The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 41 edited for boo-boos :D
-0-Reconning
They walked in the darkness heading for the place where destinies met.
Prowler machino-a-machino with Sentinel Prime.
That was the plan.
That Bluestreak would appear out of the dark, his rifle slung over his shoulder was a surprise.
To both sides.
"Prowl."
"Blue."
"Blue!"
"Ratchet?"
"Blue!"
"Prowl?!"
"Blue ... shhhh."
"Shhhh?"
"Shhhh."
Pause.
"What the frag?"
"Blue ..."
"Ratchet? Ratchet!"
"Blue ... shhhh!"
"Shhhh, nothing. What are you two doing here?!" (Grab. Grip. WALK! WALK! WALK! Pause)
"I'm here, Bluestreak, to slag Sentinel."
"Prowl... not again. You'll end up here as a resident."
"Now Blue..."
"No 'now Blue', Atar. They'll put you in irons."
"No irons can hold my best friend in the whole world, right, Prowler?"
"That's right. Now, Blue, you have to stand over there and give me a clear shot."
"The frag I will."
"Frag yes. I'm your father and you will do what I say."
"You're loaded."
"I know." (grin.) "My best friend over there and I are loaded. Right?"
Both laugh maniacally.
"I'm going to tell Sentinel what I think of him two timing me with Sunstreaker. My own little Sunstreaker." (Miff ascending)
"Sunstreaker ... look. You two don't need to worry about Sunstreaker. I took care of that."
"Blue ..."
"What, Ratchet?"
"I forgot." (goofy laughter)
"Magnus is up at the Control House and if he thought you two were here he would punt you both into orbit."
"Atar. You called me atar." (Huge teary grin accompanied by quivering chin. HUGE ENVELOPMENT OF BLUESTREAK BY A MAUDLIN WINGER!) "YOU CALLED ME ATAR!"
"You are. Shhhh!"
"Who's shushing who?" A big medico grinned as he watched both Prowlers hugging both Bluestreaks. "That's so cute. Did I tell all of you that you're cute?"
"No," Prowl said.
"You two need to come with me before my shift partner gets here and it all goes to the Pit." (Pulls and drags two drunks who can barely stand beyond the pools of light and off the allotted land that comprised the prison proper.) "Stand here. I'm going to get off duty on an emergency and take you both home to sober up." He shot them nuclear optics. "Stay put! Do you hear me!?"
Both standing side by side nod. Both watch him walk off. "He's one bossy bessy," Ratchet said with a cackle.
"He is. That's my boy," Prowl said with a tearful quiver in his voice. "I have four at home. Did I ever tell you that?"
"I think you did. You and the bond. You're doing good."
"I have five boys. Nice having five boys. Osimus and I, we love our boys."
"I noticed that, Prowl. You're a father of the year in my book."
Prowl looked at Ratchet. "Really?"
Ratchet nodded. Prowl grabbed him in a bear hug. Alor, Springer and Drift stepped out of the darkness at the same time.
"LOOK, PROWL! THERE'S THOSE GOOD LOOKING MECHS FROM THE BAR! THERE'S ALI TOO! HI, ALI!" Ratchet said in his general happiness.
Alor snorted and walked forward hugging both of the two drunks hard. "You two are loaded."
"We called you," Prowl said with a grin from the middle of Ratchet's hug. He was actually maintaining balance with the big bot's help. Ratchet was maintaining balance by leaning just so against the smaller winger. It was equilibrium.
"You did. What are you doing out here?" Alor asked as Springer and Drift settled in for the fun.
"Shhhh," Prowl said staring at the big black Autobot pointedly. "We're doing recon."
"I see. Can I help?" Alor asked with a chuckle.
"Sure. We're stalking Sentinel. I'm going to slag him. My buddy here," he said hugging Ratchet tightly, "is helping me. We're on recon. Did I say that?"
"You did, Prowl," Alor replied with a grin. "Who's on duty here?"
"My son! He called me atar," Prowl said with a huge smile. "My boy called me atar!"
"That's nice, dear," Alor said walking up to take Prowl's arm. "I think we need to sober up."
"Not until I kick Sentinel in the codpiece. He was two timing me with Sunstreaker." Prowl's wings literally quivered.
"I know he was two timing you but Sunstreaker?" Alor asked with surprise.
"What? You knew?" Prowl asked with surprise.
"I'm sorry, Prowl, but it was common knowledge. He cheated on everyone he dated. You lasted the longest if it's any consolation."
Prowl looked at him. "It isn't."
Prime, Flint and Blackjack stepped out of the darkness and paused, amusement on their faces. Behind them, Ironhide appeared. Everyone turned to him. "Where are the sparklings?"
"Ravie and Tie have them. What's going on? Old mech? What did you do now?" Ironhide asked with a snort.
"Ironhide! I just *love* you," Ratchet said in his maudlin alcoholic haze.
Everyone snorted and looked at Ironhide who stood with a smirk on his face. "He's really drunk."
"He's my best friend. After Osimus that is," Prowl said, a tear in his voice. "Ratchet is my best friend."
"He's really drunk too," Ironhide said to 'Osimus' with a grin.
Optimus nodded and chuckled. "They look cute when they're slag faced don't they."
Everyone nodded with a grin at that sentiment. Then Prowl pivoted and walked toward the prison. "SENTINEL PRIME! GET OUT HERE, YOU TWO-BIT, TWO-TIMING FRAGGER!" He disappeared into the darkness.
Everyone looked at each other, then turned as one to follow. Everyone that is but Ratchet. He stood considering his great love of his Onliest Only One. Venting a sigh, he looked around to find himself alone. Then he turned to find everyone and disappeared into the darkness.
In the other direction.
-0-Inside the Prison Control House
"Sir, I'm picking up an anomaly."
Bluestreak entered at that moment. "Sir, I need to go. I have a family emergency."
Magnus glanced at him. "Okay. We'll get the auxiliary stand by to come over." He looked at the comm officer. "What is the anomaly?"
"There are about a half a dozen or more mechs either at the border or just inside the perimeter with one heading straight for Cell Block B. Check that. Make it all of them but one."
Bluestreak nearly threw up in his mouth.
-0-In the Barracks
He heard a voice call him out, a familiar voice so he got up and walked to the door. Exiting, the others following, he walked to the end of the porch and peered into the darkness beyond. Prowl of all bots was standing there locked and loaded calling him out.
Life had just gotten exciting again.
He stepped down and walked to the light pool that bordered the fence. Inside it on the other side of the fence was Prowl who looked pissed off and ready for violence.
He also looked incredibly good.
Sentinel walked close to the fence. Nodding, he smiled slightly. "Prowl."
"YOU TWO BIT TWO-TIMING FRAGGER!" Prowl exclaimed.
"And hello to you too," Sentinel replied. As he replied, Optimus, Ironhide, Alor, Flint, Blackjack, Drift and Springer walked into view as well. He paused. "What brings the circus to town?"
"YOU!" Prowl replied, his wings quivering.
Optimus regarded Sentinel with loathing but didn't say anything. Drift and Springer passed the group and took up station on either side. Ironhide moved closer to Prime. "What do you want to do?"
:Nothing yet: Prime replied. They stood quietly, Flint, Blackjack and Alor fixing their gaze on Sentinel.
"What do you want, Prowl. Spell it out." Sentinel watched the emotions play over Prowl's face, emotions that he had seen many nights over many years of their intimate association. Prowl was feeling rage at him for some transgression that he could only feel deeply when drunk. He was trying to say something about it even now but it was hard sledding. Prowl was a seriously controlled mech with any number of internal measures that kept him calm and collected no matter how hard things were.
He liked that.
Sentinel liked pushing Prowl, seeing how much it would take to make him scream. They had a few memorable arguments before the last time when Prowl had broken nearly everything he owned in his apartment throwing it at his retreating back. He decided to test the waters again, this time with everyone watching.
"Prowl, you need to go and sober up."
"Frag you, Sentinel," Prowl said moving to the fence. He was radiating heat from his outrage. "You are where you belong. I wanted to tell you a few things before but I didn't get a chance."
"And what would that be?" Sentinel asked blandly.
"You are terrible in the berth." Prowl hissed it out, his voice barely carrying.
Sentinel felt it strike into the heart of his pride but it didn't register on his face. "Well, it takes two to tango as the humans say. I can only work with what I have."
A gasp escaped everyone listening and optics glanced at Prime in spite of themselves. Prime was a statue, his affect otherworldly as he stood watching without making a move. Sentinel glanced Prime's way and noticed that his affect hadn't changed. Glancing at Prowl, he noted the smaller bot was seething with fury, his aura bright with heat. "You need to go home, Prowl."
"You need to step out of that fence and face me, Sentinel. I'm going to kick you in the codpiece. I'm going to go Metallicato on your aft."
"That's illegal and we're all about legality here aren't we," Sentinel said rather enjoying himself. Behind him, the residences of his barracks stood watching silently on the porch. "You come here to challenge me and I kick your aft. Go home before you get hurt."
"Frag you," Prowl said as sobriety asserted itself in the heat of his fury. His clouds lifted and he felt himself again. He was clear helmed and in control once more. "Come out and play, Sentinel. Let's see who's the fragger."
Sentinel looked at Prowl a moment. "You are incredibly good-looking, Prowl. As handsome a bot as I ever had but you are still a needy little youngling. You should have let this go a long time ago. What does that say about you?"
Prowl looked at him with intense fury. "What does it say about you, Sentinel, that you are on that side of the fence and I'm not? You are a traitor to your people. You abandoned them to the enemy at the moment of their greatest need. You are a coward for doing that, you and the other scum over there. You pretend to be above it all but you aren't. You are the saddest sad sack I know. I just wanted to tell you that in every measure of a mech, Sentinel, you fail. You aren't mech enough to even stand in Optimus's shadow."
It was silent a moment, then Sentinel turned and walked back to the barracks. He entered and the others followed. Prowl watched them, then started. He turned and looked at the others who stood staring at him solemnly. "Are you okay, Prowl?" Alor asked quietly.
Prowl considered that, then nodded. "I think so." He vented a sigh and looked at Prime with a pained expression. "Are you angry?"
Prime smirked slightly. "No," he said quietly as Prowl walked into his embrace. "I am just concerned for you."
Prowl hugged him tightly. "I feel a lot better."
"Then I'm fine too," Optimus said hugging Prowl back. He turned and looked at the others. "At least Magnus isn't here."
A chuckle lowered the tension, then Alor startled. "Where's Ratchet?"
They all looked around themselves, then turned and hurried into the darkness the way they came. As they did, Magnus stepped into the pool of light with Bluestreak. "Go help your atar, Blue," Magnus said quietly.
Bluestreak nodded. "Thanks, Magnus," Blue said as he hurried forward and disappeared too.
Magnus stood looking after him, then the barracks where the prisoners lived. He stared at it, then turned and walked into the darkness himself as he headed back to the Control House again.
-0-TBC
2013 (2)