The Diego Diaries: Halloween (dd6 510)
:D Again, this [ …] indicates NeoCybex spoken.
-0-Later that night at home
"These are genius, Ironhide."
"I know." [preen] "I had my seamstress in Vermont make them. This one, I had someone in Switzerland make it. No one knows who they are but me. People ask but I don't tell them. Is that a bad thing?"
"Not really, though you do know that they might make a better living if you do."
"Frag. If someone asks and they pass muster, then I'll tell them." [slight frown]
"What makes muster?" [grin]
"If they're family. Or friends. REALLY close friends. Maybe."
"Time to hit the sack, Ironhide."
"Behind ya," Ironhide said as he put the little costumes for his children back in the little box where they were stored. When Halloween was over they would join the other little boxes on the shelf in the portion of the man cave that was the family stuff area, the part that Ratchet called the 'historical artifact locker'.
Ironhide might agree but he was not amused. That area was sacred space to him.
-0-Morning
Racket and organization lux.
"Does everyone have their treats?" Ratchet asked as he stared at the book bags and back packs lined up on the table. They had put treats for room partiers in each and organized their stuff around the usual chaos of getting ready for school. Halloween came during the school week so they'd have parties at school, trick or treat around town tonight, then go to school the next orn. It was weird. It had fallen on weekends thus far and this was a new adventure.
"GET HOOKED UP! LINE UP!" Ratchet called out as the big boys picked up their book bags.
"We need to go, Ada. We're meeting up with our friends at school to discuss the party at the club tonight. We want to meet up at the same time," Fireball said as he slipped his bag over his shoulder.
"Then you better hit it, infants. Clubbing cannot be denied," Ratchet said as he hugged them.
Ironhide hugged them, too. So did little kids spotting the action and wanting some of their own. Even Halo who was walking rather well. She lined up, too with her little white face and sparkling 'hair'. Bedlam ensued, then the big kids left with cat, bags and grins firmly in place.
Orion turned to Ironhide. "ATAR! I go, too?" he asked with a huge smile.
"Soon, slagger," Ironhide said with a grin. He glanced at Ratchet. "Isn't Prowl supposed to separate today?"
Ratchet considered that. "As far as I could calculate, yes. I haven't run his newest data through the big mainframes. It can tell me to the second when it will happen. I better scan the slagger and get that done. He better not frag up trick or treating. If he does, you and the others take the infants around, Ironhide."
"Done deal," he said as he stuffed babies in his hold.
Ratchet grabbed tiny bags, then walked to the door. They exited and began the trek to the street where buses and cabs would do short work on the imps. Walking out, they joined the usual group of parents who lived here and used the district transport. Prowl and Prime were there with their kids as the bus with the dreads and Rambler pulled away to go to their school in Iacon.
Ratchet scanned Prowl. "I'm running your data through the medical mainframes to get a time. You do remember you're due today."
"I do," Prowl said as he watched Prime walk T-Bar and Spirit to the bus along with Sunspot and Spot. Hugs were had, then that bus pulled out with everyone including Bos, Co-D and Reflector waving at the windows inside.
Standing at the cab stand nearby, Hero ordered her cab, then walked back to wait. She smiled. "I like doing that."
"You're an urban wonder, bunny," Ratchet said with a grin as a white cab followed by different buses came to the curb to park. Hugs and kisses were had, then Hero climbed in and pulled out. The bus for Circle Prep arrived with the logo of their school painted on the side, the cupped hands of The One holding Cybertron.
"In you go," Prowl said as he placed Solus and Sojourner on the steps to climb inside. Assisting a grinning Prowler up, too, he glanced around. "Where's Scout?"
"Probably playing hooky with Blackjack," Ratchet said.
The door closed and they pulled out with a number of kids from this, the local towers group. Another bus slid up. "Orion, Praxus … get on board," Ironhide said as he helped them and several others on. The door finally closed and it moved on.
"That leaves only Halo, I think," Ratchet said as he glanced around.
"No it doesn't," Ironhide said. "I don't know of whom you are speaking." Ironhide frowned at Ratchet.
Ratchet laughed in Ironhide's face. "Slagger. Wimp. Go to work." He glanced at Prowl. "Meeting?"
"Not this morning. Maybe a shortie in the afternoon," Prowl said.
Ironhide left with a grin, heading for Metro 1 and the door that led to the armory. Ratchet grinned, then turned to Prime and Prowl. "What are you two doing today?"
"The usual," Prowl sniffed. "Saving our species with every word and deed."
"Ah, that's the Prowler we all know and love. Insufferable," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. They turned together, both of them mocking the other and headed toward Ops Center with a smirking Prime following. It would be a humorous stroll between three old friends.
-0-School
[Home work?] Terradive asked as three kids jumped up to slot their datapads into the jack at his desk.
They ran back and sat. Nearby on a bookshelf, a row of amazing treats were placed, some purchased and even more handmade. Nothing was too good or too hard for their children. [Any notes?]
[My mom is coming for the party along with the other ladies] Annabelle Lennox said. [They're going to help us with the treats] They were in the habitat box sitting on the table next to the bookshelf that Terradive had moved to make a platform for the kids to be closer and participate in the festivities after lunch and gym class.
[The more, the merrier] Terradive said with a chuckle.
:Our moms are coming, too, Mr. Terradive: Rain Harris said over the open translation channel.
[I'm glad, Rain. We like having genitors here. They can see what you do and be proud] he said with a grin. She had been doing a good job in the classroom and had caused no further trouble outside of it so she was back to square one with him. He preferred that to discord. [How about pulling your geography books out now?]
Good natured groans and pleas about 'THIS IS HALLOWEEEEEEEN!' fell onto deaf but amused audials as they did so. Some ran to their lockers while others pulled them from their bags on the table or hanging on the backs of their chairs. They organized, then watched as Terradive turned on the monitor. The emblems appeared along with the school district name, then it changed to an image of a long and jagged scar across half the planet side.
[Today, we're going to study more closely the Valles Marineris, the 'Grand Canyon of Mars'. At some point, we'll be touring it by plane or ship to see it close up in all its grandeur] Terradive began before the cheering buried him.
[WE CAMP THERE! THE AUTOBOT SCOUTS HAS A PERMANENT CAMPGROUND THERE NOW, MR. TERRADIVE!] Sunspot said with great excitement. Everyone nodded. Some offered that they had camped there, too.
[I know] he said with a chuckle. [We've camped with you and Mr. Roto and I climb there with friends a lot. We want to study its probable formation. There are three major theories. First, that it was hit by one of our two moons which skid along before getting captured in orbit. Theory two is that its formerly a deep formation of lava from an eruption of Mount Olympus that eroded. Given that there's no plate movement on world here, given that Olympus is a stationary volcano … what do we call the kind of volcano that Olympus Mons encompasses?]
Hands went up.
[Jaycee?]
:Olympus Mons is a shield volcano. It's sides are six miles high. The entire Hawaiian Island chain is made by the fact that a plate flows over a single hot spot. Mars have no plates to move. Lava flows easier and farther here because the gravity is less and the volcanoes are taller. Olympus Mons is ten times taller than volcanoes on Earth and its dormant. Will we get to go there eventually, Mr. Terradive?: she asked, this girl who was the most happy go lucky and assimilated of the new children to their class. The Epps and Lennox kids had become very good friends with her.
[First of all, beautiful information. You've been studying. That's right, all of what you stated. And yes, we will visit Olympus Mons as soon as Sciences finishes building the educational center in the big crater] Terri said.
Bedlam!
Terradive laughed. [The third theory is that its a tear in the crust due to the rise of the substrata due to the fact that Mons doesn't move and the lava and magma have nowhere to go but out and up. Sciences will be adding more information from the stations placed there and around the planet to learn about the novel features of our world. For now, we'll be studying the canyon. Please turn to chapter three]
[Mr. Terradive, why are we skipping around in this book?] Rain asked as she turned to the correct chapter.
[I like to teach things in a way that enhances sense rather than an author's plan. We're building to the higher processes by getting a good grounding in the lower ones. From the ground up to space, that's the plan] Terri said with a grin. He then changed the view on the mammoth screen to a primeval view of an active Mount Olympus. [Lets check out how these theories stack up to science by looking at a model of Olympus back when it was active and forming] he began as they bent themselves to the task at hand.
The party would be ever on their minds when they did.
-0-Earth 1
The kids labored as nearby treats sat on the table waiting for lunch and the party following. They would take the afternoon off to play, trick or treat among the offices and have games. The light streamed into the classroom where 36 kids worked hard. This school was like the other in its academic focus but the studies were Earth-centric and less demanding than that of the Unified School District. They taught across the broad spectrum of cultures that lived here, adding in what they could when they could about all the diversity they represented as a group while keeping a core curriculum that ensured a sound educational basis for all in general and theoretical knowledge as befitted a school on another planet that served so many different individuals.
School began at 8:00 am and ended at 2:30 pm. It was heavily academic, had breaks and used the facilities for gym class. No one complained about the academics presented. It was a good school, tough, highly academic and demanding. Some of the kids here went to city schools with the bots. The rest stayed here. Given that the bots entered school at 7:00 am and left it at 4:00 pm, they weren't unhappy with their lot.
The morning passed in peace and quiet as they worked toward lunch. Sitting in the rec room at tables set for them, the kids had a great homemade lunch, then played in the playground and lounge area until the buzzer told them that school had resumed. They ran inside, dressed up and partied the rest of the day away. They were joined by parents and it had the feel of a home celebration.
In point of fact, it was.
-0-Earth2
They finished lunch, then walked back in to have their party. There were nearly 400 kids here with a good 37 attending bot schools. The parties would be held in the school with food, games, dress up and a good scary movie. Their families would come and go, they would parade around the facility, then the day would end happily. They would trick or treat among the apartments that night, all of the children rapping on doors. It would be a very happy day for everyone, especially for the kids from other cultures who had never done this before. They would declare it awesome.
-0-Unidad Terra 1
They trick or treated among the offices and different stores, homes and places where humans worked. They had decided to do it now rather than later because it was more fun during the day, apparently. There was going to be a film for the kids in the theater tonight so they got the hoohah over early. A good 450 kids lived and worked in the facility, attending their school and making life here a many splendored thing for everyone. There were applications from 26 kids to attend bot schools which were pending. Most of them liked the habitat, liked to run around in the farm dome and play with the animals. There was a lot to do and places to go. Even those from Earth2 and Earth 1 loved to come here to visit.
All in all, it would be a happy and mellow afternoon in Farm Land.
-0-Ops Center
They sat gabbing together when the call came. Ratchet frowned. "Frag. It never fails to happen," he said as he rose to stand.
"Hurry up and get back," Prime said as he glanced at Prowl. "That is, if you can."
"I'll try but processor surgeries are unpredictable," Ratchet said. "Don't pop until I get back, slagger." He then walked swiftly to the door to bridge to Oasis Base and three very serious processor injury cases that demanded someone of Ratchet's skill.
Prowl and Prime watched him go. "Why do I feel this is going to be a bad thing?" Prowl asked.
Prime vented a sigh. "Practice?" he asked wistfully.
-0-TBC 11-1-18 edited 11-3-18