The Diego Diaries: WHO! WHO! WHO LET THE TARGS OUT!? (dd6 185)
-0-On the field
They set their play, the Kaon Kavaliers. Edict and Hobbes in the stands watched with something akin to fear and great pride as Rad-R took his place at one end of the line while Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were at the other. The ball went to Kaon and was tossed to Rad-R. He ran back toward his own goal, paused, then passed the ball forward to Sunstreaker just before he crossed the quarter field line. Any further and Sunny would have been off sides. He ran onward faking out half the Simfur line. Running up the middle and following further back, Sideswipe and Rad-R chased after Sunny.
The Simfur team was running in a bee line toward Sunstreaker who halted abruptly and passed the ball hard and fast to Sideswipe. Rolling at lightning speed on his skates, he tucked it under his arm. Reaching a clearing, he scanned the field behind him, then leaped into the air, turning to face the mob heading his way. He seemed to hang in the air before landing, then spinning to run forward. As he did, Rad-R who caught the ball he threw cut across the field behind the lines heading toward Sunstreaker. He ran until someone saw the ball and shouted. Turning to the left after sliding to a halt, he passed the ball through the clearing of players to Sideswipe who turned on the power, plowed through the defense and put the ball through the hoop.
Kaon, 1 and Simfur, goose eggs.
The crowd went wild. Kaon jumped on each other in their ecstasy, then walked with smug smugness to their side where the little mechs were having a fit of ecstasy themselves.
The refs took the ball, walking together back to the center field. Simfur followed, some of them bitching and yelling at all four refs for some infraction, whatever it was. The refs ignored them, then waited with ill patience in the center of the field. Simfur showing questionable sportsmanship and a deep abiding lack of understanding of who they were playing for as a team gave the refs a number of regional variations of the finger, then hoofed it to the sidelines. The offense would have to straighten things out for them.
The slaggers.
They lined up again, facing each other with intensity and fury as they waited for the ball to fall toward Simfur and the Templars. It was caught by their center, then handed off to their fastest wing. He began to fly, drawing off half the players of Kaon in hot pursuit. The twins who were standing on the sideline watched tensely as the player ran along the line, cut in through an opening and headed toward the goal. Fast and fleet, he bumped a couple of players away, then ran straight for Bracket. His defensive backs held their spots as the entire combined teams began to chase their way.
"This is going to hurt," Ratchet said as he grinned at Prowl.
"I hope it does," Prowl said. "The more that fall, the clearer the path for Praxus."
It was then that the player was tackled, dragged a couple of mechs a few yards, then fell on his face. They had the ins. Everyone lined up, moving swiftly back and forth in front of the player, then he threw the ball.
Kaon caught it.
A behemoth who was new this year, Cagney aka Tiny was the one who caught it. He was like many of the biggest mechanisms, a very sweet, very immense, very funny guy. He grinned as he magnetized the ball in his servo, then turned toward Simfur's goal. Walking toward getting up to a run, he began to make his way. As he did, the Simfurians (*cough*) began to chase him. Most of them didn't have to run far to get a piece of him and when they did, they found that the bigger they are, the harder it is to make them fall.
Lumbering up behind him, Hugh-E gripped a Templar, then tossed him over his shoulder like a used paper bag. Two others he peeled off, discarding them on the ground as they began to jog together, each giving the other cover. The thundering hoof beats of both Simfur and Kaon catching up to assist/desist could almost be heard over the maniacal sound of the crowd. More Templars zeroed in and were backhanded, slapped into the ozone, tossed like a folded newspaper onto someone's lawn, throttled and discarded, tackled by other Kaonians, and generally discouraged from further participation.
Standing at the Simfur goal, his servos on his hips in deep disgust, the goalie watched the Doom of Unicron heading his way. If his own tackles and teammates from the line were less big and more fast, they would have a chance to catch up but they were Huge-E and Tiny's size. Tackles and defensive linemen were not noted for their agility or speed, thus, Tiny and Huge-E were heading in to thrash the entire back field of Simfur without slowing down one bit or being stopped by anyone, anywhere.
It burned. The Precious.
"This is going to hurt." -Templar defensive back
"I know." -Templar goalie
"I think this is really going to hurt." -the other Templar defensive back
The two of them ran forward as fast as they could at Huge-E and Tiny, their shoulders down to plow them away in a preemptive strike. They ran swiftly at the two, hit them, then fell to the ground like two big birds flying into a window. They lay there reverberating the shock of hitting a force of nature at forty miles an hour. It would take a few moments for their processors to stop ringing and their internal gyros to reset.
As for the two giant Kavaliers? They hoofed up to the goalie, smacked him into the stands, then gently put the ball through the hoop.
Kaon, 2 and Simfur, fuck all.
The crowd went nuts.
-0-Around
"This game seems less half witted than most," Hot Rod said as he leaned against the wall of the stadium, watching the fun and games everywhere. The action didn't stop at the sidelines. There were two gangs in the stands, near enough to see each other, yet far enough away to be a swift put down if things went south. One was the Coppos minus their hash mark tats and the other, the Southies of former Tie-die fame. They were giving each other the stink optic, between 18 and 22 kids on each side. Springer had arrayed his security to be seen in front of the slaggers, thereby, hopefully, keeping the shooting and other mayhem down to a minimum. There were horse patrolmen here and at the Stanix Stadium to keep watch on the gangs. They were being tracked by Hauser and thus, they were easy to spot and watch with all his meticulous intel being shared with the officers of the Watch.
"If there's a fight, we go in fast and hard," Hot Rod said to Smokey who nodded. "We take them down immediately."
"They look like they're spoiling for a fight," Smokey said as he watched them glare at each other. "Do you think they'd do that here?"
"I hope not," Hot Rod said. "Prime would be bent out of shape."
"SPEAKING OF BENT OUT OF SHAPE! Did you see the new movie of us where you have a French accent and a geek face?" Smokey asked with great indignation.
"Not yet," Hot Rod said with a grin. "I heard I look weird."
"You do," Smokey said with great indignation. "Fraggers. Maybe we can go meet this Micheal Bay."
"You'd have to stand in line behind Springer and Drift," Roddy said as he watched some of the Southies step down to the wall, then lean on it. They were about fifty yards away. "Uh-oh. This doesn't look good."
They would watch the play slowly building together.
-0-In the stands
The game wailed onward until the siren blew, thereby ending the hoo-haw for a short interlude. They gathered, bowed, then walked off in lines to the locker rooms where they would debrief, plan, be assisted by infants, and gather themselves again.
The family would watch the jumbotron showing memorable fights both on and off the field of play as they chatted and discussed the failure of the Praxians to score in their last game and the likelihood that they would FAIL in the game coming up the following orn. Iacon was zero and one but looked good for the next orn as well.
Maybe.
Across the way, the measure of security forces both on foot and horseback was gathering as the youngsters in the stands began to utilize the time between halves to make afts of themselves. A big mech walked to the wall, then leaned over. "Hey!"
Drift who was standing with Springer and Hercy turned to him. "What?"
"These fragging kids are going to fight, mark my words," he said before walking back to his seat.
"Well, this isn't good," Drift said as he turned to the others. "We better go up there and try to head this off."
"You know that's not a good idea, right?" Springer said as he climbed down from Yancy. "We always go up there and end up in the ESPN Christmas Reel." He grinned as they walked to the stairs that led upward. Everyone followed him, big mechs with a lot of tattoos and chutzpah. They reached the steps, then began to walk upward as the cameras that were roving around showing the spectacle were redirected to the spot.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Revet sniffed with a frown. "You don't want the human viewers to think this is a brawl. This is a game of skill."
"And a brawl," Jazz said with a grin. "Who wants to bet Springer flies out of the stands like a ruptured duck?"
No one wanted to take the bet.
-0-Going upward
Springer walked up the stairs that divided each section until he reached the place he wanted. "Hey, you. Come here a minute."
A big high caste kid with a bad attitude stared at him, then glanced at the others. He smirked slightly, then walked down the row to stand on the step just above Springer. They were more optic-to-optic but it was clear that Springer was bigger than the kid who was a Southie, a smart troublemaker named Gar-Bow. "What, officer?" he asked with a very slight grin.
"I have a report that you lot are getting out of hand. If you do, we bag you and put you in jail. No fighting in the stands," Springer said.
The rest of the group was staring at them, then one of them glanced at the other bunch who were not that far away. "Those freaks won't leave us alone."
Springer glanced at him, spotting the faint aroma of gang, though it was clear they were concealing their identity because their stripes were missing. They were most likely Coppos, those across the way. The gang in front of him were the tie die gang, the Southies, who had been ordered to remove that scheme, which they replaced with a stark black and gray coloration. One half of their body was a matte shade of black, the other half gray. It gave an oddly menacing aura, a sort of chimera of evil. "If you don't abide the rules, you can leave. All of you."
It was silent a moment as the kids were doing the math, then the one in front of him, the big strong kid named Gar-bow struck out and hit Springer in the chin. Springer buckled a moment, then jumped on the kid. As he did, the whole section stood up and tried to flee. Those that weren't fleeing were climbing over those that were to assist their leader and maybe get a piece of the other gang, too.
That gang, to their credit, hesitated before joining the fun. It was then that THEIR section rose up and began to flee. It became mayhem and chaos immediately.
-0-Primal Box
"What's happening?" Edict asked with shock.
"A brawl," Borealis said as he stood beside Bron-E, his pre-bond. "Don't worry, Edict. You're here and we'll protect you," he said. Bron looked up at him with something akin to adoration as she gripped her ada's servo. Hobbes took the other one. "We'll protect you, Edict. Don't worry," he said as he watched with dread the mayhem across the way. He missed a grateful and loving smile on Edict's face when he did.
Ratchet watched, then glanced at the big mechs watching and itching to be there. "Well, what's keeping you?"
Ironhide grinned, then stepped out followed by Raptor, Hard Drive, Partition, and Blackjack. Alor grinned. "I'd go, too, but I have Scout in the hold.
Everyone watched as they jumped the wall, then jogged across the field. They appeared on the jumbotron as the crowd went nuts. Praxian Elite warriors were joining the free-for-all. It was going to be great. No one forgot the last time when it wasn't, apparently.
Neither did Prowl. "If you dare to defy me and go help them, Optimus Prime ..." Prowl whispered under his breath.
Prime grinned. "Do not worry. I am not that suicidal."
"Good," Prowl said as he slammed his fists together. "I am." With that, he walked down the row, down the stairs and hopped on the wall. He jumped down and began to hoof it across the field. Ratchet who watched him then handed off children as he hurried after Prowl. He was loping across the field on the jumbotron, too, as the cameras followed him and Prowl. On every screen in every place that the game was being watched, a Praxian and an Iaconian were racing forward to do their duty.
Again.
-0-TBC 11-8-17 edited 11-9-17
NOTES tomorrow. :D