The Diego Diaries: SCORE! (dd6 663)
=0=Game
"IACON IS NOW FIVE AND TARN IS ZERO! GREAT TEAM PLAY BY IACON!" Blaster said with enthusiasm as the Tarn team ran to their end of the floor and put the ball in play.
Tarn ran it in, then the bum rush was on. Prime who was big held down the center because he was still fast and agile. He'd also studied the game like the strategist that he was and wherever Tarn went he or one of the two forwards were there.
Down the way holding his own inside the goal zone, Ironhide watched with amusement as the players ran in circles. Tarn was slowly making it head his way and shortly the sheer inertia of their play would bring them into his zone. He stood slightly hulked over as Sun and Jack guarded the two approaches to him.
"Ironhide has one fine figure," Ratchet said as he leaned over the barrier to look at the goal down below. "WHAT AN AFT YOU GOT THERE, BABEE!" he yelled even if it was drowned out by the arena crowd.
Prowl was watching the ball and Optimus with laser optics as the ball was passed around by a surprisingly capable Tarn offense. Then a huge hand reached out of the whirl and took it from the lithe and agile forward that was working his way toward Ironhide. Hitting the extended arm like a bird flying into a window, the mech flipped up, did a perfect loop-the-loop around said arm and crashed to the floor.
Ironhide who was watching Sun 'defend' grinned broadly. His uncles were the shit.
Sun saw the ball bounce to Ironhide who caught it, then passed it hard and swiftly to Jack. Having been a lobbing aficionado most of his life after learning it from his family, Ironhide had a fast ball pitch. Jack the Elder caught it, then passed it to Optimus who sent it flying to Chromia.
She leaped up with all the grace and beauty that a finely tooled machine could manage, then put it into the hoop. She landed, did a dance, then walked with great satisfaction to the bench. Slapping palms with Magnus, that worthy tromp-tromped onto the court to join the forward line.
Iacon was going to do a full court press and anyone who got into the way of Magnus and Optimus was going to get a one way trip to the emergency room.
The crowd was wild as Ratchet and Prowl watched with satisfaction at the change up. :Nice going. Did you see him pass?: Prowl asked.
:I did. Ironhide was a lobbing champion at the Academy: Ratchet said.
Prowl frowned at him. :Optimus, loon:
Ratchet who knew that already smirked at Prowl. :Optimus never went to the Academy-:
A gut punch took care of that.
=0=On the floor
The Tarn defense was bigger than the offense but all of their players were built for speed, not smashing power. If they could move fast enough when they had the ball the big boys would be less effective. At least that was their plan. They lined up, the ball was tossed and they began again.
Tarn got the ball, passed it around like a dream team, then moved on Ironhide. They ran around Prime and Magnus who caught the leg of one of them before he fell in the thud heard around the world(s). The player he grabbed was held fast given the size differential between them but it didn't matter.
The two left, one with the ball and the other with major bearings bore down on Ironhide like guided missiles. That mech got set, then leaped forward wrapping his arms around both of the mechs. Their momentum carried all three swiftly onward though not as fast as before considering they were carrying Ironhide with them.
They flashed forward, the shot on goal was muffed and the three crashed into the wall sending a tremor all through the arena floors. The thud was loud as they crashed, then fell in a heap together.
Ratchet who was watching from above stepped up on the balcony, bellowed "FREEDOM!", then leaped off and landed like a Seeker. During the fall his kilt billowed around his helm, then subsided. It was clear that he was going commando. Then again, he ALWAYS went commando. Which brings us to a conversation held some time back …
"Did you notice anything odd about this movie poster, Prowler?" Ratchet asked as he held up his handheld whilst hanging out at the command table waiting to speak to Magnus who was speaking to Optimus nearby.
Prowl glanced up, saw Transformers: The Last Knight poster on the device, the one where Optimus was kneeling behind all of the human characters, then frowned. "Perhaps ALL OF IT!?"
Ratchet snickered. He leaned forward and went off line for the sake of the conversation. :Don't you think that some slagger has made a … human like, uh ... male member for Optimus here?:
Prowl glanced up sharply, took the handheld, studied the slag out of it, then frowned. "What the frag is that?" he asked pointing to a strange metallic shape down in Prime's nether regions that was vaguely phallic in design.
"I think its what the humans would call a dick," Ratchet said. Perversely.
Prowl stared at him, scanned for meaning … up link, search, dick, noun slang, male penis … *CRASH* … then stood up tipping the table completely over.
Prime and Magnus nearby startled. "What's wrong?!" -both of them
"NOTHING!" -Prowl and Ratchet just before Prowl stamped hard on Ratchet's hand held ...
Ratchet stood, then walked to the three 'victims'. They were sitting up with a dazed expression. Ironhide looked up at Ratchet as both of them were swarmed by seriously concerned squad kids who came to 'help'.
"WHAT DO WE DO, COMMANDER!?" -all the kids
They would do the examinations, find them 'bumped but serviceable', then walk back to their stadium tunnel doorway to wait in attentive anticipation again. It would be to a standing ovation from 100,000 punters who found them nearly as adorable as Ratchet.
The three got up slowly, then two walked back to their benches while Ironhide walked to his place on the court. He glanced at Ratchet as he did. "You're certifiable but I sorta like you in that get up."
"Why thanks, Ironhide," Ratchet said with an elaborate curtsy before hoofing it back to the stairs and a climb up to the box where everyone was waiting for him. He tried to steal back his bagpipes but failed.
Alor was in love.
The game began again with the Tarnian's taking it in bounds. The slagging was outrageous as they jockeyed all over the place, sometimes being knocked out of bounds and sometimes getting slammed into the ground on the deck.
Prime and Magnus merely had to turn the direction of the ball given the length of their arms and reach. They were always in the game. They managed to steal it three times but didn't score. The Tornadoes were slagging hard to catch. When the siren blew for half time, the score was still Iacon, 5 and Tarn, 0.
The teams lined up to leave and when they did Alor stood up and began to play Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.
Everyone roared, listening and cheering as the teams filed out.
Alor played on, then finished the tune as Ratchet watched with a minor snit and a major smirk. Alor bowed, rapped Ratchet on the arm, then stuffed the pipes into Partition's carry hold. "You make sure he doesn't get them back, infant. I have plans."
Partition who was torn by his loyalty to his ada-in-law and his reverence for Alor defaulted to the older mech. He shrugged helplessly to Ratchet as Lancer laughed.
"You can't win. Remember that," Lancer said as she hugged the big mech.
"I think I did," Partition said as he hugged her back.
"Alor is a grabby slagger," Ratchet said. "How about dinner and dancing after this? We can try it again." He glanced from Alor to Prowl.
"I guess you want a repeat of last time," Prowl said.
"Sure," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. ""Absque sui detrimento non datur victoria."
Prowl stared at him a moment. "No sacrifice, no victory. Where have I heard that before?"
"In the first and perhaps only magnum opus, the first Bayverse Transformer movie," Ratchet said.
"Frag that," Prowl said darkly as memories of tipping a table and smashing a hand held came unbeckoned into memory.
It was going to be a long game.
=0=Locker room
:Ironhide:
:WHAT!?:
:Oh, baby … HURT ME! HURT ME!:
Ironhide quashed a guffaw, then sat back. :What's up?:
:Dinner, drinks and dancing afterward. No one has a kid. How about round 2?:
Ironhide grinned. :The usual slaggers?:
:Yup. I had to invite Alie. He was eavesdropping, the thieving slagger. Get your old man on line. You, me, Prime, Granny and Alie on the town. Again. Consider it the sequel:
:Frag that. I'll ask: Ironhide glanced at Prime and clued in his father. :Hey. Ratchet wants a do over clubbing:
:Do you think that's wise?: Blackjack asked with a grin. :We've probably used up all nine of his lives:
Ironhide grinned. :Stay sober:
:Not me. By the way, how did Allie get that thing? Those bagpipes?: Blackjack asked with a grin. :That's warrior music:
:Ratchet is losing his touch. Old mech is getting old: Ironhide said smugly, secure that Ratchet wouldn't know. :I meant to tell you. I think I'm going to get him one of those little scooters that old folks drive:
Blackjack laughed as he sat back himself. Then he sent the audio to Ratchet.
Little mech would never learn.
=0=Primal Box
Ratchet got the audio, then grinned. Slagger was going to hear from him. As they watched the half time reel that was half game, half him and Prowl, all was well in Ratchet's world.
BRUHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
The siren sounded at last and soon the two teams filed in to go to their benches. Everyone looked good and when they took the floor, the jump ball was had and the game was on.
Starscream who was watching considered when the next Iacon-Vos match up would happen. They'd lost the first one and he had brooded for orns. This wasn't working out. He'd filled his team roster with ringers, both here and in football.
They should be winning. After all, he was pretty good in the fantasy league where he was a major playah. He had after all come in fourth out of eighty-two in the last round following football season.
"This is not going well," Star muttered to the amusement of everyone around him. "We're going to get bumped out of the wild card berth at this rate."
"I can't imagine why we aren't undefeated," Rainmaker said with a smirk. "You did pack the team, correct?"
"I did, Elder," Starscream said bitterly.
"Perhaps you need assistance next time," Warlord suggested with a chuckle.
Starscream frowned. "It's fortunate that I admire your fathers so much, Warlord. I might have to teach you the error of your ways."
Warlord grinned. "I consider myself corrected, Lord Starscream." Then all four of his brothers and himself leaned in slightly toward Starscream. "EMPEROR OF DESTRUCTION!"
Rainmaker would laugh a long, long time.
Down on the floor, Magnus was in for Optimus. He was standing near the goal sending the ball out to players in a constant motion and whirl. Chromia flashed past, pretended to take the ball which drew a player away. It freed Magnus so he turned around to put the ball through the hoop. It went in without a hitch.
Iacon, 10 and Tarn, 0.
The roof was suitably raised.
=0=TBC 5-18-19