The Diego Diaries: Face Time (dd6 581)
=0=Getting organized for war
"What about the game tomorrow?" Arcee asked as they gathered in the sub command facility under Ops Center.
Prowl sat, then glanced at her. "We're tracking the fleet. Unless things change for whatever reason, they won't be in place for us to interdict for three orns. The game goes onward unless called."
"Good," she said with a grin.
They sat down and began to work out the plan.
=0=Autobot City Processor Hospital and Outpatient Facility, 'Main Street', Autobot City
Ratchet walked into the sun room where Waldeen sat staring at the whirl below. The newest construction driven by need had raised the three story building ten more. At the end of every floor from the fourth through the top was a sun room with chairs, entertainment diversion and clear views of The City down what was referred to as Main Street among the locals.
It was actually Metroplex Highway 1 that led broadly down to the Temple District and the junction at The Fortress before heading out of town. The library roof could be seen as well as apartments in the towers on both sides of the broad highway, Metroplex Mall and the main business district downtown. Pedestrians flooded the sidewalks, the traffic was brisk both civilian, military and commercial and the odd human could be seen putting around on Segway or truck heading who knew where. Signs and banners graced the street and Cybertronian lights regulated ebb and flow. It was a fascinating view and thus was part of a lot of patient's planning to come and sit here to see what the world offered.
Ratchet walked to the couch and sat down, patting Waldeen's arm. "Good morning, infant. How do you feel today?" Ratchet came every day, all things pending since that first visit when Waldeen referred to him as killed by the Pantheon. It helped. He hadn't repeated that remark since.
He glanced at Ratchet then took his servo. "The view is nice. I like being here."
"Some fine orn you'll be there, too. You'll be walking in the crowds and having a time," Ratchet said.
"I don't know. Maybe," he said.
"Have you gone to therapy?"
"I have."
"Does it help?" Ratchet asked.
"When Lady Sela is there. She doesn't lie," Waldeen said with a nod.
"No. She's pretty holy, that femme," Ratchet said. "How's your atar today? I heard you have breakfast with him now."
"He's better. He's on the fifth floor with Gravitas and Templar. They come twice an orn. They help him," Waldeen said.
"That's great," Ratchet replied. "What about your ada?"
"He comes twice an orn as well, to me and Atar. He doesn't think anything has changed," Waldeen said.
"How is your atar when Millow leaves?" Ratchet said.
"Confused. Upset," Waldeen replied.
"Oh," Ratchet mused. "Why don't we go find your atar? How about that?"
Waldeen glanced at him, then nodded. Rising, his servo gripping Ratchet's tightly, he walked with that mech to the elevator trailed by his nursing aide. They got off on a sunny floor with open doors. Some rooms were filled and others not. Mechs were probably at counseling or other group places. They entered the sun room, then grinned at the three mechs there.
"Hi," Ratchet said as he moved to a couch to sit with Waldeen. "You look well, Traachon."
He nodded to his son with a faint grin, then looked at Ratchet. "Thank you."
"These rooms are pretty wonderful," Ratchet said. "Look down there. A food truck."
They did, then glanced back to Ratchet. "Have you ever had a hot dog?" he asked with a big smile.
They stared at him, then shook their helms.
"Well, that won't do," Ratchet said. "Let's go down there and have a hot dog. Then we can come back and chat. Who's with me?"
Traachon and Waldeen stared at him, then Waldeen hesitantly stood. "I don't know what they are."
"Nectar from heaven," Ratchet said parsing his words to leave gods out. "The best thing ever."
Traachon slowly rose, then nodded. "Okay."
Gravitas and Templar rose, then slipped their arms through Traachon's. "I love them. I like the ones they call reindeer hot dogs. Very spicy and delightful," Templar said in his kind way.
Gravitas nodded. "I eat them on many occasions, mostly before going on rounds. You will like them, Traachon. If both of you like them, we can bring you one when we come. Would you like that?" Gravitas said kindly as they walked out trailed by two orderlies who would have to come along.
"I … that would be very good of you, Gravitas," Traachon said as the elevator doors closed on the group.
Down on the ground …
They walked out and paused in front of the doors to get a bead on things. It was very brightly sunny but still cold. No one was bothered but it was incongruous. Pedestrians vied with vehicles for most colorful representation as Ratchet turned to the group. "Let's cross at the junction, then load up. Lunch is on me," he said with a gigantic smile.
Most of them laughed minus two, one of which grinned slightly, Traachon, then they ambled onward. Ratchet kept up a running commentary as they reached the junction, crossed, then continued down the sidewalk on that side. They reached the food truck and joined the line. Ratchet explained their choices, they all chose, then he gave the order.
Ratchet grinned at the two solemn figures with him. "I love hot dogs. Any food that you can eat to the last bite without washing dishes is my kind of eats," he said as the order arrived at the pick up window. They took theirs then stepped to one side gathering before the window of Needlenose's store, Grand Design. Ratchet grinned, then took a bite. Chewing it, he savored it then grinned again. "You can try it. I think you might like it."
Waldeen looked at his then took a bite. He savored it as he glanced around, then looked at Ratchet. "This is good. I like it."
"Good. We can have street food as a goal. There are street food set ups everywhere. When we get done with this I'll show you the wonders of sundaes."
They ate together, the two more relaxed than seen before as they ate and looked around themselves. Lots of individuals passed by, some waving and nodding before disappearing elsewhere. Both mechs watched, both seemed to be enjoying this change of pace as the whirl included them.
Ratchet finished, then grinned. "Let me get the sundaes. Its probably new food to you both."
They nodded, then watched as he joined the line, gave his order in time, then waited at the pick up station of the truck.
"He does things. He knows what to do," Waldeen said as he glanced at the two priests and his father. "Ratchet will help us. He said he would."
Gravitas nodded. "He helped me. I was so lost and sad. Then this place gave me back my spark. I could never live anywhere else any other way."
Templar nodded. "We found purpose. We began to dig the Temple out with our bare servos. We were so desperate to help. It was a very emotional moment but we needed it. It's how it is for you. You will find your way and we will help you. Then you will find your true calling, one that honors everyone as well as you. This place is a place of miracles."
Traachon finished his hot dog, then looked at the two. "I would like to find … something. I think I'm lost in the dark. My son is my blessing, I know. I don't know how to help him."
"We can do that. Ratchet will help. He's never given up on anyone. He loves that way," Gravitas said. "Just know you are desperately loved by those you may not even know. It is the only way we can all be happy, do you see?"
"I'm trying. It feels … arid inside," Traachon said with a sigh.
"We will help both of you," Templar said as Ratchet came with a tray of sundaes.
"Here you go," he said as he passed them out. They began to eat a moment, then Waldeen turned to him. "This is good," he said.
"It's a new therapy I just made up," Ratchet said with a huge smile. They would chat for a while, then walk back slowly, savoring the sights and sounds before entering again. It would be a good interlude for two lost sparks.
Later …
Ratchet stood at the desk talking to the therapists that handled the two. They were filling him in on their progress.
"Doctor, we're finding that when Millow, the bond leaves that Traachon his adversely affected by the visit. It would appear that he's working against the treatment we're giving, causing upset and confusion. I'm of the opinion that he's going to either slow down or break up Traachon's recovery. Right now, he discusses this situation in counseling, something its taken all this time to accomplish. When Millow goes we have to start all over again."
Ratchet nodded. "I'll get with Rung and Jarro about this. Give me a moment," he said as he went off line. There was a conference, then a decision was made. "Put Millow on the forbidden list for visits. We're going to handle this. If he shows up and there's a problem, call me. I'll be right over."
The doctors nodded, they talked longer, then Ratchet left.
=0=School, The Monastery of the Clavis Aurea
They worked through their problems then sat quietly as their teachers, all of them Guiding Hand volunteers working here with counselors, child specialists and child trauma experts got their 'fun time' activity together. They were going to make, bake and frost cookies.
The school was a cozy place designed to be happy and welcoming. There was the classroom part, the play part, the cooking center and an art room. It was big, well lit with sunlight from the big windows and calm. All of the children were students here along with a few from their host families to give them comfort.
Their genitors were given leave to take this on full time and they worked here, did recess duties as well as served the big home made lunch brought here from The Catering Place designed to teach them of more complex food with texture and design. None of them had ever had pizza, hot dogs or other 'fun food' that the colony doted upon.
Now they did. Also spaghetti, pancakes, eggs with cheese, scones with clotted cream and jam, all manner of finger foods such as the ubiquitous nuggets that probably existed on all planets in all galaxies and desserts like brownies, cookies, cakes and ice cream. The plethora of Cybertronian food was also served on alternating orns to increase the palate of the children from a life time of the most simple and dreary liquid form of energon.
Lunch was getting to be anticipated by some of them and they would hopefully help the others to unbend.
Mr. Bodie looked at the kids. "We're going to get messy. We're going to mold clay, then paint it with our servos. It doesn't have to resemble anything or it can. Its up to you."
The kids stared at him, then each other. It would take a bit of explaining and demonstrating before they got it. Then they would do it and some of them would like it. Some of them would give the tiniest and smallest grin they felt they could as they squeezed the soft silken clay-like material with their digits.
It was a start.
=0=Around the town
The new kids as they were called by locals stood on the corner watching the traffic. They were in City 4 of Crater District 1 and it was nearing noon. Lunch was on the agenda of the kids who hadn't organized their lives yet. They had a few more orns but after that they would register on the database prompting Refugee counselors with security to track them down to see what was up.
Glancing around, they walked across the street at the lights to go to The Diner On The Corner which had just opened here. Entering, they took a booth near the back to watch the door. They'd been beefing with gangs who were here already, only one of which was high caste. They'd talked to them but decided against merging. Their own gang was old and venerated wherever they went, if veneration meant feared and opposed. Given they were high caste, either was of no consequence to them.
A gang fight here had killed a kid and wounded three others grievously. All through their own travails they'd never had to fight another group. Here, there were about five or six gangs or so others said and the Watch had an officer just to track them. He was good, they said, someone named Hauser and you better avoid him, they said.
They would. They had things to do and no one wanted to go to jail, even here. Especially here. Besides, they were going to the basketball game the next orn and nothing could get in the middle of that. They all found they loved basketball.
Kaon v Iacon.
Just their sort of evening.
They ate their food, laughed and told jokes, then walked out to look around, mostly to find and identify the competition.
=0=TBC 1-30-19
ESL:
Incongruous: (in-cun-groo-us) Something that somehow doesn't fit. A duck in a flock of chickens is incongruous. A flying saucer waiting at a traffic light would be incongruous. :D Or not. ;)