The Diego Diaries: Catastrophe 1 (345)
-0-On the ground: Diego Garcia
There was mayhem every direction he looked. Turning slowly, his shoulder aching like fury, Ratchet took in the scene. There were only three buildings on base that were relatively untouched. Two were the hangars behind him and a small building filled with electronic substations between the Embassy and the start of administrative buildings for soldiers and civilians. Everywhere things were burning, black smoke flowing like eerie columns into the blue sky. Ordinance exploded here and there causing fright to those nearby. Humans were calling out, some were screaming and others lay on the ground, soldiers and harried medics assessing them.
Ratchet moved forward gathering people to bring them to the good hangar where they had defended so many. Alor was nearby doing the same thing. "MARCUS! BRING THE WOUNDED HERE!" Ratchet said calling out to a lieutenant who was standing dazed in the midst of humans he had saved. He turned and began to herd them there, some of them covered in blood and two glassy-eyed civilians with burns. Ratchet put his load down, then turned and hurried out gathering more.
Electrical lines were popping and snapping on the ground. Ratchet turned and called out. "JOLT! TAKE DOWN THE GRID!"
The youngling halting near the Embassy doors turned and hurried to a huge transformer station at the edge of the hangars where the Aerialbots had lived once upon a time. A sparkling silver line snaked out and fastened upon it, electrical arcs flashing immediately along to the youngling soldier. Another snaked out to the big one beside the Embassy fastening tightly on its mass of connected wires. A huge flash engulfed him blinding everyone for a moment, then it was over. The lines settled and the base was without power.
Ratchet turned and commed a number of bots who came to him. "Clear this tarmac all the way to the firing range. I want it free for traffic and defense. I want you to look through the rubble for humans. Find them. Get them out if you can, call for help if you can't. I want every human accounted for." Ten mechs nodded and turned hurrying off. Nearby, Inferno was suppressing fires and pulling combustibles out before they could burn. In another direction, several mechs were dragging B-1B, B-52 and B-1 bombers out of the line up to prevent them from exploding and burning others as they suffered from the strafing run that precipitated the base onslaught.
The behemoth ships stood in rows, their wings sagging in the typical manner of monster craft without air flow support. They were in various stages of destroyed, some of them burning while others leaked dangerous flammable combustibles. Ratchet watched, then started. :Ratchet to Prowl:
:Prowl here:
:Send an armada. Diego is destroyed:
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Prowl stood like a pillar, electrical energy actually arcing on his chassis. Bluestreak glancing up stood, an expression of horror on his face. "Atar?"
"Diego has been attacked. Ratchet just told me it's destroyed."
The room froze, the temperature dropping to subarctic. Then Prowl whirled and began to give orders. Ships were called, soldiers dropped their tasks and ran for their guns and gear as Seekers gathered on the tarmac. Prowl turned and with Bluestreak in tow hurried out the door as the Subcommander-Standby came on duty. They ran for the airfield which was churning with activity, dodging traffic and pedestrians who pulled out of the way recognizing an emergency. When they reached the ships they all scrambled on and the liftoff rattled windows in Terra.
In seconds, they were gone.
-0-On the ground: Interior Alaska
He stood a moment listening, then he jolted as if shot. Ironhide turned and looked at him. "What?"
Prime paused a moment processing his shock, then looked at Ironhide. "The Insecticons attacked Diego Garcia. They destroyed it."
Everyone paused, the tableau almost surreal as they turned to look at Prime. He stood like a tower himself, then turned. "Flint, you are in charge. Keep the line open." With that, he ran to a runabout, Ironhide on his tail. They entered and it lifted off leaving behind a mass of stunned humans and bots.
-0-On the ground: Pentagon
Glenn Morshower listened on a secured line as Prime filled him in. He sat down slowly as he listened, then hung up the receiver. For a moment he was silent, then rising, he called for his aides to follow him. They disappeared down the hallway to the courtyard where they would board a runabout with an Autobrand that was being diverted from Alaska to collect him for transport. The runabout was on track to land when he reached the courtyard and would take ten minutes to bring him and his party to Diego.
-0-On the ground: Diego Garcia
They pulled transport crates together and stacked three making the requisite height for communications with big mechanisms. A shuttle that wasn't terribly damaged yielded decent monitors of Cybertronian dimensions. They were placed on top of the boxes while the shuttle was dragged over to provide communications support. They would run their entire capacity off of it.
Ratchet wove his way through the throngs heading for the hangar to check in and be checked out. The organization was getting better and he felt he could look around. As he did he spotted John Fulton and his aide, Lilith Bolger sitting on boxes directing the show even as their uniforms showed wounds. Pausing to kneel, he scanned them. "You need better bandaging than that. Both of you."
"We have work to do, Ratchet," John said raggedly.
"Later," Ratchet said as he gently picked up both. Turning, walking carefully, he wend his way back and paused by the medic hangar. "Two more." He set them down gently and watched as they were led inside where casualties lay on improvised beds, all manner of medicine being utilized to keep them alive and treat their hurts. Ratchet looked at them with emotional optics, these humans that he loved, then turned to go back. As he did, he paused. The sound of thunder in the blue sky drew him and everyone else.
Seekers transformed and slammed into the ground, their weapons systems evident along with their intense rage. Shuttles began to come down from the dazzling sunlit sky, their landing gear making gentle touchdowns. Ramps slid out, hatches popped as troops began to pour out. From one, Prowl and Bluestreak emerged heading with haste toward Ratchet and Alor who had joined him to watch. Bluestreak ran to Ratchet and hugged him tightly, then Alor. Prowl looked at Ratchet with emotional optics, then he scanned the base. "This is unspeakable."
Ratchet nodded, his optics tearing up slightly. "It is."
"You're wounded," Prowl said glancing sharply at Ratchet's shoulder.
"They're dead," Ratchet said nodding toward three shrouded forms nearby. They were human.
Prowl felt a punch to his gut, then he gathered himself. "I brought everything. I will organize the defensive perimeter. A shield defense is going up. Nothing gets out. Nothing gets in. You do what you need. Get your shoulder treated."
"I will," Ratchet lied. He turned and with Bluestreak in tow returned to the scene to render aid.
Prowl issued orders, the bots dispersing as he spoke. Seekers lifted off and began to do the shield part of the defense as the ground game organized. Nothing from the ocean and nothing from the sky could breach the base now. Technicians hurried with equipment to bring the systems online for emergency communications, refrigeration and light. Fire suppressant teams were hard at it quelling and corralling fires as munitions experts began to collect ordinance. Teams were going through the wreckage looking for survivors, unexploded ordinance and other dangers as they struggled to account for everyone. When Prowl had organized everyone, he turned and peered into the hangar. "John," he said, shock evident in his voice. "Lilly."
They both looked at him, one of their favorites and nodded. "Prowl. I'm glad to see you."
Prowl nodded. "I am sorry. I wish there were words. This is our home too."
John Fulton nodded. "I know. Until all are one."
Prowl felt unaccustomed emotion flow through him, emotion he never allowed himself to feel during the throes of an emergency. Later was something else, but now? Never until this moment. "That is how it must be. We will protect you. I will see to it myself."
"My people, Prowl. I need to know about them," John said with urgency and no small amount of pain.
"I am gathering them now. Please ... rest and allow us to help you," Prowl said as the humans relaxed a little. "Glenn and Optimus are on their way. We will meet this outrage I promise you."
Fulton nodded and lay back on his pallet, his head throbbing. "I will leave it to you," he said closing his eyes wearily. Lilly lay back and relaxed. Prowl watched them, then turned looking around at the mess and activity. Everything was in servo, then he saw the three shrouded humans nearby. Walking to them, kneeling, he touched the blankets gently. Unaware that a soldier took his picture, he mourned for them silently as he gathered himself for the tasks ahead. General Morshower and John Fulton would keep that picture framed in their homes forever.
Nearby, the airfield gained another vessel as a runabout landed and two mechs hurried off. Prime and Ironhide ran across the tarmac and paused in front of Prowl who rose to his peds slowly. Prime stared at the humans, at three individuals who had done nothing to deserve their fates and felt his age. The humans here were young as a species but they were good. They were brave and good. He looked at Prowl who looked at him with stark emotion for a moment before it was buried under his on-duty mask. "John Fulton is in the hangar. He was injured but will survive. Glenn Morshower is on his way. We are under a shield defense and have erected an alternative comm center in the other good hangar. It will go online when you command it. We are getting urgent messages from other places with planes due incoming. All of the aircraft are too far out to turn around."
Prime nodded. "We need a runway."
Ironhide nodded. "I will take care of it. Where's Ratchet?"
"At the medic station in the first hangar," Prowl said nodding to the teeming building nearby. Ironhide turned and walked toward it. Prowl looked at Prime. "This is going to be terrible."
Prime nodded. "I know," he said. "We will take it moment to moment. Did you get a bead on the Insecticons who did this?"
"They dove into the ocean too fast. They had to have come from Alaska. There must be multiple holes for them to emerge and return through. One must be at the mouth of a river or cliff side to an ocean. We did not pick them up on sensors at all."
Prime nodded. "Make their exits and entrances a priority, Prowl," he said as they turned and walked toward the devastation.
-0-Ten minutes later
Glenn Morshower walked from the ship with aides trailing, their faces showing the strain of the sight before them. Nothing appeared to have been spared but for a couple of hangars and a small electronics facility. He walked across scorch marks, skirted divots and paused next to a pile of Insecticon bodies, three of them. One of them was missing a head. They looked alien and weird with none of the grace of the Cybertronians he was used to. He marveled for a moment at the diversity of the universe, then turned wordlessly to continue. Fires were being put out but the air smelled of wet singed hair and metallic ozone.
Bits of burnt stuff drifted down from the up swept billows of smoke and ash that filled the sky falling like ugly snowflakes on the ground. The drip of water and fire suppressant could be heard as the ground was covered in patches of foam. The screams were gone but the loud shouts and other sounds were present. MP's worked to help the wounded and the distracted as they began to gather themselves together.
"General."
Glenn paused and looked behind him. Jolt and Hot Rod stood by the doors of the Embassy, the Autobrand scorched and ruined. "Jolt. Hot Rod," he said to two of his favorite bots. "You made it."
They nodded. "This is fragged. They struck out of nowhere. I am unclear how. Perhaps the water covered their signal," Jolt said.
"It did," Hot Rod replied. "I wish I had been here." His expression was hard and cold. Another bot came around the building and paused. He then walked to the small group to peer down at the general he remembered from The Hourly News. "Are you the American general that Optimus Prime gave citizenship?"
"I am. I don't know you," Glenn said looking at the youthful face of a bot that was older than some of the continents he had traveled to on Earth.
"This is Smokescreen, Smokey we call him. He's new," Hot Rod said. "He's Smokescreen's grandson. His grandada is tracking the 'Cons underground in Alaska. Devcon is a bad aft to get on you. He never quits."
Glenn nodded. "Nice to meet you, Smokey. I hope your grandada frags their asses."
"You and me both, sir," Smokey said.
"Do you need a lift, General?" Jolt asked.
"No. I'm almost there. Thank you," Glenn said as he looked around tiredly.
"This is going to be bad isn't it," Jolt asked, his youthful face gazing at Morshower worriedly.
"I think so too," he said with a nod. "But semper fi. Fuck them if they try to take advantage of this."
Jolt grinned. "Semper fi, General."
Glenn grinned for the first time since hearing the news, then nodded. They turned and continued onward to the communication hangar and Ratchet. Prime and Ironhide were also there with Alor. They stood looking at the humans as they walked up to them and paused. "General Morshower," Prime said with solemnity.
Morshower looked at Prime, one of the best souls he had the luck to know and felt anger. "Fuck the General stuff, Optimus. I was Glenn a few minutes ago and I'm Glenn now. Until all are one and the 'Cons who did this are ten feet under."
Prime looked at Glenn and nodded. "Until all are one, Glenn."
Glenn Morshower nodded. "Fucking A. Semper fi, Optimus Prime." He walked forward and stepped into Prime's servo as the big bot knelt. Rising up, he stepped off onto the containers and stared at the monitors. He turned and looked into Prime's face and that of Ratchet, Alor, Ironhide and Prowl. He loved them at that moment, these good allies. It resolved a lot of things to have backup like this. Nodding his helm, he glanced over at the technicians waiting nearby. "Let's light this candle shall we?" he said.
Prime nodded and techs began the countdown to reconnection with the Pentagon, the National Security Council, the United Nations Secretary-General, five heads of state, Interpol, the FBI director and the heads of N.E.S.T on four continents.
-0-TBC June 24, 2013 edited