Chapter 147
-0-In front of the Embassy
They stood in the shadows watching the show outside. Ratchet was holding Orion as he stood with Bluestreak and Sunstreaker. They watched as Ironhide and the mercs did their dance of doom.
Prime and Prowl were just out of sight, their optics fixed on the massive black mech outside.
Ironhide upped the ante finding their brazen self-assurance based on their belief in his inability to disobey orders their Achilles heel. He powered down his guns and subspaced them stepping back a ped or two, his demeanor and expression remaining malevolent even as he gave them more rope. They were just two feet away from the invisible but formally designated line demarcating by treaty agreement the boundary between their embassy and sovereign territory from the rest of the base. All he needed to do was give them room to move toward him to breach the barrier and then they were his.
The mercs paused a moment in their hoo-haw to watch him step back and power down. Grinning as they misinterpreted his actions, they stepped forward and returned to their mouthy bullshit. They loudly taunted and teased him as they moved forward in brazen disregard for the danger that was looming before them. Around them, the rest of the spectators watched with disbelief and amazement. Some of them were feeling the burn as they stood nearby with clenched fists and angry expressions. A few even knew what Ironhide was doing.
Ironhide took two more steps backward then halted as he gazed at them with contempt. They took two steps forward and that was all he needed. Moving with speed they could never have expected, he flanked them, appearing behind them before they could even turn to watch. When they did, they were silenced by the spectacle of a monster glowering behind them, his expression one of death and destruction unlimited.
They turned in circles looking for a way to run but Ironhide was too fast, cutting them off each direction they turned. As they stood together staring up at him, they barely had time to scream when he moved forward to grab them off their feet. Holding one in each hand, he waited as Prime stepped out to walk toward him.
"What do you have here, Ironhide?" Prime asked as he suppressed a grin. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Ironhide defuse a situation. He'd done the same thing himself many times.
"A couple of fools who are trespassing on our embassy," Ironhide replied.
The two mercs were petrified into silence which was fine with Prime. He glanced at the doorway motioning for Red Alert to come forward. "Red, please accompany Ironhide to the brig with these two idiots. I will contact Fulton. We have a diplomatic incident and I do not intend to let them off the hook this time."
Red nodded then followed Ironhide as he walked to the embassy to disappear inside.
Ratchet watched him go by, then shook his head. "They never learn."
"No, the fraggers," Sunstreaker said with his arm around Ratchet.
Ratchet looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"Entertaining though," Sunny said with a savage grin.
"I think so. Didn't know your old man had it in him, did you," Ratchet said.
"No," Sunstreaker said.
Sideswipe transferring the files to Prime skated up with a grin to halt in front of all four of them. "That was fraggin' awesome," he said embracing Bluestreak in a hug.
"Your old dad's no one's pushover," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
"No," Sideswipe said. "Pops is the mech."
They laughed and it felt good, the moment was good.
"You younglings have an appointment with Perceptor and Wheeljack in a few breems. I'm supposed to let them know," Ratchet said.
Bluestreak took Orion to hold him up before kissing, then settling him against his shoulder. "You'll come too, right?"
Ratchet nodded. "You might not include Ironhide. He wanted big yellow dots around Orion's optics until I shamed him out of it."
They grinned.
"Might have helped his night vision," Sideswipe said innocently.
"Oh, Primus. Like genitor, like sparkling," Ratchet said as he headed for Wheeljack's lab. "Come on. Let's see what kind of pretty sparkling we can make." They followed along chatting among themselves until they disappeared down the corridor.
-0-Fulton and Prime
"It's a full-blown diplomatic incident," Fulton said. "Anything short of that is inadequate for what happened."
Prime said, "We would like to see them tossed off the island eventually."
"I will see to it," Fulton said. "You know they were the two involved in the hit-and-run attempt."
Prime nodded. "The investigator is due tomorrow. I will keep them in the brig until then so that they can be questioned. You and I will not have to expedite this and if Daniels complains tell them that it is my actions that are slowing things down. Tell them that Cybertronians hold their diplomatic territories sacrosanct and that this is a very big affront to us."
Fulton agreed. "Good. I don't want them to leave Diego Garcia unless it's in handcuffs and under guard."
Prime smiled slightly. "You read my processor."
-0-Ops Center
Prowl transferred the data that Sideswipe had taken and treated it to a format that could be burned onto a DVD and given to Fulton. It went into the merc file that was getting to be enormous. All of it would be made available to the investigator coming from Hawaii tomorrow.
-0-Wheeljack's lab
They sat together side-by-side, the three of them looking at the typical formats for mechs. Ratchet standing behind them helped explain the possibilities. Then they waited as the three of them worked it out.
First, it had to have mech wings.
Second, it was a mech.
Third, it was to be awesome and the most beautiful sparkling that had ever made its way to a Cybertronian national in this or any other universe.
Fourth, it would bear all their colors.
Fifth, since Sunstreaker was going to be screaming on the med berth his color would dominate.
The end product was quite nice. The mech would be the luminously beautiful yellow of Sunstreaker. He would have red hands and a tasteful red stripe around his arm for his other father, Sideswipe while the black and white door wings of his last father, Bluestreak would complete the body format. A tiny chevron of gray would be Bluestreak's other contribution. It was a jazzy, colorful and extremely pretty protoform design. They sat together silently and watched it on the screen as Wheeljack turned it from all angles for the three to see. Then they looked at Ratchet. "What do you think, Ratchet?" they all asked together.
"I think it's quite beautiful," Ratchet said turning to look at the door as it opened.
Prowl walked in grinning slightly. "Sorry I'm late," he said moving to stand behind Sideswipe. He looked at the screen then smiled broadly. "Wow. What a beautiful little sparkling.
Everyone relaxed.
Prowl turned to the three. "Beautiful. I want to hold him now." Then he took Orion who grinned at him around his binky as he stared up at Prowl's chevron with scheming optics. "This will do as a stop gap."
"And hello to you, Prowl," Ratchet said with a smirk. "We'll have to discuss alternate sparkling sitting because this could get ugly."
Prowl grinned, pausing from kissing Orion's little cheeks for a second. "It very well could."
The three watching them smiled.
Including Sunstreaker.
-0-In the brig
Ironhide had trotted down to put them into a cell, stepping back as Red Alert turned on the bars. He watched them a moment, then left without a word. They watched silently for a while before walking to the wall. Sitting down with their backs to it, they waited silently, too afraid to make a sound.
-0-Daniels
He got the word almost immediately and drove to the N.E.S.T. hangar across the tarmac from the embassy. Walking inside, he looked around trying to find Fulton who he believed had to be there. No one came to his assistance so he walked to the offices of the officers in the back. Pausing before the door of Will Lennox, he rapped on the jamb.
Looking up to see who it was, Lennox sighed with disgust. "If you came to get your scumbags they're in the Autobot brig."
"I want them. Help me get them out."
"They made a diplomatic incident. Ask the State Department. By the way, I wouldn't."
Daniels regarded him for a moment. "Why is that?"
"Because, Daniels, I hear some of your bosses are pissed right now with the games you're playing, alienating the aliens and all. The country really likes the Autobots. They liked what they saw at the hearing and they back the bots. You on the other hand are a first class asshole who no one likes." Will grinned as he leaned back in his chair. "No one."
Daniels's expression never changed and Lennox wondered what it would take to move him. He seemed never to be touched by the moment, by the deeds he was facing. His soul seemed to be missing. He rose to walk around his desk. "Gotta run. Meeting at the embassy."
"Take me with you."
Lennox turned back to look at Daniels, an opaque figure before him. "Not on your life, Daniels. Get someone else to do that." Then he left.
Daniels watched him. For a moment he was still in thought, then he walked out and away, back to his barracks once more.
-0-At the meeting
They sat at the conference table, the senior Autobots and the soldiers. Lennox, Epps and Graham were filled in and they talked about the political fallout that they might be facing. That was when Prowl brought up a couple of new items received that morning that could be possibilities for reinforcing their good impressions in the minds of the worldwide audience that had watched the two sets of hearings.
"Senator Hoxley has asked permission to bring their committee to Diego to see the embassy and our garrison. Apparently, she's very smitten with Ratchet and would like to do this to disperse more information into the outside world. She believes that the more people know the more they will support us."
"What we don't control we lose," Ratchet said as he watched Prowl hold Orion.
Ironhide sitting beside him watched Prowl, too. Ironhide watched Orion in a miffed pinched brow sparkling pouting sort of way. Prowl had seized Orion the moment they came through the door telling Ironhide that seeing the new infant's pretty protoform had been an overwhelming experience. It required immediate sparkling therapy. Ironhide, having to surrender his little buddy sat peeved.
Ratchet sat amused.
Prime sat nervously.
Prowl sat ecstatically.
Orion sat on his lap staring at a red chevron with calculating optics.
The others sat expectantly.
The soldiers sat obliviously.
It was a normal meeting at Autobot HQ in Diego.
"What do you think? A controlled visit? A tour of the facility and perhaps a briefing," Wheeljack asked. "Do you want to become visible, Optimus? Or do you want to remain the force behind the facade?"
"That is a nice way to put it," Prime said with a grin.
"The Wizard of Oz," Ratchet said. "Or shall I say in honor of Jase Daniels, the Wizard of Odd."
They all looked at him with mystification as Ratchet sighed. "Someone has to be literate and that appears to be me."
"I read," Wheeljack said miffed. "I just finished a McPhee."
"Really? That's nice. Now where were we?" Ironhide interjected swiftly with his optics focused intently on Orion who was patting Prowl's face as the winger smiled and whispered to him oblivious, purposefully, of Ironhide's snit.
It was good to be Prowl.
"We were discussing opening our doors to a committee that's two thirds supportive and one third stupid. Although one of them appears to be leaning our way," Ratchet said reminding Ironhide what he already knew, the slagger.
"Thomas?" Perceptor asked.
Ratchet nodded as he slipped his arm around the back of Ironhide's chair. "He actually wanted to know things and didn't save Weaver at the end. In fact, he was actually very much a changed figure at the end."
"Good idea then?" Prime asked.
Ratchet nodded. "I don't think it's got anything but an up side if we manage where and what they see and do. William? Robert? Niall? What do you think?"
"Well, I don't like having politicians around but Hoxley seems to be supportive and helping her helps us," Will replied as the others nodded.
Prime agreed, then looked at Prowl who was kissing Orion's little cheeks. The infant was trying to reach Prowl's chevron but failing. "Prowl?"
Prowl looked at Optimus. "I'll get it arranged. Middle of next week? That will be two weeks from the Shockwave meet up."
Prime nodded. "What was the other one? The idea you mentioned."
"A film crew from a news program that's highly regarded in America wants to do an interview and come here to film. They want to speak to you and if not you, then Ratchet. They also want to do a short part of the interview about or with the children. Especially Orion who's touched a cord ... Orion, Spirit and Silverbow."
It was silent a moment, then Prime leaned back in his chair. "As one of the three parental sets here I do not like this but I see the point it could make of giving people emotional investment in us."
"That's true," Ratchet said glancing at Orion. "What do you think about someone coming to film Orion, Ironhide?"
Ironhide glanced at Ratchet and frowned. "I don't like it. Hard enough to keep a hold of him now without creating admirers all over the slagging world."
Everyone chuckled as Prowl grinned at Ironhide, holding Orion even closer to his own chassis. "You big sparkling. This sparkling is a charmer. I think between him, the mechs and Silverbow, anyone who's afraid of us will be reassured. I only wish our own was here so we could show the whole world how wonderful they are."
"You're a goner, Prime," Ironhide said sitting back with resignation. "No way you won't get your own sooner than later."
They all chuckled and decided in the end that more information was needed. Prowl would handle the correspondence with the American company. Hoxley would come in the middle of the next week. It would be controlled and carefully scrutinized with final call on any footage to be cleared through Optimus Prime himself, ostensibly under the guise of security.
-0-Daniel
He sat at his computer, the heavily encrypted one that Intel-Martin had given him. He poured out his angst to his father, grandfather, Nast or so he thought, Galloway, Weaver and High Flyer. Then he turned it off and got a beer, going to the window to stare out as he popped the top. Taking a deep drink, he wondered when he could get off this rock permanently. As he did a group of Autobots walked to the shooting range and proceeded to shoot up everything in sight. He sighed, his head pounding from the noise, then walked to the living room to sit and wait for replies.