The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box 10 (237/73)
-0-At the stadium during half time
They continued to walk out, a large portion of the upper aged class of the Sparkling Day School population. They were the ambulatory individuals who were the oldest of the sparklings enrolled. They had been taking dance lessons and guided movement exercises since they had been much younger. As they walked out, they were prepared to do what they had spent months working on.
Hopefully.
The arena was attentive, all of the optics there focused on the tiniest members of their population. There were all manner of sparkling types in the two long lines being led by Neo and Laret. They walked forward led by leashes that hooked one to the next heading for the mid line and the center of the big field. Along the sidelines aides hurried kneeling down to allow an unobstructed view of the proceedings.
The sparklings followed, their little hats spelling out the places of the world that spawned their people, a world that most in the arena had no hope they would ever be able to see again. The glyphs were carved from a very light material and were visible by everyone. The decorations that were seen here and there to illustrate some glyphs were visible to the optics of a people gifted enough to look into space from the ground without much effort.
The two lines reached the center and turned to face the arena, their backs to each other. Their aides at that moment ran out onto the field to hand out tiny pom-poms to each of the sparklings. The babies took them, some futzing, others entranced by their surroundings, staring without movement at the great crowds before them.
A camera crew from IntraComm worked the sidelines as they came in for closeups of the various infants. The Platoon crews were filming on the sidelines disallowed from going on the field and distracting the participants. The infants stood looking, mostly toward Neo who raised her own pom-poms over her helm. They finally noticed and as Neo fluttered her pom-poms, Alor began to play.
Moving her pom-poms apart, the sparklings did too. Putting them together, the infants did as well. Apart, up, down, behind her back, in front of herself, the infants mimicked her. Laret was with the other line doing the same thing, her long row of babies mimicking her movements. They fluttered their pom-poms to the rhythm of the music, all of their actions coordinated.
Starscream watched with rapt attention as his sons did the same thing as everyone else. There were a number of Seeker babies in the group but none as old as his. They were SPECTACULAR and ATTENTIVE LIKE CHAMPIONS, or so it seemed to him. His infants were PERFORMING with their SCHOOL in front of not only their ENTIRE CITY but the ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE INSECT PLANET NEXT DOOR!
He was entranced. So was Thundercracker, Sky Warp and every adult in the arena and points east, west, north and south. On the field, the show continued.
-0-Ironhide
He stood astonished, once again blindsided by the school system regarding the awesomeness of his infants. Both of them were out there. Both of them wore cute hats on their helms stating something about Cybertron and both of them were performing. He almost climbed over the railing in front of him in surprise.
Blackjack who held onto his son as the infants turned in their harnesses, their shiny devices held over their helms could barely contain his delight. They all turned, then faced them again. The music was a perfect accompaniment and once again Blackjack considered how Alor had kept him in the dark.
The slagger.
The music continued until it ended and so did the dance. By the time Neo and Laret finished their movements, all of the pom-poms were in the air shimmering as the infants shook them. She lowered her arms and so did they.
The murmurs of the crowd rose, then seemed to catch as they remembered to keep the sound levels low. Neo knelt down and getting their attention bowed her helm low. They looked at her and Laret who was doing the same thing, then bowed too. One of them stumbled but caught themselves, straightening up to look at everyone else. They then bowed again. They were still bowing when everyone else straightened.
Neo rose and walked to the line taking the lead leash from a kneeling aide. That aide had the little box and as Neo turned to walk them into another area, the aide took the pom-poms from the sparklings. When they were gathered, they slipped to the sideline to kneel and watch.
Neo and Laret went different directions leading the infants in a serpentine path around the field. They walked together, some of them waving and others watching to do their part with real seriousness. Olo was one of them.
Orion followed her as she followed Neo, his optics roaming the arena watching everything and everyone. He waved and smiled, his image one of those sent to everywhere by the cameras. They finally returned to the center and paused, the two lines forming a large circle.
With Laret and Neo directing in the center, the sparklings walked toward them, then paused in the middle. They then turned in their harnesses and walked back to make the circle round again.
Mostly.
Two looked around themselves, then moved closer to where they were supposed to be. Then they all turned and did it again crowding around Neo and Laret before going back again. They turned to face the two in the middle and waited.
Neo and Laret smiled, then raised their arms shaking their servos in a fluttering motion. The infants did too, some of them looking around, while two just staring at the crowds without moving. Then they did other things. They flapped their arms, put their peds in and out and turned in their harnesses. After a selection of motions, every other sparkling took two steps forward while the remaining infants stood in place. They made a pattern, then they stepped back, the others moving forward instead. It shifted and changed as they moved according to Neo and Laret's directions.
Aides huddled along the sidelines ready to help but the infants were on task. When Laret and Neo paused, the infants were directed by hand signals to turn. When they all did the aides helped direct them to bow. They bowed low, two tipping over. Aides righted them immediately, then crept back to the sidelines. The infants bowed, then stood up. Then they saluted the crowd, their little servos touching their fore helms. They held them, some of them staring around. Orion and Han smiled, waving at the cameras, their little servos firmly in place in salute.
Miracle smiled like a sunbeam as he stood holding the Prime emblem on his helm, his little servo saluting. Kaon who was nearby waved and tugged at his harness as the camera came past him. They were all highlighted, all of the treasure of their city. They were the future, the investment of their endangered people in the possibility of continuing as a species.
Neo and Laret listened as the music ceased, a smiling Alor coming to the end of their composition. Getting the nod from Neo, Alor began to play a tune to help the infants leave. Laret took her line and turned her group, the infants following behind. Neo joined that line with hers, the entire group finally disappearing into the entrance corridor that led into the stadium.
It was only when they were gone that the crowd made it clear their approval of the presentation. They tore the place up.
-0-In the corridor
Genitors had gathered to take their infants back. Starscream held out his arms and his sons ran for him, their gear stowed and their teachers and aides hugged sufficiently. He gathered them, nearly at the point of tearfulness. His infants were going to school, learning the arts as well as the sciences and participating in their city life as equals.
The burden of his people's exclusion landed heavily on him at moments like this and his pride and happiness was almost too hard to contain. He held them, smiling openly at Neo as she told him how wonderful his children were. He knew that already but he recorded her comments because they were and would be forever treasured. His infants had excelled, been applauded and were regarded as wonderful.
It made his orn.
Ratchet and Prowl gathered their own and with the rest of the genitors made their way back. When they arrived at their seats the babies were passed around and heartily hugged and kissed.
"What about their gear? The hats?" Ironhide asked as he gave Orion to Ravel.
"They are going to be displayed in the lobby of the school," Ratchet replied with a grin. There is going to be a stand for the little hat and a picture of the sparkling who wore it framed with it."
"We have to get copies," Tie Down said with a big smile. "I will make the frames."
"I will help you, Tie," Ravel said hugging Orion. "Our living room is full of lovely pictures of the babies. I can't wait to see the twinnies and Hero do something like this. We have space for images of them."
"You and me both," Ironhide said with a grin.
The huge jumbotrons at both ends of the stadium re-ran the program as the attendees waited for the second half.
-0-In the control booth
ESPN sportscaster: "Wow! That was … I don't know what to say. Tell us what that was all about, Blurr … Blaster."
Blurr chuckled. "I'll have to do it. Blaster is having a moment. His son, 'Vette was in the program."
"My boy! He was in the program! He was in the program that everyone saw! My son!"
Blaster had his moment.
-0-Broadcasts here and there
New York City ...
"That was the most intriguing half time show I've ever seen. This is adult professional football and the halftime show was a school of babies doing a dance. I LOVE Cybertronian football!"
"I know. You never know what's going to happen. The game itself is so out of bounds, it leaves me speechless most of the time. I first thought of demolition derby the first time I saw it but there is much, much more to it. There's strategy and humor, finesse movements and plans. This is as good a game as you will find anywhere. Then on top of that, they have a primary school program during the playoffs. I am in love with this game."
The others nodded in agreement.
Paris, France
"Merde!"
Everyone in the booth smiled. "Oui!"
"Beau programmez," another said. "Beau enfants."
Everyone agreed.
Tokyo, Japan
Speechless in the homeland of AWESOME FUCKING ROBOTS!
In a living room of a nice family out in the hinterlands of America
"I just love those little babies," Mama Annie said.
"I do too. Aren't they the cutest? How long until the second half? I want more pizza," Pastor Bob asked as he rose with an empty plate, a Praxus Science t-shirt adorning his body.
Papa Leonard grinned at Mama Annie. "Oh, I think you have time, son."
Everyone in the room grinned as he hurried to the kitchen to restock.
Johnson Space Center, in an apartment nearby...
"I think I need smelling salts," Lola Teasdale said.
"I think I need to kick Jim in the balls for not taking us when he gets back," Cindy Teasdale said as the camera panned the human section and their supervisor appeared on the screen.
"I hear ya," Lola said as she sifted through the afterglow of sparkling overload.
-0-In the corridor leading to the field
The two teams appeared, their captains holding their banners, the officials and coaches leading the way. They stood at the entrance to wait for the word to enter, both sides hissing at the other as they stoked themselves for the carnage ahead. In the arena the last of the program continued on the screens as Blurr and Blaster began to wrap up the up link from Earth.
"We are goin' to be shuttin' down here in a moment for the second half," Jazz said with a grin. "The teams are in the arena waitin' to come in and we are goin' to start the second half right away. Catch ya at the end of the game," he said.
Revet cut the up link and the game was on.
-0-Nearby watching for the game to begin
Optimus Prime stood holding Miracle in his arms, the infant smiling at him as he looked at his cookie. Prowl had them for all the kids and they were chomping away. The cameras that spanned the arena paused on both of them, the great warrior leader of their people and his infant son.
It was a lovely image.
-0-TBC
2013 (3)