The Diego Diaries: Tell (dd8 70)
=0=A joor later
Ratchet walked into the waiting room to see two mechs sitting tensely as one chatted them up about all the intricacies of keeping your child from the clutches of the truant officer. He grinned, then watched as the three saw him.
Springer and Drift rose to stand with clenched fists as Ironhide grinned at Ratchet. "How is it going?"
"Well," Ratchet said. "Sit and I'll tell you things."
They both did, staring at Ratchet with a mixture of fear and gratitude that he was here to do this.
"We've sequenced his CNA and we found the area where the breaks and problematics congregate. They aren't found scattered through the genetic structure like some species so we have a couple of places to go to find errors and problems rather than hunt them all over. They gather in a place and affect things from there. He has three markers in a row, one that causes a combination of deafness and blindness, one that stifles an enzyme we need for our protoform growth and one that causes joint dysfunction.
"He carries both parental contributions for the first and only one for the other two. He won't be bothered by those two because his genitors didn't both carry them. Just the first one. Right now, we're doing the usual protocol for this condition by both overwriting the code and by changing the chemical content of his protoform so that the marker can't do its job. We've decided that its going to take four treatments because he's profoundly deaf at the moment. He sees sharply and clearly at about 92% which means he can see movements well and if he shows distress its from seeing abrupt movements, not hearing."
"So … is he going to be alright?" Springer asked. Sparkling energy was raging all over his protoform as he listened to this, something he couldn't fix himself, a novelty for a mech who had to improvise half his life.
"He is. He's just going to be tired as this happens. Expect him to sleep a lot. He also has to come in three more times for infusions, then we check to see if he's clear. If not, a couple more will be needed. I don't expect that but I won't rule it out either," Ratchet said.
"Can we see him?" Drift asked.
"In a breem or so. He's nearly finished," Ratchet said as he rose to go back inside. "Trust me."
Springer nodded. "We do. Thank you, Ada."
Drift nodded silently beside him.
They watched Ratchet leave, then slowly sat down. Springer glanced at Ironhide. "This slag is the worst."
Ironhide nodded. "It is and you never get used to it. Just know we're hardy and seldom need medical attention. Ratchet is either the one or he knows the best one. Good thing to have a doctor in the family."
Drift nodded.
They chatted for about forty-five minutes before Ratchet and Seminal walked out with the baby wrapped in his blankets.
Ratchet held him out to Springer who took him, then both he and Drift took a moment to check him over. Drift glanced at the two. "How did it go?"
"Very well," Seminal said. "We think three more, then a remapping. If its changed to the degree we want then all is well. If not, then we can add more. Right now, his genetic make up is changing, even slightly at first, but when it does in earnest so will his impairment. He's going to gradually get his hearing back, probably after the next treatment. When he does, try and see what he can do and the degree that he reacts. The more information we have, the better. His hearing may be spotty or slight but when he begins, let us know."
The two mechs nodded, their faces filled with concern and intensity.
"We can take him home now? He doesn't have to stay here does he?" Springer asked as he glanced at Ratchet.
"Nope," Ratchet said with a glittering smile. "I have him on my supervising/primary care physician list so I'll be seeing him everyday to keep the baseline updated. Some of the changes going on are internal and have to do with chemical balances and slag."
"At the Diner?" Drift asked.
"Sounds good to me," Ratchet said.
They chatted a moment, then they took their leave, Ratchet and Ironhide walking out with Drift, Springer and Tell as Seminal went back to his shift. It was cold outside as they left the building with Tell safely tucked into Drift's hold. Pausing on the sidewalk, they turned to the two older mechs.
"This was the scariest slag I've felt in a while," Springer said. "We have to wait seven orns between treatments so he's going to be on his peds by the end of February on the calendar?"
"Probably. He's going to try and walk by then, just so you know," Ratchet said as he updated his internal case file on the infant. "He's going to try and do a lot of things in the next few. They have a growth spurt between five and seven decaorns, then it tapers off for a bit."
"That's going to be fun," Drift said. "Seeing him walk will be cute."
"Until he sticks his digits in a light socket. Did you baby proof the apartment?" Ironhide asked.
"Uh, no. We just got started," Springer said.
"I'm coming by tomorrow after breakfast and Ratchet checks him over. We can eat at the Diner and then go," Ironhide said. "I'll bring my kit."
"Kit?" Springer asked.
Ratchet smiled a dazzler. "He has a kit that he uses to baby proof houses. Its comprehensive like you, Ironhide. Why the other night in the bert-"
Gagging sounds and slag took care of that bit of '(over)sharing' before they took their leave to go home. Ironhide and Ratchet watched them go down into the Metro before leaving for home next door.
=0=Going home
They sat in an empty car as they rode the train to Iacon. It was quiet as they leaned back into the seats tiredly.
"This was slag."
Springer nodded. "Yeah. This was the worst feeling I've had in I don't know how long."
Drift nodded. "We have to be on top of this."
Springer nodded. "We will," he said as the train disappeared into the night.
=0=Morning at the Diner
They walked in and sat, greeting the night horseback patrol crew which had just gotten off duty.
"Where were ya?" Hercy asked as they took their seats in the usual booth.
"Tell got sick," Drift said as he pulled the baby out of his carryhold.
The room stilled as everyone turned toward the two.
"What happened?" Hercy asked.
"He's got a genetic thing going on. He can't hear and his eyesight is failing so we had to have his code read and the fix started," Springer said.
"It can be fixed, right?" Twin Twist asked.
"Yeah," Drift said as he laid the baby on his blanket on the table before him. He was still asleep. "He's going to be tired but he's going to be alright."
"Frag," Bezel said with relief. "Good thing to know."
Ratchet and Ironhide followed by a number of relatively grim faced elders entered the building, then took their usual places.
Turbine gently picked up Tell, then sat down beside a grim faced Raptor.
"How's our baby today?" Raptor asked.
"He slept all night. He ate his breakfast, then fell asleep again," Springer said tiredly.
Everyone glanced at Ratchet.
"That's the effect of the treatment. He's going to be fine," he said as he read the data on the meter that he held to scan the baby after he sat. "The indicators are good this morning. There's certain markers you look for with genetic engineering and he's topping all of them. Let him sleep. You'll miss it when they can run around."
Amusement and relief greeted that as they took and gave their orders. Breakfast whirled past, then everyone began to disperse. Ironhide and his elders who were off duty, Raptor, Delphi and Blackjack, walked off with Drift and Springer toward the Metro and Iacon. It was time to baby proof the apartment for Tell.
Ratchet walked off to do his home bound cases. The rest went home or on duty as per their schedules. By the time the mob reached Iacon, the twins would be waiting outside Springer and Drift's door.
=0=On the way
They took the train to Iacon, a slightly full car given civilians and others heading for their jobs, school or general messing around. Children were missing but for the smallest or homeschoolers, a common sight around town. When they reached their stop, they got off together and made the trek upward toward the street.
It was sunny and cold when they got there, then walked the few blocks from the main drag to their building. The lobby was empty when they walked inside, took an elevator and got off on their floor. Walking to the apartment, everyone followed the two inside, gathering in the living room together.
"We need to plug the sockets first," Ironhide said as he unsubbed a small box. Opening it, he pulled out socket covers, then tossed them to the others. "Find them. Plug them. You know how to do it."
"We did after you licked that light socket at my house," Raptor said. "Your little tongue was burned good."
"I remember. I think I still have a scar," Ironhide said.
They made him show his tongue and indeed on its surface was a slight scar. After a bit of banter, they began to change a few things to make all things easier. Light sockets were plugged, cabinet doors were safety latch locked, all of the things up to a certain height checked to see if they could be pulled off by tiny servos and moved if they could be and an inventory of weapons and knives made.
A gun cabinet was ordered and would be delivered before anyone left. Many hands make light work and it was parked in the closet in the master berth room. It was filled in no time at all.
When all met Ironhide's discerning optic, they gathered in the living room again for a celebratory beer. Drift pulled Tell out and put him into his little bouncy chair. He opened an optic to stare at them, smiled slightly, then fell back to sleep. As he did, Flint, Sun, Jack, Auntie Lissie and Steiner walked in to join them.
"What a slagging fine infant," Sun said as he peered at the baby. "Slagging fine." He glanced at the two. "He looks just like you."
They grinned at him, then Springer sat back with an inordinate sense of relief that they were all here. "Lucky him."
Rude remarks greeted that.
"We were thinking of getting cars, remote cars and racing them at the track when there's no cards. How about it?" Jack asked.
It was unanimously agreed upon that this would be 'slagging awesome'. Also, bringing the little cars for the kids and making races for them was considered a good thing as well.
"Well, you two don't have the free time you had before. How's that working out for you?" Jack asked with a grin as the door opened and Blackjack the Younger joined them, himself grim faced.
"I don't mind," Springer said. "When he gets older and can do more things, I think its going to be fun."
Drift nodded. "I agree."
"Then you won't mind throwing him into the date night rotation?" Delphi asked.
Springer grinned. "Do we have a choice?"
"No." -everyone there
"Okay." -Drift and Springer
"Wimps." -Sunstreaker and Sideswipe
Tell was too busy sleeping away to have an opinion but he would in the end find date night with Nana, Papa, Other Papas and Other Nana the best thing in the world.
=0=Around the world
"Did you hear?"
"No. What?"
"Springer and Drift adopted a little mech."
"OMG!" -everyone in every human habitat on world
"WHAT'S HIS NAME!"
"TELL!"
"WE'RE ASKING *YOU*!"
It would go like that everywhere for a moment or two.
=0=TBC 01-20-2021
Gene therapy among humans can reverse conditions sometimes very swiftly. Its the future I think. :D