The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd8 538)
(Had a family thing. My sister and her husband are going RV-ing for a month around the USA. It couldn't happen to a nicer pair but getting things done and all is time consuming when you have a business and house and the like. HUGS!)
=0=That night
They rode around the colony looking at things, talking to civilians and soldiers, checking out the habitats, then pulling into the new soldier unit, the United Nations garrison. Entering the big doors, they greeted a large crowd of the inmates who saw them coming, got the word out and met them.
Springer and Drift along with Hercy, Kup, Lon and Bezel walked in after the airlock sealed to stare down at the soldiers with grins. "What's going on? Everything good?" Springer asked.
"We're great, Commander. What brings you here?" a sergeant asked from the middle of the crowd. "Not that I'm complaining. Maybe."
Huge laughter greeted that, soldiers being soldiers.
"We came to see if you needed tucking in," Springer replied.
"I do. I miss my mom," another replied to catcalls and laughter.
"Is your boss around?" Drift asked.
"I'll get him," a soldier said as he hurried out. He returned with Jackson Davis and his second, Commander Lars Hammarstrom of Norway.
"Commander. Commanders," Jackson said as he paused with Lars before them. "What brings this pleasure to us?"
"It is. A pleasure," Hercy said without a smirk.
Kup nodded. "It is," he said before he bit down on his cygar.
Snickers rounded the entire group, then Springer knelt. "I heard you put in a request to go on patrol with us at night."
"We did. We put in requests for everything. We're not proud," Jackson said with a grin. He loved, loved, LOVED these guys.
"I can see that," Drift said with a snicker.
"I cleared it with Prime. All of you can have a jaunt. We're going to carry you in a container that we're going to affix to the front of our saddles. We can take about ten at a time. You can be the guinea pig for the container. If you get bounced around to mush we can use the data for the next ten. I hear you have great health care here," Springer replied.
"Done deal. Tonight or when?" Jackson asked.
"Tomorrow. We have to sort out a possible situation here with a problematic group. You don't want to be in the middle of that. When that's sorted then yeah, you can come. We're planning on tomorrow at 2200 on the TMC," Springer said as he rose to stand.
"That's incredible, Commander. I can't thank you enough. Now. How dangerous is it and do we wear Depends?" Jackson said as those around him snickered.
A quick search about adult diapers was made, then the mechs grinned.
Soldiers.
"I would," Bezel said with a chuckle.
"I would if I were you, too," Hercy said dryly.
HUGE laughter greeted that, then the mechs rose to go. Out they went and the doors closed. Those inside watched them mount up, wave and ride off together. When they got to the highway they pulled up for traffic.
"Do we have containers for them?" Drift asked.
"No. I'm going to ask Wheeljack to get on it right away." Springer glanced at the posse. "I just like them."
Huge laughter and agreement greeted that as they rode off in a line to cross the highway. They would ride up the sidewalk to Earth 1 and a check over the human habitations before getting a call to go to Retriades in the Eight Ball to a brawl in a bar. They would disappear cross country right away.
=0=Home
He painted furiously on his little notepad, then grinned. Walking to the chair where his old pa sat watching the news on closed caption, Orion showed Ironhide his art.
"Well, that's great," Ironhide said as he stared at a strange blob with two circles for what appeared to be eyes, stick legs and arms and a big belly with a belly button. "What's this, Orion?"
"I doed dis," he said with a giant smile. "I doed the doin'. Dis lou, Atar." He smiled again.
Ironhide stared at it, the little gremlin with the big smile, then it again. He grinned. "It looks just like me. Well done. You're an artist."
Orion smiled like the sun, then took it and hippity-skippity hopped to the berth room. He disappeared into it with a flourish.
"That looks like you, huh?" Ratchet asked as he sat next to Ironhide. "I like the belly button. Good place to put the salt for your celery."
Ironhide snickered. "Good idea."
=0=Upstairs
They huddled over a part of the train set that was giving them a bit of trouble. They wanted a little water to spill over their tiny dam which fed a creek that cut across the train's route. That allowed them to make a bridge for the train to cross. The diorama of their set was getting to be pretty spectacular and enormous.
"What do you think, Atar?" Spirit asked as he glanced way upward to Tagg. "I think its cute, Appa."
Optimus grinned at Spirit, then his father. "I think its cute, too, but I also wish it would work."
Spirit, T-Bar and Rambler worked on the project with their grandfather and father as Miracle watched them from a chair next to Tagg. It would take a lot of conversation, careful work by the two big mechs handling things so small that it looked impossible for them to do so, then the water would spill over the tiny dam and all would be well with the world.
"LOOK AT THAT!" Spirit said as he smiled brilliantly upward at both mechs. He glanced at his brothers. "YOU ARE SO SMART TO DO THAT! YOU DO THAT GOOD!"
Everyone stared at the sweet little mech who was as kind and gentle as a newborn.
"We could not have done it without you, Spirit," Optimus said with a grin.
"You are our inspiration, Spirit," Tagg said as he picked the little mech up to hold him. "Look at what all of you have inspired? All of you children are wonderful."
Spirit nestled against his grandfather's chassis. "This is fun, Atar." He sat up to stare upward. "Can we have a cat in this thing, Appa?" He glanced at Miss Kitty sitting nearby watching the train go around the track.
"I think it requires one. Don't you Orion?" Tagg asked just as Miss Kitty launched herself onto the train.
It would be a wild and woolly interlude before they got things back to rights. Prowl would get it all on camera.
=0=At an apartment in City 2, District 13
They sat together in mourning, Mikron's family and a large number of their group. It was dreary in the room from grief and the lingering affect of the Pantheon's visit. They'd been double punched in their ideals and lifestyle and it was a hard swallow to make. It seemed inconceivable that Mikron would have done such a thing and his family were talking themselves into believing he didn't. It was too much effort at the moment to think that he might have been that reckless.
A mech signed off an internal conversation, then glanced at Mikron's brother and sister. "I have an attorney to handle our interests in the inquest tomorrow. The Coroner's Court will convene at 0900 tomorrow on their clock. We need to be there a bit early. We can come and get you," he said to the pair.
They nodded. They would go together as a group.
=0=At a bar in Retriades having fun with their set
Terradive and Roto watched the crowd as several of their friends danced with the usual wild abandon and jumping around that passed for Cybertronian disco. The twins were there along with several teachers, a couple of artists and a filmmaker. Blue was dancing with someone else and the babies were with Venture and Miler for the night.
"What about rock climbing in the Valles this weekend?" Terri was saying to Sideswipe who was watching a number of rowdy kids nearby.
Sideswipe glanced at Terradive and Sunstreaker who was in conversation with the filmmaker. "That would be fun. We're off duty today and won't be on again for a decaorn. We can go for the orn or do you want to camp?"
"Roto, do you want to camp or go for the orn?" Terradive asked.
Roto glanced at him. "Either is good for me. I think it might be nice to get away and relax. Its not everyday you have the Pantheon visiting."
Sideswipe grinned. "For some of you."
They laughed as the others came back from dancing. That's when the fight began nearby.
=0=Neo and Laret
They put their daughter to bed, then walked out to clear up the living room. Toys into boxes and the pillows back on the couch made short work of it.
Laret glanced at Neo. "How do you feel? That was quite the experience."
"I feel clean, Laret. I feel like every bad thing, every negative impulse and idea has been purged by Their light. I don't know how to explain it better. You?" Neo asked as she paused arranging pillows.
"I feel better than I ever have, Neo. It makes me happy to see you happy," Laret said.
"I am," Neo said as she smiled. "My life is a miracle. I love what I do and I love our home and family."
"You do teach wonderfully. Tomorrow is Second Friday. Do you wish to plan anything or do we not?" Laret asked.
"I'm going to call Joon. Maybe the Squad can have luncheon somewhere," Neo said.
"I would like that a lot," Laret said as they finished clearing up their lovely apartment. Walking to their berth room, they checked on Fifi, then retired. Second Friday waited for no femme.
=0=Springer and the Go-Boys™
They galloped to a halt, jumped down and ran for the bar near the restaurant area of Downtown Retriades. It was organized, the area, to divide up placement of clubs, bars and restaurants to prevent trouble from consuming the sober from the drunk. Downtown Retriades was a very, very beautiful place to be.
Until now.
A lot of noise was coming from a dance club called The Broken Arrow. It was rather aptly named, broken that is, considering a mech was tossed through the big window out front and bounced on his helm on the sidewalk. They bolted inside as Lon and Bezel moved the horses back and began to block off traffic like good sons.
Inside, the fighting was fierce and close contact. Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Terradive were taking it to the mechs facing them, all of whom had turned from each other to the soldiers and civilians sitting nearby when Sideswipe began to thrown them aside as he swam into the brawl.
Roto who wasn't a soldier, a fighter or a trained civilian actually could fight but this was out of his league. Terri had told him to stand back and he did uneasily watching as trio held their ground against a growing number of drunk, semi-drunk and sober slaggers. He saw the Watch come inside, feeling a bit better as he stood in front of the civilians providing what protection he could.
Springer glanced at him. "Outside, Roto. Take everyone."
Roto nodded, then ushered his crowd and a lot of others out to the street. It freed up space to fight.
Springer and Drift waded in and by the time the fight was under control they had five arrested, several injured and four guns confiscated. The place was thrashed, the bouncers were lit, everyone smelled like beer and the sirens for the police wagons could be heard approaching them.
Springer glared at a number of seething kids in cuffs then remembered them. He leaned into three. "Hi, slaggers. How about going to jail for the duration, you gang punks?"
"What duration, you old fragger?" a kid replied.
Stinging from the remark, Springer leaned in closer. "How long do you plan to live?"
=0=TBC 10-06-2022
