The Diego Diaries: Ballin' (dd7 117)
=0=There
"What kind of ball game?"
Sun and Jack grinned at each other. The true sporting center of their nearly all male society was asserting itself. It probably didn't hurt that ships were landing in front of their burning airfield either.
"Why, the best kind, boys," Sun said as the hatch door opened on the ship. "I'm coming out now. You join me and bring the babies with you. A mech and femme. The civilians, too. Alright? Don't bring any guns. That would hurt my feelings."
The rough voice laughed, then the line was cut. Before Sun and Jack along with the others could reach the ground from the ramp of their ship, Decepticons were coming out of the building that was their command center and housing. The remaining fifteen or so were evident, then more came behind them.
Those following were six civilians that were part of the group with the children. A mech carried them, a tiny femme and little mech who clung to him with terror on their tiny faces. They halted together as the Autobots and a nervous Rocco approached them.
"Well, look who's here," someone said coldly to Rocco.
He stared at that mech a moment fighting an impulse to punch his face, then he looked around for the kids. "I'll take the kids. I have Siphon already."
The mech holding them walked through the crowd, then handed them to Rocco who stowed them in his hold immediately. He turned to the group. "We're out of here. If you have a clue you'll come, too. The Autobots have Cybertron and they have a colony that's even better on another world. Come and make changes, then you can have the life Megatron will never give you."
"Is that so," the same mech said.
"You know it is, Meter. Galvatron decimated my last station. He killed good mechs because they were unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you really think it won't happen here? Besides," he said glancing around. "Good luck getting off here or letting someone know you need help. You know it takes years for anyone to come this way. Even if the line goes dead, it'll take forever. You can stay but I wouldn't. I want a life somewhere else and I'm going to get it."
"They got sports?" a younger tough looking mech asked warily. "You aren't lying are ya?"
"No," Rocco said.
"He isn't," Sun said with a grin. He spread his arms widely. "BEHOLD, THE MAGNIFICENCE THAT IS ME! I, IRONHIDE THE ELDER, GENERAL OF THE AUTOBOT ARMY, DEFENSIVE BACK FOR THE IACON INVADERS BASKETBALL TEAM AND OFFENSIVE BACK FOR THE TERRA … THE TERRA ..." He paused his presentation to glance at his brother who was grinning broadly along with the others behind him. "What's the name of our football team again?"
Jack shrugged. "It's named for Earth. I forgot the rest."
"Fine lot of help YOU are," Sun said, then he turned back to the slightly mystified group again. "I, SUN THE MAGNIFICENT AM A FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ADULT LEAGUE FOR THE PRIMUS CUP! You slaggers can come and watch the glory if you choose well. Choose badly and we ventilate you. Choose well and we all go home together. So … what are you going to do?"
It was silent a moment, then the younger guy glanced at the others. "I'm going with them," he said then turned back to Sun. "Who do I kill?" he asked with the ghost of a smile.
"No one. Hop aboard, infant, after we turn you upside down and shake," Jack said. "You need anything in there, get it. We're blowing this place to confetti."
It was as if the spell was broken. Some ran inside, some walked to the shuttle and the civilians were handled right away. Everything interesting inside was yanked for Jazz and Elita, then mines were set. When that was over, everyone boarded and the ship lifted off. All fifteen of the 'Cons were on board with Rocco and Sun's crew.
Sun who was sitting in the co-pilot's seat glanced back at the crowd behind. "Where's the children?"
Rocco patted his hold. "I have them here."
"Do they have blankets and stuff?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Uh, no, but I'm heating it up," Rocco said.
Sunstreaker pulled blankets out of his hold. "Hand me one."
Rocco opened the hold, then pulled out a tiny femme who clung to his servo like a spider monkey. He held out his hand to Sunstreaker who gathered her into a soft cashmere blanket. Sideswipe pulled another and took the mech. Both children were terrified. Everyone stared at them with a sense of revulsion at their fear.
Sunstreaker subbed a meter, then scanned them both. "They're going to be okay. They could use a few tweaks but they were taken care of."
"We did," the younger looking mech said. "Both of them."
"Siphon is a kid, too," Rocco said to everyone's surprise. "He's with me. So are they."
No one objected.
"Check the windows," Jack said as he watched his brother program the charges below.
Then Sun pressed the button.
The entire installation below went up in smoke, its pieces flying past the shuttle as they slowly began to gain altitude. It was over in a moment. Nothing was left intact below including the ships. They were totaled in the blast radius as well.
Sun grinned. "I do love a good munition," he said as everyone laughed including the 'Cons.
"Where have we heard that before?" Sideswipe asked as he rocked gently in place. Sunny did as well, lulling both exhausted infants into recharge.
"Take us home, Revo," Sun said as he sat back with satisfaction. "While we go, let me tell you how the Terra Something-Or-Others are going to win the Primus Cup in football this year."
Everyone would listen like it was holy writ. They would also hear the loudly voiced objections of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker of Kavalier fame.
=-=Back in the fold again
The ships fled through the space bridge, then entered into orbit of Mars. The 'Cons watched out the window in silence as the magnitude of the spectacle below took them by surprise. The ship made its way down, then landed at the prison where Gee-Gee and a medical team led by Ratchet waited. Walking toward them was Prowl and Prime.
The ship settled, the hatch opened and the ramp slid out. Some of the Autobots got off first, then waited as the group came down. The civilians were sorted from the fifteen 'Cons, then marched away by a medic to the hospital nearby for their fitness check and turn over to techs from the Refugee Bureau who waited there for them.
The others lined up, their optics riveted on Prime, Prowl and the tense little femme bossing them.
Rocco walked to Prime followed by the twins and the babies. They gathered to watch the show.
"I'm Warden Gee-Gee. I run this place. I heard you might be short timers here. I hope so. I have places for all of you if you aren't. I don't mind keeping you but I'd rather you had a life. I imagine you would, too."
Some of the mechs murmured and others nodded, their optics drifting from Prime to the cityscape beyond, then the little femme.
"Rocco says you aren't hopeless. Are you?" she asked.
They stared at her, then Rocco, then her. "NO, MA'AM!" -all of them.
She grinned. "Very well. Right face, then walk on with my concierge here, Assistant Warden Coleus. Don't frag up and we can see what we can see."
"YES, MA'AM!" -all of them before they right faced and lit a patch. The sooner they were out, the better, it was clear to see in this bunch.
Gee-Gee grinned as they left, then walked to Prime. "I'll get their proxy oaths, Optimus. I don't expect too much time before they're out there doing a good job. They look like working mechs who needed a place, mostly."
"They are," Rocco said. Then he grinned. "Mostly."
They then gave their attention to the babies.
The two infants stared out of their nests at the strange faces all around them. There was one that wasn't. The little mech held out his arms to Rocco. He hesitated, then took him blanket and all from Sideswipe. Holding him awkwardly, he looked at the femme who was staring at him as well. Then she reached for him with a tiny weep. He took her on, heating his chassis for them as he always did when he held them.
"Well, you're a natural. Mostly," Ratchet said with a grin. "Looks like you need a fine tune for your efforts there and all will be well. Ironhide will help you and so will the twins. We also have Home Health Care specialists for refugee children who can come a couple of times an orn for as long as it takes to get them settled. You do want to have these three little kids, right?"
He stared at them, then nodded. "They know me. Its for the best."
Prime tapped his hold, then pulled out Siphon who had a bear and wore a onesie that protected him head to toe. He saw Rocco then smiled brilliantly. "ROCCO! YOU CAME BACK!"
Rocco stared at the kid. "I said I would."
"You did," Siphon said with a smile.
"Let's take the Metro to the Med Center. We can organize there," Ratchet said as he led the way to the Prison Command Center. Everyone followed and they were at the Medical Center in no time. Ratchet led the way to a suite where the children including Siphon were set on a med berth. The two infants looked afraid, then hugged each other tightly. Siphon patted them as he sat beside them.
It was as sad a sight as they'd seen in a while.
Rocco walked to them and leaned on the med berth. He patted them, too. "You're okay. We're going to go home in a moment."
Siphon stared at them, then glanced at Ratchet. "Maybe they need a bear," he said.
"On it," Sunstreaker said with a look of emotional intensity on his face. He was gone in seconds.
"Okay, babies," Ratchet said gently as he gathered tiny plugs for their slots. He inserted them gently even though the femme began to cry.
Rocco petted her gently. "Tiko, don't cry," he said slightly fearfully. "What if she cries?"
"She didn't cry before?" Prowl asked with surprise.
"Neither of them made a sound. We just … they were cared for and kept in a little box filled with blankets. We didn't know what to do with them. Sometimes I took them out to walk around. They're really afraid of everything."
It was silent as the data flew, then it stopped. Ratchet turned to them. "They have the usual, protoform wasting but not much. They have a few dents. Someone gave them hard handling, perhaps to make them behave or do what they wanted. That wasn't you lot was it?" Ratchet asked.
"No. No one ever hurt them with me," Rocco said with a growing scowl. "It must have been the fraggers we saved them from. Fraggers.
"No argument here. We're going to give you supplements and have Home Health Care do the heavy lifting. Then they'll have play therapy to get them back on track. They can go to a specialist child care service that's staffed with therapists and doctors who work with referred babies who're traumatized. We want them in controlled spaces that can help them young. You'll be supported in this, Rocco." Ratchet smirked. "You exceed expectations by leaps and bounds."
He glanced at Ratchet, then the little kids. "They're nice kids. All three of them."
"Then they need a good detailing," Sideswipe said as he examined Siphon's arm.
Sunstreaker walked in with two smaller teddy bears than Siphon's but they were both white. He walked to the berth, then held one out to the mech. "Here." He glanced at Rocco. "What's his name?"
"Beau-Beau," Rocco said. "I call him Boo."
Sunstreaker nodded, then held the bear close to the baby.
Boo stared at Sunny, then took it, hugging it close to himself.
Sunny held the other bear for Tiko who took it immediately, then buried her tiny face into its warmth as she tried to hide.
It was a start.
=0=TBC 10-24-19
ESL:
"Ballin'" is a term often heard as slang, especially in the black community. It means to live with affluence, to have wealth. It is sometimes spelled and pronounced with a "g," and sometimes not. It's thought to have originated from the term "having a ball."