The Diego Diaries: Moving Forward (dd6 195)
-0-Tower In The Sky, Terra, Autobot City, Primal Colony of Mars, Cybertron and the Empire
Ratchet sat at his table while around him everyone had a kid or sat next to one. He relaxed then glanced at Ironhide. He was talking to Blackjack who sat next to him while Halo lay on his arm in a white blanket. Hero was standing on her chair as she rested her cheek on Halo's head. Ratchet grinned at her. "What a nice little femme you are loving on the infant," he said.
She smiled at Ratchet. "SHE'S MY SISTER!"
Ratchet leaned over to kiss Hero on the helm. "You have a lot of them now."
"I KNOW! IT'S SO GREAT! But they're big. No one is my age, Ada," Hero said. "She's so small. I think we have to help her."
"We will," Ratchet said. "You have to do some of the heavy lifting. How will she ever know how to use a toy if you don't show her? What about her favorite munition?"
"I know," Hero said with the utmost seriousness. She turned back, then laid her cheek on Hero's helm. She would do that and kiss her tiny helm until food came.
Ironhide watched Hero, then grinned at Ratchet. "Little femme is happy," he said with a grin. "Seems to have a lot of love to give."
"She does," Ratchet said. "Good thing."
"It's all good," Ironhide said as he watched drinks be brought forward. The tables for the group were pushed together, enough to seat everyone. Prime sat across from him with Prowl who held Solus. She was looking at Halo. "I like her, Ada."
"That's because she's mine," Prowl said.
Solus glanced up at Prowl. "Ada? That baby is ours?"
Prowl smirked at Ratchet. "They all are, Solus."
"Good thing we provide therapy to all ages here, slagger," Ratchet said as he received his beer.
"They're all mine," Prowl said smugly. He grinned. "I heard you had a brief meeting with the humans over their proposal to expand the Family Tower Habitat."
"I did," Ratchet said. It was pretty stupendous and extensive but makes sense. After all, they have family coming and going. No reason they can't accommodate those who want to stay. I told them to organize and show it to Prime. I'd be there when they did."
Prowl nodded. "I will as well," he said as food began to come. Plates were laid down as adults began to organize the kids. When that was accomplished, they began to eat.
Ratchet glanced at Ironhide. "You need help?"
"No, I got this," Ironhide said with a grin. "I'm going to put her in the hold." With a deft touch, Halo was slid into a warm hold filled with a sleeping pad and warm blankets. Glancing at his father, he grinned. "You ready for Thanksgiving?"
"I was born ready, infant," Blackjack said. "Cookie contest. Who's entering?" he asked as he looked around the group. Everyone raised a servo including the femmes and soldiers.
Bee grinned. "I have plain cookies with gobs of frosting. It sorta oozes out the sides but they taste good."
"Sounds promising," Hercy said with a slight smirk. "It'll be an honor to beat your afts."
Huge slag greeted that.
"Just so everyone knows, we have the same room for the dinner as we have for the contest. Room 113 down the road at Central Labor Hall. Check your email for suggestions for the dinner. I suppose you're going to order a few turkeys?" he asked Prowl.
"Excuse me … did you say … 'order'?" Prowl asked. "I do believe you said order."
"I did, slagger. Who wants my turduckens? Raise your servo," Ratchet said as he glanced around. Ravel raised a servo along with Appa Ratchet. "Fraggers."
"They actually tasted good, son," Ravel said. "It's not your fault they look so unsavory."
HUGE laughter.
"No, its not. Maybe," Prowl said. "Who saw my turkeys last time? They were flawless. I made them myself with these two servos."
"Yes, but did you wash them first?" Ratchet asked.
Prowl frowned. The room laughed loudly making mention of 'Prowl's special sauce' before it died down again.
"Ada, why this good?" Sojourner asked as she held up a fry.
"Because it is," Prowl said.
"I like it. I like shries." Sojourner said. She held up a fry to study it, then looked at Orion across the table. "You like shries?"
Orion smiled. "I, Orion, LOVE shries." He put one in his mouth and chewed it.
"Ada. Orion likes shries," Sojourner said.
Everyone looked at Orion who smiled. His fry fell out of his mouth. Choking and gagging sounds abounded.
"Well, wasn't that delicious," Ratchet said to more choking and gagging. "What have you decided was the winning combination for a cookie contest, Whiner?"
"Well, Loon, I'm working out a chocolate chip recipe-"
"So am I," Ratchet said.
Prowl frowned. "MY recipe will be filled with deliciousness … I'm putting the finest chocolate chunks in so their melting compliments the-"
"So am I," Ratchet said.
Prowl stared at him with The Look for almost too long. "Caramel-"
"Me, too," Ratchet said.
By now, everyone there had paused to watch but for Orion who was entertaining Sojourner, Kaon and Uraya by stuffing fries up his nose assemblies. Ratchet watched Prowl with a pleasant expression even as he was revising the cookie he had planned. Prowl leaned forward, his expression one of battle lust and competitive mania. "You aren't making the same cookie. You liar. You loon."
"Oh, but Prowler … I am," Ratchet said. He then smiled brilliantly.
Orion who had paused to watch with a half dozen long fries hanging out of his nose assemblies smiled as Ratchet glanced at him, then froze. Everyone glanced at Orion, then did the same. He looked at everyone, then smiled his biggest cheesiest smile.
"Oh, frag, Raptor. I think he takes after you," Ratchet said as the place exploded in laughter.
"I DIBS HIM!" Springer said as he howled.
"Stand in line," Arcee said as she winked at Magnus. Magnus froze with surprise, shock and loathing himself.
-0-Moments and several extractions later
"Sit and eat, you little hoodlum," Ratchet said as Ironhide smiled at his mini-me doppelganger slash poltergeist with enormous pride.
"ATAR! ADA OWED ME! I, ORION, GOOD! ADA BAD! ADA SHRIED MY SHE! I, ORION, GOED TO DOING!" His little face was as outraged as he could manage and still have one attached.
Everyone grinned at him. Ratchet who wasn't grinning leaned closer with a gimlet optic. Orion fell silent on the spot, then leaned back with a weak smile. Gripping his fork, he tapped the table. "I, Orion, good."
"You, Orion, eat your lunch, preferably through your mouth before I pat more than your servo," Ratchet said firmly.
Orion frowned, then glanced at his other father. "I, Orion, not like the she."
Ironhide laughed, then nodded. "I don't either half the time."
A slap to the back of his helm shut that down. He frowned at Ratchet. "Slagger."
"Eat. Both of you. You don't want to get on my bad side. It would mean … war," Ratchet said.
The temperature dropped immediately as sphincters all over the room tightened at the thought. "Well, if that's all ya want," Ironhide said as he picked up his fork and knife.
HUGE laughter and a chorus of 'little femme', 'wienie', 'wuss' added on filled the room. Food began to be eaten again. Prime smirked at Ironhide. "Wienie."
Laughter.
"Atar? Football for us starts in three orns. Are you going to be there?" Santee asked as he looked down table toward Ironhide.
"I'm the grand poobah of peewee football. I'll be there unless something happens. I will always be there," Ironhide said.
"Ah, that's so sweet. You were never there for me. Who do I sue?" Springer asked.
"Poor baby," Alor said with a grin. He held out his thumb for Springer. "It worked for Ironhide. I'll share with you."
"You don't think I will?" Springer asked.
Down table from them, Lucien, a grinning Laslo, Partition and Lancer, Inweld and Morius watched with fascination. This was more fun in a short time than most of the organized gatherings they had attended in their whole lives prior. Lucien was unreadable but the others were having a great time. Ratchet felt warmth for all of them, then he remembered the pile of work on Lucien's desk. "Lucien, I meant to tell you. If you could get through the business proposals dated last week, that would be helpful. I'm going to Diego next week and we need to discuss them with the humans who proposed them. You need to be there and I need summaries collated with case law. Will that happen?"
Everyone glanced down table to Lucien. He nodded. "I will prioritize it."
Laslo grinned. "I would love to see an ocean like that."
"Then come," Ratchet said. "All of you come. Until you see it, its hard to believe."
Laslo blinked in surprise. "Is that allowed?"
Ratchet glanced at Prime who nodded. He looked at Laslo. "Yep."
"The last time I went there I got dunked in the ocean. It's warm and beautiful. It's huge. I never saw an ocean so big. It's bigger than those on Cybertron," Partition said.
"I've never been there but to land," Lancer said. "I'm coming, too."
"I've never been to Diego," Lon said as Bezel nodded.
"Come, then," Ratchet said. "Be my entourage. What's a venture without body slaves?"
Huge laughter.
"Can I come, too, Mom?" Springer asked with a smirk.
"If there's no war or whatever, I don't care who comes. Just don't get arrested," Ratchet said. The conversation continued. A check of Ops Center revealed nothing new to report and Jetta informed them that the generators were in place and now would be wired in with the help of the weavers, Joon and Wirelite especially. By early morning, the system would be shaken down and by the time kids needed to go to school on buses, the street lights and lamps would burst into operation again.
-0-Later that evening at home
The big kids picked up Sunspot, Spot and Orion, then headed for their lounge at the other end of the apartment. Homework was finished, writing was done creatively and all was well. Beyond, the night was darker than usual and they were not scheduled to lose their electricity in the hours ahead because they lost it in their turn mid afternoon. They were now going to stay on all night in the Mare Tranquilitatis while other places lost it for their turn.
Sitting in their chairs, Ironhide holding Halo while the little kids played in Hero's room, they watched the news with the sound down. "What do you think this is, Ironhide?" Ratchet asked.
"I don't know. 'Jack and Percy think its temporal. That could mean anything," Ironhide said. "Until it comes, I'm not borrowing trouble."
Ratchet nodded. "I agree," he said. "Little femme sleeps well."
"She does," Ironhide said as he pulled her blankets back a bit. "I really like her solar collector. This is a nice shiny feature."
"Wheeljack and Perceptor had the fibers on a table nearby when I went in to do the protoform. It was shiny and strong as steel. I like that the strands are bigger around than those of Solus. Hers are like human hair, only slightly bigger. This is flat and wider. It reminds me of streamers. They said it was an easy add but wouldn't come on line until the rest of her solar collectors did just before sub adulthood."
"The colors are great," Ironhide said as he stroked the long strands. "Silver and gold on one side with copper on the other. Nice paint scheme, too. Really unusual," he said with a grin. "She's a really pretty femme. Hero is mad for her."
"When she puts her cheek on Halo's helm, I tear up," Ratchet said. "Speaking of tearing up … I suppose that Hardie and Raptor will work Keystock and Cargo good for the foreseeable future?"
"They will," Ironhide said. "They had to do retrieval detail for the dead at some bombed out sites and it was telling. They gutted up but they felt the burn, they told me."
Ratchet nodded. "Good. Nothing like body retrieval to tell the tale."
Hero ran out followed by Prowler and Praxus. "Ada, when does Halo get a bath? We can help."
Ironhide grinned. She would soon and they would assist. Ratchet would take films as they stood around the little bathing basin which was set on the floor. Hero would hold a sponge and Praxus a wash cloth as they followed their old dad's instructions. It would be very cute.
-0-Later that night
"I can sleep with Halo, Atar. She's so small. We can fit in her little crib and I can help her," Hero said as Ironhide tucked her into her little berth. "She will probably need me."
"That's a back up plan, Hero. I'll keep it in mind. What a good planner you are," He said as he stood again.
She smiled brilliantly. "SHE'S SO CUTE!"
"She is. She reminds me of you," Ironhide said. "Get some recharge. We're going to need your good help for this one. She's pretty small."
"Alright. You would call me if she needs me, right?" Hero asked.
"We will," Ironhide said with a grin. "Remember. The first one who gets to sleep whistles."
She smiled, then nodded. She watched them walk out, shut off the light and leave her door ajar. Then she would lie awake a while to consider how you whistled when you fell asleep. She would fall asleep thinking about it. She wouldn't whistle.
-0-TBC 11-19-17 edited 1-7-18