The Diego Diaries: Interlude 4
-0-On the streets of Autobot City, Mars
They walked along together, the three of them and their swaddled infant. Prima rode in Levee's carry hold as they moved through the morning crowds going here and there. Hobo and Outlaw walked on either side of Levee who was traumatized being in crowds. Bad memories came from them. Pausing at the main intersection that led to Aerie Hill, the Fortress, the industrial parks as well as the business and cultural centers nearby, they discussed which way to go. They were looking for two things intently as well as wishing to figure out the city alternately.
Turning left, they walked along the sidewalk until traffic parted enough for them to cross the street. Entering the Cultural Center, they consulted the board taking the elevator upward. Getting off on the correct floor, they walked through the busy mezzanine on their way to the Dai Atlas Dojo. To the right of them was the newly opened Technical Training Center. With the completion of the museum nearby in an entirely new building, the seven stories that had been the heart and soul of their people's complexity was open to renovation and habitation by the guilds and unions that were trying to accommodate the demand for skills training and upgrading in the technical and skilled areas.
They paused to look in the windows noting classes, servos on instruction and lots of areas for students to work out their assignments. More rooms, teachings and work labs were up and down on other floors as well. It was worth exploring when they had more energy. The admission and help desk was inside but they continued onward.
The dojo appeared nearby so they walked to the door and looked inside. Mechs were sitting in the lounge area watching a youngling mech getting instruction from an impressive white and red sword master. They glanced at the altar feature near the door where the framed image of Dai Atlas was hung.
"This is the place," Outlaw said. "I'll go in and ask."
The other two wavered, then nodded. "We'll wait here."
Outlaw nodded again turning to brace himself. He walked in and paused near the mat where the instructor was getting the best of the student. The mechs watching hadn't noticed him for a moment. Then they did. One of them stood up, an expression of disbelief on his face. "Outlaw!"
Everything in the room stopped as they turned to look his way. Outlaw stood staring in equal disbelief at the figure standing before him, someone he never expected to see again. Then he raised a servo. "Splice."
The big mech walked toward him enveloping Outlaw in an embrace. They stood a moment, then Splice looked past him to the others. "Oh Primus," he said in shock. "You're here. All of you are here."
Outlaw nodded. "We are. I can't believe you're here too." He was nearly tearful in his emotions as he stood swaying.
"I came in on the migration. I was with the hostages," Splice said.
"I didn't see you," Outlaw said. "Levee was very sick and we had to take care of him. We were in a ship the whole time. They took our son. We were … we're … I just," he said stammering.
Splice turned to the others. "Come. Help me."
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hurried over with the others and they gathered around Splice. "Get the other two. They're not well," he said turning with Kup to help Outlaw to the lounge. They all managed to walk there and sit, exhaustion and mental anguish overtaking them.
:Sunstreaker to Ratchet:
:Ratchet here:
:Come to the dojo. We have a medical emergency:
:On my way:
Sunstreaker turned to Springer. "I called Ratchet to come."
Springer nodded as he sat next to Levee who sat with his helm hanging and his arms around his chassis in a protective embrace. It was a long tense silence as they waited.
-0-At the meeting
Ratchet paused as the debrief continued. :Sunstreaker to Ratchet:
:Ratchet here:
:Come to the dojo. We have a medical emergency:
:On my way: He rose and glanced at Prime. "There's a medical emergency at the dojo."
Prime nodded and they all watched as he turned hurrying out. Then the meeting continued.
-0-At the dojo
Ratchet rushed inside crossing the floor swiftly. He halted in surprise at the mechs sitting wanly on the couch. "Outlaw, Levee. Hobo. What's happening?"
"They came in and began to fall apart. They need assistance," Sunstreaker said as he stood up. He had been kneeling beside Levee monitoring his systems as they waited. He handed the med-tech device he carried always as a field medic to Ratchet who examined the data, then returned it.
Ratchet scanned them some more and shook his helm. "You three aren't in very good shape. You have been abused and deprived of good care for a long time. I want you to come with me to the hospital."
Levee leaned back and looked at him wearily. "We came here to tell something. Something very important to the Circle and the Knights."
"You can tell us in the emergency room," Ratchet said glancing at the others. "Help me get them to the hospital."
They all rose and lifted up the mechs as Ratchet took Prima from Levee's servos. They walked slowly outside and waited as the mechs blocked off the street. A runabout called from the hospital landed in the middle of the highway and the patients were loaded along with a few of the mechs who were assisting. Ratchet ran ahead with Sunstreaker and by the time they reached the 50th floor the three were lying on medberths.
Entering, moving through the mechs who had come along on foot and by the air lift, Ratchet walked to the berth where Outlaw lay. He was exhausted emotionally and physically, his optics off line. Ratchet plugged him in as Breakdown and Knockout entered pausing at the sight and the company. "What's going on?"
"Medical emergency. Plug the other two in," Ratchet said distractedly as he watched the data begin to flow onscreen.
Knockout and Breakdown walked to the other two and complied. Soon the information was being laid out in all its ignominious glory. Ratchet watched it, the mechs in the room oblivious to its meaning but the undertone was clear. This was a bad thing all around. Ratchet walked to Levee, then Hobo and looked at the data. Turning, glaring at the entire group, he shook his helm. "Get Optimus and Prowl in here. Now."
The entire room humped themselves trying to comply.
Including Knockout.
-0-A few moments later
Optimus Prime and Prowl walked in moving through the grim-faced mechs that included Knockout all of whom lined the walls and filled the doorway. They came to a stop beside Ratchet who was working on things inside of Outlaw. "Ratchet?" Optimus asked quietly, his optics staying far out of range of the open chest panel of the mech on the berth.
Ratchet looked up and nodded. "Optimus, we have some problems here. We have three mechs who have been systematically abused over a very long period of time. It reminds me of the mess at Garrus 9 when we came in."
Optimus blanched glancing at Prowl who stood with a bleak expression of his own. "We have the victims of prison camps or work camps lying here. They are so debilitated that no other explanation can be had. When I visited them last night I made a cursory scan and told them that they were not cleared to work or do anything until they had a complete examination and work over. This is in the range of extraordinary, similar in type and depth to the mess at Garrus 9."
The room was silent as everyone ran that through their processors. Garrus 9 was an Autobot prison that had been overseen by Fortress Maximus. They had some of the worst prisoners there that had been captured in war and skirmishes to date. Overlord, the late (perhaps) and unlamented (certainly) had overrun the facility and captured everyone including Fort Max. Max himself had been tortured and nearly driven mad by the experience. Hence, Max's almost manic desire for peace and the company of only the most inoffensive individuals, preferably children, certainly his siblings and the Autobots that worked and lived in his confines.
The Autobots had overrun the facility and recaptured it, Overlord fleeing before he could be brought down. It was maddening and instructive to know the depths of depravity that one singular individual had been able to plumb. The damage to the bots there who had suffered his wrath was still ongoing. Letting Fort Max find out about Overlord's presence so near during recent events had been damaging to him. That villain's subsequent death by Soundwave (perhaps) had been mollifying (a bit).
Only mollifying.
"Then you are insinuating that they are the product of systematic brutality along the lines of a prison or work camp?" Prowl asked quietly.
"I am," Ratchet said. "These three are Missionaries. They belong to the Primus Peace Mission. Thousands of them died in The Fall but as many disappeared. Most were thought to have made it out into the universe to wander in the Diaspora. What if they didn't? What if they were captured and ended up like this? What are we going to do about it?"
Prime looked at Ratchet a moment, then stepped closer to the berth that held Hobo. He lay his servo on the chest plates of the mech who opened his optics and blinked. "Optimus? Optimus Prime?"
Prime nodded. "I am Optimus Prime. You are in good servos. Ratchet is taking care of you and your bonds. My bond and I will take your son in and care for him until you are able to do so yourself."
He looked relieved, then the pain returned to his expression. "We have to tell you something. We tried to tell the Circle mechs and the Knights in the dojo. We have to let you know."
"What?" Optimus asked gently.
"There are camps around Cybertron, in the local sectors and the Rim. Lots of mechs and femmes are there, children and elderly. They are being worked to death. They are being abused and experimented on. Shockwave did experiments. Some of them are infants. You have to help them. We came to tell you. We escaped."
Optimus touched the distraught mech's helm holding it with his servo. Prime gently stroked it feeling the comfort of the Matrix rising. Hobo relaxed and vented a sigh. "You have to save them." He shuttered his optics and relaxed into a Matrix-induced sleep.
It was silent in the room, then Prowl glanced at Knockout and Breakdown. "Have you heard about this sort of thing if anything?" he asked.
Knockout bit back the snark he was going to speak, then shrugged. "I never have. I was a battalion doctor out in the Rim with different ships. I don't remember seeing or hearing about them out there."
Breakdown shifted on his peds. "I did. I heard rumors of this. Only rumors."
Everyone turned to him. Prime nodded. "What did you hear?"
"My brothers, they mentioned something once. Just a couple of words. I was wounded at the time and didn't really pay attention. I just heard Motormaster mention something about camps and slave labor. I only just remembered it now. I was pretty sick at the time," he offered as if to placate any idea that he kept back information.
"Seems kind of intriguing that you mention it now," Drift said quietly.
"I don't know about it. I just know what Motormaster said in passing when I was wounded. You were a 'Con. What do you know?" Breakdown said defensively.
"No one is accusing you, Breakdown," Prime said. "I want you to bring Motormaster and Dead End to Ops Center conference rooms separately. Keep them apart. Bring Barron and their counsels with them. I don't want anything not done properly. No contact with anyone until I get there." He turned to look at Breakdown. "If I call upon you to assist in getting them to speak about this, will you come?"
Breakdown nodded. "I gave my oath, Prime. I belong here. I will help you."
"That's my boy," Ratchet said with a grim grin. "Until then, you can help me, Breakdown."
That big bot nodded gratefully and walked to his side. Knockout stood beside the others watching the whole group with wary optics. "Prime," he said.
Prime paused on his way to the door and looked back. Knockout paused a moment, then nodded. "I don't know anything but I would tell you if I did. I gave my oath too."
Prime nodded and turned walking out followed by Prowl and the others. Drift who was waiting his turn paused. "Breakdown."
That big bot turned pausing stiffly. "What?"
"I know you would tell," Drift said. "I know."
Breakdown looked at him a moment digesting the comments, then nodded relaxing slightly. Drift grinned and turned walking out. The room was tense as Ratchet paused looking at both. "You gave your oaths. You have responsibilities here and the chance of a good life. We give you trust and you give us reliability. That's how this works."
Breakdown smirked slightly. "Tell the others."
"You aren't responsible for your brothers. I wish they weren't dumb afts but they are. Prime will sort this out. Neither of you are responsible for others but if there are any tidbits left in the back of your processors about anything you ever heard or saw, talk to Jazz, Mirage or Elita. Anything you tell us that you remember no matter how small is that much more protection for everyone else including you."
The two glanced at each other, then Ratchet. Nodding, they turned and began to do something they had never done as a group before. Work together in harmony.
=0=TBC
2012 (12)