The Diego Diaries: Gone 2 (343) (Sorry about 'What Makes No Difference Is No Difference' taking a back seat. This story is a tsunami demanding to be written. I am working on the other one too but this one is being pushy. :*}
-0-Underground
Cliff led the way as the other two followed, then Hound paused them. :Let me track, Cliff. Things are getting muddled here:
Cliff paused, then nodded allowing the bigger bot to pass. Hound knelt and scanned the ground. :I don't see their peds now. I see Dev and the other two but not Sideswipe or Drift. I do see lots of Insecticons: He looked back at the other two. :Go back and tell Prime we have bugs:
Topspin nodded and turned running back the way he came. Hound sat a moment waiting, his sensors scanning deeply. :They have tunnels here, Cliff. We better prepare to be jumped:
Cliff nodded, his affect serious and attentive. :We'll get them back. Sideswipe has a game tomorrow. Fragger. He and Sunny better get back in one piece. I have shanix large on them:
Hound grinned knowing full well that betting was made in challenges or trades of obligation, not shanix. :What are you up for if you lose?:
:Traded shifts. Slag. I'm screwed: Cliff said covering his nervous agitation in mockery and humor. It was his nature. He was as hard wired to save the two as anyone else but his nature and stature had ensured that to those who didn't know him better that he was the biggest dick head in the room.
The sound of footsteps caught their attention as Topspin returned. :I told him. Let's go. He said retreat if the attack us anywhere along the way. It's not negotiable: he said staring pointedly at Cliff.
They turned and headed out.
-0-Moments before topside
A light appeared and everyone looked down watching as Topspin appeared. "Prime, we have Insecticons."
The expressions on the faces of the bots gave the newbie soldiers pause. They glanced at Epps, Graham and Lennox, then the bots again.
Prime nodded. "Track them. Find out what you can. If they attack, you are to withdraw. I don't want them to add to the hostage list. Make it clear to the others. You withdraw if attacked."
Topspin nodded then turned disappearing into the darkness. It was silent a moment, then Graham looked at Ironhide. "That's bad isn't it."
Ironhide nodded. "Very bad."
It was silent a moment, then Prime spoke. "Prime to Prowl."
A voice filtered out, Prowl's, as Prime allowed the others to listen in. "Prowl here."
"We have bugs."
For a moment it was silent, then Prowl spoke. "Frag."
Graham, Lennox, Epps and the others felt a frisson of ice cold fear shoot through them as they heard. Lennox turned to Springer who looked grim as he listened. He would ask that bot for clarification when Prime was finished.
"What is the status on the Midway Array update?" Prime asked.
"Wheeljack and Perceptor are there laying out the refit. The devices are still being fabricated but the individual parts are being airlifted as they become rendered. I will ask for speed, sir."
"Good. We need a scan of this entire area, a deep one. If there are Insecticons here, they will have burrowed all over the place to make room for their numbers and to seek energon. I am disquieted in the extreme at this turn of events, Prowl. Speed is of the utmost importance."
"Yes, sir," Prowl said. "I will personally attend to the matter. Com me if things change. Prowl out."
Prime stood a moment, then turned to the group who was watching him with concern. He looked at Lennox. "Insecticons are Cybertronians of a primitive type that took organic formats on a world where they were being produced to be mindless soldiers. They are one of Shockwave's experiments from way back. They were part of the infiltration protocol teams who dug in to wait for the moment when they were to rise up and decimate entire worlds.
"They are tough, have a group mentality and are fearless. This is not a good thing having them here. I am sure there will be many of them below."
"They would be smart enough to keep our guys as hostages, right?" Epps asked.
"Their leadership would," Springer said grimly. "They would understand that they were inside the circle looking out and that we are the ones holding the keys to the exit. The Insecticons are not so smart but their leadership should be."
Prime nodded. "That is what my experience tells me too. We need a deep scan ability. Prowl is arranging it for the Midway Array. Perceptor and Wheeljack are already there getting it ready."
"Then we can find these fuckers by scanning the earth?" Epps asked.
"We can. But in a limited way. The intensity limits the scope for now. We will be able to track them down deep in 50 square mile scans. It will take a while to scan this area to find the hive central."
"How big can this hive thing be, sir?" Corporal Smith asked with tension clear in his voice.
"They can tunnel for hundreds of miles, youngling," Ironhide said. "They can do that and go deep. Hundreds and hundreds of miles. I would say they came with Megatron and have been here at least 10,000 years. That gives them a lot of time to make their home the way they like it. Big and deep," he said grimly.
Smith looked at him for a moment, the color draining from his face. "They were never intending to leave here were they? They always intended to destroy us and take us over weren't they no matter what."
They all looked at the youngling, then Prime nodded. "You were never going to be free of them. You were always going to be overtaken. It was a miracle that the AllSpark landed here and brought us or you would have been destroyed because you have energon in your system and are on Megatron's list."
Smith looked at him, his expression one of grief and terror. "It was never going to be different. If you went or stayed, they were here already. They were already here to kill all of us. We never stood a chance if you were here or not."
Prime nodded. Then he glanced at Lennox. "William ..."
Lennox turned to Smith, concern on his face. "Trevor … what's going on here?"
He looked at Lennox, his expression a desolation. "They were always here! All this time! They were going to kill us anyway! All of it! The Earth First crap! It's bullshit! They are going to burn us all anyway! The Autobots are the only thing preventing that! RIGHT!?"
Lennox gripped the youngster's shoulders. "That's right," he said, his expression concerned. "Are you alright? You can't lose it now."
"I was lied to! It's all lies! They're here to stay and no one can prevent annihilation but them!" Smith said looking up at Springer.
That bot looked at Smith with concern. Then he knelt. "You're a spy aren't you, boy?" he asked in his calm voice. "You're a mole for M.E.C.H."
Smith looked at him, then the others pulling himself together with great effort. "Not now. Not any fucking more I'm not. I'm with you guys."
-0-Prowl
He listened to the supervisors and engineers as they explained the new technology they were just finishing up on the big tables nearby. It would be placed on the Midway Array, then turned onto the earth and moon to track deeply the lower layers of the Earth's crust. It was eighteen miles and sometimes more here and there as it covered the great land masses of that spinning blue marble. This would go down 100 miles which was usually the limit for Insecticons due to the increasing heat of the soil as one neared or entered the mantle. Only their 'eggs' could withstand heat of that consequence.
"We need it as soon as possible. We must do deep scans of the Earth as fast as we can," Prowl said nodding.
A youngling called out. "We're ready to go!" he shouted as the team lay down shiny metallic sheeting to cover the device before attaching outer panels for protection. It was three big square devices with slots for inserting into other devices and cables that needed attachment.
Prowl nodded. "Good work. Expedite it to the Array. I will alert Wheeljack and Prime."
The others nodded and turned to make it so as Prowl walked out comming everyone in the loop. Outside sitting on the landing strip nearby, Omega waited to take the payload to Wheeljack and Perceptor. They would have it a breem. It would be attached and debugged in a joor and then the power of the sensors would be searching the ground where Prime stood immediately.
-0-In a cavern
He felt the restraints go on, sticky bindings that held him fast. He knew immediately that Arachnid was there because she was the only Decepticon format that he knew of that could secrete webbing that tough and strong. He was pressed against the wall pinioned like a bug under glass and his rage began to build. The bond with his brother lit up as he did. Sunstreaker was still alive. He would be following. He had to let them know not to come. Thinking about what he saw before him, he formulated a thought picture and sent it over the link knowing that the Decepticons would not be able to sense or read it. The bond they shared like bonded pairs was off the radar of anyone but those who bore it. He sent it and waited.
-0-Sunstreaker
He paused gripping Kup. :Kup, Sideswipe is alive. He sent me a picture of what's going on:
:What do you see?: Kup asked glancing back at the youngling.
:Trouble. Huge, big trouble: he said grimly.
-0-Devcon
He continued on, his sensors enhanced as they were detecting what even trackers like Hound would miss. There were a lot of formats in the area but only one was close. It was coming his way down the tunnel to the left.
Dev stood slowly and waited. The shape of a huge format stepped into view and when it did a prod was pressed into its solar plexus. It didn't even have time to scream as it was hit with massive electrical shock. Falling into a heap, Dev reached into subspace and attached a strong processor suppressant, a totally illegal device used by all bounty hunters with the blind optic of authority registering bluster but no penalty.
He looked at the bot, a huge Insecticon, then shifted him onto his back. Turning, he walked back to the junction, then dumped him there. Turning again, he hurried back and took the tunnel the big mechanism had used disappearing once more into the darkness.
-0-Drift
He hung on the wall completely incapacitated. The webbing was disgusting, strong and unyielding. He had no options. Glancing to the side, he saw that Sideswipe was hanging trapped as well. He looked at the mass of Insecticons in the cavern before him gathered around Arachnid who sat on a rock as if a queen reviewing her subjects. She was taking tribute, something that told him who the real power was even as he looked over to see Seizor and his brothers along with Runamuck and Runabout watching them as well. The expressions on their faces were tense and concerned. That was good intell he thought as he returned to feigning unconsciousness. Good intell indeed.
-0-Topside
"What's up, Trevor," Lennox said coldly as the others gathered around them, their own faces grim.
Trevor Smith looked at them, his expression one of hopefulness and a deep need for their belief. "I was … my family is part of the Resistance. I thought I was too until now. They think that if the Autobots go, the 'Cons will but they won't. These were here for ten thousand years. They're here to destroy us, right?"
Lennox nodded. "That's always been true, Trevor."
"They lied! They told me that this was propaganda. I believed them. My family … they believed them and so did I. For them. I'm so sorry. I'm with you, Major. I'm with the Autobots. Let me prove it. Tell me anything and I'll do it." He turned and walked to the hole looking at Lennox for the word.
Lennox grabbed his arm and tugged him back. "You're a Striker. How the fuck did you get this far if you're M.E.C.H.?"
"They had us infiltrate. I know two others. I'll tell you their names. They can't win, Major. If they do the Earth will be destroyed. Let me prove myself. Let me stay and help."
Lennox stared at the youngster, his expression stunned. Prime moved closer and knelt. "How old are you, soldier?"
"Twenty-one, sir," he said as tears slid down his face. "Let me stay and prove myself. I'm sorry. I didn't know better. Forgive me and let me help you."
Prime looked at Lennox. Then he looked at the youngster. "Who are you parents?"
"William and Leigh Smith. My father is Speaker of the House for the Iowa State Legislature. They don't have a clue, sir. They haven't got a fucking clue. I renounce everything. I want to prove my loyalty. Just tell me what to do," he said with urgency and conviction.
"You know who the M.E.C.H. personnel are and others?" Prime asked.
Smith nodded.
"Give everything you know to Major Lennox, then stand down. Until we organize this around the possibilities, none of you will be a part of it. The Insecticons are ruthless, incredibly tough and have no mercy. That is why they are here. They would kill every human on this planet without the slightest regret."
Smith nodded. "I'm sorry, Prime. I hope you know."
Prime looked at him, at the youngster of privilege standing before him. "I do. Now prove your remorse is real and help us save this planet."
He nodded and turned with Lennox moving to the side to tell the tale of his indoctrination by his father and mother to the side of paranoia and nativism, his effort on their behalf and all the intell about the organization that he could remember.
It would be considerable.
-0-TBC June 23, 2013 edited
NOTE: Shanix is money many aliens use and the shanix for transformers were gold coins scaled to their size. :D I wonder if they were chocolate. ;)