The Diego Diaries: Chaos 6 (dd3 16)
=0=That night, Night Watch, Autobot City, Mars
They walked their beats, all of them 'tenderized' to the notion that their city had a destructive force living in its precincts. A bomber had almost destroyed half the city with their attempt. That unknown had almost done what Megatron and Trypticon had never accomplished, kill the mighty Metroplex.
That had been startling and the effort to ensure a repeat didn't happen was first and foremost on everyone's mind. Only the most preliminary information had been released outside of the investigation itself. There'd been a rupture in the energon lines under the Metroplex District conduit system. That part was true. The rest was held under wraps as to not compromise the investigation.
The evening was quiet now that major excavation and removal of debris had been completed. Welders and other techs swarmed over the huge pad as culverts were rolled into place, their lines sealed with immense care. This was no ordinary construction project ongoing. It was the lifeline of their greatest soldier. It had to be perfect.
Again.
-0-Around the city
He stood at the window staring at the highly illuminated deeply depressing site where Metroplex had settled. It was empty now but for the construction that would allow reattachment of support and reassembling of residents back into their lives.
He'd studied intel all day and was awaiting the analysis of the deeply damaged images pulled from what was left of the server that had been first stop on all security data from that part of the city. It'd been clobbered by a flying stone and the heat of the fire had melted half of it. Only a couple of scraps of data had been saved leaving Wheeljack and Perceptor to slice and dice it down to the last possible pixel.
He'd managed information sent to IntraComm. No one was to know about this as a bombing yet. The population had too much of that already and their sense of peace and security mattered. The experts would sift through the debris and in the end they would find their mech.
Or femme.
He looked at the table in their apartment. It was piled with disks that he was 'borrowing' from Earth to add to the rotation on the show and the music programs that were highly popular in the city. He would sit and do that until Mirage got off shift, then they would go out to the club for a late night drink and dance.
Jazz walked to the table and began to pirate music for his listeners.
-0-In the bosom of love
Ratchet entered the apartment. "Where are the hoodlums?"
"In their berths," Ironhide said as he patted the arm of the chair next to his.
Ratchet walked over and sat.
They grinned at each other. "How are the genitors?"
"Doing well," Ratchet replied. "Atar will need a touch up on his arm."
"Sunstreaker will take care of it. By the way, the twins are crashing at the studio. Blue and the babies will be at Prime's house," Ironhide said.
"That's good. I was there earlier this afternoon. Miler and Venture are champions. They took all the sparklings on as well as the younglings."
Ironhide grinned. "That's a lot of younglings. How do you feel?"
"I feel good," Ratchet said. He squeezed Ironhide's servo. "Less than seventeen orns."
Ironhide considered that. "The early intel says we're going to test the Trigger in the next two orns. I may be going. I'll probably be going."
Ratchet glanced at him. "Well, that'll be in the ballpark of Metroplex's recovery. I expect him to be ready for the re-seat about dark tomorrow."
"That's good. The city needs to get back to normal. His residents are champing at the bit."
Ratchet glanced around. "Where's Flint?"
"He's out with friends. He ran into someone he knew from the old neighborhood. He'll be back later," Ironhide said.
"That's good. I wonder if they're bonded," Ratchet mused.
Ironhide shot him a severe optic. "Is there no possible chance for you to be normal?"
Ratchet looked at him then shrugged. "Nope."
Ironhide grinned in spite of himself.
-0-At the Temple
He walked in looking around the big open space that greeted everyone who came to the Temple. There were a number of mechs in the place, all of them sitting or standing here and there. They were meditating in the silence, the soft energy of the relics below suffusing the space with warmth and peace.
He continued onward down the wide terraced steps until he reached the bottom. Pausing to bow to the AllSpark, he looked around. The priests were there, two of them looking at a protoform held by the mechs who were seeking a spark. It lay in a velvet lined box and was the format of a tiny mech. He listened and watched discreetly.
"We'll be here just before you come in. Gypsy will send a member of her team to oversee and take you to the hospital in the Medical Tower to check the infant and to help you with the first few orns. There are also a number of things that you'll be given to support your infant."
They listened with intensity to the priests as they outlined the process of their sparking. The AllSpark would be asked, then It would be up to the artifact to access the Matrix for a new perfect infant. As the conversation continued he saw the one he wanted.
Moving around the small conference, giving them privacy for their great expectation, Copperton walked swiftly toward the room that contained the Matrix Flame. He stepped inside and bowed to the artifact.
The mech he followed glanced at him. "Copperton."
"Gravitas. I would like to speak with you," Copperton said.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
They sat together compiling the intel, checking it against the schedule to work out the details of the next few orns.
-0-Hollywood, California
"I just got off the phone with Warren Roberts. The trip is put on hold for a few because of something going on at Autobot City."
"What?" Jack Melcher asked.
"He didn't say. He said it would only take a couple of days but it can't be helped. He said that the Autobots have final say."
"This sucks," Melcher said as he sat back in his chair. The documents and plans laying on the desk in front of him signaled the effort made to design a step for every possibility. "Will he call us? I'm packed."
"He will. We just have to wait."
"Oh great," Melcher said.
-0- At the studio
They entered and threw down their gear on the floor near the front window. They'd just left the in-laws and were here to spend the night. The sparklings were going to be nestled in the makeshift berths that would be their lot for now with Kaon sharing with Miracle.
Miler and Venture would stay with Optimus and Granny until their apartment in Vos Tower was back online. The Granny remark had led to an avalanche of comedy and retorts before they were nearly chased out of the Residence.
Bluestreak would stay with Optimus and Prowl to get the infants to school in the morning. There were plenty of couches in the huge space.
Sideswipe sat by the window and looked out at the lighted area where Metroplex and their family by extension lived. "I'll be glad when Metroplex is back and we can go home."
"I wonder how much slag was broken," Sunstreaker said as he walked over to stand by his brother.
"Ratchet said he's capable of not breaking things when he transforms because he's a bot designed to be a residence mechanism."
"I hope so," Sunstreaker said. "I don't want Kaon and the girl's stuff to be broken or messed up."
Sideswipe glanced upward at his brother. "Metroplex has bearings."
"He does," Sunstreaker said. "Big ones."
They watched the activity beyond, then as one walked to the door to the great outside. They would stand by and watch at the site, occasionally helping as the work crews went through the incredibly complex task of getting a bot the size of a city hooked back up to his life support systems.
-0-Later that night
He crept in and made his way to his berth room. He'd spent the evening in Club Cybertron trading stories with old friends who were from the old neighborhood. That is, the neighborhood where he was stationed in Capital City back in the orn. It'd been wonderful and the atmosphere had reminded him of Macadam's Old Oil House. That worthy bot and his worthy bar were fond memories.
He walked into his room and stared out the window. His soldiers were scattered around the city making their way and rebuilding lives. He himself would be a soldier keeping to his chosen profession. It was what his family did. Walking over to stretch out on his berth, he drifted into recharge.
Outside, the city crept that much closer to normalcy again.
-0-In the habitat
"So Ratchet will be separating a sparkling in seventeen days," Sheila said as she sat with Niall Graham.
"He will," Niall said.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"I don't know. We've never seen it. We just see the end product, the sparkling," Niall replied.
"Do you think Ratchet would let one of us watch?" another asked.
He looked at them. "I don't know. I'd think that would fall into the area of taboo and frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to watch."
"Your wife is a doctor," Robert Epps said with a smirk. "Don't tell me you're getting squeamish."
"Why don't you ask? Ask Ratchet to see if you can watch," Graham asked. He rose to walk to the coffee pot for more.
"All of their interesting stuff is taboo and off limits. I'd love to go into the Temple," Sheila said with a grin. "They're the most fascinating folks I've ever seen or heard of before."
"You can say that again," another said.
The hatch opened and four more scientists entered. They sat and chatted about their trip to Ceres. It almost seemed like a normal thing to do.
For humans living among aliens in their colony on Mars.
-0-The next day
The sun broke the horizon as long shadows fell across the ground signaling the start of another day. The pace of the city began to gather as individuals and families arose to go through the familiar motions of their morning.
Night Watch crews headed toward their stations and substations to exchange duties with the Day crews. Passing bots heading for home, food or jobs, they crossed the city as they closed the circuit on their beats.
In apartments all over the colony, bots dragged themselves out of bed, went about breakfast and got their infants together for school.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe lay sprawled on couches in the studio as sunlight filtered through the windows. They didn't wake up. They slept on. The night had been spent chatting with Jetta on the site. They'd also walked on the beat with Drift and Springer before pausing once more at the site of their home. When they finally went to the studio for recharge, the night was nearly over.
-0-At the Residence
Bluestreak sat with the three sparklings arrayed on the dining room table before him. He was spooning energon baby food into their mouths. One after another, they opened their little mouths and took their breakfast.
Rambler, T-Bar and Spirit sat on other chairs watching.
Miler had Miracle and was in the kitchen getting his breakfast ready.
"Do you do this every morning, Blue?" Spirit asked as he drank his breakfast.
"I do. Sometimes Sunstreaker will do it. Sideswipe usually cleans things up. We all work together," Blue said.
Prowl walked in with his cup followed by Optimus. They sat and watched the tiny infants as they tweeted and smiled. Turning half around to smile at her grandfather, Iacon held out her arms.
Optimus put his cup down to pick her up. Kissing her cheek, he held her in his servo, sliding his arm over when it was her turn to take a spoonful. It was a peaceful contented morning.
-0-In the bosom of love
"PRAXUS."
A squeeing infant stopped short nearly toppling over.
Peering around the corner of the master berth room, Ironhide impaled him with an optic. "Come here."
Praxus looked from Ratchet to Uncle Flint, then his atar. His smile faded as he waited uncertainly. He clutched his servos together, the international and interplanetary distress signal of small children.
Ratchet looked at Ironhide. "You wilted the sparkling."
"I'm going to pat his butt if he doesn't come here," Ironhide said stepping out to scoop Praxus up. "Come on, little mech. Time to empty your trap door." He disappeared back into the berth room. A second later wailing began.
Flint who was watching looked at Ratchet with a big grin. "This is like deja vu all over again."
"He was a pill, too?" Ratchet asked as Orion walked over and tried to climb up. Ratchet put him on his lap.
"He was," Flint said with a grin.
Praxus ran out straight for Ratchet gripping his ada's leg as he stared up at his old dad with a look of tearful defiance on his face. "Ada. Bad atar. Me, good."
"You've been talking to your brother again haven't you," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
Ironhide came around the corner and looked at Ratchet with two sparklings staring back at him. "Your turn, Orion. Don't give me trouble." He walked over, plucked the little black bot up then disappeared into the berth room once more. Wailing commenced loudly.
Ratchet looked at Flint. "Makes you want one doesn't it."
"No," Flint said with a chuckle.
=0=TBC 2012 (9) 4-23-2022