The Diego Diaries: Drift and Springer (319)
-0-On the beat
"You're awfully quiet." -S
"I'm reading." -D
Pause. "What?" -S
"'The Last Stand of the Wreckers' and a Spotlight novel about one of us." -D
Pause. "What's that?" -S
"Graphic novels." -D
"Oh." Pause. "What's a graphic novel." Pause. "That's a graphic novel? The cover on 'Last Stand' is insane." -S
"I think it has you and Kup down pat." -D
"I don't see it. Where are you? Perceptor … in Spotlight too? Is that him?" -S
"I think so," Drift said with a grin as they paused to let a little family walk past.
"He looks insane on the cover of 'Last Stand'." -S
"He does. I think I should tell Wheeljack about this. He might enjoy it until he gets to the back of Spotlight: Drift."
"What happens then?" Springer stepped out to cross the street, Drift following.
"Perceptor gets blasted." -D
"Yeah? Wheeljack won't like that." -S
"Nope." Pause. "I save him though. I'm quite the sexy bitch in the story." -D
(grin) "So … its fiction is it?" -S
"Most likely," Drift said as they walked down the street toward the Autobot City Youngling Sports Arena.
A rowdy conversation was going on at the corner of the Arena Access Road and the footpath that led down into the Mare Tranquilitatis. A family was arguing about what to do that night … go to dinner or bar hop. They settled with help from Springer on going to dinner, then the bar afterward. They continued onward heading for the arenas.
"You look pretty good in the Spotlight book." -S
"Thank you," Drift said with a grin. "You look demonic in 'Last Stand' if I say so myself."
"You just did." -S
(grins-2)
"I'm pretty bad aft." Springer paused to allow two vehicles pass. Then they continued. "There's a novel about Ironhide."
(Pause. Initiate, Transformers: Ironhide, download, end connection) "Whoa. Look at the cover." Drift shook his helm. "Bad aft."
"I know. Looks just like him." -S
(grins-2)
"I think we have a civic duty to let Ratchet know about this. What do you think." -S
"You do it, Springer. I don't want Ironhide to kick my aft." -D
"Done deal." -S
And it was.
-0-In the Bosom of Love
Ratchet paused a moment to take an internal message. The sparklings were running amok prior to 'sleepy bed' and Ironhide was watching with a grin, Hero sitting on his arm to prevent an accidental run over by a happy dog and prancing little mechs. He listened, took the download, perused it in seconds, then grinned broadly.
"ADA!"
"What, Praxus?"
"I play now?" he asked as the others paused to stare at him.
"New word, Ironhide," Ratchet said.
"A! Pax."
Everyone paused to look at Hero who was holding a little baby dollie with long braids. She smiled gigantically at the attention.
"A new word by little femme," Ratchet said with a smile. Ironhide looked at her, then Ratchet. "I don't know," he said. "I don't want her to grow up too fast."
"She's a waif, Ironhide. You can barely see her on your arm," Ratchet said turning to pick up Prowler from the couch where he was sitting propped up, his little face expressing his inner joy. He waved his little balled fists as he squeaked tiny sounds, his optics staring at Ratchet intently.
"Little mechs need to go to bed," Ironhide said putting Hero gently on the ground. She looked up at him, her tiny baby doll clutched in her servos as she grinned up at him. She was a smaller, finer, daintier version of Orion. And Praxus. And himself. It was incredibly wonderful to look at her, his little daughter.
His little princess.
He looked at the others who had paused in their game of chase to look up at him. "Time for sleepy bed."
Orion looked at him, then Ratchet. "ADA! ATAR BAD! WE PLAY! PAX AND ME! OKAY!?"
Ratchet glanced at Ironhide. "Okay?"
"New one." Ironhide looked at the infants. "Nope."
"ATAR! WE PLAY! PAX AND ME!" Orion looked at him with a gigantic smile, one that usually bought them a few minutes more.
"Orion, berth time," Ironhide replied.
"No!" He smiled with a face splitter, then ran, his optics staring over his shoulder at his atar as he did. Shrieking with delight, he ran as fast as he could.
Into the wall.
He bounced back and lay still a moment, his processor twirling, then sat up staring around. The room was quiet as everyone looked at him, then he stood up staring around. "OW ME!"
Ironhide chuckled, then guffawed. He looked at the baby then smiled. "Spud, you are a hopeless case."
"ATAR! OW ME! I OW ME!"
"You did, you little slagger." Ironhide scooped Orion up and they disappeared into Sunspot's berth room and the usual battle of the bath. Praxus reached out and took Hero's servo, then turned and the two went into the berth room too. Sunspot followed along with Spot leaving Prowler and Ratchet behind. He looked at Prowler who looked back at him with a smile. "Wait until your old pa finds out someone has read his processor." With that, he turned and walked in to watch the show with Sunspot and his dog on Sunny's berth.
-0-When all was quiet again...
"Ironhide? Have you ever told anyone about your mom van dreams?"
"The soldiers once. A few others. Once in a while, some Autobot. Why?"
(grin) "I'm sending you a file of a graphic novel called 'Transformers: Ironhide'." Ratchet did and watched as Ironhide went through it, his optics growing with each new page turn. He looked at Ratchet. "What is this?"
"Springer sent it to me just a moment ago. Its about you and you're seriously bad aft, Only One. And may I say? You are a red mom van."
He paused a moment to peruse the story again, then grinned. "No mom van I've ever seen looked that bad aft. Did you notice the design? I'm bad aft."
"You slagged Alpha Trion. You decked his sorry aft," Ratchet said as he set down his glass on the small table between their chairs. "The story appears to be unfinished. Or maybe it's a series. Sunstreaker has several novels and in one set of stories he was tortured by humans who sort of took him apart for their own purposes. Sideswipe and him aren't very close if at all."
"That's slag. Those two are peas in a pod as the humans say," Ironhide said looking the story over. "So I took a shot for Prime and was out for about a zillion vorns. I don't have any memories but no one seems to care in this story. Alpha Trion sounds like an aft."
"Metroplex looks good. Must be nice for one old mech to run around with a bot like Metroplex all to himself," Ratchet said. "I like the stuff he said about you. All that bravery and throwing yourself in front of weapon fire to save Autobots. By the way, if you ever do that I will frag your aft myself."
Ironhide sat back preening slightly. "I am a bit of a self sacrificing slagger aren't I? Handsome too. That old mech in the story is one handsome slagger for a red bot with strange square legs. I did kill several hundred insecticons all by myself. Not bad work for a CHAOS BRINGER! DOOM MASTER! BUG CRUSHER!"
Ratchet snorted. "That's you, ba-bee. You looked good for a mishmash Human-Cybertronian design. I may have to update things a little bit in 'The Sexy Doctor and The Mom Van'. Maybe I can make you taller. Although having the ability to walk under tables without bumping your helm IS an advantage I would think. I might let that stay the same."
"Ha-ha, Ratchet," Ironhide said with a grin. "I did punch Alpha Trion in the face. That was good."
"Should I tell him about this book? He was a huge aft in it, talking in the third person … "I am Alpha Trion. Perhaps you heard of me?'. I love that you didn't."
Ironhide snorted. "I didn't. That was epic."
"It was." Ratchet grinned. "Did you see Prowl? He has these shoulder rocket launchers. I have to ask him about that. I would think if he had them it would make fragging interesting."
Ironhide considered the pictures of Prowl in the story and grinned. "I would hate to be anywhere near that bot when he overloaded. You could get killed."
Ratchet snorted. "I'm sending this to Prowler." Sitting back, he called. :Prowl:
:WHAT!?:
:Are you fragging the Messiah? I detect upset but then, that's why I'm the doctor and you aren't:
A grin floated over the link. :What do you want, slagger?:
:Are you aware that there are books out there, cartoon stories called graphic novels that have us doing things with pictures showing the action:
:Really? Well that's nice. Good-:
:You're in them:
Pause. :Alright, I'll bite. Dooo tell:
:I'd rather show you. Check your inbox. I sent the file:
-0-Prowl and Prime
He looked down into Prime's face and frowned slightly, the slight mar on his perfect complexion charming to Optimus. "That slagger has the worst timing." He sighed and opened the file going through it quickly. :Ratchet. Where do you find this stuff? Truly?:
:Springer sent to me. I sent it to you. Consider it a bonding moment between the first and second Mrs. Optimus Prime:
:You are out of your processor: Prowl grinned and sent the file to Optimus who read it swiftly. He lay beneath Prowl with a giant grin on his handsome face. :By the way, this is not the Mom van that I envisioned in your … epic:
:My magnum opus? Why, Prowler. By the way, this novel has you with twin shoulder mounted rockets. Nice shoulder pads. Are they couture?:
Prowl accessed the meaning and grinned. :Everything I got is couture, you slagger:
:No doubt. Just remember … my old mech took a bullet for your old mech. You both owe me:
:We owe … if that is the word … Ironhide:
:Ironhide owes me so I'll take your slavish worship as a down payment on his debt:
:You're nuts. Good night, Ratchet:
:Good night, Prowler:
Prowl cut the transmission and snickered. "Ratchet is a menace to society. Sir."
Prime snorted, his arms tightening around Prowl's body. "Sir. That makes me tingle all over."
Prowl smirked slightly. "Sir," he said. Then he didn't say anything more.
-0-In the Bosom of Love
"Prowl's fragging Prime again."
Ironhide chuckled. "You're certifiable."
"If you say so, Mom Van."
-0-On the streets of the city
"Do we have a staff meeting in the morning?"
"We do," Springer replied as they sat in The Pit Stop having a break. "I suppose I'll get the breakdown on the story from Ironhide by then."
"I want to get Ratchet's opinion. After all, he left Sunstreaker and Ironhide behind on the scrap heap. Not a very good bonding thing to do," Drift said as they got their food.
"No. I wonder if they have a graphic novel on Ratchet?" Springer mused as he began to eat his snack, something called a cinnamon bun.
"The one on me is filled with gore just like 'Last Stand'. What I don't get is the energon spilled is red," Drift said as he at his own donut.
"Dramatic license," Springer said with a grin.
"Is that what it is? I just thought someone fragged up," Drift replied with a grin. As he did, the door opened and a bunch of drunk mini-cons came inside to sober up.
They sat looking at them, then glanced at each other. "Wanna bet how long it is before we take them to jail?" Springer asked.
Drift considered that, then smirked. "Nope," he said with a grin.
The door opened and Kup wandered in with Lon and Splice. They walked across the room and pulled up chairs to sit. "Nice to know my taxes are being put to such good use," Kup said as he stuck his stogie in his mouth.
"You don't pay taxes, old mech. You never did. Soldiers have always been exempt," Springer said with a grin.
"Least the slaggers could do," Kup said as a waiter handed him a cup of warm energon. He gave his order along with Lon and Splice, then looked at the two bots lounging before him. "So … what's up?"
"We're talking great literature," Drift said.
Kup looked at him studying the bullshit, then shook his helm. "You slaggers wouldn't know good literature if it hit you in the face."
Springer sent Kup 'Last Stand of the Wreckers'.
Kup paused a moment to read and study the novel, then he looked at Springer and Drift. With a slight smirk, he removed the stogie from his mouth. "Let me rephrase that," he said.
-0-TBC
05-32-13
NOTE: The books referenced are graphic novels by IDW and they are just amazing. Spotlight: Drift and The Last Stand of the Wreckers. :D