The Diego Diaries: Clubbin' (dd7 347)
=0=On the way to Aerie Hill
Raptor sat between his uncles swaying with the train as it cracked along toward what he had planned to be The City. Given their state at the time of boarding, his part of the Posse had gotten onto the green line heading for Aerie Hill. The car was crowded and if anyone had been more sober they would have seen that half their merry band was missing. They didn't so they sang away on the road to their next amusement … "47 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL, 47 BOTTLES OF BEER! ..."
=0=On another line heading for Autobot City
Blackjack leaned against his son, Ironhide who was still sleeping the sleep of the damned as he half leaned out of the seat where he was perched. Blackjack slapped his son on the back, then glanced around. He looked through the mangy lot who were laughing, sharing a bottle in clear violation of the rules for the Metro and telling jokes. He frowned slightly. "
"Where's Atar," he asked.
A few moments later …
They streamed out of their car onto the platform of the Mausoleum Metro Station. It was dead there, no pun intended and there was no one in the information kiosk to ask questions. They gathered around Blackjack.
Tagg who had Ironhide slung over his shoulder and Sunstreaker who was bearing Partition the same way grinned at him. "What now, trailblazer?" Sunny asked.
"YOU'RE ASKING ME?" Blackjack said with a huge laugh. "Let me see what I can do," he said walking to the communication and train system monitor kiosk nearby overriding it with a small device he unsubbed.
"Where did you get that, need I ask?" Hardie asked his wayward grand sonny boy.
"Don't ask me questions, I will tell you no lies," Blackjack said with a chuckle. He grinned. "Prime and everyone else are heading for Aerie Hill. I guess we're going for Aerie Hill. The next green train, board it."
It would take several but they would jump one and beat the band for the Home of the Flying People.
=0=Slowing into Aerie Hill Main Station #1
They climbed out swaying and laughing. Most of the elders were sober, Tie, Venture and Tagg in particular. Someone had to be the adults. They glanced around, then grinned at Raptor.
"What now? We do appear to be somewhere other than Autobot City," Venture asked.
"Where is this place?" Raptor said. He looked around, then grinned. "I KNOW! LET'S GO PAY A CALL ON STARSCREAM!"
"I think that would be a nice neighborly thing to do," Prime said with a grin as he swayed gently between Tagg and Sideswipe.
"Follow me," Raptor said as he walked for the doors of the station, an elegant building, then out into the main street of the equally elegant township of Aerie Hill, the second oldest habitation district on Mars.
It didn't take anytime to reach the gigantic 'Great Crescent' that was the first housing built in the city. It was vast, twelve stories high and curved along the landscape that had been chosen for the Seekers at this, a historic site. It was where the Seekers surrendered and became a homeland for their people through the efforts of Starscream.
Streets, wide and lined with equally wide sidewalks ran down the middle of the cityscape, an extension of Metroplex Highway 1 that turned into Aerie Hill Highway when it passed the arenas some miles away. Tall elegant light poles threw light pools at intervals and all around them the lights of apartments, public buildings, the many parks and playgrounds as well as a very busy business district that functioned both orn and night made the place beautiful.
Raptor turned to the mechs. "You wait here. I'll go get him."
"Do you know where he lives?" Optimus asked, himself vaguely remembering where the huge elegant apartment of his former nemesis was located through a fog of beer.
"Don't worry," Raptor said as he walked to one of the several sets of giant gilded glass doors that led inside the building. He entered, then noted the marble, gilded metal and understated spotless magnificence of the lobby. He walked to the elevator, then went up to the third floor. Guessing this was it, he walked to the first apartment and knocked on the door. It opened.
He smiled. "Is Starscream home?"
He would knock on a few doors before Thundercracker came down from the tenth floor to rescue him.
=0=On the way
They rode along in the train laughing, sharing a bottle and trying to work out if anyone knew where the big Seeker lived in the many huge apartment buildings of the Old City as the first habitation zone of Aerie Hill was called. It was now a massively sprawling place to hold the nearly two and a half million Seekers that called it home. The different gigantic ravines that continued past the city proper into the distance, gashes and split seams of former cataclysms were also utilized for living space enhancing the charm and utility of the landscape.
Aerie Hill was planned to the last detail. All of it was designed to support flying individuals. The streets wound around everywhere and up the terraced hills of the ravines that held homes. Street lamps were prevalent and added a jewel like quality to the place as roadways disappeared into the distance to serve the massive settlement. Trucks and cars came and went but mostly The Flying People flew. Cabs and buses carried passengers and picked up/dropped off school kids. Deliveries were made and picked up. But mostly, The Flying People flew.
Streets in the neighborhoods were mostly utilized for play by kids. There were parks everywhere for children and elders to use during their free time. Elders had places to play games, sit to talk with friends, muse on the world and its vagaries and watch their children. Food trucks loved Aerie Hill and the ten sub districts that made it up.
There were the usual government buildings, libraries both local and main, health clinics as well as the Aerie Hill Medical Center and museum annexes. Their branches were spread out through the huge district while the main ones were part of the Aerie Hill Plaza. Businesses were brisk and not all of them owned and operated by Seekers. Most were, though and there was a lot of businesses that sold their goods to Earth through The Autobot Outpost chain. The exotic art and creations of the Seekers were highly prized on Earth.
Schools were plentiful, private, cultural and public as well. This was where Sunspot came twice a week for lessons on clan and Seeker culture and language. The airfields, five of them, were well used. At one of them, Sunspot would come twice a decaorn to get his flying tuned up by Warlord, his mentor and all the Elders who came to cheer him on. There was a Sparkling Day and a Youngling Day here. All of their sub adults went to Intermediate School in the various cities until the population warranted one of their own.
Private religious schools also flourished here. There were educational annexes for adults and a branch of the University of Mars as well as a campus for technical education. Starscream was adamant that they would have their place in the planning and construction of their new paradigm and the buy in was great.
It was notable that the Shrine for Solomus Prime was located here on the plaza where the governmental buildings were clustered. They asked for and received a Guiding Hand Prime, something that was pretty in keeping with the prevalence of Seekers pledging to that form of practice.
All of this surrounded the mechs as they waited for Raptor. It was about then that the train from Autobot City slid into place and a large number of raucous drunks stepped off it to head for the street and a look-see for their missing numbers.
=0=Up there
It was quiet in the apartment as Ratchet snored in his chair. Prowl was curled up on the floor where he fell. He didn't even wake up once. Neither did Alor who was sprawled in the hallway where he fell some time before. All of the children were elsewhere, everyone else was at home recharging in their soft, soft beds and all was well with their worlds.
Mostly.
=0=On the street
Prime and his crew walked along the street marveling at the beauty of Aerie Hill in the night. It was beautiful any time of the orn but the lights everywhere were amazing. When they reached the others, they were sprawling on benches, planters and steps.
"Where have you been?" Sunstreaker asked.
Prime glanced at Ironhide and Partition who were spread out on the ground. "What happened to them?"
"They were sleepy," Sideswipe said to the great amusement of the punters. "Where were you?"
"We took a train," Prime said with a grin. That was it.
Tagg smirked at his son, then glanced at Sunstreaker. "We got on the train behind you it would seem. We need to coordinate better."
"That's for sure," Sideswipe said as everyone turned toward the Great Crescent and a group of mechs walking down the steps toward them.
=0=Inside a moment ago
Thundercracker walked down the corridor with a grin. He liked Raptor. Everyone did. Raptor was fun and a good guy. That is, he was now. In the past, he was an uncompromising foe but fair. He never hurt a prisoner, never allowed abuse and as a consequence, most Decepticons that weren't crazy or foolhardy when there was no way out surrendered to him knowing it would be safe. Sorry but safe. "Raptor, you were looking for Starscream?"
Raptor turned to the big Seeker, someone he knew had reservations about the Decepticons but fought a fair fight. "THUNDERCRACKER! YOU OLD SLAGGER! Sure. Where is he?"
Thundercracker laughed loudly. "He's taking calls. Why are you coming by this late? Don't you have homes to go to?"
"Because I'm boss hog of Prime's Posse," he said, then smiled brilliantly like that was all he needed to explain.
Thundercracker grinned. "I heard about this posse. Where's everyone? Outside?"
"Sure. Come on," Raptor said as he started for the door.
Thundercracker watched him, then followed with a grin.
It was a jolly crew that greeted them as they reached the place where everyone was waiting. After the salutations, Raptor grinned. "We're going barhopping. Come with as the humans say."
Thundercracker chuckled. "Alright. Let me call a few first." He paused a moment to call 'a few' ,then they waited until a number of mechs walked out of the door to cross the street to where they all were waiting.
Warlord grinned. "You rang?"
"We're going barhopping. You coming?" Thundercracker asked.
"Sure," Warlord said with a smile on his handsome face. His two brothers nodded with amusement.
"Where do we go around here?" Raptor asked as the mechs got up to go.
"Follow me," Warlord said as he stepped out to walk down the street to the club district of the Old City. The others followed, some of them staggering just a little as Sun and Jack carried Partition and Ironhide over their shoulders.
=0=In a cell in the jail
Hot Rod felt himself coming around, helped by a little bit of attention by the jail house medic. He blinked then watched that mech pick up his kit, walk off the cell platform, then leave the room. As he sat straighter, the bars came back on. Glancing up, he saw the slightly amused optics of Roadbuster. "Roadie, what's going on? Why am I in here?"
Roadie shrugged. "Because you were a dumb ass?" he asked before he began to walk out, too.
Saint who was last grinned at Roddy. "You're stuck until Magistrates Court. Oh, and by the way … Hang 'Em High Harley is the judge for the morning cases." With a chuckle, Saint walked out of the room. The lights dimmed automatically.
"Hang 'Em High Harley?" Hot Rod said softly.
"Yeah," a voice said in a cell directly across from him. "Harley hates drunks. Lucky you and me. Huh?"
Hot Rod stared at the drunken grin of a mad hatter mini-con, then lay back again. "Oh, frag," he whispered.
=0=TBC 8-7-2020
Just in case you missed it, there's an anime series of Transformers on Netflix that is three part. The first is called Siege and is six segments. It looks good but I haven't seen more than clips of it on YouTube. Its scrappier, placed entirely on Cybertron and is pretty amazing looking. The next part is coming ? Maybe next year? I'll let you know when it does. Its called Earthrise. :D
Just in case you don't know what 100 bottles of beer on the wall is … its a song that goes like this: 100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer. You take one down and pass it around. 99 bottles of beer on the wall. You continue until you get to 1. Its probably the most irritating song ever made. :D:D:D
NOTE:
It is with an impossible sense of sorrow I feel such sadness for Beirut, Lebanon after the blast at their port which practically leveled the city. Sometimes you have to wonder what the world has in mind for any of us when things like this happen. If there are any Lebanese people reading this, I wish to tell you I grieve with you and hold you dear to my heart. To anyone who loves this world, all of it the way I do, I also feel the same way for anyone who has a catastrophe. I don't know what things like this mean in the bigger picture but I know that when any other place and people suffer in this world, so do I. I hold everyone in my heart tonight, especially Lebanon. All the places in the world where people and all living things suffer, I am with you always. Love for all, everywhere, Me.