The Diego Diaries: Stuff and More Stuff (dd6 657)
=0=A few joors later
The door opened, infants bounded in, then chat was had. Standing in an array before their genitors, Orion, Praxus, Hero and Prowler smiled a dazzling array of delight.
At the snack tables.
Tie and Sun who had a break in a planning session chatted away, then left with good humor to go back to work. The door closed and all was quiet again. Cousin stretched then walked to the table to hop up to watch. The show was going to begin.
"ADA! WHAT YOU!?" Orion asked as he pointed a fat baby digit at the table next to him that was brimming with junk food, candy and other snacks.
"It's my stash. Why are your things on the floor?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
They all jolted but Prowler who grinned. Then they began to gather their things, hang book bags on the wall pegs by the door, then run back to kibitz again.
"ADA, WHAT YOU!? WHAT YOU, ATAR?" Orion asked again.
Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who brought Halo out of his carry hold. Setting her down on the floor, she skippity-hopped to Halo who hugged her, then took her servo into her own. "I was thinking about a mission. A deep stealth spy mission for you. Do you think you can do it?"
They stared at him with surprise and gathering delight, then each other. It took a moment to conference and determine that all of them were ready, then they turned to Ratchet as one and nodded in unison.
"See that big box over there?" Ratchet asked as he pointed to the refrigerator.
They looked, then nodded in unison. Again.
"There are two brown bottles in there that are filled with magical water. You have to bring them to us without getting caught. It's going to take every bit of stealth that you have, every bit of cunning and nerve. Are you up to it?"
They stared at him with big eyed wonderment including Ironhide, that is, all of them but Prowler, then nodded.
Ratchet grinned. "You have to use stealth like Autobot spies. If you get caught the secretary will disavow any knowledge of the mission and you. Understand?"
They nodded to him with big optics, then glanced at each other. That's when they went into 'stealth mode'.
:Nice way to get another beer without getting up yourself, slagger: Ironhide said with a smirk.
:Why ever did we have kids if not to do beer runs?: Ratchet asked with a big batting of his optical ridges.
Orion meanwhile walked to the coffee table, then leaned an arm on it. He crossed his peds like any bystander, then glanced around like he was waiting for a cab. He smiled at Ironhide and Ratchet when his gaze met their own, then lounged against the table. The only thing missing was whistling.
Hero and Halo huddled a moment as Hero 'whispered' their plans. Then she took Halo's hand and led her around the dining and living room explaining what everything was like two tourists in the Louvre. By doing so, they were getting ever closer to the refrigerator.
Praxus stared at the fridge, then everyone else. He walked to the ovens next to it, then put his servos against the glass. He stared inside like there was something there as he devised his method to get to the fridge without getting caught. He glanced at the fridge, then the oven, then decided to join Hero's tour. He did, nodding and grinning at both who did the same back. Onward on the tour of the kitchen they went.
Prowler stood where he was when he came in clutching the foot of his little dollie firmly in his servos. He glanced at the others over his shoulder, then his genitors, then his siblings as he watched them do things. He smiled at Ratchet and Ironhide, then turned around and walked directly to the fridge. He stood on his tip-toes trying to open it.
Orion seeing him do that jolted then walked 'nonchalantly' and 'suavely' as a debonair spy would to the fridge. He leaned into Prowler then 'whispered'. "No, Po-Po. Not doing. You comed to me, Orion? I showeded you."
Prowler stared at him, then smiled. He took Orion's servo, walked to the coffee table, then watched as Orion leaned against it crossing his peds to look like a regular joe hanging out. Prowler stared at him, then leaned on the table. Staring at his own tiny peds, he smiled at Orion. He didn't cross them but he stepped closer to his brother.
Orion smiled. "Good Po-Po. I love Po-Po. You doin' good."
Ratchet and Ironhide alternated between a need to laugh very loud and a need for a hankie as they watched the little kids 'stealth'.
Finally Hero paused by the fridge with Halo. She smiled. "And this is the refrigerator. It keeps stuff cold. Do you want to see inside it?"
Halo smiled at her then nodded.
Hero stared at the handle way up there then looked around.
That was when Orion made his play. "Lou needed me, Orion, Ho-Ho?" he asked as he sauntered up to be the hero for Hero.
"I can't get the door open," Hero said. "Halo wants to see inside."
:Not a bad strategy: Ironhide said with a chuckle off line.
:Little femme makes me laugh. They all make me laugh: Ratchet said with a big smile as he recorded the entire thing for the next staff meeting.
"I helpeded lou, Ho-Ho … Hay-Ho." He pulled a chair over, laboriously climbed it, then reached for the handle. He pulled it open then leaned inside. He leaned back out with a brown bottle. "Look, Ho-Ho! I founded this!" The bottle then slid out of his hands, fell on the floor and rolled to Prowler.
Everyone watched it then Prowler as he put his baby down. He laboriously gripped the bottle to pull it toward Ironhide. He labored and labored, then watched as Ironhide picked it up. "Thank you, Prowler."
He smiled like the sun.
Orion watched, then leaned in again. He came out with a deviled egg. He smiled, then popped it into his mouth. Then he gripped another bottle, dropped it to the floor, then watched Hero and Halo chase it. He got another egg down the hatch, then closed the door. He lumbered off the chair, then with Praxus pushed it back. Walking stealthily to his genitors, they paused before them.
Halo and Hero lugged the bottle to Ratchet who took it.
"Bravo," Ratchet said. "I think this deserves a treat."
Everyone yelled as Ratchet passed out cookies. It was a contented bunch of infants munching on them as the door opened and Sunspot ran inside with Spot, Bos, Co-D and Reflector. They slid to a stop, then smiled.
"HI!" -all of them
Ratchet who had opened his bottle, then clicked it with Ironhide smiled. "HI! You're staying over. Hallelujah! This calls for something special. Hang up your stuff and I'll let you find my treasure box."
They stared at Ratchet with wonderment, then hustled to get things hung up. When they returned Ratchet was feeling no pain. He leaned slightly forward. "There's a box that has great treasure that no one knows about-"
"You mean your candy box, Ada?" Bos asked with great joy and anticipation. The other three nodded.
Spot even nodded.
Ratchet stared at them a moment then frowned at Ironhide.
Ironhide paused the cookie in his hand before his pie hole, then shrugged.
Ratchet smirked, then looked at the four little mechs. "In my closet resides a magical box with powers-"
The four little mechs were already running to the berth room.
Ratchet watched them go, then sat back and took a big drag off his beer. "Slagger."
"I didn't tell them. Maybe," Ironhide said with a grin. "By the way, we're going out to eat."
"You better believe it," Ratchet said as the sounds of racket down the hallway was replaced by the sounds of four little mechs lugging a metal trunk-let down the corridor toward the living room.
They came into view struggling with the heavy box. Setting it down on the floor, they looked at Ratchet with great happiness and anticipation.
Ratchet picked it up as they glanced at each other with smiles.
"This box holds treasure. Are you ready for it?" he asked the little mechs.
"WE ARE!" -4 little mechs
"WE DOIN'!" -Orion
Ratchet laughed loudly a moment, then coded the lock. Lifting the lid, he peered inside. Then he looked at the little mechs. "You ready?"
"YES!" -four little mechs, five tinier bits and Ironhide
Ratchet laughed, then reached in and pulled out four giant candy bars. He held them out and the four little mechs danced as they took one.
"THANK YOU, ADA!" -4 little mechs who were super polite
"ADA! WHAT YOU? I, ORION DOIN'?" -Orion
Ratchet guffawed, then pulled out a smaller candy bar for each of the five infants.
They danced up, got their bar, had the wrapper peeled back for each of them, then climbed up to sit on laps to eat. Orion sauntered over to the four little mechs to clamber up and eat with them.
Ironhide grinned, then peered inside the trunk. "YOU HAVE CHERRY-A-LETS AND DIDN'T TELL ME!?"
"The sheer tonnage of what I don't tell you would boggle your processor," Ratchet said as Ironhide leaned over to grab some.
He took them all.
"You slagger, you."
Ironhide grinned as he peeled a wrapper and took a bite. The pinkish center oozed with cherry goodness as Ironhide savored cherry, chocolate and chopped peanuts. "Nectar of the Gods."
Ratchet pulled something else out, peeled labels and all sat together munching in contentment.
Robby the Bruce, Cousin and Spot waited patiently for something to fall on the floor.
It didn't.
=0=Later
They ambled into The Pit Stop and took the big booth in the back by the windows. It looked out onto the airfield and was a great spot to chow down. It was getting dark outside as the evening fell but the airfield was busy as a bird dog. It never slowed down there.
They ordered, then relaxed.
"How was school?" Ratchet asked.
"It was fun," Sunspot said. The others nodded. "We get to go to Charon next First Friday. I have a note for you to sign."
"Do they need chaperons?" Ironhide asked.
"I don't know. I'll ask Mr. Terradive," Sunspot replied.
School chat was copacetic as all was well and when the food arrived it was a happy bunch of infants and their genitors that began to eat. All was well in their world.
=0=Jail earlier in the orn
They were called to line up for arraignment. It was later in the afternoon given that a number of cases preceded them including civil disputes. They were usually settled on Cybertron with a crow bar and brass knuckles but now they were resolved in courts. When the population understood that they were able to do so, cases proliferated, some of them dating from back in the orn.
Having a personal lawyer was a thing and many were the younglings with an itch for justice finding a lot of work in the community. The legal profession was buzzing.
Moving to the door to walk into the corridor that led to the courtroom and Magistrate Ebo, Rockwell, Pico and Carver followed the five younglings that they'd spent the night chatting up. All was well among the eight as they walked to the door to wait for call to enter.
Bored jailers waited with them, their 'subduing non-lethal' weapons in full view. Tasers, sprays and night sticks were the tools of the trade. None of those waiting wanted to see them demonstrated so it was a quiet but seething group waiting to enter.
After a moment the bailiff leaned in. "It's time," he said to the jailer.
The jailer turned to the group. "Walk in and line up on the white line on the floor before the judge. Face him and wait to speak. Act up and I'll carry you out twitching. Any questions?"
There were none.
=0=TBC 5-10-19
Notes
Cherry-a-let: a candy bar made in America that has a melty cherry center and is covered all over in a peanut-chocolate layer. Its my FAVORITE candy bar of all time.
Copacetic (cope-uh-set-ik) an old timey way of saying things are great.