The Diego Diaries: Wheeler Dealer (dd8 101)
NOTE: I wish you could see the spider web cracks on my screen. A tiny piece of glass just fell off. LOL! I see a new laptop in my future. See. I'm psychic. Here we go. (Hopefully)
=0=In a classroom in another town
They stood side-by-side in front of a monitor set close to the ground so they could interact with it. They were playing a 'game' with Amma Laret in which a list of words were on the board, each of them under the glyphs of the children's name. Each word missed a letter, the 'vowel' letters of NeoCybex, their common and communal language. Each child had five cards in their servos, each having three correct 'vowels' and two that weren't.
Each of them were to make correct spellings using three of the five words, then say what the word was. They were working on word recognition and phonetic spelling rules. Both of them were very good at this game.
"Okay, babies," Laret said sweetly as she sat on the floor beside them. "I want you to find the words and put the letters into the holes. Okay?"
They both smiled and nodded, then walked to their list which was side-by-side on the board.
Orion put his letter cards on the ground, arranging them carefully. He looked at the cards, then the board, then smiled at Laret, then the cards, then the board…
Meanwhile, Han was cruising through it.
A moment or two later …
"Good, puppets," she said. "Please tell me what your words say, Han."
Han had placed his cards against the screen in the empty spot to cover it so that the monitor read it and then displayed that letter inside the word itself. It didn't require them to hang the letters up. All they had to do was place them there, then take them back. Han began to recite. "Dog. Blue. Red." He looked at Laret hopefully.
"Wonderful," she said as she clapped for him. Touching her remote, an image of Han smiling almost cartoonishly big appeared next to his list with a sign of 'GREAT JOB!' as fireworks broke out on his side of the page.
Han smiled. "I like this game."
Laret chuckled. "So do I. What about you, Orion? What did you find?"
He smiled at Laret, then turned to the screen. "DUCK! DISH! POT!" He turned to Laret. "POT IS MY SHE, LO-LO! I LOVE POT!"
Laret laughed as she displayed a hugely smiling Orion, sign and fireworks.
Han stared at Orion without comment.
"How about bigger words?" she asked.
They both approved and watched as longer words with two missing letters, both 'vowels' and 'consonants' appeared on the screen.
She handed them a bundle of cards with glyphs, then slotted the ones they used into the case. "Take your time. Do your best and then we can read them. Okay?"
"I LOVE YOU, LO-LO! I DOIN'!" Orion said as he hugged Laret's knee. He picked up his cards to lay them out nearby.
Han who watched him walked to Laret to hug her knee, too. Taking his cards, he walked to his side to commence.
She watched them noting that Han was watching Orion when he spoke but not commenting. She glanced over her shoulder to Roto and a behavioral specialist, Mr. Ma-Hew4. Roto and 'Huey' were here doing research, Roto on Orion's ongoing speech proficiency and Huey for periodic checks on their behavior. Both of them were pretending to work on other things as they watched surreptitiously and took notes.
After a moment, both children were finished.
Orion stared at Han's words and forgot a moment who he was. He smiled, then patted Han's shoulder. "You did good, she. You good."
Han who glanced at him with surprise, glanced at Laret who was also surprised. "You did … good, Orion," he finally said.
Laret smiled. "You both are wonderful," she said as they turned to her. "Han, what did you spell?"
Han turned to his missing letter words, then read them. "Handball, stepping, backstop."
Laret clapped, then let loose the smiling Han image, sign and fireworks.
Han walked to Laret and hugged her knee.
Orion who was overcome by the moment smiled. "GOOD SHE! HE DOIN' GOOD TO THEM!" he said as he pointed to the words.
"Both of you are wonderful. Well done, Han," Laret said.
Han glanced at Orion with a puzzled expression, then Laret. "I like this game."
"I, ORION LIKE DIS, LO-LO! GOOD ME, DIS! GOOD US! WE GOOD!" Orion said with a blissful expression.
Laret laughed as did Roto and Huey.
Both children glanced at them, then smiled.
"TO-TO! HOO-HOO!"
"Orion," Roto said with a grin as Huey smiled. "I'm just a workin'. You do more. You and Han are doing a really good job."
Orion who was in the flow turned to Han and smiled. "He doin'. He doin' good, the shes. See?" he asked pointing to the screen which was still showing fireworks.
"I can see that. What about you?" Huey asked.
"Show me, baby," Laret said.
Orion who was pleased as peas with the attention turned to the board and swiftly, SWIFTLY said the three words. "Hardball, waterfall, skipping."
Swiftly.
Perfectly.
=0=Earlier that same morning
They walked along the street heading for the Temple. In Ironhide's hold was a happy little baby with a book bag and a treat container. Her old pa moped along, heading for the HOUSE OF DOOM! Where INFANTS GO TO DISAPPEAR INTO A SPARKLESS SYSTEM!
That place.
Behind them came the entire elder family on both sides and some of the adult siblings of the infant in question. It'd shocked Ironhide who hadn't told anyone that the DAY OF DOOM had arrived.
(Maybe no one would know and they could just ... 'forget' about it. Like that.)
They knew.
Who knew?
Apparently everyone.
As they crossed the intersection like some mob following a tour guide around the Vatican, Ironhide glanced back at them. "You don't all have to come. There might not be enough room in the Temple for all of ya."
"We're going to make sure our little baby gets to school, you slagger," Turbine said with genuine happiness. "Besides, we want to be there for all the infants on their important milestones, just like we were there for you."
"Yeah, Atar," Arcee said as she walked beside Elita, "we want to be there."
"Slaggers," Ironhide said as he smirked at the two femmes who smirked back. "Where the frag is Magnus and Jetta then?"
"They're going to meet us there," Elita lied with a smile.
Ironhide continued onward almost shrinking into himself with angst and pouting. It was a hilarious group that made it to the gates of the Temple grounds. He turned to them. "I can take it from here."
"The frag you can," Sun said as the others laughed. "I want to see her handed over. I don't trust you, Ironhide."
He frowned at Sun, then all the others as Ratchet stood beside him smiling with amusement. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT ME! WHAT ARE YOU DOING STANDING THERE EGGING THEM ON!"
"I didn't say a word," Ratchet said.
"I KNOW!" he said before beginning the LONG WALK OF DOOM toward the Temple itself, trudging up the steps to the building. Slowly he walked in followed by his merry band. They walked inward as a group, then followed signs to the new wing just opened where the Temple Primary School of Primus was located. This would be the first class to enroll, all eight of the children selected almost by lottery for this new and long overdue venture.
"Ironhide! Everyone! Welcome!" a voice said as Sela walked out the door to greet them. Behind her was a state of the art classroom for small children with small everything and shiny you name it. "Where is our precious little girl?"
Ironhide glared at her, then grudgingly produced Halo and her stuff. She sat on his servo smiling at everyone.
She didn't have a clue.
"Oh, my. Aren't you shiny," Sela said as she took the baby to sit on her arm.
A teacher specializing in their system named Timo took her gear, then slapped Ironhide on the shoulder. "This is my first class ever, Ironhide. Thank you for the wonderful chance to be your daughter's second best teacher."
Ironhide stared at the youngster, then his daughter. "Frag that," he said.
Everyone howled with laughter including Timo who apparently had the 411 on Ironhide.
"Come in," Sela said around her laughter. She led the way into the room which was very large, had small tables and chairs, little lockers for the infant's things, any number of toy and teachable thing along with more rooms disappearing down a corridor dedicated to other things. She showed them around, chatted happily with Turbine and the others, then grinned at Ironhide. "She's yours at 1300 joors, Ironhide. You may go and sulk."
Ironhide frowned at her. "You're supposed to be holy. YOU TAKE A MECH'S KID, THEN YOU STICK IN THE KNIFE AND TWIST IT!"
She grinned at him, then leaned forward. "Yes. Isn't it great?" she asked.
Huge laughter greeted that which even Halo joined in. Then everyone began to leave with Ironhide last. He stared at his baby, nodded, then walked out swiftly.
Halo watched him go, then looked up at Sela. "Where Atar? Him not doin'?"
"Atar has to go to work, baby. You get to stay with me and play," Sela said as more babies began to arrive. "See all the infants? All of us are going to be very great friends."
Halo looked around feeling a sinking sensation in her tanks. She didn't know anyone. She was alone in a sea of strangers. Even a sibling wasn't there to help her figure things out. That's when she began to cry.
It would be a teeny, tiny cry.
What her old atar was doing was unknown at that moment.
=0=Moments later
They sat in the courtroom waiting for the trial to begin. Ratchet held Ironhide's servo. :You okay?:
:NO!:
Ratchet grinned. :How about dinner out, the family, you and me?:
Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. :Sounds good. Just know, nothing is going to be good for a while:
Ratchet squeezed his servo. :I hear ya: he said as he felt his own pangs of separation. His little femme was growing up.
Both of them hated it a lot.
It would be a long afternoon in the courtroom.
A joor later …
"I would like to call a corroborating witness for the last one, Lord Optimus," Coln said.
"You will need one to have this testimony admitted in court, Coln," Semi said. "Its only hearsay if one person states it and nothing nor no one can back it up."
Prime nodded, then glanced at MaR-lo who'd objected to the witness testimony of a mech whose family was threatened with death if they didn't sign over their family business to Karyll Wheelus. "I will allow more testimony, Lady MaR-lo, if it corroborates this witness. Otherwise, I am inclined to disallow or weight it with less importance to my decision." He glanced at Coln. "Are there no documents or physical evidence to back up this testimony?"
"Most was destroyed in the bombing of Polyhex, Lord Optimus. Only fragments survive which is how we've managed to find witnesses," Coln said. "I'll call another witness to corroborate this testimony."
"Please do," Prime said.
"I would like to call An-10 from Polyhex to the stand," Coln said.
MaR-lo watched the damning evidence pile up aware that there was little to no mitigation that would come from her defense. They'd tried to find it but it was overwhelming the wrong that this mech and his family had committed. They'd discussed it over time in howling meetings until it was made overwhelmingly evident that they couldn't overcome the evidence. Karyll being a cunning mech who always figured there were angles in every venture no matter how hopeless agreed to her trial plan even as he worked to figure out how to defeat the whole process.
What her main purpose here was to ensure that he didn't get a death sentence which she considered even a Pantheonic recall to be. She'd sat through the other trials studying them against this very moment but had never gone to the Matrix when they happened. She missed that as a courtroom spectator and not a legal expert attached to the trials. She knew she'd lose this case. The outcome of a merciful sentencing was her single achievable goal. What happened to Karyll Wheelus, his family and the other three was her point.
An-10 walked in, was given the oath, then faced Coln so great was his anger at the Wheelus group that he couldn't even look at him.
"An-10, you had a business in Polyhex, a series of bars and restaurants that were very successful. Please tell us about them," Coln asked.
"My family and I started with a small bar and restaurant and built it into three bars and two restaurants. We were very successful and because my bond was high caste and only because of that, we were allowed to get loans to get things moving. We were nearly paid off when Brontine, Karyll Wheelus's goon lawyer paid us a visit."
"Objection to the characterization," MaR-lo said.
"Sustained," Prime said. "I understand your feelings, Mr. An-10, but please keep to the facts if you can without negative characterizations. We acknowledge your grief and anger."
An-10 stared at Prime, then nodded faintly.
"Continue," Coln said gently.
"We were all in, my children, bond and some of the elders. The others lived with us because they were old and tired. Brontine came to see me and said I had to sign over the businesses to Wheelus or I'd be sorry. He had a paper issued from the court by that one, Serafus, stating that the courts recognized Wheelus as owners of the entire business, not us anymore."
"What did you do?" Coln asked softly.
"I told him that I'd kill him, his kids, his bond, every Wheelus I could and the entire judiciary of Polyhex if he tried to do this," An-10 said hotly. "He left without a word, then that night one of our bars was burned to the ground. Attached to a light pole nearby was a picture of my genitors and grandgenitors inside a bullseye. We could do nothing. The cops were paid off, the judges, everyone was. Then full on revolution came a week later and everything burned. I had to get my family away so we left. That's what happened," he said, then grinned. "They got 100% of nothing, the fraggers. The lousy slimy fraggers."
The room was quiet, then Coln set down his datapad. "Do you have more to say, An-10?"
"That about does it but for the fact that this is my new favorite holiday, the date that these leeching fraggers get theirs," An-10 said. "We all got away, Karyll. We own five bars and four restaurants here. I want a bar and restaurant in every city. We'll do it and that'll be my legacy to my kids and the family. My genitors and grandgenitors live like kings and queens and you rot in prison. That's win-win for me."
"Thank you, An-10," Coln said. "I have no more questions of this witness."
MaR-lo shook her helm. "I have no questions."
An-10 stepped down, then glared with immense satisfaction as he left the room.
"I have another witness who is crucial to this series of actions. I would like to call Springer of Polyhex please," Coln said.
Drift who was standing at the door opened it to lean out.
Springer was sitting off from the others staring at the floor as he rested his elbows on his knees, his digits laced together tightly.
:Hey:
Springer glanced up.
:You're being called: Drift said.
Springer stood stiffly, stretched, then walked to the door where he kissed Drift, then entered. The door closed behind him.
Hercy who watched him go shook his helm. "Get 'em, infant. Make them pay," he whispered as the others with him nodded.
=0=TBC 02-27-2021 03-01-2021
THIS IS DEDICATED TO {{{{{cball671}}}}}FOR THE IDEA ON OUR FAVORITE LITTLE THUGLETS! HUGS!
ESL
surreptitious: (sir-up-tish-us) to be sneaky, surreptitiously: to be sneaky, to do something without being seen
411: that is the informational number on the telephone where you call to get info. When you have the 411 on someone, you know them or about them.