The Diego Diaries: BABY! The Aftermath (dd6 176) needs a hammer
-0-At home at last
The family dispersed because some were going on duty and others were going to the game. Sunspot after hugging everyone and kissing the baby, walked off with Bos and his big family. He would be spending the night with them. Spot hopped along with the boys as they ran for the metro. Infants disappeared as big mechs walked off with them. Everyone was informed that a Walk On The Wild Side was going to occur so nabs were swift and final.
Prowler went with Praxus and Raptor. Hard Drive grabbed Orion. The big kids were going to stay with Ironhide 'to help take care of Halo' as was Hero. "I have to help, Ada. Atar might need me to help him with Halo. We're femmes, both of us." Then she smiled brilliantly. She would go with her big old dad.
Wandering home, the nine big kids, Ironhide along with Hero and Halo made it to the door of the apartment. They walked in, then turned toward Ironhide waiting with great happiness for the word. He grinned. "Let's make a soft bed on the coffee table for her."
Hero spun in a circle looking for something that might be soft, then looked up at Ironhide. "WHERE!?"
"Go with Tru to my berth room and pull the heavy blanket pad out of the bassinet and the blankets. Bring them here, Hero," Ironhide said with a grin.
She nodded, then looked up at Tru. "TRU! WE HAVE TO HURRY!" she said, then ran toward the berth room, something that would take a bit of time given her tiny self.
Everyone watched her go, then Tru grinned. "I'll help her. I guess we have to hurry," he said with a chuckle. He followed her down the hallway.
Ironhide pulled the baby from his hold, then watched as Santee and Saber removed things from the top of the table. Ratchet who was watching grinned at Ironhide who grinned back. "You're going to have to feed her. I won't be able to do that until a few joors after taking the cure."
"Sounds like fun," Ironhide said as Hero ran back out of the corridor with Tru behind her. He was carrying the gear and she was arm pumping her way back. Pausing by the coffee table, she looked up at Ironhide. "ATAR! WHAT NOW!?"
"We make a bed," Ironhide said. He sat, then directed the placement of the blankets and pillow-like pad. He gently lay Halo out, then unpeeled her blankets. She lay on the white blankets in a half sleep, a shiny little copper, black and white version of Ironhide's face. Her long threads of super tough, super long and shiny copper threads trailed around her. They were thin but not thread-like. One side was a shiny copper color and the other alternated either a very shiny silver or a shiny gold. She was small, very small compared to the others.
"Hard to believe, daughter, that you were that small once," Ironhide said with a grin.
"We were?" Hero asked.
"Yes," Ratchet said as he sat down in his chair. "You start out that small, then every so often you get bigger. You won't be through your first protoform development period until you're just about Sunspot's age. You have four of them until you become fully grown up. You grow so slowly it looks like you don't."
She looked at him, then grinned. "She's so cute."
"So are you and your brothers. All of you infants, big and small, you're very cute," Ratchet said.
All of the kids grinned. "What's the plan, Ada?" Quadrus asked.
"I'm going out with friends tonight," Ratchet said. "Atar is going to stay with you and help out with Halo. All you have to do, Hero, is just relax and watch what Atar does."
She nodded as she stared at the baby. She leaned over Halo, rubbing her cheek with her own little servo. Then she leaned in to kiss her. Standing straight again, she smiled. "I'LL HELP YOU!"
"You already do, Hero," Ironhide said with a grin.
Ratchet grinned, then walked to the fridge. In moments, he had a mountain of sandwiches made. He took a bucket of cookie dough out of the back of the fridge, smirked at Ironhide who smirked back from his chair, then grabbed a cookie sheet to make some. He made a mountain of them, laying them on a long platter to cool off. Rummaging around, he made a platter of veggie sticks, sliced 'tomatoes', piled 'lettuce' in a bowl, then turned to the group who were sitting silently all around the room watching him. He took out his camera, took snaps and a couple of videos, then subbed it as the mechs all around the room grinned at him. Hero was loving on the baby who was snoozing. "Aren't you JUST the HANDSOMEST mechs EVER!?" he asked with a dazzling smile.
No one disagreed with him.
"I made everything up. The sandwiches are made and ready to go but for the additives. The condiments are in the fridge along with lettuce and tomatoes. Cookies for desert. Eat your veggies. Plenty of soft drinks and such in the second fridge. Stay out of the booze locker," he said as everyone laughed. A cold box sat on top of the second fridge holding all manner of booze and beer. "I'm going to hike around with the ammas, Prowler and some new friends. If you need me for ANYTHING, call me. Okay?" he asked giving everyone a stern optic.
"We will, Ada." -everyone including Ironhide.
Ratchet walked to Ironhide, then lounged on his lap. Ironhide grinned. "Flaunting The Sexy in front of the infants isn't the greatest idea you ever had but I can't complain."
"Really?" Ratchet asked with a dazzling smile. He then pulled the bulk of his weight from the edge of subspace where he displaced some of it and it all pressed down onto Ironhide. He grunted with surprise and the pressure of that much tonnage sitting on him. It was the only way Ratchet could sit on him without crushing the life out of his aft.
"Frag, Ratchet. Get your aft off before you kill me," Ironhide said as Ratchet stood up.
"Just so you know who's boss," Ratchet said with a big grin. He walked around the room hugging everyone, kissed Hero senseless, then petted Halo. "Call me, okay?"
"Where ya going to be? Jail?" Ironhide asked as Ratchet walked to the door.
Ratchet opened it, then smiled at everyone. "The night is young, Ironhide." He walked out and it closed.
Everyone stared at the door, then Ironhide. Tru leaned slightly forward. "Atar … how did Ada get so awesome?" he asked in a hushed tone as everyone nodded.
Ironhide grinned broadly. "Why, son, he gets that from me." No one laughed at his remark. They believed it down to their superstructures. "Who wants a sammy?" he asked as he rose from his seat. "A drink, a sammy, a cookie or six, and the monster truck rally from Kentucky. How's that for a perfect evening."
The big kids arose, then walked over to help him. Santee smeared 'mayo' on his sandwich. "You know, Atar, this is about as perfect as it gets." Everyone nodded with him.
Ironhide grinned, then turned to look at Hero. She was standing over Halo with her cheek pressed against the baby's. He felt moisture rise in his optics. "You won't get an argument from me, son."
-0-1600 TMC at the corner of Metro Highway #1 and #3
Prowl and Ratchet stood beside Yancy and King as Drift and Springer leaned down to get the marching orders in order for the boozer ahead. They were due at the stadium in Stanix to oversee security at the Tarn v Vos game, always a bare knuckled riot. Then they would find the group and hang with them as per the orders of Optimus Prime. Prowl had questioned that until it was made clear that Prime had actually filed a Primal Order that this be so.
The psychic.
-0-Up in the air again
Coming in the door at the same time was Blackjack followed by the twins. They had decided to skip the game and hang out here. Besides, Sunstreaker had to put the Autobrand on Halo much to Hero's ENORMOUS delight. "SUNSTREAKER! WE HAVE THEM IN THE SAME PLACE! LOOK AT THIS!" she had said showing him her tiny tat on her tiny shoulder. "YOU GAVE THIS TO ME WHEN I WAS HER SIZE!"
"I did," Sunstreaker said as he examined it. "It still looks good. You take good care of it, Hero."
She smiled like the sun. "I TRY! I'M GOING TO HELP ATAR WITH HALO! ISN'T SHE CUTE!? I THINK SHE'S SO CUTE! WE'RE SISTERS!"
Sunstreaker grinned, then leaned in to kiss her helm. "I noticed that. We have a lot of little femmes now. You're the oldest femme among the little kids. That makes you important."
She stared at him. "I will try."
"You already do, Hero. All you have to do is be a happy femme and play. See all of us?" he asked as he glanced around at the big mechs settling and the others already there. "We're going to take care of the rest. You go to school, you play, you enjoy and don't worry about a slagging thing. We got this," he said calmly.
She stared at him, her little optics focused on his face, then leaned into him. She hugged him. "I'm so happy, Sunstreaker. I'm so glad you're my brother," she said. She looked at the others. "YOU, TOO!"
It would take a while for her to get back to Halo as the mechs in the room passed her around for a hug.
At that moment, walking their way with expectation, the rest of Ratchet's Posse was heading toward the corner.
-0-Hidey Ho!
They gathered, a lot of mechs with varying expressions of comfort at the prospects ahead. They were among the usual suspects, Ratchet, Alor, Turbine, Delphi, and Prowl. Also joining them was Kestrel, Miler who was smiling brightly, Bluestreak, Joon who was holding Madura's hand, Madura himself, Edict with Bron-E who looked expectantly happy, Anders, and Laslo. There were fourteen in all waiting for something to happen, more than content to allow Ratchet to be the facilitator of the fun and games and/or jail. Scout and Trooper were staging a major play so they were up to their mud flaps in work. But they were going to be available for trick-or-treat the next orn come hell or high water. The rest of Ratchet's elders were at club dinners which, apparently, happened with regularity. It was a delight for Ratchet that the four of them were so slagging social here.
"Stay out of prison before we get off, okay?" Springer asked.
"I was born to stay out of prison, son. It's society that has the problem," Ratchet said to general laughter.
-0-Up there
Optimus Prime sat in Ratchet's chair with his peds on the coffee table. Sitting on his legs in a row like they were riding a single horse, Sojourner, Solus and Miracle watched the big trucks bounce and blow up. He ate a huge sandwich, cookies, a token veggie so he had plausible deniability, and sipped an ice cold beer as the infants all around the room cheered and jeered. It was boys night in and it was wonderful. That Tagg and Venture had joined them was icing on the (celebration) cake.
More food was ordered in, pizzas and all manner of corn and hot dog. There was a lot of beer and soft drinks, chips and salsa, candy, and ice cream.
Mech food.
The television had been programmed to show car crack ups, action movies, the odd documentary, and a show detailing the fate of the Titanic. The media was on point and so were the refreshments. The big kids were handling the dishes and trash while the elders, Raptor, Hard Drive who had arrived with Orion in his hold, Blackjack with a sleeping Scout in his hold, Venture who had a sleeping Prima, and Tagg who would sleep well given his beer intake (three was enough to put him to sleep) sat on their afts and commented on the byplay on the screen.
"I remember when Optimus drove head on into Motormaster," Ironhide said. "I stood on a hillside and watched it. It was the dumbest thing you ever did, you slagger," he said as he glanced at Prime.
Prime grinned as his children turned around to watch him. The little mechs were spending the night with friends so he only had the littlest ones. "If the weather is just right, I can still feel the headache."
Nine youngling mechs stared at Prime with intense amazement. Everyone knew Motormaster and the Stunticons. "Wow, Lord Optimus," Tru said with great respect. "You must have been crazy to do that."
HUGE LAUGHTER!
"I mean … you could have hurt yourself and where would we be?" Tru stuttered with embarrassment.
Optimus grinned at the big kid. "You are right, Tru. It was crazy but it was worth it. You should have seen Motormaster's face when he came to sentience. It was worth it, all of it."
"Slagger," Ironhide said with a grin. He looked at Halo who looked up at him as she lay in the crook of his arm. Hero, who was sitting on the other arm holding his cookie for him until he leaned down for bites, grinned. She had insisted that she 'help' so she sat on his arm, more an impediment than a help, feeding him cookies that he couldn't reach any other way.
It was very mellow and 'fun' in the Casa Del R v IH.
-0-Street side with the Gang of Four(teen)
"Okay," Ratchet said rubbing his servos together. "We're going bar hopping, then we'll go to the bowling alley, have dinner at Delmonico's in Tetriades, go to the water park, then bar hop some more. I think I want to dance. GOTTA DANCE! GOTTA DANCE! GOTTTAAA DANCE!" he said imitating Gene Kelly in an old movie as he stood with a giant smile and his arms spread wide.
Everyone stared at him, some with amusement, others with hopeful and fearful astonishment. Anders glanced around. "I've never danced with anyone but Burris, Ratchet."
"Then this is your lucky orn," Ratchet said slipping his arm through Anders own. "Let's go clubbing shall we?" he asked as he walked forward heading for Club Cybertron, his (get his) freak (on) flag flying. The others followed, some of them tingling with excitement to be 'bad boys' for the first time in their cloistered, well mannered lives.
It was going to be awesome.
-0-TBC 10-31-17
Tonight is Halloween and given that we have no snow and its warm (IN ALASKA!) I will probably have eighteen thrillion kids. I will be typing another piece since I started this one last night and hopefully around the bell ringers and the little ghoulies, I will post it. Halloween for the colony will be one orn off. HUGS to all, everywhere. You are the bestest and the mostest as my dear old Granny used to say. :D:D:D
The Gene Kelly reference is the great dancer Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse who danced to Gotta Dance in Singing In the Rain. Go to you tube and be dazzled. :D
Sammy: short slang for sandwich :D