The Diego Diaries: BASKETBALL! (dd8 355)
=0=Morning edging into early afternoon of First Friday, Autobot City, Mars
School was out for the weekend and it was evident by the number of kids playing in the playgrounds around towers or in the public parks all over the colony. Today was the first game day for basketball for the season and the excitement about a new sport starting up again among this, a sports crazy species was evident.
Ratchet walked toward The Fortress with three little kids in his hold. He was going to check in with Granny before going to the Mall of Tyger Pax to toss everyone in the pool. Hero was off with her sisters minus Halo who was with Ironhide and his elders. Crossing at the junction lights, he hoofed it swiftly to the courtyard, sparred with the teensy antique mechs sitting there, then entered the building and the Ops Center in swift accord.
Prowl was there getting things ready for the weekend, something he was taking off in its entirety. There were a lot of things pending … the wrapping up of the attack and all its requisite reports, the usual biz of an empire and the problem with the human billionaires themselves. He glanced up as Ratchet slid into a chair. "Well, you're up and at 'em early."
"I was going to eat lunch, then take the infants to the Mall to play in the pool. Come with?" Ratchet smiled his best smile.
"I think I might," Prowl said. "I have to get a few infants, the ones I don't loan out to loons. Give me a second." He worked swiftly, then logged off. Rising, he walked to the door nearby, then down to the apartment that was theirs for the duration.
"Hustle your bustle, Granny. Time waits for no loser," Ratchet said softly to himself.
Prowl returned with Possibility, Miracle, Sojourner and Solus. "Let's go."
Stuffing infants into his hold, Prowl with Ratchet walked out and cleared the massive structure which no longer showed itself to be damaged in any way. It was cold outside as they ambled along heading for the Diner and a meal together. Crossing at the light, waving to a bus load of tourists trundling by, they walked down Sports Center Road to the restaurant on the corner across from it.
They entered to take a big booth in the corner, unloading infants who scrambled out to sit. Booster seats were found, orders given, then Prowl and Ratchet sat on the ends which would prevent the little kids from getting down.
"Ada," Prowler said as he sat with his teddy bear in arms. "Where we goin'?"
"Swamming," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "We're going swamming at the big pool in Tyger Pax when everyone is done."
That met huge approval and when their food came they dug in, chatting together as they ate. It was pleasant in the restaurant between morning and later lunch time rushes.
=0=In a warehouse in the Industrial Park Cities
They worked on their game, shots and drills. Ironhide was improving as a goalie and the two defenders of his aft, Sun and Jack were naturals. Paragon was getting to be good at trick shots having watched youtube videos and practicing on his own. Basketball was so precise a game it was as if he found a new religion.
The murderous team of Chromia, Jetta and Arcee was intact and burning to go. They had a deep bench and all of them learned offensive and defensive plays and set pieces. It was going to be a hard fought win for anyone who played against them, these the defending champions of the cup.
The Cup.
A contest among children on Mars and Cybertron was held to name it and a child suffering the same fate as El had, an arm and leg missing on the same side with delays in re-attachments won the contest. There were many more colorful names submitted but this, a tiny mech from Cybertron recovering at Gliese in the hospital for children in the titan Compassion won because of the cute picture he drew with great effort to go with the name.
So Cup it was.
Optimus Prime watched them drill, all of his team, with pride. The lineup was returning again with a few additions …
Ultra Magnus
Arcee
Elita-1
Chromia
Raptor
Blackjack
Hard Drive
Ironhide
Sun
Jack
Devcon
Hercy
Maelstrom
Kup
And of course, Optimus himself.
New additions available due to the expansion of team rosters in case of injury …
Smokey the Younger
Partition
Paragon
Lancer
Smokescreen who wanted to play with Dev and his grandson.
They were allowed fifteen on the main team and up to five more on the reserves. All of them trained like machines and the effort was paying off under Optimus's critical optic and patient teaching.
He whistled and everyone stopped. "Divide up and lets play a few games," he said as everyone did. It would go well and be crazy fun for all of them.
Nearby in a blocked off area, Halo was playing, too, with a tiny ball. She was trying to put it into a tiny hoop. She wasn't too bad for a peewee.
=0=At the arena
He rode on the machine that was polishing the floor to a mirror finish, the mech in charge of the floors. The entire facility located in Retriades was getting hands on treatment as the crews who worked there made the place ready for the two games that would be played inside this evening. A combined 200,000 individuals who got their tickets for the games through a lottery system would come and in the huge lobbies that ran all around the vast facility thousands more would watch on giant monitors.
In the club, bar and restaurant scene that made this downtown one of the most hopping and sought out venues in the colony, owners and worker bees were getting ready for the thousands that would show up to drink, eat and watch the games on the giant monitors all of them fronted. The scene would be lively and there would be adequate security here and in the other two 'club centers' in the colony, Ciro's and its surrounding area in Terra as well as the club scene in Tyger Pax which encompassed two levels of the city.
The Watch and some of the Home Guard would be patrolling on foot, by automobile format as well as with the Horse Guard Patrol in all of the cities beyond the downtown areas where so many would congregate. The bar scene in the colony was a common meeting place for the younger set and those who were looking for a hook up or a fight. Tonight would be no different. It was just hoped that the population, many of whom were always armed wouldn't see fit to fire off anything more lethal than their mouths.
Sitting at the Emergency Call Center going over the plans for the night, Springer and The Boss were updated on the deployments. Tell was sitting on the table gumming a cookie as the adults worked through their planning. It would be a pleasant joor for him hanging with his old dads at work.
=0=The Hourly News
"And tonight, the first two games of the Adult League for Basketball will be played in the arenas at Retriades. The games expect to draw 200,000 enthusiastic fans who won tickets to attend through the lottery held for our sporting events. A large contingent of humans is expected along with the usual attendees in the Primal Box.
"Lord Optimus will be leading his team, the Crater Comets tonight, hopefully seeking a repeat of last year when they won the Cup for the first time. The opposing team in play against them is the Kaon Kavaliers, a powerhouse football team and upcoming basketball threat. The other two teams playing will be Vos and Polyhex, both of them scrappy contenders with a history of defeating each others chances to go beyond the playoffs in both basketball and football.
"The broadcast will the on the Sports Channel which is channel 243," the newsreader said. "There will be a pre-game show before the games begin hosted by Senior Commander Jazz and Senior Commander Blaster. There are rumors that a special guest will be interviewed on their show but the identity of that individual is being withheld until broadcast.
"We're going to take a break with the news and check in with the Community Bulletin Board. When we return we'll have the weather for the weekend. We'll be right back," he said.
=0=Gathering in the city of Retriades
They came together in the downtown area near the open plaza that was a feature of every city. They lined the streets which were blocked off, dozens and dozens of food trucks and handcarts, all of them getting ready to serve the thousands of individuals who would be coming to the fun and games nearby. Every kind of food and drink imaginable was going to be available and with the restaurants no one was going hungry tonight.
Watchmen and femmes walked casually around the area watching things, helping the trucks set up and chatting with the locals. Living in a city that had the most evening delights and entertainments, clubs, singing pubs, music venues that were part of restaurants, music venues that weren't … all of it added a certain flare to the scene but also made it hard for the locals who had to put up with noise, wankers, drunks and other high fliers. It was comforting to see the Watchmen ambling around.
Springer and Drift rode through the setting up, pausing to chat, pausing to get lunch, pausing to talk to their minions. There was a triage truck in the parking lot of a big restaurant and medics would man it all night. Every possible problem had been troubleshot and double checked. It was self defense. Every time an incident or catastrophe struck the colony there was trouble following in the population. That it was no greater than it usually turned out to be was a miracle given their history and suffering.
They rode onward down the main strip where all the clubs, bars, pubs, restaurants and other entertainments were gearing up for the evening. Delivery trucks were bringing food and drink, musicians were moving their equipment into different establishments on both sides of the long highway that split the town in two. Workers were setting up tables on the sidewalk for diners and garbage containers were changed out to those which couldn't be tampered with. That they were also burn retardant helped.
It could be that kind of night.
They rode onward chatting, checking things and enjoying themselves. Tell would sleep through it in Drift's carry hold. He would be spending the night with his appas at the big old apartment in the Central Labor Hall where most of the family would be holed up. He would sleep the night away on the arm of his appa, Ironhide.
=0=At the water park in the Mall of Tyger Pax
Kids bobbed in the water as Prowl and Ratchet lounged on chairs sipping beer. Alor, Turbine, Delphi and Ravel had joined them. Ravel was wading in the water with the babies. Everyone else was cheering him on.
"This is the life," Ratchet said.
"It is. What about tonight? We're ready to go. Are we going to start in Retriades or branch out farther so we don't get arrested?" Alor asked.
"I thought we'd tempt fate and go clubbin' there," Ratchet said contentedly. "Nothing like checking out the local talent if you know what I mean," he said around his most brilliant smile.
Everyone basted themselves a moment in its glory, then grinned.
"You want to get arrested then" Delphi said with a chuckle.
Ratchet who was still smiling nodded. "In the worst way."
=0=TBC 01-28-2022
I will answer notes tomorrow. I got one filled with fabulous ideas and will go over it tomorrow, my darling. I love you all. Nighty-night.
Also:
For a while I thought I had omnicron. I'm still not sure if I did or not. Be that as it may, I find my vitality fluctuating from time to time. My goal is a piece a night. Some nights I'm dragging a leg. But I'm determined to make it 7 a week for the next say … fifteen years. Take care out there and know how much you're loved. -Nana in Alaska
