The Diego Diaries: Catastrophe 4: Blow back/Push back
-0-Midnight around the Earth
Bombs went off shattering glass and the peace of mind of millions of people in all the corners of the Earth. Security forces swept into but the bombers were already gone, disappearing into the ether like smoke. No one was killed. No one was really hurt. The bombs weren't designed to kill. They were designed to send a message.
Earth for Earthers. Aliens, go. Now.
-0-Sam Witwicky
He sat in his office working through masses of messages sorting out those from producers who would have him on their talk shows the next morning and those who wanted interviews, comments and the like in a dozen other medias and media markets around the world. There were two human Autobot faces to the world that were not military related, Warren Roberts and Sam Witwicky. Mikaela Barnes was the other but given the low key posture she took relating to her public relations management of the Autobot brief, she was still a lesser known entity. That didn't meant that she and Sam didn't cross lanes constantly.
The phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello."
"Hi, Sam. Where are you?"
"Mikaela! Hi. I'm in the office," Sam said sitting up straighter.
"I'm in the lobby. Have you eaten?" Mikaela's voice asked.
"No. I'll be right down," Sam said hanging up his phone. Jumping up, grabbing his coat, phone and pager, he hurried out disappearing into the elevator at the end of the hallway.
-0-Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth
The light was beginning to decline with the sun in the distance as night began to step forward. The base was under deconstruction as bots worked long and hard to dismantle the wreckage and remove rubble. Several stood shining light on the work as teams of technicians scrambled to get the base electrical and communications systems back up again.
Prime and Ironhide had left earlier going back to Alaska. Ratchet and Prowl remained behind to manage the base reclamation and assist the Alaska mission. Ratchet watched as the foundations of several buildings were cleared of the last bit of debris. Non essential personnel had been flown out heading for air bases in the states where they would be held in an information quarantine until the humans still in transit to do forensic investigations were finished. For now, military personnel were the ones still on base in the limited primitive housing crafted together around the two hangars.
:Ratchet:
:What?:
:Just letting you know Ravel has the older sparklings. Neo and Laret took Hero and Prowler:
:Thanks. Those names seem familiar:
:I hear you: Prowl grinned. :No news from Alaska yet:
:Thanks:
Ratchet looked around and saw the brilliant sunset over the ocean nearby. It was the glory of Diego, the sun and ocean. Now it just seemed lonely, alien and a little sinister. The sun and ocean didn't care. Things happened and they were content to do what they did without emotional entanglements. He almost envied them he thought as he moved forward to help gather debris together.
-0-Interior Alaska
It was as bright at night as it was that morning. The summer solstice insured that night would not come for weeks. The scene was organized as ships parked nearby housed the humans who retreated from the mosquitoes that plagued the tundra in massive black clouds. The bots on the other hand other than being annoyed were otherwise unaffected. The problem was below ground, not above.
Trevor Smith sat dejectedly in a shuttle, other soldiers and a bot relaxing nearby. He was as sad a young man as could be imagined. Epps who entered to get a drink from the cooler noticed him. "Smith."
Trevor looked up sharply. "Sarge?"
"You're up."
Smith looked at him, then stood uncertainly. He reached for his rifle and turned heading out with Epps. He followed Epps down the ramp and paused at the bottom. "Sargent … what do you mean?"
Epps turned and considered the youngster. "Your turn to stand guard."
He looked at Epps for a moment. "I want to help. I worked so hard to get here and I'm so sorry."
Epps looked at him, then nodded. "We know. Show us. Go and be useful," Bobby said nodding to the group standing around the entrance of the tunnel.
He looked at Epps a moment, his emotions plain on his face, then turned and hurried to the site to take the place of another member of the team. He would stand there for hours. Happily.
-0-Down below
Sideswipe hung on the wall trapped fast in the sticky gunk that Arachnid sprayed to hold him there. Beside him pretending to be unconscious, Drift hung trapped as well. :Drift:
:What?:
:What's the plan?:
Drift wanted to laugh but he held himself together. :I think Arachnid eviscerates us and makes a throne out of our afts. That's what they usually do. Other than that, I don't have a slagging clue:
Sideswipe considered that quashing a smirk himself. :Okay. You go first. Age before beauty:
Drift glanced at Sideswipe. :Pearls before swine: he replied.
Sitting nearby, Seizor noted the exchange. Leaning forward to look at his ped, he whispered to Runabout and the others. :The Autobots are awake. They're pretending:
:Let them. If this frags up and it doesn't look good so far, we're going to need extra guns. Arachnid is going to kill us all: Runabout replied.
The others nodded, glancing furtively at the two bots plastered to the wall of the cave. Nearby holding court, Arachnid preoccupied with the worshipful attentiveness of the giant insectoidal mechanisms didn't notice.
For now.
-0-Below the ground
Dev moved along the tunnel marking them as he went. They twisted and turned, all of them going somewhere but their ultimate ends were still a mystery. Insecticons were someone he had a lot of experience with and their hives had been explored by him more than once. Sometimes given enough time in a locale, they dug for the hell of it going great distances only to dead end or worse, land a bot in a hatchery.
He listened, then moved onward heading toward the sound of footsteps in numbers. He felt that he was getting close to the hive central. What he would do if he reached it he had no idea. But then that seldom slowed him down when on the scent. He disappeared into the dark murky silence of the tunnel.
-0-Behind him somewhere
Kup and Sunstreaker crept along pausing at the sound of footsteps, moving forward when it was silent again. They were following Sunstreaker's bond with Sideswipe. They had been joined by two Wrecker teams that had been dispatched and the group hugged the walls on each side as Kup and Sunny walked point. Dev had long since disappeared on his own, his formidable nearly infallible skills enough to make that acceptable for now. For their own part, they were close. The smell of the Insecticons was growing. It wouldn't be long now. They moved forward silently, heading onward into the darkness.
-0-In New York at a cafe
"Well, this is a fine mess," Mikaela said. "You're going to be hitting the talk shows tomorrow and giving interviews, you and Warren?"
"I am," Sam said as he cut his pastrami sandwich in half. "We have to do damage control and do it fast."
"You're talking to the architect of their image, Sam," Mikaela said as she took a bite from her strawberry crepe. "I am after all in charge of their brief. Exclusive charge I might add."
"I know," Sam said as he stirred his coffee. "You're doing a good job."
"Well, I did graduate from college with the proper degrees. I know it wasn't ivy league but it has a good reputation," she replied with a slight tartness in her tone.
Sam considered that. "I'm sorry," he said. "For a lot."
"Old business. We're in the midst of new business now. We have to preserve the bots and their status here. We can't let the bad guys win or we all die. No time for the small stuff. Like you and Carly."
Sam sat back regarding her. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Mikaela looked at him, then smirked. "Do I have to spell it out?" she asked. "First, you and me are … hooked up. Then you play with Carly while that's happening. I dump you. You move in with Carly. While that's going on, you strike up a relationship with Jessie Landon who I really like."
"How do you know that any of that is true?" Sam asked defensively.
"I live on Mars too," Mikaela replied. "I have two eyes and an infallible ability to spot bullshit when I see it. After all, you cheated on me with that stick woman and I dumped you. See?" she concluded with a beautiful smile.
He looked at her, then leaned forward. "I didn't cheat on you."
"You did, Ladiesman," Mikaela said with a smirk. "You did. You should man up and admit it."
He looked at her, then sat back. "Maybe I did. I didn't mean to do it. I loved you. I still do. Maybe I always will."
She looked at him, then gathered her briefcase and phone. Rising, she looked down at him. "That's a nice line. I imagine you use it a lot. I would be very careful about Jessie. The twins adore her and told her if anyone fucks with her, they would tear that idiot apart. I wouldn't fuck with her, Sam."
Sam looked at her as he absorbed that bit of news. Watching as she walked away, he considered the new complication in his already complicated love life. "Oh great," he thought as images of the twins came into his mind. "Thanks, Mikaela," he whispered to himself.
-0-In Vos Tower, Metroplex District, Autobot City, Mars
They stood by the window looking out into the night, their servos entwined. The lights were bright outside as ships came and went in the sky overhead. Their tower looked out toward the new highway leading out to Terra and the new cities beyond.
Fifi who was delighted to have company for overnight looked at Hero who stood beside her. Smiling brilliantly, she patted the window. "Pretty."
Hero smiled. "I like the lights, Fifi."
Laret standing nearby sorting through a number of things for a lesson the next day looked at Hero. "That little lady is such a good speaker, Neo."
Neo came out of Fifi's berth room after preparing room for Hero in Fifi's utterly feminine crib. "She is a wonderful speaker. She just started. Roto says it happens once in a while but no one, not even Herling and Nova have ever seen it until now."
Prowler who lay on a blanket on the floor played with his servos as he watched lights play on the ceiling. He was content but he also wondered like Hero where everyone was. Neo and Laret were familiar faces and very kind. But they weren't Atar and Ada. He wondered where they were as his sister and her friend stood nearby at the window chatting and watching the pretty lights.
He was not happy.
-0-On the 49th floor, in the 24/25th apartment, Mare Tranquilitatis
Sunspot helped Ravel clean up the apartment after a hard afternoon of play and general horsing around. Spot followed Tie Down around as he gathered toys, grinning at the older mech in his tongue-lolling manner. Sunspot gripped Praxus by the servo and turned tugging him along. "Do you want to wash them tonight or in the morning, Grandada?" he asked.
Ravel paused, then smiled. "I think we can wash them now don't you?"
Sunspot considered that, then grinned. "I think it will be fun."
It was.
-0-Earlier that day
He stepped off the shuttle at the commercial airport facility that had just opened. The Autobot City Tour Company occupied part of it using it as a staging area for their ventures. He stood in the beautiful facility and was stunned as outside through floor to ceiling transparent steel windows a greatly expanded city could be seen. As he stood watching, a young mech walked up to him. "Are you Burnoff?"
The youngster looked at the stranger. "I am," he said uncertainly.
"I'm Topper. I work in the Probation Office. I'm here to meet you and let you know what you have to do for the next few orns. The Lunar site is off limits for habitation until we determine if the area is free of Decepticon infiltration."
Burnoff blinked. "They're doing that? Inside the system?"
"Apparently," Topper said looking at the mound of baggage that had been placed on a hand cart. "Is this your stuff?" he asked.
"It is. I've been busy. I have a lot of research and designs and things here," Burnoff said turning to look over the pile of stuff that filled boxes and cases. "I'm hoping it can be taken to my genitor's apartment for safekeeping."
"We'll send it. We need to go to the Courthouse and speak to your caseworker. That way we can settle you in while you're here," Topper said turning to go. "Your stuff will be taken care of. Come on, Burnoff. Let's go."
Burnoff turned and walked with Topper out of the terminal taking a left turn to walk up Airport Highway to toward the Fortress and city beyond. They would go up Metroplex Highway at the junction taking a right turn. The walk to the courthouse was made through the masses of citizens who were going about their business. The city had grown a bit and he had followed the news. However, nothing prepared him to be in the midst of such growth. It was unnerving after months of solitude.
-0-On their way
Turquoise walked with Copperton to the Courthouse to meet with the review board that was handling the possibility of commuting or adapting the conditions of their son's incarceration. They had applied at the earliest possible time for consideration, getting approval for a short hearing to discuss the possibility.
Entering the courthouse, they took an elevator to the seventh floor, exiting to walk to the Office of Probation that took up the far end of the floor with its offices and conference rooms. Checking with the desk, they were directed to conference room 5 where they entered to sit by themselves.
Their attorney and their son's caseworker had already discussed the appeal with the magistrate. They would be meeting to tell them the outcome of the petition. Entering, smiling at the couple, Blackstone and Burnoff's case manager, Stepper greeted them. Then all sat.
They nearly shimmered with nervous energy as they sat quietly, uncharacteristically submissive in their manner. The months had changed them, their son's plight burning away the old mechs and replacing them with something new.
Something much better it would seem.
"Copperton, Turquoise, I have discussed the petition with Semi in a magistrate hearing of petition with Stepper to present your son's progress as Burnoff's case manager. We put all the points forward, showed his psychological examinations and his educational attainments. We have asked the magistrate to allow for a Prime Review of the sentencing to request that Burnoff serve his sentence here under supervision as you requested. Semi has approved the petition for submission to the Office of the Prime."
Copperton and Turquoise looked ready to pass out. They held each others servo, then sat straighter. "That is so glorious. I wish I could express my abject gratitude for your efforts on behalf of our son," Copperton said as Turquoise nodded.
Blackstone grinned. "It is our pleasure. Your son has exceeded our expectations. He's remade himself."
"He has," Turquoise said nodding. "Burnoff is so remorseful. He's dedicated himself to making himself as useful to the city as he can. He's so creative. He has a lot of things in process. He wants to have an office and laboratory when he comes back so he can work and create whatever the city needs. He's doing so well."
"And you? Both of you?" Blackstone asked.
"I am on a construction crew. I review the designs but most of the time I work as a laborer. The mechs are helping me learn what I need to know but I find it intensely fulfilling."
"Copperton has helped build Phobos and Crystal City. His crew does the foundations and lays the first steel for the towers," Turquoise said proudly. "I am working on isolating the code glitch for the soldier-adas. I think I am getting close. I do hope so. Our soldiers need help."
Blackstone and Stepper nodded. "We have information to report as well about Burnoff. You have been following the news on Earth. Very bad tidings indeed." The two nodded. "We had to evacuate the moon until it can be scanned because the enemy is burrowing underground and we can't read their signatures to find them when they do that. So Burnoff has been returned here for his safety."
They looked at the pair shocked, then each other. Turquoise half raised, then sat. "Is he here? What do we do? Can we see him?"
Blackstone grinned. "Yes. We want to tell you first about the status of his residency while here. He will be wearing a tracking device but he can live at your apartment for now. He has to stay there and get permission to go out of the building."
That is as far as Blackstone got before the sheer joy of Copperton and Turquoise's happiness drowned out further conversation for a moment.
TBC June 26, 2013 edited