The Diego Diaries: Aftermath 2 (549) edited
-0-The next orn
Ratchet hurried up the stairs to Acroplex who was fit enough to seat himself today on the carefully constructed, meticulously groomed pad waiting for him across the highway from Metrobase and Metrocon. The four would be off the main highway with major highway access both in and out as well as between them. It was simpler than having them in a straight line with the major highway running through them. This way there would be a certain charm to the arrangement and they would be across from each other. Good company was assured by all.
"Doctor. Good morning," Acroplex's deep voice said.
"Hey, Ace. Time to go to your pad today. We have a bunch of things to do but the others are really looking forward to you being with them," Ratchet said as he sat down at the main computer in the command center at last.
"And I, them," Acroplex replied. "Tell me what you need and I will do it."
"Good. Let's start with your life support systems then," Ratchet said beginning.
-0-Earlier
"ADA!"
"What, Praxus?"
"YOU GO WITH US? WE GO THERE!" He smiled brilliantly, hopeful that Ada would be able to go to school with them. The highways were rebuilt but the trains here and there were still off line though some of those unaffected were going on truncated runs. It would take another orn before the line to Terra was open and running again.
Ratchet picked him up, hugging and kissing his little doppelganger butt. Then he put the baby down. "In spirit, littlest only one."
The usual morning chaos was in full bloom as the infants ran in circles in anticipation of the ride to school. Sunspot sat on the couch holding his book bag with Spot by his side. Both of them watched with sweet expressions as the sparklings ran amok.
The door opened as Blackjack and Alor walked in. Chaos, squealing, hugs and kisses were had. Then they sat with Ironhide who was holding Prowler. "You look content. When is that sparkling going to school?" Alor asked as he purloined said sparkling.
"You need to schedule an appointment with Ratchet. A few screws appear loose in your processor," Ironhide said as he reached down to pick up Praxus.
"Such disrespect for your ada," Alor said with a grin. "Wimp."
Ironhide snorted, then glanced at his father. "No wonder I didn't grow up good."
Blackjack who had captured Orion merely shrugged. "I did my best with what I had to work with."
That received several pounds of 'love'. Ratchet walked out of the berth room. "Hi. Take them. They're yours. Including the big sparkling," he said nodding at Ironhide.
"You wish," Alor said with a grin. "By the way, when is Ace going to his platform?"
"If the defrag was as successful as I think it will be, this afternoon at earliest," Ratchet said. "By the way, I volunteered all of you to help at the classroom Christmas Surprise parties that are going to be held for all the sparklings. I will try and make it but I made sure you were included."
"That sounds wonderful. What do we do?" Alor asked.
Ratchet thought a moment. "I think you show up, help with little chores and exclaim over the younglings."
"I was born to do that," Blackjack said with a grin.
They chatted a bit, then Ratchet hugged, patted and kissed. When he was through with Ironhide, he did the same with the rest, then hurried out to get Ace on his peds again.
-0-On the road to school
They stood outside the school tower and waved Sunspot and Spot into the door. When he was inside, Ironhide transformed. Setting sparklings into the bed of his truck format, snapping them into the specialized hooks on the inside, Alor and Blackjack transformed too, Prowler safely in Alie's cab. Driving off, they joined the long slow line of traffic on the eight lane highway that led out of town toward the hinterlands.
-0-Out there
They met on a fragment of an asteroid that was floating free of the gravitation pull of anything that might impede or impair its wanderings. It was becoming a habit meeting here in the darkness of space to work out what to do about the massive imbalance of power and the threat of the Prime of Cybertron to their own plans for dominion.
:You came promptly: Cyclonus said, his magnificent format gleaming in its original colors and design. No sign of the Deceptibrand could be seen. His break with Galvatron who he was given over to 'watch' by Megatron had been epic and heavily punctuated with bullets.
:I did. Did you see the latest video from the leak?: Paragon asked as he stood beside Arrow and his security retinue.
Cyclonus nodded. :Prime is building strength upon strength:
:He is. As he does, we eclipse. Even as we draw allies, Prime receives a flood. That would dictate a change of position regarding the balance of power in this region: Paragon said. :We are losing the arms race:
Cyclonus nodded. :We are. What do you propose?:
:We need to make an alliance together, display a benefit to Prime, then strike a bargain with him. Even as we draw Decepticons to our ranks, he is winning the race by margins that are detrimental to our continuance if he decides to clear out the sector:
:And what would you suggest?: Cyclonus asked.
:The pirates. We annihilate them or give them a choice ... submit to us or die: Paragon said grimly. :That would prove a worth to Prime and allow refugees to pass through here in all directions without the possibility of being raided. The pirates are making forays out into the paths they use to come here:
Cyclonus nodded. :There is that:
They stood together talking for half a joor, then both left to go back to their respective bases. They both were more than aware of the masses moving toward Prime on their sensor screens. They were more than aware that there were enough pirates in the region to make a strike against them all up and down the line and on separate fronts if they chose so.
Listening to comm traffic on ship lines, they were preparing to do so.
-0-Mid orn
Bluestreak stood at the intersection waiting for the lights to change. His shift was over so he headed toward the Fortress. Everyone was working yet so he went to kibitz. The game was in two orns all things being equal and he himself was going to be happy that it was. Between Prowl's desperate hope that his team could break the longest losing streak in Cybertronian football history (No wins. Ever) and the bonds' desperate desire to elevate Kaon to something more notable than greatest number of homicides in a vorn and wide spread prostitution, he was exhausted.
He crossed walking with the crowd as they went wherever civilians went when they were out and about. He reached the intersection of Metroplex 1 and Fortress Road, then paused. Traffic was heavy as the business of business carried onward. A huge library dome was appearing over the top of the Fortress, a communal archive and place of learning for everyone. It would be a go-to place for the infants. The trine would see to it.
Down the road he would cross, one would reach prisons and prison camps, some of which were diminishing as inmates petitioned to be released into the population. They were being filtered out in bunches, the most likely first as the Former Decepticon Association mentored them out. No one was allowed to forget how big the planet was and how hard it would be to find the body parts of anyone who came out to screw around.
The light changed so Bluestreak crossed walking to the Fortress to enter. The rec room was buzzing with chat and after a word or two here and there he entered Ops Center. Walking to the table, he sat. Prowl glanced up nodding. "Hi."
"Hi," the good natured bot replied. "What's going on?"
"Acroplex is going to join his siblings in half a joor. Metrotitan was just tractored by three warships to the shipyard for major repair and the Hu-An reproduced. There is an infant, male I believe. Don't ask me how they did it but we are happy for them. It is a beautiful infant apparently and they call it Mars-Alan. I believe they put the planetary name to commemorate his birth place and his clan name next. They don't get a permanent name until they pass their first separation orn."
"That is wonderful. Have you seen it?" Blue asked with a smile.
"No. No one outside of family does for about three decaorns. Apparently their home worlds are filled with tropical diseases and the like."
"Sounds Praxian to me," Bluestreak said with a chuckle. "I just visited your genitors. You should see the little hoodies and hats they have for the infants. One of them is a hat called a beanie. It has a little propeller on top of it."
Prowl pondered that, then nodded. "Why?"
"Because its cute," Blue said with a smirk. "Sometimes there is no 'why'."
Prowl rolled his optics. "If you say so. Where did I fail with you, Bluestreak?"
Blue snorted, then grinned putting his peds up on a chair. They would sit chatting and the half joor would pass. Then they would go outside to watch Acroplex, a sibling in the mid range of age in his family, the greatest shot among them hence, 'Ace' walk to his platform and sit for the duration of time because it was his greatest delight.
Time flew.
-0-RTR Tools after school let out
They stood together wrapping presents. Sunspot stood on a stool in front of a table filled with very fine boxes, bags and tubes of polished steel that would hold knives, swords and tools being packed for pick up. The orders kept coming. They kept working. It was Heaven.
"Grandatar, where do you want this one?" Sunspot asked as he took the carefully wrapped box holding a knife for a Home Guardsman into his little servos.
"How about in the middle shelf, youngling. That one over there on the pick up wall," Tie Down said nodding to the wall by the showroom door where stacks of presents and finished products were kept for the buyers to come fetch them.
"Okay," Sunspot said carefully stepping down. He walked purposefully to the shelf and set the box carefully there. Turning, he walked back purposefully, climbed his stool, then picked up another one. "Grand Atar, where does this one go?" he asked as he looked at his hero.
"I think that can go next to the one already there, Sunspot," Tie Down said with a smile.
"Okay," Sunspot said as he climbed down again. So it would go until closing time. Spot lying on a pillow nearby watched Sunspot walk back and forth as he lounged. The infant would not be off his sensors.
Ever.
-0-A half joor later
The scorched smoothed pad for the giants was clear of all sight of them but for one. The magnificent figure of Acroplex in ship mode was all that was left. Several miles to the north east of Autobot City, the gigantic figure of Metrotitan sat silently in the shipyards. They had once occupied the land where the Temple now sat but had been moved some time before when city expansion had inhibited the Trigger construction somewhat.
Three former Decepticon battle ships had fixed their tractor beams upon him and with incredible precision and no small amount of strain, they had lifted the ship towing him around all the inhabited areas to the flat open expanse of the Autobot City Shipyard. Its proximity to the hangars and all that tech was perfection.
Now all that was left was getting Acroplex to his site. Ratchet who was standing nearby with a meter discussed the last transformation of the mission with Metroplex, Fort Max, Base, Con and Wheeljack. Ace who was revving up his vitals added the 'go' and it was. Slowly, carefully, Acroplex began to transform.
The city, the humans, all who could crowded windows and streets to watch a miracle of construction grow into a tall handsome mechanical mechanism of astonishing complexity. When he stood up and the last few things fell into place, his shadow would stretch from the pad to the new library behind the Fortress.
"You are go, Ace. Allow Base and Con to guide you in. Jetta is going to give you the coordinates. Let him help you with the seat," Ratchet said.
"I understand. Thank you, Doctor," he said looking down at the tiny bot who was his lifeline to health and agility. Looking toward the area he was scheduled to go, he grinned. "Thank you, Ratchet for helping me get back on my peds. I feel better than I have in orns." He looked down again. "What is the word on Titan?"
"We will work on him in stasis now. The virus is gone," Ratchet said.
Acroplex nodded, then vented a soft sigh. For him. "Thank you. I will go now." With that, he turned and began the slow process toward his new home, a jaunt designed to make as little damage occur as possible.
They would mostly succeed.
TBC December 10, 2013