Optimus walked around the base, peeking in on his warriors. Back on Cybertron, it was a great honor to watch someone while they recharged. But here on Earth, it was considered stalking. He knew Spike and Sparkplug understood, but Carlee had reacted terribly when she opened her eyes from her "catnap" and saw the Autobots staring down at her. Half of them had passed out in shock when she screamed in horror, Jazz included. Optimus' optics had widened to the size of Cybertron's moons, but he remained on his pedes.
He and the Autobots had learned something that day.
Do not underestimate the anger of a human female.
He was jolted from his thoughts by a strange sound.
Kremzeek! Kremzeek! Kremzeek!
"What on the face of Cybertron?" He walked into the main room and found Ratchet and Blaster staring in horror at the computer systems. Something yellow, sparky (and slightly cute) was romping on it, which was fine, only it was making the tech short out!
Bumblebee was purring loudly as he tried to catch it, and then he yelped. It drove Optimus into "protective-mama" mode and he jumped between them.
The Kremzeek-ing thing jumped at Jazz…and started to feed of his energy. Which would have also been sort of fine, if the warrior wasn't dancing around and reverting from bipedal form to his alt mode and screaming.
"Where did this thing come from!?" Optimus ran to his warrior, but something kept him from touching him. The little warrior fell down and squirmed on the floor. The thing (fondly named Kremzeek by Bumblebee) hopped out of Jazz and went after Blaster next.
"Oh, you will not dare…" Optimus jumped in its path, hoping that Kremzeek would get scared and bolt like so many Decepticons, but it instead latched onto him. He yelped and jumped back into Bumblebee.
"He's just scared," Bumblebee protested as he fell on his aft.
Optimus watched Kremzeek abandon him for Ratchet. Ratchet, who was probably the only one of them that had a chance of understanding what this thing was, earned a power surge that left him unconscious. Optimus lifted him and the other twitching Autobots into his arms and he carried them into a room where they would be safe. Then he looked around at the warriors he had left.
Blaster, Bumblebee, and Inferno were standing before him when he turned. He sighed, but he remembered that he could be stuck with worse 'bots that would be completely incompetent for this task ahead of them.
At least Blaster's mate, Jazz, would not join them. He knew how well they worked together, especially when they loved the same music, and they set that music, which didn't completely offend Optimus, on a ridiculously high level, which completely offended Optimus.
He looked down at them. "We will have to find it, capture it, and destroy it."
"Destroy it?" Bumblebee's optics widened. "But…but he's so cute…"
"Bumblebee, he doesn't belong on this world. He will be a danger to everyone if we allow him to continue his current path."
"You're a good negotiator, Optimus…you could tell him that he's doing bad things and then he will stop."
Optimus touched the little 'bot's helm. "Bumblebee," he sighed. He hated to break his spark, but he had to be firm. "He will probably die if we deprived him of energy."
The little yellow 'bot whimpered and he nodded. Optimus understood the wanting to protect Kremzeek, but he was dangerous, to others and possibly himself.
The four Cybertronians let the human Sparkplug bathe them in a foamy substance that the human explained would keep the little creature from messing with their circuits and make them short out. Bumblebee was paired with Inferno while Blaster padded after Optimus.
"How do you think the little guy got here?" Bumblebee looked up at Inferno.
"Are you kiddin'? He's practically got Megatron's fingerprints all over him…"
They heard happy Kremzeeks coming from Wheeljack's lab, and they ran in to see Kremzeek nibbling on a piece of equipment…the rest of the lab was destroyed.
"Ah, what's the use? You can't hold it, you can't shoot it…and it's destroyed all of our gear!"
Blaster shrugged. "At least we still have…"
The Autobots bolted as one being in time to see Kremzeek romping on the main computer system, which made it go haywire and send random messages to random people
Alert, alert. Optimus smells like pie. Blaster sounds like a dying rooster. Bumblebee is a-
Optimus stepped up to grab him, due to being protected with the insulator, but Kremzeek bolted and jumped…into the screen and he disappeared.
"Unbelievable! It's like he just went there!"
"Say what?"
Optimus touched Bumblebee's shoulder, the first one who spoke. "Where do you suppose he went?"
"…Japan."
The Autobots trooped out to see that Omega Supreme was okay. He greeted the Autobots, concerned about their rigid stances, but Optimus waved his servo and told him to get them to Japan. The Prime then told Sparkplug to get the other Autobots online.
It occurred to no one to spray Omega down in the insulator.
While they flew to Japan, Bumblebee and Optimus sat together, their knees touching. The Prime didn't seem to mind the contact and he looked over at Bumblebee from time to time as the smaller mech slouched in his seat. Cybertronians tended to have good posture, but their time on Earth had changed them more than they had originally thought.
When they landed, the Autobots stepped out and Optimus told Omega to stay. He didn't know what to expect, but he exactly know how it was all going to play out either.
"Where is that little…?"
Kremzeek jumped up, having buried himself under the sand, and he squealed in delight at his "friends". "Kremzeek!"
He was getting quickly annoyed with the fact that he could not attack any of them, so he stomped his little feet and grinned up at Bumblebee when he started to purr. He sniffed the air and he smiled when he scented Omega Supreme.
Optimus saw his intentions too late, but he figured he could get Omega out of there before Kremzeek could get to him first. He was wrong. Omega came crashing out of the sky and Kremzeek saw something tastier than Autobots.
"Choo choo!" He giggled and squealed, latching onto a passing train as he started to suck the energy out of the thing. Optimus gave chase, then transformed to his alt mode. His team clung to his cab and his trailer as he drove after the train, and he turned hard off the tracks when Kremzeek abandoned the train.
Hours passed before the Autobots collapsed with exhaustion. Bumblebee laid on his back as he breathed heavily, whining. Optimus sat under a tree, his optics closed while Blaster leaned against Inferno for support.
Kremzeek joined them shortly, whining quietly himself as he flopped onto the grass in front of Optimus' pede. The Prime instinctively shied away, but the little being was worn down.
It seemed that the Earth energy was more like sugar to him. It kept him going, but it was quickly burned out and had no long-term benefit. Optimus slowly picked the little being up and he gently stroked his head with a thumb. He didn't feel any surge of energy.
Kremzeek had control of himself. Perhaps he could be talked to.
Optimus looked at his exhausted Autobots, who were watching their leader with curious optics. Kremzeek started to make soft sparkling noises, nipping at Optimus' digits, which, again, caused no surge of energy.
The Prime began to smirk and he put Kremzeek by his face. They looked each other in the eye, Optimus' optic narrowing before making a wink. Kremzeek returned it.
"It seems Megatron has made a clever diversion." Optimus tickled Kremzeek's belly. There was a little surge of energy, but the little being was giving it to him.
Blaster sat up straight. "Why don't we let Megatron deal with him, then?"
"Yeah, but how?"
Optimus set Kremzeek on his knee. "By negotiating with Kremzeek."
oOo
Optimus watched his Autobots sleep. They were curled up on medberths, Sparkplug and Spike bent over one at a time. They were talking quietly among themselves as they replaced and repaired the Autobots. They didn't want to wake any of them up. As far as the humans were concerned, the Autobots deserved a good rest.
Optimus didn't flinch when he felt little fangs on his digits. He lifted his servo and saw a happy little Kremzeek. "Hello," he murmured.
The little being dropped something into the mech's servo and he squirmed happily, expecting his reward. Optimus let the baby suck on his pinky as he lifted the scrap Kremzeek had given him.
It was Megatron's paint. The Prime smiled and he shook Kremzeek off his pinky. He was beginning the feel the loss of energy. "You did well, Kremzeek."
The little being burped. "Meggy!"
"I am glad he took very good care of you." He smirked at Kremzeek's sparking body and bright colors. The little being would be healthy for a long time now. He set the little being in a box with a few Earth batteries. "Behave, and I will give you something tastier."
"Kremzeek! Yum, yum!"
Bumblebee walked into the room. "You're keeping him?"
"I heard he was cute, and he is indeed growing on me." The Prime set the box into Bumblebee's servos. "But you get to feed him batteries, and not every day. He fed on Megatron, so he should be well for a long time yet. Batteries are just a snack." He said the last sentence so Kremzeek would hear and understand.
"Kremzeek!"
Bumblebee laughed and he nodded as he hugged the box. "Thanks, Prime. I'll take good care of him."
Prime didn't react as Ratchet walked up and pinched his digit.
"He's a cute mech," the medic said.
"Despite what you think, Ratchet, you are not a match-maker."
The medic scoffed and he swatted at him. "Come on, Prime. Blaster and Jazz feel weird, since no one else is getting involved."
"This is not the time for mates, but I am glad they are together."
They lapsed into a silence, both mechs nodding slowly to themselves.
Then they heard a giggle and a squeal.
Kremzeek! Kremzeek! KREMZEEK!
Prime wondered if he would ever get used to the sound of the happy little beings. A smile grew under his mask and he left Ratchet to nod.