The Diego Diaries: Shadow Box Returns (258) edited boo boos :D
-0-Day care
He stood staring out the window, his thumb firmly in his mouth. He clutched his favorite dolly, a yellow dog to his chest. He was waiting on this the second orn of his distress. Ada hadn't come to get him, nor did Atar. There were no games with Ada, chasing a bouncy ball all over the place. There was no tickles and rocky byes in the rocker by the window before bathtime with Ada. There were no noontime visits from Atar with cookies for both he and Praxus. There was no sitting by the window in the lobby 'talking' with him, watching Hero smile at them, no offering a cookie for her to gum. None of it was happening.
Orion stood sunk in his own misery and fear waiting for the genitors that wouldn't come for another orn.
Down from him in the same condition, Han hugged his own dollie as he waited for his genitors. The two were so upset that they didn't even mind being together. Misery loves company.
Apparently.
-0-Hero
She sat on Laret's servo, her smile gigantic and her itty bitty cuteness even more so than usual. She was a tiny black version of Ironhide, her little bright optics shining as Laret tickled her with a feather. She reached for it, missing completely. Clasping her servos in excitement, she looked at her caregiver with happiness. "A."
Laret paused and smiled. "You can say a word. What a clever girl you are, my little darling."
"A!" She clapped her servos, looking at Laret with a face-splitting smile. When she talked to her genitors, they smiled and complimented her greatly. So she found did Laret. "A."
Neo who was passing by with Olo paused. "What a bright little thing you are, Hero. No wonder your atar wants to keep you with him, you clever girl."
Hero looked at Neo and clapped her servos. "A!"
And so it would pass.
-0-On a flotation device in the pool
They sat together, Iacon, Uraya and a tiny bit of fluff named Ram-bit floating in the middle of the pool. Sitting in the water enjoying their 'chat', Mr. Ambor relaxed. He had just graduated with a degree in early infant education and was already working on an advanced degree for upper elementary. The little bits looked at him and smiled, Uraya leaning over to pat the water. Ambor filled his cup again and poured it over the babies. They sputtered and laughed, their little voices sounding like wind chimes sounding gently in a soft breeze. He grinned. They were adorable.
-0-Silverbow, Spirit, T-Bar and Sunspot
They worked on their art, a clay project that would be fired in the basement kiln later. Each of them were instructed to make something of significance to themselves. It could be anything and from the looks of it all of the projects would be. Silverbow was making a statue of her brother. Rebel was excelling across town in school. He was her little minion to lead and mold. Therefore, she was making him over in clay.
T-Bar was making an image of Prowl in his alt vehicle mold. It would be surprisingly good. Spirit on the other hand struggled to make his clay glob into a horse. He liked horses. When he finished it would look like an alligator. His genitors would love it anyway.
Sunspot patiently labored on his own clay blob. He was making a dog. He wanted one. A chance comment from his atar had stuck. He wanted a dog so he was making one. It was going to be awesome. When it was completed he would give it to his atar and ada along with a laboriously handwritten letter telling of his longing. They were awesome to him. If anyone could get him a dog, they could.
And so the afternoon went.
-0-Ratchet
He took a pause as some of their patients were being prepped to go back to Autobot City. Glancing at Jessie who was drowsing in her easy chair, he grinned. :Jessie:
She jolted awake and sat up looking upward. :Ratchet:
:I'm sending you back. You need to take a break:
:I'm okay: she began but he cut her off.
:You are. You're great. However, I am thinking that you need something to eat and maybe take a break. You know:
She grinned at him. :Bathroom break you mean?:
He nodded. :Indupitably as Ironhide would say:
She grinned and nodded. :Can I come back?:
:If you can con the Master of the Muster, sure. Just make sure you get tasked to this ship:
:Alright: she said stepping onto Ratchet's servo. He turned and walked toward a stretcher that was getting ready to go. Waiting for the bearers to step out into space, they both watched as they did, floating toward a runabout that was loading up. Ratchet stepped out himself and began to float across to the same ship.
Jessie glanced around and got disjointed views of the controlled chaos around Kappa. The migration looked like a shiny smear in the distance, sort of like shots of galaxies with their masses of lights along a long vista. A line of ships was forming up before the inferno of a space bridge, blinking lights, colored lights, ships of all kinds in the long stream waiting to go. Kappa appeared vast before her when Jessie looked back, the imposing white mass of the sentient ship looming in her line of vision. Gamma was nearby and so was Omega. They were behemoths, the three of them. Bots were floating in space going from ship to ship carrying patients and things, or not. It was all masterfully planned.
She sat cross legged in Ratchet's servo gripping his digits as they floated like a leaf on water toward the small opening of a ship that would take her through the gate. Reaching it, Ratchet set her down gently, nodding with a smile. She smiled back and waved watching as he went back. The hull hatch closed and the ship turned heading toward the lineup. It would get priority as a medical rescue vessel and before she knew it they were coming into the hospital landing pad for touchdown. They unloaded the ship and she was set down, waving to all as she began to walk to the elevators. As she did, she called for a lift as she remembered her own segway remained behind on Kappa.
She stood at last in the lobby of the Medical Tower watching herds of bots move here and there. Then she saw the segway coming and her ride driving. Pulling up, Jessie hopped on and with a laugh and a nod, she buzzed off to the Human Habitat with Mikaela Banes.
-0-Optimus and the Alpha Crew
He sat in Omega watching the migration begin to show the effects of downsizing. Over 300,000 individuals had been taken to Mars. The new system was working out very well. Dividing the refugees up upon landing made it easier to meet needs, reunite families and take care of the injured. They had also picked up 37 bad actors. There were probably a lot more but these 37 were well known in the migration for being aft helms and brigged pending hearings. They had also picked up a large colony of high castes who were teetering by their behavior to land on the list for incarceration. The placement of security at the landing site made the potential for mayhem marginal at best. However, they were flagged in the database as possible troublemakers. They were no small number of individuals. Many of them were former industrialists and personalities from the heyday of Cybertron. He would have to lay down the law with them when he got back.
Several hundred Autobot soldiers were taken in along with three battered Arks. Two of those were rebuilds and one was in good shape. 250 Seekers had flown with the group, their condition needful of rest but were not as debilitated as the flight with Rattler. Over 1100 Seekers in all had arrived altogether. They were families and soldiers. They were heartily welcome and welcomed heartily.
Large numbers of Neutrals, Circle of Light and a handful of Knights were recovered. They were also joined by one priest. He had no idea that any of the others were still on Cybertron. He had himself gathered dozens of younglings and sparklings lost in the chaos of the Fall and gotten them off planet and to the safety of colonials. Chevron had claimed the priest and they had gone off to the Temple. Optimus considered that a good omen.
He leaned back and listened to the cross traffic among ships. Everyone was calm including at last most of the refugees. They had culled the worst, the most injured, the closest to death. Those were gone and recuperating on the other side. Now there were the rest. There were still 250,000 or more to go. It was daunting to him even as he knew his people had it all in servo.
-0-Ironhide
He sat at the comm and directed ship traffic organizing batches of vessels to go through the bridges together. The bridges sat open which allowed the priority traffic to go through, which included but was not exclusive to the sick, injured and wounded. A number of mechs who had lost their processors were taken through as well, their wailing coming over the intership comms clearly. It had been hard to hear.
A steady stream of demands and invective had come from the high castes of a place called Vector I. It signaled more of them in the vastness of the migration. A call from Patron who had led the group spoke of the Vector 1 problem. Springer and Kup had been called to Omega and they all sat waiting for them. When they arrived, the hatch opened and the two slid in walking to the command table to take a seat. Prime looked up at them. "How is it going out there among the masses?"
"Not bad," Kup said champing his stogie as he sat back against the hull. "You know we have aft helms in the bunch. More high castes with burrs up their windpipes."
Prime smirked slightly. "I am aware. The hoi poloi already on Mars are being schooled and broken up for housing assignments. They are griping already about not being allowed to be together and some of them already have appointments with me about their work assignments."
"Sounds like fun. I want to be here," Springer said with a grin.
"I will call you. I want muscle around when this occurs. I also want to know chapter and verse on this bunch and the ones planetside. I want to get on top of this before they slag a sparkling and another idiot gets killed," Prime said.
"Are they having any trouble on Mars? Should we go and lay down the hammer?" Springer asked.
"Right now, Prowl has it in servo. I want you to inform the Watch that they are to keep an optic peeled on them. I want the leaders identified and their images downloaded to the Watch, both Day and Night. I want to have interventions before a brawl happens. I don't think that the celebration should be marred by stupid," Prime said with a grin.
"It never ends," Kup said as he rolled his optics.
No one disagreed with him there.
-0-Mars, on the air field
They stood before him, elegant bots with exquisite paint schemes. They didn't look like they were in a migration that had been pushed to the brink. Their ships were in good shape and Prowl was certain that the accommodations and amenities for them were as well. Right now, he had come to the airfield to put the kibosh on the notion of caste and privilege. The crowd was watching as he stood listening to a number of very famous former industrialists and politicians discuss their accommodations, their choice options of work that seemed too menial and other irritations of that nature.
When they were finished and waiting for his reply, they got it. "You will find that there are no caste distinctions here. Optimus Prime has banned the System. It is no longer a part of our culture and national life. In fact, expecting it will get you jailed. You are allowed to recuperate and enjoy learning about the city, what it offers and sightseeing. When a few orns pass, then you will be expected to do so if you are able to work. We have citizens who are disabled or elderly. They don't have to work. We care for them because they are ours. All of them. However, if you are able bodied you are expected to work. Your infants and younglings are required to go to school with everyone else. There are no exceptions and absolutely no distiinctions."
Burris, an industrialist from Capital City and his friends, Claxon and Demetri who were enormously weathly as well as Senators while on Cybertron glanced at each other. "Prowl, you are a high caste. You understand what we are saying. Surely, you don't mean to imply that the city is wide open and the rules that made our people and culture great are no longer applied?"
"I do," Prowl said. "The rules you insist upon keeping alive have been responsible for our near extinction. I cannot stress enough that you will be jailed if you try to assert even one of the System's rules."
They stared at him, then each other. "We would like to speak with the Prime."
"He's with the reclamation. I am his designated spokesmech and I have told you what the rules and regulations are. Everyone here matters equally. If you go somewhere and quietly contemplate that notion and the idea that Primus himself said all are one, it might help you assimilate the new reality much easier. I would suggest the Temple."
They looked at Prowl and shrugged. "We expect to see the Prime. We would like to make an appointment," Burris said.
"Go to the Community Bulletin Board and look at the Office of the Primes folder. There will be an electronic form for you to request an audience. Right now, that will be held in abeyance. He is quite busy saving our species from the stupidity and hatred of the past." He looked at all of them coldly. "Are there any more questions?"
They looked at him equally coldly. "No. It would be well advised for you to know that there are a lot of us here, Prowl. I am sure others are as well. We will not be discounted or put aside."
"There are many more who would disagree," Prowl said. "We have plenty of brig space for troublemakers. I am assuming that you just made a threat."
"I made a promise," Burris said equally coldly.
Prowl looked at him, then gestured for a Wrecker doing security to come forward. "Please take this mech," he said nodding to Burris, "to the brig. He has made a threat against the peace of the city."
Burris and the others looked sharply at Prowl. "Surely you are joking."
Prowl looked at him with an icy expression. "Surely you have forgotten. I'm Prowl. I don't have a sense of humor."
With that, Burris was hauled off and the mechs with him stepped back. Prowl looked around and then turned walking back to the Fortress. On the other side of the universe aboard Omega and in the Fortress of Fort Apache bots were laughing their afts off as they listened in on the S.I.C.'s moment in the sun.
It was one for the books.
-0-TBC
2013 (4)
Pan: I agree with you. I am not a giant fan of the girls either. I am a bot babe myself. :D I like writing about the boys because to me its more interesting but I like to include everyone in the story if I can because the femmes have fans too. However, I find the idea of Sam's leaving Mikaela sort of harsh between the undying love of Movie 3 and 4.. Makes you wonder what might have happened so Carly and Mikaela factor in here. I love Jessie. She's a genuine good soul. The others are less accessible to me for writing which happens a lot with women. I seldom write women because they are less fun for me than the boys and I find I am not very good at it sometimes. I do want to see what Sam does. I also am aware that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe adore Jessie and have a high regard for human women like the other bots. This could be fun. :D