Chapter 46 dd1
The Diego Diaries: "... one giant leap for Mech kind."
=0=Mars
They scouted the plain finding on the ground in some places necessary minerals and raw materials to work into the endless necessities that living in an off world colony with an eventual civilian population would entail. The effects of endless eons of wind erosion had polished the ground and hills exposing a basic basaltic structure and endless masses of ores.
They had gathered together listening to the first impressions Beachcomber could supply without a more detailed analysis. The geologist was impressed. "We won't have to excavate a lot of what we need to fabricate shelters and gun installations. We can scoop it up and take it to a smelter with minimal effort."
Prime nodded as he looked around the endless plain to the massive form of Olympus Mons in the distance. "Then we need to mark off an area in which we're going to lay down the initial planned settlement. We have to make the area safe for us before we can risk anyone else. We need to put out sensors on the mountains, spread them all around the planet and link them together. We also need to build underground first. If the Decepticons are going to attack us and they will, we need to be in a more hardened condition than we would be above ground for now."
They split up in teams working out the logistics of moving a refinery to the site, how they would dig downward and how they would defend their territory against invaders from space. By the time they had to leave their plans were set. It would take stealth on their part and endless effort as well to make it happen and keep it secret.
The ride back on Cosmos was sobering. But there wasn't a mech that wasn't ready for a home of their own at last.
=0=Diego Garcia
They wandered back, ones and twos making their way to the HQ, drawing no attention to themselves as they walked in. Sunstreaker tapped his brother and jerked his head toward the living areas, Sideswipe jumping up to follow him. Prime went to Ops Center to catch up and spend a moment or two with Prowl. The scientists walked together talking softly as they made their way to Wheeljack's lab, a happy Beachcomber in tow.
Ironhide watched them go and walked onward, Med Bay looming in his optics. When he left Ratchet they had been sad and Ratchet was very low. He hadn't looked back as he walked to the jet. He never did or he couldn't go. He wondered as he walked to the door of Med Bay what shape Ratchet would be in. Stepping inside, afraid to open his bond for fear of what he might find, he spotted First Aid. "Psst."
First Aid working on some samples of viruses that humans wanted to have help with startled. He juggled a petrie dish in his servos until he caught it, turning to see Ironhide in the doorway. He felt the walls closing in as he considered what form of madness would befall him now. "What, Ironhide."
"Shh." Ironhide gestured for him to come to the doorway.
"Ratchet isn't here."
Ironhide paused frowning. "He isn't?
"No."
Ironhide walked inside pulling up a chair next to First Aid, ignoring how nervous the younger mech became.
"You aren't going to draw me into your crazy are you? he asked.
Ironhide shook his head. "We have a truce."
"Oh."
"I want to know how Ratchet is?"
First Aid frowned. "You don't know?"
"I just got back," Ironhide said.
"You should know. Open your bond up," First Aid began.
"I would but I don't want to disturb Ratchet for a moment," Ironhide said knowing it sounded lame to him too but it was the best he had at the moment.
"You're still prank warring and you're afraid to go home."
"We have a truce and I'm uh, I'm just getting intel. Tell me how Ratchet was today and why he's not here. His shift isn't over is it?"
"No," First Aid said shaking his helm. "He was quiet and didn't say much, like he was depressed." He paused. "You two aren't ... ?"
"What?" Ironhide asked sitting up straighter.
"You know... ?"
"No. I don't know. What have you heard?" Ironhide asked slightly offended.
"That you're both certifiable," First Aid retorted.
"Besides that."
"Nothing. What have you heard?" First Aid asked nervously.
"Nothing. That's why I'm asking you," Ironhide replied earnestly.
"I don't know nothing. You shouldn't ask me. No one tells me nothing. I am the last one to know anything. Ask me."
"I just did, First Aid. I asked you what you heard and you said nothing."
"See?" First Aid concluded.
They sat staring at each other then Ironhide arose nodding as he walked to the door and outside. First Aid watched him go and shook his helm. "Those two are going to kill me."
Ironhide walked up the hallway toward the quarters section of the facility. /... there's a screw loose in that one … can't get a straight word out of him ... don't know how Ratchet does it.../ He paused in front of his door opening up the bond in the most minute manner and waited. He didn't feel a thing beyond a warmth that was always part of Ratchet. He squared his shoulders, rose his full 25 feet and opened the door.
A yellow hand reached out gripped his arm and he vanished inside. Down the hallway carrying his gear as he chatted with Sideswipe, Sunstreaker paused. "Did you see what I saw?"
Sideswipe glanced at him then down the hallway. "No. What did you see?"
"An arm. A yellow arm reached out of Ironhide's quarters and grabbed him. He got yanked off his peds. His peds actually left the ground."
They stood staring down the hallway, then Sideswipe smiled. "I wonder what they're doing in there."
Sunstreaker choked and looked at his brother with a wicked optic. "You worry me, Sideswipe. Sometimes you really do."
Sideswipe snorted and shoved his brother forward. "Look who's talking." They continued on down the hallway.
=0=Ops Center
Prime entered the command center pausing to look for Prowl. He was standing by Jazz, leaning forward, one servo propped on the console while listening. His body was curved, an elegant pose and the long line of his leg was entrancing. His door wings were held at normal height, a slight flutter in their movement told him of Prowl's attitude and attentiveness. He hadn't sensed Prime yet so he opened the bond catching the shining expression on Prowl's face as he straightened and turned to look at Prime.
A small smile for him alone graced Prowl's face and Prime felt a warmth in his spark that he had come to count upon. Prowl walked toward him, inevitable datapad in hand and paused to grin slightly as he looked upward. "You look dusty."
"You look beautiful," Prime replied smiling.
Prowl smiled, a small intimate thing and squeezed Prime's servo. "How was it?"
"We have a layout and we're going to dig the underground habitations next."
Prowl nodded. "You'll have to fill me in so I can help you."
"You do," Prime said whispering. "In every way."
Prowl smiled, an altogether beautiful thing.
"I'm going to the wash racks. I'll see you shortly," Prime said squeezing Prowl's servo.
Prowl nodded and watched him turn, walking out of the door. He stood a moment savoring the joy of his life then turned, walking back to Teletraan II once more.
=0=Ironhide v Ratchet
He lay on his back, a big yellow medico leaning over him straddling his chassis, kissing him with gusto. He stared into Ratchet's optics. They were closed and absorbed in the moment. He decided it would be churlish of himself not to join in so he off-lined his optics, gripping Ratchet's aft. When Ratchet broke the kiss he looked at Ironhide with a slightly feral gleam in his optics. "Glad to see you, Ironhide."
He swallowed.
=0=At Med Bay
First Aid sat pondering the vagaries of the world as he knew it. The saga of Ironhide and Ratchet was one of those things. How he had managed to live through the previous prank wars, he didn't know. They didn't come very often but they seldom lasted this long. This one was collecting collateral damage, himself included and he wondered how it would end.
Ratchet had been quiet and withdrawn in the morning but then he had changed gathering himself together. The old Ratchet had spent the next few hours doing his job, scattering goof offs with his acerbic commentary and generally being himself. A half a joor before Cosmos landed he had left. Where, First Aid could only guess.
And only guess is what he wanted. One could get hurt in the blow back of Ratchet v Ironhide. With a shudder, he bent to his work again.
=0=Ironhide v Ratchet
"Ah ha!"
Ratchet lay on his back, his servos pinned by his Only One as he considered his options. He could arch up and by his greater bulk, er, design advantage he could bound Ironhide into the wall, then straddle HIS chassis for dominance. He grinned, a deeply frightening sight to Ironhide who straddled Ratchet after a very short deeply contested struggle. "You're giving me a gimlet eye, Ratchet."
Ratchet snorted, grinning broadly. "I can give you a number of other things, Ironhide. Let me show you."
Ironhide stared into Ratchet's optics, the 'windows to the spark' or some such slag according to Cosmopolitan Magazine. His forays through the vagaries of human sexual manipulation had nothing on the sheer slap and tickle of Ratchet. Yes, subtlety wasn't a strong suit of either one of them he considered with a grin. "Let me show you a few things, ba-bee," he said chuckling, leaning down to nibble on Ratchet's neck.
Ratchet relaxed allowing Ironhide to lower his guard. Then Ironhide bounded off the wall as Ratchet arched up throwing him sideways. Ratchet rolled off the berth allowing Ironhide to face plant himself then leaped, landing on Ironhide, pressing him down. "You never learn, ba-bee."
Ironhide grinning peered up at Ratchet who straddled him, his digits tracing soothing lines down Ironhide's back plates. "You win round one. But the game is not over."
"No," Ratchet said smiling. He leaned down and slipped his fingers into the seams of Ironhide's armor generating a small burst of electrical energy. Ironhide's arm twitched involuntarily and he grinned. "You wench."
pause. access. wench, noun. download. access terminated.
"Wench."
"Seemed reasonable."
Ratchet grinned. "Was Mars good?"
"Better than good. Prime is a wonder. We just might have a new home, Ratchet."
"Then we need new mechs. We need a sparkling."
"We do," Ironhide said feeling himself drifting in a sea of electrically charged pleasure where there weren't any problems or pressures.
Then Ratchet leaned down on him. "Now."
He smiled anyway.
=0=TBC 2010 (11) edited 1-1-17