The Diego Diaries: Down Time (284) edited for boo boos

-0-In the apartment

She stood on the table meant for sparklings as her atar soaped her tiny self up. She stood shrouded in soapy bubbles, her tiny smile as bright as the sun. Her wings dripped suds as Ironhide carefully washed her little frame with a soft washcloth. She was shined up and only needed a good scrub and lotion. They had formulated a lotion that prevented grit and blowing sand to abrade infant armor. Given that they were still growing and expanding their outer shell, the affects of an organic world had greater consequences for infants. They developed a lotion that not only protected them but gave them a beautiful shine.

"A! ME?" she asked with a giant smile. Her optics twinkled and her winglets fluttered slightly. She was the apple of her old man's optics and he was filled with dread at handing her over shortly to the world where he was only a visitor.

"You. You are my little princess," Ironhide said. He meant it. He had given a lot of thought to his roles and this was among the most important. He was a mech confident about who and what he was. He was a Cybertronian male, a mech. He was an Autobot and a warrior. He was smart, tough, ruthlessly cold blooded about his job and profoundly proud of his family. He had children and a wily old mech who gave in no matter what he asked for...

Usually.

He had it all.

This little waif was one indication of his persuasive powers. The only slaggers he really couldn't frag with in the totality of his orn were the schools and their leadership. They were really aware of how hard this was for him however, hence not going for Hero through the last cycle of infant intake into the pre-school program. Now they were locked and loaded. He had lost this round but still had an ally in his orn. He still had Prowler.

For now.

"A? Me go?" she asked dazzling her old man with a new word.

"You go. To school, the slaggers. I'll come by at break time with a cookie though. They don't mind about that. Sunspot's teachers do. They have a slagging schedule. But yours are more civilized," he said with a smirk. Taking the infant hose, he tested the water, then sprayed his daughter gently. She clapped her servos, raised her arms and turned slowly on the table. Then she held out her arms so she could be enveloped in a warm towel. She knew her old man and his ways really well.

He carried her out in her white cocoon and handed her off to Ratchet. The big medico had given the little mechs their breakfast and they were eating away. Praxus and Orion were good to go with bowls and spoons now. They were pretty neat for beginners so they got to eat at the table on booster seats. Spot lay by the window sunning himself as his boy dined. They were inseparable.

"Did you do your home work?" Ratchet asked as he sat with Hero. She was a ball of white with a little face peeping out. Ratchet kissed her and began to unwind, wiping the droplets of water that were left over.

"I did," Sunspot replied.

"You always do. You're that side of awesome, Sunny Bunny."

He grinned. "I had Spot by my chair when I did it. He's really smart, my dog," Sunspot said glancing at his dog. Spot wagged his tail and grinned in that tongue lolling sweet faced canine way all canines in every universe and dimension have when they look at their boys.

"There you go," Ratchet said holding a completely unfurled femme in his servo. She clapped. "A! ME GO!?"

Her tone was supposed to be loud but she was very small. What stood out beside her almost uncanny imitation of her loud mouthed older brother were the words she was using. "Ironhide. Have you heard Hero use 'go' before?"

Ironhide finishing up tidying the wash rack walked through the hallway to the dining room. "She just did in the wash rack. Femme is a sponge."

"She is," Ratchet said handing her to Ironhide. He pulled a plate from the counter and set it in front of them both. "Feed her."

She grinned at Ratchet, then Ironhide. "A? Me?" she asked looking up.

"I think we have a unisex name or something with her. Ada and Atar are the same thing I think," Ratchet said as Ironhide handed her a piece of 'bacon'. She began to chew on it with gusto.

"I think you're right," Ironhide said. "What's on your schedule?"

"Last orn of time off. Gotta get on it tomorrow," Ratchet said. "I am going to see the genitors, hang out with Prowl at Ops Center and see if there's someone with a loose lug nut to tighten in the Clinic at Aerie Hill."

Ironhide nodded. "I'm going to the seventh level of the Terra Armory and cry," he said as he watched his daughter make headway on her food. "I miss you already, Hero."

She paused and looked up at him, a smile spreading on her little face. Offering him her 'bacon', he pretended to take a bite. Then she settled back down for a nosh.

"Sometimes life can suck," Ratchet said. He glanced at Orion who gave him a giant grin for the attention. "Then it can suck harder too."

Ironhide glanced at his oldest youngest son, then Praxus. "I think I'm sort of partial to this sparkling today, Ratchet. Haven't had a bad word about Praxus since he was separated."

Praxus smiled broadly at the sound of his name.

"He is a bit of a phenom," Ratchet said agreeing. "Takes after me I hear."

Ironhide snorted. "He's an outlier. I don't know that either of us can claim him."

"I will anyway," Ratchet said leaning closer to the happy little mech who liked to share. He offered a bit of his breakfast and Ratchet pretended to take it. Orion watched them both, then turned to Sunspot offering him a bite of his 'bacon' as well. Sunspot pretended to bite it and everyone was happy.

Typical day in the neighborhood.

-0-Later at Ops Center

Ratchet wove his way through the small group of individuals who were talking together at the doorway to the command center of the colony. Inside, the Alpha crew had come online and were running the show with their usual amazing ability. He ambled to the table where Prowl was sitting, grabbing a chair to join him. "Howdy, pardner."

"Hello yourself, Tex. What's going on in your neck of the woods? I hear that Orion is a 'ring leader' of the shortest gang of desperadoes known in these parts."

Ratchet grinned. "You got that right. He brought us to our knee joints yesterday by having a riot in the sandbox and earning a foul by being foul. If that little mech doesn't learn not to spit, I will bend him into wall sconces."

"You should see my ada's. She had some made from a pair I remember seeing since I was born. They're beautiful, Golden Age," Prowl said.

Ratchet snorted and laughed. "I will pencil it in. What's with the mob by the door? Or do I need to ask?"

"No," Prowl said, a frown marring his handsome face. "They want to see Optimus. All of them are 'concerned' about Burris and a rumor that something happened at the prison."

"Do they really know or are they fishing?" Ratchet asked.

Prowl checked the reference, then nodded. "I don't think anyone really knows more than something bad happened."

Ratchet nodded. "Those are high castes out there. Prime is going to hear about it."

"I will be there to listen too," Prowl said with a coldness borne of old.

"That's my Prowler," Ratchet said with a smile.

"Speaking of which … where is that spectacularly handsome baby?" Prowl asked with a smirk.

"He's consoling his old pa," Ratchet said with a sad and sincere tone. "He had to deliver Hero to the pre-school."

Prowl's smirk faded. "I'm sorry. That bot loves his infants."

"He does," Ratchet said with a nod.

-0-At the Sparkling Day School earlier

Ironhide stood in the doorway looking at the tiny bots that were forming a line to go to their first examination. Their solemn-faced genitors stood nearby getting ready to leave, the little ones with them either ecstatically happy or clinging. Ironhide himself was clinging to Hero who sat on his arm oblivious to the fact that the first serious sundering of her existence was about to commence. Prowler who was sleeping in his little bag in the hold of his old pa had no opinion on the proceedings.

Herling who was helping line up the babies noticed Ironhide. He walked over and paused. "You look terrible, Ironhide. I'm sorry this is so hard."

Ironhide didn't reply but he also didn't fork over the sparkling. She sat and grinned at Herling. Then she looked at the bad energy of her old pa and hugged her cheek against his. "A?"

Ironhide didn't dare look at her. He pulsed her oceans of love and without a sound gently put her on the floor. She looked up at him, her little white sweater and hat even more poignant to him than he though it would be. Herling knelt and she turned to him smiling as she gripped her servos together uncertainly. "Hero, come with me, baby. We have some games and toys for you to play with. There are so many little bots here for you to be your friends. Atar can come and see you at the break time. He can come and watch you any time he wants," he said for the benefit of the wretched Chaos Bringer who stood silently before them staring at the tiny waif who listened to the stranger talk to her. He stood and offered his servo.

Hero looked up at Ironhide who managed to nod. She stared at him, then took Herling's servo following as he turned and led her slowly to the line of infants nearby. She got there and stood looking back at Ironhide. He looked at her, unable to turn to leave. As he began to finally step back out of the door she turned and ran toward him.

"A!" she said as she ran toward the door. "A! GO ME?!" she called to him.

Ironhide felt his insides crush as he watched his daughter run to him. He knelt and she reached for him, pressing against him in confusion. Herling who stood watching walked back over. "If you make a clean break, Ironhide, it helps."

Ironhide looked at Herling, the mech who was asking the impossible. He nodded and hugged his daughter, handing her over to Herling. That mech turned and carried her back to the line as Ironhide turned to go. He could hear her call to him, then burst into tears but he kept going. He walked outside and transformed, his son carefully stowed in the space for such things in root or vehicular mode. Then he drove away heading for the hinterlands where he could sit and cry undisturbed.

-0-Ops Center

Optimus Prime walked from his office into the great room and paused by Ratchet and Prowl. The 'appointment' was gathered in the conference room and he got their impressions before entering.

"They are angry and concerned," Prowl said as Ratchet rolled his optics. The disturbance over the bond with Ironhide was going great guns but Ratchet would wait to console his mech. Ironhide had to expend the sad energy first.

"Sounds about right," Optimus said as Blackjack and Alor walked into the center. "I see you ordered reinforcements?" he asked nodding to the pair.

"Praxian Warrior Elites, or one of them anyway," Prowl said nodding. "Ironhide is indisposed."

"Hero got nabbed then," Optimus said glancing at a pensive Ratchet. That bot nodded. "I hate to hear that." Nodding to his troops, Ratchet, Prowl, Blackjack and Alor followed Optimus into the conference room, the door closing behind them.

A good seven mechs stood as Prime entered, walked to the front of the table and gestured everyone to sit. They did. He looked at the datapad, then them. "I have asked Prowl to be here to take recordings of this proceeding and the others are witnesses. They are Ratchet, our C.M.O., Blackjack, a commanding General in the Armed Forces and Alor, a commander and strategic planner for our military."

They nodded, although one looked affronted. Prime looked at him. "Do you have an objection?"

"It seems hardly collegial, sir, that you would bring four witnesses to this meeting," he said.

"It is the way it will be and reasonable considering you brought seven," Optimus said. "If there are questions to be answered, I have the senior officers here who can assist that process. Please, who will speak for you if anyone and shall we begin?"

A mech who had been sitting quietly watching the opening exchange nodded. "I am Fenix," he said, "and I am elected to speak for the many who have asked us to come here."

Ratchet considered him, then picked up a datapad to dabble through the databases of the city. He would have the 411 on this bot before the opening salvo was over.

"You speak of many," Prime asked. "Do you have a figure or is that considered off limits to this conversation?"

"We are forming an association for our like minded fellows. There are presently 1,237 members," Fenix said. "It is a small number but then we haven't advertised our association nor have we actively sought members. We are still in the beginning stage of our group's formulation."

"What is the purpose of your group?" Ratchet asked peering over the top of the datapad in his servo.

"We are gathering to represent the interests of our membership, many who feel that they have not been heard in the course of living here. They don't feel safe nor appreciated," he said smoothly.

:He's a lawyer. He worked in the executive. This slagger might have had a hand in enforcing the Clampdown: Ratchet said to Prime, his in-laws and Prowl. :He's from a sickeningly rich family. Had cushy jobs in the executive. He was a member of Sentinel's Central Councilor Administration. He's Sentinel's hatchet mech: Ratchet said clicking off the datapad.

"Then speak and air your grievances," Optimus said sitting back to listen, his face neutral of emotion even as a slow burn began in his tanks.

The others looked at Fenix who was a very handsome well made, well designed mech. His paint scheme like the others was amazing. The colors were rich and well applied. He was smart, smooth and presented himself as a quiet calm person. Who he really was could be anyone's guess. He had learned in his career to be a shadow. He had learned to make Sentinel Prime efficient, molding his image to something more than the mech actually was. Getting what he wanted in difficult circumstances was his specialty. He had actually negotiated a number of times with Megatron and Shockwave, Megatron's designated negotiator before things fell apart. He sat forward and gathered his thoughts.

"We are concerned that those who were high caste on Cybertron are not safe here. We are aware of the murder of Kudon and the sentence for his killer, who we understand is your son-in-law. We are aware that high castes are being systematically excluded from positions of influence and power within the government of this colony. We are aware that Burris, a high caste industrialist and philanthropist is now in jail and there are rumors that he may be heading for prison. We are very concerned, sir, that you are acting upon prejudices brought on by the Clampdown to take care of grievances."

It was silent in the room. The heat coming off of Prowl was amazing. He looked at them with his usual composed expression but anyone who knew him knew he was broiling. Prime had no expression, his affect calm and collected. Blackjack was stiff with outrage but calm on the outside. Alor looked at the group before them with a look of disgust that he could get away with because he was among the few Cybertronians that was universally acclaimed among all castes including the criminal among their people.

Ratchet looked at Fenix studying him. He sat without expression or emotion, as if calling the Prime of his people, the earth bound representation of their warrior god himself a fragger was a normal thing for a Cybertronian to do. That he, a servile member of Sentinel's government would dare to say that about Optimus Prime outraged everyone who wasn't them in the room.

It was very quiet. Then Prime sat forward.

TBC

04-25-13