Sky-Byte is a little surprised. ;)


~Not what I thought you meant.~ Sky-Byte stated dryly. Koji shrugged.

"Ah, so you are the energy source," Megatron said, pleased.

"Yes," Koji replied.

"How did you become what you are? We must create more."

"It's not possible," Sky-Byte said. "Besides, you don't want to do that."

"Why not?" Slapper demanded.

Silence.

"Come now. Tell us and we won't torture you," Scourge said, looking eager to do just that.

"It's worse than anything you think it could be," Sky-Byte warned.

"What could be so bad?" Dark Scream asked dismissively.

"I needed crucial repairs around my spark chamber," Sky-Byte said dully after Koji shrugged listlessly. "An old wound was reopened, severing tubing that circulated energon to my spark."

"So? You clearly repaired it," Gas Skunk said with a shrug.

Koji's face was blank. "No, he didn't. I did. He instructed me on what to do. I hit the manual release for his spark chamber and…fell in."

The silence this time was much thicker, and there was a tinge of horror to it.

"You…what?!" Megatron looked like he couldn't believe it. None of them could. "You both should be dead!"

"Yeah. We know," Sky-Byte said, his voice soft. "But Primus saved both of us. We left the encounter with a bond, a strange bond that didn't fit the parameters of a normal sparkbond. The accident happened about a month after you were arrested, after the Autobots left."

"Two days later, the pain started," Koji murmured, hands twitching. "Pain like I'd never experienced. The first pain of the bond was sharp, but quick. This was a dull ache that grew heavier as the days wore on. Metal started growing out of my skin. It spread fast. Then I went blind for five days as my optics were built. By that time, I had run away from home, and Sky-Byte was my only companion. The pain didn't completely go away for five hundred seventy-three days."

More silence, and this one stretched on for a good five minutes. Both Decepticons and Predacons tried to wrap their processors around what the boy had just said. They couldn't do it. Koji knew that it would take time for it to happen. That, and the expressions of pure horror and disbelief, was why he hadn't told the Autobots.

"I…I don't think we'll be making any more of you," Megatron said, his voice strangely quiet.

"You don't need to. I will willingly power your base for you, and provide energon, low, mid, high, flavored, whatever you want and as much as you want, within reason of course. My only request is that you allow Sky-Byte to walk around free in the base. And my demand is that you not ask me Autobot secrets."

There was no argument. They were all spooked from the story. Megatron picked him up, freed Sky-Byte, then carried the little Mini-con to a large, empty room.

"Energon?" He actually asked it, as if expecting a no.

"What kind?"

"One-fifth low, three-fifths mid, and one-fifth high?"

The Predacons and Decepticons gaped as cubes formed and filled, stacking all the way up to the ceiling. Koji smiled.

"You didn't believe I could do it, did you?"

"No," they all chorused.

"So I get my old room?" Sky-Byte asked.

"Yes. And this…?"

"Mini-Con. Call me Paradox."

"Suitable name," Scourge said thoughtfully as they returned to the main room.

"We thought so. And I shall bunk with Sky-Byte. Now, what are you working on?"

"Energy siphoning device," Scourge said. "To steal from the power plant in the city down that way."

Paradox nodded thoughtfully. "I have a question. Have you ever considered solar panels? Build your own and set them up on isolated, uninhabitable islands along the equator. Add a heat converter, a sturdy windmill or two, plus set up some lines to pull power from the waves of the ocean, and that's more energy in one bright, sunny, windy day than you've ever managed to steal in any of your individual excursions."

Silence for a whole minute. "We don't have the parts for it," Megatron said. "We'd have to steal them and the Autobots would come and destroy them when they'd pinpointed them."

"Nonsense. I will form the parts, and teach you how to construct them."

"Just make the whole thing!" Slapper argued.

"No. You will work for your power."

"We could hurt Sky-Byte," Gas Skunk said with a smirk.

"Oh. You still haven't learned your lesson. Very well. Might want to hold on to something."

"Wait!" Megatron barked, but the power shut down and they dropped to the bottom of the ocean, falling completely over. "What did you just do, Paradox?!"

"Oh, just siphoned all power out of your Megastar. Why? Hm. Made me thirsty for more energy."

"Put it back!"

"Are you going to do what I say?"

"Yes," the ten mechs muttered irritably.

Lights flared on, and the gauges jumped to full power. The lights were extremely bright and they were moving swiftly, faster than before. Every optic landed on Paradox, wide with shock.

"What? I gave it back with interest."

"Um…so when do we start building?" Gas Skunk asked.

"Tomorrow. I'm thirsty. And I want turkey."

The mechs untangled themselves, standing shakily. "Can you still eat human food?" Slapper asked as the Decepticons went to get energon.

"Yes. It's more for taste than sustainable energy, though. I'd have to eat a whole restaurant out of every last crumb before it would make a dent in my energy needs. And it wouldn't be that big of a dent."

They nodded as energon was brought back.

"We, uh, didn't know what you can take, Paradox, so…we brought you low," Movor said sheepishly. He moved to lower the cube down, but it levitated at chest level. Paradox shot up to hover beside it, cupping his hands to take a drink. He made a face.

"I'll take high. No, don't bother going back."

The cube changed from low to high, the glow becoming brighter. They stared.

"Wow. You've really got that down, don'tcha?" Slapper asked.

"I had to. Early on, my body started shutting down from lack of energy. I wasn't just hungry all the time, but thirsty. I needed liquid energy, which is what energon is. I discovered that I can make a lot of energon with only a little power, then can be sustained for many days on the energy from a single high-grade cube."

"Impressive," Scourge said. "Is there a way for us to do the same?"

"No. But I could make all of you more energy efficient. Give you a few upgrades."

That certainly got their attention. They looked rather eager.

"I haven't had upgrades since I was in the Ring!" Slapper said eagerly.

"Ring?" Ro-Tor asked.

The Predacons went silent. Sky-Byte didn't offer anything, either. Paradox frowned.

"You must tell them."

"Sky-Byte!" Megatron growled.

"I didn't tell him. I didn't," Sky-Byte muttered. "Spark bond."

"You can't have sparkbonded that much."

"Paradox is different when it comes to sparkbonding. I am still going through his short years of human memory. When he sparkbonds, he gets everything. All at once. It is set into his memory banks and is integrated naturally into his conversations. I didn't tell him. But he knows."

Silence for several moments. "You seriously want us to tell them about the Ring?" Slapper demanded.

"I think they deserve to know. Without you, they would be Autobots. As they are Decepticons, this is a chance to get closer to them. Tell them your stories."

Megatron studied the little mech. "And we have no choice?"

"Yes, you have a choice. This is one thing I cannot order from you. It must come from you."

"Hm…" Megatron shook his head. "I will not speak of it now. The other Predacons can speak of it if they wish."

"No," the all muttered.

"What's so important about all of this?" Scourge demanded.

"Simple," Paradox said. "Without the Ring, this war never would have started." He paused. "Boy that sounds like 'Lord of the Rings', doesn't it Sky-Byte?"

"Yes. Yes, it does."

"What's that?" Slapper queried.

Paradox grinned. "Movie Marathon!"