The Diego Diaries: Mundane Things (dd6 513)
-0-Morning
They walked out, elders, a passel of kids and a big grinning dog. Ironhide and Ratchet watched them go, then turned to each other. "Well, that was fun," Ratchet said with a grin. "What are you going to do today?"
"I have to do things. Walk around the colony. Shake doors. Look at bombs," Ironhide said as he walked to the kitchen and started the dishwasher. He had undertaken for himself every orn two 'big chores' … pressing the dishwasher button and watching Hero fill up the clothing washer. She sorted the few things they had and kept a running commentary while he held, then placed the stain pencil to mark where she pointed. Halo would stand next to her and they would chat about stains and how hard it was to keep things white.
It was hilarious.
"What about you?" Ironhide said as they walked out the door together. "Well, I'm off duty so I'm going up to vent on Prowl, then head for the store. We need to lay in grub and I have to get my candy making slag for the contest in a few."
"That's right. Candy. I suppose you're making fudge?" Ironhide asked as they both rode upward to the Penthouse, Ironhide with a grinning Halo on his arm. She was in a white padded onesie and looked as cute as ever.
"I might. You never know," Ratchet said as he considered what he would make. He hadn't made up his mind yet but he had ideas. He'd actually scored third place in the cookie contest the year before by emptying the kitchen sink into his offering. Don't fix what isn't broke he thought as he rapped on the penthouse door, then stepped inside. "Hi, honey. I'm home."
Prowl who was lounging on the couch with his peds up and a heavily blanketed infant in his arms grinned. "Come in, slaggers."
"We are," Ratchet said with a smile. He scanned Prowl, then sat down next to him putting his own big old peds on the coffee table beside Prowl's. "Hope it holds the two of us."
"It will. I made sure everything here can take an aerial bombardment," Prowl said. "How were the surgeries?"
"I checked the mail this morning. Rocky night for the atar but all three are stable. I expect them to recover and when they're up to it, they're being brought here with the rest of the family. Stanix family so expect the population to grow by a couple of hundred when they do."
Prowl grinned, then peeked at the baby. "The more, the merrier."
"Mech or femme?" Ratchet asked.
"I don't have to tell you a thing but mech," Prowl said with a grin. "Naming ceremony in a few. We might take it down a peg and have it at the Central Labor Hall like with Prima and have a page online for the community stuff."
"I can see that," Ratchet said. "We can have a dinner and party."
"I think that might be wise," Prowl said. "We're going to release pictures and do a short interview with The Hourly News so everyone can see him and get the news. I would hate to see the crowd otherwise."
"Fireworks and the rest of the slag?" Ratchet asked as Prime walked out and paused beside Ironhide.
"Maybe," Prime said with a grin. "I find that sort of … ostentatious?"
"Don't. It's good for everyone. More continuity and more opportunity to party," Ratchet said. "What's on the agenda today?"
"We're going to Cybertron," Optimus said as he glanced at Ironhide.
"We are?" Ironhide asked.
"We are, old friend," Optimus said. "We're going to look at some artifacts and tour some rebuilds. The factory districts at Nova Cronum, Altihex, Helex and Tarn are online and they're state of the art. All of the things that should have been there are now." He grinned. "Jetta did the redesign."
"I'm glad. He's quite the son. Takes after his old ma," Ratchet said with a grin.
"Son-in-law," Ironhide said as the two walked toward the door.
"If you say so, Old Mech," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile.
Both of them grinned, then Prime walked back to kiss Prowl. He peered at the new baby with a look of great love and happiness. "See ya later. Don't do anything but rest, Prowl," Optimus said before he joined Ironhide and left.
They watched the door close, then glanced at each other. "He's really come down on you this time. And of course, you obeyed like Orion."
Prowl snickered. "He's sort of getting softer about such things," he said. "I don't mind. I find it sweet. I think he has moments when he can't get over having a family. Every new baby is a shock to the system. He's been very stoic and very, very focused over the eons. He's never let down until now and it still surprises him."
Ratchet nodded. "Our mech is a good one, that one. I think a dinner will be nice. I was going to have Ironhide help me shop for slag and I may just wait for him when he gets back. I love going to stores with him. He's such a doofus. Did you know a couple of kids who work in the offices in the back have him and his family on facial recognition so that whenever they come into the grocery at Metroplex they can watch on the cameras. They think those slaggers are hilarious."
"They are," Prowl said with a grin.
"Don't tell them. They're bad enough as it is now," Ratchet said with a grin. "You're off duty for three orns minimum by the way. Route work here but you can't go anywhere."
"Slave driver," Prowl said as Ratchet stood. "Where are you going?"
"I have to check on a few things, mostly overnight holds," Ratchet said. "How about I bring lunch around 1200?"
"Sounds good. Make it edible. Take out will do," Prowl said with a smirk as he watched Ratchet walk to the door.
"You don't trust my cooking?" Ratchet said as he opened the door. He grinned at Prowl even as he itched to see the tiny poltergeist in the blankets. Who knew which version of Prime this would be?
"No," Prowl said with a smile.
"Fragger," Ratchet said as he chuckled and left. The door closed behind him.
Prowl stared at the door, then stood. He walked through the penthouse to the room where the baby would sleep by himself eventually. He lay him on the changing table and unwrapped him. The baby was beautiful, big like all of them were and happy. He smiled at Prowl. "Being that close to the Matrix really makes you mellow."
The baby waved a fist, then smiled again. Prowl smiled back. "That makes seven. He may still be ahead but we're catching up." He leaned closer. "I'll let you in on a little secret. All of you are mine."
The baby smiled. So did Prowl.
-0-Outside
He cruised along the sidewalk waving at some and grinning at others. He felt good and looked forward to grocery shopping with Ironhide later. Heading to the shop called Glam across the street from the Mall of Metroplex, Ratchet entered then began to browse. It was the shop that Needlenose operated here that was a showcase for his designs and other fashions of embellishment and paint schemes that made him so popular on Cybertron. Pausing in front of a case, he looked at the sparklers inside.
A young femme walked to where he stood. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Ratchet said. "I want to get two embellishments for my daughters, one a toddler and the other a small child. I think something like these will do. I want to get my Christmas Surprise shopping done early."
"I think those are beautiful, too," she said as she opened the case. They would discuss different embellishments, then decide on two that were small and perfect. One was a tiny ruby heart for Halo and the other a tiny hummingbird for Hero that had rubies, emeralds and a tiny diamond optic. She was the one who wanted a hummingbird costume for Halloween, setting off the stampede by the others. She would be getting one for Christmas Surprise as well. When Ratchet left, it would be two down and a gazillion to go.
-0-Cybertron
"Where were they found? They look waterlogged," Ironhide asked as they stared at three ancient type books that were pulled out of a culvert.
"They were found in a ditch covered with steel. Fortunately, being in the water all this time preserved them because the material they're made of is able to take the dousing. Right now, if we take them out without preserving them first, they'll dry out and fall apart. These are two of the oldest versions of the Chronicles and the Acts ever found. We're transferring them to the Museum of Cybertron on Mars so that the conservation department can restore them. I don't think they're ever going to be handled easily but we can maybe showcase them in a special conditions container. I heard a Maker was on Mars," Staple, the field archaeologist said.
"My amma," Ironhide said. "He's from The Elder Clan and he's a Maker. I can give him the heads up. If you want anything special for it let him know."
"I will," Staple said. "Who is he?"
"Turbine of Praxus," Ironhide said proudly. "He's a Teacher and Scribe as well as a Maker. He's got the entire catalog in his databanks including the oldest and most secret stuff."
"That's astounding. Maybe he can come and look at a number of other things we have here," Staple said.
Ironhide paused a moment to call, then grinned. "He's on his way. He was working at his district HQ. He has the southwestern quadrant, A8."
"He works on world?" Staple asked. "That's handy. A lot of us could use an expert optic and there's a lot of things that can be saved by the proper container."
A bridge sounded outside of the warehouse that was the artifact storage for things found. Turbine stepped into the building and walked to the group. He hugged Ironhide's shoulders. "You called?"
"They need a Maker, Amma," Ironhide said. He introduced everyone, then Prime and Ironhide headed out to the next stop.
They boarded a shuttle with the rest of the team, then rose into the dark sky for the next location. Prime grinned. "You have the strangest family. From the ridiculous to the sublime."
Ironhide preened slightly. "You just noticed?"
The ship continued onward toward the better lighted relatively restored area of Polyhex.
-0-1200 hours
They sat on the couch with their peds up as they ate their lunch. A sort of pocket sandwich filled with all kinds of good slag that was popular among the working mechs on Cybertron, cold beer, sides and a dessert waiting in their boxes rounded out the meal. They were discussing the upcoming episode of 'Platoon: Autobot City' called 'Mundane Things' as well as the new season of 'The Bridge'.
"I don't know about you but Lexis and Andy need to just get it over with and find a utility closet," Ratchet said. "I mean … how much leering at each other and double entendre can a mech stand?"
"I don't know … it makes me a bit bilious to think about them doing whatever humans do when they do … uh, that," Prowl said as he sipped his beer. "Optimus laughs."
"Ironhide whines like a school girl," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "What about Guthrie? Do you really think that Hollander assassinated him or is this just some slagging red herring? I don't trust either of them as far as I can throw them."
"I know. America's had about four presidents assassinated. I don't know. Guthrie is such a good villain. By the way, the actors have been given a pass to drive and travel around wherever they want. I expect they'll get the fan boy treatment here as they would on Earth. Diego is going into heavy rotation for the new season. They're holding a conference there with a lot of world leaders and they're planning a terrorist attack and hostage thing. The boys, of course, will be here and have to go there. I was told that aquatic bots and a few of the senior Autobots are going to be recruited," Prowl said.
"How about a majestic doctor? Do they need one of those?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
"They do but I don't know where they're going to find one," Prowl said with a chuckle.
"Oh, ha-ha," Ratchet said. "What about your candy recipe? And is the usual on or do we go to the Central Labor Hall and do the whole thing there?"
"I think that would be a good idea and I do have my recipe. It's genius, of course," Prowl said with a smirk. "Prepare to be defeated.
Ratchet grinned. He had decided to make a bar with everything in it. It would be chocolate with all kinds of candy, dried fruit and nuts. It would have his picture on them as well. It paid to advertise. "You can dream. Hercy and Kup will ace it. Watch and be afraid."
"You aren't even going to try are you," Prowl said with a chuckle.
"Always, Prowler. Always," Ratchet said as he began to make a mental list … trophies, candy, something slagging awesome as an entree for the dinner, a pile of potatoes and gravy as big as Ironhide, orbs of all manner and kind, bicarbonate of soda just in case … He laughed. "Engarde, Prowler."
"Back at ya, slagger," Prowl said with a grin.
Lunch would be pleasant in the penthouse at the top of Tower 1 in the City of the Autobots.
-0-TBC 11-5-18 edited 11-19-18