The Diego Diaries: PsyOps 17
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
They sat listening to Morshower and felt the weariness lifting. When the General was finished, news analysts began. Tuning a fraction of his receptors into their chat to gauge how it was being received, Prowl turned to Optimus. "That was good. I admire that man a lot."
"I do too," Optimus said nodding. "Right now, have you any indication when Wheeljack is getting back?"
"No," Prowl said. "They finished New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. They are heading for Atlanta right now," Prowl replied.
Optimus nodded. "Very well. Let's discuss what the humans sent."
Prowl handed over a datapad and Optimus read it. "The usual shrill voices arise," he said.
"Speaker Brummel isn't a friend but Andrea Hoxley is. She is on the same committee as Brummel's stand-in, Senator Partee from Idaho. The breakdown of the committee that wishes our presence is basically tied in orientation to how they feel about us good and bad."
Optimus nodded. "Then we have a good chance to win them over to our side. We do after all have the evidence of all the other incidents going our way."
"That is good if they accept that it isn't some great outlandish governmental plot. Senator Partee isn't exactly the sharpest pencil in the box."
"Well, Ratchet is," Optimus said with a grin.
Prowl grinned in reply.
-0-At the apartment
"Where the slag did I put that fragger?"
Ratchet stood up from looking under the berth, his rancor growing by each moment the little pink binky Ironhide had personally picked out was lost. Walking back out, he paused by the bouncy chair on the coffee table and glared at his daughter. "Where did you put it? You look like the type to hide things on your old ada." He grinned as she grinned at him. Reaching down, he lifted her from the blankets of her chair. Walking to the window, he kissed her. "Your old pa hasn't got the emotional stability right now to cart you around. You're mine. All mine."
The door opened at that moment and Ironhide followed by the twins entered.
"I spoke too soon," Ratchet said turning to grin at them.
"What are you doing with my sparkling, old mech?" Ironhide asked setting Orion down. He smirked at Ratchet. "I get it now, what Prowl natters on about. They are all mine too."
"Given the choice between you two, I'll put my hard earned shanix down on Prowl, thank you very much," Ratchet replied as Ironhide purloined his sparkling. Ratchet shook his helm and picked up Orion who had wandered over with a giant grin. After kissing his dollie, the two turned and looked out the window. "Look at all this, my son. Someday, all of this will belong to your smarter younger sister."
Hilarity ensued.
-0-On the way back
Wheeljack and Perceptor went over the data they had all gathered, mulling it over between them on their internal comm line. The others sat stretched out relaxing after a rather nerve racking drive through urban area rush hours at both ends of the country.
"What did you find?" Drift asked nudging Wheeljack's ped.
That venerable bot glanced up. "The bombs all come from the same batch. They are all of the same design. The footprints that we found belong to size 12 shoes of a male foot. There are three different sets so we conjecture three different individuals did this. The blasts were concussive to make the most damage. They were placed close to gas mains and other areas to produce flames. The spray paint is a common variety virtually untraceable. This is organized, well executed and not amateur. We are looking at either mercenaries who have some military background or actual active duty soldiers. They used electronic scramblers to short out the security cameras and detectors. This is a professional highly executed operation."
"That's the part I like," Springer said. "Highly executed. I volunteer to shoot them myself."
Hilarity ensued.
-0-At the bosom of love
The door opened and two more bots walked in. Alor liberated Hero from Ironhide and Ratchet chortled. "Nice move, Alor. That slagger needed his comeuppance."
At that moment, Blackjack liberated Orion. Staring at his empty servos, Ratchet grinned. "He comes by his slaggerhood naturally I see."
"You can't make me feel badly, Ratchet," Blackjack said sitting. "Orion, my angelic type creature. How are you this good morning?"
"ADA!"
"Atar," Blackjack prompted sweetly.
Orion held up his dollie.
Snorting, finding a chair, Ratchet grinned at Ironhide. "You look a lot more cheery."
"I do," Ironhide said glancing at his ada. "OR I WAS BEFORE A THIEF STRUCK!"
"Loud isn't he," Alor said glancing at Blackjack as he cuddled his granddaughter.
"Always was," Blackjack said with a grin.
"Have any of you eaten?" Ratchet asked.
They all shook their helms no.
"Good. I hear that Rampage is doing stellar work at the new cafe, The Barrel Head."
"He has another restaurant?" Sunstreaker asked with surprise.
Ratchet nodded. "He does. He's really interested in providing everything from high cuisine sit down restaurants to walk in/take out places. The Barrel Head is a take out. I have ordered a new confection just now since everyone was just sitting here not contributing anything but slag and I want you twins to go get it. Bring beer. Cold. My label."
Sideswipe stood, a smirk on his face. "What high concept thingo has he come up with now?"
"Something called 'pizza'," Ratchet said with a smirk. "Go. Fly, you fools."
"You watched 'Fellowship of the Rings' last night too?" Alor asked with a grin as the twins walked to the door.
"I think I'm in love with the blond elf," Ratchet said with a wink.
"WHAT THE FRAG!?" Ironhide said on cue.
Hilarity ensued.
The door closed and everyone settled. "Did you watch Morshower's press conference?" Ratchet asked.
"Not yet. I figured that The Hourly News would run it again," Alor said settling Hero into the crook of his arm.
"They will. It was great. No messing around. He kicked the two to the curb. They broke a confidentiality agreement and are going to be prosecuted." Ratchet put his peds up and relaxed. "I'm go with that myself."
"Do you have to go to Earth to speak at the Congress? I heard something about that," Blackjack said.
"No."
"Ironhide."
"I said no."
"I have to-"
"No."
-0-On the way to the Barrel Head
The streets were filled with pedestrians and the roads with traffic. It all flowed smoothly facilitated by a species that lived traffic and flow. The Polyhex Center designed by a famous architect from Polyhex was where the Barrel Head was located. They walked out of Mare Tranquilitatis and headed for the main street that would lead them to the right turn into the Metroplex District.
Crossing the highway, they walked down the main street that split Metroplex District into two parts. When they reached Vos Tower, they turned left and walked along the sidewalks to the intersection that led in a number of directions. The left turn headed to the other half of Metroplex District and the Habitat for scientists. Ahead would take them to the Autobot City's rebuilt Business Plaza and beyond that the Temple. The right turn would lead to the new Polyhex Business Plaza and onward to the shipyards, the industrial parks of the city and the firing range. The right turn would lead out of the general area to the new housing districts that were under construction and would by the time they were finished be able to house over one million refugees when added to the current total housing.
The light changed and they soldiered on walking to the Polyhex Business Center. It was big, beautiful and fully transparent. Entering, they walked through the arcades toward a beautiful store with the name in big glyphs over it. It was busy, any number of individuals taking advantage of Cybertroniated human shaped cuisine.
The menu was complex. You could get sushi, hamburgers of any number of types, something called onion rings and sandwiches of all manner. Included also were something called 'hot dogs', 'corn dogs' and 'ice cream'. Huge rounds of a dish called pizza were displayed and apparently one could get some by the slice. When their turn came, they gave their order. A femme took it and reached behind her taking five huge boxes off the counter and handing them to the twins.
"All of this?" Sideswipe said over the top of three of the boxes.
"Yep," she said with a grin. "Enjoy."
"We will," Sideswipe said transforming to skates. Sunstreaker did too and they made it out and home skating through the traffic, riding upward on the elevator to the old folk's home.
Literally.
-0-Several moments later
They sat with slices of 'pizza' and good cold Cybertronian 'beer'. Orion sat on the floor with his sippy cup and a rust stick. Alor had Hero lying in his lap, his son's optics measuring just how hard his ada would slap his servo if he made any moves to liberate her.
"I like this pizza, Ratchet," Blackjack said. "I've never seen food like this before. Mighty tasty."
"Humans eat it by the quarter ton," Ratchet replied as he munched his 'pepperoni and sausage' slice. "I can see why."
"So now that we have established that you will go to Earth, Ratchet," Alor began.
"Slag that," Ironhide said sulkily,
Alor looked at his son and smirked. "You really are amusing, Ironhide. I like that about you."
"Thanks, Ada," Ironhide said. "When I need you to back me up, to help me in my hour of need, you slag off."
"He's touchy when he doesn't get his way," Alor said glancing at the twins who sat smirking as they ate.
"He's a big baby," Sunstreaker said. "Maybe I should burp him."
Hilarity ensued.
"What sort of hearing is this and how do you manage among the tiny humans, Ratchet?" Blackjack asked as he opened another 'beer'.
"I go in vehicle format with guards out the wazoo. The setting is usually designed to accommodate me. I speak. They ask. We reach impasse and I go."
"Sounds like the High Council on any given orn," Alor said tucking Hero into her blankets gently. "I will go with you."
Ratchet snorted. "My genitor-in-law. How shall I introduce you? Mom?"
They all snorted. Alor grinned. "Whatever floats your boat, Ratchet."
Hilarity ensued.
-0-On the tarmac
Bumblebee stepped off with the other returnees and walked to the Fortress. He would meet First Aid there for a snack and then go to their apartment in the Mare Tranquilitatis tower for bachelor mechs. They would do the town later. They would tie one on and end up in the brig to sober up.
It would be awesome.
-0-At the school
Praxus stood in his little group, all of them looking up at their teacher. She was telling them that they would take the elevator down and go to the park at Metroplex. All they had to do was hold onto the rope that would link them all to her with aides trailing to make sure they did. They looked at the rope and grabbed onto the handles that were spaced along it for them.
It would take a few moments to get them all going in the same direction.
-0-At the dojo
"What do you think? Road trip?"
"Probably," Springer said.
"Won't mind that so much. Sorta miss hanging out on Earth." Kup champed on his stogie, his expression faraway. Who knew where. Certainly no one in the room. But they all grinned anyway.
"Those two humans," Drift said. "Are they the ones who gave the twins slag? The ones Sunstreaker went to talk to?"
Everyone nodded.
"It would be poetic justice if the twins were the ones who settled those slaggers' hash," Kup said as he put his peds up on the table.
"That would. I will suggest it to Prime," Springer said with a smirk.
"Good," Kup said without batting an optic. "He will listen to the missus."
Hilarity ensued.
-0-TBC
2012 (11)