The Diego Diaries: Zoom (dd7 300)
NOTE: We've past 300 for the seventh time. :D As I sat here finishing this up to post I glanced at the time and saw it wasn't 5:00 PM, but rather 11:00 PM. We're rushing up to June 21 when the daylight will be 24 hours long. I have to make sure I keep an eye on the clock. LOL! HUGS!)
=0=The Citadel
"You okay?"
"I booped my thing."
Ratchet scanned him, then grinned. "You're alright. Want me to hold you?"
Orion glanced at Ratchet, then nodded.
Sun held out his servo where Orion sat, then Ratchet took him. He lay Orion on his shoulder, patting his little butt. Ratchet grinned. "He booped but he's going to be fine. I think its nap time for a few of the you-know-who's."
Genitors around the room glanced at the children, then began to gather them up. Only a couple fussed but were soon settled in the warm blanket-lined holds of their parents. Orion joined them in Ratchet's.
Prime stood, then glanced at everyone. "We need to be at the stadium. I will leave you in Ratchet's hands."
"We'll pray for you," Ironhide said as he rose to go. They were hooted out, then everyone turned to Ratchet.
He grinned. "We're going to look this place over. Its almost a total rebuild from the second story up. The Grand Hall was just finished. The last time I saw this place it was under shelling and on fire. We'd taken a lot of stuff out to hide it and had felled beams onto the computers to cover them. Grapple did the job. We buried them but spared as much damage as we could."
"Orion only mentions that time in passing, Ratchet," Kestrel said.
Ratchet nodded. "I know." He glanced at the humans who were listening with grave expressions. "This is The Citadel, the center of Autobot power in the City of the Autobots. This was a beautiful city once but it like everything else was harmed greatly in the civil war.
"We were civilians fighting against a profoundly good professional army. Ironhide's family defected to Prime but the major army and air force went with Megatron. He promised a lot and people were desperate. I don't hold grudges anymore. We were desperate for a better life and in a vacuum, when there's nothing left to carry you forward with belief, any loud voice will do.
"We fought hard. Optimus was never supported by the political side of things. He wanted fairness and change. They didn't. War came and it was inevitable. Even the humans can tell you that there are no more terrible wars than civil ones. Family tearing family apart, though we were never a family then. We were camps who never saw each other, not really. We were a striated society with no time for hearing nor assuaging anyone's hurts. War was swift and terrible.
"We're going to see Polyhex, Praxus, Iacon here and Simfur. All of them suffered terribly. We're raising them back up because that's who we are. Our great and glorious people are shouldering the load and carrying it together for a better future. I wasn't there for the Seeker Annihilation in Praxus. I wasn't there when they firebombed Polyhex. I was stuck in the out lands of Vos trying to stop annihilation and evacuating civilians. They were getting ready to nuke each other, Tarn and Vos. I remember helping refugees run from Vos and seeing the nuke come in. It hit the city, exploded and Vos was for all intents and purposes gone."
The room was still as a morgue as they listened. Even the soldiers who were still here, Springer, Drift and others were solemn. They weren't at the event yet, detailing themselves and a few others to help get everyone to the game, but they remembered the war as clearly as Ratchet did.
"We got refugees into ships, all manner of ships. We had to get them off world. Do you remember that picture of me and Jetfire watching Predaking walking toward us across a wasteland? That was then, when we were working to remove civilians. It was horrendous but we had to make due with what we had at hand. Prime was already heading for Simfur as fast as he could to retrieve the Allspark before Megatron."
"What happened, Abba?" Tia asked as the fifty kids watched Ratchet with pained expressions.
"He made it. They raced through the streets which were on fire everywhere. The 'Cons were closing in but Prime made it there before him. He ran out with the Allspark, then raced to the last working space bridge on world. Megatron was firing on him when he threw It through and It disappeared." Ratchet considered that. "He then raced to Iacon and called for all of us to meet up there. We had to go to space and get It. If Megatron did so first, then the universe was over. It was a terrible thing to have to go and leave things behind.
"The Knights, the Network and the Autobots on world were still rescuing, saving millions, perhaps billions. Ships were fleeing. I'll never forget the sight. Little lighted dots filling the darkness of space every direction I could look. It was a catastrophic thing. I saw metrotitans lifting off, some of them filled with civilians and others fleeing because Megatron had orders to gain control of them for his own use. They're spark-bonded to Prime and if they tried that, their sparks would be destroyed. Metrotitan had to be poisoned to obey them.
"We began to search for the Allspark but it would take five million Earth years to do so. When we arrived at the coordinates where Prime had sent It, we found residue of a worm hole, a naturally occurring one and it could have taken the Allspark anywhere. The search was as soul destroying as being on Cybertron all that time.
"It was fated somehow, I believe, that the Allspark came to Earth. It was fated that Mars be available for us to help our people to safety and then retake Cybertron." It was silent a second. "I will tell you from my life a truth that is true. There are no coincidences. None. Never. We were fated to have this happen. The Allspark led us here. Our people were saved here. It was no accident or chance."
"My family were Decepticons," a small mech said. He was Bel. He looked emotional.
Ratchet reached over the table and took his little servo. "Your family was trying to do better for you and everyone else. Megatron is a very great liar. He bears the burden, not your family. We're all one now aren't we?"
He and several other kids nodded. Apparently, he wasn't the only child from a Decepticon family here.
"We've lived together for 13 years with peace and harmony. All of us … religious, Neutrals, former Decepticons, Autobots, all the old castes … we all get the blessings during Festival. Right?"
The kids nodded.
"Then you understand fully that not only do we, The People love all of our people but so do The Powers," Ratchet said gently.
He looked relieved. "I … I do."
"Good," Ratchet said as he sat back in his chair. "Then you understand that All Are One means everyone, not just some."
It was silent a moment.
"We made our way over eons of time and at no moment of that journey were our thoughts anywhere but here and with you wherever you were. We helped so many on the way to finding the relic. We kept lists and charts so when we could we'd be able to find and rescue all of you. We think about everyone always. We work hard for everyone and we'll find everyone. Everyone will be accounted for. When we all are there will be celebrations. All you children have to do is learn, play, be young and love without any strings attached. We're all one again."
Everyone nodded and murmured.
Ratchet stood, then glanced at the humans who were listening with solemn expressions. "I think we need to see this building. Its very old. The first Prime to reign here was the great Guardian Prime. Come on. Let me show you around. I even have a few secrets to show you that no one in the public knows about yet." He walked to the door and the humans who were placed back in their gravity cart followed behind.
They gathered in the hallway, then Ratchet turned to them. "This is the private area of the Primes. His dining room is here and his office is that way. Come and see it. It's pretty amazing." Ratchet began to walk that way and a lot of individuals followed him and the little gravity cart.
Past ornate statues set into niches and huge windows that showed the night sky, they followed Ratchet to the office doors. They were huge and inlaid with metals that showed Cybertron, the Emblem of the Primes and writing in Primal Vernacular declaring this office as Prime's that very few there could read. He opened it and they entered the ante office which had only a skeleton staff. The game was today and it was a holiday for the city.
He walked to the open doors of Prime's office to enter its vast space. There were antiques recovered from pot holes back in their places, comfortable chairs and couches artfully arranged for many visitors. Along the farthest wall were paintings of the Primes before Optimus. His own portrait showed his greatness and wisdom. The only other Prime that matched him in gravity and dignity was Guardian. The portrait which was recovered and restored had been replaced on the wall for his honor. The others were there because they were Primes and not because they were beloved or good. They were there to tell the story which had to be learned so it wouldn't repeat. Everyone gathered inside to look at the huge room.
"The first Prime to sit at that very desk and chair was Guardian, the first Prime after Prima. He was astonishingly good and much underrated and remembered. The windows look over the parade ground outside. Sometime, ask Bumblebee about the parade ground and Sentinel Major. He has a funny story to tell."
They would.
"Now, who wants to be the first to sit in Prime's chair and get their picture snapped?" Ratchet asked as he drew out his camera.
After a moment of staring at each other, the kids ran for the chair. Everyone of them would have a picture there with family members present as well as most of the other adults including a jaunty Springer and a bemused Drift. Zenith and Shadow demurred out of respect for the office. It would be a jolly group that would follow Prowl and Ratchet to the Operational Center of Cybertron.
=0=Iacon Municipal Stadium
The lines had been long, first come, first serve. It was being holographically broadcast all over the planet, this the first of three games today. Literally billions and billions of individuals would be watching the game that featured of all things, Optimus Prime. The trip to the locker room was facilitated by a land bridge at The Citadel. They walked in and sat, gathered around to discuss plays and the intel on Nova Cronum's Brigadiers, a team noted for a crushing defense and a slightly weaker offense.
The conversation would be calm, amusing and technical. All of them came to win. No one was more determined to do so than Optimus Prime.
=0=Operational Center of The Citadel
"And this is where the magic happens," Ratchet said as he led them to the center of the cavernous room that occupied three floors of the building in its vastness not only as a command center for the military but also as an information data base concentration facility. Part of the complex also housed the Autobot Air Command and Civilian Aviation Center. He explained the stations, listened as Prowl explained operations, then they walked onward. They rounded the building, then took elevators to the bottom floor of the massively tall building to enter the oldest part of one of the oldest buildings on Cybertron.
Lights flashed on and signage in both NeoCybex and Primal Vernacular directed the visitor to all the places to be located here. Ratchet found what he wanted, then smiled at the group. "Walk this way," he said, then sashayed forward.
Huge laughter followed that along with some of the kids imitating him. They rounded a corner, then appeared before a big vault door. It had scorch marks on it. He looked at everyone as they gathered. "This is the deepest and most secure vault on Cybertron. It was buried and burned but held its integrity. Some of the oldest and most wonderful things of The People are inside, hidden at the end to preserve them against the hopeful future.
"Optimus gave me the combination. Only he can open it. When we close it he'll reset it and no one else can do what we're going to do now." Ratchet turned to the door, put in the combination, then stepped back as it slid aside and the huge space beyond lit up automatically. He walked in and they followed. Ratchet turned to them. "See that sword?"
Everyone looked at a very tall niche where an almost indescribably beautiful sword was hanging, then nodded.
"It's one that belonged to Primus Himself." Ratchet let the shock sink in as the group gasped.
Drift stepped forward, then glanced at Ratchet. "I don't suppose ..."
"Go ahead," Ratchet said as Prowl nodded.
Everyone was silent as Drift reached out to pick up a sword that had belonged to the very Warrior God upon Whose body they all stood at this very moment …
=0=TBC 6-12-2020. 6-13-2020