The Diego Diaries: Hero Invictus (dd6 23)
-0-In the C.M.O's office
She stood on the desktop next to a pile of pencils. Holding one in her servos, Hero waited as her old ada sat half lounging in his chair as he inserted them one at a time into the sharpener. There was no grinding sound as they sharpened. They were burned to a point, swiftly and efficiently. Leaning his helm on his servo as he half leaned on his elbow, Ratchet grinned as he took each pencil from his daughter, stuck it into the sharpener, then put it in a cup.
"You sure need to sharpen a lot of pencils, Ada," Hero said as she stared at two more unopened boxes that required attention.
Ratchet grinned. "I could never have done it without you, Hero. I'm going to do rounds after this. I will need your help."
"I'll help you, Ada. You tell me what to do and I'll do it," she said earnestly. She was an eerie imitation of his Amma Docker.
"I will," Ratchet said with a smile. He stuck another pencil into the sharpener as Hero bent down to try to open a new box. It would be delightful to watch. The struggle indeed was real.
-0-A short time later
She stood inside a cupboard that was floor side to peer into and hunt for boxes and canisters stored inside. It was Ratchet's 'good stuff' cabinet that held candy, toys and other things that might brighten someone's orn. Hero had handed out with assistance a number of items that were now on the counter. When it was sufficient to meet the needs of the job at hand, she climbed out, then was placed on the counter beside things. "What now, Ada?"
"Well, we have a lot of good things here, Hero. What I need you to do is think about what you believe everyone would like. Then we can put it into this," Ratchet said as he opened another cupboard and pulled out a tiny shopping cart.
Hero smiled. "That's like the ones at the store, Ada."
"It is," Ratchet said. "I asked for one for this place from the same mechs who made them for the grocery stores. Look. Our name is on it," he said pointing to a pair of glyphs that said Ratchet and Ironhide on the side.
"That's so cute," Hero said with a huge smile.
"You help me fill it, then while I do my rounds you can give a treat to everyone we see," Ratchet said.
"OH, ADA! THAT'S SO FUN!" she said hopping in place. She walked to a jar and began to tug at the lid. Ratchet helped her as she pulled treats out, sometimes turning them over in her servos for a closer inspection as she considered their merits for the mission. It took everything Ratchet had not to laugh from the cuteness.
-0-Several minutes and many serious discussions later …
They walked slowly along the hallway, Ratchet carrying his work datapad and a bag with 'extras in case we run out, Ada. We don't want anyone to cry."
No, we don't.
Hero pushed a very full little grocery cart and kept up a charming patter about how this place was nice, everyone who worked here was nice, the people here were hopefully getting better, how it was good to help, how it was nice to be nice … like that.
Ratchet grinned as they ambled along, pausing now and again for a chat with someone passing by and a careful choosing of a treat to 'brighten your orn' by Hero. It took a while to reach patients but it would indeed be good tonic for everyone that she was here to 'help'.
-0-Armory
Orion watched the kids making bombs. He stood on the work platform albeit away from the devices and their component parts. He had been placed there by Ironhide with the provisos that he would stay where he was and NOT TOUCH ANYTHING! He had smiled a huge cheese eating grin and agreed. So far, so good.
"Why you doing dis?" he asked no one in particular as he pointed at a bunch of wiring on spools.
"It sets them off, Orion," a youngling mech who knew Orion from other visits said.
"Why you do dis?" he asked pointing to something else. It would take a while to exhaust stuff on the work table.
Others using the same table grinned at Orion as he watched. It was obvious that he wanted to 'help' but didn't. He wanted to stay on the table to watch.
Prowler and Praxus, on the other hand, were sitting on a blanket on the floor making forts out of empty cartridge boxes that filled a nearby bin waiting to be packed with ammo. They were chatting sweetly, sharing their bounty together as Ironhide raced through reports with Holi. Her small son would have joined them but he was with his ammas and appas.
-0-Twinnies and everyone
The twinnies followed their amma about as Kestrel cleared up the apartment a bit. They were like baby quails following their mother. Now that they could hear, they were working out what everything they heard was supposed to be because they had just about forgotten what all the language they knew meant. Right now, they were getting immersion therapy in language and speech in the schools. However, since they were out it was a mixture of signing and chat that got them through their orns.
"Amma?"
Kestrel looked down at the twins who were looking up at him. With them were Sojourner and Solus, both of them staring upward with solemn optics. "Well, aren't you four lovely. What, baby?" he replied to Solus.
"What you doing, Amma? We can help you?" Solus asked pointing upward at her grand ada.
"I think so," Kestrel said. "I was thinking about making cookies but I need helpers," he said as four little faces lit up with smiles.
Tagg who was sitting nearby reading a book grinned too.
-0-Cybertron
The news flashed around the world like wildfire. It was shocking even to a world torn apart by things just as terrible. Groups had gathered at various locations worldwide, former shrines, locations of historical significance and masses of individuals at the Temple. It was under construction, moved up the list because of its significance in the comfort and well-being of The People. They needed it back.
Reports on the comm system fed to Cybertron by The Hourly News kept everyone up to date. There was solemn mourning here but the state mourning had been proposed as an individual choice. Given the need and desire by the population for housing and work, it was going to be spotty, the observance for state mourning. It wasn't out of disrespect or disconnect. Cybertron was rising from the ashes but there were still tens of millions sleeping in camps without a home.
Businesses weren't open yet. Amenities were what the camps provided. When the cities rose again, they would have more restaurants, entertainment and work spaces that reflected their needs and talents. Until then, it was a hard slog. But it was with a difference to the residents living here. They were working for their own advancement and life was all around easier in every measurable way. That they were safe as well was the capper. No slagging Decepticons to make things worse than they already were.
Businesses that handled safety and wellness were running, those who were providing the essentials hard at work. On the construction sites, the press of work continued. The unions had met to discuss what to do in the interim state mourning period. They discussed pros and cons, weighed the differences between life on Mars and life here, then took a vote of their membership via transponder. The overwhelming decision was to continue onward. There would be allowances made for those who wished to step aside for ten orns, many of the religious among them opted for that. Everyone else wanted to do something constructive. Something forward in their misery.
Prime gave his blessing to the ground crews and would spend several orns traveling around Cybertron and the local planetary sector to see the people and to give them comfort where he could. What he would also be looking for were any signs of religious tension. The eight district commanders and their teams would be vigilant as well for the same reason. As it stood at the moment, all was quiet on that score.
-0-Mars
They sat in his amma's apartment eating lunch and talking about the situation. Devcon was old enough to remember a lot and so was Smokescreen but the Functionalists were not among them. Dev, having been a bounty hunter and thus, having access to a lot of information not privy to others knew about them.
"What the frag, Amma," Smokey said with a frown. "What the frag did they do this for? By the way … are you going to have that last piece of pie?"
Dev grinned. "No." He shoved the plate to Smokey who smiled like he did when as a child he was immensely pleased. As he ate it Dev considered what a great child he was, how he had lived a very carefully raised life and now as a youngster coming into his own, he was essentially clueless about how bad life could become. Ruminating on how glad he was for his one and onliest grandson, Dev sat back. "I've chased some of the worst of the worst. The kind of mechs that twist your spark. A lot of them are incapable of feelings and they don't care about much beyond what they aim to do and achieve.
"The Functionalists were just a gang that used religion as their cover in my opinion. I never believed they were actually religious. They found a con and used it. They're just sparkless. There's a lot of those out there, grandson," he said as Hot Rod nodded. He was there for lunch too. "You will never meet them if I have my way."
Smokey frowned, a totally cute expression of longstanding to his doting grandparents. "I'm a soldier, Amma. I was made for adventure. I can fight," he said with his usual intensity.
"No one here thinks you can't. However, there's a world of difference between fighting another soldier and fighting a creature like this. You won't see them if I have my way. It takes a certain kind of individual to go after them and that's my job."
Smokey stared at Devcon who smirked back at him. "You're the best at it too. No one gets away from you. You aren't going anywhere are you?" he asked suddenly insecure.
Devcon grinned. "No."
Smokey relaxed. "Good, because things are great right now." He paused. "Well, maybe not so great. You know what I mean."
"I do," Dev said with almost a purr. His grandson was about the cutest mech he ever met. It would be a very pleasant afternoon at the old folks home with the grandson and Roddy.
-0-Amma
"Now, Amma?"
"Not yet, Uraya." Kestrel grinned as he stirred the last of one of the dry ingredient into the mix. Uraya who was standing on the table with Iacon, Solus and Sojourner held a little cup with the next additive. She stared into the bowl watching as the spoon went around and around in the thick mixture. "Now, Amma?"
"Just about, baby," Kes said.
Sitting nearby reading his book, Tagg felt a sense of peacefulness that never failed to come around his grandchildren. These were the longed for but never thought possible infants of his one and only beloved son. Life didn't get better than this, he thought as he watched Uraya finally pour the ingredient into the bowl. As she did, three tiny femmes bent over the bowl to look inside it with her.
-0-Doing rounds
They walked together out of intensive care for adults. There were family members sitting with their patient who were glad to receive a treat and a distraction from the tiny femme with the sweet smile and a tiny cart load of 'good stuff'. It took a moment to discuss the choices, then make one but she lifted their emotional load a moment with each room she visited before leaving for the next ward with Ratchet.
Walking down the hallway pushing her cart, Hero kept up a sweet patter of commentary. Adults passing by grinned at her as she walked along. Ratchet paused by the door to the next ward. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. "Ready, Dr. Hero?"
She smiled brilliantly as the same self-consciousness she always felt when attention and compliments warred with delight on her face. "I will help you, Ada," she said as she pushed her little cart forward into the ward.
Ratchet followed with a smile. "You always do, Hero," he said as the door closed behind them.
-0-Ammas and Appas
They sat in the living room at Ravel and Tie's house watching the movie. It had dinosaurs, a sort of Dinobot with even less intelligence than the ones they had on Mars. All of them sat together on the couches watching as raptors were running all over the place. Sunspot looked up at Chan who was holding him on his lap. "What do you think about those raptors, Appa?"
"I wouldn't want to find one in my house," Chan said with a grin.
"I would," Spirit said as he sat between Corr and Appa Ratchet.
"My kind of infant," Appa Ratchet said with a grin.
-0-Overhead
The sound of a big ship coming in toward the city usually didn't raise too many optics anymore. There were many coming in to refit and upgrade before going on a mission and others coming in to be fussed over and get this and that thing done. The humans who were still on their tours going here and there on buses, however, found them amazing. This one passed over the big frame yard heading toward the metro city districts south of the city. Watching from a street corner where he was debriefing Watch teams, Springer looked up to recognize the titan. "Oh frag," he said with a grin.
Drift looked up, then chuckled. "And you said Prowl doesn't have a sense of humor. He's called your bluff, smart guy."
Springer shrugged with a grin. "I'll worry about it in my big brand new office."
They continued the briefing as south of them the magnificence that was Metrotitan transformed to lower himself down onto his pad in city form. The Autobot City Municipal Public Works and Safety Administration Building was back in town.
-0-TBC 5-31-17 edited 6-1-17