The Diego Diaries: Catastrophe 9: Push Back/Blow Back edited
-0-In an electronics workshop at Plant #11, Autobot City, Mars
They sat across from each other working on tiny electronic parts that would replace destroyed infrastructure on Earth at the base in Diego Garcia. The destruction was known to the city and all of the residents felt the pain of allies harmed and the embassy where it all began being destroyed. The actual culprits beyond identification as Decepticon Insecticons were not known though the rumor of Arachnid had somehow made the rounds.
"What do you think is really going on over there?" one mech asked as he reached for more intricate parts of an air conditioning command module that would provide the base with cooling supplied by enhanced solar technology.
"I don't know. I hate that the base was hit. The humans that are our best allies live there and our embassy … did you see the program on last night … channel 9 that showed the history of it?" his partner asked as he painted a tiny piece of machinery that would host the main controls of the electrical system for the whole base.
"I did. What a shame. Its historical, you know, for us. That's where the push back began by us from oblivion. I can't even think anymore about what life would be like if they hadn't made the humans allies and set down there. We had to start somewhere."
His partner nodded. "I hear ya," he said as he put his piece in the box that would be carried to Earth and the base by the installation team. It was a quiet night in Specialty Fabrication-Electronics in the Industrial Park, Plant #11.
-0-Underground: Earth
They ran for miles sometimes going up, sometimes going down. Drift and Sideswipe followed the Tremorcons as they rewound the ball of string the maze represented to them in their dark confusion. Finally, they began to go upward in a long winding spiral. The footing was slipperier and the atmosphere danker as the tunnels let in more air from the upper levels. They ran onward silently as Sideswipe sent mental images to the trine.
-0-In a tunnel of their own
"Kup."
The team paused looking back at Sunstreaker. He stood as if listening to a conversation only he could hear. He was reacting to images of his brother running loose. He looked at the others. "They're free. Sideswipe sent me an impression that he's free and heading for the surface somewhere. No one is chasing them."
Kup considered that. "It could be that they're moving onward. We need to find Dev, then check out the main living space. Maybe it will give us an idea where they are and where they're going."
The others nodded, then turned and moved forward. It would seem that they were chasing shadows now but they moved onward prepared to fight.
-0-Nearby
Dev stood in the entrance of the cavern that had held the main body of Insecticons. Most of it was destroyed, the cavern's roof fallen in what appeared to be a fire fight. There was no way to cross the room to check it out so filled with rubble and dirt that it was. It was vast and there were evidences of stasis chambers, all empty that had been occupied over a long period of time.
He clambered up and looked around, his spot lights illuminating among the debris a couple of dead Insecticons. He crawled over a pile of dirt and inspected one. It was a genuine Cybertronian pest of the most dangerous variety. It was a hive minded being who was fearless in battle, ruthless about following their leader and had no mercy for anyone. It was tough, nearly perfect in make up and a total menace. He knelt looking around then paused. Turning, listening silently, he heard footsteps coming his way. He rose and pushed back into the darkness and rubble considering his options.
He didn't have any.
With a unspoken curse at having been penned inside a no win position, he moved back and made himself as small as possible on the sensor grids of whoever was coming. Then he waited.
-0-Topside in Diego Garcia
Bluestreak who was sweeping the concrete footprint of a hangar paused for a moment as if listening to something spoken that only he could hear. Then he turned and hurried toward Omega. Reaching that bot, he burst inside. "Ratchet! Prowl!"
The two paused, then looked at Bluestreak.
"I have an impression from Sideswipe. They're free!" Blue said with an impossible amount of joy. "He sent the message. He's coming out."
Ratchet felt as if the world had exploded in his spark. He glanced at Prowl who felt it too. "Thank you, Bluestreak," he said turning to the comm station. "Prowl to Prime."
"Prime here."
"Bluestreak just told me that Sideswipe sent an impression. It would seem they have escaped," he said with no small amount of relief in his voice.
There was a pause, then Prime spoke. "Thank you, Prowl. We're on it. Prime out."
Prowl turned to Bluestreak who had sat down on a bench. He looked sick with relief. Ratchet walked over and sat next to Bluestreak. "I'm too slagging old for this," he said with a grin.
-0-Underground
They ran and ran turning this and that corner. As they did, they finally saw that the darkness was getting lighter. When they rounded the last corner, the light was coming in though it was dimmed because it was past midnight in the world outside. The arctic never really became dark in the summer and that was fortunate because never was light greeted with more joy than in the sparks of the mechs fleeing from underground. When they reached the opening, they paused peering out. The tundra stretched out into the distance where tall white mountains rose up abruptly. The sky overhead was blue, cloudless and enormous. They stepped out and looked around.
"Frag. We made it," Aftershock said as he flipped out his weapon to point it at Sideswipe and Drift. "Now call the Prime."
Sideswipe and Drift glanced at each other, then shook their helms. "Fragger, we would anyway. Put that gun away."
"When we hear what Prime has to say," Aftershock said.
"And if you don't like it? What? Are you going to have a shoot out?" Drift asked.
Aftershock stared at him a moment, then subbed his gun once more. "Call Prime."
Drift looked around, then complied. :Drift to Prime:
For a moment, there was nothing. Then the deep tones of the Prime filtered through to Drift as if from far away. :Prime here. Where are you?:
:Above ground somewhere. Triangulate on us. The Tremorcons need to talk to you about surrender. They saved us from Arachnid:
:On our way. Prime out:
Drift looked at the six 'Cons and grinned. "He's coming. Disarm now and surprise him."
They looked at Drift, then each other. Then they disarmed.
-0-A breem later
The shuttle set down on the ground, the hatch opening, the ramp coming down. Prime and Ironhide stepped out walking down the incline to where the group stood waiting. Ironhide gripped Sideswipe's servo, a big grin on his face. Prime nodded to Drift and Sideswipe with great relief, then turned to the six pensive bots standing together staring at the big dreaded mechanism who was going to hold their sparks in his servos. "You are here to surrender?"
Seizor glanced at the others, then nodded. "We saved these two getting away from Arachnid. She got control of the bugs and we were going to be killed. We freed these two and fled. We collapsed the tunnel so they couldn't follow easily but they never did. Follow that is." He paused and looked at Prime nervously. "What now?"
"You have to surrender. You have to give your oath to me and the Matrix. Then you have to earn your way into our colony. You understand what it means to break an oath to the Matrix?"
"You die. Badly," Fracture said nodding. The others nodded too.
"Then give it if you are willing, empty your subspace and be ready to start from the prison. If you acquit yourselves well, if you get work and keep yourselves out of trouble you will get to live like everyone else. There are thousands of Decepticons in the city who will be watching you. They tend to police their own ranks. They don't want anyone to make them look badly. I hope you understand that the burden is upon you."
They nodded. "You don't think we can do it?" Runamok asked defiantly.
"No." -Drift, Ironhide, Sideswipe
The six blinked and looked at each other. Then they gave it up. They had no other choice.
-0-Underground
They moved slower pausing by the partially collapsed entrance to the main chamber of the Insecticon infiltration. It was filled with rubble and the debris left behind by long time habitation. There were a couple of bodies killed by the collapse and nothing more. Lowering their weapons they stood looking at the mess, their lights swinging here and there as they tried to find an exit point. When they flashed past Dev everyone jumped back yelling.
Dev stood up and grinned. "What took you slaggers so long?"
Kup looked at the tall mechanism with a powerful gun mounted on his helm. "You slagger. Don't do that again. I am supposing our bots aren't under this slag?"
"You would be right. I think they got away," Dev said climbing down from the heap of dirt and rubble. "We could try and follow the tracks that lead away from here but they're heavily overlain by Insecticon ped marks. I'm thinking they made their way out of here. I'm also thinking they weren't alone. Look over here," he said flashing a light on a set of prints near a wall where the remnants of webbing of the type Arachnid used to subdue and bind others could be seen lying here and there in tatters. "Those peds aren't bugs. They are regular format ped prints. I would assume from this mess that a breakdown in communication happened and two groups parted ways, one of them taking our guys with them. I would imagine they are allied together making their way out."
"Sounds reasonable. This is such a maze we would be fools to try and find them," Kup said.
"The tracks are going to be really hard to read," Hound agreed. "I can track just about anything but this would be hard as the Pit, Dev."
Dev nodded. "I hear ya. I say we back track and try to ground probe for them." He glanced at Blurr. "Can you find your way back?"
Blurr nodded. "I followed your marks and left my own."
"Go ahead and let Prime know," Dev said. "We'll follow and if they have an idea for us, you can come back to let us know. Following them down here would be beyond difficult."
Kup nodded. "Go, youngling. See what Prime says. We're going to back track."
Blurr nodded and turned disappearing almost immediately. The others watched him, then Kup looked at Dev. "Any sign of the slaggers?"
"Not this way. I think they had a back way out through the chamber. The roof falling took it out or they collapsed it themselves. They're heading out for a fall back position. I would bet that they have tunnels that run for hundreds of miles. I've been on planets where they dug for tens of thousands of miles," Dev said.
Kup nodded. "I know. I hate going after them underground. I don't mind fighting the slaggers on the surface but underground? I don't like the odds." They nodded then turned with Kup following him back into the tunnel. "Let's go, younglings. This is a lost cause." He looked at them before turning to go. "Those fraggers are going to be a real problem, mark my words." Then he turned and they followed, their guns ready, their optics keenly watching their rear.
-0-Above ground
They stood waiting for Prime to return when Blurr reappeared in the hole. "Hey!" he called up.
Wheeljack and Perceptor looked down along with Flint. "You're back," Wheeljack said.
"We found the chamber. The cavern is collapsed and no one is there. Sideswipe and Drift appear to have left with other Decepticons because Arachnid was getting ready to punch their ticket," Blurr said.
Flint leaned down and nodded. "They did. We have them and the 'Cons with them. Prime's bringing them back."
Blurr nodded with great relief. "I'll let them know. They're heading back. The Insecticons appear to have gone to ground. I saw no sign of them on the way back."
Flint nodded. "Alright. Go get the teams. Bring them back."
Blurr nodded and left swiftly. Flint stood back watching as a shuttle began to descend from the sky. "What a relief."
Perceptor nodded. "We haven't lost a mech in a long time. It would be good to keep it that way."
No one disagreed with that assessment.
-0-TBC July 2, 2013 edited
NOTES: This is what wikipedia says that Diego Garcia is: The United States Navy operates Naval Support Facility (NSF) Diego Garcia, a large naval ship and submarine support base, military air base, communications and space-tracking facility, and an anchorage for pre-positioned military supplies for regional operations aboard Military Sealift Command ships in the lagoon.
Runamuck: "Four million years later, Runamuck was part of the Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy." He's a real piece of work and a hooligan who will even vandalize things for fun. Sadee? I have the perfect boyfriend for you. :D
"Runabout: "Runabout is not the brains of the Battlechargers (they're both pretty much dim-bulbs), but he is much calmer and certainly more articulate] than Runamuck and his presence helps keep the latter's cross-wired mind on task. That said, Runabout usually joins in with whatever mad ideas Runamuck comes up with just to keep from being bored. Runabout is very susceptible to boredom.
"Besides, Runabout loves a good wreck just as well as his crazy comrade, but it's not because he craves to create wreckage—he simply wishes to destroy and enjoys the spectacle of chaos and big fiery explosions. To help create these he has a particle beam rifle that shoots a stream of heavy and energetic neutrons. Unfortunately, he craves destruction so much that it continually distracts him from his assigned duties.
"Runabout is a little faster than Runamuck with a 185 MPH top speed, but can only go about 550 miles. He is equally able to transform quickly, taking about .4 seconds to do so. Also like his partner, he is not averse to breaking windows or draping cylinder-wiping paper over the enemy base or other puerile acts of vandalism. But he uses bigger words when doing so.'
The Tremorcons are infiltration specialists. All of this comes from TFWiki. :D