The Diego Diaries: Moving On 7 (dd3 151)
-0-The next morning in the brig
It was coming on shift change when they heard footsteps in the corridor. Sitting up straighter to glance at the door, Prowl and Ratchet waited with expectation. The night before had been quiet, conversation had between drowses. They had traded off on the berth, one sleeping on the floor then trading halfway through.
Prowl insisted.
The door opened as Inferno peeked in with a grin. "You have visitors."
"Who?" Ratchet asked standing slowly.
"Both of you," Inferno said stepping back from view. He moved aside to allow a number of individuals to enter. Prowl who had stood up glanced at Ratchet with a look Ratchet was sure was on his own face. The individuals paused before the bars and stared at them.
With disapproval.
"Hi, Ada, Atar," Ratchet said lamely.
Prowl looked at his genitors and nodded. "Hi," he said softly.
Venture and Miler who stood side-by-side glanced at Ravel and Tie Down who were standing next to them with extreme disapproval on their own faces. "Do you wish us to step out, Tie? Ravie?"
"No, Venture," Tie Down said glancing at the big winged mech. "I think we shall be fine with your presence." He looked up at Ratchet who felt like a sparkling in spite of the years and experiences of his life. "Ratchet, we were told personally by our Prime that you were over energized and jailed for violence."
"Thanks, Optimus," Ratchet muttered to Prowl who looked at him for a brief moment with a rueful expression. "Ada, Atar, I'm sorry. We just got out of servo. It only happens once in a blue moon and frankly, I like to go out with Prowl when he's up to it. I'm sorry to make you feel badly."
"Ratchet wasn't fighting, Tie," Prowl said looking at the pair with a serious expression. "I was."
"I want to know about that, Prowl," Venture said. "I need to know what it means for our family. I want to know what you need from me, Prowl, to make this better."
Prowl glanced sharply up at his genitors both of whom were gazing at him with concern. "I don't think an honor fight is appropriate, Atar. He's in jail already. For that much, honor is restored."
"But there are other things I have to do, Prowl. I won't have him have some strange hold over your spark. Not now. We're aware that you had an unhappy relationship with him. If he's abusing you in some way even from a distance that is my duty to end."
Prowl stared at his father, then his ada as if searching them for meaning. Then he stepped closer and did something he had never done before. He told them something personal that mattered. "I hate him."
It was silent a moment then Prowl stared at the ground. "I hate him for treating me like I was a pity case. I hate him for condescending to me about what I did and could do. I hate him for making me feel small and worthless and I hate myself for letting him." He looked at his genitors who looked stricken. "I never told you anything," he said quietly. "I didn't want to be a disappointment to you. I know I went my own way and did things you didn't approve of. But I was trying to find myself.
"I have now and yet he still has a hold on me. I tried to tell him that he couldn't bother me anymore but I failed. All I wanted to do was hit him and I did. I'm sorry, Ada … Atar for this."
Ratchet watched the display of emotions on the faces of Prowl's genitors, the depth of it, then the solidification of their anger.
Venture opened his mouth, then paused as if to gather himself. "You've never disappointed us. You've never been less than the child we wanted. I had no idea that there was this much pain from this relationship. If you'd told me I would have challenged him. No one hurts my son and walks away unscathed."
"You can't defeat him. He would've hurt you terribly," Prowl said. "I used circuit su on him and I had trouble. I know how to fight, Atar, beyond what the schools taught us for honor fighting. Yet I still could barely move him." He stepped closer. "I don't want you to feel you have to do that. I don't want you hurt."
"And we don't want you hurt either, Prowl," Miler said. "You're our son. We;re proud of you and we love you. You have achieved so much and your family is our life. That mech will never hurt you again. You must let him go."
Prowl looked at Miler then nodded. "I know." He looked at the floor. "I thought I had."
"You understand that I will have words with him," Venture said looking at his son with a stern expression.
Prowl nodded. "I wish you wouldn't. He'll say things to hurt you."
"It's my duty to you and our family. I want you to know that I knew Sentinel a bit but I never liked or trusted him. There's something unsavory about him that cannot be discounted."
Prowl looked at Venture and nodded faintly. "I'm going to be brigged for a while. Optimus has no other choice."
"You'll be in good company then," Miler said glancing at Ratchet with a faint smile. "We'll help with the children. Don't worry about that."
"I don't," Prowl said looking at his ada with a fond expression.
"I heard about your first incarceration," Venture said with a grin. "I approve of it entirely though the idea of Kaon having a prison record so young is daunting."
Prowl looked at his father then grinned. "I thought it gave him a kind of dash."
Venture snorted then glanced at Tie and Ravel. "Shall I get them released?"
"Please, Ven," Ravel said nodding.
Venture stepped out and came back after a moment with a chuckling Inferno behind him. He released the criminal element into the custody of the parental units, then they walked to the door and beyond. When they stepped off the elevator and entered the rec room the entire place stood up and applauded.
Frozen to the spot, Ratchet and Prowl looked at the hooting smiling soldiers and others present in shock.
:Slag. Everyone knows: -Prowl and Ratchet
Glancing at their chagrined but game genitors, they took a right turn into Ops Center and walked to the center table. Pausing as Ironhide and Optimus turned to grin at them, Ratchet shook his helm. "Apparently we're the laughing stock of the city."
"I wouldn't say so," Ironhide said squeezing Ratchet's shoulders. "I think Prowl did what a lot of us want to do when he slagged Sentinel."
"I wouldn't say I slagged him," Prowl said grimly. He looked at his genitors and Ratchet's. "We're sorry for all of this."
"We know." -Venture, Miler, Tie Down and Ravel
Prowl turned to Optimus and gathered himself together a moment. "What are the terms of incarceration, sir?" he asked staring at the far wall grimly.
Optimus who was standing beside Ironhide grinned down at the tense ultra embarrassed center of all his most intriguing dreams and waking hours. "You will sleep in the brig. You will work here. Same as usual but for that one change. Since I helped slag Sentinel after you left I am cutting you some slack. Executive decision. Do not tell Magnus."
"You slagged him?" Prowl asked turning to face Prime with surprise.
"You didn't think I would allow him to talk to you the way I am told he did and walk away unscathed did you?" Optimus asked.
Prowl looked at him a moment. "I don't remember what he said."
"I do. It is enough for me to remember even if you do not. Suffice it to say, he will not be slagging you again. Of course, I have to have your solemn vow not to go to the prison again with mayhem in mind."
Prowl blinked in his embarrassment then nodded. "Done."
"And what about me?" Ratchet asked like some little kid who didn't want to be left out of the cake. "What about me, Dad?" he asked Optimus with a grin.
Optimus snorted then smiled at Ratchet. "You are a menace to society. I am going to let Ironhide decide what else you need to do about this."
"Well that's easy," Ironhide said with a big grin. "A bottle of high grade and a good frag."
That met immense groaning from around the room and daggers from Ravel. Tie Down himself chuckling got the stink optic from Ravel as well.
"Really. There is a Prime here. Have some decorum," Ravel said before Ratchet enveloped him in his arms and kissed his helm.
"What's decorum?" he asked grinning down at his ada.
The ice was broken and the ease in Prowl's frame was a welcome sight for Ratchet. He looked at his genitors. "I'll walk you to the shop and you can slag me all the way there if you want."
"No," Tie said with a grin. "You stay here and get ready for the refugees. The Hourly News says a lot of them are coming. We'll paddle you later."
"He'll just enjoy it, Tie," Ironhide said with a big grin.
His father-in-law nodded and chuckled. "I'm sure you're right."
"Prowl, we shall talk later," Venture said with a sympathetic tone. "I'm concerned over your hurt."
Prowl nodded. "Thank you, Atar," he said as his ada squeezed his shoulders.
"We'll have to address your sorrows, son," Miler said.
Venture turned to look at Optimus. He bowed his helm as a sign of respect. "I'm senior member of our family, sir, and as patriarch I have a duty to our family in general and to my son in particular to make this incident right between us. I will have to see Sentinel."
"There can be no more violence, Venture," Optimus said.
"There can be no violence because he's behind bars and it would be dishonorable," Venture replied. "But the moment demands that I speak to him about how he can deport himself around my son. It's the custom of our culture to ensure that any further contacts be proper."
Prime glanced at Ironhide who nodded slightly. Prime looked at Venture. "I will be there when you do."
Venture thought a moment "There's no convention against that. I will not be interrupted, sir. That's the manner of our way of life."
"I will allow it when we find out what is out there and when its coming. I will tell you when the opportunity is available," Prime said.
Venture bowed his helm and looked at Optimus. "Thank you, sir. I am honored for the opportunity to make a wrong right again." With that, he hugged Prowl gathering him into his arms. They stood together, then Venture stepped back staring at the unreadable expression on Prowl's face. "I have not always been the right mech for what you needed but from now on I am. This will be done and you will be avenged. What I want for you is peace and happiness. That is all I want, Prowl. You are my only child and I love you. I'm proud of you," he said quietly.
Prowl stepped back into his father's arms and hugged him tightly. Nodding, he watched as Venture followed by a proudly smiling Miler walked to the door.
Tie and Ravel watched them go, then turned to their own wayward boy. "You two are going to be the end of me," Ravel said looking from Prowl to Ratchet.
Ratchet scooped him up and kissed him. "I can carry you to the shop if you want. I'm good for penance, Ada," he said with a grin.
"You can do penance later, Ratchet. You need to save our people now," Ravel said grinning at Ratchet as he lay in his son's arms.
Ratchet set him down gently and kissed his atar on the helm. "I'll come to visit you today. Thank you for helping Ironhide. I'm sorry for the chaos."
"We know," Tie said glancing at Prowl. "You both are a pair to draw to," he said as he bowed his helm at Prime.
Ravel did, too, then the pair walked out of the Ops Center with grins on their faces.
Everyone watched them go, then Ratchet turned to the group around the table. "Well, that went well," he said as he ducked flying objects.
-0-Ops Center, during a quiet moment
Prowl walked to the table and sat, the data pad in his servos more armor than aid. He looked at Optimus who paused and looked back. Leaning forward, speaking in a soft voice, he said, "I'm sorry that I put you in a bad way. I'm sorry that you had words with Sentinel. I wish I could take it back."
Optimus looked at Prowl for a moment then leaned in closer. "I'm not," he said back softly.
Prowl looked at him a moment as a ghost of a smile formed on his handsome face. :What did he say to you, Only One? I fear what he said:
:He tried to make an issue out of you but it was only part of his problem. I called him a traitor. He confirmed all of our suspicions about Megatron and Cybertron. Megatron would rebuild our world and Sentinel would rule it. Megatron would not be around when he lost his usefulness to Sentinel according to his delusions. I dissuaded him of that notion all around:
Prowl nodded. :I don't want you to think that he mattered to me. Once he did. I had no confidence and I was a different mech then, cold and lonely. You're all I need and always were. I don't want you to think badly of me:
Optimus gripped Prowl's servo and squeezed. :I do not want you to think that such a thing could ever happen between us. I am aware of what he did to you, Prowl:
:The bond: Prowl said with a wince.
Optimus nodded. :He is lucky to still be alive. But he is old news, sad old news. Right now, we are rewriting our history. Put him away and do not let him hurt you:
Prowl nodded. :I will try:
:Then that is good enough for me: Optimus said squeezing Prowl's servo.
They sat together companionably then leaned in together to work on the reclamation of their people.
All 324,000 of them currently on their way toward Mars.
=0=TBC 2013 (1) edited 8-18-15 5-1-19