The Diego Diaries: Strategy 3 (431) (The names of the new mechs in the story are a salute to Australia) :D:D:D edited

-0-Night in The City

They walked along the street checking store fronts and the alleys between buildings. A gang of younglings were happy to play chase with them and they were happy to chase.

"This is fun," Smokey said as he walked beside Lon. "Sort of cat and mouse as the humans say."

Lon nodded. "I love it. I like working at night. A lot of drunks but not as much traffic as day shift."

They chatted as they followed Kup and Springer. Drift followed along behind with a grin.

-0-At the Bosom of Love

"Ironhide."

"What?"

"Where's Praxus?"

"He's hiding, the little slagger. I am trying to fetch him." (grin)

"Grab him. I have Orion in the tub."

Ironhide glanced under the table to spy the little mech who was crouching under it. "Come here, you."

"ATAR! COME GET ME!"

Ironhide considered the complete sentence, then grinned. "Come here."

"NO!" (intense shrieking with laughter)

"Yes."

"NO! ADA COME GET ME! I HIDING!"

A moment of silence was greeted by Ratchet peering around the corner. "That infant is talking pretty clearly."

"He is. COME OUT OF THERE!"

Praxus looked at him, then scooted farther back. Ratchet looked at Praxus, then walked over and held out his servos. Praxus ran to him and hugged his Ada's neck when Ratchet straightened up with him. Praxus looked at his old man. "ATAR IS FUNNY!"

"Praxus is a doofus," Ironhide said as he followed Ratchet to the wash room. Entering, he watched as Ratchet dumped Praxus into the aluminum tub that he had gotten from the hardware store. Orion who was already there smiled brilliantly. "PAX!"

"Orion!" Praxus said with a giant smile. "Swim!"

Ratchet knelt and began to wash them with everything at hand sans bottle brush, then stood them on a bench. A squirt of the hose brought them to shiny perfection. Wrapping them in towels, he handed them to Ironhide. Looking down, Ratchet smiled. "Your turn, Princess."

Hero who as standing by the tub holding a wash cloth to 'be helpful, Ada' smiled. Putting the wash cloth down, she looked at the tub. Putting a ped up, she tried to hoist herself over. Before Ratchet could reach to help her she fell over and disappeared into the suds. Everyone stared as she stood back up sputtering. "Ada. I fell down."

Ratchet struggling to control his laughter glanced at Ironhide who looked like he had been hit with a baseball bat. "Will you save her or will I?"

Ironhide moved and bent down taking the little wash cloth. Gently wiping her face, he stood again. "There. Sit down, Hero before you fall again."

She smiled at him, then carefully sat. Ratchet handed Orion and Praxus back, then knelt. "Let's get you clean."

She smiled and raised this arm or that, this leg or that, standing, sitting, bending over … she did it all, then got her rinse on the bench. "Ada … that was nice."

"Thank you." (grin) "You look very shiny, Hero."

"I like the pool."

"I saw that in an old movie. Everyone was washing themselves in tubs. I think tub toys are required," Ratchet said as he wrapped her in a towel.

"I like toys, Ada," she said, her tiny face the only thing visible in the towel cocoon.

"I do too, infant," Ratchet said handing the baby to Ironhide. "SUNSPOT! BATH TIME!"

Running peds could be heard as Sunspot came. He paused to allow Ironhide to pass laden with babies, then entered. "I LIKE THE TUB, ADA!"

"I do too," Ratchet said as he watched Sunspot climb into the big basin. He sat down and looked up at Ratchet with a smile. Ratchet knelt and began to clean the infant. "I heard that you get to write to a pen pal in Earth."

Sunspot's smile faded. "I have to do this. The human's name is Mike. He lives in London."

"I see. I heard that they chose kids from a lottery all over the world and the ones who get to be pen pals were from a lot of countries."

He nodded. "I don't like this, Ada."

"I know. Maybe we can help you. You, Atar and I can do this together. I bet after a while you will find it easy to write when you learn something about them."

He was silent a moment, then looked up at Ratchet. "I'm glad you can help me. I don't know what to say."

"We will help you," Ratchet said with a nod.

Sunspot raised his arm for a scrub. "Okay," he said.

Ratchet worked on the infant, then hosed him off. Wrapping him in a towel, he walked out and paused. Sitting on one arm of his chair, all three infants were chatting with Ironhide telling him of their orn. "Time for bed."

"In a moment. I'm catching up on the news," Ironhide said with a grin. "Might miss out on what they had for lunch yesterday."

Ratchet snorted, then sat on the couch making room for Spot. Sunny still in his cocoon smiled at his dog. Spot licked his face, then lay down happily.

"And then I got to swim," Hero said with a smile.

Orion who was looking at her smiled gigantically. "SWIMMIN'! SHE GO SWIMMIN'!"

Praxus nodded. "SWIMMIN'!"

"What was she doing, Praxus?" Ratchet asked with a grin.

He looked at his ada. "SWIMMIN'!"

"Are you sure?" Ratchet asked, his amusement at his son's speech intense.

He smiled brilliantly. "YES! SHE SWIMMIN'!"

-0-Several floors above them

The little mechs were wrangled, then herded to their berths by the S.I.C. of the Autobot Armed Forces aka Ada. As they ambled off with grins and whoops Optimus watched them as he lounged in his chair, Miracle relaxing on his chassis, the warmth of the Matrix soothing him. It was quiet a moment with only a few hysterical laughs and shouts from the corridor. Then Miracle looked up at his father. "Atar."

"Miracle."

"I go?"

"Go where?" (grin)

"You. I go you?"

Optimus looked at the sparkling blue optics of the infant in his arms. Miracle was modeled on his own frame and features with touches of Prowl and the little mechs added. It was like looking at himself made small. "Where do we go?"

Miracle considered that, then lay back down. "I go you."

Optimus grinned. "Okay," he said.

Venture and Miler had left earlier. His own genitors were in class and would spend the night in their apartment nearby. It was easier to study there without the distraction of lovely babies all around them. It was quiet in the room but not so quiet he couldn't hear the soft footfalls of Prowl returning. He looked at Optimus, then grinned. "Do you want to hold him or does he go in the bin?"

Optimus grinned. "In a moment. Sit with us."

Prowl moved to sit beside the two. "The infants get pen pals. We will have to help them figure out what to write. Apparently, their pen pals come from Russia, Poland and America."

"Sounds interesting."

They sat together talking quietly until Miracle fell fast asleep. It would only be then that they would drop him into his little bed and tip toe out again.

-0-Elsewhere

The little girls stood beside the toy box watching as their ada put their things carefully away. There were toys that taught, helped with physical development and others that were just fun, fun, fun. Their dollies were already on their shelves. Their shared doll house was already picked up. Their little electronic toys were in their little closet. Uraya's room was cleared up. Now they were finishing up with Iacon. Someplace nearby, Atar was helping Kaon put to rights his own room.

Sideswipe stood at the door watching. "Conferences are coming shortly. I hope nothing happens so we can all go."

Sunstreaker glanced at him, then nodded. "I know. They're going to be slagging awesome." He finished, then closed the lid to the box. Pausing, he looked at his daughters who were looking up at him with smiles. "Are you ready to recharge?"

"No," they said in unison.

Sunstreaker snorted, then stood. Reaching down, he gently picked up Uraya. Holding out his servo, he waited as Sideswipe kissed her gently. Turning, he walked to the crib where Uraya slept swaddled in the finest bedding that a dedicated ada could find on two worlds. He put her in and tucked the blankets, giving her the dollie she slept with. On the wall nearby was a pantheon tapestry he got for her at Full Circle, the Circle of Light co-op store in Terra. One was on the wall in Kaon and Iacon's rooms too. There was also a big one over their own bed. Sunstreaker wanted the best. He sought it out for his infants and bonds or made it himself. "Sleep, baby."

She smiled at him, then watched as he turned to walk to the doorway. The lights went out, the window tint was dialed down and the night light switched on. Turning, Sunstreaker paused. Bob and Dawg were looking up at him. He grinned, then turned reaching for Iacon. "Come on, Iacon."

He walked to her room, Sideswipe following. Kissing his daughter, Sideswipe watched as Sunstreaker tucked her in too. They turned to go and followed the same routine. Bluestreak walked from Kaon's room. "He's good to go," he said passing the two to enter Iacon's room. A round of kissing, tucking and smiling was completed, then they walked out to the living room to flop down.

Bluestreak looked at the twins. "Did you hear the rumors about Hot Rod?"

"No." -both twins

"He's chasing after Smokescreen and Devcon's grandson, that cute mech named Smokey." -Blue

Both smirked. "That sounds like trouble." Sunstreaker relaxed. "This might get entertaining."

Sideswipe nodded. "Hot Rod was a real slagger sometimes with other mechs. Frag them, then dump them. I'm not surprised Smokescreen and Dev are upset."

Bluestreak nodded. "It gets better. Smokescreen is Praxian."

They both looked at Bluestreak then grinned. "Good. I hope he invokes. I don't want to be the only slagger on Mars who got fragged by your crazy rules," Sunstreaker said. Bob moved to lean against him relaxing against the leg of his god. Sunstreaker patted his lap, then Bob moved hopping up to curl into a small ball next to Sunny.

Dawg wandered over to his bed and made himself at home without ceremony. He was that awesome.

"My culture is ancient and honorable. Smokescreen and Devcon have the responsibility to act if Hot Rod is going to be an aft." He grinned. "I like Roddy. But I would frag him too if it was Kaon or the girls."

"No doubt," Sunstreaker said with an edge. "Maybe we can start a betting pool."

"It gets better. On the way home tonight from Ratchet and Ironhide's house, I saw Smokey walking with Springer, Drift and Kup. That youngling Watch mech, Lon was there too."

"Was he being arrested?" Sideswipe asked with a grin.

Bluestreak snorted. "No. It looks like he joined them."

"Good," Sideswipe said as he took Blue's peds into his servos. He began to rub them as Blue relaxed. "I want to be there when Dev slags Roddy to the Pit."

"You and me both," Sunstreaker said with a grin. "When do you have duty, Blue?"

"In two orns. I'm heading out to Enceladus."

"That's fragged. At least we have the bridges," Sideswipe said.

They all nodded. Then The Hourly News came on.

-0-In another part of the city, the Hospital at Metroplex

A-cee stood by the bedside of his bond. They had grown up together, having been best friends all their lives so the bond was an easy step. They had not been separated on Cybertron. They were Diaspora infants. When the Decepticons came to their settlement they were forced to join. If they worked as 'Cons, their genitors and younger siblings were allowed to merely work hard and not fight. They had stepped up even if they did so filled with dread and fear.

They were Decepticon Miners, two mechs who had to do the scut work and drudgery. They were dedicated to doing their best so their families would be safe. It was thankless, hungry and scary where they had been. It got much worse after Galvatron arrived to control the sector. That maniac had gotten bored, then began 'battles' like those at Kaon with his father. They were lopsided, cruel, often fatal and the most dreaded thing facing all of them in an all around terrible place.

It had undermined their willingness to continue as minions of a corrupt regime. When the brutality threatened all of them, Barc and a few others stormed the prison and searched the base to find everyone. They took ships and left. His bond had been beaten senseless and was in a very bad way. He had spent the entire time on ship trying to be the 'man' of the group taking care of them even as he held his bond's helm in his lap most of the way. D-cee hadn't been self aware the entire time.

Now he had been helped by real doctors, was in a real hospital and he had slated in the hospital logs a few repairs of his own. He had been starved, had protoform wasting and was traumatized deeply. He was also the most well of his family, D-cee's and his own. So he figured out how things went and tried to understand how he could go from the Pit to the Matrix in only a few orns.

The guide had shown him the city, explained the routine, told him to get well before working, showed him the apartment he and D-cee would live in, the way the economy worked and a lot of other things. It was dizzying. He had stood in his apartment and thought he was hallucinating. He had gone to the Mall of Metroplex and after wandering through the Grocery at Metroplex alone and in a daze, a staffer helped him look around. He also helped him fill a bag with his choices which he took to his apartment and hid in cupboards and under the big berth. He had stood outside his door for a moment almost afraid to enter when he had returned fearing that the space would not really be theirs. He did and it was still theirs, a reality that had shocked him deeply.

Now he was at the hospital waiting for D-cee to come out of stasis. He was going to be alright the doctors had said. Given their fear level, the danger they had survived and his own burden of responsibility he tried hard to believe them. When D-cee and their families were on their peds, then he would believe it.

Until that moment came, he would sit in a chair and wait. The night deepened as A-cee sat holding his bond's servo. It would be a long lonely night.

-0-TBC September 13, 2013