The Diego Diaries: Home At Last 1 (367) edited
-0-At the homestead
Ratchet sat on his chair highly entertained. One one arm sat three sparklings, on the other sat a Seeker youngling and on his lap sat Prowler. Sitting on his haunches, his tail wagging whenever anyone looked his direction, Spot rested his helm next to Sunspot. Ratchet sat between them grinning as they told him of their day.
"ADA! I SWAMMED!" Praxus was saying making motions of swimming as he pantomimed through the story. He bounced on his butt and chattered. Orion and Hero who were sitting beside him watched with intense interest and nodding helms. "TO-TO CAMED ME AND TOOK ME TO TALKING!"
"He did?" Ratchet asked with a giant smile of his own. "He camed you?"
Praxus nodded. "HE CAMED. I TALKING. CAME HIM PICTURES. DOG!" He smiled and looked at Ratchet with complete joy.
Ratchet chuckled. "You crack me up, sparkling. School is good for you. Keeps you out of the brig."
Orion nodded too. "ME GOOD! I DO GOOD!"
"You haven't been fighting with Han then?" Ratchet asked.
Orion blinked, then looked at his Ada. "Han bad. I good." He smiled his jack-o-lantern smile at all of them.
"Orion is so cute. He's so funny. To-To loves him," Hero said as she sat beside her brother, a tiny cabbage patch dollie in her servos. She smiled at Orion. "You talked good. So did Praxus. Tell Ada more, Praxus."
Praxus looked at his brother and sister, then Ratchet. "To-To came and talking to me, Ada. I swamming too."
"You swamming?" Ratchet asked with a grin.
He nodded and smiled brightly. That was when the door opened to the apartment.
-0-Luna Base, Moon
They walked through the base which was enclosed. It was built along the lines of the Fortress on Mars. The layout was typically Cybertronian and familiar to anyone who ever served in the armed forces. The Ops Center was already on line and the med bay had been signed off by Ratchet earlier that orn when he had left Earth. The same procedure he had instituted on Earth he began at Luna so that the new systems would sync with Autobot City. The same process would be undertaken with all the systems that would work together to support their effort. Teletraan IV would be finalized with Wheeljack and Perceptor's tech team before the dawn. They were down below, several stories under finalizing the big brain for use.
Cloudburst walked with Prime, Prowl and Ironhide as they went through the final run through before the system synched with the satellites of the Midway Array. Luna would also analyze the data that was being sent from the geo-scans searching for the Insecticons. Cloudburst with Wren walked with them. He had been informed that he would command the base, an appointment that swept through the Seeker community like a flash fire. It had been the first major appointment to a command beyond Starscream and his trine. That a Seeker would command a major base and have a Seeker subcommander was outstanding and affirming for every Seeker on Mars.
When they had discussed the site thoroughly and delineated the current cases as well, Prime signed off and left with Prowl and Ironhide to head for Mars. When the vessel had lifted off, Wren turned to Cloudburst and grinned. :Remember when we arrived? We were nervous and not sure if this was the thing to do?:
Cloudburst grinned and nodded. :Who could have known?: he replied. :Come on. We have work to do, Wren: The two turned and walked into the facility, itself ten miles from the original station and as they did the Earth was visible in the sky beyond.
-0-Out there
Thundercracker pealed off and headed back the way they had come. Silverclaw continued onward leading the newest Seeker refugees forward toward Mars. Thundercracker flew swiftly passing bases before reaching the solar well. He paused inside the rim watching the flickering of the stars beyond the magnetic boiling point of the Sun's gravitational and radioactive pull. He sent a message asking for a reply. He coded it with Decepticon encryptions.
He didn't have to wait long. He got the correct response from the two and headed toward the spot he asked them to meet. Jetting forward, leaving the base on Charon behind, Thundercracker streaked toward a spot where two shuttles were waiting. When he reached that spot, he flashed his lights and they returned theirs. Reaching them, he transformed and landed on the hull of the shuttle flown by Drag Strip. He magnetized, then walked to the hatch rapping on the door. It popped and he stepped inside.
The hatch closed behind him.
-0-In the bosom of love
A smiling face appeared peeping around the door as Ironhide looked inside his apartment. As he did, the following happened...
Infants: "SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! WAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAATARRRRRRRRR!"
A dog: "BARRRRRRK! BARK!BARK! HOP! BOUNCA-BOUNCA! WOOF!"
A tiny infant: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
A medic: "OW! MY GUT! OUCH! MY OPTICS! OMG! WTF!? OW!"
-0-Out there
They stared, each taking the measure of the other. Finally Wild Rider folded his arms and smirked. "Well, well. Look who's in the greeting committee."
Thundercracker smirked back. "Look what the targs dragged in."
"What do you want, TC? Are you here to arrest us?" Dead End asked. "We're coming in from the cold. We surrender."
They stared at each other, then all three laughed uproariously. Thundercracker smirked at them. "Your brothers are in the city."
"We heard Motormouth and Dead Aft are in the brig," Wild Rider said. "Same to the bitter end, the idiots."
"Prime doesn't think tools that fight the moment they land are a good risk to let run through the city." Thundercracker looked at them. "Are you stupid too or is there hope for you?"
Both of them frowned. "We came to find a soft landing. What are you going to do about it?"
"Give you some advice. We have thousands of Decepticons living in the cities under Prime's command. We're biding our time waiting for Megatron. If you blow this I will personally throttle your sorry afts."
They looked at him a moment, then glanced at each other. "Seriously?" Drag Strip asked.
Thundercracker nodded. "Do you really think we would live under a Prime regime?"
It was silent a moment, then Wild Rider looked at him with suspicion. "Megatron has a kill on sight order out on you. You and your kind."
Thundercracker nodded. "I know. We're working on getting that lifted. Don't frag it up. We police our own ranks. No one will miss you if you frag it up." They stared at each other, then Thundercracker walked to the doorway. He tapped the latch, then stepped out transforming. :Follow me: he said, then sped off.
They glanced at each other, then grinned. Drag Strip hurried out and entered his shuttle as the two of them revved up and flew after the big Seeker. They would not be out of someone's gun sights all the way to Mars.
-0-In the bosom of love
"AND I TALKING!"
"HE TALKING! I GOOD! I NOT BAD!"
ATAR! I MISSED YOU! DO YOU WANT TO SEE MY NEW HAT!?"
"WOOF! BARK!BARK! WOOF!"
"ATAR! I MISSED YOU! I GOT A PERFECT SCORE ON MY LAST MATH TEST! DO YOU WANT TO SEE IT!?"
"Weep! Cry! GRASPY-GRASPIES!"
-0-Approaching Martian air space
"Bogies, this is Flight Control … you are not cleared to land. Establish orbit at 321.7 on path 6 and hold. You will be boarded and removed from your vessel. Permit boarding or you will be destroyed in space. Over."
Drag Strip glanced out the window at his brother's shuttle. He could feel the rage building in the other. "Rider, play along. Comply. Thundercracker will take care of us."
"Do you trust him?" Wild Rider asked over the comm system.
"No. But what can you do? Do you feel them?" Drag Strip asked. He could feel the energy of his other brothers, faint but constant now.
"I do. Frag this. Let's do this and get into the city. Do you see what I see? Slagging football stadiums."
"I do. Frag. Prime has built a real city out here. Do you see the space bridges?" Drag Strip asked as he looked upward to the glittering spectacle of a trigger bridge and a smaller more typical ocular-shaped one.
"Flight Control, this is Wild Rider. I am here to surrender and seek refuge in this colony. I am willing to be boarded and give my oath to the Prime. Over."
"Flight Control. This is Drag Strip. I am with him. I will give my oath. Bring them on."
"This is Flight Control. We are sending a boarding team to take the shuttles and to bring you down to the airfield. You will be taken to the hospital for examination and a meet up with the Prime. If you cause any problems, you will be terminated. Understood? Over."
"Understood," both said at the same time. They sat back and watched as a medium heavy shuttle with Wrecker insignias lifted off and headed their way. It would be a snark-filled adventure in disarmament land when they arrived.
-0-In the bosom of eternal delight
"AND I GO 'DOG'! AND I GO 'DUCK'! AND I GO TALKING TO TO-TO! AND I GO TALKING TO LO-LO! AND I GO TALKING TO HOO-HOO!"
"Who's Hoo-Hoo?" Ironhide asked with a smirk as he sat on a chair, three sparklings on one side, a Seeker youngling and a smiling tongue-lolling dog's helm resting on the other arm of the chair. Prowler was still having a weep on Ratchet's shoulder.
That worthy sat with his peds up on the coffee table before him. "Herling," Ratchet said with a chuckle.
"You talked to Mr. Herling?" Ironhide asked Praxus as he sat smiling like a jack-o-lantern, an eerie resemblance to the infants next to him who had the same expression.
"HOO-HOO SMILED TO ME! HE LIKE TALKING ME TOO!" Praxus said with intense joy.
"HOO-HOO LIKE PAX!" Orion said with a giant grin of his own as he patted his little brother.
"Hoo-Hoo has good taste," Ironhide said with a chuckle. Then he swept all of the infants into his arms. That is when Spot came around the corner of the chair and climbed up too.
The Pit broke out.
-0-The boarding of flight idiot and idiot-er
Springer and Drift who had arrived on Mars earlier in the orn led the team that would take the two into custody. They floated to Drag Strip's vessel and rapped on the hatch door. It slid open and they slid in, the cabin repressurizing. Standing in opposite ends of the vessel, the opposing teams appraised each other. Then Team Wrecker opted to receive.
"Well, well, Springer and Drift. Or should I call you something else, Deadlock?" Drag Strip said with his usual malignant tone.
"Don't," Drift said shifting slightly to a more comfortable and lethal stance. "That bot is dead. Sort of like you if you give us any crap."
Drag Strip chuckled. "You want to go rounds? What the frag, *Drift*. I came here to surrender and find a more peaceful life. Yet the moment I try, I get slag from you. That's not very nice."
Drift glanced at Springer, then rolled his optics. Springer grinned, then looked at Drag Strip. "Empty your subspace or I'll tip you upside down and shake you until you rattle."
Drag Strip looked at him with a venomous expression. "You didn't say 'please'."
Springer glanced at Drift who smirked back. Then they walked forward and did just that.
-0-Love, bosom, like that...
"Atar, I went to the store with Ada. I found a nice thing. Do you want to see it?"
Ironhide looked at his daughter and smiled. "Sure."
She smiled brilliantly, then turned and ran for the berth room. Ironhide looked at the others who were standing on the floor staring up with grins. He had gathered them in, then Spot joined for their group hug. It had been a writhing mess for a moment or two, but in the end they unwound everyone and stared at Spot. Spot licked Ironhide's face and all was well.
Never underestimate the love of a (big) boy for his dog.
"ATAR! I GO YOU SOMETHING?" Orion asked.
"Sure," Ironhide said with a smile.
Orion turned and ran off for his berth room. Praxus watched, then looked at his atar. "ATAR! I GO YOU THERE?" he asked pointing at the hallway. "I GET YOU TOY!?"
Ironhide snorted, then nodded. "Sure."
Praxus smiled and ran for the berth room.
Sunspot watched them go, then smiled at Ironhide. "Atar, do you want to see my math test?"
"I do," Ironhide said leaning back to relax at last.
Sunspot smiled, then turned running for his berth room, Spot galloping along behind.
Ironhide looked at Ratchet who was rocking Prowler in the chair by the window, the baby finally calming down a bit. "This is great. It feels like I've been away for a month."
"I know. They have been really missing home and both of us," Ratchet replied. "Especially little bit here." Ratchet looked down at a fussy Prowler who was sucking his thumb.
Ironhide rose up and walked to Ratchet taking the infant into his servos. Prowler seeing him again burst into tears. Settling him into his arm, Ironhide returned to the chair and sat. Ratchet joined him in his own and they waited for the parade which was being organized in separate berth rooms all over the apartment.
It was going to be epic.
-0-On another shuttle
He sat in the pilot seat lounging insolently as he watched them enter through the hatch. The cabin pressurized and all sides stared at the other. "I can assume you put my brother in cuffs?"
"Your brother was an aft helm. Are you going to cooperate or do we slag your aft too?" Springer said with a grin. "Either way, I'm entertained."
Wild Rider chuckled. "Drag was never too bright. I'm personally offended for you with his bad behavior. We want to live here peacefully. We both came here that way."
"You have a poor way of showing it," Drift said.
Wild Rider looked at the white bot and grinned. "Drift, you're as good looking as I remembered. I'm surprised you didn't board this ship to blow it and me to the Pit."
"It crossed my mind," Drift said calmly. "Are you going the easy way or the other way? I personally prefer the latter."
"I think wrestling would be fun. I like your style. Nice and clean. Good colors. You're a lot better looking now then you were before, I have to say," he said rising, rolling his helm to free up the tension.
Springer looked at the aft and considered that he didn't know he and Drift were bonds. Glancing at Drift, that worthy rolled his optics. "Dump your weapons and subspace, Rider, or I'll kick your aft. With pleasure. And glee. It'll be religious. For both of us," Springer said with a grin.
"Ah, you pose a hard choice. I think an aft kicking sounds sexy," Wild Rider said as he began to disarm.
Springer rolled his optics as the banter continued, kicking guns aside as he examining stuff from subspace.
"Be careful with that. Its a picture of my ada," Rider said with a smirk as Drift shook him down finding a picture device with suggestive images of bots, some of whom actually knew he had taken them in the shower and other places.
"You don't have an ada, slagger. Everyone knows you were put together out of scrap and bent nails," Springer said smirking himself. When the bot was clean of implements of offense, he nodded to the door. "We're going out, you in cuffs for now. Act up and I'll put my great big gun up your big fat aft and pull the trigger."
"Sounds like fun," Wild Rider said as Drift put on the cuffs. He grinned at Drift. "Cuffs. Sounds fun." He waggled his optical ridges.
Drift gave him a hard expression. "Move it, aft."
Wild Rider laughed and moved to the hatch stepping out with another Wrecker to go to Springer's shuttle. The hatch closed on him. Springer looked at Drift curiously. "What the frag was that all about?"
Drift looked at him, then shrugged. "He's a psycho. He likes to needle mechs. He's good at it. Check your processor and you won't find him there but for that time on a frontier planet I drank him under the table, then proceeded to tear the place apart to off line him over stealing my cube, the fragger. I think I'm still pissed."
"You were epic then," Springer said as he accessed the specific memories. "What happened to ya?"
"I don't know. Domesticity doesn't agree with me I guess," he said as they turned to the controls preparatory to flying the vessel to the airfield below.
"I had no idea," Springer said with a grin. "Making you an honest mech neutered ya."
"I think so," Drift said with a grin of his own.
The vessel headed for the ground and destiny below.
-0-TBC July 16, 2013