "I'll let ya."
They walked down the road to the special sector where the alternative universe prisoners were held. Entering the pens, noting that nearly everyone was gone but the civilians, they continued toward those blocks as Ratchet unsubbed a meter.
"When are the slaggers coming out of status?" Roadie asked as they neared the pen where Kudon and Neo lived.
"Probably never," Ironhide said.
"Is that why the call you 'No Hope Ironhide'?" Ratchet asked as they slowed before the first cell block.
"So, you're hopeless are ya, Ironhide?" Ripper asked. He was a big former 'Con who lived up to his name with a knife or sword. Here he delivered mayhem when needed, liked to play cards at 'the club', chased mechs with good wrestling skills and once he learned to read and write properly, liked to spend time in the Main Public Library in The City.
Who knew?"
Ironhide smirked. "Slagger."
The door opened on the cabin as Kudon stepped out. He stared at the group, then walked down the steps. He walked to the group stopping in front of the bars and said nothing.
"Hi, Kudon. Don't you look all cheery today," Ratchet said. "Anything you need to tell me?"
Kudon stared at Ratchet with contempt. "No," he said.
"Your spark chamber is in good shape at last. I can't say the same for your attitude," Ratchet said as he scanned through the cabin walls for the others.
Kudon offered nothing else, so they walked onward. Roadie glanced at Ratchet. "If you ever need to dead him again, I have dibs."
Ratchet snickered. "Okay," he said cheerfully. They walked onward together.
=0=Elsewhere at the same time
"Good thing school is starting again tomorrow."
"I know. Weekends are great but school can't be coming soon enough."
"If that mech of mine cuts class one more time, I'm going to go to the Watch. I would like for him to join that group that attends at games and events."
"Those kids are great. Maybe we can speak to Commander Springer. Or maybe Drift."
"That is a good idea."
They stood on the steps of the Intermediate School waiting for a friend to join them for lunch. In their holds, the younger children in their families played with this and that toy. Their older children attended here, the first in their families to go to anything formal. Their families were big, their hopes and dreams for their kids stratospheric and they were ensuring that everything was on the up and up.
Their children were members of gangs.
=0=Watch HQ, Metrotitans
They sat at their usual sports, Springer behind his huge desk and Drift sitting in front with his peds on the tabletop. They had just been briefed by Hauser about gangs and how his department had identified seven different groups. The three already know were now joined by four others, all of them small, all of them from the old neighborhood or through friendships in the Diaspora.
Springer leaned back in his chair with a gloomy expression. "I hate gangs. You can't shoot them without good reason and they're slagging ungrateful."
"You ever belong to a gang?" Drift asked with a grin.
"No. I was a good boy," Springer said. Then they both laughed loudly.
"Hauser has it. Forget about it for a while," Drift said as he picked up another sack of Springer's work.
"As long as it sticks to fists and not guns," Springer said. "What's the update on the two moles?"
Drift checked his small handheld. "Nothing changed. They're both working a code but we haven't cracked it yet."
"Well, the night is young," Springer said. "I hate paperwork."
Drift glanced up. "Why? You never do it. I have to do it."
Springer grinned. "You whine nicely."
"Frag you, Springer. Someone has to earn our keep," Drift said as he glanced through the officer reports from the last three orns.
"Frag me. Sounds good. I wonder if the electrical closet in Engineer Hall has a cancellation?" Springer asked with a smirk.
"Who needs a closet. We have your desk. Did you now that the daredevils used to frag on Megatron's desk?" Drift asked.
Springer chuckled. "Then at last, Megatron and Prowl have something in common."
They both laughed loudly.
=0=TBC 8-30-19
Its raining up here right now and will continue off and one for a good deal of the first half of September. HUZZAH! Its also not going to be less than 60 degrees during the day, something I have never seen in 42 years here. :O