The Diego Diaries Part Seven

by arctapus

This is a continuation of the universe started in Diego Diaries and continued through parts two to six. The premise is a joke that led to world building. This is about family, friendship, overcoming adversity and finding the best parts of yourself. This is an adventure, a trek through the world of Transformers and its a comedy/drama. Everyone is here and if you are, too, then YAY!

376. Chapter 376

The Diego Diaries: Cloudy with Tacos (dd7 376)

=0=Gambian at The Park

They sat on benches and tables that were part of the park. Food trucks ringed the big open space that was a meeting and recreation place for the people. All of the metroformers provided them. The 'Meals On Wheels Extravaganza' as the food truck gathering was called was here for a decaorn, then it would form in another city. Every kind of human-type, alien-type and Cybertronian-type food you could want was had here.

They'd walked to several trucks to get food and drink, then found a table to sit and eat. During that tour of culinary delights, three individuals had touched Prime and several had stopped to chat with him.

Ratchet watched him out of the corner of his optic as that happened and marveled again at Prime's empathy and kindly manner even as a youngster. When they sat, he grinned at the big mech. "You're going to rove around just fine. Of course, Granny Pants will worry but that's Prowl for you."

"Granny Pants?" Ironhide asked as he accessed meaning in the files that they'd been asked to download. The image of large human female underwear came into his startled processor.

"Prowl. We call him Granny. He is, actually, with the trine's kids. There's a great story about eight sour mechs, Kaon the grandson, me, Neo, a big brawl and jail. Ask him about it sometime," Ratchet said with a big smile.

The two stared at him baffled, then looked at their plates.

"What exactly are we eating?" Orion asked.

"Well," Ratchet said as he held up a corn dog encrusted with sweet golden corn, a South Korean specialty, "this marvel is a corn dog. Those condiments are for it," he said pointing to small cups of different colored sauces. "This is pizza. This is mortus. I don't have to tell you that do I?"

"Nope," Ironhide said as he stared at one of his favorite comfort foods his family made him when he was under the weather or bummed out. It was for him what Devcon's pie was to Smokey.

"This is tater tots, those are tacos and that's chocolate cake. Let's eat shall we?" he asked.

They did.

It was silent a moment, then Ironhide glanced at Ratchet. "This is great."

"The food here is amazing. Our people come here in all kinds of conditions. Some of them are starved into stasis giving their own energon to their kids and elders. Some are still hoarding food because they can't make the jump. Too many bear diseases that stem from malnutrition and starvation. Its a problem. Protoform wasting is a big deal but its receding. You can eat all you want, anywhere you want, all the time here. Most get it and come back to normal about it but some still struggle."

They stared at him, then their food. It was quiet a moment as they began to eat again.

"What sorts of migrations do you get? Do they still come in space and how do they find this place?" Orion asked.

"When we came here it was you, me, Ironhide, Jazz and Bumblebee. We were looking for the Allspark on Earth next door and after a lot of slag we beat them off from taking it themselves, Megatron and the Decepticons. Its a long story I can tell you later. When that was over you put out a call for soldiers on what we call the Omega Beam. It drew the attention of everyone including refugees, roving bad guys and the odd alien trader. That's how they get here from space, that and the Decepticons rousting them from their colonies and settlements to drive them toward us in mass. They keep them on the route without deviation in the hope they can overpower us at some point.

"We still get them from space, up to three million at a time once in a while, but now they come to us through bridges from groups out finding them, patching them up and sending us a daily steady stream. It works out better. We support the camps run by Dai Atlas and the Knights. The Knights and Circle work under an umbrella group called the Network, a resistance group that started in and remained in the Empire and Cybertron. Arcee and Elita ran it from there with Jetta leading the operation logistically. It was a masterwork and its still our format for rescue."

"Three million at a time," Orion marveled. "Jetta would be able to do that. He is a good mech with a good spark. He is driven to do work for the common good."

"Most are around here," Ratchet said, then he paused a moment to take a message. "I have to oversee an operation. Come with?"

Orion glanced at Ironhide, then Ratchet. "I think we might want to look around and perhaps meet up somewhere when you are completed with the task."

Ratchet considered them, then nodded. "Alright. Roam around and check in with Prowl and me if you need assistance or information. When I get done I'll take you to Earth and show you where it started. Oh, and don't tell Granny," he said as he rose to go. He grinned, then walked forward to transform and join traffic on the street. He was gone in seconds.

They watched him disappear, then glanced at each other. Looking down at his food, Ironhide grinned. "This is good. Let's eat up and go sightseeing without a keeper."

Orion grinned. "Do you think you can stay out of jail?"

Ironhide snickered. "No. Where would be the fun in that?"

They dined leisurely watching the show around them, talking to the odd person who had something to say to Orion, then they gathered up to go. After considering their options, they decided to go to the Industrial Park City to watch things get made.

Boys.

The overland train for civilians would be a nice way to see the colony as they rode in a half empty car toward the ever growing work and wonder that was the industrial heart of the colony and empire.

=0=Ratchet

:Where are you?:

Ratchet grinned as he watched a delicate operation underway. :Is that you, Granny?:

:Who else?:

:Well, I was hoping it was my side mech. Don't tell Ironhide:

[Pause]

:Is that so? Where are the boys?:

:Last time I looked they were stuffing their faces in Gambian:

:WHAT DO YOU MEAN? AREN'T THEY WITH YOU!?:

:Nope. I have to supervise and observe an operation. They're going to meet up with me when its done and continue the ramble:

:YOU LET THEM GO BY THEMSELVES!?:

:Yep:

There was silence a moment, then Prowl was back. :They're in steel mill fourteen in the Park Cities, District 14. Slagger. Hurry up and get there:

:How did you track them? You didn't reposition one of Auntie's satellites did you?:

[Silence]

:No.:

Ratchet laughed loudly inside his helm. :You're going to have to cut the cord and let them fly. Really, Prowler … get a grip:

:Around your neck:

:We're nearly done. Keep me updated and we'll meet up shortly:

:You're taking them to Diego? What the frag is the matter with you, Loon?:

:I don't know. I'll ask Ironhide when I frag him tonight. He has permission now:

:What are you talking about?:

:What was that? I can't hear you, Granny. It must be gas or something. Ratchet out:

Prowl sat at the middle table with the lunacy ringing in his audials. He glanced at the pad on the table which was receiving data from Teletraan's #10 low level satellite as it tracked Ironhide and Orion. He grinned faintly. "Maybe I did, slagger. Someone has to be the adult here. Besides … you're not going to Diego without me." He turned to Paragon who was working nearby. "Parry?"

The handsome bot glanced up. "Prowl?"

"I may have to do something shortly. When I do its yours," Prowl said.

Paragon nodded. "Take the afternoon if you have to, Prowl. We're getting a number of projects done and the load is lightening."

"I may do that," Prowl said as he watched the lights move on the data pad. "Thank you."

"No problem," Paragon said as he turned back to the console again.

Prowl vented a sigh, then got back to the job. He would do it faster than before. Why? Because he's Prowl.

=0=Industrial Park steel mill

They watched the liquid steel pour from the bucket into the molds where it would cool off so fast that the molds could come off right away. It was hot and bright as the liquid cascaded down and flared with fire before winking out almost immediately. The heat felt good and the show was excellent as the huge buckets overhead lightened their loads. Then the cooling steel went forward into furnaces for shaping by enormous anvils and sledges that would pound it into shape for shipment to Cybertron.

"This is amazing," Ironhide said as he looked around. "This is neater and seems more updated than the operation on Cybertron."

Orion nodded. "My appas and ammas worked in steel manufacture. It was life and death sometimes because the corporations had few measures for safety and never upgraded. A lot of mechs and femmes died doing this."

Ironhide stared at the big mech who looked like he could carry the massive overhead bucket by hand … in fact, Optimus Prime could. "Did you ever work steel?"

"No," Orion said. "My family would not permit it. I was apprenticed to the docks and worked there … am working there now if this were not real. What about you?" he asked as he glanced at Ironhide.

"I graduated out of officers training at the Autobot Military Academy in Praxus. The family is in service. Its a thing," Ironhide said.

Orion nodded. "Did you want to be a soldier?"

Ironhide shrugged. "Always. Its what we did and what I wanted to do myself."

Orion nodded, then glanced up as another bucket began to pour. The fiery light flickered on his handsome face. "I wanted to be an archivist and researcher. I like history and all manner of things along that line."

Ironhide nodded. "The System didn't permit it did it? Your frame became your enemy."

Orion nodded. "It did. Would that it were different."

Ironhide nodded. "Yeah."

They watched the steel a moment, then walked onward. They would pass through many of the big operations and see some of the smaller ones before they walked to a metro station near Specialty Fabrication: Optics and Visual Electronics. Down they would go, enter a train, then trundle onward.

=0=Ratchet

He stepped out of the Medical Center to get his bearings and nearly tripped over Prowl. "Granny. What the frag?"

"I'm off," Prowl said.

"I'm sure that Jarro has a fix for that. I suppose you want to round up the boys," Ratchet said as he fell into step with Prowl who was heading for the metro nearby.

"Yes and frag you for the first part," he said with a chuckle as they both walked down the steps to the train platform. Prowl glanced at Ratchet. "They're in Aerie Hill."

"Cool," Ratchet said with a gigantic smile.

=0=Aerie Hill

They got out of the train and walked upward, intrigued by the name of the district. When they reached street level there was a lot of activity and most of it was made by Seekers of all sizes, ages and appearance. They stood on the sidewalk before the main metro station in the vast district.

Ironhide glanced at Orion. "Frag. This is a lot of Seekers."

Orion nodded. "I always wanted to fly."

"I did, too, but my aft doesn't like to leave the ground," Ironhide said as he smiled at a mech walking by with a happy baby in arms. "Cute little slaggers, Seekers. Apparently, I have one as a son."

"That is what Prowl told me," Orion said. "Let us look around."

With that, they stepped out and began to walk down the main street of a very ornamental, elegant and beautiful city. Moments after they disappeared into the crowd, Ratchet and Prowl would arrive.

=0=TBC 9-10-2020 edited