The Diego Diaries: Continuum (dd7 91)
=0=Out there
They walked from the bar heading for the conglomeration of buildings that looked like they were in use for a long time, parked here and there, some on top of each other. There were walkways to get here and there. The interesting thing about the settlement was that there were areas built to accommodate big mechs like the Cybertronians and others that were made small for any number of aliens that were hanging around.
Their clientele appeared to be varied.
Heading toward another bar, they paused on the sidewalk. :Let's split up. We need info fast, then we'll leave: Elita said.
Everyone walked in a different direction in twos and threes heading for the dive bars and heavily armored businesses that traded for whatever the pirates, shippers and outright criminals brought in. They disappeared into the garish light of night on the boardwalk right away.
=0=There
Four metrotitans sat on their pads while they were swarmed by techs, medical professionals and others who would do the work they needed to mend, upgrade everything they had and help them into a more permanent situation now that they were down. Below ground in the labyrinth of technical support that fed them and helped their various routines in city mode function, enormous effort was being made to shore up, expand and make more sound all of the essentials.
Their pads were solid. They were built on rock that ran miles straight downward on the volcanic mound of Olympus Mons. There were no fixed roads or highways yet, none of the particular flourishes that these bots themselves displayed in city mode and none of the landscaping that made them beautiful and meld perfectly with their surroundings.
There was an exhausted air about them, these four, as they worked patiently with their rescuers. All of the time they were doing this, they were kept up on the condition of Banner, The Dandy and the other five ships in orbit.
Tennyson, Paribolus, Typhoon, Metroplex and Fortress Maximus sat around a table in the emergency command module near Banner going over the situation with Prime, Hard Drive, Raptor and Ironhide. The others were on Cybertron and had taken Pico and Carbide with them.
"We have most of our class making it to Soft Space," Ty said. "The Wolf Packs are finding them and making sure they get to safety. The problem is that we're linked through our sparks and even if they kill one of us they can use that to find others."
The others nodded grimly.
"We have no idea how many are left out there including those still functioning as colonies. I've asked several of our own to make a message that only we can detect and read to send out with instructions on how to reach Soft Space and how to contact us if they can't." Metroplex glanced at Prime. "We are multiversal singularities, Optimus. We can come and go through dimensions which is how Soft Space was found. Now we have to save our class."
"That is my greatest wish as well," Optimus said. "What did they tell you about space beyond here."
"There aren't as many small groups of pirates raiding around. The Wolf Packs have made that game very costly," Paribolus said. "They have mentioned raiders that appear to match descriptions of the tentacled beasts who manage acid monsters. They appear to have different designations than those who harass us here."
"There were said to be two different groups with two different ideas about what they do," Ironhide said. "One hunts anything and the other doesn't. That could account for that."
"Perhaps," Paribolus said. "The Decepticons that aren't surrendered are strong and holding discipline. They want us to come to them but none will unless there are unforeseen circumstances such as happened to Metrotitan."
"Is there any word about who's running the show while Megatron is gone? Any word on Megatron as well?" Hardie asked.
"No. There's just expressed a lot of fear about whoever it is. Megatron is still missing. No one knows for sure," Paribolus replied.
Prime nodded. "What is the word about the five in space? Have they need to come down now or is there more to do?"
"They can come when the ground crews sign off. It will be a relief when they do. They've been running and searching since The Fall. Everyone is weary and ready to be home," Ty said.
"Well," Optimus said. "They are home now."
=0=Inside a ship
Ratchet scanned the transfer computers that were 'smaller brains' for the big frames to help get messages no matter how big or small to the farthest reaches of their bodies. Given their size, they were a marvel of delegation. Thoughts occurred in the mainframe, then were sent to this or that place to make this or that function happen billions of times a minute. They were fed faster by having 'express information systems' here and there to make that happen.
Apparently, all of Banner's tiny booster brains were functional which was a huge relief. The potential for harm was huge when these failed or were damaged.
He walked to the door, then down the corridor. Lights were on and Banner was lit up, though he was still in stasis. Most of his power came from two ships parked on either side of him feeding him power. He had no energy to spare so he was on life support for a number of his operations.
Passing doors that led to major components of Banner's functionality, he reached an elevator to go upward. He would have to rewrite a butt load of programs to enter into the big mech's databases that would be upgrades of his current informational cache. Not having medical treatment over the joors was really fragging things up.
Upward he went, then the door opened and he walked out. Everywhere he could see on the vast command deck mechs and femmes sat, were hunched under, lay on their backs or worked together on this and that thing as they began to take him apart, then reassemble him once more in perfect order.
He walked to Environmental, then sat. It would take a good decaorn to make this mech stable and well enough to go to his pad. It would take several more decaorns before he could even attempt to host anyone. The mech had been through the mill.
"Well," Ratchet said quietly. "Let me see if I can help you, Banner. When you wake up in a while, you won't believe how much better you feel."
He would work at the computer rewriting and overwriting programs for joors and joors and joors.
=0=The Hourly News: Update on Metrotitans' Return
"Good evening," Aleph said as the 1800 hours on the TMC broadcast began. "I am Aleph and this is the news. Word from the Office of Strategic Communications states that four of the eleven metrotitan frames have landed and are being finalized in their locations by medical and industrial workers with great experience with this sort of thing. Four are now down in their permanent sites, two who were injured are being cared for at the open location just south of the Big Frame Repair and Shipyard as well as the Port of Mars and Immigration Center. Five more are in space waiting for instructions to land. While there, they are being reviewed and repairs are being made.
"The information officer at the Communications Office stated that none of them will be hosting any residents or businesses yet. There is a lot to do to help them become well and for two of them, that could take considerable time. Jacx has a story about Banner and The Dandy."
The screen cut to Jacx who was standing near Banner. He was a whirl of activity inside and out. "This is Jacx of Altihex standing here at the site south of the Big Frame Shipyard where Banner is being treated for extensive injuries and nearby," he said turning slightly to look in the distance, "you can see The Dandy. Both of them will be staying here until they're able to leave for their permanent locations. I talked to Commander Ratchet of Iacon, CMO and Big Frame Specialist about how they both were."
The screen cut to Ratchet standing next to Banner with Jacx.
"Commander, what's the condition of these two mechs and how did they get this way?"
Ratchet said, "They were shot up by pirates who hunt and kill them for their tech. They were at death's door before Riot, Enzio and Oblivion found them. They were leading a group toward here, heard their distress calls and managed to make the pirates wish they weren't born.
"The pirates were able to disable Banner's propulsion, then enter. They began to chop him up to slow him. They slashed him so badly he was bleeding out. Fortunately, the group's symbionts were able to take out the pirates on board, then field patch Banner enough that he and Dandy could make it here alive. It's going to take a bit of time for both but Banner had it the worst."
"We watched as they tried to lower him. He nearly fell," Jacx said.
"Banner was dead weight. He was off line nearly the whole time. Dangerous was going to do the main work with the others helping but he was too unbalanced from not being awake to assist that Danny nearly lost his grip," Ratchet replied.
"There were thrusters. They seemed to level him enough to be lowered. He couldn't do that could he? Or what?" Jacx asked. "He was off line as you said."
Ratchet nodded. "He was. That made him impossible to grip fully. Thrusters were had. I was on board to do that. I calculated he would be difficult to grip in his state making firm locks impossible so I stayed on board."
Jacx stared at him. "If a metrotitan falls from that height … a couple of thousand meters … what would have happened? Would he have survived? Would you be able to get off?"
Ratchet considered that. "No. He would have crashed and become a massive fireball. He still had a lot of fuel, he had his three big reactors and he had a full compliment of small ships and munitions on board. It would have been catastrophic if he had. He would have died immediately and maybe in the blowout a lot of others."
Jacx stared at him a moment. "Who made the decision to stay on board?"
"I did," Ratchet said. "It was mine alone. My old mech is pretty unhappy right now and I'm thinking I'm going to run a gauntlet of my elders when I get home," Ratchet said with a smile. "I'm a doctor. It's what I do."
Jacx nodded. "Thank you, Commander. Congratulations that it turned out well."
"You and me both," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
"Back to you in the studio, Aleph."
=0=Around
"That mech is a nutcase but you can't fault him for courage," Thundercracker said as he brought dinner for both of them to the Flight Center in The Fortress.
"No, you can't," Starscream said as he took his meal and drink. "He is a bit on the insane side but I don't fault his commitment to the job and to infants."
Thundercracker grinned as he sat down beside Starscream. "No. I imagine not."
It would be a pleasant meal in the Center with the news playing nearby.
=0=On the prod
Ravel who had been to the bakery to pick up a treat for everyone after dinner heard the small report with Jacx and Ratchet on the monitor which was playing in the bakery. He listened, then turned around. He walked out to the street, then transformed into a small but beautiful Cybertronian car. He entered traffic, then was gone in seconds.
=0=Elsewhere
"That boy," Appa Ratchet said as he rocked in a chair with Prowler who lay in his arms smiling at his great, etc grandpa. "He's DUTY BOUND! MY BOY SAVES PEOPLE!" Then he grinned. "I wouldn't want to be him when Ravel catches up to him."
Corr and Chan nodded as Docker watched the infants run into Hero's bedroom like a flock of pheasants. She looked at the three. "He takes after you, Only One."
Appa Ratchet grinned. "Bless him. He does."
=0=At the site of contention
He transformed, stood uncertainly in the mayhem a moment, then girded himself. Walking to a mech who was working on taking things out of boxes, he asked where Ratchet was.
The youngster told him, then pointed out where he should go to find him.
Ravel thanked him, then walked to the ramp leading up into Banner. Hesitating at the sights and smells around him, he took a tentative step, then gathered his guts. With a purposeful stride, Ravel of Iacon walked into the ship to disappear right away.
=0=TBC 9-19-19 (THANK YOU FOR THE TIP ABOUT SPRINGER AND DRIFT! OOPS!) :)