The Diego Diaries: Cybertron and Stuff (dd6 650)
=0=The Diner On The Corner
"You okay, Prowler?"
Cool optics glanced Ratchet's way. "I am Prowl."
Ratchet gave him a zillion watt smile. "That's good. You remember your name. Continue."
A fist to his servo took care of that impertinence followed by a miraculous steal of a mad sparkling.
Ratchet rubbed his servo. "Slagger."
Prowl who was holding Orion in front of him like a rag doll grinned at the baby who grinned back. Then he turned his Cop Face to Ratchet. "It is obvious that you've failed to raise this infant properly so because of the abiding interest of the state in his welfare, I am confiscating him forthwith and will add him to my collection."
"Frag you, Prowler. You'll have him back to us in a joor," Ratchet said as he grinned at Prowl.
Prowl smirked at him, then sat back placing Orion on his shoulder. "Dream on."
Chuckles went around the room amongst the punters, then Turbine crossed his big arms over his big chassis. "We're parting him out. He has to be out of school so we're taking him. I have today and the next two. Then someone else. Maybe."
"We'll arm wrestle," Delphi said with a smile. He glanced at Ironhide. "You look terrible, infant."
Ironhide glanced at his great grand amma. "And you wouldn't be?"
"You forget I was there at the beach house when you took a header trying to carry the cyber fox up the steps. I saw you fall helm over tea kettle down and lay in the sand like a lump."
"That was awful," Turbine said. "He just lay there like a dead lump. Fortunately, you snapped out of it. Unfortunately, your speech glitch was fixed."
Everyone of his elders nodded.
"Will it damn me to the Pantheon to say I'm glad his speech is still cute?" Sun asked as he glanced at Hardie.
"No," Hardie said with a grin. "Who here isn't? Raise your servo."
None went up.
"He's going to talk like a champion some fine orn but not too soon," Alor said as he squeezed Orion's tiny ped. "What an adorable little mite you are." He glanced at Ironhide. "Hand her over."
Ironhide glared at his ada then opened his hold. Pulling out a sleeping Halo, he handed her over. Her sensor net glittered like diamonds.
Alor settled her on his arm then smiled at her. "Who's a sweet baby?"
"Ironhide," Prowl said with a smirk.
Everyone laughed but Ironhide.
"I suppose we have to go back to work," Blackjack said as he sat between Sun and 'Jack.
Everyone nodded.
"It would be nice," Prowl said. "Reports and all. The game and all. It's coming up."
"It is," Sun said.
Everyone nodded.
Sun glanced at a waiter leaning on a booth nearby listening to the patter among his favorite patrons. "What about dessert, infant? Show us what ya got," he said with a big smile.
He would. They would eat it. Then they would reluctantly go back to the slab. Ironhide would pout because Halo went with his ada to Las Vegas. Turbine would pout because Orion would go to Cybertron.
=0=Ops Center shortly later
Prowl walked in then sat down at the table. Prime and Paragon were working on data for Cybertron. They glanced up at him.
"What happened? You left in a hurry," Paragon asked.
"Orion fell off a cabinet. He climbed up to get crayons and fell fifteen feet," Prowl said as Paragon and Prime looked shocked. "He has a slight concussion and for a moment he could talk like a champion."
Prime sat back as did Paragon. "He can talk properly?"
"He did, then he defaulted back to his normal speech," Prowl said.
Prime nodded, then smirked slightly. "Am I alone is being slightly delighted that he did?"
"No. I think its unanimous," Prowl said as Paragon grinned.
"I know he needs to beat it but I love the way he talks now," Paragon said.
"You, me and the waiter at The Diner On The Corner. His ammas and appas are keeping him for a few orns so he can get over the jolt. Ironhide isn't happy so you might want to avoid him for a while," Prowl said knowing full well that Ironhide was walking into the Center at that moment.
He stormed in, then sat. Staring at Prowl, he glanced at Prime and Paragon. He didn't saw a word.
"You look happy. I heard what happened. I am glad he is going to be fine," Prime said with the ghost of a grin.
"HE FELL DOWN! HE HAD HIS GLITCH BEATEN! THEN IT CAME BACK! THE WORST PART IS THOSE GRABBY SLAGGERS HAVE HIM AND HALO FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG!" Ironhide said with gusto.
Prime chuckled, then stood. "Come with me to Cybertron. I will even let you sit on my lap if it helps."
Ironhide stared upward at Prime, then frowned deeper. "Slagger," he said as he stood.
Primenodded to Paragon and Prowl then walked to the door with Ironhide Storm Cloud behind him. They were gone in seconds.
Prowl chuckled then glanced at Paragon. "Where were we?"
Paragon smirked then pointed at the data pad. They would plot and work hard all afternoon long.
=0=District 7 Headquarters, Tarn, Cybertron, Empire of the Primes
Delphi held Orion as Hard Drive pulled the little box bed they used for the babies when they visited or stayed with them. Padding it with a pillow made just for it, putting a heat blanket down first, then Orion who was snoozing lightly, he covered the baby with another heat blanket.
Delphi and Hardie grinned at the baby, then carried him to Delphi's desk. Putting him on the corner, they chatted a moment, then Hardie walked out to go to District 1 in Kaon, his own.
Light from a tower outside streamed into the office as Delphi stared at Orion on his desk. The baby was snoozing away in warm comfort under the watchful optics of his great great grand amma.
"You're a good little mech but I'll paddle your aft if you keep climbing. I should have told your genitors when you stay over how you like to stand on top of the refrigerator. If you weren't so cute, I would." Delphi leaned down to sniff the baby, delighting in his sweet aroma.
Pulling a pile of data pads over, he began to work on them, arranging his meetings with local delegations and field commanders who took care of smaller districts within his overall command, Delphi of Praxus would get a lot done sitting in the chair of Shockwave who worked in Tarn and used just this office.
Of course, it had a different decor and all the bad mojo possible was swept and painted away. It amused Delphi no end to put his mark on Shockwave's old stomping grounds.
The slagger.
=0=Sciences
Wheeljack listened to the kids who were in charge of the field generator side of moving the small moon of Cybertron. They would used 50 unifiers and one Trigger. They were also going to use the third Trigger, Trigger Gamma to hold the moon when it arrived in the Arcturus system. It was being flown there and would be ready when the moon was moved. Once that happened there was a way to let it drift which would keep it well within retrieval range until placed back in orbit if they had to take the moons first, then Cybertron.
The conversation on the Matrix that Prime had undertaken a day ago was still reverberating among them …
The stairs disappeared into the darkness below. There was the sense of age and energy all around him as he began to descend. The sound of his footfalls were muffled, like the walls were absorbing the energy of their sound. The air was dank and old. There was likely no exchange of atmosphere here though he didn't need it.
Down, down Optimus went but the darkness never enveloped him. There was just enough ambient light somehow for him to not feel encased in the dark. The walls appeared to be moist but he touched them and they felt dry. They seemed to shine with light somehow.
He wound around and around, then came to a gigantic door. It was arched, metallic and covered in symbols and Primal Vernacular. Standing in front of the door with a weapon in his servos, a guardian watched him approach. When Prime reached him he held up the weapon. "Speak."
Optimus considered the command, then felt the answer. "I wish to speak to my Father."
It was silent a moment then the guardian turned to the door. He touched it gently and it began to swing back. As it did the light inside grew brilliant blinding him for a second. Then Optimus stepped inside the vast gigantic room behind the door.
=0=Ops Center
"What do you think about moving Cybertron?" Paragon asked Prowl.
"It makes me weak in the knee assemblies," Prowl said. "Optimus will know what to do."
"Did he tell you about speaking to Primus?" Paragon asked.
Two home boys from Praxus stared at each other, then Prowl leaned in to tell him.
=0=The room
It was vast, filled with glittering walls that appeared to be like diamonds. Sparkles greeted him as he walked forward. As he did he saw what he came for. On the far wall composed in sleep was the beautiful face of Primus. He was huge and silent. When in planetary mode, His face was here tucked into this room where He slumbered in His selfless repose. It was empty but for Him and as Optimus studied His face, this gigantic figure who was the very definition of sacrifice and love, a light began to appear nearby.
It was a light that seemed filled with all the colors that probably existed, waves of light that undulated in the shape. It was elongated and could be humanoid but there was little detail otherwise. It began to grow until it was nearly 40 feet tall before solidifying into the luminously beautiful figure of Primus.
Optimus knelt then lowered his helm. "Lord Primus … I am honored to see You again."
"I prefer Father," the figure said with a grin. "Please stand and let Me look at you."
Optimus did, looking up at the huge figure before him, one that glinted with a silvery light. His blue optics were filled with love and compassion, the usual state of His being when they met. "You look well, my son. I am well pleased with you."
"I am here for You," Prime said.
"Yes. You wish to move My person to a safer place," Primus said. A table and chairs appeared nearby, then the god figure walked to it to sit. "Please join Me. Let us sit and talk."
Optimus walked to the table and sat. He stared at Primus. "I wish to ensure that You and our people are safe. I wish to move You to the Arcturus system to a giant dwarf star that can give you blue skies again."
Primus grinned. "I would like blue skies once more. It has been dark and lonely, though its good to feel the happiness and restoration of Our people. They have begun to recover from some of this. I am grateful for that."
"We work as hard as we can. If You are safely at Arcturus You will be only 37 light years from us and we can do more for You," Prime said.
"I would not say no," Primus said with a grin. "You have a good home, I see. I am glad for that. You have a tendency to feel the weight of everyone upon your shoulders. I do not like that for you. I love laughter and light. I wish it for all My children. I wish it for you as well."
"My family is my haven and I have good friends. I never expected to live this long, frankly. It has been a long terrible road. It would go a long way to ensuring that You are safe somewhere and to do that we need Your help in making the move safe for You and everyone there. We cannot remove everyone so the planning and effort must be precise. That would be aided magnificently with any effort You can grant us when we do," Prime said.
Primus sat back considering the statement, then grinned. "I already know your petition, Optimus. I am weary of wandering. I have friends in the local group and I am glad that you will rescue them as well. I will assist."
Prime sat back with enormous relief. "Thank you, Lord Pri- … Father. We want to give some small portion back to You who have given up everything for us."
Primus grinned. "I give up nothing. I am with you. I will never leave you," he said before the scene melted away and Prime was in the Temple once more.
He stared at the AllSpark, knowing without doubt that The One was there. The One was everywhere. With a lighter tread than he had when he arrived, Optimus Prime walked back to his life once more.
The mission when it happened was go.
=0=TBC 4-30-19