The Diego Diaries: Game Day 1
=0=Game day
The city which was on its third and last day of weekend rose leisurely, those not at work taking their time to go about their business. The morning shows and The Hourly News had information on the game to be played that afternoon. It would be open seating and the interest in going to the municipal arena for the show was intense.
Smokescreen walked to Club Cybertron to breakfast with his teammates. They were a good team, one with great backs and a fast offensive line. They had worked out of town on their game plays and had a lot of confidence. Then again, all of the big mechs who played had a lot of confidence. It came from surviving eons of war and battle.
The place was filled with the younger set as mechs gathered to talk, tell stories and hang out. There was a rumor that the management was going to build another hangout with a fabled history on the other side of Metroplex District. There was a new business plaza arising nearby the first one and Metroplex with a huge central open space with multilevel tiers around it. The business was going to be an exact replica of Maccadam's Old Oil House.
That venerable institution was a neutral ground for whoever could pay for the delectable and vast selection of beverages they supplied. Everyone who was anyone showed up there at some point and many were the famous individuals of both sides who sipped their drinks while glaring at each other from opposite sides of the room.
Blurr who was the last owner of the original in Iacon was working with Club Cybertron's management team to bring it online. He had bought The original with proceeds from his racing career. Having been the only undefeated racing athlete in the history of the sport, he had made a great deal of shanix. Investing them into the bar when it came onto the market was a dream come true. It was time to bring it back and he had a space request for a corner of the giant business park where the bar would have amazing views and lots of space for a bar that wrapped around a corner.
Blurr was sitting in the bar at a table with Jolt, Hot Rod, Lon and Topspin. Walking in, Smokescreen pulled a chair and sat. Ordering breakfast, he grinned. "What's going on?"
"Nothing much. Book has Altihex ahead by a point," Jolt said with a grin.
"Really," Smokescreen said with a grin. "We're going to win this game today. Count on it."
"You better. I put large down on Altihex," Topspin said.
"We'll do our best," Smokescreen said with a smirk. "I'm not responsible for your bets."
"Win, slagger," Topspin said with a grin.
The conversation whirled around them as more of the team showed up. They pushed tables together and spent the next few joors shooting the breeze.
-0-The trine
Bluestreak walked into the apartment pausing as he did. Sunstreaker was rocking a femme in the corner by the front windows. Sideswipe was lying on a couch with Uraya sleeping on his chassis, a blanket covering her tiny form.
Kaon was sitting in front of a chair which braced him. His helm was nodding as he struggled to stay awake, his cookie still gripped in his servo. His helm bobbed, then he would sit up looking around. For a moment he was alert and then it began again.
Bluestreak watched him, then looked at Sunstreaker. "Poor little mech. He's going down for the count."
"He is," Sunstreaker said with a grin. "You might want to take him on."
Bluestreak nodded as he picked up the tiny winger. He blinked and then snuggled into Bluestreak's shoulder. Moving to sit in a chair, Bluestreak settled. "This is nice."
Sunstreaker nodded. "How are the grandgenitors?"
"Fine. I helped them box some finished orders. Their box cases are as beautiful as their tools. What a nice pair of mechs. Ravel is still trying to believe things are this nice and Tie Down is so sweet. The sparklings have such nice mechs to grow up with."
Sunstreaker nodded. "They are. They had a hard life on Cybertron. Makes you wonder about the rest."
Bluestreak nodded. "What do you want to do about the sparklings? Do we take them to the game too?"
"I think so. Maybe we can use that carry basket Sideswipe got at The Infant Center. It will fit the girls and Ratchet can tune down their audials if we can get them to recharge before we go."
"You don't want to drop them at daycare?" Bluestreak asked as he put Kaon's cookie down on the coffee table.
"No. I want him to see things, do things, be together with us as a family," Sunstreaker said. "I want us to keep them with us when we can. They are in supervision enough of their orns."
Bluestreak nodded hearing in Sunstreaker the unspoken truth of the life he and Sideswipe had led. The Youth Center was a last ditch for orphans and it wasn't always a happy place to end up. "Alright," he answered cheerfully. "We can make it soft and put dollies into it."
"I got some things from Earth for a couple of new families. There's some new things for the girls. They're laying on their dressers."
Bluestreak nodded with a grin. Sunstreaker was always on the prowl for some new wonderful thing for the sparklings and often took things to new genitors. No one knew. He preferred it that way. But it was something in his makeup that had to be assuaged. "What do they have that's new?"
"I found some stuff with some of us on it. There are new blankets for all three of them with Optimus and Bumblebee on them. I also found matching pairs of booties and little hats that I found that will allow their finials to come through. I asked Sam to find a company that wanted to make knitted hats with holes for finials. I gave him their measurements. I think they will be cute and it will keep them warm too."
Bluestreak smiled. "I know they will be cute. You are a good ada, Sunstreaker. Our sparklings are always shiny and have things that they need."
"They always will, Babe. Count on it," Sunstreaker said firmly. Uraya shifted in her recharge and he peered under the blanket that covered her. She settled and he covered her again. "We need a better glue for their decorations. Or maybe I need to paint things rather than apply them."
"Ratchet used medical glue to put the hats on the sparklings. Maybe you can get some of that next time," Blue said. Sunstreaker nodded.
Sideswipe shifted and glanced toward the door. "Blue."
"You're recharging, lazy bones," Bluestreak said.
He glanced at Iacon who was recharging on his chassis. "It feels good. I'm glad we aren't playing today. I think I'd rather watch."
Blue nodded. "You can help me with the younglings."
He nodded. "How's the grandgenitors?"
"Awesome," Bluestreak replied.
"They are," Sideswipe said settling again.
-0-On the way home
They had put their orders together and they would be delivered the next orn by courier. The city maintained a courier service that resembled an on call postal service that was part of the duty of the Home Guard. It got things done and the militia learned the city up, down and sideways. Businesses or civilians merely signaled on the Community Bulletin Board at the link 'postal and delivery' when they needed something delivered and a youngling would appear to do the deed. Ten kits would be delivered to deliriously happy and utterly amazed clients the orn after this, the last orn of weekend.
"This is so exciting, Tie. We get to go to football games. I can't believe it," Ravel said walking beside Tie Down, his servo in his bond's.
"I know," Tie Down said squeezing Ravel's servo. "We will be dining with the family at Cafe Praxus afterward. Apparently, it is a tradition among them. This is going to be a wonderful orn."
"I agree," Ravel said as they turned up the main highway and headed for the tower. They would be sitting in Ratchet and Ironhide's home in jig time.
-0-At the Municipal Arena
They began to file in and find places to sit. At the center line four rows up, the place for Prime was waiting with his banner flying on the flagpoles around the arena. Normally, the city flew the banner of the Primes and the national flag of Cybertron on government buildings every orn. Some civilians and others posted the flag off their balconies or on their own flagpoles. Others hung them in windows. It had been generations since they could and many did because of their rising sense of pride and happiness at their newly resurrecting sense of identity.
The Autobrand flag and banners flew and hung everywhere. They were painted on the floors of the school and public building foyers. They were part of the decoration of buildings and the tattoos were everywhere on bots and femmes.
They snapped in the breeze as mechs and families poured inside. The humans, all of them going and gathering sped among the towering giants rode up the ramps, They would take them to the midfield line where all would watch from their protected platform four levels below the Prime and his party.
It was going to be fragging awesome.
-0-Diego Garcia, Earth-like
They gathered at the foot of the ramp leading to the shuttle that was heading for Autobot City. Wearing their gear, their face masks in hand, the femmes, Colonel Fulton and Sam Witwicky waited to board. As the last box was loaded they hurried aboard. The ramp slid up, the hatch closed and almost immediately the shuttle rose flying off to the football game that would be starting in a joor on an orange planet far away.
Or forty-five minutes by shuttle.
-0-At the field
Luminus sat and as he did, Leader-1 did too. In front of them on the next lower level, Mudflap and Skids sat. Looking back at the two, they both grinned. "I wonder if we can play too?"
"Not this time, boys," Leader1 said. "The teams have been allotted. Watch the game and see if you want to. These slaggers are big."
Skids nodded. "I think so. They could crush us. It would be like fighting Devastator all by ourselves."
"We did," Mudflap said shaking his helm.
"We did," Skids said with a smile as he stared at his brother. Luminous and Leader-1 just grinned.
-0-At the Residence
They gathered, their faces shined and their affect filled with excitement. They were heading out to the game. The broadcast would be held on Channel 1 of IntraComm so the sitters wouldn't miss much. After much discussion, Miracle and the tiniest mech were coming along. Sideswipe said there would be room for him in the carry basket that he had picked up at The Infant Center.
Walking out, they ambled to the elevators and rode down missing Ironhide and Company by minutes. They joined the crowd as they made their way to the stadium. When they got there they would find that Venture and Miler had arrived first. He would help his family into place and then go back to the gate to greet individuals, many of which he hadn't met when they came in the last wave of refugees. He would enter when everyone was already there and his anthem and that of Cybertron would be played.
Both of them were written by Alor of Iacon.
-0-In the bosom of love
They parceled out the infants. Orion sat on Tie Down's arm grinning and looking smart in his harness. Praxus was sitting on Blackjack's arm looking handsome as well. Hero was with Ravel and Alor had Sunspot. Ratchet looked at Ironhide who stood smiling at the little group. "We don't appear to have sparklings, Ironhide. Better empty our pockets. I was sure we had a couple."
Sunspot laughed. "You're so funny," he said with a giant smile.
Everyone grinned and turned walking to the door and beyond. By the time they reached the street, they were in a flow of mechs that was being broadcast to Earth. It was an astonishing array of types, sizes and styles of bot. The colors were beautiful, the wings and helms, embellishments and tattoos were remarkable. Works of art, really.
They entered the rapidly filling stadium pausing by Prime who was surrounded by grateful refugees and friends. Nodding with grins, they continued upward and took their places in the Prime's area. Glancing down at the human platform, they smiled and traded slag. It only got better when the segways of the femmes, Colonel Fulton and Sam Witwicky arrived.
-0-In the box
They sat together, Revet and 'Vette in the stadium with his family. Jazz announcing and Blaster giving the 'color' commentary in the field broadcast box, they had been live to this world and Earth for some time.
"The stadium is filling up nicely," Jazz said grinning, his handsome visage displayed all over the universe on screens everywhere. Mirage himself sitting on a counter behind them was also on the screen.
"The Youth Stadium is beginning to fill as well. We have over 400,000 citizens in the city and most of them it seems have decided to come to the game," Blaster said with a chuckle.
"I agree," Jazz said. They chatted a while, then the sound of a siren was heard. "They are goin' to play the theme of the Primes and the anthem of Cybertron. Everyone stands and most sing along. Let's cut to the field."
As they did, a single figure walked out to a keyboard that was set up in the middle line of the pitch. Alor of Iacon sat before it and a cheer almost living rose up from the two stadiums. Alor grinned and waited. Then he began to play. He played an extraordinary theme, one which rose up and weaved around everyone including his son who watched with misty optics.
It was a new song he had written, one to commemorate the refugees, the city, their rebirth and hope. When it died away with the last chords, things were very quiet. Then he began to play the Anthem of the Primes followed by the Anthem of Cybertron. As he did Optimus Prime walked into the stadium. Everyone arose and began to sing, the words of their culture, their Prime, their planet rising up once again into the sky.
The camera didn't see him and if you didn't know, you would not understand that the love that came from the crowd was going to the big shining figure of their Prime. He reached his box and stood, taking Miracle into his arms. The singing rose higher and then silenced. Alor sat a moment, then rose walking to the stadium door, the sideline crew gathering his keyboard and taking it off. Before he reached the gate the entire stadium and the one next to it was on their peds howling to the sky.
Their delight, their pride, their happiness was not to be denied.
-0-TBC
2012 (11)