The Diego Diaries: Festivale 9 (388) edited
-0-Morning is coming, just like the first mor-or-or-orning
The Day Watch came online as the city began to wake up. Nearly every business in the colony was closed. No one would be working today but many, many bots would be on call for disaster. There were seven bots preparing or in the process of separating at the hospital in Metroplex, so that meant teams would either be on call or present to assist.
The military was on stand down but could return to their posts in minutes. Most of the colony's apparatus was on automatic pilot and tied into Ops Center at Autobot City.
At the Temple, the priests and acolytes were already up going over the facility once again. Alpha Trion who had an apartment in the Temple walked down the corridor from his home and paused by the door that led to the artifacts. He was going to supervise their transfer to the pavilion that was part of the Temple Proper where they were going to be displayed.
Chevron walked down the corridor toward him followed by the head priest, Lauren. They bowed to Alpha and he returned the salute. A number of youngling mechs had come behind them waiting to assist. They were Circle and Knight mechs who had volunteered to be of assistance at the Pavilion when the masses came to see the greatest treasures of their people, nearly all of them for the first time.
"Are you ready?" Alpha asked with a smile.
"We are," Lauren said nodding, his own sweet face reflecting a lifetime of contact with holy artifacts. The Temple was filled with peaceful energy. Lauren turned and ran the code that kept the relics safe. A pair of huge steel doors opened silently, then the entire group entered, the lights coming on automatically.
Lauren, Chevron and Alpha stepped aside to allow the others to look and gawk. They did. So would everyone else who would see the greatest recovered treasures of their people and pantheon. More were still lost but hope was always eternal.
-0-At the trine's apartment
The trine walked in followed by Ratchet. Pausing to pull the babies out of carry holds, Ratchet turned to see Dawg and the Insecticon looking at them from their beds by the window. He turned and walked to them pausing to stare at the two.
Bob pressed into the floor, his fear evident on his little face. Dawg on the other servo was a big pile of smile. "Bob is a pretty fearful little thing."
"He is," Sunstreaker said walking to stand beside Ratchet. He knelt and petted both, Bob breaking into a loud purr as he did. Sunstreaker stood and nodded, a slight grin of appreciation for the little bug on his face. "He's coming to the Temple with us. Where I go, he goes."
"People will know," Ratchet said glancing up at the big mech.
Sunstreaker's handsome face changed, the expression hardening. "They can get over it. He's with us. He comes with us. They can frag themselves. Dawg is coming too. Both of them came from Primus. They are going to be there too." He glanced at Ratchet. "You're bringing Spot, right?"
"Sunny wouldn't probably come without him. Humans will be there. Spot will help him around them." Ratchet knelt and looked at the tiny bug. He pressed backward into his bed as he looked at Ratchet with what appeared to be an anxious expression on his little face. Ratchet reached out and caressed the little bit who relaxed immediately under his touch. "This infant has had no one to smooth his way. He's petrified over everything."
"He has us," Sunstreaker said with a determined edge to his voice.
Bluestreak came out of Uraya's berth room and walked to where the two stood. He knelt petting Dawg and Bob both of whom were ecstatic that he did. "You were both good to tell us about Uraya. Thank you," he said petting their helms some more. Rising, he vented a soft sigh. "Prowl and Miler will have a fit when they hear about this."
"Things happen," Ratchet replied. "Are things good here?"
Sideswipe who walked out of Kaon's room with the sleepy baby in his arms paused long enough for Ratchet to love on him. "We're going to feed them, then go to Prime's house. Apparently, there are more Praxian amends to make." He rolled his optics and got a punch for it from Bluestreak.
Ratchet snorted, then turned and walked to the door. "We'll meet you there. We have to feed the babies. Don't dawdle so you can be down front."
They nodded watching as Ratchet left. Then they turned and looked at the bug and dog. "These two are worth their weight in shanix," Sideswipe said.
The other two nodded. Kaon had no opinion at the time.
-0-At the Prime Residence
Miler and Venture walked off the elevator pausing by the door to gather themselves together. This was a holy orn and the Prime was the First Disciple and fountainhead of Primus among them. This was an indescribably holy event and being this close to the Prime demanded the greatest decorum they could muster.
Entering as Rambler opened the door, they hugged him and continued hugging infants all the way to the living room. They sat down and exchanged chat with Kestrel and Tagg who were sitting with great expectation waiting while their son was in the other room.
"This is such a glorious orn, Kestrel," Miler said with a hushed voice.
He nodded. "I know," Kestrel replied. "This is only the second time I have seen him do this and with the AllSpark and other relics here too? I am simply overwhelmed."
Tagg nodded. "This is so true."
Prowl walked in and paused. "Hi. How are you this morning?"
"We are here to make amends," Venture said nodding.
Prowl nodded. "Okay. Optimus is taking care of some business. Do you need anything?"
"No," Miler said. "We're good."
Prowl nodded and turned looking around the room. Optimus came from the hallway and everyone stood including his genitors. Optimus paused and raised his servos. "You don't have to do this."
"We do," Venture said bowing his helm along with Miler. They stood until he found a chair sitting almost in self defense. It was then that the four genitors sat again. It was silent a moment, then Venture looked at Prowl who found a seat too. "Prowl, your ada and I were talking last night about something that happened when you were young and we wondered if you remembered it."
Prowl nodded. "Okay."
Venture felt a small smile overtake him, then quelled it. "Do you remember the time that you spiked the drinks at a party we held for the Governor of Vos?"
Prowl sat a moment, then glanced at Optimus with a slight look of concern. Then he turned back to the genitors. Nodding slightly, he sat straighter. "That was never established," he said.
Way the hell back when …
He sat in his room in the enormous apartment that was the family home in Praxus. It was a three story apartment in the 'Diamond District' or so it was called by those who couldn't go there. His berth room was on the third floor in a building that towered into the sky. The view from his verandah was spectacular allowing a panoramic spread of the city that included the Academy of Sciences, the University and City Administration buildings.
He stared into the mirror that hung on the wall above the small desk that was his personal work space. It was as pathologically neat as the rest of his room, which in and of itself was beautiful. His berth was big and flanked by bookshelves filled with all manner of reading material. Images of his family hung on the walls but over his bed was the tapestry of their creation and the pantheon that was nearly a requirement to families who kept a strict practice.
His family did.
It was one of the few things that meshed between him and his genitors, their religious outlook. Everything else was a battle albeit a quiet war of wills. He was silent, even sullen and beyond their understanding. They were stern, even cold and beyond his.
At school, he was well beyond his peers, his educational prowess almost as fabled as his ability to out think even accomplished adults at more things than was considered normal. He had become a very controlled, very contained youngling and even though he was deeply handsome and very well placed in society, he had few close friends and no romantic attachments.
He didn't know how to be suave. He didn't know how to put himself out there to 'score' as the other mech younglings called it. He had no clue so he feigned indifference. He knew that he was pretty presentable. He looked in the mirror studying his face and overall appearance. He had learned to be fastidious and always looked amazingly turned out. His scheme was a combination of his family's preference for classical looks … black and white … and the dash of chevrons that played off the two tone look with a bright slash of color.
His wings were impeccable, the kind favored by mechs. They were single in design without the second lower wing that so many who were information models opted to include. His genitors were too conservative to be that daring. He himself was glad of it. It was one less thing to angst over.
He got up and walked to the french doors that led to the verandah. Opening them, stepping out, he watched the world go by from his aerie in the sky. The world was neater and cleaner from his vantage point. Down at ground level when one left the high caste enclaves, it was a lot less. It made him feel ashamed.
He turned and moped into the room pausing to look around. His school work was stacked on his desk waiting for him. He would finish it in good order. He had been skipped levels in his school, the finest private academy in the highly academic city and perhaps all of Cybertron. It had put the quiet uncertain deeply self contained youngling in with older mechs and femmes who didn't find him as fascinating as the school authorities did.
This mech was on the fast track to the University and high levels of authority some orn they all said. He didn't want to go there. He wanted to live out some of the stories that he collected, works of fiction about catching bad guys and solving crime. That is what he wanted. His genitors hated it.
That made him love it more.
A rap on his door broke his moping. He turned and sat at his desk grabbing a datapad into servo. "Enter."
The door opened and his ada walked in looking at him with a coolness that overlaid a sense of desperation. Miler wanted to hold and hug him. He wanted to tell his son that he loved him, that he was proud of his achievements, that he hoped Prowl would tell him things that were important.
Of course, he didn't.
Miler and Venture were raised differently. Their families were very wealthy and powerful. They had sent generations of their own into distinguished public service. Venture was the most influential and important economist on Cybertron. Miler was the greatest theoretical mathematician ever produced by Cybertron. Somewhere in between, they hoped their mystifyingly wayward youngling mute would find his own niche. It was a narrow spectrum they realized but it was what their family did.
They themselves had even bonded without meeting each other first. The families were great friends so it was done. That it turned into a very great love story was not assured at the beginning.
"Prowl, we are going to be entertaining in the great room. We would like you to come down and present yourself for a moment. Then you can come up here again."
Prowl looked at his ada in the mirror. He looked the most like his ada in overall paint scheme. His atar was more black than both. Miler was a perfect balance of both. He also had door wings for his format as did Venture. All of them did. It was the mark of their caste that they would have a chance to work with information that they had them. Lower castes with fewer options seldom did.
"I was hoping I could skip that."
Miler considered that and knew it wouldn't be possible. Decorum demanded that he appear even if only for a moment. "I would like you to come and be there a moment, Prowl. Your a very much remarked about and admired youngling among our set. It makes me proud to have them see what a fine youngling you have become."
Prowl stared at his ada's reflection in the mirror in front of him noting his nervous servos. His ada didn't much like their life but this was it ... their life. You did what you knew. He resigned himself and nodded. "All right."
Miler looked slightly relieved, then nodded. "Thank you, son." He hesitated, then turned and left.
Prowl stared at the doorway, then turned to look at a table nearby. His chemistry equipment was there ready to help him in his studies. He grinned slightly and pulled open a drawer on his dresser. Taking out a small vial, he subbed it. Sitting back, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was extremely handsome, intensely brilliant and bullied at school. Even with all his self defense capacity, he didn't use it. He was perfecting an icy stare and manner that would be his preferred shield. He would only condescend to use his fists and feet when nothing else worked.
He waited until his father called him down, then he went. Before he came up, he would spike the drink bowls with his vial's contents. The party wouldn't last much past that moment, everyone coming down with nauseated tanks. His genitors would have their suspicions but they wouldn't act on them.
It surprised him forever that they didn't. It also surprised him how much it didn't make him feel better afterward either.
He was a complicated youngling mech …
"And that is what we think happened, Prowl. Do you care to elaborate?" Venture asked as everyone including Optimus stared at Prowl with amazement.
Prowl on the other servo wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
-0-TBC August 5, 2013
(It was fun listening to Keisha sing "Crazy Kids" while writing Prowl's vignette.) :D