The Diego Diaries: Newbies 12 (334)
-0-Ops Center, Autobot City, Mars
Smokescreen landed on his butt and lay still a moment. Then he sat up slowly staring at the handsome face of the bond. Rubbing his own, he grinned in spite of himself. "I see you still have it."
"I do," Devcon said with a smirk as he stood quietly, his optics fixed on the handsome face of his long time, much punched bond. "I see you're still a slagger."
"You would be wrong." He stood up and rubbed his chin. "I've been good since forever. Ask anyone," he said glancing around the room. Everyone who was there stood grinning at him, that is all but Magnus.
"He's been here since nearly orn one, Dev. I can attest to him," Tracks said with a smirk. "The slagger has been missing all of you since he came here."
"Is that so," Dev said quietly.
Smokescreen stepped forward and enfolded the big blue and white mechanism. He hugged him tightly and Dev hugged him back. "You look awesome, Dev. It's been a long time."
Dev patted Smokescreen's back, then looked at him. "You deserved that punch."
"I did once. Now I'm a lot smarter." Smokescreen glanced at Prime. "Permission to stand down."
"Granted," Prime said with a grin.
"Come on. I'll show you our place." He looked at Moda and Tress. "Do you have a place to stay?"
"We do, Atar," Moda said.
"Let's go," Smokescreen said turning to leave, his arm around Dev's shoulders. The big deadly mechanism slipped his arm around Smokescreen and followed. Moda and Tress glanced at each other, then Prime. They nodded and turned hurrying off. Smokey who was standing beside Ratchet glanced at Prime. "Aren't they awesome?" he said with a smile.
"They are," Prime said with a chuckle. "Hurry up."
Smokey paused. "I'm on duty, sir."
"You may stand down," Optimus said nodding.
Smokey's smile was brilliant and he turned, then paused. "Thank you," he said. Then he turned and ran out of the room after his family.
It was silent a moment, then Magnus turned to Prime. "He struck another officer. You let him go after Devcon hit him."
"They're a bond. I can only imagine Smokescreen deserved it," Prime said with a grin.
"Optimus," Magnus sputtered glancing from face to face in his outrage.
"That's my name," Prime said as he turned and walked back to his place at the table. Pausing before sitting, he looked at Magnus. "Did you need me, Magnus?" he asked sweetly.
Magnus looked at him a moment, then shrugged. Glancing at Ratchet, he frowned. "You." he said before turning. He walked out without another world.
Ratchet grinned glancing at Prime. "I think he believes I corrupted you, Optimus."
"You did," Prime said with a smirk.
The laughter could be heard in the rec room.
-0-In an office in City Hall
"Then he *hit* Smokescreen in the face. It lifted him off the floor."
"How is it that I never get to be where the fun is, Magnus?" Arcee asked as she sat on the couch in her bond's office. "You get to go to the fights and I'm never there."
"Arcee," Magnus said in a huff. "This is a serious thing."
"It is but you also remember who the Prime is, right? Optimus maintains the order he needs. Besides, Smokescreen deserved to get one in the face plates. He's not always been a good mech."
Magnus looked at him. "His firewalls must be extraordinary. Dev is no mechanism to mess with."
"No he isn't. I'm going to ask that Dev gets assigned to us so we can track the slaggers on Earth. No one ever gets away from him."
"No," Magnus agreed. "But I'm still not satisfied with this."
"We know," Elita said from her perch in a chair next to the couch. Arcee grinned. "We do."
-0-Elsewhere
Devcon stood by the window of Smokescreen's apartment and looked out, the city spreading out into the distance for miles. There were six cities now, the two original and four more. They lived in the tower projects of the Mare Tranquilitatis. It was part of the original habitation, Autobot City. The
'burbs surrounding were Aerie Hill, Terra and the newest, Phobos, Pax and Crystal City. They were in the distance beyond the city connected not only by highways but underground systems of transportation. It was dazzling. "This is a good place. Amazing."
"When we first came here there was nothing but a dusty rocky plain," Smokescreen said walking to stand beside his bond. "It has been a long road."
Dev nodded. "I know. It took a while to hunt down the younglings. I lost track of Smokey. When did he get here? Did you find him?"
"No," Smokescreen said. "He came in himself with a fighter group. He was part of a unit guarding relics from Iacon."
"He's a great youngling," Dev said nodding. "I suppose I can find something to do here."
"We're after terrorists on the next planet over. It's tailor made for you," Smokescreen said nodding.
The door opened and Moda came in followed by his son and bond. They walked to the window and looked out. "I'm so glad you're here, grandada," Smokey said leaning against his grandgenitor. "What's happening out there?"
Dev looked at him, slipping an arm around the youngling. "Bad things, grandson," he said quietly, the anger he reserved for Megatron and his army evident in his voice. Devcon had a burning unrelenting hatred for the Decepticons which drove him to hunt them without mercy. Now would be no different. He would be hunting the human format of Decepticon. They would be sorry.
-0-Ops Center
Will Lennox sat on the console next to Jazz listening to the bots as they worked out the migration. He had come back to Mars to help settle the final format of the N.E.S.T habitat that was being finished north of the air field and west of the Hu An habitat on Cultural Center Road. Epps and Graham along with the families and everyone else were coming on game day shortly. He was watching nearby talking to Jazz when Devcon walked into the room and decked Smokescreen.
He liked Smokescreen. He found him funny and full of it, like a lot of the soldiers who were strong, confident and eccentric in the way that men at arms sometimes were. He was a gambler even in combat, smart, charming and perceptive. When new bots came in and one of them decked Smokescreen he had been surprised. Sitting on a console in an easy chair, he had watched. When the group left, he turned back to Jazz who was laughing along with everyone else. Everyone but Magnus that is who left in disgust. "What just happened?"
Jazz sat and looked at him with a grin. "Smokescreen's bond caught up with him. Dev punched his face just in case."
"Who's Dev?" Lennox asked.
"Devcon. He's a bounty hunter. He goes after the 'Cons that he thinks are too dangerous for us." Jazz grinned. "That mech is one tough slagger. He's specialized in design. I can't think of too many who can outlast Dev. He's got a ship format that can go huge distances. He's relentless and heavily armed. He has a canon on his head that stays in subspace until he needs it."
"Whoa," Will said considering that. "This could be fun."
"It always is when Dev is around. He's one of the good ones," Jazz said with a nod.
"No doubt," Lennox said sitting back. Bounty hunters. There was no end to the surprises he considered.
-0-In an apartment up high
They sat on a couch laying in each others arms. The night was coming outside, the sun making its way toward evening. It was quiet in the apartment as they rested together. The walk from the Courthouse had been almost unbearable to Jade who gripped Beray's servo tightly. Staring at the ground, holding himself together, he followed Beray as he followed Springer and Drift to his apartment. He hadn't been home in orns spending every one since the murder in the jail either alone or in the company of someone who was trying to figure out what happened with him. Blackstone, his attorney visited him every day.
Then Beray had appeared out of nowhere and it was almost more than he could assimilate. The Prime had come and Ratchet had helped him, getting him a chance to stay with Beray at the apartment. He had limitations but he also had Beray. Nothing else mattered now. He snuggled with Beray, both lying with him on the couch.
"Jade? Are you alright?" Beray asked in a small voice, fear infusing him as he considered the delicate condition of his one and only.
"I'm with you. There is nothing that could be better than that, Beray," Jade said quietly. "I knew you would come."
"I would never stop looking for you," Beray said. "We'll be okay. You will see. The Matrix will help Prime help you."
Jade nodded but he didn't care. Beray was here and nothing else mattered. All that he needed was here.
-0-Out there
Kup sat in the cockpit of the shuttle he commanded as they worked to defang the 'Cons who had come with everyone else. The four captains had surrendered and given their oaths. Now they had to mop up the rest. Boarding was going on without incident. There were families on the ships, lots of adults and many younger mechs ranging from sparkling to sub adult in age. What was also included among the groups were hundreds of younger soldiers, many of them startlingly younthful. At least 250 of them were Seekers who were disturbingly like the small trine that they had rescued earlier. Apparently, the infants who had been forced into adulthood were being gathered by the few Decepticons with consciences to ensure their survival.
Sandstorm walked through the ship securing with his team the weapons and crew of the Decepticon war ship, Obliterate. The crew was silent as they watched the Autobots walk through. They turned heading to the main hold as directed, sitting as they were told, their optics filled with hope and concern. Among them were the families, all of them in pretty good shape but afraid. He paused by a pair of elders. "How are you for hunger? Do we need to bring food?" he asked.
An older mech looked at him, then shook his helm. "I think we're good until we get to where we're going. What is it like?" he asked.
"Its beautiful. It's a real city. We have a lot of mechs. We're going over 2 and a half million when this group is passed onward."
The bots on the floor considered that silently, then the mech looked at him again. "Will the Prime accept us? We're tired and want a home."
"If you keep your word and give your oath to the Matrix, you will be fine," Sandstorm said.
The mech looked at him, then nodded. "You have my word."
"Fair enough," Sandstorm said nodding.
-0-Autobot City, Mars
Hero sat on a tiny chair watching the aide explain how playdoh worked. She was missing her old pa who usually came about now to share a cookie. He hadn't come today and she had a tiny worry going on inside. Sitting on the chair with other little mechanisms in her group she had concentrated earlier on the Velveteen Rabbit and the storyteller who would now teach them how to make the characters in the dough. Peeking at the doorway from time to time, she waited. Her atar would always come and they would share her favorite cookie, one that was shaped like a star and had little metallic looking spreckles on it. She would take a bite, he would pretend to take one and they would 'chat'.
Wringing her tiny servos, torn in her concentration, she would wait futilely. Atar was out in the mix helping others find their way home. It would be about dinner time when he would be able to take a moment to peek in. She would be a nervous wreck by then.
-0-Dinner in an apartment
They sat around the table taking the first meal together as a family in vorns. Smokey was filling them in on the amenities, the opportunities and upcoming events in the city as they dined on the best food they had ever eaten. The notion of Class A energon being the norm was amazing. That it was so imaginatively presented was another. Dev listened to his grandson, then nodded. "I am proud of you, Smokey. You're living up to all our expectations beautifully, though I would have preferred a non combat profession for you."
"I know, but this is awesome. I get to train with Prime. How great is that?" he asked with excitement.
Tress shook his helm. "I don't know, youngling. We didn't raise you to be killed in combat."
"I won't, Ada. Grandpa is showing me the ropes."
Moda looked at his son. "Grandpa?" he asked.
"That's what the humans call it," Smokey said nodding at a smirking Smokescreen. "It sort of sounds cute."
"If you say so," Moda said with a softly vented sigh. "I need to find work. We need to pay our own way, Atar," Moda said glancing at his father.
Smokescreen grinned slightly. "You don't have to push it. I would suggest that if you want to continue accounting that you speak to someone at the City Hall."
"Who do I speak to, do you know?" Moda asked.
"Ultra Magnus. The one who came in just as your grandada clipped me in the face," Smokescreen said with a grin.
Devcon smirked. "Served you right."
"Oh great," Moda said shaking his helm. "Thanks, Ada."
"You are welcome," Dev said with a grin.
-0-TBC June 12, 2013