The Diego Diaries: FOOTBAWL! 4 (404)
-0-On the way there
He ran down the hallway heading for the locker room after a scramble down the stairs and through the masses who were making their way out of the stadium. The mayhem in the arena was still going full force as the Kaonian fans, the Kaos Krew as they were known were tearing up the place in their mad happiness to be in the final game. Ironhide was behind Sunspot as he ran through the crowds heading for "(HIS)MY BROTHERS, ATAR!"
Spot giddy upped behind the little bot as he wove his way into the corridor that led to the locker rooms. He paused by a crowd who stood in front of the door to the one for Kaon. Staring up with his fists clenched in intense excitement, his smile as bright as a nova, he looked at the bots there. "I CAME HERE TO SEE MY BROTHERS! MY BROTHERS WON THE GAME! ARE THEY IN THERE!?"
Several bots looked at him, then one knelt. "Who are your brothers, infant?" he asked.
"MY BROTHERS ARE SUNSTREAKER AND SIDESWIPE! DID YOU SEE THEM!? THEY RAN SO FAST AND THEY THREW THE BALL INSIDE THE HOOP! THEY SCORED POINTS FOR KAON! THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE THEM! THEY'RE MY BIG BROTHERS!" Sunspot was quivering with emotions as he looked at that bot and all the others.
"They're inside here, sparkling," the mech said standing. He gripped the door and pulled it open.
"THANK YOU! MY ADA AND ATAR SAID ALWAYS TO USE GOOD MANNERS!" Sunspot said in his almost incapacitating joy. He turned and patted Spot. "THIS IS MY DOG, SPOT! I LOVE HIM AND HE LOVES ME! WE WANT TO SEE MY BROTHERS!"
"Go inside, sparkling," the mech said gently. The mechs watched them slip inside, then grinned at each other. "What a cute little kid," the mech said. The entire group nodded.
-0-Inside
He stood by the door looking around. The mechs were sitting around the room, several of them smiling to each other as someone told a joke. The atmosphere was one of pride, disbelief and the release of anxiety. Everyone turned to the door where the youngling and a watchful dog stood. Sideswipe sat forward and peered down the row of mechs. "Sunspot," he said with a smile.
That was when Sunspot burst into tears.
-0-At the Prime space
They stood watching as mobs of Kaon fans ran down onto the field to tear around and exult. Kaon had never made it to the finals. They were very good and almost did a few times but never to the big one. This was the greatest dream and biggest hope for a hard luck town that had ever happened to them. This was the first time they had counted for something besides cheap labor and cannon fodder for the armed forces. They were the champions of the orn and maybe they would win the trophy for their hardscrabble, no luck, down in the dumps city-state and town. The Prime party would be a while getting out and appear on the jumbotron from time to time as they inched ever closer to the stairs nearby. Ironhide had carried Spot and Sunspot out to the stairs because the tiny Seeker had to "SEE MY BROTHERS, ADA!"
-0-Inside the locker room
It was silent but for the sobs of the tiny Seeker that Sideswipe held in his arms. He swayed gently back and forth with Sunspot as everyone watched. The room was silent, the bots solemn. Ironhide entered and paused. "Little mech is overcome."
Sideswipe nodded. "I think so. He came in and just burst into tears."
Spot who was sitting beside Sunstreaker rested his helm on that bot's knee. Sunstreaker was petting him absently, a very soothing thing as he sat watching Sunspot with intense optics. His ada button was pushed. "Sunspot," he said quietly.
Sunspot turned and looked at him tearfully. "SUNSTREAKER! YOU WERE SO WONDERFUL! YOU AND SIDESWIPE DID SO GOOD! I KNEW YOU WOULD WIN THIS GAME. I KNEW KAON WOULD WIN THIS GAME!"
Sunstreaker rose and walked to Sideswipe. He stroked Sunspot's wings gently. "We did didn't we."
"YOU DID! YOU WERE SO GREAT!" He looked around the room. "YOU WERE ALL SO GREAT! I LOVED THAT YOU WON THIS! I LOVED THAT YOU DID!"
"We can see that, Sunny," Sideswipe said kissing the infant's cheek.
"YOU WILL WIN THE BIG GAME! I KNOW THIS! YOU WILL WIN IT, YOU AND SUNSTREAKER!" he said before bursting into tears again. Sideswipe hugged him as he swayed.
Ironhide shook his helm. "Little mech is so happy he's falling apart."
"He is," Sunstreaker said stroking the infant's wings. "This was a good orn for all of us."
"You did good, all of you," Ironhide said. "Your Krew is trashing the stadium."
They looked at Ironhide, then one of them turned on the monitor nearby. The scene of riotous joy was amazing to watch as the underdogs of all time became kings for an orn.
"Wow." -consensus opinion in the room.
-0-Outside
The humans rolled along getting a bit of preferential treatment among the forest of legs and appendages of the massive mechanisms all around them. They passed the gate and made it outside pulling over to allow some of the 200,000 plus bots to move past. The road to the city was packed as two arenas and the airport began to wind down and discharge their audiences back to reality-ville.
:That was awesome. I want to be here for the final game: Figueroa said as they watched several families with kids walk by, the younglings looking at them with interest.
:You and me both: Lonnie Epps said. :I don't know about the rest of you but I'm coming: she said to great laughter.
They entered the stream of bots heading in the direction of their habitat and moved off together. It would take nearly an hour to get there.
-0-Outside the door to the corridor leading to locker rooms
Ratchet stood holding Orion who sat on his arm smiling at everyone as he held up his dollie for anyone within the vicinity to kiss. Some did as they passed. Others chatted with Ratchet and the family, complimented the sparklings and moved with the flow. By the time that Ironhide and the twins stepped out of the locker room the crowds were thinning out a tad. Sunspot lay in Sunstreaker's arms and Spot was in Sideswipe's as they turned with Ironhide to leave. The slow meander to the street and beyond would take a long time.
-0-Later in the Mare Tranquilitatis
They walked in the crowds, some of which turned down the pathways to the apartments that lay before them and into the distance. The commentary was funny and continuous. Humans buzzed by and they waved, Hu An separating for their habitat in the other direction, individuals going on duty and Watch mechs and femmes meandering among all of it to help everyone get going. The odd group of Watch would pass through them escorting over energized Kaon fans from the Kaos Krew, all of them yelling to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker their love and appreciation.
The twins grinned and yelled back as they disappeared into the mob with smirking police escort. They continued onward to the apartment building and flowed in with the locals heading upward on separate elevators. The party would be at the Residence so the twins went with Ironhide and Company while Bluestreak went up with the twinnies, Kaon and Prowl's family.
Entering the apartment they relaxed for a moment, then walked to the windows to look outside. The mass of bots still leaving the arenas and airport was massive. It would be a while before they cleared out. Somewhere in the mix, Springer and Drift accompanied by a stern Maxi and her bond, a mellow grinning bot named Miche were organizing the dispersal.
That wouldn't count the fireworks that were expected over the city later that night. The second orn of festival weekend was awesome.
-0-Inside
The twins sat on the couch side by side, a pensive Sunspot standing between, a servo resting on one knee of each. Spot sat in front of him looking at the unsettled infant. Then he licked Sunspot's face. Sunny flung his arms around the dog and hugged him.
"You alright, Sunspot?" Sunstreaker asked as he leaned forward looking at the infant.
He looked at Sunstreaker and nodded. "I JUST KNEW YOU WOULD WIN! I WAS SO HAPPY!"
Sunstreaker nodded, then pulled Sunspot onto his lap. "We noticed," he said with a slight grin.
Sunspot snuggled against Sunstreaker. "YOU WERE SO AMAZING! YOU PUT THE BALL THROUGH THE HOOP AND YOU WEREN'T AFRAID OF ANYONE! IT WAS SO GREAT!"
Ratchet looked at Sunspot fondly. "Little mech has been a wreck all week worrying about the game. He knew you would win but he worried that you might get hurt."
Sunspot nodded. "I don't want you to get hurt."
Sideswipe looked at the little bot. "We aren't going anywhere."
"I don't want you to," Sunspot said with an emotional expression. "YOU'RE MY BROTHERS! I LOVE YOU!"
Sunstreaker pulled the infant closer to himself in a hug. "We love you too," he said in a very soft voice.
Sideswipe looked at Sunspot with an expression of sorrow and surprise. Glancing at Ratchet, he looked at him with concern.
"A work in progress," Ratchet said. "Odd things trigger. Insecurities learned over a lifetime don't disappear over night. He's going to be fine but time is his friend, that and us."
Ironhide looked sick, but nodded gamely. "Little mech is coming along really well. He just gets overwhelmed some times. This game and you playing in it is a big deal for him. He just wants you to win."
"We better win the next one," Sideswipe said glancing at Ironhide
"YOU WILL! YOU WILL WIN! I KNOW THIS!" Sunspot said glancing at his brother. "You and Sunstreaker are the best there is. I KNOW YOU WILL WIN!" He looked at Sideswipe, then smiled. "YOU ARE THE BEST!"
Sideswipe took him into his arms and held Sunspot tightly. The little Seeker would be sitting by or be carried about by one of the two for the rest of the evening.
A knock on the door and a smiling face peeking in changed the atmosphere as Ravel stepped inside. "There are our wonderful grandsons. You two boys were magical."
Sunstreaker grinned. Sideswipe smirked. "I was anyway."
That broke the tension. "Where is everyone else, Ada?" Ratchet asked.
"At the Residence. I was sent to get you," Ravel said reaching down to pick up Praxus. "Can I help you with anything, Ratchet?"
"Nope," Ratchet said. "I have a lot of porters already here," he said handing things to the big boys even as the tiny ones begged for a lift. Hero was Ratchet's and Orion was Ironhide's. Alor already had Prowler having snatched him earlier. They gathered infants, dogs, food and bottles of brew, then turned and walked out. Chatting their way to the elevator, they entered and rode up to the penthouse. Stepping out, they walked to the door, a noisy joyful collective.
Rambler who stood by the door waiting, smiled. "Hi! Bob and Dawg did really good, Sunstreaker. They lay on their beds the whole time."
Sunstreaker relieved that leaving them at the Residence turned out alright nodded. "I told you they would be good." He picked up Rambler and waited as everyone else passed him. When they did, he entered and the door closed behind him.
-0-Paragon
He sat watched the broadcast that played on the monitor. It had been a thrilling game filled with great play and unexpected comedy from the mini-cons. The crowds were stupendous, the after game commentary with the humans talking via audio transmission with Jazz and Blaster entertaining. All of it was entertaining. He sat with Arrow watching and listening as the game was broken down for the humans. So would the pirates, Cyclonus and Soundwave. Some of those would be getting a slightly doctored version of the broadcast. Nothing about the Primal images and the group around him would be explained or commented upon beyond naming the individuals. Seeing Springer running around the field chasing drunk mini-cons while Prowl stood beside Prime in the stands was intriguing to Paragon.
Intell was everything.
Even if in the end he would someday find out it was totally wrong.
-0-TBC August 21 2013 edited 7-4-14