The Diego Diaries: Aftermath 1 (416)
-0-Around the city
Ratchet stood in his office reading reports from his myriad department heads, aid stations, the several different hospitals and the schedule of work ahead. There were going to be elder clinics held in each city to go over the health of their seniors and schedule repairs, upgrades and activities that would allow them to be more fit and well. There was the annual infant physicals in the schools as well as screenings for speech, optical and other problems that could be managed or squared away with instruction and/or medical intervention. There were also physicals for the armed forces including the Home Guard. The data teams and their leaders … doctors, medics and students from the University both in Education and Medicine would be very busy soon.
Ironhide had left with Blackjack to meet with Wheeljack and Perceptor over the problem of Insecticon surface entrances appearing here and there on the still emerging underground map of their meanderings over the centuries. Alor took Prowler and headed off with Flint to help him gather his gear for a return to Fort Apache, his command out in the mix.
Prime and Prowl sat together watching the human's media response, organizing their own as well as gathering intel on the new migrations which were starting to appear on the sensors. There were two, one big and one bigger. The first appeared to be a mixed military group, Decepticons and Autobots. They appeared to be flying ahead of a huge civilian group protecting them with their weapons and combined sensor capability.
Another group, Decepticon in orientation was passing in the space between Cyclonus and Paragon heading their way directly without diverting even slightly to one or the other of their confederates. They were determined to come here and Starscream was given the task to meet them at the solar well for a parlay. All of their current problems were delegated and well in servo it seemed.
Bluestreak walked in and sat at the table with a small datapad in servo. Handing it to Optimus, he grinned. "These are preliminary photos from the shoot that could be candidates for the colony's Christmas Surprise card for the humans."
Optimus took it with a grin as Prowl joined him to look. The images were beautiful. The kids were standing, sitting or playing against a pure white background. The background was so simple that it made the infants even more prominent. They sparkled, they were so detailed. The first one was all four of them standing in a group. Orion held a dollie, Miracle a ball, Praxus a rubber duck while Prowler was braced holding on to a pure white cube while staring at the camera, all of them with giant smiles. They looked like miniature versions of Ratchet, Prime, Prowl and Ironhide.
"Oh Primus," Prowl said with a smile. "I want them."
"You can have the images," Bluestreak said. "Sunny is going to be giving all of them to all of us."
"No," Prowl said glancing at Bluestreak with a grin. "I want them. All of them."
Optimus and Bluestreak snickered, then they looked at the others. Some of them showed the four sitting together side-by-side as Orion read a book. They were listening to him as he held his book upside down. They were shown sitting on little John Deere tractors, rocking horses, chairs around a little table eating cookies, playing with dollies and blocks, talking to each other intently as only little kids could and playing with Bob, Dawg and Spot. It was astonishing how photogenic they were.
"I think Ratchet has a point," Optimus said with a grin.
"He does," Prowl said with a grin of his own. "Its on the top of his helm."
Even the mechs at Communications chuckled over that remark.
-0-Infants
It was outside recess so they all wandered the playground, their hats and coats mandatory. The orn was brightly lit but the breeze was blowing dropping the temperature nearly to the Forbidden Zone, the temperature which made inside play mandatory. -10 degrees was the lowest temp they could play without covering. -35 meant coming inside clothed or otherwise. It was -15 outside as they ambled around playing on toys and chasing each other.
Orion stood in a new jacket, one with a Rat Fink hot rod image on it. His hat had holes for his finials and Rat Fink ears. He stood at a swing and watched as Praxus tried to climb aboard one. An aide came to help him, pushing Praxus as he laughed. Nearby watching, Han smiled. He liked Praxus greatly. The two were good friends. Orion on the other servo was his nemesis bot(let) and the two tried to avoid each other since the Rumble In The Sandbox(tm).
Turning to walk to the outdoor sandbox nearby, he paused to look at Han. The two stared at each other, then both walked to the sandbox to step inside. Toys, buckets, spoons and other implements were laying about for play, so they took a spoon and bucket a piece glaring at each other as they walked to their own space. Digging away, they began to fill their buckets. Pouring them into a pile, they began to compete to see who could make the taller pile. It would take a while.
Miracle was playing with Olo, Mimi and Bleu. They were chasing each other staring over their shoulders as they laughed hysterically. Heading toward the sandbox, they paused together at the edge to watch Han and Orion digging. Stepping inside, they got their own tools and began to help.
That was where it would all go wrong.
-0-Out there
They flew onward passing the point of departure for the two forts that were Decepticon as they headed for the signal of the Prime that had led them to defect in the first place. They'd been a shuttle service between Cybertron and the outer edges of the Inner Empire. It'd been deadly dangerous for them to leave but they gathered their families, friends, some civilians who were being hunted by Soundwave for their skills at various critical industries and fled. They were chased for a while, but the pack finally gave up to head back to Cybertron.
They flew onward taking on two more Decepticon ships before making a beeline for the Prime. They were aware of Cyclonus and Paragon. Both had sent them messages to come. They weren't prepared to do that. They couldn't trust either commander to let them live. They were pinning their hopes on Optimus Prime and the rumor floated throughout the Empire by the Seekers that this was not only a safe haven for those who were weary, but a full fledged Cybertronian city of some substantial population that would allow them to live with dignity and safety among their own kind.
It was a no brainer.
They would reach the leading edge of the Oort Field and eventually the solar well itself. They formulated a message and sent it ahead hoping against hope that what they'd heard was actually true.
-0-Playground
The femmes worked together to fill a bucket, then dragged it toward the nearest pile of sand, that of Orion. Heaving it, they dumped it on Orion's pile almost topping it. He now had a pile with two tops on it from the slightly off kilter efforts of Mimi and Olo. They stood side-by-side in their little coats and hats staring at the pile. Olo who wore a yellow coat and pants with a duck hat complete with optics and a beak leaned down to try and push the sand hills together. Mimi who were a denim jacket with pants and ear flapped wood cutter hat with an image of Bambi tried to help, too.
Orion who was working nearby stopped to watch them. They pushed and pushed making it sort of one. Then they all smiled.
Bleu smiled, too, pausing with Miracle from helping Han to notice the pile.
Clapping their servos, the infants smiled at each other, then turned back to the task to make it higher. Orion was delighted with the help.
Mr. Roto and his aides who were watching were pleased with the sweet interactions. So they returned to their conversation to discuss the afternoon's activities together. They would miss the beginning of the fracas altogether.
-0-Dinobots, oh my!
"Me, Grimlock not like climbing."
"Whiner." Xantium looked at the tiny bots all of whom were climbing through the hills with him near the Valles Marineris. They were out for their morning run through the jungle as it were with the bot who was charged with making them work for it.
Kappa had Swoop, her boon companion and all around tweety bird. He sat on her shoulder as she went through her orn, his harmless chatter amusing and sweet to her audials. Xantium, her nearest and dearest would tease her about the tiny bot stealing her affections but at spark Xantium liked Swoop, too. He was the least offensive of the group.
"Get your aft in gear, boys. We've only just begun."
"Me, Snarl not going one ped further," the little bot said glaring up at Xantium.
"You, Snarl will go. You, Snarl will get my ped up your aft if you don't. You know the drill," Xantium said leaning down to peer at the tiny bot's face.
"Me, Snarl hate you."
"Me, Xantium don't care."
They stared at each other, then Snarl continued onward. He would bitch the entire time.
Grimlock would join him but even he would run out of crabby remarks after a while.
Xantium on the other servo would enjoy the outing with a big grin on his handsome face
-0-Playground
Han turned to dig in a fresh spot for more sand. Orion turned at the same time to the same spot. They paused looking at each other. Frowning slightly, they both bent down to dig and bopped their helms together. Rising, rubbing their helms, both stared at the other. One clad in Rat Fink couture, the other wearing a Spiderman coat, pants and hat allowing finials to poke through glared at each other. At the same time almost as one they bopped each other on the helm with their shovels.
Pausing to rub their owies, they both looked around, came to the same conclusion and began to dig sand to pour onto the other.
Standing nearby watching with alarm, Olo, Mimi, Bleu and Miracle stared. Every thought and ideal they'd been taught to be good little bots was transgressed by the two little hoodlums trying to bury the other in the sandbox.
-0-Neo and Laret
They stood in the infant nursery after feeding, then putting into cribs for naps the three newest sparklings in the school. Their little names adorned their cribs, a perk of the school. Every infant had their own crib for the duration of Sparkling Day School. The two femmes delighted in the infants and the other fifteen who were already taking their prescribed nap. It was dark in the room, the energy there incredibly gentle as the two tucked in and patted the babies into recharge.
Nearby filming the scene, Leonora Huttle stood on her segway watching as the pair took care of the babies. When they had all they needed, they quietly left after waving to the two femmes. Heading to the door, they sped to the playground to film the older sparklings who were just having recess. The playground was filled with infants clad in a colorful array of outer wear and hats. Her own suit protected her from temps as low as -400 degrees which was greater than temps in vacuum.
Heading toward a conglomeration of infants at the sandbox, they found a spot and began to film. They got there in time to see the little femmes and Miracle join Orion and Han. They would also be there to film the entire event as it unfolded.
-0-Moments later
A tiny pat of someone's servo on his foot alerted Roto. He peered down and saw Mimi, Olo, Bleu and Miracle looking up with distraught expressions. He knelt. "What?"
"Orion, Han," Mimi said pointing to the sandbox.
Roto nodded, then handed the four to his aides. Hurrying over, he halted at the edge of the sandbox. Two infants were slapping each other with shovels even as they stood somewhat buried in sand. Their peds were covered to their ankle assemblies and their clothes were shedding sand as fast as they could pile it on. Pausing now and again to slap each other with their plastic shovels, they continued to dig up sand and pour it on each other. It would take Roto grabbing their shovels away to make them become aware of his presence so intent on battle were the two.
They looked up at him, his frowning face, the aides holding distraught infants, then each other. For a moment they stared at their servos, then both looked up and burst into bright smiles.
Roto who nearly fell over from amusement girded himself. Gripping one in each servo, he shook them gently so the sand would fall off. "Nice try, boys," he said with a chuckle as he began to walk back to the school with the pair.
The others followed behind.
Leonora who was howling with laughter with her crew on their segway hurried off behind them. They would all disappear inside together.
-0-At the C.M.O.'s office
:Ratchet:
He glanced up from his work. :Ratchet here:
:Ratchet, this is Roto. Can you come to the school?:
Ratchet blanched as much as a metallic entity could. :Uh, they got into it again?:
:I'm afraid so: Roto said, his chuckle spilling over the line to Ratchet.
:Uh, okay: Ratchet said as he sat back and tossed his stylus onto his desk top. :IRONHIDE!:
:WHAT!?:
:Orion is in the dog house again. Meet me at the school:
:Oh frag. On my way: Ironhide looked at his atar. "Orion got into it with Han. Will you come?"
"Do you want me to hold your servo?" Blackjack asked with a grin as he rose from the chair where he was sitting to help to design a deterrent for the Insecticons.
"I might," Ironhide said as he paused the design pad for a moment.
The two walked out together heading for the school in Terra. As Ratchet, Ironhide and Blackjack did, so did Heva, Revo and his ada. Apparently, Revo needed his servo held, too.
-0-TBC August 31, 2013 edited 7-6-14 12-04-2022