Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, Hasbro does. The Efforts and their story, how ever, are mine.
Chapter 13: Back to Base With Powers
When they got back to the headquarters, Mash was already in the garage with Skywarp at his side. The beaten up black and yellow jeep was looking around in panic and surprise, obviously not knowing what was going on here. He had known with the rest of the universe that Decepticons had been defeated, and yet, here he stood beside one after being kidnapped!
Thundercracker slowed in the garage before turning himself, nose pointed towards the floor, and opened the glass top of his cock pit. The jet beneath Mextron and Shadowleap heaved like a flexing muscle and they were sent flying out of the cockpit to land in a tumble on the floor. Well, at least Mextron made a rough landing. Half way through the fall, Shadowleap flickered out of existence and reappeared on one of the enormous crates of supplies stashed on the edge of the garage. A hiss of air indicated Mash's response while one of Skywarp's metal eye brows rose up in surprise. Mextron sat up and he and Shadowleap exchanged looks. Mextron rolled his eyes.
"Fine, you teleport," Mextron admitted, "but I'm warning you: one prank on me because of it and I'm cramming you up one of the Seekers' jet turbines."
"Yes, sir," Shadowleap said, saluting somewhat shakily. Whether he was shaky from the new powers or Mextron's deadly serious threat was difficult to determine.
Thundercracker was too busy dancing around in horror and disgust to notice.
"Oh Primus, oh Primus, oh Primus, oh PRIMUS, that was so gross!!!" the Seeker wailed, brushing himself off as his wings shuttered in horror. "Dirt--dirt--organics--dirt--eww!!"
"Wow, Thundercracker," Starscream said, slowing to a calm stop on the floor and opening his cock pit to allow Smartmouth out. "I never knew that you were such a prissy."
"I still hate having organics in my cockpit!!!" Thundercracker roared with a volume that made light objects and robotic metal plating shutter against each other.
"Yeah, and I thought Starscream was the wussey," Smartmouth joked.
A metal slip of Starscream's jet form unpeeled itself from the body to deftly flick Smartmouth in the back end and sending her tumbling heels-over-head, crying out weakly, off of him and onto the paved floor below. She landed ridiculously on her back like a doll while Starscream stood up and deftly brushed his shoulders and arms off. Buzzsaw and Laserbeak finally entered the garage as the doors began to slid shut, cutting off the strong golden sun set rays. They disappeared into the shadows on the edge of the garage and there was a sound of them transforming and a click as they returned to a certain compartment. For a moment, the garage was in darkness as the doors shut and the lights failed to come on.
"Wait, what's going on here??" Mash asked as his chest and shoulder-mounted jeep lights came on and made strong cones of light against the darkness. "Where am I? What do you want me?"
"Isn't it obvious, Mash?" Megatron asked, coming out of the shadows.
Mash turned and gasped as the lights came on, at first dim, but lightening up to reveal all the Decepticons and their Efforts.
"We're recruiting," Megatron told the jeep.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Mash was sworn in that night. Plans were made to start a series of raids on the surrounding mines and factories. Megatron was incredibly pleased to hear that North Africa would be easy to be taken due to its lack of military and the peoples' desire for leadership.
"They might not like me," Megatron said in the main hall where the maps and plans were being projected onto the wall by Shockwave—a substitute for a map room until a proper one could be fixed. "But at least I'll crush any pests like those rowdy tribes who wish to become ruler of these lands."
"You're not seriously considering ruling those pests, Megatron, are you?" Starscream asked. "That's sinking low, even for you!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Megatron snapped. "I'm not a King of Worms like you, Starscream! I'll just manipulate them when need be and kill them."
Starscream was defiantly angry at the remark and he shot Smartmouth an "I-Blame-You" Look.
After the plans and the swearing in of the new Decepticon Mash, Megatron ordered Mextron, Shadowleap, and Smartmouth to meet him in one of the large labs that he was starting to make his own room. The original tables had been smashed and removed.
"According to Cartwheel," he told the three. "You three drank some energon just before the mission. She's an awful liar and a worst hider of secrets from me. Now, is she telling the truth?"
Smartmouth and Shadowleap exchanged looks across Mextron then they both looked at Mextron between them. He understood; leaders had to answer for their followers' actions.
"Yes, sir, we did," Mextron admitted.
"Why? The energon could have poisoned you."
Much to Mextron's inner surprise, Shadowleap spoke up.
"I-I started it, sir!" the boy piped up, the words tumbling out as he spoke fast. "I wanted to see what would happen and at first, nothing happened, but when the Breaker Lab guards that had escaped the initial attack ambushed me I got scared and I teleported and-"
"You drank it out of curiosity," Megatron stated. "So, why did you drink an unauthorized share of energon, Smartmouth and Mextron?"
"I had a strange craving for it," Mextron stated truthfully.
"I just wanted to piss you off in some way," Smartmouth said easily, shrugging lazily.
The casual response made Mextron whip his head around towards her in shock, his eyes bulging in surprise. What the hell was she doing!? She was embarrassing him!
"Congratulations, you succeeded," Megatron replied, rolling his optics. "You are to polish Mash up tomorrow all by yourself and all three of you will be working to help properly convert the rooms of the headquarters into adequate and needed rooms and stations until you drop from lack of energy."
"Wait, literally-until I drop!?" Smartmouth exclaimed, much to Mextron's annoyance. They had stolen energon; of course they were going to get in trouble!
"Did I stutter?" Megatron snarled down at her. "Don't make me make it even more severe. It is only because of your unusual compounds and situation that I do not punish you more severely for energon theft! Don't think that because you are related to us that you-"
Mextron was really angry now. Not only was one of his people embarrassing him by back talking to their superior and his father, but Smartmouth seemed ready to start into one of her legendary screaming fits and Megatron was only becoming more heated about it. Wasn't it bad enough that they were to work their crime off until they passed out without instigating the Master of the Malicious and King of Cruelty?
Needless to say, Mextron was barely keeping his temper under wraps, but it found a way out of him. It took the form of a small burst of white light just over his head, popping like a large bubble. Megatron fell silent instantly and shutters shut over his optics in a rare confused blink. Smartmouth and Shadowleap were looking ahead, but their eyes widened before they slowly turned their heads to stare at Mextron. Mextron's anger instantly chilled into embarrassing confusion. What had just happened?
"What," Megatron said. "Was that?"
"Umm, an epiphany?" Mextron suggested dumbly.
No, that was some sort of energy flux!" Megatron declared. "Just like a young mech when their cannons malfunction while they're growing! It's a sort of distention of energy to keep the mech from being overloaded-do it again!"
"How?" Mextron asked as the embarrassment grew and escaped by the same means as the anger. Another pop and small, brief flash of white light appeared, then vanished over his head.
"Woha, Mex!" Shadowleap snickered. "You're like a malfunctioning video game light!"
"Wow, Shadowleap, that's a long word for you," Smartmouth informed.
"Wait, Shadowleap, did you say that you teleported??" Megatron asked, turning towards the nine year old.
"Yeah!" Shadowleap said eager to tell his tale. "I was in an inn trying to find more info about the factories when the guards came down from their rooms and recognized me! Apparently, some of them, including some scientists, managed to escape the labs and are hanging around to see if they can take back the labs without getting in trouble with the world governments or the Autobots. Well, I ran from them and tried rolling under an old truck to escape them. I realized that I wouldn't get away from the guards on time and just like that-- zip!—I got all dark and light and airy, then I wound up clear across the street! And when a guard tried shooting us, Smartmouth got scared and shot them with some white stuff from her shoulders! "
"I wasn't scared!" Smartmouth objected.
"Shut up and come with me," Megatron ordered.
On silent orders sent through head sets and a short run later, Shadowleap, Smartmouth, and Mextron were in the rather empty energon storage room with Megatron and Shockwave who had turned up there earlier for them.
"What is it, My Lord?" Shockwave asked. "I left Ferrofluid at directing the rebuilding of weapons cache 3, and I'm a bit leery about that lad and his sense of combining the placement patterns of hazardous materials-"
"Shut up and watch this," Megatron ordered. Picking up a small energon cube from one of the small piles created from the labs' energon generators; he turned and set it down on the floor in front of the three kids. The cube, held in his palm, was the size of a square, four-foot tall kiddy pool for the kids.
Shockwave's shock was evident when Megatron ordered the kids, "Drink up."
"Sir!" Shockwave exclaimed, his ear fins standing on end.
"Don't question me, Shockwave, just observe!" Megatron ordered.
"Yummy!" Shadowleap said, jumping over and leaning over the edge of the pool and sucking some of it up with genuine greed and eagerness.
Shockwave noticeably reared back in shock. Energon was poisonous to humans! And yet, this boy was drinking it willfully? What was going on?
Looking at the purple pool, Mextron was surprised to feel the same greedy eagerness rise with in him. The only time he had ever felt like this was in the month of December leading up to Christmas when he could get the delightful sweets of cookies, fudge, and chocolate and action movies; all were delicacies whose rarity made them all the more sweeter. Now, with the energon, it was as if he was feeling all the anxiety at once and it took him a great deal of restraint to keep himself from jumping over the edge of the small energon cube and hoggishly sucking down all the purple energon. Was this natural?
Judging by the nervous way Smartmouth was looking around and around, placing one hand on her hip and nibbling on her finger tips as she shifted from foot to foot, she was feeling the same anxiety. When Shadowleap finally dropped down from the side of the pool with a content sigh, Smartmouth darted forward and began to take her fill.
As she drank, a bright glow came to Shadowleap's red eyes, making him look around, as if he were seeing the large room for the first time and it was a wonder in his eyes.
"S-Sir!" Shockwave gasped, picking something up on his bio scanners.
"I know, Shockwave!" Megatron whispered in awe to the scientist. "His energy readings are jumping!"
"Ya-hooey!" Shadowleap suddenly declared, jumping up.
His body became a pure black shape for a moment before appearing on top of an energon stack. He disappeared numerous times, showing up all over the room, under the mechs, and on their shoulders, cheering all the while. When Smartmouth finally came away from the cube, whipping her mouth in content, Shadowleap appeared on top of her, wrapping his arms around her neck and making her catch him, bride style, to keep him from dragging her to the floor.
"How did I live before this??" Shadowleap whooped.
Smartmouth flung Shadowleap down. Shadowleap disappeared before he hit the floor and appeared crouching at the foot of the wall near by.
"Don't jump on me like that again, you little twerp!" Smartmouth snarled, her own eyes flashing red as she struck her arms behind her, ending in fists, in a classic pose of anger.
Just as she shouted, twin cones of white light appeared over her shoulders and shot at Shadowleap. Only Shadowleap's teleportation ability managed to save him, laugh in the air, as the white lights struck the floor where he had been and made a small black crater.
"Astonishing!" Shockwave gasped. "The energon is awakening their powers!"
"Drink, boy, drink!" Megatron ordered Mextron.
Mextron looked up at the two excited, eager Decepticons, then at the small pool of energon. Calmly, with only his shaking hands belaying his calm exterior, he stepped up to the edge of the kiddy pool. Leaning over, he placed his lips to the surface of the cool, airy liquid and began to suck it up and swallow it like he was drinking from a water fountain. As he drank, the energon seemed to soak into his throat, rejuvenating it from a thirst he did not know that he suffered. He closed his eyes as the energon reached his stomach and he felt it filling him, refreshing and recharging him in a way that no amount of sleep could ever do so. Had he really been this tired all his life? Had he really been this malnourished throughout his life? Why had he never noticed before? It was like a man who had eaten dirt all his life before finding the ambrosia of fruit. Or a man who had spent his entire life starving and dehydrated before feasting. It was amazing and wonderful!
When Mextron could do no more, he sat back, eyes still closed and enjoying the feel.
"Well, Mex?" Shadowleap asked eagerly, appearing at his side. "Anything?"
Mextron opened his eyes, but was disappointed to feel nothing. No new abilities, no new strengths. His skin did not even become interlaced with the straight lines and his eyes didn't even glow. He looked away in shame.
"No, nothing," he said sadly.
There was a sad, awkward pause.
"Well," Megatron grunted, straightening up and a mask of seriousness and annoyance crossing his face. "Figures that my son would be broken. Primus hates me like that. But Shadowleap's and Smartmouth's success clearly shows that energon exposure is just what these flesh bags need to get some proper metal on them. Efforts, come to energon storage room now! Soundwave, you come, too, and prepare to record some extraordinary footage!"
His voice boomed as he accessed the labs' intercom system and spoke through out the labs.
Mextron, mean while, could not help but hang his head in shame. Some how, in spite of his best expectations being that Megatron would at least acknowledge his existence, having Megatron make it seem like that his being broken was to be expected really hurt him. He felt gentle hands on him and looked up to see Smartmouth, of all people, resting a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm sure that you'll get powers soon. Then you can kick my shoulder-laser ass from one end of the Sahara and back!"
Mextron smiled at her, "Thanks, Smarts, I needed that."
"Oh, Primus, Smarts?? That's worst than Screamer!"
Mextron laughed, privately glad that he had friends.
Public Announcment: Whee! Fun chapter! Any who, in this story most of your beloved Decepticons are long sense dead due to human temper in the Last Battle and the Great Lord Megatron will be recruiting new mechs into the Decepticon Army. Got a Decepticon-based character floating around? Send me a link to a picture of them and their profile and they just might get into the story! I mean, if I'm gonna be throwing in a bunch of OC's, might as well gie someone else a chanse to shine, right?
And to those who have been reviewing and reading-- thank yee! ^_^