The Diego Diaries: Aftermath 3 (408)
-0-At the conference meeting
Prowl glared at the others, all of whom were having a good time at his expense. "I won't ask you where to put the championship trophy then," he said before more debris reigned down on his helm. He sat back and grinned. "You can't make me feel badly."
Chuckles and heckles met that, then they sat back relaxing. "Anything more on the agenda, Prowl?" Prime asked as he held Prowler up on the table, the infant pushing with his tiny peds, his chuckles musical. "Like I care right now."
"Noted," Prowl said with a grin. He looked over the agenda. "Ratchet has to go to Earth tomorrow and have hearings with the United States House of Representatives' own Intelligence Committee." He looked at Ratchet coolly. "Try and find some."
"Gotcha," Ratchet said with a smirk. "Where do I go on Earth?"
"Diego Garcia," Prowl said. "The set you will be talking from is constructed and it will show the base to its best advantages."
Ratchet nodded. "Is that all?"
"No. There will be a couple of interviews and you will guide newsmen around the place giving them the slag they need, not what they want." Optimus replied. "I want it short and sweet. We can go over the list of off limits topics and questions that can not be answered. Blame me and my decisions on them. I will be linked in when you are on."
Ratchet nodded. "I will confer." He grinned. "Did you hear the latest slag going around about Bay's new movie on us?"
Groans and swearing rounded the room. "Oh slag. Don't tell them," Ironhide said.
"What?" Jazz asked with a smirk. "Are they raising me from the dead?"
"Worse," Ratchet said. "Word has it that I get killed early and you, Optimus, use my body to make … wait for it … Grimlock!"
It was dead silent in the room. Dead silent.
"What the frag?" Mirage asked none too delicately.
"It gets worse. Apparently, Drift is in the movie but he dies early," Ratchet replied.
They looked at him, then all of them turned to look at Drift. He was sitting calmly next to Springer, his usual bemused expression firmly in place. "That would make you, Ratchet, Jazz, Wheeljack/Einstein, Ironhide, Megatron, The Fallen, Starscream, Shockwave, Soundwave and a bunch more who escape me in the dead bin too. Who the frag is he going to abuse this time?"
"Well, I trolled the internet and there is speculation with very few confirmations. Apparently, the Wreckers are still in, Hound is now in, there might be Sunstreaker and the bad guy is someone called … wait for it … Galvatron," Ratchet replied.
The silence was deep before everyone exploded. The conversation escalated, then settled. "How does that fragger know about Galvatron? I didn't tell him. None of us did," Springer said with a growing sense of fury building in his normally calm processor.
"He got it where he got the other stuff," Ratchet conjectured. "What bothers me is his cavalier abuse of us for his films. You remember the umbrage that Cliffjumper still has about Prime and that show is respectful."
"It is and Cliff deserves it," Wheeljack said with a grin.
Everyone agreed, then turned back to the problem at servo ... kicking Michael Bay's aft. After serious discussion about sending Grimlock to Earth to actually be in the movie thereby saving Ratchet's sorry hide, Optimus calmed the waters by explaining he would make the phone call himself. They sat back ruminating on the new intel and no one was happy. Further discussion on all manner of things continued, then they all stood. Making their way out, the group dwindled down to the usual suspects. As they sat chatting a rap on the door caught their attention.
Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stood in the doorway. "We want the infants. We have the rest going to IntraComm in a studio where I'm going to be taking a few thousand images of them. We will take the older kids back to school when we finish but the sparklings will stay with us. Okay?" Sunstreaker asked.
"Do we have a choice?" Ironhide asked with a grin.
"Nope," Sideswipe said walking to the head of the table to purloin the sparkling. Prowler smiled an enormous smile and patted Sideswipe's face. "Atah!" he said in a happy tiny voice.
The twins glanced at him, each other, then the group sitting to watch them. "He's talking."
"Little mech is making words. I don't know that he understands them but he knows everyone compliments him when he does," Ironhide said.
"Then you're saying he takes after me?" Sideswipe asked as he kissed the infant's cheek.
Abuse met that statement and they bantered a moment before the twins turned to leave. When they were gone, everyone looked at Ratchet. "You are a menace to decent society," Prowl said. "Those pictures are going to be a joke."
"No, they will be the biggest talking point at Christmas on Earth that they will have," Ratchet replied leaning forward to press home the point he was making and he did have a point. "You must never underestimate the power of children among even disparate groups of aliens. They love our babies."
"Who would not?" Optimus asked with a grin.
He had no opposition to that remark.
-0-Later. All around town.
Ironhide and Ratchet ambled home heading for the barn. The kids were in school and they had the rest of the orn off pending disasters in the system and Earth to horse around.
And they would.
-0-Elsewhere
Prowl sorted out the slag on the huge dining table in the penthouse as he caught up on the upkeep of the Residence. His neat freak sub routines were kicking his aft and he indulged a lifetime of square corners and everything in its place for a moment or two. Optimus was lounging on the couch with the remote in his servo as he searched for a movie. They had down time.
For now.
The genitors were either in school or going window shopping for 'something that we need for a window, Prowl … you know … like that little stained glass prism we had in the window of the living room in the apartment in Iacon.' They left the meeting with determination to recreate as much of Prowl's younglinghood for the little mechs to see as they could. Kestrel and Tagg were in school. Optimus was intensely proud. He glanced at Prowl. "That can wait you know."
"No it can't," Prowl said as he put the last of the slag in the proper receptacle/drawer/dumpster. Turning, he walked in and sat down next to Prime. "What are you watching?"
"Anything. You have a preference?" Optimus asked slipping his arm around Prowl's shoulders.
"Nope," he said as they worked their way through the channels of which were about 875 counting those from Earth. They settled on catching up on episodes of The Bridge.
-0-In another place having 'fun'
Springer walked with Drift to the apartment. When they finally arrived, Drift paused. "You look pissed."
"I am," Springer said standing by the monitor to check their messages. "I don't like the idea of you being used in a movie and getting killed. I remember Ratchet and Ironhide when they killed him in the last one. That didn't set well. Losing Jazz in the first one didn't either. Bay has no respect."
"No," Drift said walking to the kitchen. He opened the frig and pulled two Praxian Black Label 'beers' handing one to Springer. They clicked them, then read their messages. "Nothing happening but the court appearances. Do you want to go somewhere or stay in until duty?"
"Stay in," Springer said still out of sorts. "I wonder if Ratchet needs security going with him tomorrow?"
Drift glanced at Springer getting the subtext. "Why don't we ask him?"
Springer took a long pull on his bottle, then glanced at Drift. "I think it would be a nice familial thing to do don't you? Helping my old mother along and all in his dotage."
"Some orn you're going to slip and say something," Drift said with a smirk. "That old mech invented sneaky."
"I look forward to it," Springer said with a nod.
They stayed in.
-0-At a studio at IntraComm
They gathered the infants in a large studio with three set ups for pictures. A set of cameras, some of them Sunstreaker's and others borrowed from IntraComm were laying nearby for easy reach. Sideswipe sat with the smallest infants as the others walked around following Sunstreaker who was getting things ready.
The door opened as Leonora Huttle buzzed in from an office nearby where she was working. She rolled to a stop beside Sideswipe who was sitting on the floor with the three little femmes and Kaon. Orion and Praxus followed by Miracle and the three mechs were standing behind Sunstreaker as he sorted through things asking him this and that as they watched him.
The door opened again as Bluestreak walked in with Bob, Dawg, Spot and Sunspot. That little bot ran in and looked around. He grabbed Sunstreaker by the leg and hugged him. Sunstreaker bent down and stroked Sunspot's wings gently. Sunspot looked up and smiled brilliantly. "YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU, SUNSTREAKER? I CAN HELP YOU!"
Sunstreaker chuckled. "You will," he said with a grin. Then Sunspot turned and saw Leonora. He froze in place. If he could have paled, he would have. Sunstreaker glanced at Leonora, then Sunspot. Reaching down, he took the youngling into his arms. "Sunspot, Leonora Huttle is a friend. Don't be afraid. I would never let you be around anyone who wasn't a great friend."
He clung to Sunstreaker, then peered fearfully down at Huttle. She was standing oblivious to the drama. Then he hugged Sunstreaker tightly. Sunstreaker swayed a moment, then looked at Sunspot. "I think it would be a great help if you would sit on the couch over there with the pets. Spot, Dawg and Bob need the company."
Sunspot looked at the three who were on the floor. Spot and Dawg sat side-by-side amiably while Bob huddled in abject submission as far under the couch in question as he could fit.
"Bob looks afraid," Sunspot said.
"He is. He's still a baby," Sunstreaker said. "You can help him by sitting on the couch with him and the others. When you're afraid, company helps."
Sunspot looked at them, then his brother. He nodded. "Okay. Can you help me get there?" he asked fearfully.
"I will," Sunstreaker said walking to the couch. He set Sunspot on it, then put Bob, Dawg and Spot beside him. "Thanks, Sunny. This really helps me."
Sunspot looked at him, then smiled. "I WILL HELP YOU!"
"You already have," Sunstreaker said stroking the little mech's cheek. Spirit and T-Bar ran over and clambered up arranging themselves among the pets and Sunspot. Then they settled down to watch.
Leonora Huttle, an extremely well-liked and appreciated human femme would have no idea that there was drama happening around her.
-0-A joor and a half later
Sideswipe left with Sunspot, T-Bar, Spirit and Rambler. They had been photographed in all three set ups, thousands of images from all angles taken by Sunstreaker in his obsessive artistically motivated desire to get all that he could from his subjects. When they were finished, they were hugged, given rust sticks and turned over to Sideswipe to deliver to school once more.
Leonora joined by Zeb the Camera Man, Michio Yamaha and Fig Figueroa, all three of whom were in the studio to do interviews for "Good Morning, Autobot City!" on human football v Cybertronian had ambled in to stay a while. They clambered onto the couches sitting between a mechanical Old English Bulldog laying on his back, his legs splayed as he snored loudly and a cowering but harmless metallic insect. They settled, then Leonora reached out to pet Bob.
He shrunk back, then paused allowing the human to pet him. He burst into purring startling everyone on the couch. They smiled and looked at him closer. He was small, covered in golden spikes and had several golden optics. He was gentle, sweet natured and completely fearful of things that were new.
:Sunstreaker, this is a great little bot. What is it and why is he so shy?: Leonora asked glancing up at the big mech who paused a moment to enjoy the humans enjoying Bob.
:That is an immature Insecticon: he replied. :We found him abandoned in Africa. I took him in. He's probably as big as he's going to get because he's a runt and probably kicked out for it:
:How big do they get?: Michio asked as he sat petting the bug. Bob moved closer and pressed against Michio absorbing the gentleness of his touch like the love starved baby that he was.
:They get huge, bigger than us. They're also incredibly strong. One can post hole Megatron given the right circumstances: Sunstreaker said. :I like him. He's helpless and abandoned. He is a great little mech and the kids love him:
Leonora nodded. :I can see why: she replied as she petted the baby bug. Bob wiggled in delight turning over to show his belly and the two little arms that were folded against his body when not in use. She rubbed his belly without judgment confirming to Sunstreaker that she was one of the handful of standup humans that he actually liked.
Sunstreaker nodded. :He's worth caring for: Turning back, he looked at the sparklings who were lounging around on a soft blanket playing quietly with toys. The door opened as Sideswipe returned. Bluestreak who was sitting nearby rocking Uraya nodded. "What do we do now, Sunny?"
"We do the sparklings one by one, adding one more each time until I get all four. I want the card image to be made on that set up," he said pointing to the one that was a simple white well lit unadorned space with several different sized white boxes for the infants to stand or sit upon. "Let's start with Orion." He looked at his camera. "I will be taking some with the dogs and Bob too."
That baby looked up at the sound of his name and smiled brilliantly when Sideswipe picked him up. Carrying him to the set, Sideswipe knelt. He put Orion in the center of the space at Sunstreaker's direction and handed him one of the dollies in a box nearby. Orion held it up. Sideswipe snorted, then kissed it. Orion nearly doubled over in his happiness.
"Orion," Sunstreaker said holding one of his several cameras. "Look at me, spud."
Orion turned holding his dollie in both servos. Then he smiled brilliantly noting the cameras. It would make a very fine picture indeed.
-0-In the bosom of love
They sat on their chairs eating the Cybertronian version of ice cream as they watched The Hourly News. A message came through to Ratchet. He answered. :What, Springer?:
:Ratchet, Drift and I are coming tomorrow as security:
Pause.
:Why?:
:Because you might need it:
:The base is the most secure on Earth:
:Humor me:
:Clear it with Optimus. I always enjoy the company of sexy mechs:
A chuckle reached him over the line. :Consider it done. See ya at the airfield:
:Done deal:
The line went dead so Ratchet sat for a moment enjoying the treat after a frolicsome interlude of Greco-Roman foreplay and a lot of whoopee. Between the laughs, the hammer locks and the fragging, the weekend was winding down in a very good way. Ratchet glanced at Ironhide. "Springer and Drift are coming with me tomorrow."
"Why?" Ironhide asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Ratchet replied with a grin.
"He's slagged at Bay," Ironhide said.
Ratchet nodded. "Bingo."
-0-TBC August 24, 2013 edited 7-4-14