The Diego Diaries: Skills 2 (dd3 460)
-0-On the street, The City, Mars
They buzzed through a forest of legs until they reached the cordoned off area of the scene. The filmmakers were already there documenting what probably wouldn't make the cut for a show. They stopped at the cordoned off line to look upward. They didn't recognize the Watch mechs standing casually along the edge of the line chatting with this or that individual.
Robert Epps looked around himself noting that Simmons and Mearing were with them. He ignored them, then looked at the small group of senior Autobots standing on the street near the door.
Bots came in and out, some of them from the Autobot City Unified Fire Department, a mix of civilian and soldier fire fighters that was formed after the debacle of Metroplex and organized under the professional command of Inferno.
Springer walked out pausing before Prime and his officers. Drift and Lon were with him as Kup walked out to join as well.
Ironhide looked visibly upset, Ratchet grim and contained. The twins were grim faced too, cold and angry. Something bad had happened.
Simmons came closer to the soldiers. This looked like a bomb had gone off. Everyone's affect was pissed. :I wonder if a bomb went off?: he asked.
:Don't know: Epps replied as he studied Optimus. That bot was patient and seldom showed in public how he felt but it was obvious to Epps that Optimus was furious. He was pissed. Something bad had happened and he was lit. Epps glanced at Lennox and Graham who were studying the big bots too. :Something bad happened:
Lennox nodded. :Stay here: With that, he buzzed under the tape heading toward Optimus.
The Watch mech who was looking the other direction heard him, then looked down. Lennox had buzzed past heading for the Senior bots, so he followed. :Ratchet: Lennox called to the uptight medic standing beside Blackjack and Prowl.
The senior group looked down as Lennox paused beside Ratchet's ped.
Prowl nodded to the Watch mech who then walked back to return to his post.
:Will. Can't you read?: Ratchet asked with a slight grin.
:Cybertronian? Not too much. What happened? This looks like a bomb: Lennox asked as Ratchet knelt down.
:What do I tell him?: Ratchet asked Prime as he knelt.
Prime glanced down. :The truth. Tell him to tell Epps and Graham but no one else. The story will be a boiler explosion:
Ratchet acknowledged Prime, then began. :We have high castes from Cybertron that aren't accepting the new reality. Some of them are getting anxious to have their own city. Prime wants us unified. Its long overdue, the Matrix counsels it and our defense depends upon unity and cooperation.
:Most of the high castes have accepted that and are assets. A small militant handful are causing trouble. They set a bomb outside my door and called to have me leave. When I was gone it went off:
:What the hell?!: Lennox said with a stunned expression. :Why would anyone want to hurt you? Or anyone else?:
:Because authority and dominion bow their knees to no one: Ratchet replied. :We've dealt with this for some time but the younger set are more radical and we have a new problem to deal with:
:Will Optimus call a convocation? I heard something about it. No one wants to enlarge on that beyond its a way to settle this: Lennox said.
Ratchet nodded. :They solve problems but they aren't a frivolous exercise. Sometimes the Pantheon weighs in on the matter at servo. Sometimes Primus makes his own thoughts present. Its not for the faint of spark and its not a simple thing. It's very serious:
Lennox nodded. :What about your place, Ratchet? Can you still live there? What will we do about this? Your surveillance should get a bead on the bad guys, right?:
Ratchet shook his helm grimly. :Our surveillance didn't see anything. They have skills, these bombers and they know how to circumvent a lot of things. As for us … I think we might be in back up housing until the place gets put back together:
:We'll help. If you need anything we can do, let us know: Lennox said with conviction.
Ratchet nodded, his spark warmed at the sincerity of his brother at arms. :Just keep this under your hat, the three of you. We're calling it a boiler explosion:
Lennox nodded.
:Ratchet:
Ratchet stood up to look at Ironhide. :What?:
:We're going up: Ironhide said nodding his helm toward the door.
:Gotta motor: Ratchet said to Lennox. Then he followed the group into the building.
Lennox watched a moment, then motored back. All of the humans gathered around him, cameras filming even as he was peppered with questions. :The boiler blew up and caused damage. Ratchet and the fam might be out of their home for a few. Their place, their floor took the brunt:
Everyone nodded with relief, but for the 'usual suspects'. Mearing and Simmons didn't believe him but they weren't privy to the further explanation that Lennox gave Epps and Graham off line. They did, however, see the two men's grim expressions as he did.
The Autobots weren't telling the truth.
-0-Topside
It was a long walk to the top taking the stairs. The entire system of the building was halted to allow for inspections.
Springer had told them that the building was clean of devices which was a great relief. They could begin to make soundings of the structure to test its strength and cohesion. They'd be able to test the functional systems of the building … electrical, electronic, plumbing, security and the like. All of the windows had to be sounded to see if the blast caused micro cracks. They would also test the floors and walls which bore a large measure of the brunt. That would include as well as the one above and below it.
They finally reached the 24th floor stepping into a bog of wet floors and smelly acrid despair. The beautiful corridor with art and small console tables situated her and there under large mirrors was shattered. The large bowls of crystal flowers that had sat on the three thin tables crunched under their peds.
When they reached the end of the corridor where it took a turn to continue down a longer hallway to the other side of the tower where the remaining apartments of the floor were located, it was disheartening to say the least. That side hadn't been harmed beyond a shattered table and crystal flowers, a long crack in one mirror and several skewed pictures. Smoke had filtered that direction but had been minor.
The overhead water system had doused the flames in concert with the fire department, inundating only that part of the corridor that had been affected, so refined a system did they employ. That much disaster had been averted. The mess was contained around Ratchet's apartment. As they paused by the door footfalls behind them alerted them to Flint and Alor. They paused by the group, then shook their helms.
"Fraggers," Alor said venomously.
Sunstreaker squeezed Alor's arm. :We'll take care of it, Grandada:
Alor looked at him, then patted his servo. :You'll be in the prison if you do, son: He glanced at Prime. "What do you want us to do?"
Prime considered that. "We have a mission. That has priority. I am going to set a team on this issue. I will be here as will Prowl. We have side missions to Cybertron for the special ops and intelligence teams. I will only send one, Chromia, on the rescue mission. The rest I want to have here to help me dig out the rot. We have to be absolutely scrupulous in our professionalism."
He looked at the twins. "I understand your desire to do something about this but it will compromise the greater effort. If we cause them to dig in by exacting revenge against those we suspect, it will harden their group think and make it harder to find them. Do you understand?"
For a moment, the twins were silent. Then Sunstreaker nodded. "I want to help bag them, Optimus, when its time to drop the net."
Sideswipe nodded grimly.
"You will have that option," Prime said. "We are making a life here based on law and the ideals that we are not what we were. We are better. We can not hand them propaganda opportunities. We will get them."
"A Convocation of the Will … I'm guessing we'll have one then," Alor asked.
"It is the last step," Optimus said grimly. "I want to have them caught red handed. I want them to face consequences and have a chance to change or not based on their decisions about it. That would go a long way toward making change happen. We will be hyper vigilant. We must."
Footfalls behind them diverted their attention. A solemn Barron, Coln-2 and Blackstone made their way forward. "How may we serve you, Prime?" Barron asked.
"I will need to do what we do by the letter and spirit of the law. I expect you as Attorney General, Barron, you as Public Prosecution General and you as Public Defender General, Blackstone to tell me when that does not happen. Because we are in modified martial law there is latitude for me to act if the reasons concern the overriding safety of our colony and our people.
I do not want to act imperially. That is what this is about … the will of the many against the demands of the few … the sovereignty of our people and our laws over the imperial demands of a few to do what they wish no matter the effect on others. I will expect you to forcefully argue for your positions and the law should it appear that the moment and the action demand it, whatever they may be."
They both nodded. "It will be our solemn duty, Prime," Blackstone said nodding his helm in respect. This was the first Prime in his entire long life that expected to follow the rule of law and to be policed along the way. It made his own incarceration for pointing out these things to Sentinel more bearable. He would not alone in that sentiment. Both Coln-2 and Barron were political prisoners themselves.
That didn't even mention Barron's bond, Alto.
Or Blackstone's.
Or Coln-2's.
Prime looked at Ratchet and Ironhide. "I think we can go inside," he said gently.
Ratchet nodded, then glanced at Ironhide. He looked sick with anger. "Let's go, Only One. Let's get the important stuff pulled aside so they can fix this. The sooner, the better."
Ironhide finally moved forward walking toward the door which was now a blackened jagged hole. Once he was inside, he looked at the water soaked pile of debris that had once been his home. The living rooms and dining room, the kitchen and both hallways were blasted hard. Furniture lay in twisted remains against the perimeter of the rooms. The kitchen had born the full brunt since it was even with the door, the doubled living rooms on either sides of the front door getting the secondary blast as the impact hit the back wall and dispersed.
His dishwasher was destroyed. Ratchet's dishwasher was demolished.
Ironhide turned to Ratchet, unconsciously stepping in front of the ruined washer as he did.
Ratchet's expression was emotional in spite of his efforts to buck up. He saw the dishwasher, the cute kitchen, refrigerator with all the pictures and drawings. They were demolished. He saw the kitchen table, Orion's fort, the place they sat together to be a family. It was a twisted wreck against the windows.
The low bookshelf was destroyed along with all the carefully framed pictures of his family and their happy life here. He didn't care about that at the moment as much as other things though it still stung deeply. He had the originals in his personal files. He would replace them easily.
What was devastating were the little things … the art of his children, a few little trophies from the grandgenitors … 'Grandpa's sweet little best Seeker' from Tie Down to Sunspot … his framed certificate stating Sunspot had done a great job on his football team … all of it was gone.
He felt tears come but he held them back. He could make new family albums for a new bookshelf. He would get replacement frames for all the pictures. He'd be able to get new art from Sunstreaker even as he mourned the old. The rugs on the floor would be replaced. Spot would get a new soft pillow to lay on by the window and he'd replace the books, magazines and toys that were destroyed.
What he couldn't and wouldn't be able to replace was their peace of mind. "Well, they did a great job," he said quietly.
"I'll get you a new dishwasher, Ratchet," Ironhide said with a voice thick with emotion.
Ratchet turned to him, then hugged him tightly. "It was a great dishwasher, Ironhide. You always know what we need. You never fail to take care of things that matter."
Ironhide hugged him tightly dialing down his emotions as they stood together with grim faced friends, relatives and comrades.
Prime and Prowl stood nearby silently watching with emotional optics. Their feelings were checked as they waited to inspect the apartment.
Behind them Blackjack and Alor mourned, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe raged as Barron, Coln-2 and Blackstone discussed the long hard road ahead.
-0-TBC October 5, 2013 8-3-19
NOTE: I get notes from readers that tell me that they are happy to have the diversion of this universe to offset a bad day or a sad event. I wish I could express how much I feel for all of you at moments like that. Been there, done that. I am honored and thrilled to be a part of your day. I write this each day because that's what happens to me when I write a story. I'm buried under an avalanche of pressure from the characters to sit and write sometimes more than once a day. I hug all of you. I wish such good things for all of you. I get such pleasure at the opportunity to entertain you. HUGS to all of you on this, the advent of the fourth year of this story. I began it at the end of October, 2010 and with Mirage Shinkara's help posted the first few parts on November 2, 2010. What a great fun ride!
STATS FOR THE STORY AS OF TODAY:
Words: 2,892,936
Chapters: 1,243
Appreciation of the readers: priceless :D
I worked out that if I edit for the craptastic incredible boo boos that this entire story has at the pace of 10 segments a day, it will take me 143 days. I hope to have it boo boo free faster. :D I will annnounce when each part is free of screw ups. HUGS! PS My acer computer writing program makes 'a' into 'cha' and deletes the 'ch' at the start of words spelled that way. I think I'm going to have to tote my big computer with me when I go somewhere because this tiny thing is kicking my behind. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D