The Diego Diaries: Catastrophe 8: Push Back/Blow Back edited
-0-Underground: Interior Alaska
They hurried as fast as they could bouncing off the tunnel walls as they went down into the earth heading away from the shrieking mayhem slowly fading behind them. They reached the junction and hurried up a tunnel that looked promising. As they did Aftershock and Fracture stopped and began to do what they do so well. They began to slam their hydraulic fists into the wall along fracture lines. Stone began to crumble and dirt fell filling the air with dust and debris.
Drift ran with Sideswipe who transformed into peds. The ground was spongy as the permafrost began to accommodate the inclusion of air and humidity from the tunneling. When they were far down the tunnel they all paused and listened. The Tremorcons were wired in and stood in conversation with each other. Tremblers underfoot indicated that the structure down the tunnel was beginning to fall in. After a moment in silence, Aftershock and Fracture appeared. "GO!" Fracture yelled. They all turned as one and did.
-0-Above ground
He ran to the hole and jumped in disappearing from sight. The others stood looking downward as the blue form of the fastest known living thing in the galaxy that had sentience disappeared immediately. Prime and Ironhide stood stoically alongside of Springer as the trio waited for news from Blurr.
Any news.
-0-Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, Earth
Glenn Morshower came from the hangar where he had been in lengthy conferences with a long list of individuals. Andrew Sewell who limped along with him from a minor but painful wound headed to where Ratchet knelt. He was talking to some civilians who needed to express things including the hope that they could call their families. Ratchet had no idea if they could be he listened sympathetically as they asked.
Glenn paused beside Ratchet and gave the group directions about how to manage a message. They walked off gratefully, heading to the communications hangar to call home. Ratchet held out his servos and the two climbed on riding upward as Ratchet stood up. "Thank you for handling Mearing for me just now, Ratchet. I have no patience for bullshit at the moment."
"Consider it a solid," Ratchet said with a grin. "How were the calls?"
"The usual yelling, the usual 'how come you didn't know'? That sort of thing," Morshower said tiredly.
"The press are calling Warren's office and asking for information, perhaps visits. What about that?" Ratchet asked as they headed toward Omega and the temporary command center set up there.
"Not yet," Morshower replied. "We have the investigation teams to contend with and Mearing. Maybe when we get something up again we can allow it."
"I checked with Ops Center on Mars and they say that the buildings are coming along fast. They were moved up to first priority on the list," Ratchet said.
"You don't have to do that, Ratchet," Morshower said as he relaxed in Ratchet's servo.
"We know. We will do it anyway," Ratchet replied as he walked up the ramp, disappearing into Omega as he did.
-0-In the melee
She pushed rubble off her body, the dents and pains inflicted there driving her to a near mania. Then she calmed herself as her minions dug out with her. They were incensed, their shrill cries filling the darkened room with spine tingling tones. :Minions, hear me: she said as the room instantly stilled, the monsters turning toward their queen in absolute obedience. :They are getting away. We will let them. Right now, we are going to go away. Come with me and obey:
With that, she turned heading out through a tunnel in the far end of the huge cavern. Behind her, hordes of Insecticons followed. In a very short time, the chamber was empty of life.
-0-After an informal party
They stepped up from the underground, the bracing cold of a dying orn feeling refreshing after a party where they had discovered nothing in common with those attending. Walking along silently, Vin glanced down at Joon. "We need to talk to someone."
"Maybe someone in the Circle can tell us who to talk to, Vin. I don't know the structure here yet," Joon said nodding in agreement. "Let's go to the dojo in the Cultural Center. Someone told me that Circle mechs and femmes hang out there and they would tell us who to see."
"Good idea," Vin said as they turned toward the Mare Tranquilitatis. They merged with the crowd and were gone.
-0-Up high
Laret stood by the window holding Prowler who was crying. His crying was tiny and sad. She swayed gently, the infant lying in her arms wrapped in soft blankets. For a moment, she was lost in the beauty beyond as night came to the city. Then she felt rather than saw optics upon her. She looked down and smiled. "Hero."
"He cries."
"I know. He misses his home and routine," Laret replied. "How are you, my darling?"
Her chin quivered. "I miss my atar and ada."
"They miss you too, darling. But you are brave. You can manage this and be a good example for your brother, right?"
Hero looked at Laret, a femme that she adored. Her brother was crying, his sound wan from the near joor that he had wept. Then she nodded, her chin quivering and her optics misting. "I will try," she said equally sad.
Fifi looked at Hero, then her nana. "Nana? Hero cry?"
"I hope not, my baby," Laret said with a grin.
The night would creep forward slowly.
-0-Underground
They ran through the underground for what seemed like forever turning this way and that as they made their way to an exit that had been part of the vast honeycomb of tunnels that was home for so long. They had lain dormant, Arachnid included waiting for the signal from Megatron. Then some of the mechs had come out of stasis wandering around exploring. The tunneling that they had done was incredible. Ten thousand years of nothing to do but dig had resulted in thousands of miles of tunnels that ran from Alaska southward to the continental United States as well as Canada.
When they reached the exit they sought, Arachnid paused and looked at the masses that were coming along behind. "I want you to go to the rendezvous place. Fly under the waves. They can't trace you yet. The rest of you will go south through the tunnels to the meeting place. Burrow in and await my signal. No one is to wander or let them know that you are there until I tell you. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, my queen," vast voices said in unison. Then they moved past her falling from the cliff side into the sea. They disappeared almost immediately flying through the water as they made their way to the place where they would await her command. The others turned and continued onward running through the darkness on the way to a great series of caverns where they would not be exposed or hunted. When they at last were gone, Arachnid smiled. "Round one to us," she said as she on lined her guns. She fired into the holes and collapsed them. Listening for the enemy, she heard nothing.
"Time to go," she said as she transformed into a Cybertronian ship. Erecting a false signature of a commercial private jet, she flew off into the sky heading for the place of concealment. She was gone in moments.
-0-Underground
Blurr raced with haste moving through the darkness with his headlights on. There was no point in keeping stealth going now. His objective was to find the teams and inform them of the data so far collected. He raced into the darkness and disappeared.
-0-Devcon
He knelt and listened to the sound of thousands of footfalls, or so it seemed. A mass was heading his way and he had to move. Turning, he ran fast up the tunnel he had come through heading for a broken tunnel that had been abandoned long ago. He climbed over rubble and pressed back into a small space dialing down his systems so they would barely register on sensors.
Just as he did, a mass began to race past, a mass of Insecticons on their way to somewhere. Some crawled on the ceiling, others ran in a long continuous line before his hiding place. They appeared to be doing someone's bidding he thought as he watched their nearly mindless exodus.
It seemed forever before they were all past and he stayed put waiting until he was sure. When the silence began to stretch into the third breem, he clambered out and turned heading back the way they had come. He disappeared into the dark.
-0-Nearby
Kup led his portion of the rescue team down his side of the tunnel heading toward the increasing presence of Insecticons. As he did, the sound of someone coming up behind them was noted. They froze and turned, their weapons focused on bounding lights coming their way in a huge hurry. The lights bounced off the walls, the sound of a powerful engine filling the space with its menace as the unknown came closer. When the intruder turned the corner he came to a screeching halt in the face of more than a dozen guns. "It's me. Blurr."
Everyone relaxed, then Kup looked at him. "What are you doing here?"
"The place is rumbling. Prime thinks Drift and Sideswipe broke free and collapsed the tunnels. He doesn't want you caught in the fall out without intell." Blurr stood a moment waiting for them to discuss their plan, then nodded as Kup told him to fall in. They turned and with heightened sensors continued onward with a new hope that the quarry had suffered a setback.
-0-At a dojo
They walked into the room pausing. Nearby sitting in the lounge part of the dojo a number of mechs chatted. Vin walked across the room, Joon in tow and paused by them. "Good evening. I'm looking for someone from the Circle who can help me with a problem. I need some information."
The mechs glanced at each other, then the pair. "What do you need to know?" one of them asked.
They moved to sit and explained.
-0-Moments later in Ops Center
Lon stood with Splice as he explained the situation to Jazz who was running intell for Prime on the sensor station of Ops Center. He listened and nodded, then glanced at the door. "Send them in, Splice," Jazz said glancing at Mirage nearby. "Mirage."
The big mech glanced up and rose walking to Jazz who turned to face an elder and his femme bond. The introductions were made, then Vin began. "I am Vin. I was once governor of Tyger Pax. When The Fall came my bond, Joon and I fled and rounded the galaxy it seemed trying to find shelter. We landed at a Neutral colony and found the Circle of Light. It changed us in every way imaginable. We came here as part of the last migration. We were driven out by the Decepticons like all the rest.
"We came here with the same intentions we had when we lived on our colony world. We are part of the Circle, we give our loyalty to Prime and this place. We want to be a blessing the way we should have been on Cybertron. Others can attest to our sincerity," he said.
Jazz nodded. "I see. What can I do for you then?"
"Fenix was someone we knew from Cybertron. We knew his genitors and had friends in common. He invited us to join the Iacon Order. We want nothing to do with that but we also don't want something going wrong without the Prime being aware. We don't know if they are a fraternal organization or not but I am hearing from them that they want to break away."
"They do," Jazz said quietly. "What exactly do you hear?" he asked.
"They want a colony of their own independent of Prime's rule and they have everything ready including plans for construction. They want workers from here to do it. They have no respect for Prime, his charter and rule, I fear. We want to know what we should do if anything. I had planned to find a position somewhere in the social work field. I was a family guidance counselor and worked with the elderly in our old colony. Joon has perfected a number of skills involving weaving and would like to participate in a Circle co-op if one is here. If not, she and I would like to get one going. There is a lot to do to help others and we want to continue. We want an Autobrand but have decided to wait to see if there is anything we can do about Fenix before doing so. He has the impression that we are amenable to his plans. We aren't."
Jazz nodded glancing at Mirage. "Interestin'." He looked at Vin and Joon. "You could do a lot for us by attending these meetings and informing us of anything that you hear when you talk to him especially privately. We want to be ahead of his curve."
Vin nodded, his expression relieved. "We shall do that. For now, we have an appointment in the Employment Office tomorrow at City Hall about work related to our fields. I hope you know you can call upon us for assistance in this matter. I find it distressing in the extreme that some have not learned from this experience."
"You and me both," Jazz said. Mirage nodded grimly behind him.
-0-Underground: Earth
They ran onward, the sounds of footfalls fading away as the last Insecticon left the area. Right now, the small group of Autobots and Tremorcons ran swiftly aware that pursuit didn't seem to be following. The plan, if there was one seemed to be to run like mad until they could re-emerge into the light above and duke it out there. The 'Con's force had been hijacked by Arachnid and their plan was now bust. What came next had to be considered and Sideswipe was considering it.
:Drift:
:What?:
:We need to figure out what to do when we get to the end of the road here:
:I know: Drift slowed looking back at three of the 'Cons behind him. "Stop a moment."
The group slowed, then stopped, the two in front coming back to look down the tunnel. "What are you doing? We have to go," Fracture said with irritation.
"Where?" Sideswipe asked. "Where are you going? Its been a while but let me fill you in."
They looked at him warily. "I don't give a frag."
"You better. There's no place to go up there that doesn't include a slagging," Drift said. "The system is locked down by Prime. He has a colony on the next world over and it has about two and a half million of our people there. This planet is technologically advanced now, way more capable of fragging you than when you came here. They have space capability."
The Tremorcons looked at the two Autobots, then each other. "So … what are you suggesting?" Seizor, their leader asked.
"I'm suggesting that you come with us, surrender to Prime and go off world before the locals get you and tear you apart. They don't like Decepticons," Sideswipe said.
"Those insects? Frag them," Runabout said with disdain.
"Those 'insects' fragged Megatron twice, defeating him in battle. They killed The Fallen and captured Shockwave," Drift said exaggeratedly. The humans were on the teams that did so he was technically correct.
The Decepticons looked at the two of them, then each other. Runabout smirked. "You lie."
"Frag that," Sideswipe said glancing at Drift. "Let the humans have them. They took Megatron apart and held him in captivity for nearly a vorn. I can only imagine what they can do with you five," he said glancing at them with a grin of pure malevolence on his face.
They stared at him, then Seizor stepped closer to Sideswipe. "Show us."
Sideswipe smirked at him, then sorted the data. Turning to the side, he projected images onto the wall of the tunnel. They showed battles, Decepticons falling before the Autobots and humans, the city on Mars, the masses of armaments and the Prime with his senior officers. He knew they would recognize them and they did. They watched those images as well as the body of The Fallen being boxed to be taken away to Mars where it was interned into the cold rust colored ground in what looked like a Cybertronian style cemetery mausoleum.
They stood a moment talking together off line, then Seizor looked at the two. "What happens if we surrender?"
"You will be taken to Mars. The humans let us keep the bots we catch. If we don't take you, they take you apart. You would go to our lockup and stay there until you showed you could live in the colony. From there its up to you. You have to give your personal and professional oaths to the Matrix and Prime. You know what that means if you break it," Drift said quietly.
They looked at him, a couple nodding without comment. Then Seizor looked at the others. Glancing at Drift, he considered things. "You would tell them that we saved you from Arachnid?"
Sideswipe and Drift nodded. "We will. You would tell Prime about your mission and where the Insecticons are. Arachnid too?" Drift asked.
They nodded.
"Then let's go," Sideswipe said. He looked around. "How the frag do we get out of here?"
Fracture snorted. "Amateur. Follow us," he said as he turned and began to race down the tunnel that was beginning to go upward. The others followed including the Autobots.
-0-TBC July 1, 2013