The Diego Diaries: Catastrophe 2 (346)
-0-On the ground: Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth earlier
"Ratchet."
He paused and looked up. "Ironhide."
The big bot nodded, his emotions clear. "You've been shot."
"I'm getting it attended to," Ratchet lied. "This is fragged."
He nodded. "I know. We have to go to the comm hangar in a moment. They have a link up set. Prime and Morshower are going to face the music as they say."
"Not alone," Ratchet said. He looked around and saw all was in servo. "Let's go."
"What about your wound?" Ironhide said pausing Ratchet.
"Let them see it," Ratchet replied. They turned and walked out of the triage hangar.
-0-In the ground, Interior Alaska, Earth
Devcon followed the tracks until he came to a junction. The sound of footfalls gave him pause so he blended back into the shadows of a partially collapsed wall. Light could be seen growing before the bug showed up, his hulking menace extraordinary. A nearly perfect mechanism, he was huge, brutish in appearance and deceptively cunning. Though they worked from a collective point of view, networked mentally and emotionally, they were formidable as individuals and many was the Autobot as well as Decepticon that learned that the hard way. A heavy tread took him past Dev as he crouched, his long knife gripped to cut off the head of the beast. The bug didn't see him, perhaps internally connected in conversation to others making him less vigilant here in his comfort zone. He moved past and was gone.
Dev waited listening long and hard. Then he rose and continued onward toward the hive central.
-0-On the ground: Autobot City, Mars, out and about
"Did you hear a group lifted off this morning and headed out. I wonder what's happening?"
"It can't be good. They cancelled the game. Bots on Vos and Kaon are front liners for the most part. Can't be a good thing."
"I agree."
-0-On the ground: Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Jazz and Mirage worked together, their helms nearly touching. They were collating the information coming in from every possible place combing it for anything that would allow them to get a better handle on the menace massing in the Earth. The few taps they had on known targets now included the parents of Corporal Trevor Smith. The traffic among the known entities was growing. It was clear that the groups opposing out there had some idea that something bad had happened.
Around them, the professionalism flowed as everyone worked hard, some of them with beta and gamma shift members coming in to assist. The news had reached the city, anxiety and uncertainty suffusing the population. The down link of the field comm manager in Alaska was offset by the field comm manager at Diego Garcia. Neither had really good news to report.
-0-Nearby
"OTHER ATAR?"
"What, Orion?"
"Why you? Other Ada too?"
Tie Down considered that. "Because Ada and Atar are working."
Orion looked at Tie for a moment, then nodded. "Okay." He turned and walked to the toy box pulling out a car. Smiling, he turned and walked back to Tie showing it to him. They chatted about the car as all around them the rest of Group D worked out their free time on the toys and sandbox. Other Atar had come to see how everyone was. For a few moments everyone was great.
-0-At the Flight Command Center, Autobot City, Mars
He sat at the table surrounded by datapads and maps. A shield defense was now in place over Diego Garcia. Seekers were flying on fixed orbits, their sensors linked as they scanned for anything out of the order. Their vigilance would prove the key, Starscream thought. They would be able to cover the area and prevent the enemy from taking another bite of the apple. He considered the problem of Insecticons and remembered them as implacable and tight, their loyalty to each other a problem. The possibilities that Arachnid was leading them was a bad sign all around. That vermin was a nemesis thorn in Starscream's side. He might not remember much but he remembered her.
None of it was good.
-0-Luna about the same time
A shuttle landed at the station on Luna and powered down. Three mechs stepped off walking to the station rapping on the door. It opened and a surprised youngling stepped out. :What brings you here? No one is due for three orns:
:New orders, youngling. We're pulling off world in the system until deep scans can be made of all our outlying areas. We're here to bring you to the city and all your stuff too: the command officer said.
He nodded and turned looking at his quarters. It would be a lot of stuff. :Okay: Burnoff said as he stepped back from the door allowing entry. It would take a joor but when it was all packed up, the shuttle lifted off heading back to Mars.
-0-In a comm hangar on Diego Garcia
They listened as Prowl outlined what was known. Ratchet, his shoulder smarting watched them running their expressions and body language through a number of programs he kept to understand his opponents. The outcome of that effort wasn't looking good. Apparently, the humans thought they should have been both prescient and omnipotent. Prime looked stoic and hid the anguish that was suffusing his aura from the humans. When Prowl's summary was over, the questions began.
"I was under the expectation that the system was locked down, Optimus Prime," a Pentagon official said rather tartly. The image of Charlotte Mearing was nodding as well.
"We are not omnipotent," Prowl replied. "We have locked down the system. These mechanisms came with Megatron ten thousand years ago and landed here along with him going dormant as per the protocol when a mission is in repose. We are doing deep surface scans now and have located the hive central in the wilderness of interior Alaska. We are very experienced and good at this. You want perfect. We cannot supply it."
"You are machine mentalities," Charlotte Mearing interjected. "You operate at different levels than organics. We would have expected you to find all the Decepticons by now. You have failed twice."
Ironhide glared at her. "We have found the Decepticons twice. The Pretenders utilized cloaking technology to get here under the radar. These bots were here long before us. If you think you can do better have at it." His tone was pissed.
The conversation continued.
-0-On the ground: Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth
Jolt held up lines for technicians who were struggling to rewire the base allowing the generation plant to come back online. It would be sparing, the first few areas with electricity limited but they were working hard to make all of it liveable. Autobots worked with the humans digging out buildings, carting off debris and clearing the foundations for rebuilds. Things were salvaged where they could be and not where they weren't. Piles of electronics, broken buildings and burned debris began to rise against a horizon that once held buildings and towers.
The carcasses of burned out vehicles were dragged away and lined up side-by-side near the firing range. Piles of salvageable items including the personal affects of the base's residents were also salvaged. Whirlaway paused as he heard a shout, then hurried to a tumbled down building that was partly burned. He joined a group who were working to extract three trapped civilians and two soldiers. He reached out and gripped a beam that was holding down debris pinning the humans inside the fractured shell.
Medics called by the bots drove up in vehicles and moved to the site peering inside. It took several minutes to determine as best they could the injuries of those inside before they could lift the debris off. When it was moved, the rescue teams moved into the ash and shattered glass. They were hurt, two more so than the others because their building got a direct hit from Insecticon rocket fire. It took effort to remove and stabilize them on the grass outside but when they were ready Whirlaway and the other bots there carefully, gently picked up the stretchers and turned to carry them in their servos to the triage hangar. As they did, planes came in for their landings nearby.
-0-At the runway
A bot tuned into the wavelengths of the airplanes due in from elsewhere directed them to the ground. They were transports carrying supplies and personnel to the base from Europe. The landing lane had been repaired under Ironhide's direction, the divots and pot holes filled and smoothed over. Tarmac that had been destroyed had been piled on top of the dirt patches. When they were covered in broken bits of asphalt, the bots had fired on each spot with plasma melting them. They were pressed and smoothed making the surface more conducive to safe landings.
The big C-17 Globemaster III ships came in on their dog legs taking direction from a bot and not the local tower which had been blasted into dust. The human casualties had come from there. As the big planes touched down and taxied to the side, the crews were met with air force personnel who told them what had happened and how they were now quarantined to the base until further notice.
They climbed out, their expressions of deep shock matching those of the locals.
-0-In the hangar
Prime listened as questions were asked and answers given. Prowl fielded most of them, his role as left servo mech of the master well in hand. The faces on the monitors ranged from outrage to deep shock. A great deal of surprise was expressed and comments of solidarity exchanged at the end. The following plan was formulated to inform the world of the threat and what would be done about it.
First, the injured would be flown to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for treatment and an informational quarantine for the present. The base as well as the allied military forces themselves would be on Defcon Level 4, which meant that danger was in existence and that action would be coming IMMEDIATELY to address it. All of the treaty nations would be locked into position to assist and track on their local systems feeding information to Diego Garcia N.E.S.T. Command that would be operated out of Omega Supreme who was on his way to become the command center for the base for now.
Secondly, the situation in Alaska was off limits for public consumption. The raising of Defcon would allow the bases in Alaska to be useful without raising eyebrows anywhere else. The military structure in Alaska was comprehensive and veteran. They would do flyovers and support the effort on the tundra by keeping the skies clear and people away.
Thirdly, the situation at Diego Garcia would be addressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in consultation with the big five of the Autobot-Terran Treaties, Russia, the UK, France, Germany and America. Condolences would be given to all affected and an assurance would be expressed worldwide that the base would be rebuilt in jig time by the Autobot Nation. Each of the nations affected would be then free to add their own statements as well for their specific constituent populations.
Fourthly, Prime would address the world through a broadcast statement of condolence and resolution about the situation. He would express the intentions of Autobot Nation to protect the world and explain that they were good, not infallible.
Fifthly, the Security Council of the United Nations would convene an emergency meeting to condemn the attack by the Decepticons, the resolution all felt in the face of mutual imminent danger and their solidarity with Autobot Nation.
All of the resources of the world would be prepared to stand with Prime to defeat this threat to everyone's mutual security and peace. A news blackout on much would be held with controlled images of the base's destruction broadcast with the aim of controlling the fear levels of the populations and insuring the most confidence of all involved that they were protected.
When the leaders of the world signed off, the rest paused a moment as Morshower clarified a point with Prime.
"Gentlemen."
Everyone turned to Mearing's screen. They waited, the mercurial woman no one to trifle with. "Ms Mearing..." Prime said.
"Now that the others are gone, how about telling me what is really happening out there? I would like you to know that I hold the overall brief for anything Autobot." she said coolly.
"Politically," Morshower said equally coldly. "I am in charge of the operation of this mission, all related structure and all things military."
"That can change, General," she said.
"Go ahead," Morshower said moving closer to the giant monitor. "If you think you got the ability to do this better than the rest of us I welcome you. I will be happy to hold your coat while you go shoot Decepticons."
She looked at him, then glanced at Prime. "What is the status of the Alaska operation?"
"It is a pursuit and intell operation at the moment," Prime replied, his voice calm and unemotional. "We are assessing the terrain underground to find the hive central, the place where they congregate."
"Tell me more about these bugs," she said sitting back in her chair, her gaze level and hard.
Ironhide shifted then paused as Ratchet gripped his arm. "Let me," Ratchet replied. Prime nodded.
"These mechanisms formatted on an organic world taking the form of an insect species. It was a project by Shockwave and it has been successful for the Decepticons because they are completely loyal to their leader whoever that may be. They will do anything their leader tells them to do. Their leader right now is a format called Arachnid. She's like them and for her, they will do anything. They live underground and as such must be smoked out. Its hard and dangerous. Right now, we are working out the extent of the problem. That has to be determined before we settle on a solution. It should be noted that they hold two of our own."
"How did they get caught?" she asked.
Ironhide's hackles rose. "Protecting this world," he said hotly. "How the frag do you think?"
She looked at Ironhide, then turned to Ratchet. "I hope you understand that sometimes you have to sacrifice the few to save the many. What prevents you from blowing them up in their holes?"
"A number of things, really," Ratchet said with more equanimity than he thought possible given events of the past few joors. "First, they tunnel at a speed a racing car would have trouble keeping up with. Secondly, they would dig out and come for you with a vengeance if you did that. If you don't kill them all at once, you will regret it. Lastly and not with the least importance, one of the captured is my son. Frag you if I will ever let you do something that stupid."
It was silent a moment, then Prime nodded. "I do not know what ethical considerations you have for yourself and your purposes, Ms Mearing, but it is outside the possibilities for us to ever abandon a comrade. We do not do that. That is what makes us different from them."
"Fuck yeah," Morshower said. "Until all are one." He turned to look at that monitor. "It is the first responsibility of a soldier to never leave another behind. Ever. That, Ms Mearing is what separates you from me as well. Now if you will excuse us ... we have work to do." He turned and nodded to the techs who cut the transmission. He stood a moment, then looked at Ratchet. "I am sorry that Sideswipe is missing but we will find him."
Ratchet nodded. "I believe that too," he said gripping Ironhide's arm tightly. "Semper fi."
Prime nodded. "Semper fi is appropriate."
-0-TBC June 25, 2013 edited