The Diego Diaries: Football Schmutball 1 (558) edited
-0-Morning at the Homestead, Apartment 24/25, Mare Tranquilitatis, et al...
Everyone sat at the table noshing madly. The Day of Days on the High Holy Calendar of !FOOTBALL! had arrived so the twins had delivered the infants and Bluestreak to Ratchet and Ironhide. Leaving to go to their locker room and whatever footballers did pre-game, bearing the blessings and hope of the genitors, the rest settled in. The door opened again with newbies entering to exclaim over infants. Mirage and Jazz parked themselves. "I can't stay long. I have stuff to do but I want to be here in the pre-losing run up," Jazz said with a chuckle before getting nailed with pillows and various toys that were handy.
Ratchet glanced at Ironhide who sat with Prowler on his lap. "Grand Central Station has nothing on us."
Ironhide snorted. "Tell me what I don't know."
The door opened again. "We're here." Old Hercy and Kup wandered in followed by Lon, Springer and Drift. "Sit down somewhere, old mech," Springer said. "Since I'm family, I can say stuff like that."
"Is that so?" Kup said sitting down next to Ironhide. Hercy looked at the infant sitting up on Ironhide's lap, the one grinning madly at him. "That sparkling looks like Prowl."
"That sparkling is Prowl's shadow," Ironhide said proudly. "Old mech had a fever when he made the protoform. If the next one looks like Optimus, then we'll have a complete set."
Ratchet laughed aloud. "You give me ideas, Ironhide."
"Oh slag," Ironhide said with a grin.
The door opened again. Venture, Kestrel, Tagg and Miler stepped in followed by Tie Down, Ravel and Appa Ratchet. "Hi. We heard the party is here." Behind them on a leash, Dawg waddled in after spending the night with the grandgenitors who were debating getting a pet of their own. He was their trial run. He walked to the window and after a moment enduring licks and the bouncing around of Spot, he collapsed into a big puddle on the floor. A huge vented sigh signaled the end of his participation in the waking world. Spot stared at him, then settled beside Dawg resting his helm on his paws, his optics watching everyone around the room.
They all settled on their chairs and couches, then the door opened again. Blackjack, Alor and Flint walked in, exclaimed over the sparklings, snagging several, then sat. "This is where the elite meet to eat?" Flint said with a smirk at Ironhide who had to move over to allow others to sit. His sparkling was bouncing on the knee of his ada so he couldn't say anything. Alor would have clocked him if he tried.
TODAY WAS CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL DAY! HANG THE PROPRIETIES!
Then the door opened again.
"What the frag?!" Ironhide asked to no one who was listening or to anyone else who could have but chose not to because no one cared.
Like that.
Bumblebee entered and grinned. "Aid is on the game list for medical. I thought I would come and hang out here until game time. I heard Lon was here." He greeted his pal, then both scrunched onto a couch.
Then the door opened again. Prowl looked inside, then paused. Pulling a camera, he took several snaps, then subspaced it. "Don't you look compacted."
"Slagger. Get in here. We don't have enough mechs in this room," Ironhide said.
Prowl snorted, then stepped to one side. Elita, Jetta and Arcee stood in the doorway looking in. "Mind if we come inside?" Arcee asked with a smirk.
"If you can. Ironhide, get the shoe horn out," Ratchet said with a grin. They all entered, Prowl standing. "I have to go in a moment. The guests of the nation," he said with a slight cough, "should be finishing up breakfast. Then Starscream, Rainmaker, Silverclaw and Nitro are going to take them on a tour of Aerie Hill and the new construction. That should take them to game time."
"Sounds like fun," Ironhide said with a grin. "Starscream should make them cry. When is Soundwave due?"
"We're getting him in a joor. What we need to do now is parcel out the younglings," Prowl said.
"We will take the trine infants," Miler said glancing at Kestrel and Tagg who smiled and nodded. "We can also get your little mechs and Miracle. We'll get all of them to the game and parcel them out there. Right Ravie? Kes?" Both sweet mechs smiled and nodded.
"We will keep your sparklings and Sunspot," Tie said nodding to Ratchet. "That will leave who?"
"Old Hercy," Ironhide said. "Who gets him? Old mech might get lost."
"I'll wrangle him," Kup said chomping on his stogie.
"SINCE WHEN, YOUNGLING!?" Old Hercy asserted.
Snorts around the room took care of that. Lon who was sitting next to Bumblebee with a worshipful look of joy on his face at being included in a familial bull session with legends perked up. "We can help can't we, Bee?" he asked glancing at his best non-Watch friend.
Bee looked at him like he was out of his processor, then glanced at Ratchet with real actual fear on his face. Ratchet grinned. "That would be outstanding, Lon."
Then the door opened. Wheeljack trailing Perceptor stood on the threshold, then grinned. "Wow. Looks like a refugee ship hold in here."
Snaps were had when both sat.
That got all the love it deserved, then they were squeezed in. Ratchet looked at Jetta and Elita who were enjoying themselves just a *SMIDGE* too much. "Where's Magnus? I think we have a spot for him under the table."
Arcee chuckled. "He's somewhere. I think he's part of the group showing the smart afts Aerie Hill."
"Oh joy. Lucky them," Ironhide said.
"That's my mech you're talking about there," Arcee said smirking at Ironhide. "Elf."
The room paused a moment, then all optics landed on Ironhide. "Frag that," he said with a slight smirk.
"What about it, Prowl? You arrange the duty schedule," Arcee asked with a grin.
Ironhide looked at Prowl, a fellow Praxian, with a severe astronomically jaundiced optic. It didn't matter. "Elf," Prowl said with a smirk.
The amusement level in the room woke Dawg up so he added his own jaundiced optic to the mix, then closed both to snore once more.
Football, schmutball.
"Jazz and Ironhide. Will they be enough or should I volunteer Magnus?" Arcee asked as innocently as she could.
Prowl looked at Arcee and did the math. "Yes," he said.
That won universal approval from all in the room. Then the door opened.
Again.
Neo and Laret holding Fifi walked in and paused. "My. The party appears to be here."
"Join up. We're having door prizes later," Ratchet said as he watched Drift and Springer bring chairs from other rooms like good son(s-in-law). Everyone settled. Then Ratchet grinned expectantly. "What's going on that needs to be told? Inquiring processors need to know."
Everyone looked at him, each other, then shook their helms. "Nothing." "Nope." "Don't know anything. I came here to find stuff out." "Don't ask me." "I'm afraid, Wheeljack." "I don't know nothing." filled the air for a moment.
Ratchet shook his helm. "Slaggers."
Everyone grinned. They knew better than to tell anything to the Mad Doctor of Floor 24. Ratchet sat back. "Today is a day of days. Today my younglings are going to rise to the occasion and slag the Poseurs of Praxus back to the beginning of the beyond."
Nothing like stirring the pot. Two can play at that game.
Everyone glanced at Prowl who sat with a textbook expression of serenity on his face. Pausing a moment, he turned to Ratchet. "Excuse me. Did you say something?"
The place nearly burst into flames.
-0-In a tower nearby, number four to be exact, Mare Tranquilitatis
They heard the knock, then Slacker opened the door. A number of mechs bearing trays stood with the head of the Guard detail. "Breakfast is here," he said. Then he led the way inside. The parade of mechs followed walking to the dining room nearby. Setting their trays on the table, they put dish after tray after warmer on the side boards that lined the walls. Moving the empty trays aside, they began to set the table for three. When the elegant place settings were go, they nodded to all and walked out. The Guard turned to them and nodded. "Bon apetit." With that, he turned and walked out closing the door behind him.
They stared at the door, then each other. "Elegant, our Prime," Slacker said. Then he turned to the spread. There were dishes he had never seen before but they smelled incredible. They would eat and drink like kings on Cybertronian dishes and an array of breakfast items from Earth including something that was called 'eggs benedict'.
The wines and hot drinks were equally up to the task.
-0-On the Military Air Field
Security was in place, waiting as the Trigger would be dropping Soundwave off in the center of that vast space. Prime was due there in moments as well as his handpicked delegation. He told those already there that he would be by after touching base with Ratchet and Ironhide.
-0-At the apartment
The door opened. Optimus accompanied three younglings and a small toddler who ran in whooping and hollering. Then they ran into mechs and nearly fell over. Younglings and toddlers already there began to whoop and holler back, digging their way through legs and bodies toward their buddies. Hugs were had, then every sparkling and youngling stood smiling enormously at each other. The black and purple sashes of Praxus Science gleamed on the little mechs and Miracle as they stood in a group in the open space that was left.
"Don't they look handsome?" Prowl asked with one optic firmly fixed on Ratchet.
"They do, whiner. Can't say I like you having them wear rags in public though. It doesn't reflect well on your parenting skills," Ratchet said with a smirk.
"You are such a loser," Prowl said with a smug grin. "A complete loser of the Iacon type."
Half the room who was from Iacon looked at Prowl with a gimlet optic.
Then the door opened.
-0-On the Hallelujah Trail
"And this is our main domicile," Starscream said as the group trailed by Elite Household Guards stared at the glittering magnificence of the Great Aerie of Aerie Hill. The main structure was spectacular and beyond it were several others, all of them curving slightly to allow for the contour of the terrain, community and safe landings. The population came and went, Seekers transforming in air to land on their balconies in the manner they would have on Cybertron. But the buildings that housed them there were not on this scale, nor were the amenities contained therein.
"That is our Medical Center," Starscream said nodding toward a gleaming five story building nearby. "Our elders and our youth have facilities in that building," he said nodding to another that carried the same design and construction theme and elegance as all the others. "We offer opportunity and options for all our people. I could tell you the number of lawyers, engineers, doctors and teachers we now field in this colony but I don't want to bore you with details." He grinned. "There are any number of other things to bore you with," he said as he turned to walk on. "Most of them involve the delusions of former high castes."
Slacker smirked, then followed. The others did too along with Magnus who was slightly disapproving and Rainmaker who was having a big laugh internally. Silverclaw who was more used to this merely carried a large grin on his face.
The tour continued onward.
-0-At the Homestead in the Clouds
"Hi," Caro said as he peeked inside. "Do you mind if Mars, Tyro and I come here until the game? Payload and Bulkhead are helping at the game until it begins. Something about tweaking something."
"Come in. Bring the family why don't you," Ratchet said with a snicker. "We can't have too many in here today. We're trying for a Guinness World Record on stuffing an apartment."
Howls met that as the three came in and a toddler was placed among the sparklings. Hugs, pats and tip overs accompanied that motion. The newcomers were accommodated on chairs, then everyone looked at each other. Almost as one, cameras came out of subspace and flashes filled the room.
Then the door opened again.
-0-Decepticon Headquarters, Kaon, Cybertron
Soundwave stood in the command center checking out data on the orn from all the different places he received it. Behind him grim faced, his Chiefs of Staff and Security waited. Their black armor with white flashes, their tattoos and Deceptibrands were impeccable. They waited with barely concealed aggravation as Soundwave got things organized for their brief visit into the heart of their personal and professional darkness, the Primal Colony of Mars.
Soundwave signed off on a datapad, then gave both mechs a nod. Turning, they walked to the door and wove their way out of the building to the main square. The coordinates were specific so they complied. Standing still, they waited stoically for the explosion of energy to appear. That it would here in the heart of Decepticon territory would be bad enough. That it would be specific to the dead center of Kaon itself was worse.
The swirling energy of a space bridge appeared, then settled. For a moment, the three just watched. Then they walked forward into the loudly howling funnel shape. It winked out and chased them all the way back to Mars.
-0-At the other end
Prime and his senior officers waited along with Watch mechs including Drift, Springer and Lon. Kup was along for the ride too including Hercy who loathed Soundwave like fury. When the space bridge burst into sight, they all turned toward it to wait silently. The city behind them and the air field all around them went about their business but for this one corner. It was secured against the arrival of slaggers, first class.
They stepped out, then paused. When the bridge disappeared, Soundwave stepped forward followed by his staffers. They paused before Prime. "Optimus Prime," Soundwave said in his low slightly guttural voice.
"Soundwave," Prime replied.
Soundwave turned to his mechs and made the introductions. "This is Lebus, my Chief of Staff and this mech is Shackle, my Chief of Security."
Nods were had by all, then Prime gestured to Prowl. "I have asked Prowl to take your staffers on a tour of our Ops Center and other points of interest while you and I take a walk around on our own."
"That would be unwise," Shackle said glancing sharply at Soundwave.
Soundwave considered that, then nodded. "Very well," he replied glancing at his companions. "We will meet up at the stadium for the game I am supposing," he asked looking at Prime.
Prime nodded. Prowl stepped forward and considered the two. "Come with me," he said, then turned heading for the Fortress. They both hesitated, then followed, a portion of the guard in attendance.
Soundwave and Prime watched them go, then Prime turned to his guest. "Let's take a walk," he said. Soundwave nodded, then turned to follow alongside of Prime. They headed toward the sidewalk that lead to the prisons and camps beyond the city, the rest of the guard following.
-0-Prowl
He entered the fortress, two Decepticons in tow. There were curious looks but nothing too big. Many was the time Decepticons entered to talk to senior staff, then detail the brand off for a new life. It didn't occur to anyone that this pair wasn't in that category.
Prowl led the way into Ops Center, the two following, looking around as they did. Halfway through, he walked to a conference room and paused. "After you," he said.
They nodded, then entered, Prowl closing the door behind them and himself. Sitting around the room were Jazz, Elita, Jetta, Mirage and half a dozen other officers including all of the femmes of Elita's team. Jazz stood, then extended his servo. "Welcome to Autobot City."
Both of the two relaxed, then extended their servo. "Good to be here." Lebus looked around at the group nodding to those he had met on Cybertron when Elita's team with Jazz had come to do intel. He and his own had made sure they left the planet to go back. "Good to see you again," he said with sparkfelt emotion.
"Ditto," Arcee said with a grin. "How's the underground coming along?"
"Soundwave would throw a rod if he even had a clue," Shackle said with a grin. "Let us tell you about it."
They sat down with Prowl and the two mechs told them.
-0-TBC December 19, 2013
Notes: Anon: Thank you for the Deadlock/end fiasco. I get them flipped. Drift/Constructicon. :D
Also, I am dealing with a three month old (tops) kitten that actually chewed into a bag of catnip and got so high she's still flying around Saturn on this her second day. I should be glad I only have to listen to caterwauling, watch her dry hump the chihuahua and look dazzling (in her own mind). She could be throwing up. Thank god for vets on speed dial. It's going to be a horrible next few until it clears her sinuses. Pray for me. :D:D:D