The Diego Diaries: Moving On (dd7 23)
NOTE: Had a 'thing' to do last night. Here we go. :D
=0=Residence a bit later
They stood in the vast living room that seemed to go on forever staring at the second most powerful person in the entire Cybertronian world, Prowl of Praxus. He stared back as he held a dozing Possibility in his arms. The baby who was used to going around and being everywhere with everyone took it all in stride. This was his life.
What wasn't was happening before him. Ten kids who were now in the care of the Prime and the Praxian Elites stared around uneasily. Prowl watched them a moment, then grinned.
"When we get things squared away you can wander at will and look around. The kids aren't home yet but they will be. I want you to know that this is your home for however long or short it is."
"Will it be long, Commander?" Flare asked. She'd been grouped with Sil and Jessine who stood on either side of her while Raptor took three kids and Ratchet the other three.
"I don't know. I'd move heaven and earth as the humans say to get you back if it was me. Let's not put attention to problems that haven't been discussed yet. Your genitors love you more than anything and that's all you have to know," Prowl said. "Come. I'll show you your rooms." Prowl walked onward through the living room to the corridor that ran down the middle of the vast space.
The children followed.
=0=At a big apartment elsewhere
Ratchet walked in followed by Coros, Pulley and O.D. They slowed as they looked around at the vast space. "Whoa. This is big," Coros said.
Ratchet chuckled. "It is. We have eight kids living here and about 765 elsewhere. It required a lot of space."
They looked at him with expectation and Ratchet felt it, the expectation of kids wondering what to do. He grinned back. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll recharge. We had three mechs separated from their families living with us and made a special berth room for them. Their families came and they had to go but the room is still the same." Ratchet walked down the hallway to enter Sunspot's room.
They followed.
"Bunk beds," O.D. said with a grin. "Some of our friends have them. They have a lot of kids and need them."
"What about you?" Ratchet asked as they looked around the room and the bulletin boards of Sunspot.
"I have a brother," Coros said. "He's younger and he wants to do what I'm doing."
O.D. nodded. "My sister does when she gets older."
"I don't have siblings," Pulley said. "My genitors want more though. That would be weird."
The others nodded. Their genitors were thinking about it as well, apparently.
Ratchet grinned. "I have a bunch of infants. You might change your mind when you see them. Or not."
He let them chose their berth, took the 'sleepy bed' dollies there from the imps who would bunk in their own rooms for a while, then showed them around the apartment. They were really impressed with the lounge for the dreads. By the time they were checked in so to speak it was time to get the others from the buses. They followed Ratchet down in the elevator. By then, they were relaxed and chatting away.
=0=Raptor and Company
He walked into his house, opened his hold to place a fat little cow on the ground, then turned to three kids who were torn between intense respect for the big cheerful mech and disquiet about their situation.
A cow helped.
"This is your space, your house and home until this ends. You can come and go for your routine but outside of that you have to tell us where. You can't go to your home until the all clear is given. Correct?" he asked with a grin.
They nodded. "Yes, sir," they said.
"This place has space for all of you," Raptor said as he walked down the corridor to the berth room that served up to six little kids at any one time on date nights. Inside, there was a huge berth that would hold the three easily. Toy boxes stacked up and other kid things greeted them. "When we have the infants over we make a tent here and camp out. We eat junk food and laugh."
The kids looked at him, then grinned. "It sounds like fun," Elkin said as Sio and Mico nodded.
"Then what's stoppin' us?" Raptor asked as he walked to a tall bagged object in the closet nearby. He tossed it on the berth, then unzipped it full length. "Help me get the tent up. I think the living room near the big windows would be perfect. Then you can help me order in the junk food. I know what I like but you infants … you can do whatever you want. I'm sort of a sucker for kids."
The three grinned at him, then helped carry out the tent. It would be up in no time by the window, Raptor would place the big screen monitor inside for the shows ahead and they would study the menus of the colony together like they were planning for an invasion.
=0=At the bus stop
The first bus came to a halt and an aide stepped out with Prowler. He was grinning as he was handed to Ratchet. The bus gave out some others including Sojie and Solus. Ratchet handed them to Coros and Pulley. The two little femmes looked at the two boys and smiled. The two boys grinned back.
"Are these yours, Abba?" O.D. asked.
"No. Those are Prime's daughters. We can bring the babies up to The Residence when we get them all," Ratchet said as another bus slid to a halt.
Sunspot stepped down, then turned to wave at the bus that carried the three little mechs as it drove away. Behind him was T-Bar and Spirit. They waved, then everyone turned to Ratchet. "HI, ADA!" Sunspot said with a radiant smile.
"Hi, Sunny Bunny," Ratchet said with a grin. "We're getting everyone today."
They watched as a cab pulled up and let Hero and her little blue backpack out. She scampered over, then smiled at everyone. "HI, ADA! WHAT'S HAPPENING!?"
Ratchet laughed. "Stuff, Hero."
Another bus slid to a halt and let Orion, Miracle and Praxus out with the aid of their aide. They walked up, then smiled brilliantly. "HI! I, ORION *LOVE* YOU! I COMED HERE TO THE SHES!"
Ratchet and the whole group laughed as the last bus came to a halt. A number of kids got off each bus heading for local towers and their family and this was no different. Genesis with Tru, Fireball with Lumi, Rambler and Quasar stepped down with smile. "Hi, Ada," they said.
Then everyone noticed the new three kids holding babies.
"Who the shes, Ada?" Orion asked.
Who indeed?
=0=Moments later
They walked from their apartment to the elevator, the entire mob, some carrying babies and others not. The three new kids walked with Ratchet as they entered the big elevator and went upward. The fiftieth floor was the official Residence of the Prime. They were headed there lickety split. It was unnerving for a number of them.
All of them new, of course.
They stepped out at the penthouse floor. In front of them was the highly decorated entrance of The Residence fronted by a contained foyer and single elevator bank exclusive to the Primes. There was stonework along the walls, lots of engraved images on long copper borders that were important to the office both as Prime and First Disciple of Primus. Huge double doors with a knocker that was designed to resemble Cybertron itself hung on one.
Rambler opened the door, then smiled at everyone. "Come on in," he said then entered.
Ratchet led the way as they walked inside. The new kids slowed as they took in the area, a vastness that was amazing, as amazing as the décor.
Prowl walked from a corridor nearby with Possibility, then grinned. "Come in," he said as his kids ran to him. He hugged and petted them.
"Ada, what's happening?" Rambler asked. "Are we having company?"
"We are," Prowl said as he grinned at the three silent kids with Ratchet. "The other ten are in the guest wing for the moment. Why don't you show these new kids where they are and maybe show them around the residence, Rambler?"
Rambler smiled, then glanced at O.D, Coros and Pulley. "Come on. I'll show you around. You come, too, Sunny."
Sunspot smiled, then looked at the three newbies. "Come on. This place is amazing," he said as he hustled with Rambler for the corridor. The three joined him along with a cow, two cats and a bouncing dog.
"ADA! WHY THE SHES!?"
Everyone looked down at Orion who smiled brilliantly.
Huge laughter greeted that.
"Come to the kitchen, my son and I'll fill you in," Prowl said to Orion who smiled at him for the attention.
And the cookies.
Prowl, the raging Machiavellian maniacal slagger made awesome cookies.
For his kids.
All of them.
Everywhere.
They were all his.
All of them.
Everywhere.
The kids screeched, then hippity-skippitied behind him to the kitchen.
Ratchet followed with a grin. The cookies here were great.
He would never tell Prowl.
Never.
=0=Elsewhere
Turbine walked in to see a giant tent by the windows, a cow sitting on a kid's lap and all three of them listening enthralled to Raptor as he told a daring tale or two of his colorful and fantastical life. Turbine grinned.
Raptor grinned back, then stood. "Turbine, look what we get," he said.
"I can see that. We got lucky again, Raptor. Who are these fine youngsters?"
"This is Elkin of Capitol City, Sio of Polyhex and Mico of Iacon," he said as the kids stood in respect. They were mannerly and decent, it turned out and Raptor was glad to be a part of the situation to help them find their path.
Fun would happen at this place.
"What's the plan, Raptor?" Turbine asked as he sat down across from the kids.
"Well, we did the sit-rep together and decided that a mass infusion of junk food was in order. It's coming. We decided that since some of them hadn't seen them, we'd watch the entire series of Bayverse Transformer movies and mock them. Mercilessly. Right, infants?" Raptor asked with a grin.
They were staring at him like he was Primus, then looked at Turbine. "We are, Abba. We're going to do it in the tent. Like it was a mission. Right, Abba?" Mico asked. He was the youngest of the three but all three were deeply stoked.
"You betcha, infant. I, RAPTOR OF PRAXUS DECREE IT!"
Turbine laughed. "Get me a beer, Raptor of Praxus."
He stood, then grinned at Turbine. "On it," he said.
Even the three kids laughed.
They had no idea that they were a project for the family at this point.
All of them.
=0=Residence
They walked around the penthouse noting all the amenities that few knew about outside the family, the odd punter and drunk and Ratchet. The mechs who built it for Optimus and his family had gone all out and there were things here that weren't found elsewhere.
Like the swimming pool.
That one.
It was big enough for actual swimming and was featured in a room with views. It was used by the family often, especially after one or both of the adults had been on a bender.
There were 12 large elegant berth rooms with wash racks for visitors, some designed for children and others for couples/singles among those attending. Short of hosting someone too drunk to walk home during holiday celebrations, this would be the first time anyone used the spaces in any kind of official manner.
There was a huge library-den where one could sit and read, chat and hang out. There was a huge screening room both for official business on the monitors as well as television and movies.
Movie night was sacred around the household when time and circumstances permitted.
The place was comfortable, beautiful, filled with art and antiques that were on loan from The People and showed the space to great effect.
Just as Prowl planned.
This was for the Prestige of the Prime (Optimus).
So sayeth the Prowler.
There were other spaces like the big room with the huge train set that Rambler and Prime created and managed along with the family's remote toys for the guild battles. There were rooms where crafts were kept, a secured room for conferences both on call and in person as well as large lounges here and there. It was a beautiful and amazing place.
That didn't count the play room with all their many toys that was along a windowed wall near the back.
All of the kids noted the beauty and size.
Sil looked at Rambler. "I love your house, Rambler."
Rambler grinned. "I know. I do, too. As long as you're here its your house, too."
Nearby at the door listening quietly, Prowl rapped the wall. "Dinner time. I hope you're hungry."
Oddly enough, they would be.
=0=TBC 6-25-17
ESL
Bender: Slang for getting drunk.