Chapter 474: Chapter 474
The Diego Diaries: Skills (473) edited
-0-That evening
They walked into Club Hoyle together, two friends that had grown up, gone to the same schools and had been in the Diaspora together. Pausing in the doorway, they glanced at each other. "You up to this?"
Burnoff nodded. "You?"
Lon nodded. With that, the two walked to the table where Default, Commotion and Kale sat playing cards. Gravity would be absent. They would spend the evening and by the next orn agree to a tour of Burnoff's new business.
-0-Earlier that orn in City Hall, The City, Mars
Ultra Magnus stepped out of his office pausing long enough to take in the scene. An obvious high caste was pitching a fit in the lobby of his domain. He was abusing the youngling mech who had come to help him and putting everyone else into great unease. Stepping forward, he stopped by the youngling's desk. Everyone paused including Dex. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Ultra Magnus. I demand to speak with Fenix. This person will not allow me to pass. I am outraged," Dex sputtered.
"I am too. I am outraged that you would abuse the individuals that work here. I am outraged at your outburst and bad manners. I am prepared to put you in jail if you continue," Magnus said in his ice cold manner, his blue optics piercing figurative holes through the outraged mech.
A figure stepped from behind Magnus. "Sir, I would like to handle this," Fenix said as Caro stood nearby, his expression filled with shock.
Magnus didn't even turn when he made his remarks. "You are currently on duty, Fenix. Does this mech have an appointment?"
Fenix glanced at Dex, then up at Magnus. "No sir, but I will be happy to resolve whatever this mech has on his processor. He has called to speak to me."
"Then he needs to make an appointment," Magnus said doubling down. The offense he felt as a former low caste surged through him as the former life he had lived as a good sparked mech named Deion came back to him in a surprisingly swift manner. It was shocking as much as it was maddening and poignant.
"What? I would like to speak to Fenix now. I am here. He is here. We can resolve this matter right now," Dex said with surprise at Magnus's remarks.
"Sir," Fenix began but Magnus cut him off. "If you have no appointment then I suggest you make one. Until you do please leave."
Dex looked at Magnus a moment, then stepped up to the doorway. "Who are you to talk to me this way?"
Magnus gathered his rage, sublimated it, then stepped closer himself. "I am Commander Ultra Magnus, manager of this city and all of the others here in this colony. I am a member of the Senior Autobot/Civilian Committee that runs this colony, a lieutenant on the General Staff of Optimus Prime and I am the designated enforcer of the Tyrest Treaties. If you have a problem with that I suggest you seek mental help."
Dex who was lit by now glanced at Fenix. "I will speak to you. Now."
Fenix who was caught in the middle held up his servos in a placating manner. "Dex … I have a break in a joor. Meet me some place."
"MY SON IS IN DETENTION! THAT CANNOT STAND, FENIX! I want my son released." Dex was quivering with outrage.
"You son is in the hospital under a Prime medical detention order enforced by the courts. No one here has the ability to release him but the mechs who are working with him to find out why he acts the way he does. Now that I have met you, I am very clear on the source of his behavior," Magnus said coldly.
"HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVEN'T GOT THE RIGHT TO TALK TO ME THIS WAY, LOW CASTE! I can see it on you. I can see it in your tattoos. You are low caste dregs with delusions of grandeur. YOU WILL SPEAK WITH ME NOW, FENIX! I WILL HAVE MY SON OUT OF THE HOSPITAL NOW!"
Footfalls behind him caught his attention. Dex spun and paused. Staring back with his usual grin and nonchalance, Drift waited. "What do you want, Chief?"
"Bag this fragger. Put him in the lock up at Substation 4. I will be there later. I have some things to take care of first," Magnus said.
"WHAT!?" Dex spun around. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?"
Drift gripped his arm. "Let me show you," he said as he cranked the arm around and slapped an energon cuff on one wrist. Before Dex could move the other cuff was firmly in place. "Let's go," Drift said with a nod to Magnus. He turned half dragging, half carrying the screaming mech. The sound diminished until it was silent again.
Magnus who stood like a statue turned to the collected stunned group around him. "I am sorry that someone treated you with such disrespect. Understand this. You work for everyone in this colony as well as for yourself. No one is allowed to treat you this way. If anyone ever does call for the Watch to come arrest them. I will support your decision 100%. You will not be treated this way," he said as he glanced down at Fenix. "I understand that you have things to do."
Fenix blinked, then nodded. He turned and walked back to his office. Magnus turned to go into his, passing Arcee as she stood leaning on the doorjamb. He walked to his desk, then sat. Arcee walked back in and sat across from him. "Did I ever tell you that when you do that I get tingly all over?"
Magnus grinned slightly. "No."
He would pass the time pleasantly bantering with his bond, get a few things tidied up, then go to Substation 4 for the fun. Prowl would meet him there. So would Barron. And Jarro. He would come too.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Ratchet sat with Prowl going over the thrice decaorn stats on this and that in Medical. It was a bit overdue but that was understandable. Ratchet had been under duress which had not been much relieved by Ironhide's taste in home furnishings …
The Home Store had an amazing array of things, all of which were display. Once someone chose something it was either pulled from inventory in the warehouse in the Industrial Park or made up. They had to replace everything. Wandering among the couches and chairs, Ironhide had displayed his hitherto unknown love of primary colors.
"That's a nice chair, Ratchet."
"It is but its violet, Ironhide."
"That's alright."
"A very very bright shade of violet, Ironhide."
"I know." (big mechanism glances around) "It will look nice with this couch."
"That's striped. Black and white striped." (medical mechanism feels alarms going off all over the features of the Cybertronian processor that were related to taste and couth)
"That other chair is nice. I like it too. We can put these three together under the big window. Then we can put that couch and that one along with those two chairs along the long wall. That will leave space for another couch. That one."
Ratchet considered the choices. The three new couch choices were different from each other. One was leopard spotted, one zebra striped and the other egg yolk yellow. The chairs were lavender along with the violet one. Ratchet considered that, then weighed in with his opinion: "WHAT THE FRAG!? IRONHIDE!"
He sat cooling his heels in the soothingly calm company of the BFF. "And that is when I dragged him out of there."
"Poor Ironhide," Prowl said with a chuckle.
"FRAG IRONHIDE!" Ratchet said in self defense. He grinned. "I took pictures of them and I'm going to put them together for him on a housing design program that I stole from the library. I want him to get the full effect."
"What if he likes it?" Prowl asked with intense amusement. He had personally designed and supervised the construction of all the luxurious and intensely tasteful furnishings of the Prime Residence himself. He was feeling Ratchet's pain.
In his funny bone.
"I will cry."
Ratchet and Prowl stared at each other a moment, then burst into laughter. As they did, the call for Prowl came in. He took it, then rose. "Walk with me. They have Dex in the jail. He threw a tantrum in the city hall trying to meet up with Fenix. Magnus had him jailed."
"Oh please … lead the way," Ratchet said jumping up. They turned and walked out together toward Metroplex District.
-0-In Substation #4
Drift tossed the older mach into the cell while the Officer of the Orn brought up the bars. He turned and glared at both. "I WILL HAVE YOUR AFTS!"
"You can't have mine. It belongs to Springer. What about you, Talet?"
"The bond would have a fit. Besides, he's not my type. His optics are too close together," that worthy said with a grin.
"Do you think so?" Drift asked as he peered at Dex. "I think I can see it. Might explain a few things."
"YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE FUNNY!? WAIT UNTIL WE GET POWER HERE! YOU WILL BE SORRY!" Dex said in his irate condition.
"And how will that happen, slagger?" Talet asked, his low caste angst rising for the first time in the three years he had lived here.
"WE WILL! YOU WILL SEE!" Dex sputtered. "You don't have the wit or bearing to run this colony. Only us. Only our caste can make things happen."
"That's surprising since we have been making things happen here since … what do the humans call it? 2010?" Talet asked Drift.
That bot nodded. "At least. I think that is their name for the year I came. I remember it well." Talet and Drift laughed uproariously, then turned walking out.
Dex watched them go, then turned and kicked the bunk behind him. It hurt his ped.
-0-Outside Substation #4
Prowl and Ratchet reached Magnus, Jarro, Springer, Barron and Arcee as they stood discussing the situation outside the station. "I understand we have a mutiny," Prowl said with a slight grin.
"At least. He abused my staff. He seems to believe he is important," Magnus said, stinging as he still felt the insult.
Arcee nodded. "This slagger is nuts. He's got a few screws loose."
"Then we need to go see him," Prowl said with a nod. He turned and the others followed. They walked through the station house nodding to staff as they went to the elevator. It took both to get them down to the cell block. It was a short walk to the lock up where Dex was held. Entering, Prowl walked to the bars. Jarro and Barron along with Arcee stood back as Ratchet and Magnus joined Prowl. "I understand you have a problem, Dex. What is it?"
Dex stood up, fury on his face. He was a very handsome bot but the rage of his bruised self entitlement detracted from the full effect. "Prowl. I want out of here and I want my son released."
"You were released. You were supposed to go home and get yourself in order. Your son is in the hospital on a psych hold because of his actions in the courtroom. Only Processor Health and Medical can release him. When that happens, he stands trial for his actions both in the fight and in the courtroom."
"THAT'S PREPOSTEROUS! HE DIDN'T START THIS! THOSE BUFFOONS DID!" Dex replied hotly.
"Buffoons?" Prowl asked coldly.
"Low castes. Those idiots started this and you are discriminating against us, blaming everything on high castes," he said coming close to the bars. "You are a traitor to your caste. You are a mixer and a traitor."
Ratchet glanced at Prowl and noted all the signs of intense rage. He glanced at Dex, his programming on him since they entered. This mech was nuts.
"You are a mixer and a traitor, Prowl. You even had a son with a low caste. How low do you go?" Dex said committing suicide but for the bars between them.
Red flashed before Ratchet's optics and it wasn't even his insult. He glanced at Prowl who looked like a stone carved sphinx. Prowl moved closer, his optics filled with all the emotion his demeanor suppressed. "You are lucky, Dex, that there are bars between us. There would be no force on this planet or any other that would allow you to continue if they weren't there. That is my guarantee to you."
It got deadly quiet.
-0-TBC October 16, 2013