The Diego Diaries: Clean Up (dd8 672)
=0=At the jail house in Iacon, 0700 at shift change
The shift changed as the night jailers and desk sergeant gave way for others to take their space for the day shift. It was a mellow group of mechs that filed in and out of the building while the desk sergeants went over the haul from the night before in a closed door conference room nearby.
"The warrants on the arsonists were served last night and all ten of them are here in the isolation wing," Cisco the graveyard supervising sergeant said. "The group will be meeting with lawyers this morning starting at 0800 and the conference wing is closed to anyone else. This is to be kept on the down low to control any sort of outbreak of violence happening. Apparently on social media, the mood is hot."
Barlee, the day shift boss nodded with sympathy. "I've been tracking that myself in the down turns on shift. There's a lot of mechs out there with real grievances. I wouldn't be Prime for anything."
Cisco nodded. "I know. He's suppose to speak to this maybe later today. The Marines are sending mechs to augment this place and there's intervention teams on standby just in case. I don't expect anything to happen but you never know."
Barlee sat down in the chair looking over the night log on the datapad. "Then the rest of the haul is the usual?"
Cisco nodded. "Just the usual haul. For now."
=0=At the Primal Residence
Prowl handed Prime the datapad with the final set of information about the arrests only. The rest of the information gathered wouldn't be shown to him. He was the court of final appeal and thus, to read it would be the jeopardize his impartiality and the defendant's right to have a fair review of their cases. Prowl would receive all information that came in and make all the moves required with Starlet's help. Nothing could be even given the shadow of a possibility that the old ways were being used now.
"Ada?"
Prowl glanced downward to Spirit who was staring upward at him with a beautiful smile. "What, baby?"
"Do we go to school with you and Atar today?" he asked as he hugged Prowl's leg.
Prowl petted him gently. "You come with us. Auntie Starlet will be looking in on you as you zoom school with Mr. Terradive and everyone else."
"Everyone is coming with me? Sunspot and the little mechs, too?" he asked as he stood on Prowl's ped gazing up with his usual expression of rapturous love.
Prowl nodded. "Everyone is coming until we get the message about which daycare you go to for school."
"That might not be fun, Ada," Spirit said as a slight frown of anxiety crossed his sweet face.
"The School Board decided that all of the kids in each class will go to the same daycare and stay together," Prowl said. "If you go its probably going to be the Military Daycare down below here. You and all your classmates will go there and zoom school with Mr. Terradive. So I've been told. No one has said differently so it must be true."
Spirit stared at him with a dazzling look of delight. "THAT WILL BE FUN! EVEN THE HUMANS!?"
"I was told that by Uncle Ironhide," Prowl said. "I think he made sure that we send you to this place so close to us. The humans … I don't know yet. We can get you after school, though you might have to stay in the daycare for a while from time to time before we come. We have a lot of work to do, you know."
"I DO! I'LL TELL T-BAR! HE WAS WORRIED, TOO!" With that, Spirit ran off to tell his brother.
They both watched him go, then grinned at each other.
"If anyone so much as looks cross-eyed at that little marshmallow I'll gun them down," Prowl said as he sat down at the table with Prime.
"I can understand your point of view," Prime said with a chuckle. "Do I detect that someone pulled a few strings to make this possible?"
"I do but don't tell anyone," Prowl said with a grin. "Ironhide is our inside mech."
Prime chuckled, then read the datapad. "This was done without violence. I want an accommodation written into the files of everyone involved and I will add a note of appreciation to send to each of them from me personally. Thank you, Prowl, for coordinating this since I cannot. I hope that the fallout is nothing we have to worry about too much."
Prowl nodded. "You have to give a message on it. What about the families? Have security watch them for danger?"
Prime nodded. "Tell them and make it clear that it will be discreet. Tell them we can put them on the enhanced security grid so if something happens we can bridge in to assist them as well."
Prowl nodded. "Try to find a way to let the colony know that their families aren't responsible and that they're blameless. So far," he concluded darkly.
Prime grinned. "Never change, Prowler. Never change."
=0=On the curb outside of home waiting for the haphazard montage of transportation to take that which they will and not that which they won't
Several cabs came as Hero, Orion and Praxus along with Prime's kids entered to sit. The other cabs filled with neighborhood kids from other schools heading out for the orn as well. They waved from theirs as it pulled away heading for Metrotitan and the Pioneer School in the School District Tower.
The big kids hugged up everyone, then boarded their bus for Intermediate School in Iacon. They waved until they disappeared as well. Halo and two other kids on their stop entered the little black school bus that said 'Temple of Primus Primary School' on the side. They waved until they disappeared into the gathering morning traffic.
Watching them go, Sunspot, Spirit, Prowler, Prima and T-Bar waved with the others. A bus drove up and off loaded Bos, Reflector and Co-D. After hugs and babble, they followed Ironhide along with three cows, a dog and a smirking set of adults to Cultural Center Road to cross the Airfield to The Fortress. It was sunny and 'warm' as the kids hopped along listening to Spirit explain where they would likely go.
"ADA!?"
"What, Bos?" Ratchet answered.
"WILL WE GO THERE, TOO!? TO THE MILITARY DAYCARE CENTER FOR SCHOOL WHEN THEY DECIDE EVERYTHING!?" Bos replied as he raised his voice over the sound of ships and support equipment as they began to cross the Airfield.
"That's what I heard," Ratchet said as he glanced at Ironhide.
Ironhide nodded.
"Sounds like its a done deal," Ratchet said as he smiled at the kids who were all walking backward as they looked at him with hopefulness.
HUGE squeals of delight erupted as even the cows danced a few steps. Happiness bred happiness.
As for Prima and Prowler? They would wander with Dear Old Dad.
Ironhide, that is. That one.
They continued onward heading toward The Fortress and small Conference Room 3 next to Auntie Starlet's office where she would fuss over and care for them as they learned their daily lessons on the big monitor with Mr. Terradive and their classmates. It would be mid morning when Mr. Terradive confirmed that the news they heard about the daycare was true. He'd also be attending there to zoom with the human kids in the mornings, at least for now.
It was with rave reviews by the bot kids and disappointment from the humans that this would be so.
=0=Earth2 after the announcement, during a break
"This sucks," Rain said as she sipped her drink. A snack and drink were being had by all. "We need to go to the Military Daycare, too."
"We can vote. We're old enough to have made the cut," Camilla said as the others nodded. They were allowed to vote because chronologically they were the same age as Intermediate Level 1's even if their skills placed them at Youngling Day. "Why not make a petition to our School Board member. Coros will be sympathetic, won't he? He's also our Delegate representative."
Everyone glanced at Barrett.
He considered that, then pulled up a handheld. Dialing a number, he got Coros on the line. "Corey, I have a question. Do you have a moment?"
:I'm on break. What's up, Barry?:
Barrett explained the situation, then waited as Coros considered it.
:I think that would be great. Of course, safety would be a factor: he said musing over the problem. :When the morning classes are over … that's when you have the academics, right? Mornings?:
Rain nodded. "It is. We'd have to leave then, I suppose. We have to do things at the habitat for the other classes, art, gym and stuff."
Coros considered that again. :I don't have a problem if it isn't about safety. I'll asked the other board members and get back to you. You want this for all the humans or just yourselves?:
"All of them at our school. We want to stay with our teachers and friends. I don't know about the kids in Transitional School. That school is at Metrotitan and it didn't burn down so they won't have to come to be with us for the afternoon. They'll go back to Earth2 and 1. Maybe they're still going there on the bus. Are they?" Lilly asked.
Coros consulted his datapad. :They are. Its just Youngling Day then, the ones who go from the habitats. If memory serves me we're looking at what? 45-55 kids?:
Barrett nodded. "I'm their representative. Its 56 kids altogether, though 17 of them are Sparkling Day and are unaffected. That leaves 39 who want to come to the daycare center for school."
:That's just Mrs. Lyrica, Mr. Terradive, Mr. Lup-N and Mr. AB-12, right?: Coros asked.
"They haven't added more teachers for human kids yet though that's coming up especially if the new habitat gets built," Barrett said. "Only the four classrooms for now."
:Okay. Give me a joor or two. I'll get consensus of the Board, then call the Daycare Guild. We're on this, Barry. Don't worry about it yet:
"Thanks, Corey. See ya tonight," Barrett said.
Coros grinned. :I'll meet you there: He signed off.
Rain glanced at Barrett as his sisters, the Cutter kids and the others stared at him. "Where are you going tonight?"
"To the office. Coros wants me to do constituent work for the humans in his district. It overlaps all the habitats out here. If there's a problem that needs him, I'm the contact guy."
"Fuck, Barrett. What happened to you?" Tyn said with a grin. "You're getting to be, what do they call it here? Essential equipment."
Barrett grinned at his sisters and the others. "Get your head out of your butts, get with the program and you can, too. We get to vote here. They want to know what we think and feel. They're kind, welcoming and wonderful. When did that ever happen on Earth? This place is my place. Make it yours, too."
:AHEM:
Everyone glanced at the screen. All the other kids and Mr. Terradive were staring at them.
:Class is now called to order: Terri said as he chuckled over the rather risque exchange everyone of them had witnessed. It warmed his spark anyway.
"Mr. Terradive, we have something to tell you about zoom school," Rain began.
"My brother has clout and he's trying to make this better for all of us," Tyn said to the intense amazement of everyone in the room.
=0=Elsewhere
They picked him up from his tiny class at Deaf Education in the Autobot City Unified School District Tower across the street from the Watch Tower. Working madly on business while Tell got his education, they sauntered in just in time to pick up the child who ran to them with his arms held up. He wore a tiny backpack with his name proudly embroidered upon it by the master etcher, Symphony of Crystal City: Tell of Polyhex of Kaon of Cybertron.
Picking him up, Springer flew him around a bit, then the three sauntered off into the orn. A lot of terrible business had been concluded the night before and now they had the interim to just be a family together before the next eruption of possibility happened. They headed off to the local ice cream parlor to give their boy a treat for 'being a champion in school again'. It would be a wonderful moment in a pretty damned good day for all of them.
=0=TBC 3-25-2023