The Diego Diaries: PsyOps 16
-0-At a foundry
They stood watching the steel buckets move overhead on a track heading for the large tables where it would be poured into frames to become ingots of pig iron. It was hot but it felt good and the bots who worked here paused from time to time to chat and play with Orion. He for his part was in nirvana. The attention was all a baby could ask for. He basked in the good will of the mechs and his brothers. Ironhide for his part was feeling tremendously better.
The bucket paused, its boiling contents throwing off oceans of heat and light. Then it began to tip and the molten steel poured out filling the frames as they slid by on a conveyer belt. When it was empty it tipped back and began its travel back to the smelters for more raw materials to transform into another kind of product. The steel itself was moving forward to be sent through heavy duty machines that would flatten the pig iron into sheets. It would be a long process.
They didn't care. It was awesome to watch.
-0-New York, USA, Earth
The shuttle landed at a commercial space on the airport. It was highly secured and there were officers of the airport police there. As the shuttle was loaded on one side, it was unloading on the other. Five vehicles departed and drove to the gates nearby. Holographic images supplied the proper identification and they were let out. It would be a long drive to Brooklyn and the heavily barricaded street that led to a burned out shop and an ant hill of human activity.
It wouldn't matter. They could scan things floating in space from surface side on Earth. It would be accomplished without incident. By the time the shuttle was ready to leave New York, five beautiful vehicles would be back on board once more.
-0-'Good Morning, Autobot City'
They sat on a couch, all of them fitting it easily. Seven humans were there to speak for Earth and they waited nervously as a public notice played on the screen. Cameras were pointed their way, Marconi was waiting for the go and all was tense.
For the humans.
Marconi, the genial host of the most popular morning program on IntraComm was relaxed and pleasant. The nod came and he turned to the camera. "Welcome back. As you know, there has been disquieting news from Earth lately. We now have five bombings around the United States that appear to be anti-Cybertronian in nature. We also had the infamous interview by two former Special Operations soldiers broadcast as well. We have asked some of the humans that are staying with us in the science habitat and the tower habitat for regular visitors to come and offer their outlooks on this situation. I would like to introduce the scientists first.
"This is Sheila Conroy, Antonia Lopez, Michio Yamaha and Stein Mueller. The remaining humans are part of the film company that is producing a series of programs featuring some of our soldiers for broadcast on Earth. They are Zeb Marshall, Leonora Huttle and Aaron Belcher. Thank you for coming. We have a lot of questions for you, some of which were texted to our studio. If I may start, I would like to offer one. A mech named Mystro asked, "Why do humans think Megatron will leave if we do? How do humans feel they can defend themselves when he doesn't follow us away? Do humans understand how vindictive Megatron is? How angry he is to be held in captivity with his body violated by your scientists' probing and examinations?' Good set of questions," he concluded.
Sheila looked at him. "They don't. They don't know you like we do. They don't understand you like we do. Its fear and lack of information that makes some people afraid. I think it is just that … how big and fearsome your species is that makes people have bad judgments about what to expect. We can't last without your help. Those of us here know that. Fear and lack of information is the problem. We know Megatron wouldn't go. We appreciate you so much. We love you. I am so sorry for this. They don't speak for the most humans. I believe that is true for the vast majority."
"I agree with Sheila," Zeb said nodding. "The broadcasts of life here are the most popular viewing on any Earth media channel. Football game broadcasts actually clear the streets in cities around the world when a game is played. The more we see that you are a lot more like us than different, the better it is for all of us."
"You are unique," Michio said nodding. "You are not what we expected. We expected a lot of different things regarding aliens. We didn't expect beings who could morph into automobiles. We didn't expect metal based organisms. Some people can't get past the idea that you didn't begin here. Some can't stand the idea that one of 'their' planets is now the home of someone else. It doesn't matter that Earth can't reach any of the planets. We can hardly reach the moon. We have gained in understanding of the universe and technology in general entire generations of advancement since you have come. You are helping us solve some of our most pressing problems on the Earth. And you have done so with great honor and humility. We love you. We appreciate you and you must understand, the majority of humans do too. We understand our fragility in relation to the Decepticons and only the most stupid, the most suicidal discount that difference. We are filled with grief over these developments and I don't think I'm just speaking for a minority."
Leonora nodded. "You aren't what we expected to come from the skies. But you are good allies and friends. I am so honored to be here to help present you and your people to the Earth. I can't even articulate how much I love your babies and how offended I am about those two men talking about him like that. I have spent time in your schools and I love your babies and children. They are so wonderful."
The others nodded. "If more people could come here, they would understand what we know," Antonio said with heartfelt emotion.
The conversation continued. It was broadcast all over the city and on the Earth download to the channel that had been set aside for Cybertronian television by a consortium of broadcast systems worldwide. Billions of people were watching and listening everywhere.
-0-On the Earth
They reached Las Vegas and pulled into the house where they were invited to stay. A millionaire developer had similar views and had given them a standing invitation to stay when they were in town. He wasn't there at the time but had arranged for them to make themselves at home. Hedges and Johnson walked to the living room and sat, cold beer in hand. Turning on the television, they watched as the news discussed the situation vis a vie the bombings and the furor their words had ignited in the world.
"When do we meet the others?" Johnson said glancing at Hedges.
"Not yet. We're under surveillance. You know we are. We can't meet them directly until we know we can shake our shadows."
"Well then, lets avail ourselves of our host's amenities," Johnson said with a grin.
Hedges nodded back. "Let's do," he said with a chuckle.
-0-Chicago
The crowds had dissipated as the police cordon had held. No one was allowed to get too close to the building that had been bombed. An Apple store next to it had been shattered and blown apart as well. Glass was thick on the ground as smoldering wreckage mocked the experts combing through it.
Nearby, parked on the street were several beautiful cars and a truck. Their sensors had been pooled and under Perceptor and Wheeljack's direction were scanning deep and wide throughout the site and a complete square mile around ground zero.
"What do you see under that piling, John?" a fireman asked as he crouched beside his partner scrutinizing the debris that had once been the roof.
"I'm scanning for trace elements of the detonator and bomb material itself, Jackie," John Mettle said. He held his scanner in his hand, the probe that sensed trace elements of different detectable substances held in his other. It was pointed at the rubble collecting data as he held it firm. Then it quit. He looked at it, tapped it against his leg, then stood. "My meter quit."
Jackie Paxton looked at the meter. "Did you have new batteries?"
"I put them in on the ride over," John said turning the device over to check the batteries. He ran a test on them and they read fully charged. He glanced at Paxton. "This is strange." As they stared at the dead meter, it came back on. "What the hell?" Mettle ran a test and it read as functional. He knelt and held it out, the data flowing again. "Weird."
He didn't know the half of it. The Autobots had scanned the wreckage and got what they needed. While they did, it had blocked his scanner from working. Now that they were withdrawing, their own scans complete, the blackout it had caused was over.
John Mettle would never know why.
-0-At the Ops Center, Diego Garcia, Earth
They sat on duty, four Autobots and five humans who were manning the little console that sat on a table top nearby. They had been part of the Autobot Control Center since the beginning helping to be the human interface. Now they were watching the hoo-hah on the teevee and waiting for General Morshower's press conference. He was in the Administration Building conferencing with Colonel John Fulton.
"These slaggers are beyond the pale. We come here and get fragged protecting Earth and this is the thanks we get." Blurr shook his helm.
Jolt who was lounging in a chair nearby shrugged. "Not all of them are fraggers."
"We aren't," Aisha Mohammed said as she did her tour at the human monitors on the table top.
Blurr looked at her. "You are always the exception, you and the mechs and femmes here. I don't know about those out there."
"Every planet has its Decepticons," an airman named Mike Hayes said. "Tell me I'm wrong."
"I won't," Blurr said with a grin.
"When is your bar opening, Blurr?" Aisha asked. "I'm coming over in a couple of weeks. I would love to see it. I hear its legendary."
Blurr grinned. "It is. That bar was so old no one remembers when it opened. It was the bar with the most and best labels, the best food and the best entertainment. Anyone in the old days could come in and be okay. Decepticons, Autobots and Neutrals all drank there. If there were fights the bouncers would post hole ya. It was epic."
"Did you go there during the hey day?" Aisha asked.
"Yeah. I loved it so much I took my racing winnings and bought it when it was on the market. I still own it on Cybertron. However many pieces its in anyway," he said with a chuckle.
"It'll open soon," Jolt said nodding. "I can't wait. I liked that bar."
"I know. I'm having a pole put in with your name on it," Blurr said with his trademark smirk.
It took Jolt a minute to check the reference and only a split second longer to send Blurr an electrical noogie.
-0-The Hourly News
"Welcome to the mid-orn news. My name is Lim-Lee and I am would like to begin with the situation as it is developing on Earth. This morning brought the horrible news that four more explosive devices had been planted in four different cities in the United States of America. Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta joined San Francisco on the unfortunate list of terroristic attack as the dawn arose across America. Fortunately, they were committed when no one was around to be injured but authorities expect it is only a matter of time before that changes.
"The preliminary data indicate that the devices are similar, composed of the same highly controlled substances and are accompanied by the same anti-Autobot, anti-Cybertronian graffiti that informed the first bombing. Officials investigating offer little information about who might have done this, preferring to keep whatever they find out close to their vests for now. The authorities are sifting the debris and monitoring the communications networks of known anti-social, anti-Cybertronian groups that may have links to the shadowy figures responsible for these bombings. So far, no one has stepped forward to claim responsibility.
"In several moments, General Glenn Morshower, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces will be presenting a short message from Diego Garcia, the island in the Indian Ocean where our Prime and the first soldiers of our armed forces touched down in their quest to retrieve the AllSpark and to assist the humans against the Decepticon threat. We maintain an embassy there which is no longer in lock down." She paused a moment as if listening internally to someone. "We are receiving word that General Morshower is preparing to speak. We switch to Consortium World News to receive that broadcast."
(Cut to the emblem of CWN, a planet-wide organization of broadcast networks that present Martian broadcasts on a single broadcast band day and night worldwide. Diego Garcia where the familiar figure of Glenn Morshower, John Fulton and a number of officers gather around a microphone appears next. Behind them as Embassy and Prime representative, Bumblebee knelt in root mode. He was nearly completed in his duty here and would leave for Mars after the press conference.)
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am here with Colonel Fulton commanding Diego Garcia and Autobot Scout Bumblebee, the representative for the Prime of Cybertron and Mars to speak about the situation ongoing here on Earth. First, I would like to address the comments and behavior of former Corporal James Johnson and former Sargent Sam Hedges. They have made statements that are beneath the dignity and honor of the United States military and I repudiate them completely.
"Both men were based here at one time to learn special operational tactics and they failed. They failed because they demonstrated over and over that they were unfit by attitude and temperament. They were relieved of their duty here and because of subsequent continued insubordination at their home bases, they were dismissed from the army as an alternative to court-martial. I want it known that they were given a choice and accepted dishonorable discharge with free will.
"Because they applied for and were accepted for special operations training, they were required to sign and obey a confidential agreement about all that they saw and did as a special ops officer or trainee. This is a lifetime binding agreement which they have violated. Not only did they violate that agreement, they attempted to release to the general public highly classified information relating to our mission and our allies that is highly damaging and detrimental to our ongoing mission. Because of that, I have instructed the General Counsel of the Armed Forces to seek legal recourse against both. Either an agreement is entered honorably or it isn't. This one was breached and there are consequences for that behavior.
"I would like to discuss the many egregious actions taken by former State Department liaison Jason Daniels, his mercenaries and Intel-Martin who supplied these hired guns for Daniels. This is one of the most highly secured bases on this planet. Not only was it before the Autobots came, it is even more so now with their presence. There was no reason for mercenaries to be here and while they were terrible things happened.
"Ambassador Ratchet was nearly assassinated. Two little children were nearly executed by vehicle. Master of the Armed Forces Ironhide was severely damaged when an armored vehicle deliberately drove into him at high speed. The Autobots exhibited phenomenal restraint and professionalism throughout this ordeal.
"When Johnson and Hedges were part of an incident, they brought it upon themselves. Their remarks, their ignorant, biased, ethnocentric remarks about the Autobots brought two of them forward to talk about it. The incident was an effort by two offended Autobots to seek an explanation of Johnson and Hedges' remarks, comments that were undermining unit cohesion and outside the bounds of professional military behavior.
"Nothing untoward happened and there is tape to prove that, tape that has been seen in congressional hearings to address these allegations. It was handled by the commanding N.E.S.T. field officers and the two were transferred that day off Diego Garcia. They then proved themselves unworthy to wear a uniform back at their home base. They were let go because they were unfit. All of the many incidents were investigated by the Army, by the State Department and by independent investigators appointed by the Pentagon. In every instance the Autobots were found to be not only not guilty of the event in question, they were found to be the offended party.
"It should be noted that it was the Autobots who uncovered a treason plot instigated by Jason Daniels, his father and grandfather and Intel-Martin that would have sold this world out to the Decepticons. They are now spending life sentences in prison.
"I cannot express how offended I am that a child should be insulted the way Orion was. I have worked with the Autobots and their Cybertronian country mechs and femmes. I have spent time and will continue for the rest of my life to spend time with these people. I love them. I respect them. They are the best kind of individuals you can meet. They live their honor, they live their dignity and they are among the finest individuals I have ever known.
"I repudiate all the comments made by Johnson and Hedges. I repudiate the cowards who are setting bombs on Earth. I stand by our allies and friends, the Autobots led by someone I am deeply honored to call friend, Optimus Prime, the Prime of Cybertron and Mars, the bearer of the Creation Matrix, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and the last and only duly legally appointed leader of the Cybertronian people. I won't tolerate any more crap from the ranks nor will I stand silent now. We are allies and some of us are lucky enough to call each other brothers. Thank you for your time."
General Morshower turned and patted Bumblebee's servo. Then he turned and walked with the rest of the officers and humans into the building. Bumblebee watched them and then turned walking with dignity and no little amount of hotness back to the Embassy beyond. The camera stayed with him until he disappeared inside. Then the camera cut back to Lim-Lee.
"Well, I guess that settles some of the issues that plague our people today," she said with a smile.
=0=TBC
2012 (11)