The Diego Diaries: PLAY BALL! (dd6 588)
=0=Game on
Prowl leaned over the wall to cheer on Iacon while Ratchet leaned over to help assimilate the punch to the gut he got for sharing how (un)photogenic Prowl was as a moody child. Miler was still laughing as Venture went on to tell Kes and Tagg the circumstances behind the photos. Prowl was working overtime to ignore everyone including some in the crowd who were hooting at him.
Down below, the game was roaring hot. Iacon blocked several shots on goal, Ironhide got cartwheeled out of the game by a well placed shoulder from Sideswipe, Sunstreaker got slammed into the wall trying to dunk a shot on his GREAT GREAT GRAND APPA and missing by a mile. (It would be much remarked upon that a great great grand appa was able to foil his great great grandson like that among the humans here and in every other dimension where humans and their incredulity existed.)
Back and forth, around and around they went as Chromia, Jetta, Blackjack and Prime scored. Then Prime scored again. By then, Ratchet was standing up yelling without musical accompaniment, Prowl was hopping in place like a late convert to Iacon, everyone else would be watching Kes and Tagg exult over their son in their kind, sweet, gentle manner and all would be good.
Or it would until Ratchet pulled his xylophone out of sub space and began to play Moon River on it with the two little mallets that came with it. He was well into the song before Prowl noticed, then tipped it off the wall where it was sitting.
Ratchet turned to Prowl, rapped him with the mallets, then they, too, went over the wall. It was only through the intervention of Miler that Ratchet didn't join them.
ROAR!
IACON! IACON! IACON!
KAON! KAON! KAON!
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!
The siren finally sounded. Everyone slowed to a halt, then turned almost as one to the score board nearby the announcer's booth. It read, IACON 50, KAON 10.
The place went up in flames.
=0=Control booth with The Team
"BWAHAHAHAHA! DID YOU SEE THE XYLOPHONE!?" -Blaster, blasting
"BWAHAHAHAHA! I DID! ESPN IS GOING TO HAVE A GREAT BLOOPER REAL FOR THE END OF THE SEASON!" -Jazz, jazzing
"I KNOW!" -Revet, uh ...
"BWAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAAA!" -all of them
=0=In the arena
:I LOVE BASKETBALL! I THOUGHT FOOTBALL WAS AWESOME BUT THIS IS SO GREAT!: Lonnie Epps said as she convulsed with laughter. :I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IF THEY REALLY DO AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL AND SOCCER LIKE THE RUMORS SAY!"
:This place can't … CAN'T get better if it tried: Lola Teasdale said as she stood beside her beau, Sargent Merle Anders from Holland. He was a new striker and a great guy, someone who could handle a twin with a jones for automobiles.
Standing in the box with them were the two M.E.C.H. moles from the Consulate. Lennox and the command knew they were so it was all good for the short term. When they were on the radar, they were covered. The net would eventually close on them when the breakthrough from tracking backward from them to the Earth bound cells was complete. Until then, semper fi.
It would take a while to get out of the arena but they would all go to Earth 1 for the post game party which was going on just about everywhere that humans were living here as they waited for the run up to the next two games that followed over the next two days.
=0=At the street some time later as the crowds either thinned out to go home or into the next arena for the next game
They reached the street at last, the mob of family and friends, exchanged slag, then turned almost as one to Drift and Springer who walked out with fifteen awe struck kids.
Prime grinned at them. "You were very professional in your duty, infants. You bring honor to your houses."
They looked at him, the Prime of their people, then crowded closer. Pulley stared at him. "We want to do this. I've never had so much fun before. This is the most fun ever. Did you know that we get to ride with the Watch patrol this weekend? We get to go in three man teams, all of us."
Prime glanced at Springer, Drift, Kup, Hercy, Lon, Bezel, Partition who looked at them like a proud father and Lancer who was standing behind him with her arms around his waist. "I can see that. You will learn a lot from your mentors. We are going to dinner now. What is in store for you and your comrades?" Prime asked Pulley.
"We can come to dinner, too," he said with enthusiasm as the others nodded. "My genitors won't mind."
Prime grinned. "Then come with us. We are going to Iacon and The Tower In The Sky. Do let your genitors know and if they require you, then you must go."
The kids nodded, then ran for the communications kiosk nearby to call home. They weren't old enough to have internal communications themselves, though the titanic kids who were waiting for them did by virtue of their frame and past life experiences on the run.
"Those kids are adorable. Remember when they were a pain in the aft?" Ratchet asked Prowl who was still holding Prima.
"I remember. Getting them into the community appears to be key. How is the medical program part?" he asked.
"Going great. My doctors mentor one each and they're doing a great job. They have to keep their school work in order to stay in and they do it. I'm proud of them," Ratchet replied.
The kids began to drift back until they were all ready. Some of their genitors were not happy but their kids were determined so they were allowed. When they were all cleared Prowl glanced at the station nearby. "Everyone move out."
Prime looked at him with a smirk. "That is my line." He looked at everyone and then the kids who looked at him like he was a god. "Autobots! Roll out!"
With a whoop and an abundance of joy, the entire group walked toward the Metro line and the short, noisy, happy and crowded ride to Iacon.
It seemed fitting.
=0=Broadcast booth and panel with the M.C.A. sports team
"I have to tell you, gentlemen," Daniel Patrick said, "If you don't get me a chance to broadcast from Retriarius I'll expire."
Jazz laughed. "We can look into it. We have two more games today and tomorrow and then its going to be ten days before it happens again. We'll talk to Sciences about it."
"Thank you," Patrick said. "I'll owe you one. Tell me about Prowl and Ratchet. Once again, Ratchet showed what the true meaning of team spirit is."
Everyone laughed loudly.
"We're tribal about our city-states and teams. We have our own songs, hakas, heroes and traditions. Prowl is a Praxian and Ratchet is Iaconian. Those two have great team rivalries and its not an easy thing for Prowl to support any team but his own home town. Because Prime is an Invader and from Iacon himself, it means Prowl has to shift loyalties.
"Iacon had a tradition with all its teams for wild aft fans doing things like Ratchet's doing. That's part and parcel of their team tradition. Prowl is from a university town with a much more prim and proper background. Vos is famed for fights and so is Kaon. There's as much team spirit in the parking lot after the game in those two towns as there is on the court.
"Every town has its own thing and goofy stunting during the game and before as well as after is an Iaconian thing," Jazz said. "Its hilarious to me to see you humans looking at it with such … appreciation but its Iaconian. Tarn and a number of other teams have their own thing. That's pure Iaconian."
"You're from Kaon. What did you do after games, Jazz?" Tyler asked.
"Well … let me see …," he said as he glanced at Blaster. "Do you suppose the statutes of limitations have run out?"
Both laughed loudly.
"I think I was breaking into houses during the games. You had to have lots of cash or connections to get into games if you weren't high caste or even mid. Therefore, I used my time in more constructive pursuits," Jazz said with a dazzling smile.
"You broke into homes," Blaster said with a chuckle. "I used to do broadcasts so I got in. I'm mid caste so it was sort of easier and having a purpose gave me the open door. Understand, everything has a purpose in the long run. Its not for nothing that Jazz is a special ops expert and runs deep intel for the Prime."
Jazz smiled brilliantly. "That's so."
"What about the season? Iacon is undefeated. How did that happen?" Tyler asked. "From your side of the fence."
"What most don't know is that Elita, Arcee, Chromia and Jetta, Prime grew up in the same neighborhood. They played in games together and they knew each other all their lives. They had eons of practice at games and know each other's moves. No one really gets that. They aren't a scratch team like everyone else. Prime liked basketball from the moment he got here and has been pushing for a court to play. The games grew out of that and he's stoked. Prime is a playah," Blaster replied. "The rest are enthusiastic amateurs. It should be known that Ratchet grew up in the same slum as the others but they didn't meet until the army because the population was so dense. Three blocks away and they never met until they were in the armed forces. Iacon is favored to take the championship and if Prowl's force of will has any effect, it'll be Iacon all the way," Jazz said.
"What's the story with the pictures on the jumbotron? That was Prowl as a child, right? What a dour little kid he was," Patrick said with a grin.
"That was Prowl as a kid. He was super, super high caste but he hated it. He hates the System of Exception with a passion and has since he was born, I think. He never agreed with the ingrained unfairness and criminality of it. He became a cop to end it and an Autobot to fight it. He was never happy with his wealth and position because he knew the cost of it for everyone else. I don't think his parents have a picture of him where he isn't wilted or sneering. That's our Prowler," Jazz said with a chuckle.
"I think what Ratchet calls his look is Gothic. Apparently, there's apparel and face paint that goes with it but you get the idea. Prowl was a Gothic teen, I think," Blaster said. He laughed. "Poor Prowl. He did give Ratchet a good punch for that but Prowl better understand, Ratchet's from Iacon and there's no end to the lunacy that he's probably going to bring to the game."
"We count on it," Daniel Patrick said with a laugh.
=0=On the train to Iacon
They were packed in good and the laughs and hoo-haw was long and loud. By the time they reached Metro 1-Iacon they were ready to get off. Climbing the stairs with happy chatty kids in the mix was fun and so was the walk to the building where the restaurant was. Up they went in several elevators, joined as they were by the usual horde and hangers on including a slightly morose group of Kaonians.
They walked in, pushed tables together, arranged for the kids big and small, then sat down. They filled up most of the big dining room. Orders were taken, infants were settled with their sippy cups and all was well in their world.
"This is nice," Sil said as she sat between Kup and Hercy. "Do you do this after games, Commander Kup?"
"We do, infant. Team spirit is Cybertronian spirit. You build family when you spend time together," he said with a grin.
"My family wouldn't agree to this but for my Amma and Appa," she said. "They still think that way, some of them. My amma and appa are great."
"Then maybe we should ask them to come," Hercy said.
Sil looked at him with a hopeful expression. "Should I?"
"I think you should, infant. You can tell them about your efforts with the mentor groups," Typhoon said as he glanced at her around Clipper. "Cultivate the family who's on the same page and they'll help the others learn."
She smiled, then nodded. "Alright, Appa. Is there a comm device somewhere?" she asked as she glanced around. "Over there," she said as she rose. Half the kids would go with her and a few moments later they would all have to push more tables together.
It would be epic.
=0=TBC 2-7-19 2-19-19