The Diego Diaries: Fixer (dd7 129)
=0=On the way to a meeting of the major players in the habitats-human, Unidad Terra 1
Ratchet strolled into the main concourse of Unidad, then hopped into the vehicle that was waiting for him. They sped off to the City Hall and an informational meeting among the leadership of the human community. He disappeared into their swirl of life almost immediately.
=-=Ops Center
Prowl stood behind Prime as he took calls from leaders all over Earth. Some of them were in contact with their consulate officials here seeking information and others had come to him directly. They were concerned and wanted to know what was the depth and breadth of the situation.
Prime patiently answered their questions, listened to complaints, worries and suggestions. One by one, they called and he listened. It would take a few joors but when the last one was heard, he leaned back and glanced upward at Prowl. "Is Ratchet finished with the habitat meeting?"
Prowl called, then glanced at Prime. "He is."
"Have him come. We have to get things organized. He is going to speak at the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow and I want to have all that I wish them to know ironed out." Prime picked up a data pad which held a running news tab from all the major outlets on Earth. It was a mixed scene there. "I think they deserve to have a clearer picture of what happened and will transpire."
Prowl nodded. "I agree."
=-=Unidad City Hall
"That's going to cause major problems isn't it," Brandon Clark said as he sat back with a sigh.
"All of the big stuff does. But you know and so do I that when you live stuff happens. Can anyone here outline a week or even a couple of days when things went the way you wanted?" Ratchet asked as he lounged in a chair.
The room was filled with humans, the leadership sitting inside with a lot of the movers and shakers as well. Others stood behind as outside the door a number of on world reporters waited to talk to everyone.
"The situation is a blow to N.E.S.T.," Judy Witwicky said with a frown. "It's going to make Glenn's job harder. There's enough talk about replacing him with someone less … 'native'? Fuck that."
Ratchet grinned. "You won't get an argument out of me," he said. "What we have to do is allow the outrage to flow until it simmers down. Some of the leadership on Earth will be problematic but then none of them can come here without our permission."
"No. There's that," Sam Witwicky said. "Warren is arranging for the meet up at the United Nations tomorrow. You're going to bridge in. That way we don't have to mess with the drive in."
"I can't bring my whip? I have some serious wheels, Sam," Ratchet said with a smile.
"I love that ship. I want it," Jessie Landon said. She was here for the soldiers.
"It's yours," Ratchet said.
Laughter finally was heard among the punters as Ratchet sat up straight in his chair. "I'm going to go over what I'm going to say with Optimus in a few minutes. Anything you want me to ask, tell or bring to him? This sort of is a blow to Earth2. They did both come from your habitat. I know that its not the sort of headline anyone of us want but it is what it is."
Owen shook his head. "I don't have anything to add. We're as shocked as you are. It was never anyone's intention at Earth2 to be anything but positive and productive."
Ratchet nodded, then glanced around the room. "Then I have to motor. Literally," he said with a brilliant smile.
"How about a lift?" Jessie asked as everyone began to stand up.
"Come with me, infant," Ratchet said. After a moment of chat, Jessie and Ratchet walked out and were driven to the habitat doors by Sam. Waving him off, they walked out where Ratchet's avatar disappeared and his alt mode started.
Jessie climbed in, put on gear, then they drove out when the transient traffic door opened to let them out. Across the tarmac of the parking lot and down the highway they went.
:Ratchet, what do you suppose will come of this? Do you think N.E.S.T. is going to be slagged for it?: Jessie asked as she relaxed on the seat behind the wheel.
"I don't know," Ratchet said. "We've weathered a lot of slag and given that we're closing in on 100,000,000 bots in the colony, I don't think its going to be an issue if we want it to end. We're standing by N.E.S.T. no matter what."
:I'm glad. Those two … I didn't know them very well. They stayed at the Consulate on the days they worked there, then the HQ when they weren't. They were okay but they didn't mix much. They liked to go around the habitats. I suppose that's how they met Dobbs and Lombardi:
"It would appear so. They were able to move around when no one knew they were gone. Their tech is ours. We have to get it all back. No one on Earth can have that kind of technology. Imagine if one side was able to kit out their army with this kind of thing? What if a gang or cartel had it? How safe would anyone be if they did?" Ratchet replied.
:Not at all. Where is it? Do you have a clue?: Jessie asked.
"We do. We're going to get it back if we have to turn the Earth upside down and shake it out," Ratchet said with a grin. He turned down Cultural Center Road and headed to the N.E.S.T. Habitat down the way. Pulling up to the front door, he waited as she hopped out, went inside, then drove onward across the airfield to The Fortress.
It would only take a moment.
=0=Elsewhere
Steiner watched the kids drilling, a new batch of Home Guardsmen. There were femmes and mechs, most of them on the younger side, though not kids. They were among the newer arrivals who wanted to 'pay it back a little'. Lissie had the officer corps inside going over tactics while he was here drilling kids to march in some semblance of order and learn group cohesion.
Since he had arrived at last, he'd been living with Lissie. They were so close they could have been twins. They were still rooming together, the two of them and spent a lot of time together. It was a long time away from hearth and home, away from family and friends. Having them now, being around the next generation or two, that was golden.
Even as he thought about the drills they were working on, Steiner considered the text he had gotten from Alor that morning. Apparently, something called barbecue was going to be had at the party called Thanksgiving in a few orns. He would have to get with Lissie. There was a contest as well for the best purveyers of such a thing. It might be fun to enter.
Now all he had to do was figure out what barbecue was.
With a grin, he watched as the kids marched past in good order. All was well in his world.
=-=The Fortress
They sat in the conference room going over the presentation that Ratchet would give at the United Nations the following day. Prowl, Ironhide, Raptor who had come back to get something for kids, Alpha Trion, Jazz and Hard Drive. Ratchet listened to the cross talk about what the format would be.
"Jump in at any time, slagger," Ironhide said as he glanced at Ratchet.
"You're doing such a good job," Ratchet said with a big smile. He glanced at Prime. "They're going to want to know how we found them out, what the tech is and what its all about. What do you want them to know?"
"I want it kept to generalities. They signed the Tyrest Treaties as a condition of being here," Prime said. "I do not want them to get fussy about that now. We do not tell them of our efforts to find the tech or their sites where they work. That is off limits. If things work out, maybe we can do it without them knowing we did."
"You like to dream. I love that about you," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "I have a basic outline. If you stay on line with me then we can finesse this. Who goes with me, if anyone at all?"
"Take a couple of mechs," Optimus said. "Your choice."
"Springer and Drift. Only the sexiest mechs for me," Ratchet said.
"You slagger," Ironhide said with a smirk. "Did anyone tell you that you're over the hill?"
"NO!" Ratchet said in his fog horn voice, the one that rattled windows for miles.
For a moment everyone was frozen in place as their internals rung like bells, then Prime turned to Ironhide. "Thanks."
Ironhide who was ringing his own bells glanced at Prime. "What?" he asked to great laughter and derision.
"Well, that was edifying. I had a chat with the humans as you know," Ratchet said as he sat back in his chair. "None of them have a clue, not even Earth2. I run my gear when they talk to me now and they're clueless."
"It could be that the cell that was running these two were not known to Harris. That's how this slag works," Prowl said. "I know he's part of the money faction. It could be that he has no real knowledge of the operations side of things. I'd keep it compartmentalized myself."
"That would be the way to go," Hardie said. He glanced at Jazz. "Do you have any further tracings of the network they took down or is it still undetermined? What will it do to tracking the rest of it?"
"They went dark when the raid came," Jazz said. "The others have gone to ground and until they either come online again or make a mistake we have to start from scratch. Ghost and Smoke are on it."
"What is the situation, Magnus and Alor, regarding the tech signals that we have found in Nevada?" Prime asked.
"We're locating them now. One is in the desert and two others are in industrial areas in Las Vegas. Nowhere else is there a hit in Nevada. I'd like to have a scan made of every location that Harris has, known and otherwise. We have to make a chart of his personal businesses and properties, then scan them for hits. If he's the tech genius for this group then we have to go after him in a bigger way," Alor said.
"I'll get it organized. Ghost and Smoke can work out his maze," Jazz said. "He's got a real complex organization."
"That is priority, both the Nevada operation and a complete work up of Harris," Prime said.
They chatted a while, then broke up. It was getting on in the afternoon and things had to be done. Soon enough would Ratchet go to Earth for all of them. Until then, there were jobs, kids and obligations, oh my, left to do.
=-=At a warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada
He worked on a mother board, if that was what it was called for a device that would allow him to walk through walls. It was some kind of phase shifter. The possibilities of what he could do with a phase shifter were endless and it was his personal project.
That and three other things.
He was his own boss and the group that worked in the warehouse, living there as they unwound the ball of string that was Cybertronian tech were true believers, loyal to him to a fault and dedicated. Soon he would have it and then, he, Silas would be able to deliver a bit of paybacks to Owen Harris himself.
He grinned as he delicately assembled the power part of the device. It would fit on his wrist like a watch but it would have endless power from the sun. It would make it possible for him to walk through walls and get his revenge.
Life could sometimes be sweet.
=0=TBC 11-10-19
NOTES will come tomorrow. :D
TIP: If you are even a slight fan of Lord of the Rings, then I suggest that you go to YouTube and look up Clamavi De Profundis. How do you explain this group? Think about the most romantic and beautiful choral group singing Tolkien songs with the most beautiful videos to match. I can't tell you enough how beautiful, romantic and emotional these guys are. Glorious is too small a word for what I think about them. You're welcome. ;)