The Diego Diaries: Down Time 4 (266) edited for boo boos :D
-0-In the House of Pain
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGH!"
-0-In the hall
"Frag. Sparking would go down if this was broadcast on channel 9," Drift said wincing.
"I think my prong just shriveled up. Does that count?" Springer asked glancing at his partner with a grin.
"As grounds for divorce," Drift replied with his own grin.
Scorn reached epic scales for both of them.
-0-In the House of Pain
"Those fraggers are having a good time out there. Slag them, fraggers." Ratchet looked at Ironhide who sat with a look of extreme doom on his face. "You look like slag, Ironhide."
"I know," Ironhide said solemnly.
Ratchet squeezed his servo. The room was quiet, even silent as Ratchet lay on the warmed chair, his peds crossed and his optics off line. The spark was getting ready and Ratchet could feel it, a sweet little pulse of life waiting to come into the world.
Apparently, it had heard of the dog too.
-0-In the hall
They sat together talking pausing only when a bellow came from behind the closed door. Springer winced. "We need to get Ironhide drunk when this is over."
"Sounds like a plan." Kup grinned. "He's pretty good at doing that, the slagger. Why, I lost track of how many times-"
"Good," Bumblebee said before the room erupted on him.
-0-In the House of etcetera etcetera
"Slaggers. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGH!"
-0-In the hall
"Yikes." -consensus opinion
-0-Inside
"Ratchet? You need to come to the berth and lie down. We're getting very close," Gypsy said sweetly. Her all femme team nodded in unison. Ratchet grinned in spite of himself and staggered up lurching to the berth with a terrified Ironhide guiding him. As they moved that way, screens came out and were lined up. Ratchet lay down and looked up at Ironhide. "You have to go behind the screens now, Ironhide."
"The FRAG I will!"
"YOU MADE A PROMISE!"
"FRAG THAT!"
"IT'S YOUR SLAGGING CUSTOMS, NOT MINE, YOU SLAGGER!"
"Ironhide."
They both paused and looked back, then down. Gypsy was standing behind them servos on hips. "I am going to ask you to step over here, Ironhide and keep your promise."
He looked down at her, then stepped where she told him. Partitions closed and before he could turn to protest, a servo slipped between two of them and grabbed his. He was pulled toward the screens but not behind them. A servo clasped his on the other side. He stood a moment, then a chuckle was heard. "I have your servo, Ironhide."
He looked at his arm disappearing into the screens, then the amused face of everyone in the room. "This is slagging stupid."
"WHAT'S SLAGGING STUPID IS MAKING AN AGREEMENT WITH ME, THEN TRYING TO BREAK IT! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"
-0-In the hall
"I think my ball bearings are hurting listening to that," Drift commented to general hooting and hollering.
"My prong has crawled up into the back of my processor. That's like a high pitched grinding wheel to me," Smokescreen said as he sat lounging next to Bumblebee and First Aid. "How come you aren't in there, Aid?"
"I'm not a sparkling specialist."
"Good for you," Springer said with a grin.
"I think so," First Aid replied. "One was bad enough."
"You separated Orion," Springer replied with a grin. "That little mech is gangsta."
"He is. He also has a Wrecker tattoo," Drift said.
"He does?" Bumblebee asked with a grin.
"He does. Keep up, Bee. Put down First Aid and keep up," Springer said.
That got the attention that it deserved.
-0-Gypsy
She looked at the monitor, then stood close to Ratchet's helm. "I think we're ready to go."
"Ratchet! Are you alright?" Ironhide asked.
"I'm fine, Ironhide."
"Is the protoform there?"
"It is, Ironhide."
"Can I see it?" (Grin)
"Slag, no, Ironhide." (Grin)
They sat in the darkened room listening to Gypsy tell Ratchet to do this and that. Perceptor and Wheeljack stood by the screen waiting in case they were needed. The tiny protoform was out of the box laying on a heated blanket, poised for its animating feature to arrive. It was tiny and perfect, the end product of a lot of thought and design. At this point, even Wheeljack and Perceptor were not allowed behind the screen. They would be if a problem arose but not now.
"Ratchet, I have the gloves ready. Your chamber is open and the sparkling looks good. Are you ready for him to move?" Gypsy asked.
"I better be," Ratchet said with a chuckle around his clenched denta.
"Okay," Gypsy said. "Here we go." She put the gloves into the chamber and waited. The sparkling hovering nearby seemed to see it. It leaned toward it and then back, resting for a moment. Then a snap could be heard as the electrical energy of the spark left Ratchet. One strand of luminous energy reached out and attached to the heat and light of the gloves.
"OH PRIMUS!" Ratchet said squeezing Ironhide's servo hard.
"You alright, Ratchet?" he asked through the screens.
"Yes, Ironhide. I'm alright. It just hurts," Ratchet said as he rested. One by one, the sparkling stepped away from his first home and eventually, at last, sat on the taxi to his final one. Gypsy stood a moment, the two of them looking at the spark. Then carefully she walked to the protoform that two of her team was holding up. Putting her gloved servos as close as she could, she waited.
The infant seemed to sit forever enjoying the comfort of the separation gloves, then it turned and moved swiftly touching the core. It ignited and so did the colors, tiny blue optics opening immediately. A whimper, then a cry was made and the room was reborn.
Gypsy wrapped the infant and handed him to her team who took him to a small room next door for tests. Ratchet sat up slowly, his chamber
door sliding shut. Sitting a moment, his helm hanging, he grinned. "Ironhide?"
"What?" he said as he stood on the other side of the screens, his body language expressing terror in the extreme. "Are you alright? What about the sparkling?"
Ratchet glanced at Gypsy who nodded with a grin. "We're both fine."
"Ratchet."
He looked around, then up. Jessie was standing on a shelf watching. She smiled. "That is one awesome sparkling. Thank you for letting me see. What an awesome thing this was."
"You let a human in there but you wouldn't let me. There's something fragged about this, Ratchet," Ironhide whined on the other side of the screens.
"There is, Ironhide. You're fragged. Don't make agreements you can't keep," Ratchet said as he sat reviving himself.
The infant was reviewed, a baseline on him taken, then he was returned to the room and Ratchet. Ratchet moved the blanket slightly and grinned. "What a cute little sparkling you are, Prowler." He looked up and noticed that Ironhide was 'casually' glancing over the screen. He covered the infant and slid him inside his carry hold. "YOU ARE A SLAGGER, IRONHIDE, FOR PEEKING!"
"I didn't see anything, you infernal mech!" Ironhide retorted.
"Ratchet?"
"What, Ada?"
"Does this mean that we can't see the sparkling either?" he asked in his sweet voice.
Ratchet paused. "Yes. You can thank Ironhide."
The entire room looked at Ironhide and he looked back. "Slag this whole process. RATCHET! YOU ARE OFF YOUR PROCESSOR!"
"Probably. BUT YOU MADE IT HAPPEN!" Ratchet stood up and did a self scan. He was good to go home and sit in his chair for a few orns. He looked at Gypsy and her team. "Thank you. You are awesome as ever."
"You are welcome," Gypsy said as the others nodded. "You are the most fun I have sometimes, Ratchet. You and Ironhide."
Ratchet snorted. "You need to get out more, sweetie." With that, he walked through the screens as they were pulled back and into the slightly peeved, heavily relieved, abundantly happy family.
And Ironhide.
-0-In the hall
They exited the separation room into the ribald company of their friends and comrades. Congratulations were had and demands to see the infant made to no avail.
"Blame Ironhide," Ratchet said as he leaned against the big relieved mech.
"Thanks, Ironhide. I wanted to see what new version of your face Ratchet had come up with," Springer said to great amusement.
"Ratchet!"
Everyone looked down at the humans.
"Congratulations!" Will Lennox said. "When will you announce and where?"
Ratchet paused and looked at Ironhide. "I think it will be on the airfield. I guess."
"I defer to your greater indecision," Ratchet said to Ironhide. "Three orns, boys."
Gypsy stepped out and set Jessie down on the floor. She grinned up and nodded, then ran to Ratchet. "RATCHET! THAT WAS AWESOME! Aren't you supposed to be sitting down or something?"
Ratchet grinned. "I'm heading that way."
The group parted as Ravel stepped out. "Come on, Ratchet. Let's get home so you can sit and hog the sparkling."
"You haven't seen it?" Springer asked needling the group even as he knew the agreement between the two from Ironhide's endless bitching about it. "I find that terribly surprising."
"No you don't," Ratchet said chuckling. "You better watch out, Springer or I'll adopt you."
"Oh great," Sunstreaker said with a grin.
Amusing repartee continued for a moment or two, then the party took a left turn for a slow walk to the elevator. The ride down was amusing as well as they meandered to the street beyond. Prowl and Ravel walked beside Ratchet as Alor walked in front to ward off low flying pedestrians. Ironhide walked with Prime and his father, a frown on his face. "Old mech is trying to kill me. I HAVE A SPARKLING AND I CAN'T SEE IT YET! HOW UNFAIR IS THAT!?"
Ratchet glanced back. "Have the next one, slagger. Don't give me slag about what's fair. I might have to declare war."
The entire party halted a moment, the entire party falling silent at the thought. Then Flint slapped Ironhide on the back of his helm. "You better mind yourself, Ironhide. I'm not sure my spark can hold up to another one of your wars."
"Slagger never learns," Springer said as the group began to move again. "Never frag with a fragger, Ironhide."
"Truer words never spoken," Blackjack said with a grin.
-0-At the apartment
They sat together in a row on the couch by the window, three sparklings looking at two babysitters without a sound. They held their sippy cups in their servos but didn't touch them. Sunspot sitting across from them between the sitters, Spot sitting patiently next to him on the floor looked from them to the sitters.
"They haven't moved a digit," Geenie said with a trace of awe. "They just sit there staring."
"They aren't even drinking their breakfast," her partner said nodding.
Sunspot looked at both, then the sparklings. "Eat your breakfast, sparklings," he said.
They looked at him, then almost as one raised their cups to drink. It was unnerving. Both of the femmes looked at Sunspot who smiled brilliantly. "They're nice but they're little."
Both sitters nodded.
-0-At the homestead at last
The door opened as Ironhide stepped in looking at the three sparklings sitting on the couch silently. They were sitting without toys or dollies, solemn little bits watching the sitters who sat watching them. They grinned in unison, then held up their arms to be picked up.
Behind Ironhide came Alor and Ravel who took two of the infants in servo. Tie Down got Hero and they moved out of the way. Ratchet walked in and grinned. "Thank you, ladies. I hope you didn't have a problem."
"We had a great time, Ratchet. They were so good," Geenie said with a grin. "They are so quiet."
For a moment the room was suffused with stunned silence. Then chatter filled the space as the others walked inside. The sitters were feted, then sent off and the door closed at once. Everyone sat down including Prime and Prowl. "So this is the famous dog," Optimus said with a grin.
Sunspot jumped down and ran to Prime and Prowl. "UNCLE OPTIMUS! YOU WANT TO SEE MY DOG?"
Optimus grinned. "I would love to see him."
Sunspot ran back and hugged Spot. Then he turned and walked back to Prowl and Optimus with Sunspot. Sunspot turned to him. "Sit, Spot."
Spot sat.
"Lie down, Spot."
Spot lay down.
"Up, Spot."
The dog got up and sat. Then he pawed at Sunspot who took the paw into servo. He looked at the two and beamed. "HE LIKES TO SHAKE HIS PAW! ISN'T HE BEAUTIFUL!? I LOVE MY DOG!"
Optimus glanced at Prowl who glanced at Ratchet. "Sunspot, this is a great dog. I heard that you got to have one."
"I HOPE TO TAKE HIM TO SCHOOL! IT WILL BE SO FUN TO HAVE HIM THERE. MY FRIENDS WILL LOVE HIM!"
Optimus looked at Ironhide. "Has the school cleared this?"
"I have an appointment this afternoon," Ironhide said nodding. "He's going to be Sunspot's service dog."
"I see," Optimus said nodding. He caressed the dog's helm. "He's a great dog."
"Expect to see more if there are willing cyberfox sparks in the Matrix," Ratchet said relaxing.
Optimus nodded. "I can expect that the little mechs are going to want one if they see this one."
"Thanks, Ratchet," Prowl said with a grin.
"Don't mention it, whiner," Ratchet replied.
"Loser," Prowl said with a smirk.
Optimus merely sat back to enjoy the joor.
-0-TBC
2013 (4)