The Diego Diaries: BASKETBALL! (dd7 124)
This was supposed to go out last night. :}
Today is November 2, 2019. Nine years ago, I posted the first part of this story thinking it might go 40 pieces. It would have been earlier, I started it on October 26th but it took that long to figure out how to load it on Fan Fiction.
:D To all the readers, both from the first day to now, you are the greatest and most important element of all. Hugs to all of you forever. -Me :D
=0=On the court
"We're going to have to slam them to the Pit. Give us the ball. Move it around. They can't defend all of us at once," Sideswipe said as everyone nodded. They broke and walked to their places for the throw in.
"We're going to have to do man-on-man defenses now," Prime said quietly in their own huddle on the sidelines. "They will probably try to run the ball around seeking an opening. Do not give them one." They broke and walked to their places.
The ball was thrown in.
It was a merry chase as both sides tagged their particular individual and shadowed them. The shadowed players, Kaon, did their best to run the ball around but when Sunstreaker shot for the basket a big black servo reached up to deflect the ball out of bounds.
Ironhide landed with a grin at his son, then walked back to his place. "I, IRONHIDE DID DEFLECT THE BALL AND PREVENT A SCORE!"
"I, SIDESWIPE AM GOING TO KICK YOUR AFT!"
"I, IRONHIDE WELCOME IT AND RAISE IT TWICE! BRING YOUR BROTHER!"
Huge laughter was had even by the players as they walked back to take the ball in. Prime passed it around, the speed of which was instructive and by the time everyone was running ragged, he got it, elbowed Bracket in the face, then dropped it down into the basket.
Iacon, 15 and Kaon … wait for it … ZERO!
They stared at Ironhide then grinned.
Ironhide who was grinning back lost his. He glanced toward his father and grandfather. "I don't like the look they gave me. I think they're going to take me out."
Nearby, gathered together ...
"I think we have to take him out." -Kaon including relatives
The game began again, a riotous raging tide of mechs trying to get to a hole with a ball. Guarding it with skill and a good fist or two, Ironhide and Bracket managed to keep the scores away until a dog pile on Ironhide by mechs bum rushing the basket flipped him helm over heels into the wall with the force of a cannonball.
He hung upside down a moment pinned by force, then slid down, landed on his helm finials, then fell forward to lie face down on the floor. It was at that moment that the Autobot Watch and Medical Mentorship Programs leaped into action and a passel of kids ran out with medical kits and a stretcher for the 'victim-down!' lying nearby.
Ratchet who was leaning over the side stared down at Ironhide as the kids reached him, then almost as one pulled out meters, turned to him and scanned at the same time. Even though he was unconscious, Ironhide's body jumped under the combined voltage of their meters.
Ratchet laughed. Loudly.
The cameras caught every guffaw.
=-=In the commentary booth nearby, itself fastened to the ceiling with a perfect view of the game from its descended position at mid line
That one.
"You wouldn't know what a good bond Ironhide and Ratchet have from Ratchet laughing about Ironhide just now," Jazz said with a chuckle.
"The kids are swarming him," Blaster said.
"They should. They're adorable and totally helpful," Revet said. "I love them."
"We all do." -Jazz, Blaster, three worlds total population and half of the pirates in the system
=0=Under Generalissimo Coros
"What's his general condition?" he asked as Hercy, Kup, Drift, Springer, Lon, Bezel and Smokey joined them.
"I would say he's unconscious," Tempe said with the utmost seriousness.
Coros glanced at the others who nodded. "Very well. Let's see if he's without impairment to move."
All of the kids began to feel Ironhide all over his body to see if there were any broken bits that might be endangered by moving.
The crowd gave them a standing ovation.
=0=Up there
"What the frag?" Prowl asked with a grin as he stood beside Ratchet with his arms folded prettily over his rather nice chassis.
"Standard procedure. Checking for broken bits," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile. The camera was on both of them again.
"Aren't you going down there?" Prowl asked.
"Not since you shot a hole in my bouncy ball," Ratchet said before Prowl picked him up and dropped him over the side.
Ratchet fell 70 feet, stuck the landing, then pirouetted over to see the show.
He got a standing ovation as well.
=0=Standing nearby watching the show
"Prowl's pretty strong to throw a bot like Ratchet over the side. Don't tell Ratchet I said so." -Blackjack
"I won't." Everyone.
They would.
"Prowl is very strong. It is one of his many charms." -Prime with a grin
"You talking out of school?" Hardie asked with a chuckle.
"If I knew what that meant … yes," Prime said as they all guffawed.
=0=Nearby
"What do you think?" Springer asked as Goldwing stood beside him watching the kids with amusement and great pride. He mentored two of the Seeker kids himself.
"We should ask as consultants," Goldwing said. "What do you think, infants?"
They all turned to him, all thirty of them. "I/We think he should be stretchered off to triage." -all thirty of them
Springer nodded. "I think we can do that." He glanced at the others, then they gathered after moving children gently back to lift Ironhide onto the stretcher. It took a bit of heft but they did and with the kids following to the gigantic applause and pride of the crowd, they carried him to the tunnel and triage. Behind them waving and curtsying to the crowd, Ratchet followed.
They disappeared down the tunnel and the game continued with Ultra Magnus as goalie. From that moment on to the half time, no one would be able to get a shot in on goal around the massive bot who stood in place deflecting the ball every time they came near the basket.
Kaon would be pissed.
SIREN!
The teams gathered, then walked out together. As they did, the halftime would be replays of plays and Ratchet's cheer gear interlude.
=0=Triage
He lay on the berth with the birdies singing. Ratchet had gone over him, noting he would come back in one piece once his self repair systems finished, then turned to the kids who looked at him with hopeful optics and much hero worship.
They hero worshiped everyone connected to their program.
"BRILLIANT! WHAT CAN I SAY!?" he asked before getting swarmed for hugs.
=0=MCA halftime show
"What's the word on Ironhide?" -Earth sportswriter
"I just got word that he's going to be okay and will be out of the game until ..." Revet checked the note. He grinned. "Until, as Ratchet put it, his marbles stop pinballing in his head."
Everyone laughed.
"What about those kids? They appear to have doubled." -Earth
"That's a program put together by the Watch and Hospital to give kids an outlet for their energy, a chance to see careers that might want and to give them a chance to serve the colony. Intermediate kids have to do this to graduate and even though they're mostly just level ones and have a long way to go, this will count toward that requirement," Blaster said.
"They would do it anyway. They started it themselves," Jazz said. "They want to be doctors and security."
"They're adorable. We need one for broadcasting. We need to give kids opportunities in whatever they think they want to do to see if they like it," Revet said.
Everyone agreed.
"It's 15-0 so far. What do you think Kaon should do to turn this around?" -Earth
Jazz smiled. "Score?"
Everyone laughed.
=0=Locker rooms
"Oh, ha-ha, Jazz," Sideswipe said as he sat on a bench obsessing on the score.
"We need to jump them. Make it a fight," Hugh-E said. "Its the only way. They have more skill and teamwork. We have fists."
Everyone considered that, then glanced at the twins.
"What?" they asked.
Everyone laughed.
Everyone also agreed.
=0=Other locker room
"Infant is out for a while," Hardie said as he took the message from Ratchet.
"Then we better expect to get beaten up right and left," Prime said.
Everyone agreed.
=0=Rejoining the crowd
"He's not coming back until First Aid releases him," Ratchet said.
"Then he's out for the duration," Tagg said remembering the stories he'd heard about Aid's intense concern for his patients.
"Bingo," Ratchet said with a dazzling smile.
Everyone laughed.
SIREN!
The room erupted as the teams ran out in their lines, took their sides and got ready for the jump ball. This was the last hope of Kaon. After a moment of hoo-haw, they lined up, the ball was tossed, Optimus got it and also a punch in the face from a grinning Hugh-E.
Meanwhile …
"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO BE FREE!"
"Lay back, Ironhide. I have release discretion." -First Aid
"CALL THE COPS! KIDNAPPING! CASTE COURT! CASTE COURT!"
Back there again ...
Prime staggered back with the ball, Sunstreaker stole it, Ratchet kept Prowl from jumping over the wall after him, Sunny ran with the ball, swapped it around his teammates in a complex play, then tossed it to the hoop where it bounced off Magnus's face and went out of bounds.
It was amusing to see Sunstreaker rage for a moment, then stalk back infuriated.
Prime on the other servo was trading blows with Huge-E at the center line, both of them grinning as they lay haymakers on each other. It was ASTONISHING how powerful the blows were though Prime was pulling his punches. Even a Man Mountain Dean like Huge-E wasn't in Prime's class. It would take Megatron or a Phase Sixer to do that.
But it was way the frag entertaining.
=0=MCA off line
"Fuck. Look at the blows." -Sportscaster on Earth unaware that his mike was hot
"Your mike is hot, Randy." -Partner recognizing that his mike was still on
"Oh, crap," Sportscaster who would get a mild reprimand because management was saying the same thing at the same time outside the control booth
=0=Arena
The crowd was losing their marbles watching the two beat the slag out of each other. Standing around the court or on the sidelines, the other players critiqued and measured themselves against the two.
"You fought Megatron a couple of times, Chromia," Arcee said. "How do they match up?"
Chromia thought a moment as Maelstrom watched from the bench where he was allowed to sit as 'team mascot'. He was entranced by her, the lover boy.
"Prime has the edge. What Prime never has is the rage. If he were ever mad enough, Megatron would be toast," she said as she slammed her fists together.
Maelstrom nearly swooned.
=0=Prime and Hugh-E
Prime was in his element nearly exulting over the play. He LOVED basketball and football, was EXTREMELY good at both and loved the fights that took place in the games. They didn't kill anyone. They were part of the play and it was fun to just box with someone without worrying about terminating their aft.
Hugh-E felt the same way.
After a moment of blows, they both backed off, laughed, bumped fists, then walked to their teams.
=0=MCA
"I don't get the fights beyond fighting. That they're strategic or so I'm told boggles the mind. I can't wait to see Prime and his team play football." -Sportscaster
"Me either." -another
=0=Arena
They lined up, faced each other, then Prime threw the ball in. Chromia got it, ran madly passing to Hardie and Blackjack while Magnus stood calmly in the 'goal'.
(BWAHAHAHA! THE GOAL! THE GOALIE! BASKETBALL! BWAHAHA! -Ed)
When all was said and done, it was Iacon, 20 and Kaon ZERO!
That's when the twins and their team decided to go for broke(n struts).
=0=TBC 11-02-19
HUGS!