The Diego Diaries: Jetta and Elita's Turn (dd7 251)
=0=On the way to The Fortress
They walked onward heading down the sidewalk to The Fortress. It was the first time that Jetta had come there since his genitors had been found. He, Elita and his brother, Mack had taken care of them full time and he was checking in now before going back. They walked along hand-in-hand together.
They were always together …
He stood on the stoop, a child barely able to walk. Around him the neighborhood was a fascinating world. It had color and movement. That it also had deep poverty and despair was unknown to him then. He was tiny, loved and ready to see a bigger world around him. In the streets were other kids he could see so he clambered down the steps and ran to them. They had a ball and were playing. They stopped to look at him.
One of them smiled at him, a mech with blue finials, then handed him the ball. None of them were much older than the other but with that one gesture a group of friends were born that would last forever…
They entered The Fortress, then walked inside toward the command table. Reaching it, they both pulled chairs to sit. Optimus watched them approach and when they sat, he leaned on his elbows. "How are your genitors?" he asked.
"Much better," Jetta said. "They're getting used to things better but its going to take a while."
"I would love to see them," Optimus said. "When they feel better my genitors and I would like to have them in for the evening and dinner. You and Elita as well."
Jetta sat back. "That would be great. I think renewing things with Kes and Tagg will be a great thing." He glanced around. "Did you get my reports?"
"We did. You are on leave. I do not want you to worry about anything but your family," Prime replied. "Your staff is on it."
Jetta nodded. "I have the best mechs and femmes with me but I just ..."
"I know," Prime said with a slight grin …
"Jetta."
Jetta glanced up from the project he was working on. Hammering away at a box, he hadn't seen Orion and Deion come up on him. That wasn't a good thing in the ghetto. "Hi. What's up?"
"We're going to play ball," Deion said. "Come on."
"I have to finish this. My amma wants a bed for her fox," Jetta said.
Orion walked to the steps, then sat. He rolled the makeshift ball in his big servos. For a youngling mech, he was big and powerful already. So was Deion for that matter. "We can wait for you."
Jetta grinned. "I'll hurry. Have you seen Ariel?"
"He is taking care of his amma," Orion said. "He will be gone for a couple of orns."
"Oh," he said as he finished his pounding. Stepping back, he looked at it critically. "That should be good enough."
They stared at it as Jetta turned it over and over to look at all the seams. It was his usual flawless work.
"You're good at that, Jetta. You might want to get a construction job and see about an apprenticeship in the guild," Deion said as Jetta put his tools into it to carry all of it inside.
"I don't want to be a worker. I want to design things. I want to build houses for everyone so everyone can live in a good place. This place," he said glancing around, "is no place for anyone."
"Good luck with that," Deion said.
"I agree," Orion said as he walked toward the open door of their tenement. "No one should live like this."
"Well, Orion, when you're Prime we'll fix it," Deion said with a smirk.
"I'll help you, Orion," Jetta said as they disappeared into the hot summer interior of their dilapidated building to climb the ten flights of stairs to Jetta's amma's house…
They chatted a while, then Jetta and Elita walked to Jetta's office nearby, the one the senior officers had here. His main offices were downtown but he worked here on different kinds of projects than his engineering and public works tasks. They entered, then he walked to his desk to go through things.
Elita walked to the couch to sit and as she did, she watched him with a terrible fondness. Their relationship hadn't been the easiest thing they'd ever undertaken together …
"You're late."
"I know. I'm sorry," Jetta said as he caught up with Ariel. He hugged the big mech, then the two walked onward to the dance hall nearby where they would spend a few joors before Ariel went into the army.
It had been a sore spot for both of them, 'what to do now'. Ariel had expected them to bond and Jetta had gotten into 'the movement', a dissident driven umbrella organization of groups who were determined to make things better. It had begun to consume his life.
They entered the hall, took a chair at a table with friends and ordered drinks. Talking with old comrades, dancing together and playing pool, joors went by happily. Then others came and the topics turned back to what to do about the poverty. By the time they left, Ariel was upset and Jetta was placating him. They reached the corner where they would head for home. Pausing under the street light, they stared at each other.
They were madly in love, always had been and always would be. But Jetta had empathy galore and every slight, every horrible moment and action against The People had worn on him. He was obsessed with making things better, with making life less terrible and because it weighed on him, their relationship began to suffer.
"When do you go?" Jetta asked miserably.
"Tomorrow," Ariel said. "They have a project they want us to undertake, a sort of training thing we were told. I have to go in early."
Jetta stared at Ariel with miserable optics. "I wish you weren't going."
"I wish you'd find a way to live around the misery, Jetta. It isn't your fault and all of it isn't your responsibility. You're beginning to attract attention and it isn't good. You're going to get hurt," Ariel said.
He stared at Ariel, at the only one he would ever love. "I don't know how, Ariel."
Ariel embraced him hard, hugging him tightly. All of the orns of their lives came to him, all of the fun and love they shared. "I know."
The next orn Ariel would go and Jhiaxus would be waiting for him at their boot camp …
"What do you want for supper?" Elita asked as she watched him with compassion and love. There was always, always love between them.
He glanced at her, then grinned. "You cooking or is this some first signs of sickness that I never heard of before?"
She grinned. "I might. Maybe. One of these orns." She watched him finish up checking things over. "How about we take them to a restaurant?"
"Do you think they can?" Jetta asked as he walked over to sit down beside her. He leaned into her and relaxed as he rested his helm on her shoulder.
She tightened her arms around him, then kissed his helm. "Never know unless you try." …
He limped into her flat. She closed the door, then helped him to a chair. "Sit," she said.
Rushing to the cupboard nearby, she pulled her medi-kit, the one she was given by a mech named Ratchet, an army doctor who did that sort of thing often, giving things to those who needed them by stealing them from the army.
Ratchet was his kind of mech.
Elita began to clean up the beating that Jetta had taken eluding the police who were sent to dog him, taking liberties when they could. The Imperium hated him, every Prime since Nova would have killed him if he wasn't so famous and beloved by The People and thus, they harried his life every orn. "You really got it hard this time."
"I know," he said as he hung his helm. He had.
"Stay here," Elita said.
"They'll come here and find me," Jetta said. "I can't endanger you."
"You won't," Elita said with a cold expression on her beautiful face.
He would. They would talk long and hard. They would bond that night. The next morning, early, he and Elita would disappear into the gathering light and stay on the run until he was arrested and thrown into the infamous prison on Moonbase…
Later that afternoon …
Jetta and Elita waited for his genitors to get ready to go to a restaurant. They were nervous, they had no money, they were still confused about the barter system and they were nervous about being a 'problem'.
Corsair walked out nervously fidgeting with his servos. They'd been battered and care worn from overwork but having a detailer come in and take care of a multitude of the body work and the twins paint both of them to a tee had done wonders. "Your atar is coming, son. Where are we going? Will it be alright?"
"We're going to a steak house. Its a thing that the humans have. I won't tell you how wonderful it is so its a surprise," Jetta said as he stood and took his ada's servo.
Imaldo walked out looking equally fine. "What do we do now, Jetta?"
"Well," Jetta said, "you come with us and we take care of you. Then all will be well." He led the way to the door, then they left to go on the underground to a steak place in Bern that he liked, 'The Bearnaise".
The ride was fun as he sat with his genitors and Elita. They joked and began to relax as the stations flew past. When they got to Metro 3 in Bern, they walked up and window shopped all the way to the restaurant which had an old fashioned canopy over the door to keep the rain off visitors just like fancy steak houses on Earth. They entered, found their table and sat. It took a moment to order, then they relaxed.
Sitting back contentedly, Jetta grinned at his genitors. "You look great. How was your nap?"
"We did fine, son," Corsair said. "I think it helps a great deal. I don't think I'm ever going to sleep enough. The apartment is so wonderful."
"When you're up to it, we can wander around and see things you might want to add to it," Jetta said.
"If you say so," Corsair replied. He grinned at his son, then froze. Staring past Jetta, he looked deeply shocked.
"What? What, Ada?" Jetta asked as he glanced over his shoulder.
Sitting at a nearby table, several mechs, all of them looking very well made and high caste were enjoying their food. No one seemed to take the notice of the other but Corsair did, then Imaldo. They were frozen in place, their faces reflecting first shock, then fear. It was then that Corsair rose up and ran for the door.
Jetta stood, then headed out after his ada as Elita rose to watch. She looked at Imaldo who looked palsied with fear. He began to stand as Elita reached him. Backing away, Imaldo ran for the door as well. Elita chased after him.
=0=Seconds later
:Elita to Prime:
:Prime here:
:Triangulate on me. Come now:
:On my way:
In seconds, Orion Pax aka Optimus Prime was on his way to Bern.
=0=Converging
Ultra Magnus transformed, then walked toward a group of mechs standing together. Jetta was with them along with Elita. Two mechs were huddled together nearby and two were lying on the ground …
Optimus Prime had Jetta in a vice grip.
Arcee was on her way.
=0=TBC 4-8-2020 4-21-2020