The Diego Diaries: Chaos 35 (dd3 45)
=0=CMO's Office, Medical Building, Autobot City, Mars
Ratchet sat at his desk and relaxed a moment reflecting on the giant mechanism that was settled in the heart of their city. Metroplex was one of the two largest mechanisms ever known among their kind short of the Pantheon. City forming titanic frames and dreadnoughts were the peak of their perfection.
He was as good an individual as Ratchet had ever met. He was smart, brave, dedicated and beloved. He was also humble to the point of self effacing. He never felt he did enough, was enough, had enough to offer. It never occurred to him how much he was loved by others. That he was dedicated to the point of self sacrifice to the Cause, the mechs who served it and especially to the Prime was one of the most impressive and best loved features of his complicated personality. His mere presence gave Autobots a confidence that nothing could defeat them.
:Ironhide:
:What?:
:Where are you?:
:We're at the exchange under the city near Metroplex. Why?:
:I thought I'd go with you a while:
:You okay?:
:Yep:
:I'll wait for you:
:On my way:
Ratchet stood up and walked to the elevator. Heading down, he stepped off and exited, following the cobblestones to the highway. He crossed at the light and continued down the sidewalk passing The Paint Box, a new cafe with bots sitting at tables on the sidewalk drinking and eating and a store that made youngling games and toys, both fun and educational.
Turning at the big intersection at the main east/west highway, he walked to the Day Watch Station. Entering, he grinned, sassed the younglings on duty and took the stairs downward to the subway where the train tracks were.
He followed them until he reached a platform where Ironhide with the infant were waiting. Ratchet kissed him and then the infant. "How is your day going?"
"I'm getting work done and showcasing a stellar sparkling. Its slagging perfect. You?" he asked as they began to walk down the sidewalk to the main transfer center two miles away. Trains passed through there, some using track switching or the roundabout turnstiles for continuation toward their destinations. Mechs going to work, some working on the track system, some taking shortcuts to other places waved or stopped to chat and admire as they walked to the Depot/Hub at Industrial Park #4. Climbing the stairs, they emerged into the depot/Hub that served the soldiers who were working in the different plants and foundries.
It was typical of all of them. On one side of the big round room was the depot where the guns and ammo were procured at a counter manned by staff who kept things in the back safe and secured. Mechs and femmes would line up and when their turn came they would get what they needed from the staff who not only filled their orders but also kept the inventory for the main armory in the Fortress. On the other side was the station bay where weapons could be left for repair and loaners given.
In the center of the space was a sitting area of comfortable chairs and couches with a monitor was presently playing football games from IntraCom's Community Schools archives. They took a moment to watch then walked to the depot side pausing by the counter. The mech behind the counter grinned. "Coming to check on your bombs?"
Ironhide grinned and nodded. "I am. How's it going?"
"Much smoother," the mech said. "We ironed out the glitches, I think."
Ironhide nodded. "I talked to the railroad committee about the problems moving explosives and they took steps to allow straight throughs to the major depots in the system. There won't be any more mix ups like before going ahead."
"Good. I don't mind getting energon cookies once in a while but I think Rampage isn't looking forward to getting explosives in return," the depot manager said with a grin.
They chatted a bit longer and when the details had been ironed out, they walked onward. Down the steps and out onto the sidewalks Ratchet and Ironhide ambled heading down the road for the next depot/hub. They would do that for the rest of the afternoon.
-0-Around the city
Sunstreaker rolled across the airfield heading toward The Fortress. The little segway that had become a part of the landscape of his life followed. He was 'running' today, taking bundles of this and that to different places. It paid to be related to the S.I.C. He crossed the highway and entered the Fortress rolling into the Ops Center after a short but rowdy traverse across the rec room.
Pausing by the main table, he grinned. :Smile. You're on teevee: he said to Prowl who looked up slowly and shot him a gimlet optic.
:Want to bet?: that redoubtable winger replied.
Sunstreaker snorted. "What next?"
"I want you to take an electronic device to Charon," he said glancing at the cameras that were focused on the two of them.
"Charon?" Sunstreaker mused. Then he grinned. "I suppose the humans go, too..."
"I won't say no," Prowl answered.
They stared at each other a moment then Sunstreaker nodded. "Alright. Where is it?"
Prowl nodded to a counter nearby with a wooden crate. "Take that to the forward base on Charon and get back here. I have more things for you to do."
"Three joors out, three back. Got it," he said rolling over. He picked it up and stowed it in subspace, the cameras rolling as he did. Then he turned with a wolfish grin and headed out to the rec room, the front courtyard and the airfield beyond with the little segway following him in hot pursuit.
-0-Seconds later
They stood on their segway talking to Jack Mellar. He was elsewhere but heading toward their spot at breakneck speed. By the time Silverbolt had transformed and dropped his ramp, that human had arrived and without a by your leave he led the other segway up the ramp after Sunstreaker.
Entering to pull up inside out of the way, they watched as Sunny sat on a bench along the wall staring down at them with his dangerous optics. They watched the ramp retract and the hatch close.
Mellar gathering his guts drove up to where Sunstreaker sat. :Where are we going?:
"Pluto," he said, the intensity of his gaze daunting to the humans.
:The planet? Pluto, the planet?: Mellar asked with surprise.
"You tell me," Sunstreaker said.
:What? What do you mean?: Mellar asked with confusion.
"I hear it isn't a planet anymore. Could have fooled me," Sunstreaker said, his expression inscrutable and his gaze uncomfortably direct.
They glanced at each other then Sunstreaker. Moving to the sides of the great ship, they sat on the bench there for humans or stood on their little vehicles as they waited for something to happen. They would be passing through the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter before they would understand that they had lifted off the moment the hull door closed.
-0-Some time later
Jack Mellar drove forward and paused at the divider between the interior where everyone and everything rode and the flight deck. Peering inside, he noted that no one was flying the ship. Glancing at Sunstreaker who sat watching him without expression, he considered his options. Looking into the cockpit he cleared his throat. :Hello:
It was quiet a moment. Then a nice mellow voice answered. "Hi."
Mellar blinked. :My name is Jack. Who are you and where are you?:
"I'm Silverbolt and you're standing inside of me."
Mellar looked at the ground, then the controls again. No one was there. :You're a sentient aircraft:
"Many of us are."
:Can I interview you on camera?:
"Now?" Silverbolt asked.
:Uh, not if it interferes with your flying:
"Oh."
It was silent a moment.
:Do you mind if I interview you?:
"I don't care. I figured you were thinking about it," Silverbolt said.
:Oh. Can you tell me about yourself? Who you are and all that sort of thing?: Mellar said moving to the side so that the camera man could film better.
"Me? I don't talk about myself much. I'm an Autobot and I fly. We are about the only mechs whose first format is aerial, my brothers and I," Silverbolt said.
:I heard that nearly every Decepticon can fly: Mellar said.
"Most do. The Stunticons don't fly. They don't like it as much as a ground format," Silverbolt began. They would chat all the way to Pluto. Underneath that, Silverbolt and Sunstreaker would exchange snarky commentary as well.
It would be awesome.
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Sideswipe rolled in and circled the center table a couple of times with a smirk on his face. "I hear you sent Sunny to Pluto."
"I did," Prowl replied glancing up.
"That's good. Keeps him out of the brig," Sideswipe said as he slowly circled the table.
"What prevents you from sitting down?" Prowl asked.
Sideswipe nodded toward the floor nearby. A segway with humans working their tiny cameras competed with the one from IntraCom.
Prowl looked at them and shook his helm. "I see you have an entourage."
"I do," Sideswipe said with a smirk. "Do you have anything more for me to do or can I go now?"
"You didn't say 'pretty please'," Prowl said with the ghost of a smile.
"Is that all it takes?" Sideswipe said with a grin.
"This time."
"Pretty please."
"Go."
"Thanks." Sideswipe then rolled out, heading for the dojo and all the mechs hanging there. He sped through the streets weaving in and out of traffic as the little segway struggled to keep up. Reaching the Cultural Center, he slowed enough for them to see where he was going.
Entering, he went up to the correct floor and down the concourse to the dojo. The segway followed and when he entered they paused at the door. The mechs in their show were lounging. Other segways were there so they joined them.
Kup watched another 'insect bus' show up and shook his helm. "We're surrounded. I think I know what that Custer feller felt like." He stuck his stogie in his pie hole.
Everyone in the room googled that remark then grinned.
"Custer got what he deserved," Sandstorm said. "Idiot."
"True, that," Kup said. "I wasn't disagreeing."
"What were you saying, old mech?" Sideswipe said flopping down in a chair. Drift, Springer, Lon, Fury and Landmine were sitting with them. Lon sitting next to Fury was orbiting Saturn in his joy to be where he was.
"What I'm saying, younglings is that I'm trying not to accidentally squish the squishies here even though I'm surrounded. Wouldn't want Prime to think I'm a slagger." Kup stared at the cameras. "Tiny cameras. Toys. Reminds me of the time old Todd came to the younglings' party with a hand gun on Diego and we grabbed him. Remember, Springer?"
Springer nodded. "Sure do, old mech. You drank most of the high grade when I took him to the brig."
"I probably did. If you're dumb enough to give me the bottle, you're dumb enough to stay sober," Kup said to general hilarity.
:Kup:
All the mechs looked at the segways. Aaron Belcher was asking. :What about that? We only know a little bit. What happened?:
Kup considered that. "Well, it was like this," he said to the general groans and all around grins of all present.
-0-On the road
"So that's what happened."
"That was nice of you, Ratchet to take him to Metroplex. That bot is a wonder."
"He is, Ironhide. Makes me glad to know he's here."
They walked along amiably and as they did a tiny cry rang out. They paused to look down in the little blanket. "I think she's hungry."
"We better find a place where we won't get run over, Ironhide." Ratchet looked around and found a pedestrian area set into a wall where work mechs waited for trains to take them out and bring them back from the industrial parks, quarries and work sites. Walking there, they sat. Ironhide pulled his tube out and the infant began to suck on it. "Didn't have to fuss with this sparkling, Ironhide. I noticed that."
"This sparkling is awesome. She does everything the first time," Ironhide said with pride.
"Really."
"That's right," he said with pride.
"*WHAT FIRST TIME THINGS?!*
/... oh slag …/
=0=TBC 2012 (10) edited 12-21-18