The Diego Diaries: Chaos 1 (dd3 12)
=0=Autobot City, Mars
He rose up crying out to the universe as the lifelines that supported his greatness snapped and broke free. Energon flew everywhere bursting into flames in the intense heat of the fire that roared forward. He looked around at the ground, his sensors sweeping in all directions. Then with infinite care, Metroplex placed his peds onto ground that wasn't compromised by habitation.
Stumbling forward he cleared the space allotted to housing and industry moving farther forward before kneeling down, placing a mighty servo onto the firm ground. He was surrounded by his siblings as Kappa sat to allow him to lay his helm onto her lap. He settled down, the rumble of his immense bulk flowing outward through the ground and air like waves on a pond.
The humans felt it, the rumble of the ground, then it passed. As it did an enormous explosion occurred as a new fireball rose into the heavens again. Watching with dread, they saw it shrieking upward as its flames licked at the sky. Then it diminished slightly.
Sirens were sounding as mechs ran away as well as toward the fires as they did their jobs fighting the blazes. They now could see armed soldiers as well as armed Night and Day Watch mechs appearing, standing as if appointed to the places they waited.
Seekers screamed downward from the dark smoke obscured heavens dumping great loads of liquid fire suppressant. It didn't seem to help much they thought as they stood as silent witnesses to a great tragedy.
In the arena gathered together in groups, mechs and the odd femme sat together helping each other, watching each others infants as they scanned the sky with dread. Seekers were flying but not against them. Fire was burning but their city was still here. They looked around themselves and counted their blessings even as they struggled with fear and the emerging horrors of other orns.
The medics and doctors moved among them, orderlies carrying energon and blankets. Infants were bedded down. Elderly were wrapped snugly as other younger bots took them into servo. They knew the drill. Too many of them had already been through it.
But this time it was different. This time they had solidarity and the ability to defend themselves. Among the great throng were former Decepticons working side-by-side with the Autobots and civilians they used to hunt. Seekers were risking their lives to put out the fires and their Prime, their very great Prime was directing the rescue.
The priests and acolytes moved among the people, comforting, reassuring and listening to their terror, sorrow and fear. They sat with some, joked with others and complimented and blessed sparklings, younglings and the sick. The horror raged around them but they contributed to the sense of safety that the arena and the proximity each together provided. In the din of the moment, here and there was a sense that it was going to be alright.
-0-Prime
He stood beside Metroplex watching as Ratchet scrambled up the steep face of his neck. Gripping special handholds that weren't easily visible to the normal optic, Ratchet pulled himself up servo over servo until he reached the Guardian's helm. Pausing when he got where he wanted to be he transformed a digit, removed a panel, then entered a code.
When he did, the immense bot relaxed. He seemed to melt into the ground as the pain receptors in his processor were overridden.
Ratchet resealed the panel then looked down at Optimus. "We can begin work on him now. I disconnected his pain center."
Prime looking nearly ill with relief. "Alright, Ratchet. Tell me what you need and we'll get it."
Ratchet climbed down then walked slowly along the now relaxed Autobot. When he'd gone all the way around deep scanning him with the specialty programming for mechanisms of this size that he carried internally as basic equipment, Ratchet halted by Prime. "He has burns on his right side. They're all over the place now because he changed from city to root mode.
"We're going to have to take the outside paneling off to replace a lot of stuff. I need Specialty Fabrications online now as well as the armor division of Medical Fabrications. We'll need big panels to replace his burned armor. That'll require the steel mills to lend their facilities and biggest strongest workers.
"We can use the formulations for armor there but we need space to manipulate and roll it out."
Prime agreed. "Anything else?"
"Yes. I need every Seeker medic I can muster. This is going to take strength. I need the heavy duty bots on call for the transfer of his new plating. I need to remember to train one of the Guardians in more than rudimentary first aid."
"Will he be alright?" Optimus asked, his voice edgy with concern.
Ratchet consulted his data. "I believe so, Optimus. He won't be able to reform his city mode for a few orns but he'll be back in shape shortly. Right now a rebuild and rest are in order. I'd hate to think what would've happened if the explosions had actually reached him."
"You and me both," Optimus said. "I will be back. Coordinate with Prowl all you need and he will make it so."
Ratchet nodded. Optimus called out as he slowed heading toward the city. "What happened to your genitors?"
"They got blown into things. They'll both be fine," Ratchet answered.
Prime looked relieved. "I'm glad."
"So am I," Ratchet said. Then he began to make the plan for the removal, repair and recuperation of the biggest Autobot of them all.
-0-At the site
Inferno and Red Alert directed the fire control teams as they struggled to master the flames. They were dying down a little, the energon flow disruption at the source slowly taking care of the endless burn. It was bitterly hot with heatwaves rolling off them like waves on an ocean.
The Seekers had dampened the ground under their peds with chemicals that would have to be removed and control burned for safety's sake at some point.
They stood side-by-side on Metroplex's pad, their view of the disaster unobstructed. His site was ruined. It would take a while to repair everything that was there to support him. The ground between that site and the half ruined Business Plaza was a roiling boiling firestorm of flames and erupting soil and metal.
Inferno consulted programming coupled with the constant feed of information from Ops Center-Engineering and the City Manager's Office to determine that in three orns the burn would die off from lack of fuel. Only then they could commence the two next steps that demanded doing.
First, they'd begin the forensic study regarding the cause of the fire and secondly, they'd begin the long laborious cleanup and rebuild so that Metroplex would have his home back again.
-0-In an apartment in Tower 18 some distance away from Metroplex District
He looked out the window standing beside his ada as they watched the mayhem unfold. For a moment he was terrified, not expecting the amount of damage that he was seeing. Then he became numb. Feeling drained away as he watched the Seekers slam in and fly out, some of them getting singed as they tried to drop retardant on the crux of the fire.
The fireball had been exciting for a few moments, then the totality of his actions sunk in. It was as if a Decepticon force had slammed the city and for a moment he knew that he would be hated like Megatron if anyone ever found out he was responsible.
Bravado warred with a deep pulsating fear and as he stood at the window watching with his ada his father entered, his energy and expression filled with concern.
He hurried to the window looking out with them. "This is horrendous."
Burnoff looked at his father. "Prime let this happen," he said.
His father looked at him sharply. "This catastrophe trumps politics. We need to do our part to help. The rest comes later." He looked at Turquoise. "I'm going to the arena. I would like you both to stay here. I will do what I can and I'd prefer to know both of you are safe."
Turquoise agreed. "This is a terrible thing, Copperton. Please call if there's anything I can do."
Copperton said, "I'll be in touch with you. Give me the peace of mind to know you're both safe and out of harms way." With that, he walked back out the door hurrying as fast as he could to the muster station at the edge of the airfield to see what he could do to help.
-0-Laret and Neo
They were reading to their daughter when the rumble rocked them for a nanosecond. The flash of light in the windows got them to their peds and they hurried to look outside with Fifi held tightly in arms. "Oh, Neo! What has happened? Are we under attack?"
The message from Prowl reached them internally at that point as they looked at each other. Laret commed on the monitor and Gen-O appeared in the field giving commentary to the studio.
"The fireball is over 450 meters high according to preliminary estimates. It was caused by a ruptured energon line that feeds into the Business Plaza and indirectly into Metroplex himself. There are teams on site that are working to build a fire break between the blaze and our mighty Metroplex.
"Jazz who's acting as information officer for this disaster told me earlier, Lim-Lee, that the Business Plaza appears to be intact with notable damage in the rear of the building. Part of the problem is city departments store things there, some of them highly inflammable.
"Even though they were in fireproof vaults, the explosion that caused this fire damaged them and they exploded. It caused a concussion blast that blew the doors open to the Plaza, doors designed to withstand gale force winds.
"There were three businesses still in operation at the time of the explosion. They were The Energon Basket, Autobot City Hardware and Bolt Store and RTR Tools. Casualties were light according to Jazz. There were relatively minor injuries among some of the mechs inside and they were taken to the Medical Tower hospital for treatment. Other than a few cuts and bruises along with slight concussions they appear to be going to recover fully.
"The Information Center has released names of the injured. They are Rampage and two of his apprentices, Detron and Bio. His third apprentice was unharmed. The others hurt were at the hardware store. They include Twinset and his bond, Caliper who have superficial wounds from flying bolts and their younglings, Bon, Rolee and Tinset who also suffered from minor injuries.
"Finally, the remaining injured were Tie Down of RTR Tools with an injured arm and concussion and Ravel who suffered a concussion as well. All-in-all, given the size of the disaster and its force delivery, we all were incredibly fortunate.
"The wounds to Metroplex are still being measured. CMO Ratchet was not available for comment but delegated a preliminary statement through his information officer, Gypsy."
(Cut to a blazing inferno and a slight but resolute femme standing with Jacx)
"Gypsy, what can you tell us about the condition of Metroplex?"
"CMO Ratchet has authorized me to say that he received burns on his right side superstructure that will require surgery. His pain receptors are off line so that he can be stabilized. Energon Control is going to be injecting energon into his lines via tanker and will do so until his condition merits other possibilities."
"Is it true that Metroplex stayed in his city mode even while experiencing burns to allow residents to leave without harm?"
"Yes," she said blinking back tears. "Metroplex is a hero. He didn't move until everyone was clear. I live in the District and I cannot thank him enough for his love of us. We all owe him a lot of gratitude, love and appreciation."
"His prognosis then?"
"It's good. CMO Ratchet expects a complete recovery. What it will take is a few orns. Metroplex heals better when he's in city mode. His systems can focus on healing his body and not on maintaining his upright posture. We expect our good bot to recover fully."
"Thank you, Gypsy. This is Jacx at the scene with Medical Information Officer, Gypsy. Back to the studio."
The scene cut back to Lim-Lee who continued to report the news. Everyone was asked to stay home. Anyone with a particular skill needed was called to report to the command station in front of the Fortress. Most of the remaining citizens of the city, the 170,000 who still had homes remained inside watching from their windows and looking at their monitors as the devastation continued to unfold.
-0-Emergency earlier
Ratchet had left nearly a joor earlier but not before he 'd stabilized his genitors and seen to their placement in a recovery ward. Distributing the labor among the doctors on duty, he ran for the roof and a runabout which would take him to Metroplex who was kneeling and in the process of settling his enormous superstructure onto the ground.
Every Seeker doctor and doctor-in-training flew to the field to gather around Ratchet as he began to outline the process they'd take in getting the big bot back on his platform.
Kappa listened as she cradled Metroplex's helm with tears running down her beautiful face as she sat quietly, her anguish enormous and all-encompassing.
"We're going to have to cut the burned armor off but we need to have a few passes by Seekers to drown it and lower the temperature. Right now, its compromised and the possibility of causing him pain taking it off without cooling is great.
"Starscream is organizing the overflights and when the temperature of his surface armor is below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, then we can move."
A sound caught his attention and he looked up. "Here they come. Everyone move back. KAPPA! THEY'RE GOING TO DOUSE HIM TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE! YOU MIGHT WANT TO STAND BACK!"
She shook her helm and when the water cascaded down it hit her, too.
-0-The Arena
The three soldiers sped to the arena rolling to a stop near the ramp that would take them to their special sitting area. The entire center of the facility was covered with bots lying down, sitting and standing. Some were in real distress, their memories rising up in the flames. Others bore more visible scars of war, handicaps that shown on the outside.
The elderly were grouped there. The two feisty old mechs one of whose name Lennox remembered, Ramcharger were with a tiny femme and mech of what seemed to be an inexplicably advanced age. The femme was bewildered as they sat with her holding an energon cube as they tried to project confidence for her sake and the little mech sitting silently beside her.
All around them medics and adult offspring tended to the elders, babies, huddled youngling infants and somber older sub-adults.
All around the arena seats held individuals and family groups. Friends from the same floor and strangers that were only known passing through the lobby of their building huddled together keeping each other cheered up. Mechs walked among them stopping to chat and to collect data to help match up families again or hand out energon and blankets.
It was well in servo.
:This is fragged: Epps said shaking his helm.
The other two agreed.
:Am I the only one who sees a bombing here?: Epps ventured.
The other two shook their helms.
:No: Lennox said grimly.
-0-Diego Garcia, Earth
John Fulton listened grimly himself. "If there's anything that we can do, Prowl, I hope you know to call upon us."
:Thank you, Colonel. Your discretion is requested: Prowl said as his visage filled the screen.
"You got it," Fulton said.
The big winger commed off and the line went dead.
Fulton sat a while mulling over the news. "Fuck," he said to no one in particular.
=0=TBC 2012 (9) 4-23-2022