The Diego Diaries: Swan 2 (667)

-0-In the night near the Metroformer District

He peered into the windows delighted with the view. Those inside had another idea of what they felt and they expressed it loudly: "WHAT THE FRAG!?"

Swan who had never had any other company but his genitors and the odd metro 'former passed in transit had no idea that the 'little mechs' inside were freaked out. He had as well no other form of housing but the holds of his genitors or a carefully genitor-crafted shelter, so in his oblivion he smiled in delight. He tapped the tower again. Then he heard it.

"Who is tapping on me?" a voice said in his audials over the comm line 'formers used between themselves. "Base? Look and see."

"It's Swan. What are you doing, baby?" Metrobase asked.

"Swan? Where are you? Come to me, son," Hydrax said over the line. Sensors that could be felt in Topeka, Kansas made a swift search, then found their object. "Come, Swan. You are supposed to play on this side of us."

Swan stood uncertainly, then turned to hurry back to his ada. When he got there he embraced one of the tall towers of his ada, pressing his face against it as he stood frightened and confused.

He was playing.

All 790+ feet of him.

With a 'former.

Like his ada and atar.

Playing.

-0-Doing the rounds again and loving it

Drift and Springer walked along the pedestrian path that boarded all of the main highways of the colony. They were a concession to the humans and to bots who liked to walk and there were many of those. They paused to take the call, then transformed to speed with lights flashing all the way from Tyger Pax to the scene. It wouldn't take long.

-0-In an apartment in a tower across town

"And then we fought them! It was awesome!"

From Hot Rod's angle lying on his berth, Smokey next to him energetically detailing their battle with the acid monsters, all of it was awesome.

-0-Prime and Ratchet

They transformed and joined the small crowd talking together, their optics straying now and again to the 'tiny' cityformer half laying on his ada, his optics confused, his thumb stuck firmly in his mouth.

Ratchet nearly plotzed.

-0-In an apartment in a tower across town

"And it hurt here."

Kiss.

"And this burned."

Kiss. Kiss.

"This *REALLY* hurt!"

*POUNCE*!

-0-At the scene of the 'crime'

They caught up, then Hex sighed. "We are very sorry, Acroplex. He meant no harm. He has only had us for companions and I am sure seeing someone inside a tower was a surprise. No one has lived in us but him all the vorns of his life. He has little experience in dealing with others."

"We know," Acroplex replied. "We will help him learn. He is precious to us too."

"We want him to be appropriate and have friends," Hex said with the betrayal of emotion in his deep masculine voice. "We love him so."

"We do too," Metrocon said comfortingly. "What do you say that he goes to recharge now. Then in the morning we can make a routine for him with the Supremes helping us. He will have school for part of his orn and we can arrange playmates with our symbionts as well. We will find our way to a life for him that is filled with friends and activities," he said comfortingly.

Everyone of the massive formats including Fort Max and Metroplex agreed over the line. Ratchet grinned. "I feel like an ant in a herd of elephants."

Prime grinned. "Good description." He stepped forward. "We are here to help. He is our son too."

"Thank you, Prime," Hydrax said with audible relief. "We have lived for the orn when we could come to a place like this and ensure that our son has a good life. He is the most wonderful little mech. Isn't he, Hex?" Hydrax asked anxiously. "He's so mannerly and kind. We have discussed this a lot with him and we have been his teachers. He can read and he's very clever."

"He is," Hex replied with his own anxiety.

"That could not be more clear," Ratchet said kindly, the tone of older parental angst in their voices something he knew a bit about. "We are all on a learning curve. No one got hurt. I think recharge would do him good. Then tomorrow, we can do what we need to do."

"I think that's a good idea. Don't you, Hex?" Hydrax asked hopefully.

"I agree," Hex said with a slight relief. "Tomorrow then."

The infant looked from one to the other as he leaned on a low building in the city format of his ada.

"Swan."

The infant started, then looked at the city across from his ada. "Atar?"

"I would be most pleased, infant, if you would recharge next to ada on your new pad. Tomorrow will be coming soon and you will need to be ready for all the wonderful things we have planned for you," Hex said with incredible gentleness.

Swan stood up immediately, his thumb forgotten. "Can I play with someone? Can I see their toys? I can show them mine."

Ratchet felt the same as everyone else. This was a lonely child awash in the limitless love of older genitors who never expected to have him in their lives. It made tears pool in his optics.

"We will do that and more, son," Hydrax said. "Please. Go to the pad next to me and recharge. Form your ship mode, infant."

He looked at his ada with a smile, then paused as he looked at the others. "I get to play tomorrow with someone!" he said with great joy. He turned and stepped onto his pad, pausing a moment before transforming. He looked at his genitors a moment. "Good night, Ada and Atar."

"Good night, baby," Hydrax said gently.

"Good night, Swan. Recharge well," Hex replied softly.

They watched as the baby transformed, a tiny version of the giants around him finally settling on the ground in his ship modality. His lights powered down, then he was silent. Sensors probed him from his genitors, then they were gone.

"Thank you, Prime. I am sorry for this. He has much to learn but he is very bright and kind," Hex said as a trace of anxiety came into his voice again.

"He is," Hydrax added. "He's a very good sparkling. He has never not obeyed us. Those were the circumstance of his life. Not obeying meant death."

"We understand," Prime said nodding. "We are so happy that the three of you are here. We will adapt. That is our great glory."

The adults agreed, then after a moment of chat everyone turned to go about their business as the little ship slumbered on next to his genitors.

-0-On the beat

"That is one cute little metro-former. I wonder what his city format looks like?" Drift asked. "I'm curious if he even has one yet."

"I don't know. I like him though. He's cute. I don't mind watching everyone's sparklings. They go home with someone else at the end of the orn," Springer said with a grin.

"There is that," Drift said with a grin.

They continued onward into the night.

-0-Sander

He stood near the window of the apartment that would be his until he proved himself beyond the shadow of a doubt. He had been taken to the prison and helped the guards sort mechs out who could be trusted. Nearly fifteen or so were. They were taken to the Fortress and Ops Center where Prime sat with senior officers and civilians getting caught up to give their oaths which they did.

Happily.

The vastness of the Ops Center was incredible and so was the level of tech they fielded. All of it was everywhere they looked. Coming through the Trigger … an actual Trigger … was equally incredulous making. The city was huge.

Cities.

There were fifteen individual cities including the city-formers thus far with seven more construction sites coming online. The tri-cities and the newer ones were designed to conjoin at some point so that one could travel from city-to-city without touching the ground. It was the Cybertronian taste for such design.

They had a tour of the colony from the Fortress to the main public library and museum. They were told that such facilities had annexes in all the major habitation areas for ease of public use. They had toured the schools and university, the sporting facilities and businesses as well as the Central Labor Hall which was a major feature of life for most of the city.

It was there that clubs and groups, unions, guild and associations had their meetings and public doings. It held the offices of everyone connected to the city in a non-governmental manner with facilities for recreation in an ever expanding underground maze of places, streets and opportunities. He liked it there wandering among the bots, noting the comfort of the lounge areas which were interspersed throughout the area. Bots relaxed, ate together at tables, exited and entered huge public wash racks, read, studied, laughed and gathered. It was incredibly welcoming and he felt it immediately. No one cared that he was a Decepticon. He had given his oath to the Prime and that was good enough for the reset button to be pushed for him.

They entered the racks where they washed off the gray and removed their Deceptibrand. A trip to the detailer in the morning would repair the rest. He looked at his arm with his original colors and felt relief. It was good to see them. They were beautiful, expensive and as he looked at them his optics misted. They were his and that of his family. He felt unaccustomed emotion rise inside as he thought of them. Maybe they would make it. Maybe they were already here.

He paused a moment, then walked to the monitor. He commed it on and looked through things a moment. Then he found it, the Bureau of Refugees. He grinned. The Autobots were always better at organization than they were. It always irked him that they weren't as up on that as Prime.

He tapped it open and began to scroll. They were organized alphabetically by name, by city, by city-state. Some were names listed by those here of bots still lost, bots they were hopeful would be found some orn. He paused by two names, Garner and Pruett. They were his genitors' names. They were common names in his region. He tapped the listing. They were from Capital City. He stood staring at the names with their data, then turned and ran for the door.

Outside, the night was dark and cold but the city was lit well and he knew from the data where he had to go. He ran across the Park at Metroplex drawing the stares of younglings out courting. He transformed, then slammed on the gas as he hurried to Centurian. It seemed to take forever before he slid to a halt outside of the tower he sought. Transforming swiftly, he ran to the door and through the lobby heading for an elevator.

The ride up was swift and terrifying. When the door opened he hurried out seeking in number after number on doors the one he wanted. When he reached it he paused. He stared at the door, apartment 13 on the 43rd. floor of Tower 10. He stared at it, then gathered himself together. Rapping on it, he waited. Footsteps could be heard, then the door opened slowly, ever so slowly.

A tall mech stood in the doorway. He stared at Sander a moment without comprehension. "Sander?" he asked.

Another bot obviously roused from recharge appeared at his side. "Garner? Who is it?"

Garner stared at Sander a moment, then blinked. "Pruett … Sander is here. Our son is here."

Sander stepped inside and the door closed.

-0-On a berth in the house after the hoo-hah settled

Ratchet and Ironhide relaxed in their own berth. Tomorrow, the funeral for the Seeker drone would conclude. Tomorrow, they would be immersed in the job of getting things back on track. Ratchet would be on call to help formulate Swan's plan. He glanced at Ironhide's profile in the dark. "We have to be gentle with Hex and Hydrax. They love that infant so much I think they'll stroke out if we criticize him or something."

"I know how they feel. You want someone to love your infants and you want to see the approval," Ironhide said. "That is one fine little mech though. Can you imagine if he makes friends with Orion?"

"I shudder to think," Ratchet said with a grin. "Now, Sunspot ..."

"I hear you," Ironhide said with a grin. "Makes me look forward to sleep overs."

Ratchet grinned.

-0-TBC March 30, 2014 edited 4-15-14