The Diego Diaries: The Night Before (dd6 165)
-0-At the Family Tower
They gathered, those that liked to sip coffee and eat a late snack after a long hard slog at the job. Soldiers, family members, children (along with the odd bot coming to check this and that or deliver something) sat around the vast lounge on the main floor chatting, playing or doing home work. The gigantic monitor screen was on and split into two fields of view. On one, a number of individuals from Sciences and on the other, the Consulate, were doing the same thing at their locations, but also joining in on the general conversation. It often happened that in the evening, the groups from different places would gather to 'chat'. Right now, Leonora Huttle was telling about the wedding she had attended to a rapt audience.
"The party is going on all night. It was sweet, the gathering and little ceremony. They have this ceremony that was simply them saying they were going to be together in front of the guests, a simple exchange of gifts, something no one can see but them, then par-tay. I asked Ratchet about it and he says that the bond is called a conjunx endura. It's the same as getting married though most just call it a bonding. Everyone was so happy. I was glad to go."
"You need to tell us, Leonora," Judy Witwicky said as she sat next to Barbara Morshower with a coffee cup. "You know us. We like parties, too."
Leonora laughed. "I know," she said. "I'm still ringing like a bell over the Earth2 get together."
"How did that go?" Ron Witwicky asked. "Though, something tells me I'm going to be sorry I asked."
Everyone laughed, then Carly at the Consulate grinned. "It went well, I thought. They so want to belong."
"I don't have anything in common with the wife of a billionaire," Judy said as several women nodded in agreement.
"I don't know," Ron said. "I think the Resort outspent The Belagio in Vegas by some substantial amount in construction costs."
"But I didn't have to pay it. I just told Jetta what I wanted and it happened," Judy said to laughter.
"I wonder what it would cost to build such a thing on Earth?" Mama Rosa mused.
"I asked Wheeljack and he didn't know so I asked Venture," Lola Teasdale said from the side where the Sciences members could be seen on the monitor. "He told me that it was hard to be exact but somewhere in the region of 12 billion dollars if it was created on Earth. The kinds and types of materials and the tech alone is worth a lot of money."
"Wow," Judy said as Ron nodded. "I feel rich. I could buy and sell all those women at Earth2."
Everyone laughed. "I hope you remember me in my dotage," Sheila Conroy said as she lounged at Sciences.
"I'll get there first," Judy said. "Remember me."
"What's the deal for trick-or-treat?" someone from Sciences asked.
"We're having a party at Earth2. They're going to do trick or treat from 1600-1700. Everyone who lives there will go to their houses and the kids from Earth 1 and here will be brought in by school bus to go door-to-door," Mama Rosa said with a smile. "That's very nice of them to do that for the babies."
"I think so," Lois Morshower-Howell said as she sat by her mom. "They want us to come to a party with drinks and dancing. The kids will board a bus from here that the school district lent us to get there. Then we go to Earth 1 to get those kids. It will be a straight shot to Earth2 with trick-or-treating to start when we get there. They'll serve food and all manner of treats. It's their first big party and they're really getting things ready I was told."
"I spoke to a couple of the scientists and they said they're really looking forward to making friendships between the groups," Carly said. "I have to spend some time there every few days so I can meet everyone and speak to the British and Commonwealth citizens there. We have a consulate responsibility to them."
"Well, we're going to be bringing a few treats from the Resort," Judy said as Linda and Sarah nodded. "Speaking of which, little mama, how do you feel today? You weren't particularly sound this morning."
"I feel better," Linda Graham said as Judy rubbed her belly. "That feels good."
"I know. Ron used to rub my belly and my feet," Judy said as she grinned at her long suffering, even tempered husband. "What happened to ya?"
"Life?" Ron asked.
"Is that what happened?" a new voice said. Everyone looked at the screen to see Sam Witwicky sit down beside Carly and put his arm around her.
"SPEAKING OF WHICH! WHEN DO I GET TO BE A GRANDMOTHER?!" Judy said pointedly at the two.
"What was that?" Sam asked feigning a frown. "I didn't hear you."
"Liar." Judy looked at Ron who was lounging happily with a grin on his face. "He takes after you."
Huge laughter.
-0-At the Prison the next orn
Ratchet walked toward the barracks that contained the other prisoners from Alternative Cybertron. They were standing at their fences watching him come with silent expressionless faces. The first barracks they reached was filled with sullen mechs and Neo. He paused next to the fence, then grinned. "Kudon. Tell everyone to come out so I can scan you. If you don't, I'll have to come in there and you won't like the various configurations that I'll bend all of you into."
Kudon walked to the barracks, then a number of others came out. They walked to the fence and stared at Ratchet with cold expressions. "We're here. What now, slagger?"
"Ah, you have a sad," Ratchet said as he scanned all of them. "Well, I see that your spark chamber is fine. If I hadn't fixed it, you'd be dead by now." He grinned at Kudon. "You're welcome."
"You always were a beast, Ratchet. Why don't you join me inside and we can chat about old times," Ratbat said with a poisonous tone.
Ratchet laughed. "None of you or all of you together couldn't touch me. You're a bunch of crybabies. I'd tear you apart."
"I would," Ironhide said darkly.
"You should talk," Neo said as she glared at Ironhide.
"Actually, you need to get a grip. We're not those mechs." Ratchet turned toward the pen holding Springer and Ironhide who had come out to sit and watch. "That's the Ironhide you're excited about. We're the good guys. You are the bad guys. You lost. Megatron won."
"Tell me about that," Kudon said. "What's happening on Cybertron. Our Cybertron."
"Well," Ratchet said with a grin. "Prime got deposed. Megatron got chosen by the Matrix Itself and he's now Prime. He has control of the entire empire. It surrendered because everyone was waiting for Megatron to get the Matrix away from Optimus. Optimus is in cold storage here. The Empire is rebuilding and moving on. It's mopping up the remaining dust bunnies to bring them here, the worst ones. You may be getting new neighbors soon enough. But that remains to be seen. Just know that no one misses you and someone else is probably living in your house."
"You disgust me," Neo said with a sneer.
"Good. If you found anything likable in me I'd have to go to the Temple and beg Primus on my knee assemblies to forgive me," Ratchet said. "You're all disgustingly healthy with special emphasis on disgusting. I have to go now. I have more losers to check over."
"Ratchet," Traachon said as he stepped closer to the bars. "What about our rights? What about a hearing or trial? You can't hold us here like this."
"But we can," Ratchet said. "We're holding you as war criminals at the behest of another government. The jurisdiction isn't clear yet so we're working through the rules looking for precedent. It might take about a million years or so but we're looking. Okay? Alright. See ya." He turned away and began to walk to the cell with Devcon in the yard. It was amusing the level of abuse that Kudon's group rained down upon them.
-0-On a road to the weather station at Comas Crater, Mars
They rolled along the highway in a super fast, super comfortable school bus. It was driven by a district driver and the kids chatted, laughed, sang, and did all the same things kids did on buses in every galaxy, in every dimension. They didn't fight or slag each other which may or not be unusual in all the same places. That meant this wasn't a typical school bus ride per se.
As it was, they reached their destination at last, pulled into the parking lot and began to get off. As they did, a convoy of fully loaded trucks went past, then honked their horns. The kids waved, then turned to their teacher. "Time to do inside. Remember, we have our assignments and we need to get through as many of the different stations inside as we have time to complete. Take meticulous notes, ask questions, remember your manners, and leave your unnecessary gear on the bus. Alright?"
Everyone nodded, then walked inside. It was a huge place with a great foyer with displays. The stations had been expanded to provide educational components for the schools and anyone who traveled on the highway. They were three joors from Autobot City and before them lay the entire spectrum of weather gathering and making on world. This was the big station that linked with satellites, gathered, transmitted and collated data for the weather control projects and was a major teaching station on the highway for the schools.
The huge dish outside was only one of the many spectacular sights to see here. They would spend a very happy time walking from station to station in small groups, discussing the questions on their datapads and information in their packets while asking good questions. Then they would adjourn to the outside to sit at the picnic tables near the building to eat their lunches. Fireball would have one of the best lunches in his group.
What kid didn't like donuts?
-0-Ironhide and Springer
Ratchet walked through the camp going past the cages to scan everyone. He kept the worst for last. When they paused next to the bars where Springer and Ironhide lounged with insolence, he was ready to leave. He scanned them, then filed the data.
Ironhide who was silent, stood up from his chair. He walked close to the wires to stare at Ratchet. He was huge, even, seemingly, bigger than Ratchet's own Ironhide. Ratchet knew it was his malevolence that made that seem so. He was the same looking mech but had many more scars. Some of his tattoos Ratchet didn't know. He was so dangerous that Ratchet quashed the urge to step back from his aura. "You're a looker, I will say that. Crazy bastard, but a looker."
"You confuse me with someone else," Ratchet said. Ironhide was smoldering behind him but was also too fascinated to move away.
"Maybe," AU Ironhide said. "What's the prognosis? Am I going to live?"
"Somehow, I don't think that matters to you," Ratchet said calmly.
"No, I suppose it doesn't," Ironhide said with a malevolent grin. "What about you, Ironhide? Did you enjoy my recitation about the family?"
"Not particularly," Ironhide replied. "Did you know Alor and Blackjack were murdered in the square at Kaon by Prime?"
"I know," Ironhide said. "Fortunes of war."
"You don't have considerations or feelings of any kind, do you," Ratchet said rather than asked.
Ironhide pretended to think about it, then grinned humorlessly. "Not really."
Ironhide subbed a gun, then pointed it at Springer who didn't flinch. "Then you won't mind if I gut shoot the bond, there."
Ironhide glanced at Springer who was unmoved by the situation. He shrugged slightly. "Not if you put Drift in here. I can pick up where Springer left off."
Springer laughed, then grinned at the two. "You can't scare us. We're invincible."
"You're a team," Ratchet said. "A tightly wired, devoted and loyal team."
"We cheat on each other," Springer said. "How can that be a team?"
"I know what I see," Ratchet said. "I told the prison. Don't ever turn your back on either of you. But if you want to really control both of you, shoot one of you. They listened and added it to the protocol."
Ironhide stared at Ratchet, a flicker of real anger appearing behind the facade he was showing. He didn't say anything but he said it all anyway. Ratchet had delivered a blow. "If you say so, doc. Personally, I always considered you a quack."
"You're talking to the wrong doctor. That one was a quack but never forget this. I'm not," Ratchet said equally coldly. He then walked onward, heading toward the gates.
Ironhide watched him go, then turned to his AU counterpart. "Touche, slagger." He grinned, then walked onward to follow Ratchet out.
Ironhide watched them go, then felt a ped tap his leg. He glanced down at Springer who looked at him with a sober expression. "You really don't need to talk to them."
"Maybe," he said with cold infuriated anger. "Maybe not," he said, then walked to his chair to sit. He would brood on Ratchet for a while before falling back into the closest thing to a good feeling and sense of peacefulness that he could conjure. It only happened around Springer.
-0-TBC 10-19-17
Feign: (fay-n) to fake
quack: a fake doctor
dotage: (dough-tage) old age
per se: (purr-say) a sort of finishing word, like also.