The Diego Diaries: BABY! (dd6 175)
-0-At the Water Park in the Mall of the Tri-Cities, The Mall of Tyger Pax
The splash wasn't heard over the roar of the water and the shouts and laughter of those in it. Raptor who had emptied the pool was coming up at the same time his son, Blackjack, landed next to him. They both sunk down as the water roared out of the pool, caught from flooding the mall by ingenious pool design. It roared upward pulling a grinning mech and his surprised little femme who were watching the fun on the edge of the pool upward with it, then downward into the water as it ran back in. They went down, Blackjack and Raptor, tumbling up to roar with laughter, then down they went again. Springer was climbing the biggest water slide with Sunspot in his arms. The baby was nearly delirious with happiness as they went ever upward. Drift was at the top again with Bos while Sideswipe followed with Co-D , Kup with Spot, and Sunstreaker with Reflector. One-by-one, the pairs slid down nearly 60 miles per hour before hitting the water wrapped up in the arms of their transportation devices aka older brothers and 'uncles'.
Bos, Co-D and Reflector's families who were included now in all things were either climbing slides themselves or holding infants as they splashed in the little pools nearby. Ratchet who had been sucked into the water with Lucien and Laslo reached the surface and spouted like a whale. Dog paddling with a huge smile, he watched as Lucien and Laslo surfaced. Lucien was livid. Laslo, not so much. Laslo looked at Lucien, then grinned. Grabbing him by the arm, Laslo dunked himself pulling a surprised Lucien with him.
It was then that Burris popped up with Anders. Anders was laughing loudly, then gripped Burris by the helm. He dunked him, then paddled toward Ratchet. "This is fun! I forgot this was here."
"I come when I can," Ratchet said. "It's more fun with the family. Your kids are pretty great."
"Bezel, you mean," Anders said as they floated together. "Bezel always knew himself. The rest of us? You don't who you are when you don't have to work at it."
"I imagine," Ratchet said as Burris swam toward Anders. Before he could say a word, Turbine slammed into him from the big slide carrying a hysterically laughing Praxus protectively in his arms. The lot of them sunk immediately. Ratchet laughed loudly, then turned to Anders. "Let's slide."
Anders glanced around, spotting Burris treading water with Lucien nearby. "BURRIS! LET'S SLIDE! COME ON, LASLO! LAST ONE UP IS A DECEPTICON!" Anders turned toward the side of the pool and began to swim with Ratchet right behind him.
Laslo watched them, then glanced at Lucien and Burris who were staring at Anders as he swam away with a mix of surprise and consternation. "Come on, you two. TRY and have some fun." Laslo began to swim to the side of the pool, just missing Hercy slamming in from the big slide with Prowler wrapped in his arms. He continued to the side and climbed out, Burris right behind him.
Anders, Laslo and Ratchet were climbing the slide to the top, the biggest and fastest of the many in this water park. It went around in a lavish convoluted path over the pool twisting and dropping, then climbing again as it ran around half the ceiling of the vast mall, such was the force of the water inside. Individuals on other floors above the first one could watch the participants as they flashed by in the transparent tubes, heading all over the place before going back to the pool to land. The bigger you were, the faster you flew. This particular slide was set to speed at 60 miles per hour but big mechs could go faster. They stared at it gushing out to disappear downward, then Ratchet turned to the pair. "How about we go down like a train. I'll be first. You two are behind me holding on. Okay?"
The two looked at Ratchet, then Laslo looked down the stairs. "Burris and Lucien are coming."
"THEN WE BETTER HURRY!" Ratchet said as he moved to stand in the water. It was brutal as he held the bars until everyone was behind him. "SIT! NOW!" he said as he sat. The others did, too, hanging on tightly to each other as they shot forward. Burris and Lucien made it to the top at that moment, watching with disbelief as the three took off together in a blast of water. They glanced at each other, then stared at the slide as those behind them began to back up.
"GET THE SLAGGING LEAD OUT!" Blaster said as he held his son. 'Vette who was behind him frowned.
Lucien glanced at the water, then hopped down into it. His peds slipped and he flew away slamming against the sides until he pulled his arms in. Burris was shoved from behind and went down face first. His screams were astonishing.
"That wasn't nice, Blaster," Jazz said as he stood behind a howling Blaster, a curious 'Vette and a smirking Revet. "GET THE LEAD OUT, SON! FUN WAITS FOR NO MECH!"
With that, Blaster with a laughing shrieking 'Vette jumped into the stream and disappeared. The others followed as well.
-0-On the sidelines
Ironhide sat at a table poolside watching the fun. Soon, someone would come to sit with Halo and he would be in the water. The humans who had come along were gathered around him, those from Earth 1 and Earth2, the Consulate, and Sciences grinning as the mayhem in the pool continued.
:We would die in there: Lennox said as he stepped back from the water spray flying over the retraining wall. The view was great, the mayhem intense and the laughter loud. :How do you keep the water from exploding, Ironhide, in this atmosphere?"
"Additives," Ironhide said. "It works no matter where we are. Put the right ones in, nothing freezes or explodes or boils away. Convenient."
:Another line of science inquiry: Michio said as he listened. :Can you drink it?:
Ironhide considered that. "I wouldn't," he replied with a grin.
At that moment, a perfect storm of onslaught occurred and all of the humans and their segways were swept up with water, then rolled back to the pool to disappear over the side. Ironhide stood up, then waved to the lifeguard. The waves stopped immediately as he ran forward with a net. He fished the humans and their vehicles out, then the waves began again.
-0-Perfect Storm-ville
Ratchet and his train shot through the tunnel of the long twisty slide, all three of them screaming their helms off. Behind them, Lucien jetted like a torpedo, then Burris followed face first like a flailing octopus. Hot on their heels, Blaster, 'Vette and Jazz flashed along. On the diving boards, jumping in at the same time, Raptor, Blackjack, Alor, Hard Drive, and Hercy landed in the pool at the same time. Count in three shoppers stopping for the fun to dive in from the side and there was for a moment, nearly no water in the pool. It rose upward carrying a number of things, then came back in torrentially bearing oddly enough a lot of humans and their little vehicles. Ironhide who had watched them go sat up to his knee assemblies in water before it receded.
Standing on the bottom, floundering in suspension under the water, a good dozen mechs watched the humans flail around. They moved forward to grab them when a big dip net reached in and fished half of them out with a single swipe. Pausing in a circle around those that remained, they watched with fascination as the net came back and got the rest but for one segway that sank to the bottom. Raptor reached for it, then bobbed back up. Treading water to the side, he gripped the pool's edge. Putting the segway down, he smiled. "Someone lost their baby carriage?"
Huge laughter and insults met that as Hard Drive rapped his son on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's make a train. Did you see Ratchet, Laslo and Anders?"
"No, but I'm game," Raptor said as the big mechs hoisted themselves out of the pool. A footrace to the steps over who would be the 'engine' to the train ensued as others joined them to make the biggest train ever.
Ratchet, Anders and Laslo surfaced, then guffawed together. That was when a heavy force landed next to them and all went under. Prowl had joined the game.
-0-Ironhide and Prime
They sat on the sideline sipping a cold beer and eating 'chips and salsa'. Around them, the amusement of the crowd was loud and cheerful with some touching Prime as they passed by. He didn't notice, so common was the occurrence, as they sat together watching Ratchet and Prowl dunk each other. Then Laslo and Anders halted that thrilling hoo-haw, chatted for a moment, then all five including Bluestreak climbed out. They ran for the big slide for another go.
Prime grinned. "I love this place."
"Me, too. When Ada climbs out, let's show them how its done," Ironhide said.
"I agree," Prime said as he sipped his beer. It didn't get any better than this.
Miler and Venture stood on the stairs of the big slide behind Prowl and his mob. They were waiting for Kestrel to work up the nerve to go. Tagg got behind him, they both dropped down, then screamed as they flew away out of sight. Venture grinned. "Good thing you gave Prima to Ironhide, Milie. This is going to be a wild ride."
Miler smiled, then moved into place. Dropping down, he whisked away. Venture grinned. "You were supposed to wait for me." He dropped down and was gone. Prowl who was behind him moved to the front. "Hurry up and get behind me."
"YOU HOG! I WAS FIRST!' Ratchet said as he helped Anders, Bluestreak, and Laslo get into place. He joined them, then dropped down and away they went. Prowl would scream all the way down.
-0-Kids
They came down the water slides, big and little, carrying kids in their arms or laps. The nine big kids and their ammas, appa and several of their frame were sitting around watching or sliding themselves along with all the adult family members and friends of all stripes. It was incredibly relaxing and delightful to their neural nets, the humidity and warmth of the area. Shoppers went this way and that, some of them stopping to pay their respects to Optimus and to see the new baby. They introduced their own kids and family members, then went happily on their way. By the time Alor and Delphi dripped over to relieve Ironhide, the two were ready to rumble.
Prime rose, then stretched. "How about making a choo-choo of our own?"
"Only if I get to be the caboose," Ironhide said with a big grin.
"That goes without saying, old friend," Prime said as the two walked to the stairs that led up to the big slide.
Delphi sat, checked the babies who were sleeping, then made an order for food and drink with Alor. "This is going to be good."
"I have my camera ready," Alor said as the two settled in for the fun. It would be, that is. Good.
-0-At the top
Prime stood over the gushing water waiting for the green light to shine. They spaced everyone who rode the slides based on weight determined by a scale built into the platform floorboards so no one would be trammeled by the constant stream of players. Behind him, Ironhide waited to hang on. Prime stepped down into the stream gripping the bars, then glanced at Ironhide. "You better hurr-" he said before he slipped under the pressure and flew away from sight. His bellow and laughter echoed in the big room. Ironhide grinned. "Slagger. Choo-choo," he said, then dived head first into the flow of water and shot at nearly 70 miles per hour into the tunnel.
Raptor, Hardie and Blackjack were bobbing in the water as they planned their next escapade when Prime and Ironhide torpedoed out of the flume. Flashing out airborne for about ten feet, Prime fell with a whoop and a howl into the water swiftly followed by Ironhide, who with his enormous size and weight was airborne as well. Spreading out his arms in a swan dive, his grinning face hit the water and disappeared. Everyone along the walkway of the pool itself was enveloped by the waves and slid into the big pool.
Drift and Springer who were kneeling at the edge of the pool with about ten of the tiniest infants were swept in with them as were half a dozen big kids and one hysterically laughing little Seeker mech. The water looked like it was boiling as everyone swirled around, then everyone came up to the surface. Prime, Ironhide, Springer, Blackjack, Raptor, Drift, Hercy, Kup, Lon, Bezel, Cargo, and Keystock of all mechs, along with Inweld, Lancer, Partition, and Morius stared at each other with gigantic smirks. Then Drift noted someone missing. "WHERE ARE THE KIDS!?"
Everyone who was treading water in a pool that was more than 75 feet deep looked down. Standing on the bottom of the pool staring back at them, a good dozen and a half infants were watching their churning peds and waiting to be noticed. When they were, they all smiled including Spot who was sitting on the bottom next to Sunspot.
Adults dived and brought infants up, sitting them on the side in a row. "Are you alright?" Springer asked.
"I, ORION, FUNNED! GOING TO THE DOING AGAIN!? SHE TAKE ME THERE!?" he asked as he pointed to the diving boards. "I, ORION, LOVE YOU!" He smiled his gigantic smile. Everyone else nodded with big grins of their own.
Huge laughter greeted that as bots parted out the infants. Then the race was on. As they ran for the stairs to half a dozen less lethal slides, the ones that would allow infants with adult supervision, a train led by Prowl with Ratchet, Laslo, Bluestreak, and a howling Anders as the caboose landed in the water and buried everyone. Insults were exchanged as the bots headed for boards and slides. Ratchet, Anders, Laslo, and Prowl along with Bluestreak, Miler, Kes, and Venture tread water. "That was fun," Laslo said with a smile.
"I love this place. Come here every orn, both of you," Ratchet said. "Doctor's orders."
"I don't think that Lucien would like it here," Laslo said wistfully as he watched Lucien walk with Burris to a table to sit.
"Burris is the same way," Anders said. "They don't seem to get the concept of fun."
"Tell me the last time you went out on the town and got over energized?" Ratchet asked the two as they floated on the water.
Anders looked at him. "Never. I never went out without Burris. We never went out much. That's what the … that's how we lived. He was always working. I … I sort of had nothing to do. It was … lonely."
"Same here. Lucien worked all the time. I finally learned something and taught. I also consulted but we never did anything that wasn't together," Laslo said.
"You sound like Edict. Do you know him?" Ratchet asked.
"We do. Not as well as I want. He seems such a nice sort of mech," Laslo said. "I heard that he works at Full Circle in Terra with Joon."
"He does," Ratchet said as he glanced at Prowl with a wink. Prowl looked at him with a puzzled expression. Ratchet looked at the two. "How about going on the town tonight? The four of us. We can invite the usual crowd as well as Joon and Edict. How about it? Are you ready to drink too much and dance a lot?"
They stared at Ratchet and he could see the war on their faces. They were old fashioned and treated the bond in an old fashioned manner. You didn't do anything that wasn't a couple. Given that war had fractured that thinking, a lot of bonds went after their separate interests. Humans always commented on the number of clubs that were available in the city and how all of them were so active. Ratchet grinned. "I dare ya."
Prowl smirked. "You might get arrested."
Anders looked at him, then Ratchet. "Is that possible?"
"It can happen. We tend to get slag faced and fall down a lot. Sometimes, someone wants to rumble. Don't worry about that part. Prowler, here, is a martial artist."
Prowl frowned at Ratchet, then looked at the others. They were appearing to be thinking seriously about it. Anders moved closer, then glanced at Burris who was sitting on the edge of the pool having moved there with a drink to sit and talk with Lucien as his peds dangled into the water. "If you don't tell Burris, I would like that," Anders said in a burst of independence.
Laslo stared at him, then Ratchet. He nodded. "Me, too."
"Oh frag. This is going to be fun," Ratchet said. "I'll get everyone on it and you can meet us on the corner of Metro 1 and 3. How about 1600 hours? The game will be over and we can do the town. Maybe we can get into fights with fans of different teams."
Prowl grinned. "I'll arrest you myself."
Anders looked from one to the other. "This sounds exciting. We can be a … a team," he said as Laslo nodded. "No one need know but us."
And thus, Ratchet's Squad was born.
-0-TBC 10-30-17 edited 12-25-17