The Diego Diaries: Zoom (dd7 297)
=0=At a cafe inside the Autobot City Medical Tower, Autobot City, Mars
"What's this I hear that you're going on the next operation?"
Breakdown who was eating lunch with Knockout during his meal break on shift grinned. "I am."
"Why?"
"Because I'm Alpha Shift Chief of Field Medicine."
Knockout stared at Breakdown with a slight frown. "I'm a doctor."
"So?" Breakdown said as he sat back to study the most amusing format of his bond, the one where he whined like a bitch.
"If they're going to take you, they should take me," Knockout fumed.
"Why?"
Knockout glanced up from his meal. He considered the big mech's keen amusement with him and the slight edge he had when 'the difference' of their work status was thrown in his entirely handsome face. "I just think if they need medical personnel, they should include me."
Breakdown stared at him until he could see a slight squirm. "First of all, they're not taking bonds unless its unavoidable who have children. One stays behind. Breakout needs a genitor. Secondly, they're taking doctors. Just not you."
Knockout felt the edge in Breakdown, then dialed back a smidge. "You're always going. I have to stay here and fix boo-boos."
"So," Breakdown said as he gathered his dishes. "Suck it up." He rose with a grin, then walked toward the kitchen recycle station nearby.
Knockout watched him go, then grinned faintly. "Oh, my. You're a big one," he said mimicking the children's episode of Transformer's Prime that was constantly thrown at him by those who knew of it and everyone did. He grinned, then gathered his own dishes to go back to work.
Breakdown would go to the Academy to watch their son play. It would be glorious.
=0=Morning at the Airport
They gathered to go and as the clock ticked closer to 1200 hours on the TMC, the crowd of players, their family and friends gathering was substantial. The teams for Praxus and Polyhex and their entourages would leave Iacon after lunch with the ship when that group was ready to go to the stadiums. Those players would miss the tour as they headed out, then the ship would return to Iacon to be ready to take the guests on the rest of their tour. That would include Prime, the Comets, their families and friends, fifty children and their chaperons, all the humans and the Senior Autobots. It would be incredibly fun for all, fun and slightly nervous making for some of the humans to be not only on an alien world but one that was so incredibly destroyed.
The humans had gathered, were checked off, run through customs and sent toward the ship. It was waiting outside, a big ship with plenty of seating and space for them, ready to fly off through the bridge to Cybertron. It was considered a more organized way to transport all of them, a good way for them to salute Cybertron considering Prime was with them and get everyone where they were going in the fastest manner possible. They would come out of the bridge a distance from Cybertron to allow the humans to see two of the planets of the local group on the way there and the planet itself in space.
Will Lennox checked everyone off as they passed by, their epidermal microchips and their wrist bands alerting the scanner in his data pad. They came in by segway and truck then walked into the ship on foot. Mechs inside carried them to their safe spot as more followed behind. Parked in a space nearby, their vehicles awaited their return. They entered the ship, were placed in a space of comfortable seating, then watched as the big mechs entered.
The ship was vast with seating in rows that faced inward rather then forward. They began to fill up, mostly at first with hyper excited kids all wearing the same jacket …
^..^
Outside the airport as they arrived, three of the Autobot Auxiliary kids stood around several boxes waiting for their colleagues to arrive. When they did, they were handed jackets that matched each other, bore all the relevant tattoos, their names on the back and patches of Cybertron, Mars and the Primes underneath them. They put these on, left their own in the boxes, then entered proudly with their gear and med-i-kits to the acclaim of those inside. The boxes with their other jackets would be taken to the Watch Tower for reclamation later on.
^..^
The kids sat in their seats, slid their gear under them, then watched with excitement.
Drift who walked in to pause before them grinned. "You look nice."
"We had them made so that everyone would know we're a team, Commander," Pulley said with a very serious expression.
"It's easy to see that," Drift said with a chuckle. "We'll organize on the ground and your gear will be taken to the stadium ahead of time."
"Thanks," Sil said as she stepped down, then hugged his leg. "Thank you for this. I feel so great."
Everyone agreed including a number of adult chaperons, young and old.
More bots came, some of them carrying baby carriers, babies in backpacks and tiny children on leashes. When they began to sit, they sat the kids on their laps.
Orion sat on his Amma Docker's lap. He smiled at the kids across from him who were smiling at the kids.{"SHES! I LOVE LOU, SHES! I, ORION LOVE LOU!"}
Everyone around the ship laughed at the baby who ate it up. He slid down, then walked with great confidence to Coros. He looked at him posing with his familiar Superman stance. {"LOU! I LOVE LOU!"} Then he raised his arms to hug Coros.
Coros reached down to hug him. That was when every little kid in the ship sitting on someone's lap jumped down to get one, too. It would be a very jolly time for both large and small kids for a moment or two.
Judy Witwicky grinned. She was listening to the kids with her translation channel. :I want that kid: she said.
Everyone nodded.
:Orion is gangster: Lonnie said.
Everyone nodded.
:I want them all: Thelma Lennox said as she leaned slightly over the banister of their section to see them.
Everyone nodded.
:I know, Prowl: Will Lennox said with a snicker.
Everyone grinned as they nodded.
=0=Outside
The teams were there, the Kaon Kavaliers, Crater Comets and Simfur Templars. Their own groups of family supporters, mascots and coaches were with them. They began to board even as Prime and the Senior Autobots and Community Committee Council members gathered to discuss the orn's events.
"Ratchet will lead the tours in Iacon. The teams and their supporters will be going onward after lunch to Polyhex and Praxus," Prowl was saying. "We're keeping the humans with us, those that are on our list. Some have elected at this point to go to the Kaon game. When you leave The Citadel, take your humans." He glanced at Springer. "Have you committed a couple of Watchmen to look after these two groups?"
Springer nodded. "I have. Drift and I will be at Iacon because of the kids. Everyone else is parted out to Polyhex."
"Good. What's the security situation in the stadiums and the local areas?" Prowl asked as he consulted his data pad.
"We have it covered. We're using local Watch with senior officers from Mars at each stadium. We're here without horses. We decided not to transport any. It might be too much for them. The local areas are in hand. There are a few dozen projection sites for others to go see the game that way in each city, enough for each camp. The games being broadcast will be seen on the local nets as well. We're not going to allow booze to be sold during the games in a five mile radius of the game site. So far, we have no reports of disturbance." Springer said.
"I hope we keep it that way but fisticuffs and hooliganism are part and parcel of games on world so anything can happen," Prowl said as everyone nodded. Memories flooded in to everyone with that statement.
"We'll transport the humans where we're going in Iacon, then after the game tour Praxus, Polyhex and Simfur. The events there will be brief, just enough to let them see the destruction, the re-construction and the sights," Ratchet said. "I appreciate Simfur. After all, its going to be on air during the next Festival given that we're going to both places."
Prime nodded. "I do not want it to go on too long. These are the three cities fielding games so I want them to see something of them. I also want the Temple to be first viewed our way before Festival. If anything happens that makes this difficult, the humans are to be bridged out immediately."
"We set up a retrieve program if something happens. The bridges will fix upon and remove them involuntarily to the airfield at Iacon if we call for it using their chips," Springer said. "Its the same program that does human retrieval here if it senses something wrong with them or gets a call."
"Good," Prime said. "Then we should go." He stepped forward toward the ship with the councilors following. It was a short jolly walk through the jetway to the hold.
Inside, the conversation was buzzing. Some had their 'cheer gear' on, banners and sashes, even pom-poms to the ready. Some had baby carriers at their feet, some kids were in laps and chat was flying.
Prime entered, then paused a few times to speak to someone before reaching his seat, one next to the humans. He sat down followed by his genitors, an excited Corsair and Imaldo, an equally excited Styre and Stealth as well as a very composed Zenith and Shadow. Venture who was happy, Miler who was nervous and Prima followed, sitting with the others as more came.
Ratchet's elders walked in flustered at the opportunity and elegance around them. Others came, Alor's elders and brother, Hard Drive and his brothers followed by everyone else in Ironhide's family. They sat along with Ratchet who sat across from Prime next to the humans. Both placements were planned to answer questions and care for the humans. They were overawed, most of them, at the moment and gathered to chat with both.
More came, team players from the Comets and Simfur. When everyone was on board, the last being Watch officers, referees, Drift and Springer, the hatch began to close. There was a lull in conversation when it did.
Orion who was standing on his great, great, great Uncle Sun's lap smiled at Drift by the door.{"SPLIFF!"}
Everyone glanced at him, then Drift who grinned.
"What, Spud?: Drift asked.
{"I, ORION LOVE YOU! YOU GOOD ME!?"}
Drift chuckled. "Yep."
Orion beamed like the sun, then looked at the mesmerized kids sitting across from him. {"I, Orion good Spliff. I LOVE THE SHES! SPLIFF AND BOING BOING MY SHES!"}
Huge laughter greeted that as Drift walked down the ship to retrieve Orion. He walked back to his seat next to Springer and the two shared him all the way to Cybertron.
As he sat, the ship began to move. A cheer went up, then the ship lifted off reaching space nearly immediately. It would be a short trip through Trigger 1 and a longer one through space to Cybertron.
^..^Around the cabin
"This is so wonderful," Stealth said as he leaned against Strye's shoulder. He glanced at the silent figures of Shadow and Zenith. "I'm terribly happy that you can come as well."
Shadow glanced at Zenith. "We are happy to see Cybertron again, though it might be hard to do given all things."
"They've built up a lot, Appa," Prowl said as he held a drowsy Possibility. "I think it'll surprise you how far we've come."
"I am sure, Prowl, that we will be," Shadow said.
Nearby …
:That's Prowl's grandparents? Both of those two sets of mechs?: Sam asked Ratchet on a private line that was linked in to all the humans there that were 'normals'. The newbies and press along with a number of others weren't tuned in.
:That's Shadow and Zenith as well as Styre and Stealth, all of Praxus. All of them are big processor mechs. Shadow and Zenith are working on bridging between dimensions and the other two were writers, news writers and such. I'm sure there's more but I haven't got a clue. Just know, their money would make Jeff Bezos look like small potatoes: Ratchet said.
Everyone stared at the four, two of which were having a happy conversation with Corsair and Imaldo.
:How much wealth was there on Cybertron? There's been so many arrested that had obscene wealth, how could there be that much to go around?:
Ratchet considered the question. :Prime's realm has over a dozen planets that were inhabited. There were several hundred that were part of the Empire and we traded with literally zillions of others. Its why getting Megatron out is taking so long. We practically would have to go planet-to-planet to root them out. As for the wealth, it was accumulated into the hands of the few by the sweat of the many. Given that there were hundreds of planets to exploit, then wealth almost becomes relative. Its a lot of cash from a lot of places concentrated and accumulated by a few:
:What happened to all of it?: Ron Witwicky said.
:Wealth only exists if everyone agrees it has value. Consider Earth. The only reason that money has value is because everyone there agrees to it, what's valuable and how much its worth. Usually its something rare or shiny. If you decided that it didn't have value, it wouldn't. It would end that swiftly, the shared view of its value.
:Frankly, in emergencies lots of humans horde gold and silver. However, the smart thing would be to hoard food and water. You can't eat or drink metal. You can, food. So if there's a lot of hunger, people won't consider gold or silver to have value. They'll change to food and water. We agreed that our idea of wealth mattered until it didn't. It came down to food and shelter and in the end, space on a ship leaving Cybertron. They were wealthy until we and circumstances said they weren't when revolution broke out over the inequity of it and who had the most of it. That's why we have a system without money on Mars and now Cybertron: Ratchet said.
Prime who was listening in nodded. :No one is expendable. Perhaps Earth will eventually learn that your society is only as strong as your frailest, weakest and sickest individual. All it takes to topple an empire is one sick person to start an epidemic or one tyrant to slaughter everything and everyone for their own ends. What you are going to see on Cybertron is the outcome of such a simple thing:
They flew through the bright lights of the Trigger onward to Cybertron.
=0=TBC 6-7-2020