The Diego Diaries: For now (312)
-0-On the way back
"And so I think we're in good shape. Better shape then before." Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who leaned against the bulkhead. "Too bad they didn't get a look at your figure. They would know the bad guys didn't have a chance just from that."
Snorts and groans circulated as Ironhide preened. "Truer words never spoken. By the way, I don't like what that femme said to you. No respect at all to the ambassador of a Prime."
"Something tells me that she doesn't use respect for anyone perceived to be less powerful than her," Ratchet replied with a nod. "I've negotiated with worse. Shockwave. Megatron himself. I don't fear her. Much."
Grins went around the space. Springer glanced at Mirage. "At least you got a turn on the catwalk."
"Yes," he drawled in his best high caste imitation. "They got my good side. All of them."
(Hoots and derision)
"I'm kind of partial to the invisibility," Drift said.
"So am I," Jazz replied wickedly. Groans and laughter greeted that.
"One down and a few to go. I suppose the next step is eradicating the bad guys on Earth," Springer asked glancing at Prime who nodded.
"We will do intell to isolate spots where they operate," Prime said. "Then we get them."
"Sooner rather than later I hope," Ratchet said with a grim expression. "I'm monitoring frequencies for reactions and we just got one. Five new bombings have just occurred at the same time on Earth."
It was a grim ride to the city.
-0-Autobot City, Mars
A huge crowd had gathered waiting for them to return. Seekers, civilians and soldiers were there, some with their families. This was an important event and had been followed closely on the IntraComm. As the group flew back, the crowds gathered. Omega and Kappa appeared and the crowd grew more tense, watching as the big bots came in and touched down. Rolling to their stops, the hull hatches parted and ramps descended. One by one, the team stepped down to tumultuous greetings of the masses.
The Great Elder was hurrahed by the Seekers, thousands of voices calling to him, singing to him as he returned victorious. The Hu An gathered in front raised their voices both internal and external for their champion whom they enveloped in their numbers. The soldiers descended, grinning and smiling, waving happily as they were swallowed up by the crowd.
There was a pause, then Ratchet stepped off to tumultuous applause and approval. At the bottom of the ramp, he stood waiting for Ironhide and the others to come as well. They did, the cheers of the crowd floating them to the ground, then it was quiet. For a moment, there was no movement inside. Then Optimus Prime appeared in the doorway.
The crowd went mad.
-0-On the consortium broadcast follow up to the United Nations appearance, Earth
"They are very happy to see their Prime," a newscaster said as the scene was played. "All of them were welcomed like heroes but for Prime, there is another layer of respect." As he watched, he didn't know that Starscream and Thundercracker were hurrahed and enveloped by the crowd as well. It was a celebration and the leadership were being welcomed back into the family. They watched as Prime walked to the bottom of the ramp and began to make his way through the crowd. "Imagine this happening on Earth with any world leader you can name."
"It wouldn't happen," another said quietly. "You couldn't get within three hundred feet here. Apparently, you can see him all the time around the city and talk to him if you want. This is the single sovereign leader of an entire species and their world. Imagine that here? No way."
They continued to watch.
-0-Prime
He walked through the crowd which stretched on forever it seemed. All around him the others were equally feted as the crowd welcomed home their champions. Decepticons were seen, former enemies now partners in the great reclamation on these shores. They were as happy as anyone else, a fact not missed on the crowds on Earth. Some of them had been identified on The Hourly News so their former affiliation was known and commented upon.
It was a slow progress but eventually the Alpha team made it to Ops Center and a smiling Prowl. Towing his genitors who had come to see their son return, Optimus walked to Prowl and enveloped him in his arms. Hooting and catcalls greeted that, then all sat down at the table, Prowl hustling chairs for Tagg and Kestrel.
"Well, that was nice," Ratchet said with a smile. "Of course, no one earned it more than me."
Abuse greeted that, then they sat smiling at each other. Prowl looked at his datapad. "Apparently, the preliminary numbers are firming up and rising. This was a very successful meet up."
Larc who stood beside the table nodded. "It is to be expected. If we could not defeat Megatron, they cannot either. Simple math."
"Some will still consider 1 + 1 = 6 but they are diminishing. That is all we can hope for," Ratchet said grimly.
"The explosions when we left. Where are they and how bad were they?" Prime asked.
"They were in Budapest, Hungary, Moscow, Russia, Vancouver, BC in Canada, Melbourne, Australia and Phoenix, Arizona. They appear to be maximal damage and minimal harm to humans," Prowl said. "Apparently, they appear to be more 'message' and less 'carnage'."
It was silent, then Prime looked at him. "Put together a team whose sole focus is tracking these cowards for capture."
Prowl nodded. "I will."
"Do they really mean to break the alliance, Orion?" Kestrel asked with concern.
"Some do, Ada. But they will fail," Optimus said soothingly.
"The numbers who want us gone are like a grain of sand on an ocean beach. The rest of the populace can figure out the futility of going it alone, Kestrel," Ratchet said squeezing Kestrel's arm gently. "We have been through this before."
Kestrel nodded. "Alright."
They chatted and debriefed, all impressions aired, then they broke up and wandered out to their lives and shifts. Ratchet watched as Ironhide rose. "Where are you going, big boy?" he asked with a smirk.
"I'm going to get Prowler," Ironhide replied with a jaunty smirk. "Little mech needs to do the rounds for the hub and depot inspections due by tomorrow," he said pushing in his chair.
"Tell him hi for me," Ratchet said as Ironhide turned to leave. A wave greeted that, then Ironhide disappeared out the door. "Big whiner. I will say in his defense, little mechs and the femme can tell the difference between ordinance already."
Chuckles met that, then they got down to business making a plan to intercept communications, grid search the world and narrow down locations to scour. They were going to find the enemy if it took forever.
They personally had the time.
-0-On the road again
He walked from the subway car to the corridor off the platform that led to the hub that fed Terra. It was well lit and marked as a terminal for soldiers and Home Guard militia. Entering the space at last, he paused looking around. It was a big area. On one side of the big round room were half doors with counter tops where mechs could come to get their weapons repaired and field loaners until then. In the rooms behind the counter were walls and shelves filled with all the types of weapons they used. Many of them were the personal weapons of Home Guard mechs and femmes who stored them here. Others were being repaired or waiting for a freed up tech to get to them.
On the other side were the same stations where a mech or femme could get ammunition for any weapon fielded by the garrison. A vast store of munitions lay beneath his peds brought to the pick up stations by elevators. The munitions below were held in heavily reinforced rooms to prevent explosions from attack or accident reaching the ground levels where technicians worked.
In the middle of the room was a lounge section with monitors that played the news, local and human programming and sports. A couple of mechs were sprawled on couches and they nodded to Ironhide as he entered, his son tucked into the crook of his arm. It was a short stop, everything in tip top shape so he headed back out to the platform and a train to the next stop. It would be a sweet afternoon and a very educational one for the tiny winger that lay in his atar's arm watching and listening as his old mech told him everything that he saw around him.
-0-Ratchet
He walked out of Ops Center pleased with the plans in place. Saying goodbye to Rainmaker, Ebony and Larc, he walked onward to the city. It was warm, the traffic light and pedestrians thin on the ground. In a couple of joors, it would be different as the lunch crowd took their meals here and there. Reaching the path to Mare Tranquilitatis, he headed for the hospital and an afternoon of rounds, conversations with med students, a couple of repairs to keep his servos on and chit chat with the trine who decided to hang out.
It would be awesome.
-0-Trine
"What do you want to do?"
"Nothing. I wonder what Ada is doing?"
"He was at Ops Center debriefing."
(Pause. Search internally on sensors) "I think he's in his office."
"Let's go hang out with him."
Sideswipe nodded as he and Sunstreaker looked down at Bluestreak. The smaller mech turned and headed out from the Cultural Center toward the Mare Tranquilitatis where the Autobot City Medical Center was located. The twins followed bantering along the way and when they reached the floor where the CMO's office was, they entered to sit. Ratchet who was working looked up at them. "What brings such fine specimens of handsomeness to my office?"
All three grinned as two preened. "Good luck. Yours," Sunstreaker said. Everyone snorted including Sunstreaker. "So, what's the plan and when do we deploy?"
"We're laying out the intel and starting a grid search. When we get a handle on this, you're on. It would appear that some of the bad guys are on duty soldiers."
All of them sat a moment digesting that. "That sucks," Bluestreak said. "What a bunch of slag."
"Playing to the choir, Bluestreak," Ratchet said nodding sympathetically. "We will be going after them when we have more information."
"Count us in," Sunstreaker said nodding.
"It may mean taking another format for the missions," Ratchet said with a grin. "You after all are pretty well known and I don't think there are that many Lamborghinis working stake outs anywhere let alone Earth."
"What sorts of formats?" Sunstreaker asked with a touch of concern. "I have an image to think about."
"Maybe these," Ratchet said calling up on the monitor a number of questionable options. He chose a number of wankish vehicles including Lamborghinis' Veneno, named the ugliest vehicle ever devised by the mind of man.
"That is a Lamborghini," Sunstreaker said leaning forward to look at a fin covered beast. "Zero to 100 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds … 750 horsepower ... $5.6 million dollars … only three made … what is the problem with that?"
"Car cliches I think they said," Sideswipe said admiring the vehicle. "I think I have a new format," he said. "Fraggers don't know a good format when they see one."
Sunny nodded. "That car will be awesome with my colors," he said studying the vehicle. Then two beams of light shot from their optics as they scanned the image into their databases. A moment or two passed, then the pair sat back. "We need more information but we have another choice in the databanks."
"I can see you on guard duty doing site intel," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "Nothing to see here. Just 11 million dollars in concept Lamborghinis parked by this warehouse. Nothing wrong there."
Sunstreaker grinned. "You and me, we're simpatico."
-0-On the ground
The water main gushed sending plumes into the sky as the rescue teams worked at the site of the bombing. The city sprawled all around them as the forensics teams worked to preserve evidence. Vancouver was heading into the evening, their peace compromised by forces that had struck against them without warning. Other places on the planet were going through their own nightmares too. The groups that wanted Earth for Earthers had leveled another demand.
They crawled here and there looking up with relief when the utility company finally shut off the gushers. Covered in water, blown to bits, the ground was littered with evidence of man's inhumanity against his fellow man. As they gathered it, they were careful. The experts were the best their city could field. Among them was a man who worked just as diligently but every so often would pocket a bit or piece he found.
He was one of them.
-0-TBC
05-23-13 Google Lamborghini Veneno and see for yourself. :D :D :D