NOTE: A phone call tonight and trick-or-treaters slowed me down. I hope to get farther along before I hit the hay. Hugs and Happy Halloween to all!
=0=And now, lets go there ...
The Diego Diaries: Boo 1
=0=That morning in the bosom of love
"I don't get it."
"Some things aren't meant to be 'got'."
"We better get a grip on them getting out."
"That's true. Slaggers are really getting stealth skills."
(Grin. Pride) "They are. Catching on really fast, those two."
"I might have to curtail their time with you, Ironhide. Can't have them figuring out how to open the front door."
Pause. "They won't."
"You sure?"
"They'd have to stand on top of each other to reach it."
Pause. "You don't think they can figure that out?"
Pause. "Little slaggers."
Ratchet grinned. "Today, you can't make me feel badly. It's Halloween, Ironhide."
A rap on the door paused their conversation. Ratchet rose from his chair and opened it. Three grinning youngling mechs stood outside heavily laden. "Come on in, younglings."
They entered and set the boxes they carried on the table. After a moment of gab, they turned and hurried off as the number of orders to be delivered from Halloween producers awaited. They would be busy most of the orn.
Ratchet looked inside the box and smiled. "These are very cute. Some of them are Halloween shaped and others are our own." He moved the boxes from the table to the sink counter and placed Sunspot's plate and spoon there. "Sunspot, breakfast."
The little Seeker emerged with a smile on his little face. He walked to Ironhide and lay his helm on the big bot's lap. Ironhide caressed his son's little face and he smiled as he looked up. "It's Halloween. I can't wait to see my costume." He looked at the little bots on the floor chatting together as they waited for their sippy cups. "I can't wait to see them in theirs."
"You will," Ratchet said with a grin. He put the two little bots on the table and gave them their cups. They tipped them back and began to slug their breakfast down. "I have yours in my closet and the little ones costumes will be coming this afternoon around lunch time. I hope you're here, Ironhide, to take them in."
"I will be," Ironhide said with a grin.
"You are aware of the schedule for trick-or-treating?" Ratchet said rising to leave. "It's on the Community Bulletin Board under 'Special Community Events'. I have to go and get slag done." He leaned down to kiss sparklings.
"This is weekend," Ironhide said.
"This is leftover slag. I'll hurry but I need you here to get the costumes at mid orn," Ratchet said turning to walk to the door. He grinned and left, closing the door behind him.
Ironhide looked at his three little mechs and grinned. "No peeking, Sunspot," he said.
Sunspot just smiled.
-0-Ratchet
He walked to the hospital tower. There was a pile of work on his desk and he had to finish it. If he bent his helm, he could be free in a couple of joors. Passing the families going to day care or out and about, he considered the weekend ahead.
Halloween. Check.
Adult league football. Check.
Family awesome time together. Check.
Life was good and he was one lucky slagger after all these years. Check and double check.
He walked onward with a spring in his peds and entered the medical tower where bent things were made straight.
-0-Ironhide
They sat looking at each other, three youngling infants and one huge fierce-looking Autobot. Grinning, Ironhide rose and fetched harnesses and leashes. He looked at his daughter lying on the couch recharging. He considered what madness Ratchet had in mind for her costume and grinned again. Tonight was going to be awesome.
Returning with harnesses, leashes, toy bags and a blanket that matched his daughter's little yellow booties, he got his crew together. Tucking their toy bags into his carry hold, he looked at his little mob. Tucking Hero into the crook of his arm, he nodded to Sunspot. "You ride point, spud."
He chuckled and got the door, his book and toy bag slung over his shoulder. Tugging on the sparklings, he got his little remuda to move along. They did in the manner of drunken cats so by the time they reached the elevator they were running late.
Gabbing away as they rode down, Orion and Praxus stepped off at the bottom and gaggled onward chatting together, holding each others servo as they strode out into the bold new world outside.
Ironhide and Sunspot walked along behind beaming proudly.
-0-Up in the sky
Prowl stood looking at his little mechs like a commanding officer inspecting the troops. They stood grinning up at him, their little shiny faces filled with happiness.
*IT WAS HALLOWEEN*!
"What handsome little mechs you three are," Prowl said with a smile. "I don't know how you do it."
"Rambler helps me, Ada," Spirit said. "Was that Miracle crying this morning?"
"It was," Prowl said herding them to the dining room for breakfast. They sat and he passed them plates filled with delicious things and the supplemental additives that he gave them religiously. Their protoform wasting was diminishing nicely.
In the farthest berthroom, six infants were getting ready to be washed, fed and huggled. Prowl hurried as best he could to help them. The tiniest newest sparkling, a little mech with a light blue scheme and white embellishments on his little servos and peds, he called 'baby'. He didn't dare give it a name. His genitors already did. When he gave the baby back, he would ask then. Until that time, he would take that infant's care on himself.
Prime walked out of his office and paused before the room where several helpers were working to take care of the babies. The pang of sorrow he felt about the situation arose in him, the idea of his own infants being ripped from him a disastrous notion for his emotional well being. Walking on, he took a plate and filled it at the kitchen counter where breakfast things were laid out. Moving to sit at the table, he grinned at his younglings. "Did you sleep well?"
"We did," Rambler said with a smile.
"I could hardly recharge, Atar," Spirit said. "I can't wait for the Halloween."
"Halloween," Rambler corrected gently. He grinned. "You will be cute."
"I think you will too," Spirit said smiling at his brother.
They ate together chatting about this and that. By the time they were ready for day care, they were fairly jumping out of their peds.
-0-At the Ops Center
Jetta nodded to the Officer of the Day, Jazz. That bot would be online today to allow genitors to have the orn off to get ready for Halloween. Mirage lounged nearby pausing in his decoding of databases to listen. "We are go then, Jazz. Do I call Prime or will you?"
"He's due in here in a moment. He's taking the younglings to day care. Prowl is staying home with the sparklings. We can get the go then or you can call him. Your decision."
That call was negated by the appearance of Optimus Prime. He walked to the pair and got briefed. "I sign off on that. I want this done in stages. Springer and Kup can be brought in to make it swift and problem-free."
Jazz nodded and turned putting the call out. A few moments later, the duo followed by Drift and Lon entered Ops Center. They studied the data and made a plan, calling for a Wrecker crew and a dozen Day Watch officers. By the time they arrived, several of the prisoners were standing outside on the street surrounded by guns and grim-faced mechs.
Motormaster and Dead End, Blind Spot and Turmoil stood glowering at the mechs surrounding them. Prime stepped out and paused at the curb with Jazz, Mirage, Ironhide who had joined them at that point, Kup, Drift and Springer. Turmoil stared at Drift with almost psychotic intensity, something that the mellow bot ignored. "What is this about?"
"You are being moved from the brig," Prime said. "You are being escorted to the prison that way," he said nodding in the direction of the airfield. "Go peacefully or be shot." He turned and nodded to Kup. "They're yours."
Kup nodded and looked at Springer. "Let's take out the garbage, youngling."
Springer grinned and nodded. "Move them out."
With a poke or two from guns, the mechs in question began to leave, walking together as a sullen group toward their new more expanded life in the new prison. Jetta smirked. "I'll go and get the party started," he said stepping out.
Prime turned and walked back in bracing himself for the second wave of prisoners.
-0-On the road
They walked along silently, their optics roaming over the changed landscape before them with barely contained amazement. Things had changed a lot since most of them saw daylight. Turmoil walked quietly, glancing at Drift as he did. "How many live here now?"
"Half a million."
He mulled that a moment. "Half a million."
"There's a few million more coming," Drift said making shit up. He grinned inwardly noting that Springer was warming to the conversation. "They heard Prime. They're coming."
It was quiet a moment. "Prime will lose to Megatron."
"Megatron's army is defecting too," Drift answered with a slight smirk. "They're leaving that rat bastard and he doesn't have a clue about it. He's running around in the Delta Quadrant and doesn't even know."
"If you say so," Turmoil said quietly. "Anyone who believes a word you say, slagger is a loser."
"If you say so, Turmoil," Drift said. Turmoil didn't say another word.
-0-Ops Center
They sat at the table making plans to move the next group. The prison itself was a maximum security installation with several separate fully self contained areas to keep prisoners safe from each other. All of the groups being moved would be isolated from each other with the potential to separate individuals from one another if needed as well.
"'A' Block will house the group leaving now. The Senators and Sentinel will be housed in 'C' Block. We are leaving the space between, 'B' Block open for future fraggers," Magnus said.
Optimus nodded. "I am glad there are facilities there for attorneys to meet with prisoners. I want that to be entirely private and secured. This may not be Cybertron and we may have a checkered past judicially, but this is our chance to get it right."
They nodded. Then they looked to the door. Sentinel Prime was standing there. With a nod from Optimus, the big mech was told to come inside and join them.
He did.
-0-Ratchet
He input data, organized slag and generally showed moves that were never seen outside of a battlefield. Halloween and the weekend beckoned and he had to hurry. So he did.
-0-Ops Center
He sat down across from Prime and they took the measure of the other. Sitting back, Sentinel considered Prime. "I hear that we're being moved."
Optimus nodded. "You are going to be housed in a new prison. It will give you amenities you don't have in the brig and you can have a change of scenery. You will be separated from the Decepticon prisoners but not from the Senators."
"I would think you wouldn't trust having us together. I would think you would believe we would foment rebellion and try to escape."
Prime shrugged. "This prison is not an easy escape."
"No, I imagine it isn't," Sentinel said. "We don't have to be enemies. We can work together. I have a lot to offer."
"We don't need what you offer, Sentinel. We believed in you. We trusted you. We won't make that mistake again." Prime leaned back. "You will be able to meet with representation at the new prison. It will be completely confidential."
"So you say," Sentinel said nodding.
"This isn't Cybertron under your rule," Prime said. "We actually follow the laws here."
Sentinel considered Prime. "You will find at some point that you will need me, Optimus. I will be waiting."
"Then wait in the prison," a deep voice said behind Sentinel.
He turned and paused with surprise. "Blackjack," he said in amazement. He looked at Ironhide. "I see your family is reunited. I am assuming that Alor is around somewhere."
"That's Commander Alor to you," Blackjack said darkly.
"I can see I have no allies nor friends in this place," Sentinel said.
"You don't deserve them, Sentinel," Blackjack said. "Last time I saw you they were closing the lid on your sarcophagus."
"There is a reason for everything, 'Jack," Sentinel said.
"That's General Blackjack to you," the ominous bot said.
Prime nodded to Springer who had come up behind Ironhide and Blackjack. "Are you ready for the Senators and Sentinel?"
Springer nodded. "We can take them now."
"Do," Prime said.
Sentinel looked at him and rose to his peds. "Remember my offer. You will need me at some point."
"Never," Prime said.
The room sat in frigid silence as Sentinel turned and walked out under guard. The Senators could be seen following them and soon were gone from sight. Prime sat back and relaxed. "That's good. More room for drunks," he said with a slight grin.
"That's my thoughts exactly," Ironhide said with a grin. "Did I ever tell you about the time Prowl and Ratchet got thrown in the brig for fighting in the rec room?"
Blackjack regarded his son and grinned. "Do tell," he said to general hilarity all around.
-0-Later that afternoon
He walked to the door and opened it taking two boxes from a youngling from the Guild Hall Store. Walking to the table he set them down and opened the lids. Looking inside, he grinned. The costumes for Praxus, Orion and Hero lay inside. "You are a slagger, Ratchet. This is going to be awesome."
He closed the lids again.
=0=TBC
2012 (10)