The Diego Diaries: Game Changer 19 (dd3 10)
-0-At the Autobot City Business Plaza
Cybertronian steel was the hardest non-naturally occurring substance known relative to the rest of the universe. It was even harder when rendered transparent and thus it had been used in construction all over Cybertron since its perfection in the middle of the Golden Age. The windows of every building in the city were made of transparent steel, the shiny surfaces seemingly glass-like in its brilliant reflectivity and translucence.
The Business Plaza had been designed to allow the maximum amount of light to enter the facility to give it a spring-like feeling of daylight and warmth that the planet outside couldn't guarantee more than half of the year. Inside it was beautiful, bright and lit from stem to stern.
All three levels of the facility got maximum daylight from the totality of its design. Transparent steel formed every outside surface of the building.
Along the walls where joins were made, a thin strip of copper with carvings of images both abstract and not, words of poems, prayers to Primus and the names of cities and city-states added to the Cybertronian feel of the great space. Over one million square feet of room was contained under the roof.
As it was getting into evening, the night sky overhead was clearly available to the few who were still inside. Several businesses were still working even if not open to the public. A bakery beginning to make the next day's wares, a fabrication and hardware store was doing inventory and RTR Tools were still inhabited and working.
Ravel sat at the counter working out the orn's statistics. In the first three joors of operation they had ten orders for tools. By the end of the day, there were fifteen orders from soldiers for weapon tool kits including two from Prowl and one from Flint. There were two requests for wrought iron home fixtures and nearly three dozen orders for specialized construction and electronics tools that they were especially famous for creating.
The tool kits would be their usual extraordinary type. The handles of the implements would be ergonomically designed steel grips that would be smelted to appear copper, silver and gold. The long shafts of most and the specialized tips would be made of transparent steel. No one who ever lived on Cybertron had ever made more exquisite tools nor any more beautiful than Ravel and Tie Down of Iacon. Some of their weapons attained sentience through their Pantheon Blessed processes. No one else knew how the did it either.
In the back room, Tie Down was watching as the transparent steel began to float to the surface of the smelter. His molds were waiting and he wore his face mask and fireproof apron as he waited with fireproof mitts and tongs ready. The molten metal was nearly there.
It was quiet, The Hourly News played on the monitor in the other room and they were together. Tie Down would never be more happy.
-0-'The Energon Basket'
Rampage walked to the ovens and looked through the transparent steel window at the trays and trays of confections baking inside. He'd pulled three towering carts full of 'cookies'. He was experimenting with shapes here as well. His apprentices had formed the 'batter' and 'dough'. Then they pressed out the forms with 'cookie cutters' made from steel in the shapes of animals from Earth.
Salmons, bears, dogs and cats were especially popular with families, children and most everyone else. He had molds designed to look like Dinobots and Grimlocks were the first to go everyday.
The cookies baked on the top racks as below that 'loaves of bread', 'cupcakes', 'pies', differently designed items that resembled meat products and several distinctly Cybertronian foods cooked as well. He was cutting edge. He couldn't make enough to satisfy demand and his influences were both native and human in origin.
He was contented beyond belief.
He was also one of the master chefs at the new technical school opening at the University that taught trades and professions. He was a master chef on the faculty with his classes conducted both there and at food service centers around the city. He was incredibly in demand for catering, for food ideas and parties.
He was in his element.
Finally.
-0-Nearby at the Autobot City Hardware and Bolt Store
They picked up boxes of nuts, bolts, lags, washers and other hardware that the Foundry Exchange had dropped off before closing. They could have left it for morning but they were going to be doing bids for the airport and they wanted their wares out on the shelves so they could sit and figure out what they would write up.
Two hundred pound boxes were set on the work table to be divided up into their bins by the owner, Twinset and his bond, Caliper. Their younglings, Bon, Rolee and Tinset were working on the inventory. They were going to college, learning trades related to their genitor's store.
They wanted to become general contractors and build the city too. Their genitors would have the store to provide hardware and they would learn to be electricians, builders and architects. They had their dream. They had it since the Fall and now it was real. It was wonderful to work together as a family to fulfill it.
It was all good.
-0-At the Prime Residence
Optimus Prime was on the balcony holding Spirit in his arms. The little mech had his arm around his atar's neck and they talked together about the scene all around them. The lights of The Fortress, the airfield and Aerie Hill beyond were amazing.
Inside working on their homework, T-Bar and Rambler sat at the table. Prowl worked with T-Bar on his math, a harder subject for him than reading and writing. Rambler was excelling, doing advanced placement work in all the subject areas.
On the floor nearby chewing on a dollie, Miracle was leaning on a chair. Sitting nearby reading a book while watching him with one optic, Venture waited for Miler to arrive. That worthy had just called to say he was coming from Sciences.
They would spend a little time with the family, then walk home to their own apartment in Vos Tower. The evening would be wonderful as usual surrounded by children and grandchildren in the penthouse at the top of the world.
-0-At Club Cybertron
Inferno and Red Alert sat together lifting a brew as they chatted about their off time soon. They were close, very close and the idea of going off exploring the Valles Marineris, the largest crevice yet discovered in the solar system was going to be delightful.
Red Alert was a tightly wound slightly oblivious bot. It was there exploring the ravishing landscape that Inferno hoped to clue the tense red Autobot in.
Sitting nearby sipping high grade and looking bored, Stiletto and Barricade put in the time. Soon they'd be going inside for the evening. For the two security chiefs it wouldn't be too soon. As they sat nearby watching the pair and chatting together, Scorponok wandered in followed by his guards to join Barricade and Stiletto.
The night was quiet, the company first rate and all was well.
-0-At Aerie Hill
Starscream sat on a couch watching the film on screen, one of the early flights of humans. The primitiveness of the flying devices was almost unbelievable. Sky Warp who was sitting beside him with his arm around Starscream's shoulders chuckled throughout the presentation.
Starscream looked up at him. "I could out fly those things as a sparkling."
"We all could," the purple bot replied.
Thundercracker sitting nearby in a rocking chair with a lap filled with dozing hatchlings smirked. "I don't know how those insects defeated Megatron and The Fallen."
"Don't forget they had him in custody for eighty of their years," Starscream said with a smile. "I wish I'd seen it. What a joy it would've been."
"He deserved it," Thundercracker said as the film ended. "What do we watch now?" he asked Sky Warp who had the control.
"We could watch that western series Ironhide recommends or something called 'Taxi Driver'," Sky Warp said checking the listings.
"Sounds like a shuttle service," Starscream said sipping his high grade. "How fun can that be?"
"I don't know. Jazz found it interesting enough to include in the archives," Sky Warp said looking down at Starscream who'd cuddled into him making himself comfortable.
"We could read a book," Thundercracker said with the ghost of a smirk.
"Oh drear," Starscream said with a chuckle. "'Taxi Driver' it is."
Sky Warp made it so.
-0-At the bosom of love
Ratchet sat on the couch after tucking in sparklings. Sunspot was sitting on Flint's lap while he read his nightly book out loud. Ironhide was looking at a data pad filled with 'slag I should have done earlier if the sparkling hadn't been talking so much'.
That one.
The night beyond the windows was beautiful, filled with lights and stars. Occasionally a ship would lift off and another land. Seekers streaked in and out, a sight few Autobots ever tired of seeing.
Now.
Ironhide picked up his magazine data pad and noted that Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, Gun Digest, Arizona Magazine, The New York Times evening addition and a local publication, Sparklings Digest had been delivered. Ratchet would be glad about Sparkling Digest he thought.
Life was good.
-0-Bumblebee and First Aid
They huddled in the darkness talking together, finding in a corner of Metroplex Arcade a lover's paradise. They were well into it when a Night Watch mech stepped onto their sensor grid. They stepped farther into the darkness. The mech walked past and they relaxed turning to each other once more.
Then the mech was back. "I see you," he said with a grin. Then he walked on. They vibrated a moment with surprise and loathing, then dumped that slag and went back at it again.
-0-Hot Rod, Blurr and Jolt
They ambled into the Club Cybertron taking a seat at the bar. They got high grade Praxian-style then looked around. Most of the bots there were either bonded already or out of the question. \
Hot Rod shook his helm. "Looks dead tonight."
"How can a bot get a frag around here? Do I have to glue a bunch of shanix on my face?" Jolt asked.
"Yes," the other two said in unison.
"Maybe you can cruise along with me, Jolt," Blurr said with his usual flippant vanity. "I don't appear to have your problem."
Slag ensued.
-0-In the bosom of love
Sunspot lay on his berth with three adults looking down at him. "I was so glad you could come see our practice, Uncle Flint. Grandada and atar were there, too."
"I was, too, sparkling," Flint said tucking the infant into his quilts. "You're a good wing."
"I watched the film this afternoon. I'll agree," Ratchet said.
Ironhide agreed, too. "You need to go to sleep, sparkling. School comes soon."
He smiled. They kissed him and stepped out leaving only the night light on. Walking to the living room, Ratchet turned to the others. "I'm going to check on the genitors. They said they'd be staying late to make some transparent steel."
Ironhide and Flint sat to watch a movie called 'Patton'.
"Alright," Ironhide said as he watched Ratchet go.
They returned back to the movie once more. It was slagging awesome.
-0-Outside
He walked along the street toward the Business Plaza. There were bots out and about in the relatively warm late spring evening. -40 degrees felt good against his armor as he walked along light at spark that his genitors were happy at this point in their rehabilitation. They hadn't been at home which meant they were still working. He'd have to make sure that wasn't a habit.
He passed a few bots, a Night Watchman or two, then began to follow the street past residential towers to the Plaza. The light glinted off the roof of the Temple as he walked with great joy to the big double doors of the building.
-0-Temple Sanctuary
The oldest priest stood before the Allspark offering his evening prayers to Primus and The One. The atmosphere as he did changed. The peace that had been present all day sharply dropped. He looked around noting that the others were into their meditations. Heading out of the room, he walked up the broad stairs to the upper level. Walking to the door, he paused at the entrance to look out. The city was magnificent and all appeared well. It was disconcerting.
-0-Club Cybertron
"What do you make of that hot-headed kid?" Stiletto asked.
Barricade shrugged. "I've seen his type too many times to be worked up about it."
Stiletto shrugged. "One can hope."
Scorponok kept his own counsel.
-0-On the way
Sheila Conroy and five other scientists rolled off a shuttle making their way through the hustle and bustle of the evening at the airfield. They were emotionally drained from their journey to other planets. Dinner and a long talk would be had before getting on their blogs for NASA and the humans on Earth.
They toodled toward the Habitat hitting the main road as they rolled on the sidewalk toward home. They reached their home and disappeared from view of the street.
-0-Nearby
Omega and Silverbolt sat on a carefully shaped steel reinforced dirt mound that bordered the habitation area of the airfield. It'd been built to provide a place for the giants to sit. They were waiting for Kappa to come join them for a nice evening chat. The sky overhead was beautiful as the two enjoyed the quiet of the moment.
"You have to go to Earth tomorrow?" Omega asked.
"I do," Silverbolt said. "My turn in the rotation."
Omega frowned. "You should dump that duty on your brothers. Pull seniority," Omega said.
"Don't tempt me," Silverbolt replied with a laugh. "Diego will be a nice duty. At least I come home after the shift."
"I'd be very displeased if you didn't." Omega looked toward the habitation hangars and noted Kappa walking toward him. She was one of the family who was closest to Omega and he loved her company. Behind her Xantium and Gamma followed.
"Looks like a family affair," Silverbolt said with a smile.
"It does," Omega said with his own.
That's when the night sky turned into fire.
=0=TBC 2012 (9) edited 4-23-2022
Google Taxi Driver. Shanix is money bots used on Cybertron.