The Diego Diaries: Now (670)
-0-At home again, jiggity jig
Ratchet walked into Ops Center carrying the datapad that detailed the overall picture of the health of the newcomers. Most of them were fine including one of three babies, all of which would be undergoing a spark chamber transfer. One had just ended earlier and he had been there to oversee the procedure.
Ratchet hated working on babies and younglings. He could and had extensive knowledge on all manner of ailments and their solutions. He did work on them but he was grateful for the number of doctors and medical personnel online here that specialized in infants. They could do the work and use him as reference and backup.
A new baby had a new body. His tiny chamber was transferred without a hitch to a new protoform. He would grow to be a big healthy little mech now. Two more to go and they would be done.
Sitting at the table, Ratchet slid his datapad to Prowl who looked up at him from behind a wall of them. "Look at you, slacker. You really should keep ahead of the paperwork. I did."
"Loser. You manage one department. I have them all," Prowl said sitting back with a smirk. "That's because, I, Prowl am awesome."
Ratchet snorted, then grinned. "You're feeling full of yourself today."
"I am. That's because I'm Prowl," he said tossing his stylus down on the table. Popping his hold, he slid his daughter out. Grinning at her, he slid her to Ratchet. "You know you want to."
"I do," Ratchet said picking up the smiling infant. "Ironhide is hiding from the schools. I'm helping him."
"He will need a replacement if they get that one," Prowl said with a smirk.
"You read my processor," Ratchet said nodding.
Several other bots entered handing over reports. They sat and chatted, shooting the breeze in the wind down from the battle and reclamation. It was good to be them right now.
-0-Elsewhere
Trannis looked at his guards walking away. He had been brought to Cell Block A where the Stunticons lived or so he was told. He didn't know them well, just by reputation but he had seen Motormaster once.
He didn't like him.
Trannis turned around, then paused. Motormaster was staring at him with his usual anger and violence. Wild Rider and Dead End stood nearby with Drag Strip lounging on the porch of the barracks that they would all share. No one said anything for a moment, then Motormaster stepped toward him. The fist that lifted Trannis off his peds was swift but not unexpected. He stumbled backward, then gathered himself. "You're getting soft. That didn't even hurt," Trannis said before he launched himself straight at Motormaster.
Moments later...
They ran through the gates with the heavy tazers applying them to Motormaster and Trannis who were beating the crap out of each other. Half a dozen heavy weapons were pointed at the inmates as the guards brought down the two behemoths that had been tearing up the yard. They fell and lay on the ground twitching.
"Frag both of them," Dead End said gloomily. "I hate both of them. Who is this fragger?" he asked kicking Trannis's leg.
That fragger is Trannis. He's supposed to live here and you're supposed to like it," a guard said.
"What if I don't?" Dead End said warming up to a possible fight even though in the end it would be pointless. POINTLESS!
They tazed him too.
Drag Strip looked at his brothers twitching on the ground, then grinned. "This is the best entertainment I've seen in a while. Do it again," he said pointing to where they lay.
"Don't tempt us," a guard said as mechs began to drag the twitching malcontents out of the gates and down the corridor to a punishment enclosure. They would stay in small pens with the minimum of accoutrements until they were let back into their usual lock up or someone remembered that they were there.
Whichever came first.
-0-On a hillside several miles from town
An infant dug in the dirt looking for rocks that would be nice for his little collection. Several of the biggest rooms in the city forms of his genitors were saved for his toys and collections. Swan loved rocks and had some from all over the universe and several different ones that only their kind knew how to access. If the scientists ever found out they would be banging on their door immediately. Some of the minerals some rocks contained didn't exist in this universe at all.
Swan paused, then looked up to smile at three big bots sitting on rocks and hillocks near to him watching. "Look! I found another one!" He drew up his servo from the hole and in his palm was a large diamond. It was roughly the size of a basketball, shiny though uncut and heavy.
"That is so pretty, Swan," Zeta said kindly. They were here to help give the lonely little mech some 'friends' to play with. It was easy actually. Swan by virtue of his genitors' stature and city formats was accustomed to doing all the work of actual play. They were the beneficiary of his sweet prattle. It was win-win.
Swoop who was hovering in the uplifting breeze over head was a source of great pleasure with the little mech. The other Dinobots were less so...
"This is Swan, boys. He is a sparkling on the edge of younglinghood. We want you to meet him and maybe play together," Xantium said when they had opened their holds to place the bots on the ground before Swan. Swan for his part looked at them with utter joy.
"Me, Grimlock sees a big mech. How this mech a child?" Grimlock asked.
"His genitors are city formers," Kappa said with a grin.
That was when Swan leaned down and picked up Grimlock.
-0-At the dojo
The new dojo in a tower at Tyger Pax was filling up with soldiers and others who came to hear the stories about the migration. Those that had been harmed sat on the couches, their wounds evident along with bandages and plasters.
"Then the slaggers jumped out of their eggs and aimed for our faces," Kup was saying. "We were hip deep in ugly and slime."
"What did you do?" a youngling Home Guardsman who was Circle of Light asked.
"We killed 'em. Killed 'em as fast as they came to us. Everything look like it had exploded. It was disgusting," Kup said shaking his helm.
"Sounds like it," another mech said.
Lon sat with his beau, both of them listening to the story which Lon had already told. Both of them were feeling the burn. Sitting next to them were Hot Rod and Smokey. "How do you feel, Smokey?" Lon asked glancing around his beau to look at Smokey.
That bot shrugged. "It's not too bad. I wasn't in the lead so I didn't get as hurt as some of you," he said looking at Springer, someone he had come to idolize.
"You two younglings kept your helms together," Hercy said with a nod. "You did good."
If they had given out gold bricks filled with shanix, it would not top in value to the younglings those few simple words from that mech. The afternoon would pass in good conversation and a beer run by the younglings.
-0-In Infant ICU
Two genitors sat by a crib where a tiny baby lay with lots of plugs and other data readers attached. He had his spark chamber moved to a new protoform. This one had all the bells and whistles, made by experts, yet it looked the same as the one their baby had been placed at separation. The colors, simple and light in hue were the same. It was just what a baby needed to grow up healty and strong.
Winter walked in with energon in his servos. He handed it to the youngsters, then sat. He looked at the infant who would now live and felt a terrible anger. None of this should have ever happened. They had tried as hard as they could to prevent the end of all things but courage and determination weren't enough to topple a dictator and his army. At least here they could have the life they couldn't on their beloved home world.
The machines beeped softly, the odd tech or nurse entering to check things as the orn slowly moved onward. The next orn, the infant would go to a ward, then home. It would never remember what had just happened to him. His genitors would never forget.
-0-Trine
Sunstreaker stood staring at a collection of his chosen works for the Cybertronian show that would be held in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art on Earth. He would be showing his paintings along with Sadee. Tapestries, weavings of all manner, glass and pottery would go along with them as representative of some of the ancient skills with which their people excelled. It would be the first time that images of the Pantheon would be seen outside of Cybertronian space.
That no one would know that they were images of the Pantheon would be the only reason they would be shown outside of their own culture. Innocuous names would proclaim the art but nothing more. The work itself would be its own exclamation. It would be of the highest possible level. RTR Tools would provide several of their own creations as well.
It would be epic.
-0-On the way home
Sunspot ran ahead of the family toward the home tower, Spot bouncing along behind him. Rushing the elevator, he was in and going up before the others entered the building. Rising upward swiftly, he got off on the 24th floor and ran for his door. Yanking it open, he ran inside and stopped, glancing around with a brilliant smile. "ATAR! ADA! I'M HOME!"
No one else was. Yet.
-0-At the store
They walked together getting things together for dinner. It would include a number of dessert items of which Ironhide was including with more additions to his cabinet in the kitchen. Ratchet paused the cart. "Put it back. We have to hurry."
Ironhide complied with a smirk. "You are one bossy old mech, old mech."
"And you like it," Ratchet said as he angled toward the check out.
"I do," Ironhide said with a grin. "Can't wait to see the younglings. Its been a while since we were together."
"Why don't you go camping?" Ratchet asked as they got into line.
"Why don't you?" Ironhide asked as they moved closer to the checker. That mech would scan all that they had so inventory could replace it. A nice youngling would box it. Then they would leave groceries in servo, Prowler in hold.
Ratchet considered that, then grinned. "No. I think that bonding activity is your thing, Autobot Scout Master. Prowl and I get plastered when you both go camping. We're about due. Oh and Ali. Alor likes to come too. He insists."
"That's because he's that kind of awesome," Ironhide said as he took things out of the cart. Some of them he hid from Ratchet who frowned as they were placed on the counter.
Score.
"He is. You go camping. We get drunk. Sounds like a plan to me," Ratchet said. "We might even get brigged."
"You usually do," Ironhide said as he watched the youngling box up something called 'chocolate frosting' that came in a can. It looked promising. Apparently you put it on the top of things and ate them afterward. He had some pickles left in the jar in his cupboard. This sounded right up his alley. Taking the box into servos, Ironhide followed Ratchet out and together they made a leisurely stroll to the apartment.
-0-In a pen in a prison on a planet that wasn't Cybertron
They sat up about the same time puzzling over the strangeness of their surroundings. They rose at the same time, then turned to stare at each other.
"Fragger." -Motormaster aka MM
"Slagger." -Trannis aka TR
"Both of you shut up. Fraggers. Look what you did? I mean … I know that it would have happened anyway but look at this. We're in dog kennels!" -Dead End aka DE
"Shut up, Dead End," Motormaster said as he glared at Trannis.
"YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! NO ONE CAN! ITS TOO SLAGGING LATE!" -DE
Motormaster would spend some time searching the dirt under his peds for a big rock.
Dead End would be half sorry but not surprised when Motormaster didn't find one.
-0-TBC April 1, 2014 edited 4-2-14