The Diego Diaries: Expansion (624)
-0-At the hospital
Ratchet sat on the med berth in the specialized separation suite where most of the infants in the community would begin their lives. Everything that might be needed including rescue protoforms were available for any situation that might come up. The lights were low, the sound of soft music in the background added a nice touch as they waited. Prowl sat on a heated chair while Prime sat next to him on another. He rested his servo on Prowl's arm as that bot sat quietly, his optics off line.
Ironhide and his genitors along with Wheeljack and Perceptor stood or sat in chairs around the rather large room talking quietly together. The door opened as Venture entered followed by Miler, Tagg and Kestrel. They had been drawn out of class to come, their energy anxious and expectant. Miler who had been at the Trigger walked to Prowl and knelt. "How do you feel, son?" he asked softly.
"Fine," Prowl said glancing at his ada. The rest of them crowded around peppering Prime and Prowl with questions.
Outside in the corridor, friends and family began to congregate. Kup, Hercy, Springer and Drift found seats, then settled in for the duration. "Nice to see the Prime having a private life," Hercy said as he folded his arms over his chassis. "Wondered when he and Prowl would get together."
"They were pretty sad in the courtship. Ratchet sort of shoved them together," Kup said. Then he explained the prank that preceded that happy occasion.
Hercy chuckled. "Most of ya don't know but Prime has a great sense of humor when things aren't so bad."
Springer nodded. "I know. He's got more angles than most know about."
Several more bots walked down the corridor and paused to get the word so far. It wasn't much. The process was only beginning.
Inside, Tagg was patting Prowl's arm. "What does this mean then, Gypsy?" he asked turning toward the little femme and her team who specialized in separations.
Kestrel nodded. "Is Prowl going to be alright?" he asked anxiously.
Optimus reached for his ada's servo and squeezed it. "We are on our second sparkling, Ada. We have a wonderful team to manage this. We will be fine."
Gypsy nodded. "Everything is happening very well, Kestrel. Prowl is among a small percentage of individuals who don't go through a long process to separation. If we had the big databases on Cybertron, we could plan this to the last second but we don't. However, we are gathering information and data with every separation. Prowl will be fine, I am sure."
Tagg nodded, then took Kestrel's servo. "Maybe we can sit and wait with you."
Two mechs stood and gave their chairs to the two as another hurried off to get them something to drink. Both sat, the strain evident. The door opened as Bluestreak walked in, a look of expectation on his face. "Hi. How are you feeling?" he asked as he knelt down beside Prowl.
"I'm fine. They said it should be fast," Prowl replied squeezing Blue's servo. "If you could see to the little mechs..."
"We have a plan in place," Blue said as he turned to look at the grand genitors. "Are you alright?" he asked. They reassured him, then Blue moved to sit on the floor next to Prowl. "The twins are outside. We're so excited about this new sparkling. A femme is such a sweet infant."
The conversation continued lightly punctuated by groans. Prowl who wasn't given to weakness or public display had decided to swallow the owies if he could. It would be interesting to see how long it would last when the big separation pains began.
-0-The Hourly News, IntraComm, Channel 9, the news and documentary channel
"This is the mid orn report for Autobot City and the outlying environs. We have received word from Ops Center that Sub Commander Prowl, Second-In-Command of the Autobot Armed Forces and bond to the Prime has begun the separation process for the second Primal infant in Cybertronian history. There is relatively little news at the moment and no confirmation beyond what I have just expressed but we have been assured that when more information is available it will be given to us. In other news ..."
-0-In the corridor, Metroplex Elder, Femme, Youngling and Sparkling Hospital, Autobot City, Mars
A large number of friends, colleagues and comrades of many a dirty foxhole waited together, laughing, telling stories and jokes as they stood and sat together. Lon crouched by the door to the suite, sharing a space with several other mechs. He listened to the stories and considered how much he loved his colony, his colleagues and the sense of belonging that had come to him when he decided to change his life. He had been enveloped by the others, almost all of them lower caste than he was and it had been his redemption.
His family was high caste, well known in Tyger Pax for their engineering genius and wealth back on Cybertron. Running all those years hadn't been the deciding event that changed his life. Coming here to find safety had done that. They were finally secure. His genitors and two brothers had started a private engineering firm after working in the Colonial Community Development Department for a year or so.
When he told them that he wouldn't be going to college or working in the firm, they were aghast. They were also aghast that he had decided to become a 'policeman'. It was an alien decision, one that they discussed with him at length. They didn't tell him he couldn't do what he decided upon. They hoped that the experience would change his mind. It didn't and as he grew to become proficient, they began to change their mind.
He had been taken into the company of mechs of substance, mechs of experience and wisdom. His family had met most of them including Springer and had come to the conclusion that Lon was on the path best suited for his life. They were as proud of his tattoos and his growing skills as a mech-at-arms and protector of the colony as he was.
It had been a huge thing for his family to accept his decision and support it. As he sat laughing with the mechs who mentored him, he was as happy as he could be. Down the corridor Sunstreaker and Sideswipe walked stepping over and around the mechs and femmes that filled the corridor. Reaching the door, they stepped around Lon and entered.
"Sunny's probably coming to give Prowl tips," Drift said with a grin as the door closed behind them.
"I dare you to say that to his face," Springer said with a chuckle. "How incongruous was that, him sparked?"
"Nice word," Drift said with a grin. "Incongruous."
"It is isn't it? I'm not just the sum total of my looks," Springer said as gagging sounds and snark greeted that remark.
"When I heard Sunstreaker was sparked you could have knocked me other with a feather," Kup said. "He was the last one I would have expected. Mech needed to get the plug."
Retching and gagging sounds resounded again as everyone turned to Kup. He looked at them with a gimlet optic. "Get plugged. Its easier than getting sparked."
"Why would you need that? I've been fragging around for eons and I never got sparked," Twin Twist said with a grin. "Some of us don't need that crap."
"Yeah, because some of you are shooting blanks," Drift said as he dodged a kick.
"That's my mech you're kicking," Springer said with a grin. "And what do you mean you don't need fixed up? Anyone can get sparked at any time."
"No we can't. Maybe you can but not me. I've been fragging forever. Most of us have," Twin said as half the mechs in the corridor nodded.
"I'll remember that," Kup said chomping on his stogie once more.
"You better," Twin said nodding.
"You younglings think you know it all," Hercy said as he sat with his arms crossed over his chassis. He looked as if nothing in the world was a problem for him. "Remember that when you find out you sparked someone and have a problem on your servos."
"Sparking happens when you merge, right? Just don't merge," a youngling mech said who was sitting nearby.
Kup looked at him, then shook his helm. "You can spark half a dozen ways and it isn't predictable. Consider Prowl. He didn't know he was sparked until halfway through."
It was quiet a moment, then the youngling grinned. "How come you never sparked? Are you fixed?"
Kup looked at the youngling, then grinned slightly. "Yep. My old Ada never raised no fools."
Laughter erupted for a moment, then it settled as Sunstreaker stepped out for a moment. He paused looking around. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing." -Everyone in the hallway
-0-Inside
Prowl stood slowly and walked to the berth. Ratchet helped him on board as Gypsy began to plug all of the connections into the panel on the berth. He lay back relaxing even as the pains began to come more swiftly. Prime rose to stand behind him, holding Prowl's helm in his servos. They stood silently talking together internally as the moments crawled past.
"This will be wonderful when its over," Kestrel said anxiously. "This will be the first little femme designation in our family history."
Tagg nodded, then glanced at Venture and Miler. "Mine too."
"We have never had a designated femme either. If this baby is as wonderful as the twinnies and Hero, I don't know how I will be able to survive the loveliness," Miler said with a smile. "I can't wait."
"I can't either," Tagg said. "It will be good to be over."
They watched as Gypsy put the warmed gloves on her little servos, then turned to Prowl. The lights dimmed even further as orderlies began to assemble the screens to block off the view as per the family customs of Prowl. The grand genitors rose and moved to stand around the edge of the screen to watch while those who were forbidden merely watched as the drama began behind the screens.
Ratchet moved to stand with Ironhide who was watching from his perch. "Prowl is doing a good job stifling himself. We now know its possible."
Ironhide snorted, then grinned. "Mech is tough."
Ratchet nodded as they watched the screen, listened to Gypsy's calm instruction and the whispered words of grand genitors. Prime for his part was silent, his gaze focused on Prowl. Movement indicated that a protoform was being readied, then the tiniest of tiny weeps could be heard.
"Oh, Orion! She's so pretty!" Kestrel said.
"What a beautiful baby!" Tagg was heard to say. "So lovely!"
Miler could be heard whispering to Prowl as he stood at the front of the berth. Prowl could be heard agreeing. He sounded pained and tired but he had made no sound during the whole process.
"How is he and the infant, Gypsy?" Ratchet called out.
"Perfect infant. Prowl did a stellar job," Gypsy said.
"Of course he did," Ratchet replied with a hint of snark.
Optimus turned to look at Ratchet with a grin. "Loser," he said.
It was the right comment for the right moment.
-0-Bluestreak
He stepped back into the hallway where Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had fled earlier, then grinned. "We have a femme!"
The corridor erupted in cheers and laughter. There would be celebrating in the old town tonight, that much was clear. Standing nearby waiting, Jacx grinned. "Bluestreak."
The winger who had been enveloped by Sideswipe turned to the news reporter. "What?"
"What can you tell us?" Jacx asked.
"Not much. We observe Praxian customs but the infant is a femme, she's beautiful and Prowl is fine. Optimus is so happy and so is the family. In three orns, we will hear her name and get to meet her but until then no one outside of immediate family can."
"I'll let the colony know. Does Prime want to add a comment or two?" Jacx asked.
"Not at the moment. He's just relieved and happy," Bluestreak replied.
"I'll let the colony know," Jacx said as he turned to go.
He would.
-0-TBC February 15, 2014. Edited 2-16-14