The Diego Diaries: After Hoops! (dd6 553)
=0=On the sidewalk in front of the Arena
There were lines snaking into the building to watch Vos play someone and someone else play another team as they gathered on the plaza to wait for everyone.
No one had the team play schedule before them.
Iacon's fans were hooting around the courtyard yelling at the top of their processors. Tarn was taking it philosophically … there were several arrests for fights in the courtyard ongoing at the moment. Who knew what the situation would be in the cities beyond. It, however, was deeply colorful and inspiring.
Like Ratchet's team spirit.
He was given enormous feedback for his efforts by the punters exiting the arena, much of it complimentary in a derogatory manner but funny none the less. It might be louder and more colorful the next time Iacon played, no thanks to him.
He got no thanks from Prowl.
The family wandered out, those who weren't on the team or hanging around to laugh through the interviews as the playahs preened and fake humbled themselves before the sports writers on several worlds. The biggest get of all, Optimus was going to be a while so they checked out the squad with them and headed for the subway or Club Cybertron whichever came first. Soon, everyone available vanished from sight to ride the rails to infamy.
Probably. Or not.
At least Prowl would.
=0=At the Clerb
They stood outside Club Cybertron in The City noting that the dispersing crowds hadn't reached it yet. It was pretty packed out anyway from those watching the game there so they sauntered in like hot stuff and got a table in the lounge. Pushing them together, they sat and ordered. Kicking back, they noted several had infants in their hold including Possibility and Halo.
"Looks like you're going home early from our rampage," Ratchet said as he sipped his beer.
Ravel grinned. "Maybe we can get a babysitter and get arrested as well."
Everyone stared at him a moment, then applauded to Ravel's everlasting delight.
"Nice one, Ada. I think that would be great. The family that goes to prison together also goes to youth court together," Ratchet said with a grin. "The infants have to wait awhile before they get their own rap sheet."
"Rap sheet?" Ravel asked because he was a sweet good mech.
"Arrest record or as Ratchet would call it, resume," Prowl said with a smirk.
Prowl got applause, too.
=0=At the arena in the media room in front of cameras that fronted questions from sportscasters from Earth
"Did you ever feel that this might be a problem for your dignity as a leader of your empire, sir? You didn't feel that this was beneath you as a thing to do? I ask because other than a shirtless man from the steppes, I can't think of anyone else among the leadership of the Earth who makes any attempt to do this sort of thing even privately," a cheeky British sportscaster asked.
Prime grinned slightly. "I like basketball. When this became possible I decided to play. Our game might be different and less predictable for what might occur, but its also very hard to do well and you have to have stamina and strength as well as demonstrate skill. I see it as a good way to enjoy myself and to entertain others. We do not stand on ceremony here. No one is automatically better than anyone else. If someone wants to participate they are encouraged. I have been waiting for this league for a long time."
"Your team won by a good margin against a very strong and determined team. Does the violence in the game seem excessive to you? Do you worry that it might encourage others to do the same? I would imagine that this will show up here on Earth at some point as well," a sportscaster from Australia asked.
Prime considered that. "I do not like violence but I know that the sports we play have that element. I play the game and keep away from the violence as best I can. When it presents itself I will react but I do not start it myself. I would hope that it does not occur on Earth but then you have a habit of taking games and making them violent. Boxing is violent in its own way but it has morphed into mixed martial arts. Your various football games are violent as well. It happens and in our game we have it but I will not be the one who starts it. We can play this game well without it."
"What do you think your prospects are for the Martian Cup and how did your team get so organized and cohesive in such a short time?" someone from Mexico asked.
"We have a good shot at the Cup. We play a very team-oriented game. We have worked on our play for some time. I have been playing basket ball for fun with my team mates for a long time in a warehouse in the Industrial Park and when it appeared that this could happen we worked on our game for that. I have a good idea that we will place in the run up. Whether that translates to the Cup remains to be seen."
"A number of individuals have opined that this is something that demeans your prestige. Some have said that it trivializes you as a world figure. What do you say to that?" someone from Canada asked.
Prime grinned. "I do not care. When the day comes that anyone anywhere cannot have fun because of other people's opinions, that is their problem, not mine. For me, I am having fun. I do not believe that it demeans me in any manner. Our society is more informal than most and when we do things, we enjoy them. I can also walk around my empire without a body guard escort. We are one, our people and we do what we feel we want to do. Those people might try to do the same."
It would go on for a while.
=0=Clubbin'
Ravel and Kestrel with Tie Down and Tagg left with the children, taking them home to sitters that had been called. They had decided to cut loose and do the town with the punters. It would be a rowdy group that would hit the streets shortly when the big boys came. The train system would be their pony and all of them would ride. A half joor later, the big boys arrived so everyone decamped to go to the metro nearby. They would go to the Crater District, the first, to check out the scene. It would be swinging.
Basketball was a hit on Mars.
=0=At a club in City 6
They sat in a number of snugs, sliding in to chat and have a brew. Ratchet sat with his arm around Ironhide. He was laughing with his ada who sat on the other side with Tie. Several of the group were jumping all over the dance floor together. "So, how was the first game of the rest of your season? You got your bell rung hard."
"I did," Ironhide said with a grin. "We play Vos next. I've never played a sport against a Seeker. Those slaggers are big."
"They are. They can also claw out your optics," Ratchet said as he got another beer.
"Where the frag did you get the idea for your gear?" Sunstreaker asked with a worshipful expression. He was sitting with Bluestreak who was chatting with Miler.
"Well, it wasn't easy," Ratchet began with a giant smile. "I just thought what would embarrass Prowl the most and put the ensemble together. I thought it was fabulous."
"You would, Loon," Prowl said with a smirk. He was leaning into Optimus who was chatting over the booth with his father. They were laughing over something from the game. It was adorable.
"I want my cymbals back. And my air horn. My tambourine is a special order. The hat I made myself," Ratchet said.
"What about the medallion?" Sunstreaker asked with a snicker. "That's about the saddest thing I ever saw."
"Fragger. I may have one made for Kaon when football season starts," Ratchet replied.
"Don't hurry on our account," Sideswipe said with a chuckle.
"I'll have one made for both of you, too. The glyph for 'K' on one side and my smiling face on the other," Ratchet replied.
Huge laughter and several orders for one launched in reply as Kes and Tagg got up to dance. They were amazingly good as everyone watched them with appreciation.
"Too bad you and Prime don't show them how to dance, Prowl. You might have before you got drunk," Ratchet said.
Prowl turned cool optics onto Ratchet. "I'm not drunk." He looked straight up at Optimus. "I'm not drunk."
Prime glanced down at Prowl, then grinned. "Not yet, maybe. I do not discount that outcome."
Prowl grinned at Ratchet. "See? Opstimus said so."
"Well, as long as Opstimus thinks so," Ratchet replied.
Everyone got up to dance and the ball rolled on.
=0=At a dark place on the highway where an automated energon station stood illuminated with spotlights
They faced each other, two gangs from way back when. This was a set of 'social clubs' from way back in the orn on Cybertron that had outlasted The Fall and Great Exodus to continue in the Diaspora among the refugee groups. The first were the Transit Gang, a group who bore once upon a time leopard spots and raved on the transit systems of Cybertron. They would hop on and terrorize the passengers before jumping off and melting into the scene.
The other gang was one who bore zebra stripes and called themselves the Cells. What that meant was unclear but so was most of their history both on Cybertron and here. The Transit Gang was formerly high caste and the Cell was low. They had apparently chosen their teams and were here to duke it out. About 15 Cells stood before 12 Transits, both sides armed with iron bars and chains.
They stared at each other, then almost as one charged each other. The fighting was intense, brutal and short. When they were finished, one of the kids was dead and three others lay on the ground in dire condition. They would melt into the woodwork, shocked even among themselves at the carnage. It would take a mounted patrol passing by shortly after alerted by a disturbance from a sensor on a fence nearby that something might be going wrong there.
=0=At the Club
Ratchet got the call over his buzz. Sitting up, he listened as the cure flooded him, an automatic when this line was alerted. He glanced over the booth at Prime, filled him in off line, then jetted him the cure. Ratchet slid out of the booth, headed for the door and exited.
"What's with him?" Prowl asked as Prime began to slide out of the booth.
"He got a call. I am going to see it as well. Wait here. I will be back," Optimus said.
The group watched, those that weren't dancing, then glanced at each other. "I'll go see what's up. Wait here," Sunstreaker said as he slid out and walked to the door to leave.
The others watched them go, then more drinks arrived. They took them and went back to their conversation. Alert calls came all the time. If they went to all of them there would no nothing left to do in their orn. Dancing and drinks continued.
=0=At the scene
Horses stood nearby ground hitched as they waited. Springer, Hauser as the gang expert and general brief detective, Sky for Forensics, Ratchet for medical and a just arriving Prime and Sunstreaker gathered together. The scene was marked off and Sky's team was doing the evidence gathering. The kids who were hurt were already gone, airlifted to Autobot City Medical by runabout.
"What is the word here?" Prime asked as he joined them.
Hauser glanced at him. "Two gangs had a rumble. It would appear blunt objects and chains were the weapons of choice. One kid is dead, a Cell and three others badly wounded. There is evidence that a lot of kids were here but they fled. It would also appear that this got out of hand and they fled when they saw what they had done."
"Is there camera footage?" Prime asked.
"Sky had it captured and sent to Forensics in Metrotitan. Our video experts are going over it now," Springer said as Drift walked to the group to join them.
A pensive Lon, Bezel, Morius and three other youngling Watchmen who were doing their spin through mounted patrol stood nearby listening. It would appear that some of them had never been at the scene of a homicide before.
They discussed the situation, then a runabout landed and three mechs walled out, one carrying a stretcher. They walked to the group. "What about the body? Do we take it now or what?" one of them asked.
Sky called to the team in the cordoned off area. "Are you ready to move the body?"
They nodded. "We are, Sky."
Ratchet walked forward and entered the scene. He was directed to the dead kid, examined him, then motioned the stretcher bearers forward. They came in, gently loaded the kid, covered him with a plastic sheet, then walked out again to their ship. They were gone in minutes. Ratchet walked back out. "The night coroner will do the examination and autopsy. I suppose you'll have a CSI there to watch?" he asked Sky.
"I will," Sky said. "I alerted one to go there and assist the examination."
Prime shook his helm. "This should not have happened. No game was worth this. I want the gangs taken down, Hauser. If you need more resources then contact Prowl. No more of this," he said grimly.
Hauser nodded. "I will, Optimus."
They chatted a bit longer, then Ratchet, Sunstreaker and Prime walked out, transformed and drove off. They were heading for the Medical Center Morgue in The City.
=0=TBC 12-23-18 edited 12-30-18
ESL
derogatory: (dee-rog-ih-tory) something that is insulting
'certain man from the Steppes': begins with a P and rhymes with Wooten :D
to 'stand on ceremony' is to be formal. Not to do so is to be casual and informal.