The Diego Diaries: Moving On 5
-0-At the prison
First Aid nodded and turned with Bee, the two following Prowl, Ratchet, Springer and Drift out the door. When it closed, Magnus turned toward Prime. "Optimus, you understand that the prison is my responsibility and when things go wrong here I am the one who has to straighten it out."
"I know that, Magnus," Prime said. "It makes my job easier knowing that someone as conscientious and selfless as you does the job you do at the level you perform. That will factor into my final decision but you know as well as I that there are tens of thousands of refugees coming and that among them are unknown entities. We need everyone on the job working at top capacity. Having Prowl and Ratchet in confinement is counter productive for them and for our ability to meet the need."
Magnus frowned. "What the slag is wrong with them? How can they do this time and again knowing the effect it has on the ranks?"
Ironhide bristled. "There's nothing wrong with either of them. Why is it, Magnus that you never seem affected by the war? Even in the middle of defeats you would fly in to get come slagging criminal that had violated the Tyrest Treaties. How is it that you couldn't pivot and do something that might have been slagging helpful to us at the same time? Everyone of us have been in the Pit for eons. It marks ya. Sometimes with the right circumstances you let the demons out. There's nothing wrong with Ratchet and Prowl. What the frag is with you?"
Magnus turned to face Ironhide as Prime rose. "Stop. Now."
They paused and turned looking at him, both of them with belligerent expressions. Prime sighed. "I am the one who makes the final decisions. I base it on everything, not just someone's personal ax to grind. I am aware of what happened and what is at stake among the troops. I will make the decision and you will abide by it. If you don't agree, make an appointment. That is my final decision."
They both looked at him, glancing at each other. Magnus nodded and shook his helm. Turning, he paused looking down at Arcee. She grinned. "Come on, Magnus. I'll buy you a drink." The two turned and left.
It was silent a moment. Ironhide and the others turned to look at Prime. "Ratchet does a lot of good for everyone, Optimus. He didn't let Prowl go off by himself and he always checks to see how everyone is progressing. Sometimes even I don't know why he does things but there's always a reason to what he does."
Prime nodded. "I know. You're going to have to arrange babysitting for a while. They're both going to be in the brig for a few orns."
Ironhide nodded. "I will. You?"
He grinned faintly. "We'll work it out together."
Prime glanced at the Officer of the Orn who stood silently in the corner, an anxious expression on his face. "You are the officer in charge of the shift. You have the right to refuse anyone who wants to enter the prison. If you find a problem brewing, call the Night or Day Watch Commander that orn or night and ask them to call me. They will dispatch a team while they do and you will have back up. No one is above your command while on duty but me. No one."
The youngling nodded, his optics wide open with anxiety. "Yes sir."
Prime grinned slightly. "You did a good job, youngling. I am trusting to your discretion about what happened here tonight. It doesn't serve the good of our people for them to hear a disturbance with Sentinel happened. I don't want anyone with grudges against him ganging up with others to make a problem for anyone let alone you and your crew. Do I have your word?"
He nodded emphatically. "Yes, sir. You can count on me."
Prime grinned. It would turn out that he could. The other wide opticed younglings on duty who weren't asked to promise, not so much.
-0-At the brig
Ratchet walked alongside Drift, his servo through that bot's brawny arm. They were talking about this and that as Ratchet pried into his personal life. Springer who was walking behind with a mostly silent deeply mortified Prowl grinned all the way to the brig.
He had entered the service about the same time as Hot Rod and some of the others. Ironhide had been their instructor and Ratchet had been the shoulder they cried upon. The duo already was legendary and when they heard Prime's call to come to this solar system, Springer knew there was a great likelihood that the two would be where Optimus was. Springer was right. They were.
Springer couldn't count the number of times they had tied one on together, laughed themselves silly and grieved over something that had befallen them and the Cause. Now they were here in a city they were building themselves, their own space at last to live their way and the same razzmatazz was flowing out of the one bot that consistently made him laugh. He was content here in a way he never was anywhere else and part of that contentment was the bots he saw around himself every day.
They entered the Fortress, crossing the busy pre-shift filled rec room and walked to the Central Hub's elevators that would take them down to the brig and armory level. Entering, leaning against the walls, Ratchet grinned. "So, Springer … what's up? Your BFF here won't tell me, the slagger. You did explain to him the rules?"
Springer snorted remembering The Rules one boozy night on a world they were losing. Ratchet handed him the bottle and grinned. "You don't know The Rules do you, youngling."
"The Rules of Prank Warfare? I think I know a few," Springer said with a grin. The buzz of bombs flying overhead made them duck now and again but they were relatively safe as they waited for Prime and his squad to come back so they could leave together. "Do tell though," he said handing the bottle to Kup.
"Well, the first rule is 'Ratchet must be told all'. The second rule is, 'Ratchet must be updated always'. The third rule is 'the first rule takes precedence over all other rules'."
A nearby hit blotted out some of Springer's laughter. He quashed it now as they stepped out of the elevator, Ratchet slipping his arm around Springer. "You are one sexy bot, mech. You always were. Drift is sexy too. You both almost cancel each other out."
The chuckles were had by all as they entered the brig office where Red Alert sat. He had heard the fuss and had come with the ever long suffering Inferno. "Here they are," Drift said nodding to Prowl and Ratchet.
"Inferno, did you ever tell that slagger here that you were hot for him yet?" Ratchet asked swaying slightly, his grin the usual insipid one drunks everywhere usually have.
Red Alert blinked and looked up at a slightly smirking, slightly mortified Inferno. "No, Ratchet, but thanks for asking." With a grin, he turned and led the party down to a cell block that was empty. "Do you want separate cells or together?" Inferno asked pausing with a grin.
"I'm Prowl's doctor. Bunk us together," Ratchet said with a wink.
The bars dropped and they stepped inside. Then they went back up. Watching the mechs turn to leave, Ratchet smirked. "Inferno! Tell him, you slagger! Life is short."
Inferno turned and chuckled. "I will," he said, then turned and left them to each other.
"You aren't drunk," Prowl said staring at Ratchet with a knowing optic.
"I know," Ratchet said straightening up. "They don't know that. I heard Inferno lamenting to someone the other day about how oblivious Red was. Nothing like a nudge."
"You have no shame," Prowl said with a slight grin of his own.
"You're just noticing? Really, Prowl," Ratchet said moving to sit. "Keep up."
The winger looked at Ratchet fondly. "You are a piece of work. If I didn't think you wanted the best for everyone I would call you an old meddler."
"You would be right anyway," Ratchet said as Prowl sat next to him. "I am. But its a compulsion brought about by the idea that why should everyone else have a happy life alone with they can have a life like mine paired up? After all, why should I wander in the swamp of bonded slaggery by myself?"
They snorted and laughed together. The moment's tension lessened. "You're very good at that."
"What?" Ratchet asked glancing at his most unlikely BFF.
"Helping others," Prowl said. "When things are tense you stick in a joke and it lowers the temperature. You go and talk to mechs to see if they're alright. I remember when you did that for Springer after he was brought back. You did it for Arcee too. You do a lot of good and I know its intentional. Some would call it meddling but I don't. Or mostly I don't. I am on to you, Ratchet."
Ratchet grinned and patted Prowl's leg. "Don't tell anyone. Forever, I was the only doctor and processor specialist around. I got to see things that others missed, the loneliness, the need. I knew when you wanted to tie one on that you couldn't go alone. I figured we'd end up in trouble but I was so drunk I couldn't do more than go to the Pit with you."
"I know," Prowl said. "If you hadn't agreed, I wouldn't have gone. I'm sort of gutless that way. I need a wing man."
"I know," Ratchet said patting Prowl again. "You're wired differently. You're a good mech, Prowl. I know what you do every day, the things you let go and the things you pursue. I know what it means to you about Sentinel. You need to work that out. Beating him to slag might feel good but it does undermine discipline and brings Magnus to a broil."
"I know," Prowl said venting a sigh. "I do like to watch Magnus get all wound up. He's me on steroids. If I had not found another way to live, I would be him, all rules and no second glance. I was for most of my life. I am so sorry for the endless orns where I didn't see the forest for the trees."
They sat quietly together a moment. Then Ratchet nodded. "I hear ya." He glanced at Prowl. "Nice human sayings. They have a bit of wisdom, those humans. I like them."
"They're too illogical for me, most of them," Prowl said. "But I will always protect them anyway."
"All of us will," Ratchet said nodding. "You need to unburden yourself of a lot of slag, Prowler. The past is over. Tell yourself you did your best and forgive yourself for the moments when you didn't. You are so important to so many, you need to remember that."
Prowl slipped his servo into Ratchet's. "I don't feel that way around Sentinel. He brings me back to a version of myself that I'm not proud of. I was ..." he paused a moment. "I was so lonely."
Ratchet squeezed his servo. "Look at the bounty you have now. Look at the family you field. You are the platform from which they all launch every orn. I always knew that Optimus had a great sense of humor but he didn't show it very much. Do you know why I make a mess of staff meetings so much?"
Prowl looked at Ratchet. "No."
"I like to watch you and Optimus banter. I like to watch him smile and be happy. You two are fun."
"No one would ever apply 'fun' to me before," Prowl said. He shook his helm sadly. "I was the anti-fun. Old 'stick up his aft, Prowl'. Sentinel zeroed in on that and played a lot of processor games with me. He made me feel grateful for being with him, grateful that he 'let me be S.I.C.', grateful for everything."
"You were specifically recruited to be S.I.C, Prowl. He didn't have a say. He was one or two Primes after your appointment," Ratchet said, a trace of anger in his voice. "You earned every rank and appointment you ever got. Thank Primus that we had you. We would have been in a bad way without your amazing intellect and skill. Prime would be fragging someone else if you hadn't enlisted."
Prowl snorted. "No. I would have crawled over broken glass on my servos and knees to find him. I would have swam through burning oil to be with him. He has made so much right."
"I know," Ratchet said nodding. "You deserve happiness. What you have to do now is tell the universe that you want to move on. Tell the universe I am sorry for all I did wrong and I forgive everyone who wronged me. Do it."
Prowl looked at Ratchet a moment with that look that spelled out 'WTF', then he smiled slightly. "That's all it takes?"
"Sometimes. Sometimes you have to say it twice. All you have to do is mean it," Ratchet said squeezing his servo.
"Alright." He sat a moment, then glanced at Ratchet. "Do I say it silently or aloud?"
"Whichever floats your boat, Prowler," Ratchet said with a grin.
Prowl considered that, then looked forward as he gathered his thoughts. "Universe, this is Prowl of Praxus. I want to ask forgiveness for all the dumb slag and bad things I ever did. I mean it from my spark. I also mean it when I ask anyone I ever bothered or hurt to forgive me." He sat a moment, then vented a sigh. "When does it feel better?"
"In a moment," Ratchet said with a chuckle. "Did you include Megatron and Sentinel in the forgiving?"
"Not yet," Prowl said. "I do want the universe to know that I know my blessings. I will always try and do right by them." He grinned. "I'm glad you're my friend, Ratchet."
"I am too, Prowler," Ratchet replied with a chuckle. "By the way, that's the name of the next sparkling, mech or femme."
"Really?" Prowl asked, his expression lightening with surprise and happiness.
"Yep," Ratchet said with conviction.
"Thanks, Ratchet. I have always liked my name," Prowl said with a big grin on his handsome face.
"I have too," Ratchet said with a smile.
Nearby, standing by the door listening and watching Optimus Prime smiled too. Stepping back with Ironhide, the two walked back down the corridor to the Ops Center. They did so with a lighter step in their tread.
=0=TBC
2013 (1)